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BEIJING, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- China has launched a campaign to fight corruption in the military equipment system, the People's Liberation Army Daily (PLA Daily) reported Friday.

The campaign is aimed at eradicating hidden rules and cutting interest chains in the military equipment system, according to a meeting that convened Thursday on the subject.

The campaign will focus on clearing up plans, contracts, qualifications, expenditures and prices in the system to identify and rectify problems, said a document from the meeting.

The campaign will last seven months.
U.S. President Donald Trump has announced he will nominate State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert as the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

"She's [Nauert is] going to work with Nikki Haley to replace Nikki at the United Nations. She'll be ambassador to the United Nations," Trump told reporters at the White House early Friday. "She's very talented, very smart, very quick. And I think she's going to be respected by all."

Haley announced in October she would be leaving the job by the end of the year.

Nauert joined the State Department in April 2017 after a career in broadcast journalism, first serving under former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and then under current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In addition to serving as spokesperson, Nauert also served as acting under secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from March to October of this year.

She came to State from Fox News, where she co-anchored Fox and Friends, the morning program that Trump says he watches regularly. The president's other recent hires from Fox News include White House communications chief Bill Shine and National Security Adviser John Bolton.

 Diplomatic Experience

If she accepts the position, Nauert could likely face tough questioning during her Senate confirmation hearings about her apparent lack of diplomatic or policymaking experience. But since Republicans will continue to hold a majority in the Senate when the new Congress convenes in January, she is likely to be confirmed.

News agencies, quoting unnamed U.S. officials, said that the White House has decided to downgrade the UN ambassador to a non-cabinet level position. The move would likely mean the ambassador would report to the Secretary of State, not the president, reducing the position's policymaking power.

When asked about the announcement Friday, UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told VOA, "I cannot make any comments before the Senate confirmation, but I am ready to work very effectively with any ambassador of the United States."

Nauert is said to be close to both those in the White House and Pompeo, and has traveled extensively with the secretary, including to North Korea.

The Wilson Center's Aaron David Miller says Nauert has a different profile from past U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations. "I think Heather Nauert is smart. She is a quick study. She will learn the brief. But, I think it [the U.S. ambassador job] is not going to be what it was under Nikki Haley, which was a serious competitor under a vacuum at the NSC [National Security Council] and at the State Department under Tillerson."

Miller, who advised several secretaries of state under Republican and Democratic administrations, said Haley took advantage of the "empty space" created by media-averse Tillerson to stake out positions on a whole range of foreign policy issues, and that is not likely to be the case with Nauert.

"Heather Nauert is not going to be a big-time player in the deliberations on substance in the administration," he said. "I doubt, on an issue like Syria, unless it pertains to the UN, that the president is going to call her up and say, 'What do you think?'"
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"We have to review pretty much their whole case of videos and see if there's anything going on," said Heather Knight with the Smyrna Police Department.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-07 21:58:30|Editor: xuxin

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TOKYO, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Nissan Motor Co. said Friday that it will recall around 150,000 vehicles in Japan due to improper final inspections.

The automaker said in a press release that it has recently found several "nonconformities" that may have caused inaccurate judgments during the inspection process.

The vehicles to be recalled involve 11 models built at two of Nissan's domestic assembly plants between November last year and October this year, according to the company.

"The newly found instances are viewed as having resulted from ambiguity regarding final vehicle inspection procedures and a lack of understanding of noncompliant practices," said the release.

The latest recall comes as Nissan's management has been under scrutiny after its former chairman Carlos Ghosn was arrested for allegedly understating remuneration in securities reports. Ghosn has denied the allegation, said local reports quoting investigative sources.

The recall also comes despite a final report released in September on measures to prevent misconduct from recurring and restore trust of clients following a series of misconduct.

Nissan admitted in July this year to fabrication of data involving car exhaust emissions tests at five of its domestic plants, affecting 1,171 vehicles.

The scandal followed another misconduct of Nissan revealed last year as the second largest automaker in Japan was found to have routinely allowed safety checks on finished vehicles to be carried out by uncertified inspection staff, which led to the recalling of 1.2 million vehicles.

The incident, following a series of similar ones involving some major Japanese manufacturers such as Kobe Steel Ltd. and Mitsubishi Materials Corp., casts doubts over corporate governance in the manufacturing industry and beyond in Japan.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 01:29:39|Editor: mmm

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Photo taken on Dec. 5, 2018 shows a team of local experts restoring damaged or fully-destroyed antiques, mostly from IS-looted city Palmyra, at the National Museum of Damascus in Damascus, Syria. The IS group had stormed Palmyra twice during the more than seven-year-long war, destroying precious archeological sites, such as temples and tombs, and shattering sculptures into pieces in the ancient oasis city, which is registered by the UNESCO as a world heritage. After the war was over in Palmyra, the authorities brought in hundreds of damaged and fully-destroyed artifacts to the National Museum of Damascus to fix them, a process that is expected to take between five and eight years depending on the size of destruction and the availability of the materials used in the restoration process. (Xinhua/Wang Jian)

by Hummam Sheikh Ali

DAMASCUS, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Heba Jouma, a conservator-restorer from the ancient city of Palmyra in Syria, works to bring back ancient features to the sculptures damaged by the Islamic State (IS) group.

Jouma was born in Palmyra, where most of Syria's precious historical treasures are located. She grew up and became a conservator-restorer in the museum of her city, which is called the pearl of the Syrian desert.

She never imagined that one day she would work to piece up the 2,000-year-old sculptures of her ancestors, but the war always surprises people and shifts their lives in an unexpected way.

The IS group had stormed Palmyra twice during the more than seven-year-long war, destroying precious archeological sites, such as temples and tombs, and shattering sculptures into pieces in the ancient oasis city, which is registered by the UNESCO as a world heritage.

After the war was over in Palmyra, the authorities brought in hundreds of damaged and fully destroyed artifacts to the National Museum of Damascus for fixing them, a process that is expected to take between five and eight years depending on the size of destruction and the availability of the materials used in the restoration process.

Jouma, along with seven other restorers, started working to fix the pieces over the past few months. For her, the job has something special, as she had lived with these artifacts before and developed a special relationship with them as if they were her family members.

"Generally, I used to take care of these pieces as we used to perform a periodic check on them for any possible damage. They were in good health, but now I see them in a state of destruction," she told Xinhua.

"I feel that these artifacts have been a victim of a crime or homicide that's how I see it. Now, we are trying to bring them back to life," she said.

As in any family emergency situation, Jouma said she takes good care of them now that they are unwell. She even asks her fellow restorers to treat the artifacts with extreme gentleness.

She has even named many sculptures, saying it is easier to talk with them. Jouma said she speaks to them while fixing them, such as saying "sorry for what happened to you" or "come on getting well I am trying my best here."

"I feel that some of them are my children and some like parents. I feel that they are a part of me I cannot express enough the sadness that I feel for what had befallen them," she said.

Sure, many of the sculptures at the restoration section in Damascus museum are busts of old characters in Palmyra and those busts had largely been placed as headstones over tombs of the ancient people in Palmyra.

Much of the damage has been made on the busts' faces, which were used, in the old times, to make statues for the soul to return to the bodies of the deceased.

Jouma and her colleagues said they are fixing the faces so that the spirits of the dead could return in peace one day.

The woman said she will keep working and restoring these artifacts so that they could return home together, to Palmyra.

"Anyone should be able to return home. These artifacts must return and the Palmyra museum should return as well," she stressed.

Khalil al-Hariri, director of the Palmyra Museum, succeeded to secure the escape of a number of artifacts from Palmyra museum just as the IS were inching closer to the city.

"During our escape from the city, bullets rained down on us from all directions, and I was injured in the hand. We escaped because it was better to salvage the artifacts and deliver them to safety rather than to lose our lives and the artifacts," he told Xinhua.

During the Syrian war, the Syrian authorities shut down lots of museums around the country and safely stored away over 300,000 pieces, but some sites such as in Palmyra were still destroyed by the IS, damaged or looted.

Antiquities officials said more than 9,000 artifacts were restored and reclaimed during the war, noting that thousands more were smuggled out of the country.

Now that the situation has been largely improved in the country in favor of the Syrian government, the authorities have recently re-opened a portion of the Damascus National Museum since 2012.

The opening of the museum comes in tandem with the restoration process of the damaged artifacts, under the supervision of the Syrian experts.

Mahmoud Hammoud, head of the Directorate-General for Antiquities and Museums, said that all of the damaged pieces currently under restoration are from Palmyra.

Despite the efforts to salvage the historic treasurers, the official said that a catastrophe has befallen the Syrian cultural heritage.

"All of the sites that went out of the government control were subject to the illegal excavations and destruction," he lamented.

The opening of the museum and the restoration process started by local experts delivers a message that the rich cultural heritage of Syria is still there despite the war and the destruction of some of the most precious historical treasures, he added.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 01:34:41|Editor: mmm

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Palestinian medics carry a wounded man during clashes with Israeli troops on the Gaza-Israel border, east of the southern Gaza Strip City of Khan Younis, on Dec. 7, 2018. At least 33 Palestinians were shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers' gunfire during clashes with Palestinian protesters in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel, medics said. (Xinhua/Khaled Omar)

GAZA, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- At least 33 Palestinians were shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers' gunfire during clashes with Palestinian protesters in eastern Gaza Strip, close to the border with Israel, medics said.

Ashraf al-Qedra, spokesman of the health ministry in Gaza, told reporters that 33 Palestinian protesters were shot and wounded by Israeli soldiers' gunfire in eastern Gaza Strip.

He said that among those who were injured, there were a woman and a child who were shot in their legs.

On Friday afternoon, thousands of Palestinian protesters joined the anti-Israel 37th Friday of rallies and protests better known as the Great March of Return and Breaking the Siege.

Demonstrators burned tires, waved Palestinian flags and chanted slogans against Israel. The protests escalated to clashes between the demonstrators and the protesters in eastern Gaza.

Eyewitnesses and local Gaza media reports said that Israeli soldiers fired tear gas and live ammunition at the demonstrators to prevent them from reaching the fence of the border.

Every Friday and every Monday, the high commission of the marches of return and breaking the Israeli siege organizes rallies and protests close to the border with Israel calling for ending 12 years of Israeli blockade which had been imposed on the Gaza Strip since 2007.

Qatar, Egypt and the United Nations mediated a calm understanding in the Gaza Strip between Hamas and Israel. Although a calm deal that wasn't signed and orally has been reached, anti-Israel marches of return have been going.

Gaza Hamas deputy chief Khalil al Hayya told the protesters in eastern Gaza city that the marches of return would go on until it achieves its goals of breaking the Israeli siege, adding that the Palestinians are fighting for their rights and freedom.

"The failure of the U.S. draft resolution in the UN gives us the right to carry on with our struggle to get rid of the Israeli occupation," he said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 01:49:44|Editor: yan

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RIGA, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Latvian Prime Minister designate Aldis Gobzems announced on Friday his intention to form a "government of non-partisan professionals" as talks with potential coalition partners collapsed, local media reported.

Earlier on Friday, Gobzems withdrew his proposal to form a five-party cabinet that would have included his KPV LV party, the New Conservative Party (JKP), the right-wing National Alliance, the center-right New Unity and the centrist Greens and Farmers Union, as the parties could not overcome their mutual disagreements.

However, politicians reacted to Gobzems' plan B envisaging a government of non-partisan technocrats with general skepticism. Several political parties said they were walking out of the talks with the current prime minister designate and calling on President Raimonds Vejonis to nominate another candidate.

Krisjanis Karins of the center-right New Unity party, which had been involved in the negotiations on Latvia's next coalition government, said no headway had been made in almost two weeks since Gobzems was mandated to form a government. New Unity was the first party to terminate talks with Gobzems on Friday.

The New Conservative Party soon made a similar statement. One of the party's leaders, Juta Strike, said that the JKP would not back Gobzems' "government of professionals" either.

"It is absolutely impossible to continue the negotiations," Strike told public media.

Parliament Speaker Inara Murniece of the National Alliance also said her party was skeptical about Gobzems' latest proposal and did not deem it possible to support it.

Armands Krauze, leader of the Greens and Farmers Union, which so far had been the only party to support Gobzems' original proposal, said they had yet to discuss his latest initiative.

Gobzems said he would ask parliament to vote on his cabinet of professionals next week.

President Vejonis has set next Monday, Dec. 10, as the deadline by which Gobzems has to form his government.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 02:44:56|Editor: mmm

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ROME, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Italian Competition Authority (ICA) has fined Facebook with two penalties worth 10 million euros (11.3 million U.S. dollars) overall for improper use of its subscribers' personal data, the authority said in a statement on Friday.

After an investigation was launched in April, and closed on Nov. 29, the ICA concluded that Facebook used subscribers' data in a way that breached the country's Consumer Code.

The first fine was imposed because Facebook "deceptively persuades users to register on the platform" without informing them properly and immediately in the signup phase that their data would be collected for commercial purposes.

The Authority explained the information provided by the company in that phase were "generic and incomplete" since they did not adequately distinguish between the use of data needed to personalize the service, and that made to carry out targeted advertising campaigns.

The second financial penalty was due to the fact the social media giant passed users' data to third parties.

According to the ICA, the network uses "an aggressive practice, since it exerts an undue influence on registered consumers, who suffer without explicit and prior consensus... the transmission of their data for commercial purposes from Facebook to third-party apps and websites."

In addition to the fines, Facebook would now be required to publish a corrective statement on its website and app to inform consumers, the Italian antitrust specified.

The investigation had been open after a class action lawsuit against the company for alleged improper use of personal data was filed by three Italian consumer advocacy groups.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 03:40:08|Editor: yan

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BELGRADE, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Struggling to improve poor demographic outlook, Serbia increased funds for birth stimulation measures by 30 percent for next year, its ministry in charge of demography and population policy announced at a press conference here on Friday.

Slavica Djukic Dejanovic, minister without portfolio in charge of demography and population policy, summed up the results of the 2018 measures and announced further moves to turn around the ongoing depopulation trend due to negative natural increase.

She revealed that Serbia spent 500 million RSD (4.81 million U.S. dollars) in 2018 to improve its demographic situation, through various projects of local self-government for stimulation of birth.

Most of the money was spent on projects such as "arranging preschools and playgrounds for children, encouraging youth employment, equipping health institutions and building houses for young couples," she said.

Next year's budget envisages even higher expenditure for such measures, summing up to 650 million RSD (6.25 million U.S. dollars), which represents a 30 percent increase over this year.

Serbia, country of 7.02 million people, loses almost 39,000 people each year due to negative natural increase at about -5.3 percent, which is roughly the size of a small Serbian city.

Currently, the law on Financial Support for Families with Children stipulates that for each first child, the parents receive one-off payment of 100,000 RSD (962 dollars); for second child, the family receives 96.29 dollars monthly for two years; for the third child, the family receives about 115.55 dollars monthly for ten years, and for the fourth, 173 dollars monthly for ten years.

Moreover, women can expect greater benefits for pregnancy and maternity leave in 2019, Djukic-Dejanovic assured.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 04:00:16|Editor: yan

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ANKARA, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Turkey on Friday called on the United States to lift military observation posts in northern Syria which aim at preventing clashes between Turkish forces and Syrian Kurdish fighters backed by the United States.

During a meeting with U.S. Special Envoy to Syria James Jeffrey, Turkish Defense Minister Hulusi Akar conveyed Ankara's request, the ministry said in a statement.

The minister also urged the U.S. envoy to end U.S. collaboration with the Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) which Turkey sees an offshoot of the outlawed Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK), added the statement.

Speaking to reporters after the meeting, Jeffrey said the U.S. military posts near Turkish border in northern Syria aim at "less harassment fire" and ensuring security of the region including Turkey.

Jeffrey was in Ankara for a joint working group on Syria.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 04:05:18|Editor: yan

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PRAGUE, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Czech Republic will not send any representatives to the UN migration conference in Marrakesh, Morocco slated for next week, a Foreign Ministry spokesperson said on Friday.

The global migration pact is to be approved at the conference. The Czech government rejected the global pact in mid-November, but had not ruled out sending its representative as an observer to the conference.

The UN countries will discuss the pact next Monday and Tuesday.

Czech has rejected the document along with the United States, Austria, Slovakia, Hungary and Poland. According to Czech government, migration pact does not include some Czech priorities such as a clear distinction differences between legal and illegal migrants, thus encouraging more migrants, including illegal migrants.

It also criticized the absence of a clear opinion in the final text of the document that illegal migration is undesirable. The final text of the document also failed to enforce the resolution proposed by the European Union to talk about forced return of illegal migrants as a legitimate part of migration policy.

The Czech government originally considered adopting the global pact with reservations. However, out of fear that the reservations will no longer be relevant when the pact is approved, it eventually decided not to join the convention.

The global migration pact, which aims to improve the international approach to the migrant problem, was approved by the UN in 2016. It is not binding on the signatories.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 07:21:00|Editor: mmm

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Swiss President Alain Berset gestures during a news conference in Bern, Switzerland, Dec. 7, 2018. The Swiss government said Friday it wants public consultations before deciding on a draft treaty outlining the ties with the European Union (EU) aimed at locking in future relations between the two. (Xinhua/RUBEN SPRICH)

GENEVA, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The Swiss government said Friday it wants public consultations before deciding on a draft treaty outlining the ties with the European Union (EU) aimed at locking in future relations between the two.

The Swiss Federal Council, which operates as the cabinet, released a statement on Friday saying it, "will carry out consultations on the draft text to define a consolidated position on the outstanding issues and to re-examine if needed, dialogue with the EU."

The EU had wanted Switzerland by Friday to agree to an accord aimed at streamlining relations that are currently spelled out in some 120 bilateral agreements.

Switzerland's Federal Council said it has asked the Foreign Ministry to carry out a national consultation with relevant players such as political parties, cantons, parliament, and associations.

"These consultations will serve as a basis for a thorough analysis of the political interests to a possible signature of the agreement," said the Federal Council.

"We can't sign a final deal until we've reached our goal 100 percent," said Swiss Foreign Minister Ignazio Cassis at a Friday press conference in Swiss capital.

"The plan we presented today enables deepest market integration while maintaining the highest possible level of sovereignty."

Since 2014, Switzerland and the EU have been working to formalize their relations in accords negotiated since a referendum in 1992, when the Swiss rejected joining the European Economic Area.

The EU wants Switzerland to agree to a treaty before granting greater access to its markets.

It has been pushing Switzerland to approve an agreement this year during the ongoing Brexit talks with Britain, and before elections in Switzerland scheduled for 2019, the Swiss news agency Keystone SDA reported.

Further talks can take place, but not before 2020, and there is no guarantee that the EU will continue with the same mandate and the existing draft agreement, said the Swiss side.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 07:26:02|Editor: Yang Yi

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Paul Manafort, former Donald Trump campaign chairman, lied to prosecutors about his contacts with the White House and an associate with ties to Russian intelligence while he was under investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller's office said in a court filing on Friday.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 09:41:22|Editor: Yang Yi

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China launches Chang'e-4 lunar probe in the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province, Dec. 8, 2018. The probe is expected to make the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon. A Long March-3B rocket, carrying the probe including a lander and a rover, blasted off from Xichang at 2:23 a.m., opening a new chapter in lunar exploration. The scientific tasks of the Chang'e-4 mission include low-frequency radio astronomical observation, surveying the terrain and landforms, detecting the mineral composition and shallow lunar surface structure, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment on the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration announced. China has promoted international cooperation in its lunar exploration program, with four scientific payloads in the Chang'e-4 mission developed by scientists from the Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi Arabia. (Xinhua/Jiang Hongjing)

XICHANG, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's Chang'e-4 lunar probe was launched in the early hours of Saturday, and it is expected to make the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon.

A Long March-3B rocket, carrying the probe including a lander and a rover, blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Center in southwest China's Sichuan Province at 2:23 a.m., opening a new chapter in lunar exploration.

Since the moon's revolution cycle is the same as its rotation cycle, the same side always faces the earth. The other face, most of which cannot be seen from earth, is called the far side or dark side, not because it's dark, but because most of it remains unknown.

The Chang'e-4 mission will be a key step in revealing the mysterious far side of the moon.

"The soft landing and exploration of the far side, which has never been done before, will gain first-hand information about the terrain and lunar soil components and other scientific data, which will help enrich our understanding of the moon and the universe," said Zhang He, executive director of the Chang'e-4 probe project.

The scientific tasks of the Chang'e-4 mission include low-frequency radio astronomical observation, surveying the terrain and landforms, detecting the mineral composition and shallow lunar surface structure, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment on the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced.

China has promoted international cooperation in its lunar exploration program, with four scientific payloads of the Chang'e-4 mission developed by scientists from Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi Arabia.

Three scientific and technological experiments, designed by Chinese universities, will also be carried out during the mission.

Scientists believe the special electromagnetic environment and geological features on the far side of the moon will be suitable for low-frequency radio astronomical observation and research into lunar substances composition.

However, landing and roving there requires a relay satellite to transmit signals.

China launched the relay satellite "Queqiao", meaning Magpie Bridge, on May 21 to set up the communication link between the earth and the moon's far side.

The satellite has successfully entered a halo orbit around the second Lagrangian (L2) point of the earth-moon system, about 455,000 km from the earth. It is the world's first communication satellite operating in that orbit, according to CNSA.

In orbit, the relay satellite can "see" both the earth and the far side of the moon. The earth's and moon's gravity balances the orbital motion of the satellite and makes it very fuel-efficient.

Saturday's launch was the 294th mission of the Long March rocket series.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 10:31:26|Editor: huaxia

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BEIJING, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's securities regulator has approved the initial public offering (IPO) applications of two companies.

Chinalin Securities and Wuxi Shangji Automation Company will be listed on the A-share market, said the China Securities Regulatory Commission (CSRC) in a statement, without specifying the total amount of funds to be raised.

Both companies and their underwriters will confirm the IPO dates and publish their prospectuses following discussions with the stock exchanges.

Under the current IPO system, new shares are subject to approval from the CSRC. China is gradually switching from an approval-based IPO system to one based on registration. Enditem
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 11:11:32|Editor: xuxin

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The 100th anniversary of the establishment of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) and the 100th jubilee of its president Borys Paton, who chairs the academy since 1962, are celebrated at the National Opera House of Ukraine in Kiev, Ukraine, Dec. 7, 2018. (Xinhua/Chen Junfeng)

KIEV, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- The 100th anniversary of the establishment of Ukraine's National Academy of Sciences (UNAS) and the 100th jubilee of its president Borys Paton, who chairs the academy since 1962, were celebrated here Friday.

Hundreds of guests, including top Ukrainian officials of the government and parliament and renowned foreign scientists, gathered at the National Opera House of Ukraine for the celebrations.

While addressing the event, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko said that over the past hundred years, much has changed for the UNAS, but the academy remained the iconic landmark of Ukraine's intellectual heritage.

"During this time it has grown into one of the most powerful scientific centers in Europe. The results of its scientific research have been recognized, and it glorified Ukraine throughout the world," Poroshenko said.

Currently, the UNAS is actively engaged in research aimed at strengthening Ukraine's security, Poroshenko said, noting that the academy's scientists have developed many kinds of defensive technologies, including an innovative radar station, a ceramics cover for protecting military equipment, and a unique system of information protection.

Poroshenko stressed the important role of the president of the UNAS in developing science in Ukraine and awarded him with the order of Yaroslav Mudry, one of the highest state awards of Ukraine.

Paton, who is 100 years old this year, thanked Poroshenko for the appreciation of his scientific work and said that the UNAS will continue its efforts aimed at developing science.

"The National Academy of Sciences will continue to work fruitfully in the future, preserve and develop its scientific schools and traditions, and play an appropriate role in the life of society," Paton said.

The head of the UNAS has received congratulations and good wishes from the chiefs of the academies of sciences from all over the world.

While addressing the jubilee, Bai Chunli, president of the Chinese Academy of Sciences (CAS), extended his best wishes to Paton, saying the CAS is willing to strengthen cooperation and boost exchanges with the UNAS.

"We see a lot of complementarities we can tap together for each other's benefits and for our shared benefits. This is exactly what the China-proposed Belt and Road Initiative aims -- to achieve joint benefits," Bai said.

He invited Ukrainian scientists to join the celebrations of the 70th anniversary of the CAS next year.

The UNAS is the highest state-supported research institution in Ukraine with about 15,000 research staff members, including 98 foreign members. It was founded by a well-known Ukrainian geochemist Volodymyr Vernadsky on Nov. 27, 1918.

On the same day, Borys Paton, the current president of the UNAS, was born in the family of Eugene Paton -- the founder of Institute of Electric Welding in Kiev.

Borys Paton is known for his research in electric welding, including welding in space and welding of human tissues -- technologies currently used by engineers and surgeons around the globe.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 11:21:34|Editor: Yurou

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Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua (5th L, front) and French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire (5th R, front) pose for photos with other participants of the Sixth China-France High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue in Paris, France, on Dec. 7, 2018. The pair co-chaired the dialogue in Paris, which was themed "building a long-term and close China-France comprehensive economic strategic partnership." (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

PARIS, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua and French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire said here Friday their countries are willing to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The pair co-chaired the Sixth China-France High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue on the day in Paris, which was themed "building a long-term and close China-France comprehensive economic strategic partnership."

Hu said that the Sino-French relations have witnessed a healthy and stable development in recent years, and pragmatic cooperation in various fields has achieved remarkable results.

On Dec. 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron met during the G20 summit and reached a series of important consensuses on the major issues of Sino-French cooperation, Hu said.

The two sides should implement the important consensuses, jointly promote international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen bilateral policy communication, consolidate pragmatic cooperation on large projects, vigorously expand cooperation in new areas, and strengthen coordination and cooperation under multilateral frameworks so as to inject a new impetus in China-France comprehensive strategic partnership, he said.

Le Maire said that France attaches great importance to developing France-China relations, noting the two heads of state successfully met during the G20 summit and a new chapter would be drawn in France-China relations.

France has a unique advantage in participating in the Belt and Road Initiative and is willing to strengthen pragmatic cooperation with China in the fields of trade, technology, agriculture, finance, climate change and other economic and financial resources, and promote bilateral cooperation to achieve new results, said the French minister.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 12:36:44|Editor: Xiang Bo

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Paul Manafort, former Donald Trump campaign chairman, lied to prosecutors about his contacts with the White House and an associate with ties to Russian intelligence while he was under investigation, special counsel Robert Mueller's office said in a court filing here Friday.

At 5 p.m. eastern time (2200 GMT) on Friday, District Court Judge Amy Berman Jackson granted Mueller's request to file the report under seal and ordered a redacted version to go public.

The redacted report detailed accusations against Manafort of "committing federal crimes by lying to the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) and the special counsel's office on a variety of subject matters" in breach of his plea agreement.

According to the report, Manafort lied on five major issues after agreeing to cooperate with prosecutors, including his contact with administration officials and interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, his Russian associate allegedly having ties to the Russian intelligence.

The investigators said they have evidence about electronic communications related to Kilimnik and travel records. They also believed Manafort lied about a wire transfer made to a firm he had hired and "information pertinent to another Department of Justice investigation."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 13:11:49|Editor: mmm

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RIO DE JANEIRO, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Brazilian President Michel Temer announced on Friday a federal intervention in the state of Roraima bordering Venezuela, which has been going through a massive public security crisis.

The intervention will last until the end of Temer's administration on Dec. 31. In the ensuing days, the new president, Jair Bolsonaro, may decide whether to extend the intervention or not.

Brazil has seen a sharp rise in the arrival of Venezuelan immigrants in the past year and a half, most through Roraima, straining public services and finances of the state.

Prison wardens and policemen called for a strike after not receiving their salaries for several months. Military policemen are forbidden from going on strike, but their wives and families blocked the entrances of brigades to protest.

Temer said he had talked to Roraima state governor Suely Campos and they agreed that the federal intervention would be the best solution for the state.

"With this decision, we want to pacify matters in Roraima," the president said.

Temer said the National Defense Council will meet on Saturday and the decree which will establish the intervention will be drafted quickly.

Brazil will now have two states under federal intervention.

Rio de Janeiro state has been facing an intervention in its public security area since early 2018, which will also end on Dec. 31. Bolsonaro has already declared he does not intend to extend the regime.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 13:16:51|Editor: mmm

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Friday signed a two-week spending bill to extend federal government funding, averting a partial government shutdown and delaying an expected partisan fight over the proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall.

The legislation, which would keep the Homeland Security Department and several other government agencies open through Dec. 21, came as the funding for those agencies is set to expire Friday midnight.

The prospect of a partial government shutdown was raised by disagreements among lawmakers over Trump's proposed U.S.-Mexico border wall, for which he has demanded 5 billion U.S. dollars.

Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer has said that Democrats are only willing to agree to a 1.6-billion-dollar budget to bolster border security instead of building a physical wall.

Republicans currently hold 51 seats in the Senate and need nine Democratic votes to pass a spending bill.

Trump had threatened to force a partial government shutdown if the Congress did not give him enough funding for the wall.

The White House and congressional leaders agreed to the two-week funding extension in light of the death of former President George H.W. Bush last week.

On Thursday, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the continuing resolution to extend the federal government funding.

The U.S. Congress had already passed spending bills for five government agencies for the fiscal year 2019, which began on Oct. 1, and it still needs to decide on the funding for seven more agencies, including the Homeland Security Department, the Justice Department, and the Agriculture Department.

The federal government was briefly shut down twice this year due to lawmakers' discrepancy on immigration issues.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 14:01:58|Editor: xuxin

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Rescuers work outside of a nightclub near the city of Ancona, Italy, on Dec. 8, 2018. At least six people were killed and more than 100 others injured on Saturday in a stampede during a concert in central Italy, local media reported. The stampede erupted early Saturday at a nightclub near the city of Ancona on Italy's Adriatic coast after irritating gas was sprayed inside it and concertgoers ran to the exit. (Xinhua)

ROME, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least six people were killed and more than 100 others injured on Saturday in a stampede during a concert in central Italy, local media reported.

The stampede erupted early Saturday at a nightclub near the city of Ancona on Italy's Adriatic coast after irritating gas was sprayed inside it and concertgoers ran to the exit.

About ten of the injured were in serious condition.

Around 1,000 people gathered at the nightclub at the time of the incident.

Ancona is the capital city of Ancona Province and is located some 280 km northeast of Rome.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 14:37:05|Editor: mmm

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MAIMANA, Afghanistan, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Afghan security forces have killed three militants and destroyed many of their hideouts during an operation currently underway in Afghanistan's northern province of Faryab, local police said Saturday.

"Afghan National Defense and Security Forces (ANDSF) launched a military operation in remote Andkhoy and neighboring Qurghan districts on Thursday after militants tried to attack the districts and Aqina bordering town at the area," provincial police spokesman Karim Urush told Xinhua.

Clashes broke out in a couple of villages to resist the operation, leaving three Taliban militants killed and seven others injured but no member of ANDSF was hurt during the fighting, he said.

The operation will continue until the areas are cleared from the presence of militants, he added.

Afghan security forces continued mopping-up operations and the NATO-led coalition troops also intensified airstrikes as Taliban militant group has been attempting to take territory and consolidate its positions ahead of winter in the Central Asian country.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 14:47:07|Editor: xuxin

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People transfer an injured man to hospital after an accident which took place at Plera in Mandi Tehsil of Poonch district, about 210 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Dec. 8, 2018. At least 11 people were killed and 19 others injured Saturday after a bus carrying them skidded off a mountainous road and fell into a gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir. (Xinhua/Stringer)

SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- At least 11 people were killed and 19 others injured Saturday after a bus carrying them skidded off a mountainous road and fell into a gorge in Indian-controlled Kashmir, police said.

The accident took place at Plera in Mandi Tehsil of Poonch district, about 210 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir.

"Today in the morning at about 9:15 (local time) a bus on its way from Loran to Poonch town rolled down into gorge at Plera," a police official at police control room, Poonch told Xinhua.

"In the accident, 11 passengers died on spot, while as 19 were injured, of whom five are critical."

According to police, the bus was carrying local passengers.

Police officials have registered a case and ordered investigations to ascertain the reason behind the deadly accident.

Eyewitnesses said the wreckage of the bus was lying scattered in the gorge and dozens of people have assembled at the spot.

Deadly road accidents are common in India due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.

Officials said on an average over 400 deaths take place every day in India due to road accidents.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 15:42:23|Editor: Yurou

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NEW YORK, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Contemporary Amperex Technology Co. Ltd (CATL), a leading lithium-ion battery maker for electric vehicles (EVs) and supplier of energy storage facilities, has opened its first subsidiary in North America.

The subsidiary, named Contemporary Amperex Technology USA Inc. and unveiled Thursday, would mainly focus on sales, service and testing of batteries, a source with the company said on Friday.

No research and development business is involved in the new facility, according to the source.

Located in Detroit in the U.S. state of Michigan, CATL's new sales and service facility will help better serve local customers.

"By being located close to our customers, we will be able to better understand their needs and improve our global supply chain. We look forward to providing more tailored customer service to our U.S.-based partners and are continuously looking for new partnerships and opportunities in the local market to further the adoption of EVs and other e-mobility solutions," said Allan Wang, general manager of CATL's operations in North America.

The company has formed partnerships with multiple U.S.-based businesses that would release products on the market soon, CATL said.

With its eye-catching technological performance, CATL has inked a series of partnership agreements with global car manufacturers including BMW, Volkswagen, Daimler, and Jaguar Land Rover.

Based in Southeast China's Fujian province, CATL is in the process of putting a technology into mass production that enables as much as 90 percent charging in 15 minutes and the company expects to achieve 300 Wh/kg of single cell energy density and 240 Wh/kg of system energy density by 2020.

Founded in 2011, shares of CATL were floated on the Shenzhen Stock Exchange in June 2018 and boasted 11.84 GWh of shipments in 2017. CATL had earlier set up subsidiaries in Germany, France and Japan.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 15:47:25|Editor: xuxin

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SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- Facebook is investing 9 billion U.S. dollars to buy back its shares to shore up investor confidence, a filing with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) said Friday.

The U.S. social media network said its board had approved the repurchase Thursday as an addition to previously authorized repurchases of up to 15 billion dollars in accordance with a program started in 2017.

This is the second time for the company to increase the buyback of shares within its repurchase program in 2018.

The SEC report said the repurchase program does not have an expiration date.

"The timing and actual number of shares repurchased depend on a variety of factors, including price, general business and market conditions, and other investment opportunities," said the report.

Analysts at Goldman Sachs projected that stock repurchases will reach 1 trillion dollars this year, up 46 percent from 2017 on the back of tax reform and strong corporate cash flows involving U.S. tech and Internet-related firms.

A previous SEC report showed that Facebook has spent 9.39 billion dollars to repurchase 54 million shares of its common stock in the first nine months of 2018.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 16:22:30|Editor: xuxin

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KHARTOUM, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A total of three gold miners were killed and 10 remain trapped inside the collapsed mine, Sudan's Mineral Resources Company announced in a statement late Friday.

"The mine collapsed on Thursday evening at Qabqaba area in Nahral-Neel State in Northern Sudan, where three miners were killed and three others injured," the statement said.

"As many as 10 miners are still trapped inside the collapsed mine with rescue teams communicating with them," it said, adding that the injured miners were "in good condition."

Sudanese statistics indicate that around two million Sudanese employees work in the traditional mining industry, producing around 90 percent of the country's gold.

Sudan depends on the revenues of gold mining to compensate the loss of two thirds of its oil production following the separation of South Sudan in 2011.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 17:17:39|Editor: xuxin

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CAPE TOWN, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Three people were killed in Cape Town in separate shootings as a new spate of gang violence hit the city despite an intensified crackdown, police said on Saturday.

In one shooting that took place late Friday night, unidentified gunmen stormed a matric ball dance at a school in the area of Mitchells Plain which has been haunted by gang violence, police spokesperson Captain FC Van Wyk said.

The victims were believed to be linked to local gangs, according to Wyk.

In the second incident also on Friday night, one person was shot dead in a drive-by shooting while dropping off a passenger at the matric ball of Rocklands High School, also in Mitchells Plain.

The shooting was also believed to be linked to gang violence.

Some areas in Cape Town, the legislative capital of South Africa, have been ravaged by gangs for a long time. Every year, dozens of people are killed in gang violence, prompting local authorities to call on the national government to send army troops to quell gangs.

Last month President Cyril Ramaphosa launched an anti-gang unit in Cape Town to quell rising gang violence in the city.

The unit is part of a national strategy designed to address gangsterism in a holistic manner through a community-based approach with a focus on street-level outreach, community development, conflict mediation and changing community norms in order to reduce violence and criminality.

Other anti-gang units will also be rolled out in places where gangsterism exists, such as Gauteng and the Eastern Cape provinces.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 17:32:41|Editor: xuxin

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LILONGWE, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Malawi will engage traditional healers, drug dispensaries and pharmacies to screen clients for signs of TB to increase detection of the disease, health authorities have disclosed.

The project will be implemented by Clinton Health Access Initiative (CHAI) Malawi in two of the country's districts of Lilongwe and Mangochi with funds of up to 400,000 U.S. dollars.

CHAI project officer, Yuweni Chipatala, told journalists Friday when he briefed authorities in the lakeshore district of Mangochi that the project would identify and engage up to 300 traditional healers, drug dispensaries and pharmacies in the targeted districts.

The identified structures would then be trained to improve TB screening and do referrals to recommended clinics for treatment.

"The two targeted districts contribute about 21 percent of the national population and they accounted for 28 percent of TB notifications recorded in 2017," explained Chipatala.

TB remains a persistent challenge in Malawi, where less than 60 percent of all new cases are identified and treated while deaths from the disease is estimated at 9,000 each year.

In 2016, 29,000 new cases of TB were estimated but only 54 percent of the cases were identified and linked to treatment, according to the CHAI project officer.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 17:47:47|Editor: xuxin

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ISTANBUL, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Russia's claim about oil being regularly transported from eastern Syria to Turkey and Iraq suggests that Moscow may have misgivings about Ankara's position on the Syrian province of Idlib, analysts told Xinhua.

The Russian statement is an indication of some problems between Ankara and Moscow regarding Syria, said Cahit Armagan Dilek, director of the Ankara-based 21st Century Turkey Institute.

RUSSIAN CLAIM MEANINGFUL

Russian Chief of General Staff, Valery Gerasimov, said Wednesday that Russian intelligence services had spotted regular transportation of oil by a convoy of trucks from eastern Syria to Turkey and Iraq.

The top Russian general also claimed, according to Russia's Sputnik news agency, that the proceeds from the sale of oil products are being spent on financing terrorists from the Islamic State (IS).

Dilek finds both the content and the timing of the Russian claim meaningful, noting Moscow also accused Ankara, after a Russian bomber was downed in 2015 by a Turkish fighter jet near Turkey's border with Syria, of buying oil from the IS.

Turkey and Russia started to mend ties in the summer of 2016 and they have been cooperating in war-torn Syria ever since.

Since last year, they have been partners, together with Iran, in the so-called Astana peace process which aims to politically settle the Syrian conflict.

Syria's oil reserves in the east are on the territory controlled by the U.S.-backed Kurdish militia, known as the People's Protection Units, which has established two self-declared cantons during the war.

The main problem between Turkey and Russia, according to analysts who spoke to Xinhua, is Moscow's dissatisfaction with Ankara's performance in Idlib and its concern that Ankara may again start cooperating with Washington on Syria.

Under a deal inked with Moscow in September, Ankara was supposed to persuade all the rebel groups to withdraw into the inner parts of Idlib for the creation of a demilitarized zone with the Syrian army.

However, some of the Islamic extremist groups have refused to exit and launched attacks instead on Syrian army positions in recent weeks, drawing Russian anger.

The main reason behind Moscow's reaction is Turkish failure to do its part in full in Idlib, stated Dilek, a former staff officer in the Turkish military.

Russia apparently thinks Turkey cannot talk over the Islamic extremist groups, said Hasan Koni, an analyst on international relations at Istanbul Kultur University.

Russian President Vladimir Putin recently told his Turkish counterpart Recep Tayyip Erdogan that there were still issues to be settled in Idlib.

The pair met on the sidelines of a G20 summit in Argentina in early Dec. and agreed to continue cooperation on Idlib, while Putin also described Ankara as a reliable ally for Moscow.

However, both Dilek and Koni feel that Moscow may be questioning Ankara's reliability as a partner in Syria.

GROWING RUSSIAN CONCERN

Sputnik reported on Nov. 25, citing a Syrian daily, that the Turkish military had transported a significant number of rebels from the demilitarized zone to a tent camp in the Turkish town of Nusaybin on the Syrian border.

Koni feels that Moscow is sending a message to Ankara through the Sputnik report that it is aware of the transportation of the Islamic extremist.

Like Iran, Russia militarily supports Damascus in the Syrian war that has raged on for more than seven years.

Dilek believes that Moscow is growingly concerned that Ankara is trying to buy time while strengthening its position on the ground in Idlib.

"For this reason, Moscow is sending the message that it may give the go-ahead to a Syrian army operation on Idlib," Dilek said, arguing Turkey could find itself part of the clashes in such an eventuality.

Based on a deal with Russia and Iran, the Turkish military has established 12 observation posts around Idlib.

Shortly before Erdogan and Putin struck the deal on Idlib on Sept. 16, Turkey had reinforced, with Moscow's consent, the observation posts with additional troops and armored vehicles.

Ankara has good ties with the so-called moderate rebels in Idlib and the Idlib deal was concluded after Ankara pressed Moscow for a political settlement of the Idlib issue.

Moscow may well be concerned that Ankara could once again cooperate with Washington in Syria, as Russia's Gerasimov accused the U.S. of trying to establish a Kurdish quasi-state formation in eastern Syria.

U.S. Special Representative for Syria, James Jeffrey, revealed Tuesday that Washington was considering the establishment of a no-fly zone over Syria, according to press reports.

A no-fly zone would allow the U.S. to protect the Kurdish militia against a Syrian army assault, ensuring thereby the emergence of an autonomous if not an independent Kurdish area.

Jeffrey and his delegation held talks in Ankara on Friday.

Both Turkey and the U.S. back the Islamist rebels in Idlib, Koni noted, arguing Gerasimov's remarks could be Moscow's way of saying to Ankara that it is aware that Washington and Ankara continue cooperation based on common interests.

Ankara has so far just expressed concern about the possible emergence of a Kurdish state along its border without criticizing the U.S. presence in the area.

"It's also for this reason that Russia brought up the oil issue, sending the message as it were that Moscow can put Turkey in a difficult situation given the alleged financing of the Islamic State," said Dilek.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 18:17:56|Editor: xuxin

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SHIBERGHAN, Afghanistan, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A key Taliban local leader has been killed following an airstrike in Afghanistan's northern province of Jawzjan, authorities said Saturday.

"Mohammad Wali was killed and three of his subordinates were wounded after Afghan Air Force launched an airstrike in Maymelike village of Faizabad district late Friday," the Afghan army's Corps 209 Shaheen based in the region said in a statement.

In a separate development, four Taliban militants were killed following an accident bomb blast in northern province of Kunduz early Saturday, provincial government spokesman Esmatullah Muradi told Xinhua.

The militants were carrying an improvised explosive device (IED) in Chem Tepa area of Qalay-i-Zal district when the IED detonated accidentally, leaving the casualties.

Among those killed was a Taliban bomb-making expert named Qari Mahbub, the official added.

Fighting has escalated in Afghanistan as the Taliban insurgency spreads from its traditional strongholds in the south and east to the once peaceful region in the north, where Taliban have been recruiting from among the youth.

The Taliban militant group has yet to respond to the reports.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 19:53:13|Editor: Chengcheng

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"Yellow Vests" protesters shout slogans near the Arch of Triumph in Paris, France, on Dec. 8, 2018. Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at "Yellow Vests" protesters marching in Paris on Saturday in the fourth week-end action despite President Emmanuel Macron's series of concessions. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

PARIS, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Riot police fired tear gas and water cannon at "Yellow Vests" protesters marching in Paris on Saturday in the fourth week-end action despite President Emmanuel Macron's series of concessions.

First scuffles broke out at around 10:30 local time (09:30 GMT) in Arsene Houssaye street, near the Place de L'Etoile where police officers fired tear gas to disperse the crowd who tried to force police blockade.

Waving tricolor flags, people angry at Macron's economic policy and a series of reforms which they say undermine the income of the middle-class workers, chanted "Macron resign," despite of measures of appeasement the government announced earlier this week, including the removal of a planned rise in fuel tax that inspired the social uprising.

According to Paris prefecture, 1,500 demonstrators flocked to Champs Elysees early Saturday, amid tough security measures.

About 89,000 police were deployed across the country. In Paris, 8,000 were mobilized to avoid last Saturday's outburning of violence when 3,000 troublemakers mixed with peaceful protesters vandalized Parisian streets and defaced the emblematic monument of the Arc de Triomphe.

In a brief declaration, French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said on Saturday morning that 481 individuals have already been detained in Paris, with 211 remained into custody, suspected of hijacking the protest to commit violent acts.

"We will do all we can so that today can be a day without violence, so that the dialogue that we started this week can continue in the best possible circumstances," Philippe added.

At pre-Christmas shopping, dozens of streets in the French capital were closed to traffic, while the Eiffel Tower and museums such as the Louvre were also closed.

Metal barriers and plywood boards were erected on the glass-fronted facades of restaurants and boutiques on fears of "great violence."

With no leader, "Yellow Vests" movement which got its name from the high visibility vests drivers keep in their cars, was created on social media. When they began on Nov. 17, protests were against a rise in carbon tax which the French president says is necessary to combat climate change.

They have since turned into a bigger uprising denouncing a squeeze on household spending, high living costs caused by the president's fiscal and economic policy which they say favors the rich. Some of them asked Macron to step down.

Under nationwide pressure, Macron's government has decided to drop further fuel tax hikes in 2019 and indicated that all tax-related policies would be periodically evaluated.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 19:58:14|Editor: xuxin

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Palestinian scientists work in a laboratory in Gaza City, on Dec. 5, 2018. A team of young Palestinian scientists from the Gaza Strip is looking to develop antibiotics and fungus by nanotechnology. The team, which is composed of three young people, recently won the first place in the competition of innovation health sector at the level of universities in the Gaza Strip. (Xinhua/Stringer)

GAZA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- A team of young Palestinian scientists from the Gaza Strip is looking to develop antibiotics and fungus by nanotechnology.

The team, which is composed of three young people, recently won the first place in the competition of innovation health sector at the level of universities in the Gaza Strip.

The idea began two years ago with Salah al-Sadi, 36, who has a master degree in water and environmental sciences.

Al-Sadi told Xinhua that during his studies, he sought to develop a filter that removes salts and pollutants from water. The minerals melt in natural materials to the water.

He explained that the metals he used varied from gold, copper, silver, iron and aluminum, which after the melting, reached the image of nanotechnology.

Nanoscience is the study of the interaction, composition, properties and manufacturing methods of materials at the nanometer scale.

The science encourages integration of many disciplines and has a direct impact on daily work and life because it leads to the discovery of advanced technology.

"I started forming a team specialized in the nanotechnology project, which included two colleagues. The team's first experiments were to use nanoparticles to treat bacteria as an antibiotic," al-Sadi said.

He added that nanoparticles were studied as antibacterial and fungal in laboratories of the Islamic University.

National Research Center in Egypt conducted several tests to confirm their nanomaterials.

According to al-Sadi, these nanoparticles are environmentally friendly and chemical-free, with no adverse effects or side effects.

The team worked to demonstrate the ability of nanoparticles to control the spread of antibiotic-resistant bacterial infections in the Gaza Strip and to produce sterile medical gauze with green nanoparticles to ensure that no microbial infection occurs in wounds and burns.

"The first nanotechnology was used as an antibiotic as the first field in the laboratories of the Islamic University in Gaza," al-Sadi said.

He added that the importance of their project is to produce a cheap and 100 percent natural medicine with no chemics.

"There are many deaths every year because of antibiotics and the spread of bacterial infections in hospitals around the world," team member Mahmoud al-Hindi, also a researcher at the Faculty of Science and Cancer Research Center, told Xinhua.

Al-Hindi explained that bacterias have become resistant to chemical antibiotics because of the excessive use, adding that "this requires the search for alternative ways to eliminate bacteria, including the use of green nanoparticles."

He added that any research or idea in the field of health must pass in several stages.

The first is to obtain the approval of scientific research ethics from Gaza Ministry of Health.

According to al-Hindi, the second stage is the use of experimental animals.

"Now we are trying to implement the third stage, which is experimentation on volunteers of people after scientific studies were confirmed correct inside the laboratory and within the tissues in experimental animals," he added.

Meanwhile, the team's third member, Reem Jabor, a 22-year-old biomedical biologist, said the team conducted green nanoparticles on breast cancer cells at specific concentrations and gave satisfactory results to inhibit cancer cells after 48 hours.

Despite the hard work, the group suffers from a number of problems and obstacles.

Al-Sadi said that the Gaza Strip lacks institutions or organizations that embrace creativity and scientific research.

"We need a lot of equipment in our project but some of them are expensive and do not exist in the Palestinian territories," he pointed out.

The team participated in several international competitions and won first place, but the travel restrictions imposed in the Gaza Strip by the Israeli blockade prevented them from presenting their researches by themselves.

Director of the National Center for Cancer Research, Ashraf al-Kurd, told Xinhua that the Gaza Strip is subjected to very difficult and complex environmental effects reflected on human health which caused many types of cancer.

Al-Kurd said that the Cancer Research Center is seeking to know the causes of cancer and alternative treatment methods.

"That is why this group has been embraced, which is trying to use green nanotechnology as an alternative therapy," he added.

Treatment of cancer in Gaza depends on radiation and chemical therapy, causing psychological and health setbacks in many cases.

The team suffers from the absence of a research center specialized in nanoscale testing.

It aspires to establish the first center in Palestine to develop medical drugs for many different diseases at the lowest costs and less time without side effects.

The team also wants to apply for a patent to use green nanotechnology in natural antibiotic production.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 20:13:19|Editor: xuxin

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by Marwa Yahya

CAIRO, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- In Egypt, the population boom has attracted as much public attention as terrorist attacks and the impact of economic reforms on the poor and the needy.

According to the latest official figures, Egypt's population stands at almost 100 million, with an annual increase of 2.5 million.

DAUNTING CHALLENGE

Egypt, the most populous Arab country, has been fighting the problem of population explosion for the past 50 years.

"Overpopulation makes it more difficult for us to achieve sustainable development in accordance with Egypt's development Vision 2030," Mohamed Abu-Hamed, deputy chairman of the Social Solidarity Committee at the Egyptian parliament, told Xinhua.

During the National Youth Conference in July 2017, Egyptian President Abdel Fattah al-Sisi described overpopulation as one of the "two real threats" facing Egypt (the other one is terrorism).

In October 2017, the Central Agency for Public Mobilization and Statistics (CAPMAS) reported that population in Egypt doubled during the last 30 years, increasing from 48 million in 1986 to 95 million in 2016.

With the current birth rate of 3.47 percent, Egypt's population is expected to grow to 128 million by 2030, according to UN estimates.

"This growth, with 2.6 million babies born in 2016, has become an unprecedented challenge to the climate, which will cause loss of arable land, rising sea levels and depletions of scarce water resources," Abu-Hamed said.

According to the CAPMAS, nearly 24,000 hectares of land is lost per year as a result of soil erosion and housing construction to meet population needs.

Moreover, Egypt's share of water from the Nile, approximately 55 million cubic meters per year, has remained unchanged since 1954 despite the increase of its population.

Problems also exist in the education sector.

Illiteracy in Egypt stands at 18 percent and the school drop-outs reached 5.7 million in the age group of 10 to 34, according to the 2017 census.

Unemployment is another challenge as Egypt's labor force is projected to reach 80 million by 2028, according to the International Monetary Fund.

"If the population continues to increase, the state's national production would be insufficient to meet their demands, thus making the country depend on imports, which will further burden the economy," Abu-Hamed pointed out.

The population surge in Egypt requires an annual economic growth rate of 15 percent, a mission impossible for any country to achieve, he noted.

TRYING IN VAIN TO CURB OVERPOPULATION

The Egyptian government has taken various measures to control the population. For instance, the parliament's Health Affairs Committee approved an agreement between Egypt and the United States in December 2017 to help fund a birth control program, upon which Egypt will receive 11 million U.S. dollars.

On Dec. 2, Egyptian Prime Minister Mostafa Madbouly announced that the country's subsidy program, which provides cash for health care of school-aged children, will be limited to families with only two children instead of three from January 2019.

The decision was made because of the program's limited resources, the Ministry of Social Solidarity said in a statement.

Since its launch in 2017, the program has cost 21 billion Egyptian pounds (1.17 billion dollars), 85 percent of which was paid from the state budget with the rest from a loan of the World Bank.

However, Abu-Hamed called the decision "inefficient and unconstitutional."

"Depriving the third child of subsidy means the increase of school dropout, illiteracy, child labor and poverty rates," he said.

"Additionally, the third child would have a problem with the idea of loyalty to the country," the Egyptian official added.

Between 2000 and 2008, birth control campaigns in Egypt succeeded in reducing the annual population growth from 2 million to 1.5 million, according to official statistics.

"The collapse of birth control campaigns after 2008 was caused by clerics who have launched a counter-campaign," Amro Hassan, general secretary of the National Council for Population, told Xinhua.

The annual increase of Egypt's population equals half the Europe's, which rises by 5 million on a yearly basis, said Hassan.

Egypt should take serious measures to tackle the problem, including a package of incentives to encourage birth control after marriage, raising public awareness of overpopulation through textbooks and supervising clerics' speech, experts said.

"High population is a bless in some countries but it is a curse in Egypt," Hassan said. "Now family planning has become a matter of utmost urgency for Egypt to achieve economic prosperity."
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 20:53:25|Editor: xuxin

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NAIROBI, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The African Airlines Association (AFRAA) has called on the continent to reduce charges and taxes on fuel, airport development levies and airport user fees in conformity with the relevant air transport rules passed by the International Civil Aviation Organization (ICAO).

The Nairobi-based airlines association said in a statement issued on Friday its general assembly approved a resolution calling upon the governments of Africa to reduce the taxes and airport user fees to conform with the nature of services offered at airports.

The resolution urged ministers responsible for civil aviation to immediately brief the ministers of finance on the relevant ICAO taxation rules.

The ICAO rules provide explanations on the rationale behind the airport taxation policies and taxes applied in the aviation sector.

The general assembly was dedicated to the discussions on how to fully implement the Single African Air Transport Market, a plan by the African Union to speed up the implementation of the Yamoussoukro protocol on the liberalization of the African airspace, AFRAA said.

The plans to fully lift controls on the frequency of flights, granting African airlines extended air traffic rights and harmonizing the air safety regulations across Africa, is considered critical to speed up the take-off of the African aviation industry, which is still considered a growth sector, according to AFRAA.

Abderahmane Berthe, AFRAA secretary general, said the aviation was a critical economic driver, which required all stakeholders to ensure the sector realize its full potential.

He said in order to fully unlock the immense potential of the aviation sector, there was need to consider the involvement of youthful workforce.

The assembly also called African governments to facilitate youth development in aviation through affordable training and education for safe and secure aviation in Africa, and encouraged member airlines to prioritize youth development through their actions and put in place necessary programs to bring this about.

The assembly urged airports managers to adhere to ICAO principle of user consultation in the determination and fixing of charges and fees and to ensure that they are commensurate with the level of service delivered.

It called on the African governments to re-invest taxes relating to air travel in developing and equipping airports as recommended by ICAO.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 20:58:27|Editor: xuxin

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COPENHAGEN, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Danish government has carried out a plan to move "unwanted" migrants to a small, remote island.

The plan, which must still be approved by the parliament, was adopted by the center-right government and right-wing Danish People's Party (DPP) on Friday. According to a government statement, those migrants whose applications have been rejected or who has a criminal record will be sent to Lindholm, a small island in the southeast of the country which has served as research center for animals.

The statement also said a "return center" with a capacity of 100 residents is expected be used on Lindholm island in the second half of 2021. Migrants are free to leave the island via a ferry service, but they must live at the center and report on a daily basis.

"We are doing what we believe is in the best interest of Danes, and if it comes down to choosing whose interest to protect -- then we will take care of our own first," said Martin Henriksen, DPP immigration spokesperson. "But it will, of course, be up to the Danish government to determine what lies within the conventions."

However, the decision has caused concern in human rights activists.

"We demand that the government and the Danish People's Party stop their plans and improve the conditions for all rejected asylum-seekers in Denmark," said Steen D. Hartmann of the online movement "Stop Diskrimination."

Friendly Neighbors, an organization that works for refugees, has announced a demonstration against the policy in Copenhagen on Dec. 10.

Earlier this year, Danish government has introduced a new law against the wearing of Islamic veils.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 21:03:28|Editor: xuxin

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SRINAGAR, Indian-controlled Kashmir, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The death toll in Saturday's bus accident in Indian-controlled Kashmir has risen to 13, police said Saturday.

"The death toll in today's tragic accident has now risen to 13," a senior police official told Xinhua. "Of the injured eight critical ones have been airlifted to Government Medical College hospital, Jammu," he said.

According to the official, 19 people injured in the accident were admitted to different hospitals.

The accident took place at Plera in Mandi Tehsil of Poonch district, about 210 km south of Srinagar city, the summer capital of Indian-

According to the official, the ill-fated bus was going from village Loran to Poonch district headquarter.

Officials said the victims were local passengers.

"As the news about accident spread, locals as well as police officials and disaster response force personnel came to the spot to carry out rescue work of removing injured and retrieving bodies," Bopinder Singh, a local resident said. "It was really a tough job to carry injured and dead from the deep gorge."

Eyewitnesses said the vehicle was mangled and its ruins scattered in the gorge after it fell from a huge height.

According to police, 32 passengers were inside bus at the time of accident.

Police officials have ordered investigations to ascertain the reason behind the deadly accident.

Officials suspected "negligent driving" as cause of the accident.

Meanwhile, region's Governor Satya Pal Malik has expressed grief over the deadly accident.

"Governor has prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families. He has wished speedy recovery to those injured in this accident," a spokesman of Governor's office in a statement said.

Deadly road accidents are common in India, which are often caused due to overloading, bad condition of roads and reckless driving.

Officials said on an average over 400 deaths take place every day in India due to road accidents.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 21:15:37|Editor: xuxin

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Recruits of Indian army's Jammu and Kashmiri Light Infantry Regiment (JKLIR) are seen on a passing-out parade in Srinagar, summer capital of Indian-controlled Kashmir, Dec. 8, 2018. A total of 259 recruits were formally inducted into the Indian army after completing their training. (Xinhua/Javed Dar)
File photo shows South Sudanese President Salva Kiir (R) and major opposition leader Riek Machar sign on a deal on power-sharing and security arrangements between South Sudan's conflicting parties, in Khartoum, capital of Sudan, Aug. 5, 2018. (Xinhua/Mohamed Khidir)

JUBA, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- South Sudan's President Salva Kiir and his deputy Wani Igga have joined a campaign seeking to reunite and reconcile South Sudanese torn apart by a five-year conflict.

Using pre-recorded audio messages aired on local radio stations, the leaders of the world's youngest nation are urging the people of South Sudan to embrace forgiveness to pave way for nationwide reconciliation.

The campaign, spearheaded by a local religious group, is using billboards and recorded voices to share peace messages across South Sudan.

"As the president of the republic, I feel duty bound to lead the people of South Sudan to forgive each other even when forgiveness is being perceived as a weakness by those to whom they are forgiving," Kiir said in an audio message.

"Indeed South Sudanese have brutally destroyed themselves - untold loss of lives, untold loss of property, and those who lost property and dear ones are definitely bitter. This reconciliation should be proceeded by forgiveness. You reconcile in order to forgive and open a new page," Igga said.

South Sudan descended into civil war in late 2013, and the conflict has created one of the fastest growing refugee crises in the world.

The United Nations estimates that about 4 million South Sudanese have been displaced internally and externally. A peace deal signed in August 2015 collapsed following renewed violence in the capital of Juba in July 2016.

The conflict left many South Sudanese communities fractured along ethnic lines, prompting the United Nations to warn in 2016 that the east African nation risks descending into genocide if the use of inflammatory rhetoric, ethnic polarization and name calling by the warring factions do not end.

A new peace deal signed in September appears to be holding as fighting and targeted killings have reduced in recent months.

"All of us the people of South Sudan have to forgive one another for the wrongs we have committed against one another," he said.

"I always forgive as I also ask to be forgiven when I had wronged someone," the South Sudanese leader added.
TORONTO, Dec. 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- EEStor Corporation (EEStor or the "Company") (TSX VENTURE:ESU) announced today that it has applied to the TSX Venture Exchange for acceptance to extend the expiry date of 10,559,938 outstanding common share purchase warrants for a period of 9 months to August 24, 2019. Each warrant currently entitles the holder to purchase one common share of the Company at a price of $0.30 per share until December 24, 2018. The extension of the warrants is subject to the approval of the TSX Venture Exchange.



A director of the Company owns 22.1% of the outstanding warrants proposed to be extended who recused himself from all discussions, deliberations and approvals in connection with the extension of the warrants. As a result of the directors ownership of warrants, that portion of the warrant extension is considered to be a related party transaction as defined under Multilateral Instrument 61-101 (MI 61-101) and TSX Venture Exchange policy 5.9 (Policy 5.9). The related party portion of the warrant extension is however, exempt from the formal valuation and minority shareholder approval requirements of MI 61-101 and Policy 5.9, as the fair market value of the warrants held by the insider did not exceed 25% of the Companys market capitalization at the relevant time. The extension of the warrants will be effective upon TSX Venture Exchange approval, which is expected prior to the 21st day from the date of this press release.

About EEStor Corporation

EEStor is a developer of high energy density solid-state capacitor technology utilizing the Companys patented Composition Modified Barium Titanate (CMBT) material. The Company is focused on licensing opportunities for its technology across a broad spectrum of industries and applications.

The Companys success depends on the commercialization of its technology. There is no assurance that EEStor will be successful in the licensing of the technology. Readers are directed to the Risk Factors disclosed in the Companys public filings.

For additional information please contact:

Ian Clifford

Chief Executive Officer

EEStor Corporation

Tel. 416-535-8395 ext. 3

ian.clifford@eestorcorp.com

Neither TSX Venture Exchange nor its Regulation Services Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX Venture Exchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 21:28:34|Editor: xuxin

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LONDON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- British Health Secretary Matt Hancock Saturday called for a drive to reduce the number of tablets and pills taken by older people after a survey found nearly half of over 75-year-olds were taking five or more medicines, with the percentage rising as people get older.

The review will look at patients most at risk of suffering from adverse effects from overprescribing of tablets and pills.

Spending on medicines by the National Health Service (NHS) in England has grown from 16.55 billion U.S. dollars in 2010-2011 to over 23 billion U.S. dollars in 2017-2018, an average growth of around 5 percent. It now means 1.1 billion prescriptions for medicines are dispensed every year by family doctors, known as GPs.

The review into medicine use will be led by Chief Pharmaceutical Officer Dr Keith Ridge. He will look at addressing 'problematic polypharmacy' where patients take multiple medicines unnecessarily.

Ridge said recent successes by NHS England to reduce unnecessary antibiotics and medicines in care homes and family doctor surgeries, known as polypharmacy, are beginning to end overmedication for people with learning disabilities, showing what can be done on what is an important topic.

The review will consider individual circumstances where patients may be most at risk of suffering from adverse effects from overprescribing. The overprescribing of medicines can be dangerous for older people who often take a cocktail of different medicines to manage complex health conditions, say health officials.

They may suffer side effects of their medicine regimes that lead to them falling and being admitted to hospital. Some patients remain for years on repeat prescriptions which roll over without ever being reviewed by doctors.

Hancock said: "Poorly managed prescribing can lead to serious issues for patients such as increased admissions to hospital or antibiotic resistance. As we invest an extra 20.5 billion pounds (26.1 billion U.S. dollars) a year into our NHS we want to empower doctors and pharmacists to use the data available to ensure patients get the medicines they need and stop taking those that no longer benefit them."

The survey will also look at the role of digital technologies in reducing overprescribing as well as increasing other forms of care, including social prescribing.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 21:38:40|Editor: Lu Hui

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BEIJING, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- China's banking and insurance regulator recently fined commercial banks over multiple violations including improper practices in wealth management.

A total of six banks and the individuals responsible were fined a combined 156.3 million yuan (22.76 million U.S. dollars), according to the China Banking and Insurance Regulatory Commission.

Lenders including China Minsheng Bank and China Bohai Bank were punished for irregularities such as guaranteeing principal on some wealth management products.

The punishments come as China's regulators toughen their stance on market irregularities, targeting risky business practices such as shadow banking.

The central bank has tightened regulations on the asset management businesses of financial institutions, with new rules issued this year addressing issues such as implicit guarantees by banks on wealth management products.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-08 23:18:58|Editor: yan

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MOSCOW, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Ukrainian sailors detained during the Kerch incident cannot be seen as prisoners of war as they were actually faced with criminal charges and the two countries are not in a state of war, the Russian Security Service (FSB) said Saturday.

"Ukraine has recently claimed that its servicemen were held as prisoners of war. However, the Ukrainian citizens are accused of a criminal offense," Mikhail Shishov, director of the FSB's investigative department, was quoted by Russian news agencies as saying at a briefing.

Under the Geneva Convention relative to the treatment of prisoners of war signed on Aug. 12, 1949, they cannot be considered as prisoners of war, as Russia and Ukraine are not "in a state of a military conflict or at war," he added.

On Nov. 25, Russian forces seized three Ukrainian naval ships as well as 24 sailors on board attempting to sail through the Kerch Strait from the Black Sea to the Sea of Azov, for they allegedly violated the Russian border. Kiev has since then constantly urged Moscow to release the captured sailors.

According to the FSB, the investigation of the criminal case against the Ukrainian sailors has been forwarded to its central office.

An inspection of the Ukrainian ships revealed that there were more weapons and ammunition than allowed, it added.

Consular access has been granted to all the Ukrainian sailors, who were also provided with lawyers, translators and the right to make phone calls, the FSB said.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 00:09:09|Editor: yan

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JERUSALEM, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- The Israeli army on Saturday fired toward three suspected Hezbollah militants on the border with Lebanon, the army said.

The three suspects attempted to approach the area where the Israeli army is destroying Hezbollah tunnels as part of the Operation Northern Shield which was launched at the beginning of this week, according to a statement issued by the Israel Defense Forces (IDF).

According to the IDF, the three suspects tried to use the weather conditions as a cover to approach the Israeli forces.

"IDF troops fired toward the suspects in accordance with the standard operating procedures," said the Israeli army, adding that the three people fled.

Earlier in the day, Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin by phone about the Israeli operation at its border with Lebanon, Israeli media reported.

During the phone talks, Putin emphasized the need to improve security coordination between Russia and Israel.

On Tuesday morning, the IDF said it launched the Operation Northern Shield to "expose and thwart" attack tunnels that cross from southern Lebanon into northern Israel, which were constructed by Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 00:14:10|Editor: yan

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JIMMA, Ethiopia, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopia on Saturday inaugurated the Chinese-built Jimma Industry Park, in western Ethiopia's Jimma town some 350 km west of the capital Addis Ababa.

Jimma Industrial Park, built by the Chinese construction giant China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), is expected to host investors in light manufacturing sectors, mainly agro-processing, textile and apparel products.

Stretched on 75 hectares of land, with an ambition to attract foreign investors in Ethiopia's agro-processing sector, the industry park hosts nine manufacturing sheds.

Ethiopia's Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, inaugurating the park, said that the Jimma industry park will help the western Ethiopia zone to become one of Ethiopia's industry zones.

According to Ahmed, the industry zone as the latest addition in Ethiopia's huge industrial park development ambitions would help local community members, particularly the youth, through the creation of thousands of employment opportunities.

Noting that foreign companies are now approaching the Ethiopian government to invest in the Jimma industry zone, the premier also urged local community members to strive with the Ethiopian government's efforts in terms of protecting and benefiting from the industry park and factories installed inside its premises.

Lelise Neme, CEO of Ethiopian Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC), also said that the Jimma Industrial Park's strategic location as the source of Ethiopia's major natural resources, mainly Ethiopia's major export commodity coffee, would benefit not only the local community but also Ethiopia's economy in general.

The Jimma Industry Zone, which is the latest of the 6 operational industry zones in the East African country, would help the socioeconomic condition of Jimma town and its surroundings, Neme said.

Wen Yingzheng, General Manager of CCCC's East Africa Region, told Xinhua that CCCC was able to finalize the project's both design and construction procedures within 9 months.

"We did our best, and we are glad that a high quality industry park was completed in such a short time," he said.

The industrial parks is part of the Ethiopian government's grand plan to transform the country's largely agrarian economy into an industrialized one by 2025.
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Police arrest a protester of the "Yellow Vests" during a demonstration in downtown Brussels, Belgium, on Dec. 8, 2018. (Xinhua/Ye Pingfan)

ISTANBUL, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan said on Saturday that the disturbance in France during the "Yellow Vest" protests shows Europe has failed on democracy, human rights and freedom.

"The streets of many European countries, particularly those in Paris, are in turmoil," Erdogan said at an event in Istanbul.

"We are watching the images on the streets with great concern," he added.

"Yellow Vest" protesters confront police near the Arch of Triumph in Paris, France, on Dec. 8, 2018. (Xinhua/Chen Yichen)

The Turkish leader stated that Europe's walls of security and welfare are not being shaken by migrants or Muslims, "but by their own citizens."

"Those who provoke hostility against refugees and Islamophobia have been caught in their own trap," he said, adding that he is against both the chaos caused by the protesters and the disproportionate force used against them in France.

The "Yellow Vest" movement began last month in Paris and has expanded to other cities in Europe, including Brussels, Belgium's capital. The protesters are mainly against rising oil prices and living costs.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 00:24:13|Editor: Chengcheng

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- U.S. President Donald Trump on Saturday morning announced on Twitter that he nominates General Mark Milley, U.S. Army Chief of Staff, to be the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff.

"I am pleased to announce my nomination of four-star General Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the United States Army - as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff," the president tweeted.

If confirmed by the Senate, Milley, 60, will replace the current chairman, Gen. Joseph F. Dunford Jr., who is due to step down next fall.

"Date of transition to be determined," Trump added in the tweet.

Trump had been expected to make the announcement at the Army-Navy game on Saturday, but made the announcement on Twitter instead.

Local media said that typically, the successor to the chairman would not be selected until next year, given that Dunford is due to serve until Oct. 1, 2019.

Dunford was nominated to the post in 2015 by former President Barack Obama. Trump nominated him for a second two-year term last year.

A graduate of Princeton University, Milley served as a Green Beret and later commanded troops in Iraq and Afghanistan. He assumed duty as the chief of staff of the Army in 2015 after serving as the commander of Army Forces at Fort Bragg in North Carolina.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff oversees U.S. global military operations and serves as the president's chief adviser on military-related matters.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 00:49:15|Editor: yan

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THE HAGUE, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Like elsewhere in Europe Yellow Vests protesters took to the streets on Saturday in the Netherlands, but contrary to, for instance, in France, the demonstrations went quietly.

In The Hague, police blocked demonstrators from entering the Binnenhof, the seat of the parliament. About a hundred people had made an attempt, but were stopped. The Yellow Vests were allowed to protest at the Plein square next to the Binnenhof.

Approximately 150 people, mainly elderly, gathered in Rotterdam at the foot of the Erasmus Bridge. They argued that the gap between rich and poor is increasing in the country and shouted that "it must be fairer".

In Amsterdam around 200 people walked around the town hall in Yellow Vests. After the demonstration at the Amsterdam city hall, part of the demonstrating group went on to the Dam square, through the busy Kalverstraat. They shouted slogans against the Dutch government. The police were present, but did not have to intervene.

Protests also occurred in other cities Maastricht, Eindhoven, Alkmaar, Nijmegen, Ensched and Groningen, but the interest was small with not more than a hundred demonstrators.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 00:49:15|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Chinese Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng urgently summoned Canadian Ambassador to China John McCallum on Saturday to make solemn representations and strong protests against the detention of a senior executive of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd. by the Canadian authorities, China's foreign ministry said in a statement.

Le said it is a severe violation of Chinese citizen's legitimate rights and interests to detain a Chinese citizen, who was transferring flights in Vancouver, Canada, at the request of the United States.

"Such a move ignores the law and is unreasonable, unconscionable, and vile in nature," said Le in the statement.

China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately release the detained Huawei executive and effectively protect her legitimate rights and interests, or face grave consequences that the Canadian side should be held accountable for, Le said.
BEIJING, Dec. 08, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- On the afternoon of December 6th, the Tsinghua University Latin America Center was inaugurated in Santiago, Chile. This is an important measure undertaken by Tsinghua University to promote the implementation of the global strategy and marks the temporary end of the overseas layout of the global strategy. Former President of Chile Eduardo Frei, Chairman of the Luksic Group Andronico Luksic, President of the APEC CEO Summit 2019 Jean-Paul Luksic, representatives of the Luksic family, the Chinese Ambassador to Chile Xu Bu and other guests attended the ceremony held at the Chinese Embassy in Chile.

The Tsinghua University Latin America Center is located in a modern building in the central business district of Santiago, Chile. The center will act as the contact and exchange base of Tsinghua University in Latin America to serve as the central base for talent cultivation by Tsinghua University, as well as the development of academic research and exchanges in the humanities with Latin American countries. As one of Tsinghua University's overseas locations, the Latin America Center will contribute to the cultivation of global competence among the students of Tsinghua University, the development of global research, and the establishment of global cooperation and its world reputation.

President Qiu Yong said that openness and innovation are the two greatest characteristics of the 21st century. Universities should keep pace with the trend of the times by continuing to be open and innovative, and shoulder the great responsibility of promoting social progress and the development of human civilization. In 2016, Tsinghua University formulated its first global strategy in the history of the university, and is speeding up the building of world-class universities and world-class disciplines. He emphasized that "first-class" should embody its leading role in science, technology, ideology and culture, its uniqueness in university management concepts and development, and its outstanding contribution to the country and the world. Tsinghua University will strive to achieve the heights of a first-class university in the process of serving the country, and make greater contributions to the development of mankind, while striving to promote the worldwide exchange in the humanities and technology.

President Qiu stressed that the relationship between China and Latin America is at its best in history. The Tsinghua University Latin America Center will surely play an important role in contributing to the promotion of exchanges and cooperation between scholars, government officials and entrepreneurs from Tsinghua University and Latin American countries, the promotion of cultural exchanges between young students from China and Latin American countries, the strengthening of the links between Tsinghua alumni in Latin America and the continuous contribution of alumni to local economic development. There is infinite space for development in cooperation between China and Chile, and between China and Latin America. Tsinghua University will also take part in continuously making new contributions to the creation of a better world, the ever-lasting friendship between China and Latin America, the implementation of the Belt and Road initiative, and the building of a community of a shared future for mankind.

Andronico Luksic thanked Tsinghua University for its trust in the Luksic family and Chile. The Luksic family has a long history of contacts with China and has established more than 10 years of cooperation with Tsinghua University. He said that Latin America needs to work with world-class universities to meet the challenges it faces. The establishment of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center is an important step in facing these challenges. He believed that the center would become a new starting point for academic research, as well as establishing an academic bridge connecting China and Latin America, promoting the exchange of talents between China and Latin America, and promoting the establishment of a better and challenging world.

Xu Bu said that Tsinghua University is a well-known university in China and around the world. The establishment of the Latin America Center in Chile is a major event for cooperation between China and Chile. It will certainly promote exchanges and cooperation in science, technology and the humanities between the Chinese and Latin American peoples. He believed that under the joint leadership of the leaders of the two countries, the comprehensive partnership between China and Chile would create a new situation and achieve new development.

At the ceremony, President Qiu and Andronico Luksic also signed a cooperation agreement on behalf of the two sides. According to the agreement, the Luksic Group will provide corresponding support to the Tsinghua University Latin America Center.

With the establishment of the Tsinghua University Latin America Center, related activities have been launched one after another. From December 5th to 6th, President Qiu led a delegation to visit the Pontifical Catholic University of Chile, the University of Chile, the Universidad del Desarrollo and the Andres Bello National University to sign agreements on cooperation and exchange. The China-Chile Forum: Chilean Innovation Strategy and Chinese Experience in Digital Transformation, co-sponsored by Tsinghua University and Pais Digital Foundation, attracted the participation of representatives from political, academic and business circles of China and Chile. Tsinghua University held dialogues and discussions with the United Nations Economic Commission for Latin America and the Caribbean on the experience, challenges and responses of digital transformation, and with the CORFO (Corporacion de Fomento de la Produccion) on the production mechanism of Chile and China.

Since 2006, Tsinghua University has developed cooperation with Chile in many aspects. In addition to student exchange projects, it has established the Center for Chinese-Latin America Management Studies to strengthen research and academic exchanges in management, as well as related scientific and technological cooperation among teachers from China and from Chile and Latin America.

Writer: Wilson Khor

Editors: John Olbrich, Guo Lili

Contact:

Yuan Lin

Mobile: 86 13311026925

email: yuanlin@tsinghua.edu.cn

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/ef363448-aaee-4494-b845-4264ecf1c305

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/7c8667ae-eafc-4c79-8522-ee9c7939a3e3

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/a2c8f72a-e297-46d9-952e-a67fd93d0434

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/caf495ee-5b14-464e-9fe1-648358f791f6

http://www.globenewswire.com/NewsRoom/AttachmentNg/759cef12-a638-4edb-a9ff-47a465bb3992
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 00:59:17|Editor: Chengcheng

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JIMMA, Ethiopia, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Ethiopian Prime Minister Abiy Ahmed, Djiboutian President Ismail Omar Guelleh and Sudanese President Omar al-Bashir on Saturday inaugurated the Chinese-built Jimma Industry Park in Ethiopia's western town of Jimma, some 350 km west of the capital Addis Ababa.

The three leaders also on Saturday witnessed a corner-stone laying ceremony for another Chinese-contracted major road infrastructure project as the Ethiopian government aspires to connect strategic towns in western Ethiopia, including the historic town of Jimma with Agaro and Dedesa towns.

Ethiopia's Ahmed, speaking after the industrial park launching and road project commencement events, said that the two development projects showcase the Ethiopian government's strong commitment to transform the Jimma town and its surroundings in particular and Ethiopia in general towards industrialization.

Jimma Industrial Park, built by the Chinese construction giant China Communications Construction Company (CCCC), is expected to host investors in light manufacturing sectors, mainly agro-processing, textile and apparel products.

Stretched on 75 hectares of land, with an ambition to attract foreign investors in Ethiopia's agro-processing sector, the industry park hosts nine manufacturing sheds.

Inaugurating the park, Ethiopia's Ahmed said that the Jimma industry park will help the western Ethiopia zone to become one of Ethiopia's industrial powerhouses.

The premiere also indicated that the industry zone, as the latest addition in Ethiopia's huge industrial park development ambitions, would help local community members particularly the youth to get the highly needed job opportunities.

Noting that foreign companies are now approaching the Ethiopian government to invest in the Jimma industry zone, Ahmed also urged local community members to strive with the Ethiopian government's efforts in terms of protecting and benefiting from the industry park.

Lelise Neme, CEO of Ethiopian Industrial Parks Development Corporation (IPDC), also said that the Jimma Industrial Park's strategic location as the source of Ethiopia's major natural resources, mainly Ethiopia's major export commodity coffee, would benefit not only the local community but also Ethiopia's economy in general.

The industry zone, which has now become the sixth operational industry zone in the East African country, would help the socioeconomic condition of Jimma town and its surroundings, Neme said.

Wen Yingzheng, General Manager of CCCC's East Africa Region, told Xinhua that CCCC was able to finalize the project's both design and construction procedures within 9 months.

"We did our best, and we are glad that a high quality industry park was completed in such a short time," he said.

In October this year, Ethiopia had also inaugurated the Adama Industrial Park, which was built by China Civil Engineering Construction Company (CCECC) and located some 74 km southeast Addis Ababa.

Both Jimma and Adama industrial parks are part of the Ethiopian government's grand plan to transform the country's largely agrarian economy into an industrialized middle income status by 2025.

The Jimma-Agaro-Dedesa road project, contracted by another Chinese construction company China Railway Construction Company - 21 Group (CRCC-21), is also a 79 km high-quality road project with 1.3 billion Ethiopian birr (about 46 million U.S. dollars) construction budget.

CRCC-21, which has previously completed two other road projects in Ethiopia, also pledged to create as many job opportunities for local community members as possible.

Speaking to Xinhua, Zhuang Jidong, President of CRCC-21, said that the road infrastructure project will be completed within 3.5 years.

"We will mobilize all resources that are available to finalize the project in time and up to the standard," Zhuang said.

"Our presence in this country gives us lots of opportunities to contribute to Ethiopia's development as well as to further strengthen the partnership between China and Ethiopia," he added.

The long-awaited road infrastructure, upon its completion, will play a key role in the development of the East African country in general as well as the area in Oromia regional state in particular, according to Lemma Megersa, President of Ethiopia's largest Oromia regional state.

Jimma town and its surroundings, which are known as the major source of Ethiopia's major export commodity coffee, are considered as an integral part of Ethiopia's recently improved export sector, in which the now-operational high quality road infrastructure is expected to spur the chain of coffee trading in Ethiopia.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 01:14:21|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Canada's detention of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer (CFO) of Huawei Technologies Co., Ltd., earlier this month has sparked worldwide attention and drew strong criticism from China.

Without breaking any Canadian law, Meng was provisionally detained by the Canadian authorities at the behest of the United States, while she was in transit between flights in Canada, Huawei said in a statement Thursday.

Huawei has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is unaware of any wrongdoing committed by Meng.

Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesperson Geng Shuang said in a daily news briefing that China has lodged strong opposition with the Canadian and U.S. sides, urging the two countries to clarify the reason they detained Meng, to immediately release her and effectively protect her legitimate rights and interests.

According to Geng, both countries have not provided any evidence to China in regard to Meng's alledged violation of any Canadian or American laws.

Canada has no jurisdiction over Meng, be it based on the nationality principle or territorial principle.

As is known to all, the United States has always put its domestic law above the international one, and its "long-arm jurisdiction" has often drawn criticism from international community.

Yet in spite of all this, Canada still chose to ignore the international rules and obey the United States, paying the bill for America's bullying actions.

A notion Canada keeps boasting of is "human rights," but in this case, one can barely claim that Meng's right has been respected. Arresting a Chinese citizen during her change of flight without giving any concrete reason is severely violating her legitimate rights and interests.

Also in Meng's case, Canada has decided to treat her as a dangerous criminal prior to any trial or without any conviction. It is a huge humiliation and disrespect for Meng.

The Huawei CFO has health issues like high-blood pressure, sleeping disorders, and is still in recovery from a neck surgery in May. Yet she could not get the necessary humanitarian accommodation from Canada.

Canada has set a dangerous precedent by acting in this manner.

Canada's misdeeds, which are lawless, unreasonable and callous, have caused serious damage to its relations with China.

According to the Canadian leader himself, Ottawa had advance notice of the arrest. However, he chose not to keep the Chinese side informed but connived at the mean deeds, abbetted America's unilateral hegemonic move, and hurt the Chinese people's feelings.

We here give a piece of advice that Canada should not be wrong-headed any longer but immediately release the senior executive and effectively protect her legitimate rights and interests, otherwise there will be serious consequences and Canada is to take all responsibility.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 01:29:23|Editor: yan

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BEIJING, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Police in north China's Tianjin Municipality have detained a man for spreading rumors that he had got infected with HIV and "successfully transmitted the disease to a college girl," sources with the Ministry of Public Security (MPS) said.

After the 21-year-old suspect, surnamed Meng, flaunted this deed via a WeChat group chat, many Internet users re-posted the messages and screenshots, causing public concerns and worries, said the MPS.

When the police found him on Dec. 3, Meng confessed he made up the claim to draw public attention. A test afterward showed he was negative.

The man from northern Inner Mongolia Autonomous Region was taken into custody for 15 days.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 01:34:26|Editor: yan

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CHANGSHA, Dec. 9 (Xinhua) -- Five people were killed and 18 others injured in a series of road accidents in central China's Hunan Province on Saturday evening, local authorities said.

Traffic police in Hunan said the accidents that involved 22 vehicles happened around 7:10 p.m. on the Erenhot-Guangzhou Highway in the city of Yiyang.

Among the injured, one was in serious but not life-threatening condition, police said.

The cause of the accidents is under investigation.
Source: Xinhua| 2018-12-09 02:14:32|Editor: yan

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KHARTOUM, Dec. 8 (Xinhua) -- Altogether 10 miners, trapped in a collapsed gold mine in northern Sudan since Thursday, have been rescued, Sudan's Mineral Resources Company announced in a statement on Saturday.

"Joint teams from the Civil Defence and the company on Saturday managed to rescue 10 miners who were trapped inside a gold mine that collapsed on Thursday at Qabqaba area in Nahral-Neel State in northern Sudan," the statement said.

The rescued miners are in good condition after a medical examination, it noted.

The accident left three gold miners dead and three others injured.

Sudanese statistics indicate that around 2 million Sudanese employees work in the traditional mining industry, producing around 90 percent of the country's gold.

Sudan depends on the revenues of gold mining to compensate the loss of two thirds of its oil production following the separation of South Sudan in 2011.
This blog has nothing to do with gorillas (though I love 'em)...fellow bloggers have inspired me to share vintage images of Disneyland from my personal collection. But don't be surprised if you see something from a World's Fair, Knott's Berry Farm, or someplace else that is cool!
Police officers in the Bronx forced a woman to give birth while handcuffed to a hospital bed, and refused to unshackle her even after doctors attempted to intervene, according to a lawsuit filed on Thursday.

The 27-year-old woman, identified only as Jane Doe, was 40 weeks pregnant when she was arrested this past February in connection with a domestic incident months earlier. Thirty hours after she was detained, the woman went into labor in her holding cell. She was subsequently transported to the Montefiore Medical Center in handcuffs.

"At the hospital, the NYPD shackled her at the wrists and ankles," the suit alleges. "Against the vehement protests of medical staff, the NYPD refused to remove the shackles, compelling Ms. Doe to labor in excruciating pain and forcing doctors to examine Ms. Doe with her feet and hands bound."

Moments before she gave birth, "a growing chorus of outraged doctors" convinced the officers to partially remove the shackles, the complaint notes. But she was handcuffed once again soon after delivery. According to the suit, the woman "struggled to feed her new baby with one arm."

New York is one of 26 states that explicitly prohibits shackling women in labor. A 2015 state law expanded those protections, making it illegal to restrain pregnant women on the way to the hospital, and for up to eight weeks after delivery. (At the time, the New York State Sheriff's Association came out against the legislation, claiming it was based on "political correctness.")

When medical staff at Montefiore informed Officer John Stalikas of the New York's law, he responded that they were "following procedures" laid out in the Patrol Guide, according to the suit. Stalikas then called his supervisor, Sergeant John Coca, who allegedly confirmed that NYPD rules dictated the woman be restrained. These conversations are backed up by medical records, the suit claims.

The handcuffs were not removed until nearly ten hours after the woman gave birth, when she was arraigned via video conference in her hospital bed, according to her lawyer, Katherine Rosenfeld. She was charged with a misdemeanor related to a custody matter.

"My client is a very strong person whose main concern throughout this was the safety of her baby and making sure she was born healthy," Rosenfeld told Gothamist. "The police misconduct is so degrading and dehumanizing. How someone could treat another person this way is beyond me."

As a result of the incident, the woman "suffered physical pain, discomfort, trauma, and severe emotional distress," the complaint alleges. "She has nightmares about being shackled and losing her baby. She fears future encounters with police. She struggles with anxiety and panic about the incident."

The woman is seeking damages for a civil rights violation, and a policy ensuring that the NYPD never again shackle a pregnant woman during delivery.

A spokesperson for the NYPD did not respond to a request for comment.
Local elected officials have filed a lawsuit to prevent a trio of skyscrapers from rising in the Lower East Side, after the mayor's city planning agency voted to greenlight the controversial development earlier this week. The complaint, filed Friday afternoon by City Council Speaker Corey Johnson, Councilmember Margaret Chin, and Manhattan Borough President Gale Brewer, alleges that approval of the massive project was "nothing short of irrational, arbitrary and capricious and is incorrect as a matter of law."

The legal challenge follows a 10-3 vote by the City Planning Commission on Wednesday to permit construction of three residential towers in the Two Bridges section of the Lower East Side. The new developments will house a combined 2,775 new units, effectively tripling the number of authorized units in the area. Around a quarter of new apartments will be rented below market rate, though details about how affordable those units will be have not yet been released.

The projects include an 80-story building at 247 Cherry Street developed by JDS; two 60+-story dual towers at 260 South Street jointly developed by +M Development and CIM Group; and a 63-story apartment at 259 Clinton Street from Starrett Corporation.

The lawsuit names the City Planning Commission and its chair, Marisa Lago, as well as the Department of Buildings and the city of New York as defendants. At the heart of the grievance is the de Blasio administration's classification of the massive new development as a "minor modification," which means the towers can be built as-of-right, or without special approval.

The zoning law in this case dates back to 1961, when city planners envisioned the financial district would spread to the northeast, and placed no restrictions on buildings in Chinatown or the surrounding areas. As developers have set their sights on the waterfront property, the lax zoning restrictions have left the area "particularly vulnerable to new market-rate development," which may threaten "the existing low-income and immigrant communities and small businesses that serve them," according to a 2014 study from the Pratt Center for Community Development.

For years, local residents with the Lower East Side Organized Neighbors and Chinatown Working Group have battled the city over plans for new luxury towers in the neighborhood, including Extell's nearby 80-story condo at 252 South Street (also built as-of-right). Many residents have also pushed a rezoning that would cap buildings at 350 feetan effort that would take years to complete.

While the most vocal local residents are looking to stymie all new major development in the neighborhood, members of the City Council are primarily calling for the projects to go through the Universal Land Use Review Procedure. The more rigorous ULURP process requires oversight hearings by the community board and borough president, as well as a City Council vote, which traditionally follows the recommendation of the local representativein this case, Councilmember Margaret Chin. Skirting that process amounts to a "complete dismissal of the community's concerns and, frankly, the law as written," Chin said.

"This lawsuit was made necessary by the actions of the Department of City Planning and this Administration," Council Member Margaret Chin said in a statement. "My colleagues and I could not stand by as an entire neighborhood's worth of rezoning was categorized as a 'minor modification'."

Jeffrey Baker, a land use attorney who kept the Atlantic Yards development snarled in lawsuits for years, said such a legal challenge would likely be difficult to win. "There's a lot of deference that goes toward City Planning," he told Gothamist.

Commission members who supported the proposal, including CPC Chair Marisa Lago, have insisted that the towers complied with the existing zoning law. They also touted concessions from the developers, such as funding for local parks, accessibility upgrades at the East Broadway subway station, and $12.5 million for the Two Bridges NYCHA campuses. At least one CPC member felt "reluctance" over his yes vote, the Real Deal reports, but ultimately concluded that our hands are tied, legally.

The three CPC members who voted against the proposal argued that the legal interpretation for approving the skyscrapers as minor modifications was murky, and potentially at odds with a commission resolution from 1972. "I have a lot more questions than answers. I am going to vote no, said CPC member Raj Rampershad, according to City Limits.

The lawsuit maintains that there are "clear and incontrovertible statutory requirements mandating the application of ULURP," and cites more recent developments, including the doomed Staten Island Wheel, as evidence that the City Planning Commission's reasoning for not triggering ULURP was misguided.

The Mayor's Office directed questions to the Department of City Planning, which did not immediately respond to our request for comment. Efforts to reach the developers were not successful. A statement issued by the developers earlier this week, before the lawsuit was filed, asserts, "The three proposed projects will deliver lasting and meaningful benefits for the Two Bridges community."

You can read the full lawsuit below.
Culture

VIDEO: Meesha Shafi to perform on the Jubilee Stage Expo 2020 Dubai on Sunday

Shafis performance at the Expo 2020 Dubai would be her first major live act in nearly a year and a half. Fans from across the world once again have the chance to come together to enjoy Shafis powerful vocal performance and charismatic presence on stage.
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David Ellefson with Megadeth (Jeremy Saffer)Megadeth and Anthrax bassists David Ellefson and Frank Bello have released a new song with their Altitudes & Attitude project. The track is called "Late," and is available now for digital download.

"Late" appears on the forthcoming debut Altitudes & Attitude album Get It Out, which arrives January 18. The band previously released a self-titled EP in 2014.



Altitudes & Attitude will hit the road in support of Get It Out on a European launching in February. The trek will include dates opening for Slash featuring Myles Kennedy & the Conspirators.

Ellefson and Bello will unite again when Megadeth and Anthrax both play the inaugural MegaCruise, which sets sail October 2019.

Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Singapore and China has signed an upgrade of their bilateral Free Trade Agreement (FTA). Chinese Premier Li Keqiang and Singapores Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong signed the upgrade of the 2009 China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA) on November 12, 2018 in Singapore.

The expanded CSFTA is expected to deepen trade and investment between the two countries, while affording Singaporean firms expanded market access in China. The upgraded CSFTA will come into force once relevant domestic procedures are completed in both countries.

The China-Singapore Free Trade Agreement (CSFTA)

CSFTA was the first comprehensive FTA to be signed by China with another Asian country. It largely focuses on liberalization of trade in goods.

Outside of the CSFTA, Singapore is also a FTA partner of China by way of its membership of the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN), which has signed a FTA with China  the FTA with ASEAN (ACFTA)ASEAN-China Free Trade Area (ACFTA). However, the ACFTA is not as comprehensive as the CSFTA.

The CSFTA eliminates tariffs for up to 95 percent of all Singaporean exports to China.

Besides this Singapore investors have preferential access to invest in Chinas healthcare system. Free movement for various kinds of professionals is also allowed by the agreement.

For China, the CSFTA eliminated tariffs on all Chinese exports to Singapore. While most sectors were already tariff-free for China, certain industries, like beer producers, gained much from the deal. China was also afforded greater access to investment in Singapores education services industry.

In 2015, the official plan for upgrading the CSFTA was launched during the visit of Chinese President Xi Jinping to Singapore and concluded after several rounds of negotiations in recent days.

The upgraded CSFTA

The upgraded CSFTA mainly focuses on investments. It implements specific provisions for investors such as those related to tax refund, minimum treatment and transfer clauses. A more robust Investor-State Dispute Settlement (ISDS) mechanism is also incorporated in the agreement.

Regarding express delivery, environment, air transport, legal, construction and shipping service, the upgraded FTA contains further trade commitments.

Three new chapters  e-commerce, competition policy and the environment  are newly included in the CSFTA.

The e-commerce chapter contains the commitment to develop an international regulatory environment to enhance e-commerce. Both sides agreed on several technical aspects of e-commerce such as electronic authentication and online consumer protection.

The competition policy chapter states that both nations will ensure fair competition and strengthen their cooperation in the enforcement of competition law.

The environment chapter ensures deeper cooperation amongst the two states in the respective fields. Furthermore, it contains specific provisions to avoid reducing environmental standards for trade protection purposes.

The importance of the upgraded FTA for Singapore

China is Singapores largest trade partner, with bilateral trade totaling to US$137.1 billion in 2017.

China is also the top destination for foreign investment originating from Singapore, while China has stepped up investments in Singapore as part of its Belt and Road Initiative

The upgraded CSFTA expands bilateral cooperation to the service sector which is highly important for Singapore as it contributed over 70 percent of the countrys GDP in 2017.

Further, Singaporean investors will gain greater investment protection in China and benefit from improved trade facilitation.
Hes recently been awarded Britains Best Takeaway Driver prize at the British Takeaway Awards (yes, both these things exist), and hes been getting extra publicity for it. You can meet him (virtually so) in the video at the bottom of the page, while the Yorkshire Evening Post offers some background information on him.A RAF veteran and former taxi driver, Brian says he doesnt need SATNAV to find his way to whatever his destination might be. He usually covers the West Yorkshire area, but hes known to go well out of his way for one of his regular clients, be they of Indian food or subscription magazines.Hes been driving to deliver takeaway from 2014, when he happened to be at a restaurant and he overheard the owner complain about a shortage of men. He offered his services and hes been working steadily 18 hours per week since then. He hasnt missed a shift yet and he boasts of being in excellent health.I believe I am probably the oldest person delivering Indian takeaways in the British Isles, he says in an interview cited by the publication. People have asked how I do it but according to the medics I am 100% fit... I think the secret is not drinking or smoking.I was a taxi driver for 40 years so I know my way around and when I was offered the work here I thought it might be a bit of fun. I enjoy going out and meeting people, Brian adds.He drives a Vauxhall Vectra and both his employers and their clients love and respect him for his punctuality, good humor and reliability - and his smart sense of style. These are the same qualities that have earned him the award, which he holds very dear.As you can imagine, Brian is also somewhat of a local celebrity. His boss says he wouldnt trade him for any younger driver out there, but its safe to assume thats also because the exposure he gets brings extra business.
It all happened in broad daylight, under the terrified gaze of other people who couldnt intervene. The incident was captured on CCTV and was instrumental in catching the culprit, as he forgot to remove the neon green jacket he was wearing at the time of the attack. ABC7 was the network to first air the footage, and you can also see it in the video at the bottom of the page. When it starts, the man is sitting outside a store in downtown LA. He tries to scare a woman but she doesnt seem too impressed and then, as another man walks into the frame, he lunges at him and pushes him into the street.A truck hits him and the man, believed to be in his 60s, becomes pinned under the front wheel. His attacker bends to look at him and then picks up something off the ground  presumably, something his victim had dropped. Then, hands in pockets, he calmly walks away.Firefighters responded to the scene of the incident and rushed the victim to the hospital. Hes suffered a collapsed lung and broken ribs, and is listed as being in critical condition. However, he is expected to survive.About an hour after ABC7 aired the shocking footage, the same firefighters that helped the victim spotted the assailant walking on a nearby street.It was definitely the bright neon rain jacket and the baggy pants, and just the demeanor the guy had, firefighter Austen Johnson says of spotting the suspect.They followed him for a few blocks and then sprung and detained him, handing him over to the police when they responded the call. The mans identity hasnt been made public.I hope the gentleman he pushed has a speedy recovery and for the individual that did push him, hopefully he can do a little soul searching on what he did was wrong, and keep him off the street from hurting anybody else, Cpt. Raymond Robles tells the same media outlet.Please note that the footage below contains images that may cause upset.
An Oklahoma helicopter company has been fined more than $50,000 for dodging FAA regulations and illegally chartering fixed-wing aircraft. Interstate Helicopters and its owner James Paul Johnson were caught in an FAA enforcement effort to curb illegal charters. The company pleaded guilty to passing off charters as dry lease deals. On paper, customers leased the aircraft without pilots and fuel but part of the deal was that Interstates pilots and support be required. The passengers were directed to enter into pilot service agreements with company and the end result was a full-blown charter.

The lease agreements were supposed to have been reported to the FAA aircraft registry and were not. The National Business Aviation Association says its important to ensure all charter operators are properly registered and monitored for safety and regulatory compliance. There is a hotline (888-759-3581) to report illegal charter operations. Aircraft charter is a highly competitive business, NBAA Senior Manager of Flight Operations and Regulation Brian Koester said. Passengers want the most expeditious option that fits their schedule, and operators are eager to assist them. That said, its everyones shared responsibility to ensure that such flights are carried out lawfully.
The flashing siren in the "known knowns" of the Russia probe is how often people close to Vladimir Putin approached people close to Donald J. Trump  and how often they gladly connected. And then lied about it.

Why it matters: Two court filings last evening on Michael Cohen  one by federal prosecutors in the Southern District of New York, followed an hour later by special counsel Robert Mueller  put new meat on those bones, show that the contacts go back to 2015, and allude to multiple ongoing investigations. All that broadens the legal risk for Mueller's "Individual 1," the president of the United States.

Connecting the dots I ... Garrett M. Graff writes on WIRED that Muellers court filings, "when coupled with other investigative reporting, paint a picture of how the Russian government, through various trusted-but-deniable intermediaries, conducted a series of 'approaches' over the course of the spring of 2016 to officials in Trump's orbit:

"The answer, from everyone in Trumpland  from Michael Cohen in January 2016, from George Papadopoulos in spring 2016, from Donald Trump, Jr. in June 2016, from Michael Flynn in December 2016  appears to have been an unequivocal 'yes.'"

"Mueller and [investigative] reporting have shown that the lieutenants in Trumps orbit rebuffed precisely zero of the known Russian overtures. In fact, quite the opposite. Each approach was met with enthusiasm, and a request for more."

"Given every opportunity, most Trump associates  from Paul Manafort to Donald Trump, Jr. to George Papadopoulos  not only allegedly took every offered meeting, and returned every email or phone call, but appeared to take overt action to encourage further contact. Not once did any of them inform the FBI of the contacts."

And it all started even sooner than that. Yesterday's Mueller filing shows that a "Russian national who claimed ties to the Kremlin told ... Cohen ... as early as November 2015 that he could use his Russian government connections to help Trumps business and political prospects," per the WashPost:

Between the lines: "The interaction between a top Trump lieutenant and a Russian citizen who claimed government ties is the latest of dozens of similar interactions that have emerged since the November 2016 election."

"The interaction between a top Trump lieutenant and a Russian citizen who claimed government ties is the latest of dozens of similar interactions that have emerged since the November 2016 election." "Days after Trumps victory, his spokeswoman Hope Hicks asserted that there had been no contacts of any kind between Trump associates and Russia."

Connecting the dots II ... The intersection of profit and political motives is distilled by CNN legal analyst Elie Honig (hat tip: Brian Stelter):

The puzzle pieces fit together. Trump needed Russia for his business dealings. Russia wanted Trump to win because they could influence or control him. And the Trump team wanted Russian help simply because they thought the Russians could help Trump win the election. Everyone profits, everyone gets what they want.

P.S. Shot ... N.Y. Times lead story: "Federal prosecutors said on Friday that President Trump directed illegal payments to ward off a potential sex scandal that threatened his chances of winning the White House in 2016, putting the weight of the Justice Department behind accusations previously made by his former lawyer," Michael Cohen.

Chaser ... Trump tweeted shortly after the filing: "Totally clears the President. Thank you!"

Go deeper: Read the two Michael Cohen sentencing memos
Trend:

Azerbaijan is working to create a centralized registry of natural resources, Trend reports citing Deputy Economy Minister Niyazi Safarov as saying at an event on the efficient use of natural resources in industry.

He said that the work is carried out jointly by the Economy Ministry, the Ministry of Ecology and Natural Resources and the State Committee on Property Issues.

Safarov noted that the creation of the registry will contribute to the development of industry in Azerbaijan.

Creation of a registry will contribute to the formation of a clear vision for business entities that have the appropriate potential and opportunities, as well as expansion of their ability to use natural resources, he said.

He also noted that as part of Azerbaijans economic policy, the important areas include sustainable development of the economy, ensuring macroeconomic stability, diversification of the non-oil sector, as well as holding large-scale industrialization, effectively using natural resources.

He added that in this direction, program documents have been adopted, the business and investment environment has been improved and the support to entrepreneurs activity is being provided.
Trend:

Azerbaijan will receive about 10 billion manats from the development of Filizchay, one of the biggest polymetallic deposits in Europe, Trend reports citing Chairman of the Board of AzerGold CJSC Zakir Ibrahimov as saying at an event on the efficient use of natural resources.

He said earlier it was assumed that the revenues from the development of this field will amount to 6 billion manats, but recent studies have shown that revenues may increase.

He said there are reserves of copper, lead, zinc and silver in the field.

Development of a preliminary assessment document was entrusted to the international consulting company SRK Consulting.

AzerGold, which started its activity in July 2016, is engaged in studying, research, investigation, management of deposits of precious and non-ferrous metals, their production, processing and sale, and also application of new technologies, improvement of material and technical base, and performs other work connected with development of this area.
Trend:

Azerbaijan is very active in the field of human rights protection and fulfills its obligations arising from the UN Universal Declaration of Human Rights, Trend reports citing UN Resident Coordinator in Azerbaijan Ghulam Isaczai.

He was speaking Dec. 7 at the international conference Ensuring equality is the main foundation of peace and sustainable development.

He said that Azerbaijan complies with recommendations related to human rights, demonstrates respect for human rights, and also joined many international agreements.

The UN conducts regular work in the field of human rights protection, he noted, adding that however, the rights of many people are still being violated.

He said that human rights are reflected in the Constitution of Azerbaijan.

Human rights protectors are still being persecuted, he noted.

Eliminating poverty to ensure sustainable development is a step towards improving human rights, he added.

Azerbaijan achieved success in human rights protection, and regularly reports to the relevant structures, he said, noting that the UN supports Azerbaijan in this direction.
Trend:

Washington hosted a reception related to the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijani parliament, and the presentation of the documentary film Lifelong Mission was held on this occasion, Trend reports citing the Azerbaijani Embassy in the US.

The reception was held by the Azerbaijani Embassy in the US as part of the activities in connection with the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijan Democratic Republic (ADR).

Speaking at the event, Azerbaijani Ambassador to the US Elin Suleymanov reminded that the ADR was the first democratic republic in the Muslim East, and also reminded about its success in many areas, including diplomatic ones.

In this regard, the ambassador spoke about the activities of a delegation headed by chairman of the ADR parliament, Alimardan Bay Topchubashov, at the Paris Peace Conference and stressed that despite the difficult conditions, the delegation was able to achieve recognition of the de facto independence of Azerbaijan by the council of allied countries.

Suleymanov reminded that on May 29, 1919, the delegation met with US President Woodrow Wilson, who had a high opinion of the delegation.

The ambassador noted that the national leader of the Azerbaijani people Heydar Aliyev and President Ilham Aliyev worthily continue the ideals of the independent Azerbaijani statehood.

Suleymanov also said that the recognition of Azerbaijan, which restored its independence in 1991, by the US and the establishment of diplomatic relations with the country took place during the leadership of the recently deceased 41st President of the US George Herbert Bush.

The ambassador expressed particular gratitude to the films main producer Arzu Aliyeva, to the Baku Media Center, which prepared the film, to the Heydar Aliyev Foundation and to its head Mehriban Aliyeva for their support.

Then, Azerbaijani MP, chairman of the parliamentary committee for international relations and inter-parliamentary ties and head of the Azerbaijan-US Friendship Group, Samad Seyidov delivered his speech.

Seyidov said Azerbaijan is following the path of independent development, and touched upon the importance of relations between Azerbaijan and the US.

The MP noted the significance of the existing strategic cooperation between the two countries. Seyidov proudly noted that the US celebrates the 100th anniversary of the Azerbaijani parliament.

Then, the guests watched the film Lifelong Mission.
By Trend

Major oil producers have reached a deal to cut oil production and boost the market, following two days of grueling negotiations and despite opposition from US President Donald Trump, CNBC reported.

OPEC clinched the deal with allied oil-producing nations including Russia at its headquarters in Vienna, Austria on Friday. The gathering came after deep divisions in the energy alliance were laid bare at a closely-watched meeting on Thursday, with OPEC unable to agree on the terms of crude output cuts.

The alliance will take 1.2 million barrels per day off the market for the first six months of 2019. The 15-member OPEC cartel has agreed to reduce its output by 800,000 bpd, while Russia and the allied producers will contribute a 400,000 bpd reduction.

The deal is in line with expectations for the allies to throttle back output by 1 million to 1.4 million bpd.

Brent crude, the international benchmark for oil prices, was trading at $63 a barrel, up 4.9 percent, at 11:15 a.m. ET (1615 GMT). West Texas Intermediate (WTI) stood at $53.69, around 4.3 percent higher.The meeting between OPEC and non-OPEC members comes at a time when the oil market is near the bottom of its worst price plunge since the 2008 financial crisis. Oil prices have crashed around 30 percent over the last two months, ratcheting up the pressure on budgets in oil-exporting countries.

OPEC began capping supply in partnership with Russia and several other nations in January 2017 in order to end a punishing downturn in oil prices. The alliance reversed course and agreed to hike output in June after it removed more barrels from the market than it intended, largely due to the ongoing freefall in Venezuelan output and supply disruptions in Libya.

The talks made progress on a critical front on Friday, with Russia agreeing to cut output. The 15-member OPEC group had delayed a decision on how many barrels it would take off the market until Moscow committed to a specific reduction.

Russia will reduce production by 2 percent from Octobers output of 11.4 million bpd, equaling about 228,000-230,000 bpd, Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak said. However, Novak warned that Russia would reduce supply gradually due to climactic conditions that affect its oil fields.

Discussions hit another impasse earlier on Friday because Saudi Arabia had refused to agree to an exemption for Iran, OPEC sources told Reuters.

US sanctions against Iran, OPECs third-largest producer, have already significantly reduced its exports. Iranian Energy Minister Bijan Zangeneh argued his country should not be forced to cut production in light of the sanctions, which are backed by the Saudis.

Ultimately, OPEC agreed to exempt Iran, along with Venezuela and Libya.

The exemptions mean the remaining members will cut production by about 2.5 percent from October levels, said OPEC president and UAE Oil Minister Suhail Mohamed Al Mazrouei. OPEC rescheduled its mid-year meeting for April so it can review market conditions and adjust its policy if necessary.

The alliance did not release specific quotas for individual countries, but top OPEC exporter Saudi Arabia laid out its production path during a press conference.

The kingdoms production hit an all-time high at 11.1 million bpd in November, said Saudi Energy Minister Khalid al-Falih. That will likely fall to 10.7 million bpd in December and 10.2 million bpd in January.

This is partly driven by our commitment to start on the right foot in 2019 and to demonstrate that delivering on this agreement is not going to take a long, protracted period of gradually winding down, Falih said. We say what we mean and we deliver on what we say.

The disclosure was remarkable because analysts had speculated that Saudi Arabia could seek to mask the size of its production cuts to avoid alienating Trump.

The Trump administration lobbied for the mid-year production increase as it prepared to restore sanctions on Iran, a policy that has pushed up oil prices throughout much of 2018. Trump has sought to blame OPEC for rising oil prices, ordering the cartel to take action to cut the cost of crude several times this year.

On Wednesday, Trump tweeted that he hoped OPEC would not restrict supply and instead keep oil flowing as is.
Trend:

The decision to reduce oil production, taken at the end of the OPEC+ meeting, is an important step for the development of the oil market and the oil industry, said Parviz Shahbazov, Minister of Energy of the Republic of Azerbaijan, commenting on the decision of the cartel.

The Minister highly appreciated this decision. Recently, under the influence of political and economic factors, the price of oil has fallen, the process has acquired a long-term character. The predominance of production over consumption, forecasting a decline in the global economy for the following year ensured a fall in prices. The only support to the oil market could be provided only by OPEC + countries. Todays decision was a very important step for oil producers, the oil market and the future of the oil industry, the minister said.

The alliance will take 1.2 million barrels per day off the market for the first six months of 2019. The 15-member OPEC cartel has agreed to reduce its output by 800,000 bpd, while Russia and the allied producers will contribute a 400,000 bpd reduction.

According to the Ministry of Energy of Azerbaijan, in order to support the process of regulating the oil market, the country supported the decision to reduce production. Azerbaijan has pledged to cut production by 20,000 barrels per day. Thus, if the daily oil production in October was 783,000 barrels, from next year Azerbaijan will maintain this figure at 763,000.
Trend:

Over the past four years, enterprises of Kazakhstan and Germany have signed more than twenty contracts worth over 2 billion euros, said Timur Kulibayev, chairman of the Presidium of the National Chamber of Entrepreneurs Atameken, Trend reports citing the Kazakh media.

Kulibayev, who is also a co-chairman of the Kazakh-German Business Council for Strategic Cooperation, made the remarks at the 11th meeting of the Council in Berlin. The Kazakh delegation also included the Kazakh Ambassador to Germany Bolat Nusupov and representatives of national companies and the business community.

At the meeting, Kulibayev expressed confidence that all planned projects will be successfully implemented, especially in the light of the tasks to diversify the economy set by the president of Kazakhstan.

"The German business invests more than 90 percent of funds in the non-resource sector. We welcome such a partnership," he said.

Kulibayev also noted the prospects of joint cooperation in the development of the agro-industrial sector.

"Kazakhstan has vast territory, but we need new technologies for deep processing of agricultural products and markets in the Eurasian Economic Union, China and Central Asia. There are opportunities everywhere for the supply of our products, but we need more efficient agricultural production," he said, adding that Germany has such experience.

He also added that within the framework of the Business Council, Kazakhstan and Germany intend to solve all the existing problems of business cooperation.
Trend:

Europe is suspending the purchase of Irans steel due to uncertainty over Special Purpose Vehicle (SPV), an Iranian official said.

"Europe has announced that due to US sanctions and uncertainty over SPV, they would not extend their steel purchases," Trend reports citing ILNAs interview with Manager of South Steel Investment and Development Company Ahmad Donya Nour.

The European Union has proposed Special Purpose Vehicle that could help match Iranian oil and gas exports against purchases of EU goods in an effective barter arrangement.

However British, French and German attempts to establish SPV were faltering because no EU country was willing to host it for fear of its banks provoking US penalties, including a ban from US markets.

"Our trade contracts with India and China have remained for six months; during this time great volume of our products will be exported to those countries. But our contract with Europe has ended and our European partners have announced they would not extend the contract due to SPV problem," Donya Nour noted.

"We currently have no problem in steel trade with Iraq since the transactions are done using other currencies rather than dollar or euro; but in other countries there would be problems in the future regarding the revenues return, therefore the exporters are reviewing the issue with government officials," he added.
A map on the Bird app shows the locations of dozens of scooters in Bakersfield.

HOW IT WORKS

The scooters work through an app downloaded onto smartphones.

The app will locate available electric scooters nearby and, for a per-minute fee, people ride the electric scooters to their destination, leaving the scooter wherever the trip ends. It costs about a $1 to rent the scooter, plus 15 cents a minute to use.

A group of scooter chargers go out at night to pick up the scooters and recharge them, collecting a fee per scooter.
You can reach Sam Morgen at 661-395-7415 or smorgen@bakersfield.com. You may also follow him on Twitter @smorgenTBC.
NEW CHLORPYRIFOS PERMIT CONDITIONS

New, more restrictive local permit conditions on the use of the pesticide chlorpyrifos are set to take effect Jan. 1. They are based on recommendations by the California Department of Pesticide Regulation. Kern County's rules vary slightly from the state guidelines but are no less restrictive. Here's a summary of the most important conditions:
King Tides Project Needs Help from Oregon Coast Photo Aficionados

Published 12/06/2018 at 5:49 PM PDT

By Oregon Coast Beach Connection Staff

(Oregon Coast)  Winter has arrived on the Oregon coast, at least meteorologically speaking, and that brings larger tides and storm surges. This, in turn, makes it King Tides season, and the King Tides Project is asking for your photographic assistance. (Above: King tide floods the Nestucca Valley. Photo by John Bauer.)

Volunteer photographers are invited to participate in this this winters first round of gargantuan tides, coming up on December 21  23. However, the fun actually starts a little earlier than that.

Speakers at the event will include Sally Hacker, a professor in Oregon State Universitys Department of Integrative Biology. Dr. Hacker will discuss the interaction of dunes and the ocean, how the sea fertilizes dunes through the deposition of wrack, and how this relationship may be affected by the sea level rise, more intense storms and increased erosion anticipated with global warming. Also speaking will be Steve Dundas, an economist also based at Oregon State University, who is studying the economic implications of shoreline management and shoreline protection. Appetizers will be offered; additional food and drink area available from the Rogue.

The other two high-tide series the project will cover this winter take place January 19-21, and February 18-20, 2019.

This is the ninth year the Oregon coast has participated in this citizen science endeavor that spans international boundaries. The project is sponsored by the CoastWatch Program of the Oregon Shores Conservation Coalition, the Oregon Coastal Management Program of the Department of Land Conservation and Development, and local partners including the Surfrider Foundation, Shoreline Education for Awareness (SEA), South Slough National Estuarine Research Reserve, Coos Watersheds Association, Curry Watersheds Association, Friends of Cape Falcon Marine Reserve, Friends of Netarts, and Haystack Rock Awareness Program, among others.

The King Tides Project began in Australia, where the highest tides of the year have long been called king tides. These engorged tidal conditions occur when the sun, moon, and earth are in alignment, causing a stronger-than-usual gravitational pull.

Anyone with a camera can participate. At high tide on any of the three project days, find a good location to observe the tide in relation to the land, snap photos, and post them online. More information on the project, a link to tide tables, and instructions for posting photos, can be found on the website, http://www.oregonkingtides.net/.

King Tide photos can be taken anywhere affected by tides, whether on the outer shoreline, in estuaries, or along lower river floodplains. Photos showing high water in relation to infrastructure (roads, bridges, seawalls, and the like) can be particularly striking, and reveal where flooding problems threaten. But shots of marshes or other habitats being inundated, or coastal shorelines subject to flooding and erosion, are also useful. The goal of this long-term citizen science project is to document the highest reach of the tides on an ongoing basis, for comparative study over a period of many years. (Participating photographers are urged to return to the locations from which they took King Tide photos and take comparison shots at ordinary high tide.)

While the King Tide Project can help to identify areas that are currently threatened by flooding, the more important purpose is to gain a preview of sea level rise. The king tides, while extreme today, will become the new normal as sea level continues to rise, and storm surges increase, due to global warming. Gaining a glimpse of tidal inundation likely to become common decades into the future will benefit planners, resource agencies, conservationists, and coastal citizens in preparing for these changes.

Photographs from past years of the King Tide Project can be viewed on the projects Flickr site, https://www.flickr.com/people/orkingtide/.

King Tide preview parties will also be held on the south coast prior to the second high tide series: Jan. 17, 5:30 p.m., at Arch Rock Brewing Company in Gold Beach; and Jan. 18, 5 p.m., at the Charleston Marine Life Center in Charleston. More information about these events can be found on the CoastWatch website, https://oregonshores.org/coastwatch. Events will be held on the north coast prior to the projects third round, but are TBA.

For more information, contact Fawn Custer, CoastWatch volunteer coordinator, at (541) 270-0027, fawn@oregonshores.org, or Meg Reed, Coastal Shores Specialist with the Oregon Department of Land Conservation and Development, (541) 574-0811, meg.reed@state.or.us. Oregon Coast Lodgings for this event - Where to eat - Maps - Virtual Tours













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Harry Payton Wright, a fixture of the Jefferson County legal community whose career included stints as a lawyer, a municipal judge and the city attorney in Port Neches, was recalled this week for his commitment to the concept of justice for all.

He wasnt afraid to fight the big boys, said his wife, Mary Wright. But hed fight for the little guys too. If somebodys dog bit somebody, well, hed take that in, too.

He took anything that came across his desk, added his daughter, Lisa Gorman.

Id say, Why did you take that (case)? and hed say, Because they needed help, Wright said. Nothing was too big or too little.

Harry Payton Wright died Tuesday at 87. The Port Neches native practiced law locally for more 60 years and also worked as Silsbee city attorney. He was a former president of the Jefferson County Bar Association.

In 2001, the Port Neches mayor declared April 17, Harry P. Wright Day in recognition of his love for family, faithful service to his church and dedication to the betterment of the community in which he has lived and served.

One of the first large projects of his career was heading a committee that studied and put together a 10,000-word report on the feasibility of annexing five industrial plants into the city of Port Neches.

It was a very big deal for him, said Mary Wright, his wife of nearly 65 years.

His word  or his handshake, rather  was his bond. He had integrity  almost to a fault, she recalled, sitting in their Port Neches home filled with antique furniture and family photos that included shots of the couples four children, plus grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Wright was also recalled as a family man who loved the outdoors and all music, save high opera and hard rock. He played both the piano and the guitar, had a cattle ranch in Winnie and a hunting camp in Warren.

I finally got him to where he liked to travel, Wright said, recalling trips to Europe, Canada, Mexico and the Caribbean.

Harry Wright was a Master Mason and he taught Sunday school and sang in the First Baptist Church choir. He also was the churchs lawyer. He was also the chairman for the 1957 March of Dimes, raising thousands of dollars for the fight against polio.

Harry and Mary Wrights 65th wedding anniversary would have been Dec. 28.

Funeral services will be at 2 p.m. Saturday at First Baptist Church in Port Neches, followed by Masonic graveside rites at Oak Bluff Memorial Park.

haley.bruyn@beaumontenterprise.com

Twitter.com/HaleyWrites_BE
A fire broke out early Saturday morning at a Mexican restaurant in Beaumont.

The fire began around 10 a.m. at the La Cantina Mexican Restaurant located on Dowlen Road near Parkdale Mall, a staff worker on the scene told the Enterprise.
Adella Cimino, namesake for a landmark class-action lawsuit filed nearly three decades ago on behalf of asbestos victims across Southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana, did not live to see the case to conclusion.

The Port Arthur native and her late husband, Claude, were among the 2,288 Southeast Texas refinery, chemical plant and shipyard workers exposed to the toxic mineral and diagnosed with asbestos-related diseases between 1985 and 1987.

One of the lead attorneys said Friday that the case, one of the longest-running in U.S. civil litigation history, is now fully settled and the money is ready to be distributed.

Cimino and her husband wont see any of it, however. She died in September 2017, just more than a year before a three-judge arbitration panel in October awarded the workers and their relatives $140 million. That award, plus an earlier $38 million settlement in the Cimino v. Raymark Industries case, bring the total settlement to $178 million.

Claude Cimino died in September 2005. Attorney Bryan Blevins of Beaumonts Provost Umphrey Law Firm said only about 70 of the thousands of workers who filed suit are still living.

Its frustrating because Dad waited for his money, then Mom waited for Dads money, Blevins said in a telephone interview. Theyre gone now and didnt have the comfort of knowing how it all ended.

Monetary damages will be distributed to surviving family members and heirs, Blevins said.

The Ciminos, who worked at the Texaco refinery, suffered from pulmonary asbestosis, a disease that causes scarring in the lungs and impairs breathing. It is unclear from their obituaries if they died of the asbestos-related illness.

Family members could not be reached for comment on Friday.

Families like the Ciminos have been compensated by some of the 15 asbestos manufacturers that have settled since the lawsuit was filed in 1990.

They waited through more than 100 days of trial, 10 years of motions, transfers and appeals and another 16 years before they could file claims against the last defendant, the now-bankrupt Pittsburgh Corning Corp., a manufacturing company whose insulation products contained asbestos.

Pittsburgh Cornings bankruptcy was one of the longest bankruptcies in modern era, Blevins said.

Still, he called the end result nothing short of extraordinary.

Were thankful we were able to bring this to a close, Blevins said. This was a long road to fight.

Beaumonts Glen Morgan of Reaud, Morgan & Quinn and Joseph Rice of Motley Rice were also involved the decades-long battle which began around the time asbestos litigation picked up exponentially.

Over time, those dangers became more and more aware and the scope of the asbestos problem more widely known, Blevins said, estimating that about 28 million Americans have been exposed to dangerous levels of the once-widespread material.

Each of the victims shared a common work experience at 22 refineries, chemical plants and shipyards in Southeast Texas and southwestern Louisiana, he said.

He estimated that a total of about $30 billion in trusts has been set aside to compensate asbestos disease victims.

Of the dozens of asbestos trusts, Pittsburgh Cornings is the largest formed in the last 20 years, Blevins said. The national trust starts with $4 billion in assets in anticipation of about 800,000 claims.

Blevins said the firm has been in communication with the spouses, children and grandchildren of asbestos disease victims.

Getting to this point has been a long road to fight, he said.

phoebe.suy@beaumontenterprise.com

twitter.com/phoebesuy
The Trump administration released a proposal on recommendations and changes to the healthcare system touching on an array of topics, including non-compete clauses.

The administration recommended states scrutinize non-compete clauses and restrictive covenants to avoid unenforceable non-compete clauses and reduced competition. While the report outlined arguments for and against non-compete clauses, the language tended to favor the argument against the clauses.

"Experts suggest that these clauses reduce bargaining power for employees because they reduce worker mobility. Various reports on non-compete clauses have also suggested that they are overly burdensome and restrictive on providers. Further scrutiny of these and of these restrictive covenants is warranted, particularly where they impede patient access to care and limit the supply of providers. By suppressing competition these clauses may inflate healthcare prices, elevating patient and federal spending on healthcare goods and services," said the report.

The report, a combined effort between HHS, the U.S. Treasury Department and the Department of Labor, upheld California's public policy of not enforcing non-compete clauses as a catalyst for innovation and growth. The report also cited an article in the Journal of Human Resources suggesting 45 percent of physicians in group practices are bound by non-compete agreements.

The report officially recommended: "States should scrutinize restrictive covenants such as non-compete clauses, particularly their impact on patient access to care and on the supply of providers."
Apple picked up the CEO of medication tracker startup Mango Health in its latest healthcare hire, according to CNBC.

Here are three things to know:



1. Jason Oberfest joined Apple's health team to possibly help the company scope out opportunities in the medication adherence market, people familiar with the move told CNBC. His experience may also merge with Apple's other health efforts, such as its Apple Watch, which now offers two features approved for medical use.



2. Mr. Oberfest started the Mango Health app, which helps patients keep track of and manage their medications. In November, Mango Health President Yadin Shemmer became CEO.



3. In a related move into healthcare, Apple hired M. Osman Akhtar, the former COO of the nonprofit hospital network Minneapolis-based Fairview Health Services. The iPhone maker has also brought on technologists and regulatory experts to develop medical features on the Apple Watch, including an ECG sensor.



More articles on health IT:

Apple Watch's ECG app is officially here: 5 things to know

4 questions to assess whether blockchain 'makes sense' at your hospital

Consolidation in the telehealth market may create 'all-purpose' virtual care vendors, KLAS says
Brian Goza, director of IT at Canadian, Texas-based Hemphill County Hospital, discusses the hospital's process when it comes to gaining physician buy-in on new technology and how new systems benefit both medical staff and patients.

Responses have been lightly edited for clarity and length.

Question: In the past 12 months, how have you adapted to new patient experience expectations in the age of consumerism?

Brian Goza: Our hospital has adopted more telemedicine to prevent unnecessary follow-up visits to larger healthcare facilities in urban communities. We are also working with Apple to integrate our patient portal into Apple Health. We are excited that patients will be able to experience a new way to view their health information from iPhones, and eventually, Android devices.

Q: Can you share your best advice for motivating your teams?

BG: My best advice for motivating hospital teams is to treat everyone with fairness, dignity and respect. I have found that giving all team members input and explaining the reasons why they should 'buy-in,' or participate in a project consists of detailing the long-term outcomes and goals. This generally makes a project implementation run smoothly.

Q: How does your organization gain physician buy-in when it is implementing a new technology or solution?

BG: Hemphill County Hospital typically approaches the chief of staff to discuss new technology. The other physicians will usually follow his recommendations. A key component to our clinical technology infrastructure as it relates to adoption from both nurses and providers was adding a nurse informaticist to the technology team. She can communicate, in a clinical way, the reason why a piece of technology will reduce provider or nurse workflow. This allows the medical staff to spend more time treating patients and less time working with technology tools.

Q: What is the No. 1 thing you wish you knew before taking a leadership post at your organization?

BG: I wish I had known the relevance of critical thinking skills where it applies to both technology and psychology. Staff members and co-workers are a large chunk of why a project is a success or failure outside of organizing IT projects and making sure the right people are in the right place at the right time. It takes time to build relationships of trust in an organization, and critical thinking skills make that easier.

To learn more about clinical informatics and health IT, register for the Becker's Hospital Review 2nd Annual Health IT + Clinical Leadership Conference May 2-4, 2019 in Chicago. Click here to learn more and register.

To participate in future Becker's Q&As, contact Jackie Drees at jdrees@beckershealthcare.com.
An infectious disease specialist at at Children's Hospital of Orange County, California, testified that he believes Disneyland is at fault for 22 Legionnaires' disease cases in 2017, despite the theme park's denial, BGR reported.

In 2017, the Anaheim, Calif., theme park shut down two of its cooling towers blamed for spreading the disease.

Matthew Zahn, MD, told investigators from the Orange County Health Care Agency on Dec. 4, that the misting system on the Disneyland grounds had high levels of bacteria in two of its cooling towers, but after the park cleaned them, new infections seemed to stop, leading him to believe the misting system was the source of the problem.

Dr. Zhan said Legionnaires' bacteria can travel up to 4 miles in water, and the disease had affected people who had not even visited the park.

Disneyland disputes that its cooling system is to blame, and company lawyers said the outbreak source "has never been scientifically determined."

Disneyland was fined $33,000 for not maintaining its cooling system.

There have been 22 cases of Legionnaires' linked to the 2017 outbreak, one of them fatal.

More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:

6-inch blood clot coughed up by patient

Scabies outbreak closes some patient units at Hawaii hospital

Why some hospitals are deploying giant 'Roombas' in fight against HAIs
The New England Journal of Medicine tweeted a picture of a 6-inch blood clot coughed up in one piece by a patient Dec. 5 as part of a photo series of medical abnormalities, according to The Atlantic.

The physicians treating the 36-year-old patient who produced the clot are not certain how it emerged without breaking into pieces.

The unnamed patients was admitted into a intensive care unit at San Francisco-based University of California for heart failure and connected to a device to help increase blood flow.

"You have high turbulence inside the pumps, and that can cause clots to form inside," Georg Wieselthaler, MD, transplant and pulmonary surgeon, told The Atlantic. "So with all these patients, you have to give them anticoagulants to make the blood thinner and prevent clots from forming."

Dr. Wieselthaler said the blood clot eventually broke out of the patient's pulmonary network and solidified in the patient's bronchial tree. The patient coughed up smaller parts of the clot until the patient coughed up the whole clot "directly for the bronchial tree," from the right lung, he said.

After the patient coughed up the large clot, the patient was put on a breathing tube and underwent a separate procedure to stop the bleeding.

More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:

Scabies outbreak closes some patient units at Hawaii hospital

Why some hospitals are deploying giant 'Roombas' in fight against HAIs

High rates of VRE drive co-colonization with MRSA among nursing facility patients
A severe scabies outbreak prompted the recent shutdown of some patients units at Kealakekua, Hawaii-based Kona Community Hospital, according to The Star Advertiser.

Hospital leadership chose to "temporarily close all patient units" on Dec. 5 to protect patients and staff from infection.

Exceptions were made for the obstetrics unit for pediatric surgery patients and outpatient services, which remain open.

Initial cases of the scabies outbreak were reported Nov. 27, affecting 50 hospital employees. The hospital did not comment on the number of cases. Scabies is caused by mites burrowing into the outer layers of the skin where they lay eggs. The insects can live there for months if left untreated. There is no immunity to scabies.

"We understand that community members are concerned about exposure to scabies. It is treatable and is not life-threatening," Judy Donovan, spokesperson for Kona Community Hospital, said in a release cited by The Star Advertiser.

More articles on clinical leadership and infection control:

Why some hospitals are deploying giant 'Roombas' in fight against HAIs

High rates of VRE drive co-colonization with MRSA among nursing facility patients

Houston Methodist unveils flu tracker website
Globus Medical entered the European market with its spine surgical robot, Excelsius GPS.

Here are four things to know:

1. The company sold its Excelsius GPS technology to Metropolitian Hospital in Nero Faliro, Athens, Greece, where the first procedure was performed in October. Since then, surgeons have performed several procedures at Bonifatius Hospital in Germany and Fornaca Clinic in Italy.

2. Globus initially launched the Excelsius technology in the U.S. in 2017. "As we begin to scale our efforts abroad, we have seen similar levels of enthusiasm within the international surgeon community and look forward to the continued adoption of ExcelsiusGPS into these markets," said CEO Dave Demski.

3. The first procedure in Greece was performed by Panagiotis E. Zoupoulis; in Germany, the first procedure was performed by Prof. Peter Douglas Klassen; and in Italy the first procedure was performed by Prof. Franco Benech and Dr. Carlo Alberto Benech.

4. The Excelsius GPS technology is designed to increase pedicle screw accuracy and procedure efficiency while reducing radiation exposure for the surgical team.
SI-BONE, a company focused on the minimally invasive approach to sacroiliac joint fusion, launched an initial public offering in October.

The company's iFuse minimally invasive SI joint device has been commercially available since 2009, and data from 60-plus peer-reviewed journal publications prove the device's effectiveness.

President, Chairman and CEO of SI-BONE Jeffrey Dunn discusses how he has grown the company and where the technology is headed in the future.

Question: As chairman and CEO of SI-BONE since its founding in 2008, what was your strategy for growing the company from an idea to the IPO stage? What were your guiding principles?

Jeffrey Dunn: Since SI-BONE was founded in 2008, our vision has always been to fundamentally transform the lives of people with debilitating back pain caused by SI joint dysfunction with our unique, patented and clinically proven technology. We've accomplished this over the last 10 years by taking a high-level scientific approach, including well-designed and well-executed clinical studies that have proven the safety, effectiveness, quality of life and health economic benefits of our iFuse Implant System.

More than 60 peer-reviewed publications, including data from three prospective multicenter trials, support the safety and effectiveness of the procedure. No other SI joint fusion device on the market is supported by this level of clinical evidence. With this approach as our foundation along with significant investments in education, we continue to invest in ongoing clinical trials to ensure patients receive lasting relief from the pain caused by SI joint dysfunction.

Q: How has the SI joint fusion arena changed over the past decade? How has SI-BONE taken advantage of being an early mover in the minimally invasive SI joint fusion space?

JD: Studies show that the SI joint is the source of pain in 15 to 30 percent of patients with chronic lower back pain. Despite the prevalence of SI joint dysfunction, treatment options available prior to 2009 were morbid, invasive, had modest success rates and high complication rates. As such, most doctors did not focus on the SI joint as a source of chronic lower back pain given there was no patient-friendly or surgeon-friendly solution and misdiagnoses were common. A better understanding of the role of SI joint dysfunction in causing chronic pain  and new treatment options for patients  were needed.

As the pioneer in the minimally invasive SI joint fusion space, 35,000 SI-BONE iFuse Procedures have been performed by over 1,700 surgeons in the United States and 33 other countries around the world. Being an early mover has enabled us to secure exclusive reimbursement relationships through the development of unmatched clinical data, and to create a unique, patented design and solution that is delivering outcomes that are changing lives. But, we've only scratched the surface in helping patients with SI joint dysfunction. There is a significant, addressable and growing market opportunity for iFuse with 279,000 eligible patients each year in the United States alone, translating to a $2.7 billion market opportunity.

Q: How has the payer landscape changed and responded to SI-BONE? How do you expect it to continue evolving in the future?

JD: Our robust published clinical evidence demonstrates clinically important patient benefits, including reduced pain and incidence of opioid use among patients treated with iFuse as well as improved patient function and quality of life. In today's healthcare environment, payers demand high-quality clinical evidence that demonstrates safety, effectiveness, low revision rates and economic value in order to provide coverage.

SI-BONE has worked diligently with both payers and societies to establish strong and often exclusive reimbursement coverage. Our unparalleled clinical evidence has enabled us to establish positive coverage decisions from 44 of the 65 largest private payers as well as 26 iFuse exclusive commercial coverage policies, covering more than 47 million lives. We also have exclusive positive coverage for iFuse with the French National Healthcare System, and iFuse is the only product recommended for treatment of SI joint dysfunction by the UK National Institute for Health and Care Excellence. We are not aware of any other SI joint fusion product that has the clinical data to support equivalent claims or that has given rise to these exclusive positive coverage policies and recommendations.

Q: What are SI-BONE's plans over the next five to 10 years? How will the company grow differently post-IPO?

JD: The proceeds from our offering will enable us to continue to expand our commercial footprint in the United States and overseas, and better target the hundreds of thousands of patients suffering from low back pain caused by SI joint dysfunction.

We plan to use our recent capital infusion to aggressively invest in growth over the next five to 10 years, by expanding sales and marketing efforts, educating and training thousands of new surgeons and medical professionals, and investing in other product development and other market expansion opportunities. As well, our focus now and into the future as a team is to be an exemplary support team to the surgeons who can help all these patients and that means delivering superior sacropelvic products and instruments, robust clinical evidence, working to make sure the patients they treat have the payer coverage, great operating room support and educational programs.
The American Association of Orthopaedic Surgeons commended the Trump administration for issuing a report that outlined policies to increase choice and competition in healthcare.

Here are four details:

1. Published Dec. 4, "Reforming American's Healthcare System Through Choice and Competition," states competitive market forces drive innovation, which often raises quality and decreases prices.

2. The report cites a 2000 Medicare study that analyzed data from more than 500,000 Medicare beneficiaries and found 1.5 percent of heart attack sufferers had a higher chance of dying one-year post treatment if they received care at a hospital in a noncompetitive market.

3. To increase healthcare competition, the report proposed policies including:

 Lifting restrictions on physician-owned hospitals

 Repealing or decreasing certificate-of-need laws

 Payment reform and site neutrality

 Limiting non-compete clauses

4. "In coordination, these critical changes to our current system will promote the patient choice and competition we desperately need," AAOS President David A. Halsey, MD, said in a statement. "The AAOS is pleased to see these Administration recommendations echo our own initiatives, and we stand ready to aid both agencies and lawmakers in accomplishing this goal."
The co-ordinator of the Wave Trauma Centre in Belfast has been engaged in peace-building for the past 30 years. Alan was working as a butcher on the Shankill Road when his wife, Sharon, and father-in-law Desmond Frizzell were killed in a bomb attack at the family fish shop in 1993. He lives alone in east Belfast, and has one daughter, Zoe, from his marriage to Sharon. He has a first-class honours degree from Ulster University and an MPhil in reconciliation studies from Trinity College Dublin.

Q. How and when did you come to faith?

A. I became a Christian when I was 19 at a mission in the Church of God on the Whitewell Road in Belfast.

Before that, I had been actively involved with the 26th Company of the Boys' Brigade, and would have been a regular attender at Sunday Bible class. It was through one of the Boys' Brigade officers that I came to be at the mission.

I met my wife, Sharon, at the Boys' Brigade. We both looked after the Anchor Boys children.

Q. Does faith play a part in your daily life, or is it just for Sundays?

A. I'm a Christian with a small 'c', unlike some evangelicals, who tend to shove religion down people's throats. I am not a fundamentalist. I believe fundamentalism can be inherently evil, whether it is Christian, Islamic, or - dare I say it - atheist fundamentalism.

I try to be kind and considerate, to be loving and gentle and to care about other human beings. In short, to show the love of Christ in all I do and say.

Q. Have you ever had a crisis of faith, or a gnawing doubt about your faith?

A. There have been doubts, predominantly over issues such as Heaven and Hell - how can a God of love see people burn in Hell? I also have had huge issues with the Old Testament stories about the children of Israel's genocidal pursuit of the promised land. My greatest struggle has been with myself and my propensity to act in the most un-Christian way.

I spend a lot of time in prayer and have even fasted on occasions, but it has made little or no difference. Sin is attractive and it is something I will struggle with until my dying day.

Q. Have you ever been angry with God?

A. No, not even when Sharon died. There was a time after the bomb when I couldn't go near church, but it wasn't anything to do with being angry. I wasn't in the mood to worship with people, and God somehow felt distant.

I learned a valuable lesson about Christian faith. Getting through it was nothing to do with me holding on to God, but everything to do with Him holding on to me.

Q. Do you ever get criticised for your faith, and are you able to live with that criticism?

A. A lot of people wouldn't know that I have a Christian faith, because I tend not to shout it from the rooftops. However, those who know me well are aware that my Christian faith is the cornerstone of my life. I start each new day in prayer and quiet meditation, and Christian thinking guides the majority of major decisions that I have made.

I believe that Churches and faith communities who refuse to marry a gay couple should be respected and that the law should be changed to allow abortion in some cases. But we should stop well short of legalising abortion in every case. The way this debate has been handled by some Christians has left me ashamed - there has been a severe lack of Christian compassion.

Q. Are you ever ashamed of your own Church, or denomination?

A. The word 'ashamed' is too strong, but I did feel uncomfortable in the way that the Presbyterian Church handled gay membership. The Church should be a welcoming space for everyone, but I don't think that is the message that went out from the General Assembly. It was hard, in particular, to accept the bit about not christening the children of gay couples.

Q. Are you afraid to die, or can you look beyond death?

A. I would be afraid to die if I was staring death in the face, but you don't know how you would react until it happened to you. God will supply whatever grace is needed at the time.

That was definitely my experience during the Shankill bomb - if someone had told me a month before the bomb that Sharon would be killed, I would have panicked and not known how to cope, but God took care of things in His immaculate timing.

Q. Do you believe in the resurrection and, if so, what will it be like?

A. I choose to believe in an afterlife, but I have no idea what it will be like.

In Bible study once, the leader told us about how Heaven will be, with resurrected saints worshipping the lamb. This sounded fantastic, but when he said that there would be no night or day and we would just worship the lamb for ever, it sounded like a church service that never ended.

I am also a bit of a wuss, so if I knew I was nearing the end, I would like to slip away in a drug-induced condition and dream of some of the stuff the Beatles sang about, like Strawberry Fields Forever.

Q. What do you think about people of other denominations and other faiths?

A. I am very much into inter-faith dialogue. We have much to teach each other. Religion is a force for good.

Q. Do you think Churches here fulfil their mission?

A. The Church is called not to be populist, but to caution about the evils of our time, such as abuse of power by the haves over the have-nots.

The Churches have been outspoken and have been caring for the poor. However, more should have been done by the Churches during the banking crisis and the age of austerity in challenging the Government to ensure people don't fall into destitution.

Q. Why are so many people turning their back on organised religion?

A. I am glad this question was qualified by the inclusion of the word 'organised'.

Many of the traditional denominations are in decline, and the reasons are multi-faceted. However, the Christian faith is not in decline - look at the growth in house Churches and non-traditional places of worship. The Gospel message still has a role to play, but how we deliver that message is key.

Q. Has religion helped or hindered the people of Northern Ireland?

A. It has done both. I don't think the conflict was anything to do with religion - it was demographics that meant Catholics were involved with the IRA and Protestants with loyalist groups.

Nevertheless, some Churches and Church leaders used their position to sow discord and fan the flames of conflict. However, the Church had some peace-building giants that blazed a trail for a better Northern Ireland during the dark days - the people who put their heads above the parapet to promote peace, not just in the absence of war, but as a way of living.

Q. What is your favourite book, movie and music?

A. The John Bunyan classic The Pilgrim's Progress has had a profound impact on how I understand life, with all of its pitfalls and mountain-top experiences. Mississippi Burning and, more recently, Mamma Mia! Here We Go Again are among my favourite films. My favourite music is the soundtrack from Les Miserables.

Q. And what about regrets? Do you have any?

A. My biggest regret is that I messed up my second marriage. I was very fortunate to have married two incredible women. One was cruelly taken from me, the other I threw away. I will always regret that to my dying day. She was the first person who made me laugh after Sharon died. She was a beautiful woman in every way that I never truly appreciated until it was too late.

Q. Where do you feel closest to God?

A. Up on Napoleon's Nose at the top of Cavehill. It is the most beautiful place in Ireland.

Q. What would be inscribed on your gravestone?

A. I want to be cremated, because I have a fear of being buried alive, but, oddly enough, not of being burned alive.
The brutal school gate murder of Jim Donegan in Belfast this week was all the more shocking because it was witnessed by his 13-year-old son, Cris. Here, Leona O'Neill speaks to a woman who saw her father being killed during the Troubles and hears how the pain never goes away.

I found my father dead on the doorstep ... all I had on was a nightie  it was soaked in his blood

Father-of-two Denis Mullen (36) was shot dead by the notorious Glenanne Gang at the front door of his Co Tyrone family home on the night of September 1, 1975.

His daughter, Denise - just four years old at the time - sat by his side in a nightie soaked in her father's blood for two hours before neighbours were allowed to take her and her 13-month-old brother out of the house.

As she sat with her dead father on the freezing doorstep, Denise, now an SDLP councillor with Mid-Ulster District Council, heard his killers fire 13 shots at her mother, Olive, as she fled across fields to a neighbour's house.

The mental images of that terrifying night are seared into Denise's memory -she still gets debilitating flashbacks 43 years later.

"I remember everything about that night," Denise says.

"I was in bed sleeping and I heard a lot of noise and got up. We lived in a bungalow and I walked down the hallway. I noticed clay balls sliding down the window - that was how they got my daddy's attention and got him to come to the door.

"I was only four and, in my naivety, I remember thinking that my goldfish would be okay, because it was staying with my aunt, Mary.

"A few steps more down the hall, I found my father laying on the doorstep. It is a sight that will never leave me. He was dead. I sat down beside my daddy. All I was wearing was my nightie. It was soon soaked in his blood.

"I remember turning around and seeing mummy climbing out the kitchen window. She ran across the fields to a neighbour's house as the murder gang fired 13 bullets at her. I heard the shots, round after round, ring out as she fled.

"I remember the police and Army arriving. They said there was a bomb in the house, and they put up a cordon and wouldn't let anyone in. I saw the paramedics - six of them lined up against the ambulance - and one of them waved to me from the cordon as I sat with my daddy, but they couldn't get to me.

"I remember our neighbours, Maura and her husband, coming to the cordon, screaming and begging the police to let her take me and my brother out of the house. The police said no.

"No one was able to get near me. I just sat there beside my daddy for two hours. My baby brother was asleep in his cot inside the house.

"I remember Seamus Mallon and my mummy's brother coming to the cordon. The RUC went to lift my daddy's body, but I remember, as clear as day, Seamus Mallon saying, 'There's no way you are lifting this man. He was the greatest man in Ireland. We'll be lifting him'.

"Daddy was a big man, but the two of them lifted him into the ambulance to be taken to the morgue.

"My mother and I had to go to the morgue at South Tyrone Hospital. I remember my mother leaving me outside the room with my aunt, and me banging on the doors screaming that I wanted to see my daddy.

"I don't know why, but I had it in my head that it was a hospital and that I was going to go in there and see him there, alive and well, in a hospital bed - that everything was all right. But that wasn't to be."

Denise says that she knows what it is like to suffer the trauma of losing a parent in such a horrific way and offered the hand of friendship to the Donegan family.

The murder of Mr Donegan brought back awful memories for me, she says.

His son will have to live with his experience for the rest of his life. Because there is no magic out there, no miracle, or no cure that will take that away from you. There is no magic that will take the picture of my daddy out of my head. It will haunt me forever.

Id like to reach out to that child. If the Donegan family ever want to talk, Im here to talk, listen and help  if I can.

Denise says that what she saw that night will never leave her. And the trauma she experienced impacted on her entire life, leaving her with severe PTSD.

The images of that night will haunt me forever, she says. I still live with the flashbacks and the nightmares. I could be any place and any time and the smell of sitting there for two hours in nothing but a nightdress covered in my precious fathers blood comes over me.

My life, speech, entire existence, comes to a standstill until that passes. It can last just a second or two, or sometimes a little longer. I wouldnt wish this experience on anyone.

And she says the experience was a thread throughout her childhood and into her adult years.

I was a very anxious child and very much a loner. I kept it all to myself. I was very withdrawn and shied away from everything. I can remember, in Primary One, we were doing a project in class and pupils were talking about their daddys job.

And I remember saying that my daddy was dead; that he had been shot.

After the murder, we went to live in England for a while to get away from Northern Ireland. I remember, in Primary Two  I would have been about six  being given pieces of wood to make something arty. The rest of the class made toys, or little things. I made a machine-gun and told the teacher that I wanted to go back to Northern Ireland to shoot the people who shot my daddy.

I was given a right telling-off by my teacher and my mother was brought before the principal. That is not normal behaviour for a child.

As I was growing up, when other children were playing in the street, I was going home, looking after my mother and my little brother, standing up on a stool to do dishes, looking about food, lifting my mothers pension and paying bills. My education was really, really affected.

I never got any counselling, until February of last year, after I met the man connected to my fathers murder.

Garfield Beattie served 16 years behind bars for his part in my fathers murder, which he said was part of his initiation into the UVF.

He told me that he was haunted by the fact that he made one big mistake, he turned around and he saw me there, sitting there with my daddy on the doorstep.

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We still have shrapnel in our legs and scars from that day, both mental and physical

Louise Freeman (40), a teacher and a mother of four from Canada, witnessed her father being blown up in an IRA car bomb in Germany in 1989. Lance Corporal Stephen Smith (31), an officer in the 1st Royal Tank Regiment, was about to take his young family from their home in Hanover to a fairground as a special treat when a device attached to the drivers side of his car exploded. The blast killed him instantly and gravely injured his wife Tina, his daughter Louise, then 11, her two sisters Leanna (7) and Jade (18 months), and brother Lee (9).

Tina was badly injured. Baby Jade took the full impact of the blast and was severely burned with shrapnel all over her body. Louise and her other siblings had shrapnel embedded in their legs. They still live with the scars, both mental and physical, of that day.

Myself, Mum, Dad, my younger brother and sisters were all getting ready to go to a fair in Hanover, she says. It was rainy and it was just one of those weekday evenings. I dont think my Mum wanted to go. It was a school night, but Dad said we should go and we were so excited about it.

We were all lined up on the path and waiting for Dad to open the door so we could climb into the car. My Mum was on one side and we were on the other. Dad opened the door and the bomb went off.

I remember the noise, the ringing in my ears, and the feeling of warm air. I remember the sheer force of the air from the explosion. It felt like being on a rollercoaster  when you go down, that G-force feeling and the wind pushes back on you.

When the ringing went I remember the screams, and I remember running. We ran to get into the compound where we lived. I was only 11, I didnt know what was going on or where I was going; neither did the younger ones. I remember looking around and seeing that the car was on fire. People were running towards us.

Jade was only 18 months old. She was running around in a circle beside the car and her hair and clothes were on fire. She was burning, she was screaming. We were all hit with shrapnel. I ran to Jade and put her out.

When I look back on it now its like it never happened to me. Its such a surreal experience. I dont remember a lot of where my Mum was at the time.

I couldnt see Dad. I remember debris being everywhere, but I cant remember making out what was his body and what wasnt anymore. My mind doesnt allow me to go there.

We were so fortunate that we didnt die also. Most of the impact was on my Dads side.

I remember we were all sent to different hospitals because it was a terrorist attack. Eventually we all got back together in the same hospital and that is when we were told that our father had died. My Nan and Grandad, my Dads parents, actually saw it on the TV before they were told in a phone call.

We were told to expect the worse when we visited my Mum. Me and Lee were in wheelchairs as we had shrapnel in our legs. And Leanna had a stitch just below were her heart was, where shrapnel had hit her. And Jade was peppered with shrapnel and bandaged from head to toe with the burns. We all still have shrapnel in our legs and scars from that day, both mental and physical.

We lost our mum that day as well as our dad.

Louise says that she, as the eldest, is the only one of her siblings who remembers her father.

I dont remember the last time I spoke to Dad, or the last words he said to me, she says. We were just all super-excited about going to the fair and bouncing around like kids do on the way to the car. The next thing our lives completely changed.

I have memories of him. He was a fun-loving guy, a real jokester. He loved his job and he loved his family. He and Mum met and married as teenagers and had been together ever since.

I remember my Dad saying things like I love you and telling me stories, and sitting on his lap. My brother and sisters dont remember that at all. I dont know which is worse, having the burden of those memories or not having them at all.

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Louise says that the impact of the murder didnt end on the day. She says it ripped her family apart and they all live with the ramifications of that every day.

That was just the start of the downfall of our family, she says. As if that wasnt bad enough, you could say that the next 10 years of our lives were a consequence of that day. My Mum wasnt able to parent us. She had lost her husband, the love of her life. We lost my Mum that day as well as our Dad. She just couldnt cope. She had numerous breakdowns. She had watched her husband die. It was very difficult for her. She lived in fear, we lived in fear. After Dads murder we got death threats. They had set out to murder six of us and five of us lived. We lived in Army barracks and hospitals. We lost our home and our families. We had to move countries. We had to move schools. Everything that you try and provide to a child for stability, we never had any of that. One minute we were in Germany just living our lives, the next we were in a new country we didnt even know, with no support.

It was extremely difficult. It still is. At the age of 16 my brother came to live with me, then my sister did too. At 16 I was working full-time and looking after two children because my Mum couldnt. It has been a struggle. We have all made it, because we are all here and we all have our families. But it wasnt without tremendous consequences.

We carry this and have carried it for the last 30 years. They had tried to murder us. We have only just started talking about it. We have lived with the fear that they are going to come back. They did it, they werent successful and they are going to try again. It is always in the back of your mind.

I dont think I could stand in the same room as the people who did that to my Dad, to my family. You cant justify murdering an adult, regardless of what they say about my Dad being a target because he was in the Army. You definitely cant justify trying to murder four young children.
The funeral of Eddie Meenan, who died after an assault in Londonderry, will take place today.

The father-of-nine will be laid to rest in the City Cemetery following Requiem Mass at St Eugene's Cathedral at 12.30pm.

His mother and his children are expected to lead the mourners.

Mr Meenan's body was discovered in the early hours of Sunday, November 25 in an alleyway off Creggan Street in the city.

Three men - Sean Ciaran Joseph Rodger (31), from Little Diamond in the Bogside area of the city, Derek Cresswell (26), of no fixed abode, and Ryan Walters (19), of Crawford Square in the city - have been charged with his murder.

They are currently on remand pending another court appearance later this month.

A police investigation into Mr Meenan's death is ongoing and detectives issued an appeal for anyone who was in the area on Sunday, November 25 to contact them.

Detective Chief Inspector John Caldwell said: "I would like to speak to three people - two men and one woman - who I know were standing on the steps of a shop on Creggan Street at around 2.20am that Sunday.

"They were then given a lift from someone driving a dark coloured, medium sized car at around 2.30am.

"I would appeal to them to make contact with me as they may be able to provide some vital information."
Senioreconomist Dr Esmond Birnie has came out against Theresa May's Brexit deal - but says he understands why the business community supports it.

Addressing the Better Belfast business breakfast in the city centre this morning, he is expected to say that low productivity and a lack of competitiveness - not Brexit - were the biggest economic problems facing Northern Ireland.

Dr Birnie said: "There are a number of reasons why the business community seems willing to accept the draft Withdrawal Agreement, even if viewed as the least worst option.

"It provides comprehensive legal cover for the process of leaving. It provides for the 'extra time' - the transition period March 30 2019 to December 31, 2020.

"In the short term, Northern Ireland and Great Britain remain, in effect, in both the EU's customs union and single market. In the longer term, Northern Ireland remains in effect in both.

"Much of the status quo is retained - along with the stability and continuity that brings. So, at least from a short-term point of view, the draft Withdrawal Agreement appears advantageous."

But Dr Birnie referred to a quote by the late distinguished British economist, John Maynard Keynes, that the job of an economist involved "ruthless truth telling" however unpalatable.

He said there were "substantial disadvantages" in the agreement which would become apparent in the longer-term.

The UK's net contribution to the EU budget would continue, and total 39bn in the transition period.

The UK couldn't leave the EU customs union unilaterally. Unless the UK could offer variations in its external tariffs it was "hard to see how it would be able to strike free trade agreements with the wider world", he said.

If the UK did get the EU's permission to leave the customs union, Northern Ireland would likely be left behind "unless the EU did judge some other way had been found to preserve the frictionless Irish border".

Dr Birnie described the prospect of a tariff barrier between Belfast and Liverpool as "a serious one".

He said: "The draft Withdrawal Agreement does provide for regulatory checks on goods coming from GB to Northern Ireland.

"That flow is worth about 11bn. By comparison, Northern Ireland's imports from the Republic are worth about 2bn and those from the rest of the EU 2bn. Checks could lead to higher costs, then higher consumer prices."

He expressed concern about Northern Ireland becoming a "rule-taker" from the EU with accountability absent.

"Since the 1970s, the Northern Ireland economy has been in a damaging mode of passivity and dependency," he said.

"A mindset developed of hoping that outsiders would make the hard decisions and provide more hard cash.

"Becoming a special EU zone/protectorate for single market purposes might only reinforce that chronic weakness."

Dr Birnie did not believe that a no deal Brexit would be "as catastrophic" as Bank of England speculation. He voiced support for Norway-plus arrangements, developing into Canada-plus, as a viable way forward.

"I'm talking here about having a very comprehensive free trade agreement between the UK and the EU together with the combination of technology, forbearance and remote checks which would avoid the need for a backstop regarding the border," he said.

Highlighting "deeply rooted weaknesses" in the Northern Ireland economy, Dr Birnie said productivity had remained substantially less than in Britain for a century. The average worker in the US, Germany and France produced 60% more per hour worked than their Northern Ireland counterpart.

"The economy was in trouble before the June 2016 Brexit vote. It was slowing down. Since 2007 growth has been below the UK average and since 2012 well below that in the Republic of Ireland," he added.
Next week MPs will vote to decide the UK's future once we leave the European Union. They have a choice: a smooth and orderly exit from the EU, with the certainty set out in the Withdrawal Agreement, or risking a no-deal Brexit, with the damage that that would do to our manufacturing, food and farm businesses, or the division of going back to square one and reversing the referendum result of just two years ago.

The agreement that is on the table represents a good deal for all parts of the United Kingdom.

As part of this deal, a lot of attention has been focused on the backstop.

The backstop is an insurance policy; both the UK and Irish Governments, as well as the EU themselves have made clear they want to prioritise the overall future relationship and ensure our commitments to the people of Northern Ireland are met through the comprehensive and permanent new economic relationship, rather than ever having to enter the backstop.

Our priorities are clear. To preserve the integrity of the United Kingdom, to uphold the Belfast (Good Friday) Agreement, and to avoid a hard border in any circumstances so that people and businesses that rely on an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland can continue living their lives and operating as they do now.

Crucially, the commitment to Northern Ireland's constitutional status and the principle of consent is crystal clear in the Withdrawal Treaty, as the Attorney General set out in the House of Commons on Monday. And it will ensure that Northern Ireland's business continues to have unrestricted access to both the EU and UK markets.

As a Conservative and Unionist I firmly believe that a Brexit deal that works for people here in Northern Ireland is important for the future of our Union and the consent on which it rests. As one recent poll showed, there is support in Northern Ireland from across the community for a sensible Brexit deal that avoids a hard border. It is not realistic to hope that by rejecting every option on Brexit, we could somehow still emerge with a plan that respects their views and the unique circumstances of Northern Ireland.

Indeed taking such a risk could have profound implications, particularly on the economy. I was in Belfast yesterday and the message from businesses was clear: companies in Northern Ireland need clarity and certainty so that they can get on with their business, and protect jobs and living standards.

This deal provides that certainty for business in Northern Ireland. That is reflected in the overwhelming support it has received from groups such as the Federation of Small Businesses Northern Ireland, who I met yesterday, and the wider business community here.

It gives the reassurance needed for business to invest and expand, knowing that the uncertainty of a no deal scenario, and all that could go with it, will have gone.

Politicians of all parties have an important decision to make when it comes to the vote in the House of Commons on this agreement. They will be accountable for this most important of decisions.

They will have to be able to justify ignoring the clear call to get this deal done and take the risk, with no other alternative on the table to take us back to square one, with more division and more uncertainty.

For my part, I will continue to work to ensure that we represent the interests of Northern Ireland - just as of England, Wales, and Scotland - as we look to the future. I hope that in the days ahead my colleagues in the House of Commons will consider the choice put to them, and listen to calls from business to deliver certainty and opportunity for all parts of the United Kingdom.

David Lidington is Minister for the Cabinet Office
A Primark staff member hands out bags to some of an estimated 1,000 people who joined a queue to enter the new Primark store on Castle Street, Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday December 8, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Primark. Photo credit should read: Rebecca Black/PA Wire

Jeanette Robb (right) and Danielle Wright arrived at 6.30am, becoming the first of an estimated 1,000 people who queued to enter the new Primark store on Castle Street, Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday December 8, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Primark. Photo credit should read: Rebecca Black/PA Wire

Mary Craig (left) and Tracey Sharvin were among an estimated 1,000 people who joined a queue to enter the new Primark store on Castle Street, Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday December 8, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Primark. Photo credit should read: Rebecca Black/PA Wire

Some of an estimated 1,000 people who joined a queue to enter the new Primark store on Castle Street, Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday December 8, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Primark. Photo credit should read: Rebecca Black/PA Wire

Some of an estimated 1,000 people who joined a queue to enter the new Primark store on Castle Street, Belfast. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Picture date: Saturday December 8, 2018. See PA story ULSTER Primark. Photo credit should read: Rebecca Black/PA Wire

Shoppers queued outside the new Primark store in Belfast after it reopened on Saturday. Pic Pacemaker

As far as Belfast shoppers are concerned, it just wouldn't be Christmas without a pair of pyjamas from Primark.

And, with that in mind, we're giving you a sneak preview of some festive nightwear - plus other fashion favourites and household gems - hitting the shelves as the city's new store finally opens today.

It has been three long months for fans of the Belfast outlet, which was gutted by fire at the end of August. But the wait is finally over and from today shoppers can stock up on their favourite Primark bargains again.

Now located at Commonwealth House on Castle Street, following the catastrophic three-day blaze at its flagship premises at Bank Buildings, the new four-floor shopping mecca, covering 26,700 sq ft, boasts two customer elevators, three sets of customer stairs, 22 tills and 31 fitting rooms.

It is a timely boost for Belfast's retail sector on one of the busiest weekends in the calendar. Thousands of people are expected to throng the streets today as the pre-Christmas shopping rush continues.

The festive buzz has been heightened by the reopening of Primark, which can be accessed from the west side of the city centre.

And to celebrate, we've drawn up a list of some of the goodies that will be available in store to customers who venture into the city centre today.

If you're out of ideas or just running late when it comes to acquiring the perfect outfit for the office party, there's a black glitter jumpsuit that may be just the ticket for the feisty fashionista.

Team that up with a gorgeous pair of large black chain-wrapped hoop earrings, as well as a delightful gold bow clutch bag that will hold all your makeup essentials for the evening, and you're definitely good to go.

It's a mandatory component of every wardrobe, but have you got your Christmas jumper yet? If not, what about a red knitted seasonal offering bearing a red-nosed reindeer?

Keeping with the same theme, how about a red reindeer PJ-and-toy set - the top and bottoms are accompanied by a cuddly toy reindeer and they come in a festive gift box with a handle.

There's a super red, green and white Grinch all-in-one sleepsuit for the reluctant festive revellers among us, not to mention a Mary Poppins snowglobe for aficionados of the Disney musical fantasy film.

Also up for grabs is a dapper Santa and snowman-print navy shirt, as well as a grey Christmas T-shirt and joggings set for a more casual look.

And for the ultimate stocking filler, we spotted a Mary Poppins money bank emblazoned with the words 'practically perfect in every way', which will help us start saving for next year's extravagances.

Traders who were badly hit by the devasting fire, which started on August 28, are now gearing up for a boost in numbers from here on in.

Guineys, the Irish department store chain, is also open for the first time today, offering a timely fillip to the city centre ahead of Christmas.

The established retailer, specialising in homeware, menswear, womenswear and children's clothing, will trade from the former BHS store site at Castle Place, just yards from the Bank Buildings cordon.

Earlier this week McDonald's, Argento, Skechers and Spar all resumed trading, supplemented by a new temporary walkway reconnecting Royal Avenue to Donegall Place. Zara, Tesco Metro and British Heart Foundation remain closed, however, and are likely to stay that way until at least Easter.
Lance Corporal Best (left) and a colleague at Old Sarum Castle in Salisbury

Jim Wright helped organise a marker for the grave of his former Army colleague and friend Paul Best

A young Belfast soldier tragically killed in a crash in England has been remembered nearly 40 years after his death.

Paul Best died in a motorbike accident at Tidworth barracks in Wiltshire in September 1980 - just two months before his 19th birthday.

His family laid him to rest following a civil service and without a military headstone.

Years passed, the family scattered and the grave became overgrown.

But three years ago it was unearthed by Peter Irwin, who served in the Royal Irish Rangers alongside Paul.

A social media search for others from the squad as well as Paul's surviving brothers and sisters led to a gravestone being specially commissioned, and yesterday it was placed on Paul's grave with his sister June Maguire attending.

One of the organisers, Jim Wright, who also served alongside Paul, said: "There was over 50 of us who joined up in 1977 in Ballymena and Paul was part of our platoon, so I knew him from his first day in the forces.

"Paul was more than an Army colleague, he was a good friend and it was a big shock when we heard he had been killed in an accident at Tidworth.

"He was brought home for burial but given the times it was, with the Troubles, the family didn't want any military trappings so Paul was given a civilian funeral and laid to rest in a family plot."

Peter Irwin, another former colleague, discovered the grave and put a post on Facebook.

Mr Wright added: "A few of us went up and had a look at the grave and decided that we wanted to do something, so we went about trying to find Paul's remaining family.

"The headstone that was on Paul's grave, through the passage of time, had fallen into disrepair and there was nothing on it to say that Paul had been a soldier at any stage.

"We came up with the idea of having a new grave marker which would say that he had been a Lance Corporal in the Royal Irish Rangers.

"We contacted Paul's sister, June, and she told us the family were happy for us to do that. Through Facebook one of our other colleagues, Andy Shannon, contacted us to say he makes headstones, which was perfect.

"Andy already knew the Regimental Badge, of course, so once we told him what to write, he came up with the gravestone."

The group travelled yesterday, with Paul's family, to lay the marker. Among the family members attending was Paul's sister June Maguire, who travelled from her home in Limerick.

She said her brother would be proud of his former colleagues for remembering him in this way.

"There were 13 of us in our family and Paul was the third youngest," June said.

"However as the years have passed another six of us have passed away and the rest of us have scattered.

"Paul was a passenger on a bike which crashed in an accident and he was killed, just two months away from his 19th birthday.

"Paul was always smiling and always got on well with people, he was known as 'Bestie' to his friends.

"I am so pleased that his former Army mates wanted to remember him in such a lovely way and that I was able to travel up to the cemetery to see the gravestone being laid.

"I know Paul would be so very proud," June added.
Relatives of those who died at Kingsmill have expressed their anger at the decision by former Sinn Fein MP Barry McElduff to return to politics, branding it "a slap in the face".

Mr McElduff (52) was forced to quit as MP for West Tyrone earlier this year after footage appeared of him posing with a Kingsmill-branded loaf on his head on the anniversary of the Kingsmill massacre.

The IRA atrocity on January 5, 1976 saw gunmen stop a minibus carrying 11 Protestant workmen, line them up and shoot them. Only one victim survived.

Mr McElduff said at the time of his resignation that staying in his job would have impeded efforts to forge reconciliation, but that he was not aware the post coincided with the Kingsmill anniversary.

In October the Public Prosecution Service confirmed it would not be prosecuting Mr McElduff for the video. Eleven months on, he announced on Thursday night that he would be standing for Sinn Fein in council elections in the Fermanagh and Omagh District next May.

However Colin Worton, whose 24-year-old brother Kenneth was among the victims, yesterday described Mr McElduff as an "arrogant individual" and said his decision to return to the political scene so soon is "a slap in the face to the Kingsmill families".

"McElduff was still in the fold of Sinn Fein and didn't have to fall that far down the ladder to crawl back up again," he said.

"He is still trying to justify his actions which is unbelievable and makes things even worse.

"This shows Sinn Fein's arrogance as a party as well and how they are taking us for fools. Why would somebody leave and then, within a matter of months, they are clawing their way back. You have to ask what was it all for? To give him more credibility?

"We are less than five weeks away now from the anniversary and I'm just totally sickened by the whole thing."

Alan Black, the only survivor of the Kingsmill massacre despite having been shot 18 times, said: "To my mind he was dancing on the graves of the victims and seemed to be celebrating their deaths.

"If he had seen what I had seen that night that has lived with me ever since, he wouldn't have done it."

Speaking on BBC Radio Ulster's Talkback yesterday, Mr McElduff reiterated that the incident was a genuine mistake and that Kingsmill had been the only brand of bread available in the shop.

He told host William Crawley: "This might sound ridiculous but I didn't make any association, even later between the product and the massacre.

"Even now I would say everyone associates the name of the bread with the massacre, but I don't believe prior to January that everybody would have made that association. I'm not asking anyone to believe me, but I'm just asserting the truth that this was coincidence. A very cruel, unintentional coincidence.

"When I realised that this association was being made by others, I did try my best in a very difficult situation to react with dignity and integrity.

"I accepted suspension and I even subsequently resigned as an MP, probably because I placed a greater value on other people's feelings than I did on my own position," he added.

Mr McElduff said he had been strongly encouraged by Sinn Fein party members and supporters and people within the community to re-enter public life.

However, DUP West Tyrone MLA Thomas Buchanan said he was not surprised by Mr McElduff's selection.

"The decision to ask Barry McElduff to stand for election does send a message to innocent victims about how little respect Sinn Fein has for them," he said.

"But this is no surprise from the same party which named a playground after the man who was found in possession of the gun used to murder 10 innocent men."

Ulster Unionist Omagh councillor Chris Smyth said he was appalled at Sinn Fein's decision to select Mr McElduff given his previous conduct in public office.

"Sinn Fein know full well the impact that selecting him will have. I was ashamed when west Tyrone, the area I was born and raised in, was on every news outlet because our former MP acted like a clown and caused such dreadful offence," he said.

"Sinn Fein have a large number of potential candidates they could have chosen from, so to choose Mr McElduff is a very deliberate act.

"It certainly nails the lie of Sinn Fein's claims to be interested in 'equality, respect and integrity' or that they want to reach out to unionists."
Brandon Lewis (right) meeting the Institute of Directors at Dale Farm headquarters

Cabinet Office minister David Lidington with Patricia OHagan, CEO of Core Systems, during a visit to Core Systems in Belfast yesterday

Arlene Foster last night called on the Prime Minister to go back to Brussels and negotiate a better deal.

The DUP leader went on the attack after Secretary of State Karen Bradley penned an open letter insisting Mrs May's proposed agreement was no threat to Northern Ireland's place in the United Kingdom.

With the pressure mounting ahead of Tuesday's crunch vote at Westminster, two ministers, David Lidington and Brandon Lewis, arrived in the province to bolster support for the Prime Minister.

And in her letter published below, Mrs Bradley again sought to convince unionists of the merits of the deal.

"The agreement upholds the Belfast Agreement in all its parts, including the consent principle over Northern Ireland's place within our Union," Mrs Bradley writes.

"It ensures people and businesses that rely on an open border can continue living their lives and operating as they do now.

"In short, we have secured an outcome for Northern Ireland that avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland and a customs border down the Irish Sea."

But in a hard-hitting statement, Mrs Foster rejected the Secretary of State's claims, saying: "This letter fails to deal with the fatal flaws in the Withdrawal Agreement.

"Indeed, it doesn't even address the flaws raised by the Attorney General.

"Rather than writing letters or sending a roadshow to NI for 90 minutes, I would prefer the PM would go to Brussels and stand up to the EU and seek fundamental changes to the Withdrawal Agreement," Mrs Foster said.

"This deal breaches key commitments made to us, by the Prime Minister, about protecting the economic and constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom.

"The Chancellor says the backstop is bad for the economy and Union.

"The PM doesn't like it and the Attorney General has warned Cabinet that it's a trap.

"Unionists in Northern Ireland and throughout the UK are united against this dangerous deal.

"This letter won't fool anyone who has read the Withdrawal Treaty."

The former First Minister's broadside came after visits to Belfast businesses by the two senior Government figures Mr Lidington and the Conservative party chairman, Mr Lewis.

Mr Lewis, who sits in Theresa May's Cabinet, met members of the Institute of Directors (IOD) at Dale Farm's Belfast headquarters.

Declan Billington, chief executive of animal feeds manufacturer Thompsons, said the firms present, representing the energy, agri-food and financial services sectors, were united in saying that a no-deal Brexit cannot be considered.

"We made it very clear to him the consequences on the Northern Ireland economy and people's livelihoods of a no-deal exit."

Mr Billington spoke of a disconnect in GB that he said has failed to understand the issues facing Northern Ireland businesses in a hard Brexit.

"There's a disconnect in not fully appreciating the extent to which businesses assess it as critically damaging, terminal to a number of them, small and large.

"All I see from Parliament is the risk that several camps will shoot each other's proposals down, and with everyone ruling out everyone else's position and by default, we stumble into a no deal. We're rapidly losing the last remaining time to put something in place that avoids a hard exit," he said.

Mr Lidington warned that the Prime Minister's Brexit deal was the only one available - but said the party's 'confidence and supply' agreement with the DUP would continue regardless.

The Government is expected to lose next week's vote by a considerable margin, but has added an amendment in the hope of bringing the DUP and Conservative backbenchers back on-side.

The change would give Parliament and a future Stormont Assembly a say in activating a backstop for the Irish border, but the proposal has already been rejected by the DUP as legislative "tinkering".
Northern Ireland Secretary Karen Bradley has penned an open letter to the people of Northern Ireland (Rebecca Black/ PA)

The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland has penned an open letter seeking to assure citizens that the draft Brexit deal is not a threat to rights or the Union.

Karen Bradley published the letter on Saturday, stating that Theresa Mays deal protects the Belfast agreement, and that any backstop arrangement would be temporary.

As the day of the meaningful vote in Parliament approaches, I wanted to emphasise what the deal means specifically for the people of Northern Ireland, she said.

The Secretary of State spent the day speaking to media and businesses in Belfast city centre following 2m investment in the Budget. See her explain on @bbctheview tonight why MPs should #BackTheBrexitDeal pic.twitter.com/TNNdfDUNpC  Northern Ireland Office (@NIOgov) December 6, 2018

The Northern Ireland Protocol has some important guarantees for the people in Northern Ireland.

It guarantees that even in the unlikely event that the UKs future relationship with the EU is not in place by the end of the implementation period in December 2020, there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

At the same time the protocol also contains legally binding commitments that both the UK and EU will take the necessary steps to ensure the backstop is temporary.

Importantly, the agreement upholds the Belfast Agreement in all its parts, including the consent principle over Northern Irelands place within our Union. It ensures people and businesses that rely on an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland can continue living their lives and operating as they do now. It is not a threat to the integrity of the Union, or a threat to the rights people enjoy today.

In short, we have secured an outcome for Northern Ireland that avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland and a customs border down the Irish Sea.

The deal avoids Northern Ireland being in a separate customs territory to the rest of the UK, something that the EU had originally sought to impose. Instead, it achieves the maintenance of a single UK customs territory.

In line with the clear commitments we made in the December Joint Report, the UK would ensure unfettered access for NI businesses to the whole UK internal market.

The deal protects all the things we value. For all the people in Northern Ireland, this means continuing the progress over the past two decades under the Belfast Agreement, supporting our business community to thrive, ensuring a good deal for our agricultural and fishing industries and providing a safe, secure and prosperous society for future generations.

Now is the time to come together to build a brighter future for Northern Ireland.

The letter comes just one day after Cabinet Office Minister David Lidington visited North Belfast to sell the Prime Ministers Brexit deal.

The parliamentary arithmetic is still against the Government ahead of next weeks withdrawal treaty vote.
Anne Graham (centre) is joined by Lord Trimble and UUP leader Robin Swann for the act of remembrance on the 35th anniversary of her brother Edgars murder yesterday

The sister of murdered unionist politician Edgar Graham challenged the hypocrisy of Sinn Fein as she addressed a poignant ceremony to mark the 35th anniversary of his death.

Anne Graham spoke at a memorial service outside the university yesterday for her brother, who was shot dead by the IRA in 1983.

Mr Graham was a barrister and law lecturer as well as a promising politician, tipped as a future leader of the Ulster Unionist party.

Wreaths were laid at the spot where he died, across from the Queen's Film Theatre, during a service organised by students.

Unionist politicians attending the event included former First Minister Lord Trimble, UUP leader Robin Swann and DUP MP Emma Little-Pengelly.

A lone piper played a lament after a minute's silence.

Speaking to the crowd, Ms Graham said the memorial was occurring on a bright day but that it was a dark day when she lost her brother.

"I heard on the 11am news headlines that a politician had been shot at Queen's," she said.

"I knew instantly it was Edgar.

"Minutes later, as I tried desperately to find out what hospital he was being taken to, it was announced that Edgar Graham had been shot dead at Queen's. The world pretty much stopped and changed for me then."

No one has ever been convicted of Mr Graham's murder.

His sister has been a vocal critic of Sinn Fein, saying that it had never condemned the killing of the barrister.

She openly challenged the party's deputy leader, Michelle O'Neill, at an event at the university in October.

In her speech yesterday, she once again touched on the subject.

"It is not enough to be a peace lover," said Ms Graham.

"I will keep on honouring my brother's memory and defending his career and character.

"I will call out the hypocrisy of others, but I will also talk to the people who refuse to recognise murder for murder.

"I will try to convince them there is a better way."

She added: "Sometimes the conversation is more important than the answer and sometimes the conversation has to be behind closed doors."

Queen's student Calvin Reid, who helped organise the service in co-operation with Ms Graham, said the death had been a "devastating blow".

Mr Reid said the purpose of the event was to "remember a man of great integrity".

He said: "As young people it is worrying for us that there are those within society who don't believe that what happened here was wrong.

"We long for a society that is shared, a Northern Ireland where different people can have a range of views and beliefs and where there is lasting peace, but that society must be built upon the principles of truth and justice."

Ulster Unionist leader Robin Swann laid a wreath and said Mr Graham had had the potential to be a leader of the party.

"The murder of Edgar Graham in December 1983 was a huge loss to both his family and to unionism," he said.

"There is no doubt that his talent and ability had already marked him out as a future leader of the Ulster Unionist party and that Northern Ireland could have been a very different place had he been allowed to live.

"I would like to praise the Queen's students who organised what was a very thoughtful and dignified commemoration at Queen's today and my thoughts are with Edgar's family at this time."

DUP MLA Christopher Stalford, who was born in the same year that the Assemblyman was murdered, paid tribute to him.

"Thirty five years later people still remember him because of the massive contribution he made to unionist politics," he said. "He stood for democracy, he stood for freedom and he stood for the rule of law and that's why he was targeted.

"It's important that we honour his life by saying that those who engage in terrorism will never prevail over those who engage in democratic politics."

Students contributed money towards a framed memorial quilt which was presented to Ms Graham at the service.
Controversial media commentator Jude Collins says he has been dropped as a regular panellist by BBC Northern Ireland.

Up until recently, Mr Collins was a regular freelance contributor on Radio Ulster on shows including Talkback, The Nolan Show and the Saturday morning paper review on the Kim Lenaghan show.

However, he has not been heard on the air in recent weeks.

Mr Collins believes the broadcasters decision was prompted by the reaction to controversial remarks made on social media about IRA victim Patsy Gillespie.

In 1990, Mr Gillespie, a civilian Army worker, was told to drive a bomb to Coshquin barracks near the border while his family were held hostage. The bomb was armed by remote control, killing Mr Gillespie and five soldiers.

In a Twitter post in October, which drew widespread anger, the writer and broadcaster said Mr Gillespie had chosen to work for the security forces even though he knew this made him a target for the Provisional IRA.

Responding to the dramatic drop-off in BBC airtime, Mr Collins said: If you take the year from January to now, I was appearing on the BBC on average at least every fortnight roughly or maybe more depending on the circumstances.

However, since around July 12 I dont believe that I have been on more than once. Certainly the figures between July and now are remarkably different to what they were earlier in the year.

I was last invited into the BBC around September to comment on an item on Good Morning Ulster and that is the solitary invite that I can recall in months.

I was due to go on the air in October but was told at very short notice that I was no longer required. Im seriously disappointed that the BBC have reacted in this way. These people know the kind of person I am and the views that I have.

They have reacted not in terms of their judgement of me but in reaction to the judgement of others and that is in some way unfair. I have been doing work with the BBC for up to 30 years and it seems to me that they have responded to a kind of Twitter and general media hysteria, he added.

A BBC spokesman said: We seek to reflect a range of views, voices and areas of expertise within the BBCs output. Decisions about someones involvement are an editorial matter, based on the relevance of their contribution and the needs of the programme involved.

We dont comment on individual contributors, but can confirm that the profile of people taking part in BBC programmes is subject to ongoing development and review.

Two months ago, Kenny Donaldson from the South East Fermanagh Foundation (SEFF) met with BBC NIs head of news Adam Smyth and colleagues to raise the concerns of victims and survivors of terrorism surrounding comments made by contributors including Mr Collins.

Speaking yesterday, Mr Donaldson said: We make no apology for challenging groups or individuals who cause additional hurt to those who have already had so much stolen away from them and we will continue to do so in the days ahead.
Over the past fortnight, the Prime Minister and the rest of the Cabinet have been working hard to explain the benefits of the deal we have struck to leave the European Union.

At the beginning of this period, the Prime Minister wrote a letter to the whole of the United Kingdom.

As the day of the meaningful vote in Parliament approaches, I wanted to emphasise what the deal means specifically for the people of Northern Ireland.

In her letter, the Prime Minister explained why the deal with the EU delivers on the result of the referendum for the entire United Kingdom.

She set out how it puts us on course for a prosperous future while maintaining our close relationship with our friends and neighbours in the EU.

As Secretary of State for Northern Ireland, I want to set out my support for this deal and how it delivers for the people and businesses of Northern Ireland.

After a long and complex negotiation process, this deal delivers on important issues such as protecting the constitutional integrity of the United Kingdom, protecting vital jobs and investments, leaving both the Common Agricultural Policy and the Common Fisheries Policy, and taking back control of our borders, money, and laws.

This deal delivers for the whole of the United Kingdom.

The Northern Ireland Protocol, which sets out the Northern Ireland element of the deal, has some important guarantees for the people in Northern Ireland.

It guarantees that even in the unlikely event that the UK's future relationship with the EU is not in place by the end of the implementation period in December 2020, there will be no hard border between Northern Ireland and Ireland.

At the same time the protocol also contains legally binding commitments that both the UK and EU will take the necessary steps to ensure the backstop is temporary.

Importantly, the agreement upholds the Belfast Agreement in all its parts, including the consent principle over Northern Ireland's place within our Union.

It ensures people and businesses that rely on an open border between Northern Ireland and Ireland can continue living their lives and operating as they do now.

It is not a threat to the integrity of the Union, or a threat to the rights people enjoy today.

In short, we have secured an outcome for Northern Ireland that avoids a hard border on the island of Ireland and a customs border down the Irish Sea.

The deal avoids Northern Ireland being in a separate customs territory to the rest of the UK, something that the EU had originally sought to impose. Instead, it achieves the maintenance of a single UK customs territory. Outside the EU we will be able to strike new trade deals around the world and open up new markets in the world's fastest growing economies.

In line with the clear commitments we made in the December Joint Report, the UK would ensure unfettered access for NI businesses to the whole UK internal market.

The deal protects all the things we value. For all the people in Northern Ireland, this means continuing the progress over the past two decades under the Belfast Agreement, supporting our business community to thrive, ensuring a good deal for our agricultural and fishing industries and providing a safe, secure and prosperous society for future generations.

Like the Prime Minister, I have been campaigning tirelessly to support and help deliver this deal.

Now is the time to come together to build a brighter future for Northern Ireland.

Yours ever,

Rt Hon Karen Bradley MP
A row broke out yesterday after a former minister called for Britain to pressure the Irish Government with food shortages in the event of a no-deal Brexit.

A Government report leaked to The Times found that if the UK left the EU without a deal, Ireland's trade in perishable goods would be hit.

More than half of food in Ireland is currently imported from the UK.

The report said that a no-deal Brexit would see the UK's GDP drop by 5% and Ireland's by 7%.

Priti Patel MP, who resigned as International Development Secretary in controversial circumstances last year, told The Times: "This paper appears to show the Government was well aware Ireland will face significant issues in a no-deal scenario.

"Why hasn't this been pressed home during the negotiations? There is still time to go back to Brussels and get a better deal."

But officials in Dublin were dismissive of the report and told the Irish Times that preparations were under way for all Brexit scenarios - including shortages in the food sector.

Sinn Fein MP Chris Hazzard said the MP's comments "exposes the Brexiteer attitude to Ireland as nothing more than a colonial irritant whose rights really shouldn't be taken into account".

He said: "They know the history of the Irish famine and Britain's role in it, and the very fact that they would seek to inject that into the Brexit debate is crass and offensive.

"The Tories couldn't care less about the impact of their reckless Brexit agenda on the people and economy of Ireland. We are simply collateral damage."

The row came as a separate official assessment suggested that a no-deal Brexit could lead to six months of chaos on key cross-Channel routes.

Ferries between Dover and Calais and traffic using the Channel Tunnel could be disrupted until the end of September 2019, according to the claims.

A letter sent by Health Secretary Matt Hancock to the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS contained the warning.

He said: "Although we cannot know exactly what each member state will do with respect to checks on the EU border, the cross-Government planning assumptions have been revised so we can prepare for the potential impacts that the imposition of third country controls by member states could have.

"These impacts are likely to be felt mostly on the short straits crossings into Dover and Folkestone, where the frequent and closed loop nature of these mean that both exports and imports would be affected."
Briton Grace Millane, 22, who went missing in New Zealand (Auckland Police/PA)

The disappearance of British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand is being treated as a suspected murder, police said.

A 26-year-old man is being questioned by detectives after he was located at an address in central Auckland on Saturday afternoon.

Police said they are still looking for Ms Millane, 22, who was last seen in the city on December 1, although evidence suggested she had been killed.

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Her family have been left devastated by the development, Auckland City Police Detective Inspector Scott Beard said.

The evidence we have located so far, our scene examination, some of the CCTV footage we have, and our investigation, has determined that Grace is no longer alive and that this is a murder investigation, he told a press conference.

Graces family have been advised of this development and they are devastated.

Det Insp Beard added: We still do not know where Grace is. We are determined to find her and return her to her family.

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Ms Millane, from Essex, was described as a lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-orientated daughter by her father, David Millane.

She graduated from the University of Lincoln in September and had embarked on a year-long worldwide trip.

After visiting Peru she arrived in New Zealand on November 20 and had been near-daily contact with her family until December 1  the day before her 22nd birthday.

The last confirmed sighting of Ms Millane was at 9.41pm the same day at the Citylife Hotel in central Auckland, when she was seen with a male companion.

Police later said they had spoken to the man and that he was a person of interest, although he was not held in custody.

Det Insp Beard confirmed that the man being questioned by police on Saturday was the same individual.

We know that he was with her on the Saturday evening and went to a number of places before going to the Citylife Hotel, he told reporters.

Police have not uncovered any evidence the pair had met before. Asked if they had met on the Tinder dating app, the detective said: Im not going to speculate on how they met. The issue here is Grace is still missing and we want to find her.

Detectives seized a vehicle of interest on Saturday and inquiries were under way to establish where it had been.

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Earlier searches of Ms Millanes accommodation at a backpackers hostel found several items, including her passport, were missing.

On Saturday police released images of a pink watch and a necklace belonging to her and asked for the publics help in finding them.

The major police search and public campaign for information led to dozens of calls being made to a hotline.

I know that the thoughts of all New Zealanders will be with Graces family tonight, Det Insp Beard said.

I want to reassure everyone, both here and abroad, that New Zealand Police are determined to do everything we can to find her.
Participants in Santa costumes meet in Brixton, south London, before making their way through the streets of London as they take part in Santacon London 2018 ((Gareth Fuller/PA)

Its the most wonderful time of the year  and festive spirits were high during Santacon London 2018.

Revellers donned their Santa suits and other Christmas outfits for the annual tradition, which is described by organisers as non-profit, non-political, non-religious and non-sensical.

The good news for the real Father Christmas, if he was among those attending, is he has more than a fortnight to recover before the hard work really begins.

Expand Close It was a fine day in the capital as Santas arrived en masse (Gareth Fuller/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Expand Close Even Santa has to take the Tube sometimes (Gareth Fuller/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Expand Close And he has to queue for his ticket just like other passengers (Gareth Fuller/PA) PA Wire/PA Images / Facebook

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Labour would scrap trade union laws barring workers in the UK from taking industrial action in solidarity with their counterparts in other countries, the shadow chancellor has announced.

John McDonnell pledged when the party is returned to government laws introduced by Margaret Thatcher to restrict the rights of unions would be repealed.

The legislation undermines the ability of workers to take collective action and acts of solidarity, he said.

Abolishing it would mean workers can revive the spirit of the Rolls-Royce workers in East Kilbride who struck a blow against the brutal Pinochet dictatorship in Chile in the 1970s.

The next Labour government will ensure workers can revive the spirit of the Rolls-Royce workers in East Kilbride, when they struck a blow against the brutal Pinochet dictatorshipJohn McDonnell

Mr McDonnell pledged: When we go back into government we will restore trade union rights, and that will enable workers to take similar sympathy action on the basis of supporting fellow workers internationally.

The shadow chancellor made the commitment during a visit to Scotland, where he hailed the momentous action taken by workers at the Rolls Royce plant.

The Hunter Hawker planes the Chilean airforce used were powered by engines built at the South Lanarkshire factory, but workers there refused to repair them.

The action, which has been recently commemorated in the film Nae Pasaran, was a fantastic example of the operation of trade union rights, Mr McDonnell said.

He added: It was an effective blow against the Pinochet regime and its brutality against its own people.

Mr McDonnell praised the East Kilbride workers for carrying out a courageous and humane act against the horrors of the Pinochet years.

He said: The action taken by the Rolls Royce workers at East Kilbride was a momentous act of solidarity by Scottish workers in the aftermath of Chilean juntas overthrow of a democratically-elected government and the torturing and killing of civilians and those who opposed it.

Such collective action and acts of solidarity have been attacked and undermined by restrictive anti-union laws started in the 1980s under Thatchers Tory government.

The next Labour government will ensure workers can revive the spirit of the Rolls-Royce workers in East Kilbride, when they struck a blow against the brutal Pinochet dictatorship.

In this way, we will open the next chapter of democratic society by enhancing democracy at work.

Mr McDonnell continued: Our programme of workplace reform will restore the balance between employer and worker, and it will do so by installing basic trade union rights in law again.

A Labour government will transform the world of work, providing security, decent pay and equal rights for people from day one, including sick pay, holiday pay and protection against unfair dismissal.

We will introduce a new Ministry of Labour to give workers a voice in parliament, sectoral collective bargaining to raise wages and conditions, and repeal dangerous anti-trade union legislation.
Briton Grace Millane, 22, who went missing in New Zealand (Auckland Police/PA)

A man will be charged with the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand.

The 26-year-old man has been speaking with police in Auckland in relation to her disappearance, officers said.

Ms Millane, 22, went missing from a hostel in Auckland on December 1.

New Zealand Police said the man will remain in custody until Monday morning, when he will appear in the Auckland District Court.

Ms Millane, from Essex, was described as a lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-orientated daughter by her father, David Millane.

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She graduated from the University of Lincoln in September and had embarked on a year-long worldwide trip.

After visiting Peru, she arrived in New Zealand on November 20 and had been in near-daily contact with her family until December 1  the day before her 22nd birthday.

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The last confirmed sighting of Ms Millane was at 9.41pm the same day at the Citylife Hotel in central Auckland, when she was seen with a male companion.
A robber who attacked a pregnant woman before making off with her handbag has been branded cowardly and contemptible by police.

The man struck as the woman was walking on Crow Road, Glasgow, near to Morrisons, on Friday night.

He followed the 27-year-old woman and then struck her on the head, causing her to fall to the ground.

While another man came to her aid, the robber ran off with her mustard-coloured handbag.

The emergency services were called and the woman was taken to the Queen Elizabeth University hospital to be checked by medics. Police Scotland said she was left badly shaken by the incident.

His actions are cowardly and contemptible and its imperative we trace himDetective Sergeant Robert Bowie

Officers are working to find the attacker, who is described as white, in his 30s, about 5ft 7ins and of average build. He was wearing a black hooded jacket and black trousers.

Police have been gathering CCTV footage from the area and Detective Sergeant Robert Bowie said: Enquiries carried out so far show the suspect was loitering in Crow Road near to the bollards at Foulis Lane.

He has then followed the woman and struck her on the back of the head. His actions are cowardly and contemptible, and its imperative we trace him.

I am appealing to anyone who was in the area around the time of the incident to consider if you noticed this man, perhaps he caught your eye when he was loitering near the bollards.

The stolen bag is a mustard-coloured handbag, which the suspect may have discarded. If anyone finds the bag, I would ask them to hand it into police as we can examine it for forensic opportunities. If anyone has any information or knowledge regarding the incident or the suspect, then please do get in touch.
Amber Rudd warned Tories not to oust Theresa May if her Brexit plan is rejected by MPs and suggested a Norway-style arrangement was a plausible alternative to the Prime Ministers deal.

The Work and Pensions Secretary became the first Cabinet minister to publicly discuss the merits of a Plan B if Mrs May crashes to defeat in Tuesdays crunch Commons vote.

She also suggested a second referendum was another potential outcome that might be sought by MPs if the deal is thrown out.

Ms Rudd told The Times that, should the deal be voted down, she would prefer a so-called Norway-plus model for Brexit that would involve staying part of the European Economic Area.

The former home secretary said the alternative seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are, but conceded that nobody knows if it can be done.

Ms Rudd predicted a chaotic period if the Government is defeated.

If it doesnt get through, anything could happen  Peoples Vote, Norway-plus, any of these options could come forward and none of them are as good as the current arrangement we have got with the Withdrawal Agreement to vote on on Tuesday.

Her comments could be viewed as an attempt to win over Brexiteers who might prefer Mrs Mays deal, even with its controversial Northern Irish backstop, to a Norway-plus future inside both the single market and customs union or the possibility of another referendum reversing the 2016 vote.

A lot of people have a perfect vision of what they think Brexit should look like, and that perfect is not available, she told BBC Radio 4s Today.

What we need is a compromise deal, thats what the Prime Minister has proposed and I would urge my colleagues to think about, first of all, why people voted to leave the European Union, what their interpretation is of that; and secondly, what the alternatives are.

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd says "anything could happen", if Theresa May's deal is voted down, including a Norway Plus option or a "People's Vote". pic.twitter.com/Q7ggTqwTO6  BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) December 8, 2018

This is why I think it is important for people not just to think why they dont particularly like the Withdrawal Agreement but what they would like better that is available and would get through the House of Commons.

Mrs May was warned by critics that she could be forced to stand down as Prime Minister if her Brexit deal is defeated in the Commons next week.

Eurosceptic former party leader Iain Duncan Smith cautioned against the PM and her Cabinet deciding to brazen it out, saying such an approach would be a disaster.

How the PM responds after the vote matters more than anything else she has done, he told the Daily Telegraph.

I believe that if the response is, weve lost but we will do this all over again, it will become a leadership issue.

Another former leader Lord Howard said Mrs May would have difficult decisions to make about her future and about the future of our country if she loses on December 11.

What the Brexit Deal means for you  explained in 60 seconds #BacktheBrexitDeal pic.twitter.com/yfoHsWn5Jx  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) December 8, 2018

Ms Rudd said she hoped the Government would regroup and hold stable, hold firm in the aftermath of a defeat.

What would be a complete mistake would be to allow what is already an unstable period to descend into further instability with talk of a leadership change, she said.

The Cabinet minister also appeared to endorse an amendment to the Governments motion for the vote on Tuesday tabled by former Northern Ireland minister Sir Hugo Swire in an attempt to win over wavering Eurosceptics.

The alteration would mean Parliament would have to approve a decision to trigger the backstop arrangement, put a one-year time limit on it and seek assurances from the EU that the backstop would be temporary.

Ms Rudd told Today: Hugo Swire has put an amendment down which I hope will give some of my colleagues reassurance over the so-called backstop.

Former Conservative leader Michael Howard, who opposes Theresa May's deal, says the UK should plan more for Brexit without a full withdrawal agreement. He says there could be ad hoc measures to minimise disruption while a free trade agreement is negotiated. #r4Today pic.twitter.com/fkATQXapGi  BBC Radio 4 Today (@BBCr4today) December 8, 2018

Lord Howard suggested that talks with Brussels should be intensified to prepare for a Brexit with no formal deal.

We should seek to put in place some ad hoc, temporary arrangements with the agreement of the European Union which would minimise and, indeed, perhaps even eliminate any disruption at the border on March 30 next year, he told Today.

We should also undertake that we would unilaterally, for the period of 12 months after March 29, allow any goods and services in from the European Union without any tariffs or tariff barriers or obstacles in any way  hope that they will reciprocate but do it even if they dont  and use that 12-month period to negotiate a free-trade agreement along the style of Canada-plus.

It is a common cliche of political speeches that we stand at a turning point in history. For once, however, it is true. The decisions taken in the next few months will dictate our nation's future for a generation.  David Davis (@DavidDavisMP) December 8, 2018

The Conservative Party has a key role in this. That role is not to attempt to bully MPs into support for a failed strategy. Our role is to come together to find a joint approach that supports the decision of the referendum and promotes the national interest.  David Davis (@DavidDavisMP) December 8, 2018

Former Brexit secretary David Davis warned the Tory leadership not to attempt to bully MPs into supporting a failed strategy.

Our role is to come together to find a joint approach that supports the decision of the referendum and promotes the national interest, he said.

Meanwhile, Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would consider delaying Britains exit from the EU to negotiate a better deal if his party came to power.

If we go into government straight away we would start negotiating straight away. If it meant holding things a bit longer to do it, of course, he told Sky News.

Mr Corbyn said his party was ready to step in and negotiate with the EU and would form a minority government if that is what is on offer.

Ahead of the Commons showdown, controversial activist Tommy Robinson will lead a pro-Brexit march in London on Sunday  with a rival counter-demonstration set to oppose it.

Elsewhere in the capital, the pro-EU Best for Britain and second referendum campaign Peoples Vote will hold a rally featuring politicians including Lord Heseltine and celebrities such as actors Charles Dance and Jason Isaacs.
Norway-plus has been suggested as an alternative if Theresa Mays Brexit deal is rejected (Victoria Jones/PA)

Amber Rudds suggestion that Norway-plus could be an alternative if Theresa Mays Brexit deal is rejected has added momentum to the campaign.

But what is Norway-plus, would MPs back it and would it truly deliver on the promises made in the Brexit referendum?

Norway Plus is a compromise that has broad appeal to the pragmatic middle. It delivers a softish Brexit with a deal that preserves membership of the Single Market and keeps the union of the UK intact. 6/  Nick Boles (@NickBoles) December 7, 2018

 Why is it called Norway-plus?

The idea is based on Norways relationship with the European Union as a member of the European Free Trade Association (Efta) and European Economic Area (EEA).

Being in the EEA after Brexit would keep the UK in the single market, meaning goods, services and people could continue to move within the bloc in the same way as before, therefore limiting the potential disruption to the economy.

On top of that, the plus bit of Norway-plus would involve a customs union with the EU, which, combined with the single market elements, would avoid a hard border with Ireland.

 Who backs it?

A cross-party group of MPs including Tory Nick Boles and Labours Stephen Kinnock have pushed the idea as a way of delivering Brexit  the UK will leave the European Union  while maintaining the closest possible relationship with Brussels.

The instruction given by 52:48 referendum vote is clear: move house, but stay in same neighbourhood. To leave EU's political project, but to retain full access to a market of 500m consumers. #NorwayPlus meets those aims, introduces a safeguard on FoM & solves Irish border issue pic.twitter.com/EuKHwpsNkj  Stephen Kinnock (@SKinnock) December 6, 2018

Mr Kinnock has claimed that at least 10 Cabinet ministers would back it if Mrs Mays deal is thrown out by MPs on December 11.

 Who opposes it?

Leave supporters view Norway-plus as Brexit in name only because it keeps the UK tied to Brussels rules, a customs union would restrict Britains ability to strike trade deals around the world and there would be no end to the free movement of EU migrants to the UK.

EEA is a terrible idea for us:



Far from being a compromise, the EEA option even without the Customs Union attachment (the plus of Norway plus) is even more restrictive for the UK than the PMs deal.



And whats the precedent for being in _both_ the EEA and CU? EU membership... https://t.co/JN8EzGX13V  Steve Baker MP FRSA (@SteveBakerHW) December 8, 2018

Remainers who want a second referendum have also hit out at the option because they think a so-called Peoples Vote is the best way forward if the Prime Ministers plan fails.

 Could it happen?

Amber Rudd said it seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are.

The current make-up of the House of Commons means that Mrs Mays deal looks set to be rejected and MPs are also expected to block a no-deal exit, leaving Norway-plus and the second referendum as two of the possible options on the way forward.

Brexiteers will continue to push for a looser free-trade arrangement but that could still leave issues around avoiding a hard border with Ireland.

It is unclear which, if any, option could secure a majority in the House.
The Change 4 lunar probe launches from the the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China (Jiang Hongjing/Xinhua via AP)

China has launched a groundbreaking mission to land a spacecraft on the largely unexplored far side of the moon, demonstrating its growing ambitions as a space power to rival Russia, the EU and the US.

A Long March 3B rocket carrying a lunar probe blasted off at 2.23am local time from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province in south-western China, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

With its Change 4 mission, China hopes to be the first country to make a soft landing, which is a landing of a spacecraft during which no serious damage is incurred.

The moons far side is also known as the dark side because it faces away from Earth and remains comparatively unknown.

It has a different composition than sites on the near side, where previous missions have landed.

If successful, the mission would propel the Chinese space programme to a leading position in one of the most important areas of lunar exploration.

Expand Close The Change 4 lunar probe launches from the the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre (Jiang Hongjing/Xinhua via AP) AP / Facebook

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China landed its Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, rover on the moon five years ago and plans to send its Change 5 probe there next year and have it return to Earth with samples  the first time that will have been done since 1976.

A crewed lunar mission is also under consideration.

Change 4 is also a lander-rover combination and will explore both above and below the lunar surface after arriving at the South Pole-Aitken basins Von Karman crater following a 27-day journey.

It will also perform radio-astronomical studies that, because the far side always faces away from Earth, will be free from interference from our planets ionosphere, human-made radio frequencies and auroral radiation noise, space industry expert Leonard David wrote on the website Space.com.

It may also carry plant seeds and silkworm eggs, according to Xinhua.

Change is the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology.

China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, making it only the third country after Russia and the US to do so.

It has put two space stations into orbit, one of which is still operating as a precursor to a more than 60-ton station that is due to come online in 2022.

The launch of a Mars rover is planned for the mid-2020s.

To facilitate communication between controllers on Earth and the Change 4 mission, China in May launched a relay satellite named Queqiao, or Magpie Bridge, after an ancient Chinese folk tale.

Chinas space programme has benefited from co-operation with Russia and European nations, although it was excluded from the 420-ton International Space Station, mainly due to US legislation barring such co-operation amid concerns over its strong military connections.

Its programme also suffered a rare setback last year with the failed launch of its Long March 5 rocket.
Opecs president has said the oil cartel in conjunction with non-Opec producers including Russia have agreed to cut oil production by 1.2 million barrels a day in January for six months.

Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei, who is also the United Arab Emirates energy minister, said at the conclusion of a two-day meeting in Vienna, that the reduction is a major step forward.

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Opec countries, including Saudi Arabia and the UAE, will cut production by 800,000 barrels a day while non-Opec countries will trim 400,000.

Oil producers have been under pressure to reduce production following a sharp fall in oil prices over the past couple of months.

The price of oil has fallen about 25% recently because major producers, including the US which is not party to the agreement, are pumping oil at high rates.
Demonstrators walk through tear gas during clashes Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 in Paris. Crowds of yellow-vested protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron and Frances high taxes tried to converge on the presidential palace Saturday, some scuffling with police firing tear gas, amid exceptional security measures aimed at preventing a repeat of last weeks rioting (Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP)

The rumble of armoured police vans and the hiss of tear gas filled central Paris as French riot police fought to contain thousands of yellow-vested protesters.

Demonstrators vented their anger against the government on Saturday in a movement that has grown more violent by the week.

A ring of steel surrounded the presidents Elysee Palace  a key destination for the protesters  as police stationed vans and reinforced metal barriers throughout the area.

Groups of vandals tore steadily through some of the citys wealthiest neighbourhoods, smashing and burning items.

Police and protesters also clashed in the southern French cities of Marseille and Toulouse.

The governments plan was to prevent a repeat of the rioting on December 2 that damaged the Arc de Triomphe and injured 130 people.

Although Saturdays protest in the French capital started out quietly, by early evening nearly 1,000 people had been taken into custody and 135 people had been injured.

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Some stores along the Champs-Elysees boarded up their windows as though bracing for a hurricane but the storm struck anyway, this time at the height of the holiday shopping season.

Protesters ripped off the plywood protecting the windows and threw flares and other projectiles as they were repeatedly repelled by tear gas and water cannon.

All of the citys top tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre museum, shut down for the day, fearing the kind of damage that had hit the Arc de Triomphe.

Underground stations in the city centre also closed and the US embassy warned its citizens to avoid all protest areas.

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Amid the melee, President Emmanuel Macron remained silent, as he has for the four weeks of a movement.

It started as a protest against a fuel tax hike and metamorphosed into a rebellion against high taxes, eroding living standards and what many see as his inability to address the concerns of Frances regions and ordinary people.

Before the clashes, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had urged calm.

I ask the yellow vests that want to bring about a peaceful message to not go with the hooligans, he said.

We know that the hooligans are only strong because they hide behind the yellow vests, which hampers the security forces.

An even larger environmental march moved peacefully Saturday toward the citys distant Republique Plaza.

One sign read: No climate justice without fiscal and social justice.

The march came in support of UN climate talks taking place in Poland.

National police estimated the number of protesters in Paris at 8,000, although the yellow vests said their numbers were far higher.

Associated Press reporters saw city streets densely crowded with thousands of people.

French authorities deployed 8,000 security officers in the capital alone, among the 89,000 who fanned out around the country.

Expand Close Riot police officers stand in front a burning bin during clashes in Marseille (Claude Paris/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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Frances yellow vest protesters include people with views that range from the far right to the far left.

The leaderless group is united primarily in its sense that Mr Macron and his government are out of touch.

We are here to tell (Macron) our discontent, said protester Myriam Diaz.

Me, Im not here to break things because I have four children so I am going to try to be safe for them, because they are afraid.

But I still want to be here to say stop, thats enough, this has to stop.

Cyril, a 25-year-old bin lorry driver, came from Normandy with three other demonstrators to Paris.

He said he earns 1,430 euros (1,280) a month despite working 45 hours a week and has decided not to have children because doesnt feel he can earn enough to raise them.

This was his third weekend of protesting in Paris.

Ive come to defend myself, he said, adding Mr Macrons mistake was trying to reform the French economy too quickly.

Hes done more in 18 months than the others in 30 years.

Protesters also blocked roads, roundabouts and tollbooths elsewhere in France and offshoot movements have emerged in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Belgian police fired tear gas and water cannon Saturday at yellow-vested protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Charles Michel after they tried to breach a riot barricade.

The protesters in Brussels threw paving stones, road signs, fireworks, flares and other objects at police and about 100 were detained, many for carrying dangerous objects.

In the Dutch city of Rotterdam, a few hundred protesters in the high-visibility vests walked peacefully across the Erasmus Bridge singing and handing flowers to passers-by.
Meng Wanzhou sits beside a translator during a bail hearing at British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver (Jane Wolsak/The Canadian Press via AP)

A Canadian prosecutor has urged a Vancouver court to deny bail to a Chinese executive at the heart of a case that is shaking up US-China relations.

Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of telecommunications giant Huawei and daughter of its founder, was detained at the request of the US during a layover at Vancouver airport last Saturday.

It was the same day that presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed over dinner to a 90-day ceasefire in a trade dispute that threatens to disrupt global commerce.

The US alleges that Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment in Iran in violation of US sanctions.

It also says that Meng and Huawei misled American banks about its business dealings in Iran.

The surprise arrest, already denounced by Beijing, raises doubts about whether the trade truce will hold and whether the worlds two biggest economies can resolve the complicated issues that divide them.

Expand Close Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Huawei and daughter of its founder (Ng Han Guan/AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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I think it will have a distinctively negative effect on the US-China talks, said Philip Levy, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and an economic adviser in President George W Bushs White House.

Theres the humiliating way this happened right before the dinner, with Xi unaware. Very hard to save face on this one. And we may see (Chinese retaliation), which will embitter relations.

Canadian prosecutor John Gibb-Carsley said in a court hearing that a warrant had been issued for Mengs arrest in New York on August 22.

He said Meng, arrested en route to Mexico from Hong Kong, was aware of the investigation and had been avoiding the United States for months, even though her teenage son goes to school in Boston.

Mr Gibb-Carsley alleged that Huawei had done business in Iran through a Hong Kong company called Skycom.

Meng, he said, had misled US banks into thinking that Huawei and Skycom were separate when, in fact, Skycom was Huawei.

Meng has contended that Huawei sold Skycom in 2009.

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In urging the court to reject Mengs bail request, Mr Gibb-Carsley said the Huawei executive had vast resources and a strong incentive to bolt: she is facing fraud charges in the United States that could put her in prison for 30 years.

Mengs lawyer, David Martin, argued that it would be unfair to deny her bail just because she has worked hard and has extraordinary resources.

He told the court that her personal integrity and respect for her father, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, would prevent her violating a court order.

Meng, who owns two homes in Vancouver, was willing to wear an ankle bracelet and put the houses up as collateral, he said.

There was no bail decision by the judge on Friday so Meng will spend the weekend in jail and the hearing will resume on Monday.

Justice William Ehrcke said he would think about proposed bail conditions over the weekend.

Huawei, in a brief statement emailed to the AP, said that we have every confidence that the Canadian and US legal systems will reach the right conclusion.

This is the culmination of what is likely to be a fairly lengthy investigation

Whats getting lost in the initial frenzy here is that Huawei has been in the crosshairs of US regulators for some time, said Gregory Jaeger, special counsel at the Stroock law firm and a former Justice Department trial lawyer.

This is the culmination of what is likely to be a fairly lengthy investigation.

Mengs arrest came as a jarring surprise after the Trump-Xi trade ceasefire in Argentina.

Exact details of the agreement are elusive but the White House said Mr Trump suspended for 90 days an import tax hike on 200 billion dollars in Chinese goods that was set to take effect on January 1.

Expand Close Members of the media outside the bail hearing in Vancouver for Huaweis Meng Wanzhou (Darryl Dyck/The Canadian Press via AP) AP/PA Images / Facebook

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In return, the White House said, the Chinese agreed to buy a very substantial amount of agricultural, energy, industrial and other products from the United States.

The delay was meant to buy time for the two countries to resolve a trade conflict that has been raging for months.

The US claims that China is using predatory tactics in its drive to overtake Americas dominance in technology and global economic leadership.

These allegedly include forcing American and other foreign companies to hand over trade secrets in exchange for access to the Chinese market and engaging in cyber theft.

Washington also regards Beijings ambitious long-term development plan, Made in China 2025, as a scheme to dominate such fields as robotics and electric vehicles by unfairly subsidising Chinese companies and discriminating against foreign competitors.

The United States has imposed tariffs on 250 billion dollars in Chinese goods to pressure Beijing to change its ways.

Mr Trump has threatened to expand the tariffs to include just about everything China ships to the United States.

Beijing has hit back with tariffs on about 110 billion dollars in American exports.
A British woman sailing solo in a round-the-world race has been rescued after a vicious storm in the Southern Ocean destroyed her mast and knocked her unconscious.

Susie Goodall tweeted to say she was "on the ship" yesterday afternoon after Chilean authorities directed Hong Kong-registered cargo vessel MV Tian Fu to help the stricken sailor.

The 29-year-old had been competing in the Golden Globe Race - a 30,000-nautical-mile solo and non-stop circumnavigation.

On the Golden Globe Race website, officials said they have been in regular radio contact with Goodall since she regained consciousness.

Goodall lost her mast in the Southern Ocean around 2,000 miles west of Cape Horn at South America's southern tip on Wednesday.

She was the youngest entrant and the sole female in the demanding race, and has so far spent more than five months at sea.

The tense rescue mission began at 10.30am on Wednesday when HM Coastguard in Hampshire picked up a distress alert from Goodall's vessel.

The search and rescue operation was led by the Coastguard's equivalent in Chile, the MRCC, which immediately asked two nearby vessels to divert their course and help her.
Who were the three wise men?

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem Matthew 2:1

Theyve been called magi, kings, and wise men. But who were they, really? They were most likely the Kings personal advisors. Their responsibilities included reading the stars, and a host of wisdom-seeking work. Some early church traditions say there were twelve. Today, we choose to honor three, because three very significant gifts were offered. Over time, church traditions have assigned them names: Melchior, Caspar, and Balthasar.

What does Magi mean?

Kings were in the habit of gathering the best and brightest into an advisory body of wise men, stargazers, and dreamers. Magi are consulted in the Book of Daniel, and by Pharoah in the time of Joseph. The Greek word magi indicates these men were astrologers and interpreters of omensfollowing a star and dreaming dreams.

Truth is, our faith allows a holy place for mysteries to persist. But if youd like a bit more clarification of the myths surrounding these mystery men, here are some insights from author Dwight Longenecker:

Photo courtesy: Unsplash/Jakub Jacobsky
On this exclusive, members-only event, Bill breaks down what you need to know about The Real Joe Biden. Who is he and how will he directly affect you and your family?

Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices
Contact: J.P. Rose, Center for Biological Diversity, (408) 497-7675, jrose@biologicaldiversity.org

Adam Keats, Center for Food Safety, (415) 430-9403, akeats@centerforfoodsafety.org

Judge Orders Kern County to Rescind Approvals for Grapevine Development

Court Says Kern County Must Consider Air Pollution, Health Impacts

BAKERSFIELD, Calif. A judge today ruled that Kern County must rescind its approvals for Tejon Ranch Companys proposed 8,000-acre Grapevine development, which would destroy wildlife habitat and greatly increase car traffic on local highways.

The countys environmental review of the massive project was flawed, the court ruled, because it potentially underestimated its environmental and public-health impacts. Judge Kenneth Twisselman II sided with the Center for Biological Diversity and Center for Food Safety in finding that county officials could not keep approvals in place while conducting additional environmental analysis.

The ruling halts this destructive project and forces county officials to fully analyze the pollution risks of adding tens of thousands of cars to local freeways, said J.P. Rose, a staff attorney with the Center for Biological Diversity. Kern County residents deserve to truly understand how Grapevine would damage air quality and public health. The county needs to fix these problems, not sweep them under the rug.

In July 2018 the court found that that the countys environmental review violated the California Environmental Quality Act by failing to disclose the projects impact on air quality and public health if the countys traffic projections were incorrect.

Tejon is separately seeking approvals from Los Angeles County for another city-sized development called Centennial, which the L.A. County Board of Supervisors will consider on Dec. 11. The environmental review documents for Centennial are similarly flawed.

Grapevine would also destroy habitat for 36 rare plants and animals  including the San Joaquin kit fox, blunt-nosed leopard lizard and San Joaquin antelope squirrel  while blocking a crucial wildlife corridor between the San Joaquin Valley, Tehachapi Mountains and Southern Coastal Ranges.

The lawsuit challenging Grapevine was filed in Kern County Superior Court by the Center for Biological Diversity and Center for Food Safety in January 2017.
For Immediate Release, December 7, 2018



Contact: Gabby Brown, Sierra Club, (914) 261-4626, gabby.brown@sierraclub.org

Jared Margolis, Center for Biological Diversity, (802) 310-4054, jmargolis@biologicaldiversity.org

Margie Kelly, Natural Resources Defense Council, (541) 222-9699, mkelly@nrdc.org

Patrick Davis, Friends of the Earth, (202) 222-0744, pdavis@foe.org Judge Denies TransCanada Request for Pre-construction Work on Keystone XL Pipeline Ruling Deals Yet Another Setback to Proposed Dirty Fossil Fuel Project GREAT FALLS, Mont. A federal judge reaffirmed today that TransCanada cannot conduct any pre-construction field activities on its proposed Keystone XL pipeline. This ruling means that construction on the controversial tar sands pipeline will continue to be delayed. Last month the U.S. District Court for the District of Montana ruled that the Trump administration violated bedrock U.S. environmental laws when approving a federal permit for the pipeline. The ruling blocked any construction while the government revises its environmental review. The court today clarified that the company can continue planning activities necessary to revise the environmental review documents but rejected TransCanadas request to continue pre-construction activities. Somehow TransCanada still hasnt gotten the message that Keystone XL is a lost cause, said Sierra Club Senior Attorney Doug Hayes. We've held off construction of this dirty tar sands pipeline for a decade because it would be a bad deal for the American people, and todays ruling is yet another reminder that it will never be built. This ruling ensures that TransCanada cant threaten communities and habitat along the pipeline route while further environmental reviews are conducted, said Jared Margolis, a senior attorney at the Center for Biological Diversity. If the Trump administration takes an honest look at Keystone XLs impacts, it wont be able to justify this horrible climate-killing project. Keystone XL cannot be built unless and until the Trump administration complies with the law. So far, weve seen no indication that it plans to do so, said Jackie Prange, a senior attorney at NRDC. Todays decision is one more victory for the rule of law over this reckless and risky project. Farmers and ranchers thank the judge for seeing through TransCanadas transparent power grab. Not an ounce of steel should be moved, given this foreign company does not possess a federal permit, said Jane Kleeb, Bold Alliance president. The Trump administration keeps thumbing their noses at the concerns of rural communities. We want our property rights and water protected, yet all the Trump administration cares about is aiding a foreign oil corporation. Its simple. If the court says, no construction, you dont get to start digging. TransCanadas attempt to skirt the law is corporate bullying at its worst, said Marcie Keever, legal director at Friends of the Earth. TransCanadas willingness to push the rules in a rush to build this dirty pipeline is deeply concerning and speaks directly to the corporation's effort to bypass environmental safeguards. As the company continues to push the law, we will to do everything we can to stop this climate-destroying, water-polluting, likely oil-spilling mess of a project.
Center Launches Suits to Save Three Rare Salamanders We went to court twice this week to protect three sensitive salamander species.



We sued the Fish and Wildlife Service for ignoring a 2012 petition to protect California's Shasta salamanders. And we filed a notice of intent to sue the Service for missing its deadline by more than four years to set aside critical habitat for Georgetown salamanders and Salado salamanders in Texas.



The Service's long delays on Endangered Species Act decisions are a persistent, deadly problem. More than 40 species have gone extinct waiting for protection decisions. Lawsuits like these put necessary public pressure on the Service to do its job and save species. Thank you for your support of this lifesaving work.
The partnership encompasses an operations and infrastructure expansion. BlueRock will be moving into an additional 14,000 square feet within UHN in Toronto's MaRS Discovery District, co-located with the McEwen Institute.

BlueRock Therapeutics, LP, an engineered cell therapy company leveraging its novel Cell+Gene platform to develop regenerative medicines for intractable diseases, has announced the strengthening of its ongoing strategic collaboration with the McEwen Stem Cell Institute at the University Health Network (UHN) in Toronto.

"Toronto is an incredible scientific ecosystem and a world-renowned center for stem cell biology and regenerative medicine," said Emile Nuwaysir, PhD, Chief Executive Officer of BlueRock Therapeutics. "The McEwen Stem Cell Institute at UHN is the epicenter of that ecosystem, and we have been very pleased with our relationship to date. The expansion of that partnership deepens the relationship, broadens our access to that foundational science and accelerates the development of our therapeutic programs."

The partnership encompasses an operations and infrastructure expansion. BlueRock will be moving into an additional 14,000 square feet within UHN in Toronto's MaRS Discovery District, co-located with the McEwen Institute. The new lab will be in close proximity to the already established 7,000 square foot faculty housing BlueRock process development and manufacturing teams as well as the new pilot Good Manufacturing Practices (GMP) facility, which will open in early 2019.

The strengthened partnership will also provide funding to support a BlueRock-endowed research chair in regenerative medicine for Dr. Stephanie Protze, PhD, principal investigator, McEwen Stem Cell Institute. While a post-doctoral fellow in Dr. Gordon Keller's lab, Dr. Protze successfully transformed human stem cells into functional pacemaker cardiac cells; these cells were able to elicit a rodent's heartbeat. Today her work is focused on further validating if these pacemaker cells can function as biological pacemaker using additional models and on using developmental biology-based approaches to establish strategies to guide the differentiation of hPSCs into the second type of pacemaker cell found in the heart.

"The collaboration between BlueRock and the McEwen Institute at UHN will continue to greatly enrich and expedite the development of regenerative therapy approaches for cardiovascular disease," said Dr. Protze. "I am thrilled to have the opportunity to develop BlueRock's unique Cell+Gene therapy platform and translate its capabilities to new treatments."

Additionally, BlueRock will increase the amount of funding and the breadth of sponsored research programs with Dr. Gordon Keller, PhD, Director, McEwen Stem Cell Institute, Dr. Protze and Dr. Michael Laflamme, MD, PhD, Principal Investigator. This funding will enable BlueRock to advance native and engineered cell programs in cardiac indications as well as additional areas.

BlueRock Therapeutics is an engineered cell therapy company with a mission to develop regenerative medicines for intractable diseases. BlueRock's Cell+Gene platform harnesses the power of cells for new medicines across neurology, cardiology and autoimmune indications. BlueRock's cell differentiation technology recapitulates the cell's developmental biology to produce native cell therapies which are further engineered for additional function. Utilizing these cell therapies to replace damaged or degenerated tissue brings the potential to restore or regenerate lost function. BlueRock was founded in 2016 by Versant Ventures and capitalized with one of the largest-ever Series A financings in biotech history by Bayer AG and Versant.
Founded in 2005, GeBBS Healthcare Solutions is one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry. Their cost containment solutions leverage the latest technology and help clients increase profitability and scalability. GeBBS will continue to be led by Mr. Nitin Thakor and Mr. Milind Godbole who, together with the existing management team, have been instrumental in driving the companys growth.

GeBBS Healthcare Solutions, a leading national provider of Revenue Cycle Management (RCM) solutions for the healthcare industry has announced that ChrysCapital, a marquee Indian private equity fund with a global technology services footprint, has acquired a majority stake in the company.

Founded in 2005, GeBBS Healthcare Solutions is one of the fastest-growing companies in the industry. Their cost containment solutions leverage the latest technology and help clients increase profitability and scalability. GeBBS will continue to be led by Mr. Nitin Thakor and Mr. Milind Godbole who, together with the existing management team, have been instrumental in driving the companys growth.

We are excited to partner with ChrysCapital as we enter our next phase of growth. said Nitin Thakor, President and CEO of GeBBS Healthcare Solutions. We chose to partner with ChrysCapital because they bring with them a strong track record of building best-in-class businesses. Their deep domain expertise and strong network of relationships will complement our capabilities and drive additional value to our customers. We now have the resources to accelerate our growth and strategic objectives.

ChrysCapital has a long tradition of successful partnerships with entrepreneurs, supporting their growth and expansion in a collaborative manner. We are excited to partner with Nitin, Milind and the existing management team to build the worlds leading healthcare business services company. With access to decades of experience with IT and BPO companies, ChrysCapital is confident that its investment in GeBBS will help differentiate the company and significantly accelerate its growth trajectory. We look forward to participating in GeBBS continued success." said Sanjay Kukreja, Partner at ChrysCapital.

Houlihan Lokey acted as exclusive financial advisor to GeBBS Healthcare Solutions. Mundkur Law Partners and Clark Hill acted as legal advisors to GeBBS Healthcare Solutions. Shardul Amarchand Mangaldas & Co and Wilson Sonsini Goodrich & Rosati acted as advisors to ChrysCapital.

GeBBS Healthcare Solutions is a leading technology-enabled provider of revenue cycle management (RCM) solutions. GeBBS innovative technology, combined with its over 6,000-strong global workforce, helps clients improve financial performance, compliance, and patient satisfaction. GeBBS solutions include Health Information Management (HIM), Revenue Cycle Management (RCM), Patient Access and Risk Adjustment Solutions. Headquartered in the Los Angeles, CA area, GeBBS has won numerous accolades, including being ranked in Modern Healthcares Top 15 Largest RCM Firms, Black Book Market Researchs Top 3 RCM Outsourcing Services for Health Systems, and Inc. 5000s fastest growing private companies in the U.S.

Founded in 1999, ChrysCapital is one of the largest and most successful India-focused private equity firms with over $3 billion in AUM across 7 funds. Since inception the firm has made over 80 investments and has delivered over 65 exits across a number of sectors including in Business Services, Financial Services, Pharmaceuticals, Healthcare and Consumer. ChrysCapitals investors include global endowments, sovereign funds, family offices, foundations and fund of funds. The firms current and past investments include HCL Technologies, L&T Infotech, LiquidHub, Infogain, Mankind Pharma, Hero FinCorp and National Stock Exchange of India.
Non- invasive cardiology is a much in demand specialization across the globe as heart related ailment have increased many- folds.

Texila American University (TAU), an overseas provider of medical education, ties-up with Yashoda Hospital &Research Centre, Ghaziabad to launch a fellowship program in non- invasive cardiology in India. Non-invasive cardiology focuses on the detection and treatment of heart disease, using external testsrather than instruments inserted into the bodyto evaluate and diagnose cardiac disorders.

Speaking about the strategic tie-up, Founder & President of TAU, Saju Bhaskar said, We are happy to associate with Yashoda hospital to introduce our fellowship program in non- invasive cardiology. We feel that there is a need to create more specialists in non-invasive cardiology. Common people today have become more conscious and watchful about their health, especially their heart which is vulnerable diseases owing to sedentary life- style, hectic work hours etc. According to recent statistics, on an average a non-invasive cardiologist receives about 25-30 patients per day. "

Non- invasive cardiology is a much in demand specialization across the globe as heart related ailment have increased many- folds.

We have been receiving a lot of requests from doctors to introduce fellowship programs, especially in non- invasive cardiology. This is the reason we thought to support the fellowship program. This is a two-year program where students after their successful completion and evaluation will receive a fellowship from TAU, said Dr Gurjit Singh Gill, Associate Consultant (Cardiology) at Yashoda Hospital & Research Centre, Ghaziabad.
PR Newswire

WIXOM, Mich., Dec. 7, 2018

WIXOM, Mich., Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Bill Poulos, President and Co-Founder of Profits Run, Inc., announced that although it is unclear the outcome of the meeting between the United States and China, the best way for investors to approach the market is by making decisions based upon facts. This past Saturday, December 1, 2018, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and China's President Xi Jinping met to discuss the current trade battle. For the next 90 days, the two men agreed to halt all new tariffs for the next 90 days as the countries pursue negotiations. Bill Poulos shared, "Now that sounds like great news, right? Well it would be, if that was the whole story. The markets which jumped up in response to the favorable sentiments being made by White House representatives quickly turned sour. Per Larry Kudlow, the trade deal devolved into a tentative commitment. Using words like 'maybe' and 'presumably'. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, meanwhile, commented that 'I'm taking President Xi at his word, and his commitment to President Trump. But they have to deliver on this.'"

Poulos continued, "The complete lack of response from China over this change in sentiment is ominous, to say the least. President Xi Jinping traveled to Europe after the G20 Summit with no clear indication on when he would actually give negotiations with the U.S. the time of day and investors took a beat to realize all their excitement might be based on absolutely nothing. As JPMorgan said this Tuesday, 'It doesn't seem like anything was actually agreed to at the dinner and White House officials are contorting themselves into pretzels to reconcile Trump's tweets (which seem if not completely fabricated then grossly exaggerated) with reality.'"

Profits Run's President went on to explain, "A high ranking contact within the White House said, 'nobody knows what the deal is' to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, another government official is quoted by the Washington Post as saying the Chinese are 'puzzled and irritated' by Trump's tweets and his own administrations unwillingness to agree with them."

Poulos then revealed, "The Chinese Minister of Finance was crystal clear with their feelings on Wednesday when they called the meeting Saturday 'very successful', stating that 90 Days is sufficient time to complete negotiations. At least we can count on China for some clarity as to the state of things, a clarity which may actually lead to a reduction of current tariffs in the long run."

In conclusion, Poulos stated, "With all the ups and downs of a roller coaster, if the past few days have taught us anything it's that the market and emotions have no business affecting each other. It's already hard enough to find long-term positions in a market this volatile without worrying about the President's latest Tweet. When it does happen, though, it's best to take a beat, wait for the facts, and then act on them."

Bill Poulos is the president and co-founder of Profits Run. He is a retired automotive executive with a passion for philanthropy. He holds a bachelor's in engineering and a Master of Business Administration, with a finance major. He has written many books about successful trading and now lives with his wife in Michigan. Poulos is a regular contributor on Investing, Medium, and Pulse.

About Profits Run, Inc. Profits Run, Inc. was founded by the father and son duo, Bill and Gregory Poulos in 2001. Traders often say, "Cut your losses and let your profits run." This popular saying is where Profits Run's name derives from. The company's mission is to educate people on safer and simpler ways to invest while properly managing risk.

SOURCE Profits Run, Inc.
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PR Newswire

LIMA, Peru, Dec. 7, 2018

LIMA, Peru, Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. (NYSE: CPAC), a sociedad anonima abierta incorporated under the laws of the Republic of Peru ("Cementos Pacasmayo" or the "Company"), today announced the early results of its previously announced offer to purchase (the "Tender Offer") for cash up to U.S.$150,000,000 aggregate principal amount (the "Maximum Tender Amount") of its outstanding 4.50% Senior Notes due 2023 (the "Notes"), upon the terms and subject to the conditions described in the Offer to Purchase dated November 26, 2018 (as it may be amended or supplemented from time to time, the "Offer to Purchase") and the accompanying Letter of Transmittal dated November 26, 2018 (together with the Offer to Purchase, the "Offer Documents").

As of 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on December 7, 2018 (the "Early Tender Date"), U.S.$168,388,000, or approximately 56.13%, of the total outstanding principal amount of Notes were validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn). The table below identifies the principal amount of Notes validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) and the principal amount the Company has accepted for purchase.

Title of Notes

CUSIP Numbers and ISINs

Aggregate Principal Amount Outstanding Prior to Tender Offer

Maximum Tender Amount

Aggregate Principal Amount Tendered(1)

Aggregate Principal Amount Accepted for Purchase

4.50% Senior Notes due 2023

CUSIP: 15126Q AA7

P2194P AA7

ISIN: US15126QAA76

USP2194PAA77

U.S.$300,000,000

U.S.$150,000,000

U.S.$168,388,000

U.S.$168,388,000

(1) As of the Early Tender Date, as reported by D.F. King & Co., Inc., the Tender and Information Agent for the Tender Offer.

The amount of the Notes accepted for purchase was determined pursuant to the terms and conditions of the Tender Offer as set forth in the Offer Documents. This press release is qualified in its entirety by the Offer Documents.

Holders of Notes validly tendered and not validly withdrawn on or before the Early Tender Date and accepted for purchase will be eligible to receive the Total Consideration (as defined in the Offer to Purchase), which includes the early tender premium of U.S.$30.00 per U.S.$1,000 principal amount of Notes. All payments for Notes purchased in connection with the Early Tender Date will also include accrued and unpaid interest from the last interest payment date for the Notes up to, but excluding, the early settlement date, which is currently anticipated to be December 11, 2018. In accordance with the terms of the Tender Offer, the withdrawal deadline was 5:00 p.m. (New York City time) on December 7, 2018. As a result, tendered Notes may no longer be withdrawn, except in certain limited circumstances where additional withdrawal rights are required by law (as determined by the Company).

Although the Tender Offer is scheduled to expire at 11:59 p.m. (New York City time) on December 21, 2018, the Company does not expect to accept for purchase any tenders of Notes after the Early Tender Date because the aggregate principal amount of Notes that were validly tendered and not validly withdrawn as of the Early Tender Date exceeded the Maximum Tender Amount.

The Company's obligation to accept for purchase, and to pay for, Notes that are validly tendered (and not validly withdrawn) is subject to, and conditioned upon, the satisfaction or waiver of certain conditions described in the Offer Documents. The Company may amend, extend or, subject to certain conditions and applicable law, terminate the Tender Offer at any time in its sole discretion.

Neither the issuance of this press release, the delivery of the Offer to Purchase nor any purchase pursuant to the Tender Offer shall under any circumstances create any implication that the information contained in this press release or the Offer to Purchase is correct as of any time subsequent to the date hereof or thereof or that there has been no change in the information set forth herein or therein or in Cementos Pacasmayo's affairs since the date hereof or thereof.

This press release does not constitute an offer or an invitation to participate in the Tender Offer. The Tender Offer is being made solely pursuant to the Offer Documents, copies of which have been delivered to registered holders of the Notes, and which set forth the complete terms and conditions of the Tender Offer. Holders are urged to read the Offer Documents carefully before making any decision with respect to their Notes. The Tender Offer is not being made to, nor will Cementos Pacasmayo accept tenders of Notes or delivery of consents from, holders in any jurisdiction in which it is unlawful to make such an offer or solicitation.

D. F. King & Co., Inc. is acting as the tender and information agent (the "Tender and Information Agent") for the Tender Offer. J.P. Morgan Securities LLC and Credicorp Capital Servicios Financieros S.A. are acting as dealer managers for the Tender Offer.

For further information about the Tender Offer, please contact the Tender and Information Agent at 48 Wall Street, 22nd Floor, New York, New York 10005, telephone number: +1 (866) 521-4192 (toll-free) or +1 (212) 269-5550 (collect) or email [email protected] Requests for documentation should be directed to the Tender and Information Agent.

About Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A.

Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A. is a cement company, located in the Northern region of Peru. In February 2012, American Depositary Shares, each representing five of the Company's common shares, were listed on The New York Stock Exchange - Euronext under the ticker symbol "CPAC." With more than 60 years of operating history, the Company produces, distributes and sells cement and cement-related materials, such as concrete blocks and ready-mix concrete. The Company's products are primarily used in construction, which has been one of the fastest-growing segments of the Peruvian economy in recent years. The Company also produces and sells quicklime for use in mining operations.

Forward Looking Statements

This press release may contain forward-looking statements within the meaning of Section 27A of the U.S. Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the U.S. Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended. These statements include, but are not limited to, statements related to Cementos Pacasmayo's expectations regarding the performance of its business, financial results, liquidity and capital resources, contingencies and other non-historical statements. You can identify these forward-looking statements by the use of words such as "believes," "expects," "potential," "continues," "may," "will," "should," "seeks," "approximately," "predicts," "intends," "plans," "estimates," "anticipates" or the negative version of these words or other comparable words. Such forward-looking statements are subject to various risks, uncertainties and assumptions. Accordingly, there are or will be important factors that could cause actual outcomes or results to differ materially from those indicated in these statements including, but not limited to, those described under the section entitled "Risk Factors" in Cementos Pacasmayo's Annual Report on Form 20-F for the year ended December 31, 2017 filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission (the "SEC") on April 30, 2018, as such factors may be updated from time to time in its periodic filings with the SEC, which are accessible on the SEC's website at www.sec.gov. These factors should not be construed as exhaustive and should be read in conjunction with the other cautionary statements that are included in this press release and in Cementos Pacasmayo's other periodic filings with the SEC. Cementos Pacasmayo undertakes no obligation to publicly update or review any forward-looking statements, whether as a result of new information, future developments or otherwise, except as required by applicable law.

Media Contact:

Claudia Bustamante, +51 (1) 317-6000, ext. 2165 [email protected]

View original content:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/cementos-pacasmayo-announces-early-tender-results-of-its-cash-tender-offer-for-up-to-us150-000-000-aggregate-principal-amount-of-its-outstanding-4-50-senior-notes-due-2023--300762165.html

SOURCE Cementos Pacasmayo S.A.A.
PR Newswire

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 7, 2018

SAN FRANCISCO, Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire-PRWeb/ -- Uniform Solutions, a top-rated online employee uniform supplier, is proud to announce a new blog post on the advantages of buying employee uniforms online in a B2B (business-to-business) setting. A robust American hospitality industry can include fierce competition between businesses. Uniform trends in hotels, resorts, and restaurants can change quickly. Online shopping has helped the hospitality industry keep up and stay on trend.

"In the past, a hotel or restaurant would have to plan for months in advance before ordering new employee uniforms. The ease of online shopping today has changed all that," explained Bruce Bagley, Manager of Uniform Solutions for You. "Managers can buy employee uniforms online and expect to receive them within weeks instead of months. Our 'idea consultants' can even help busy managers brainstorm employee uniform ideas online."

Interested persons can review the new blog post from Uniform Solutions at http://www.uniformsolutionsforyou.com/in-the-21st-century-you-buy-employee-uniforms-online/. Those who want a deep dive into the advantages of buying employee uniforms online can visit http://www.uniformsolutionsforyou.com/employee-uniforms-online/.

HOSPITALITY LEADERS GAIN THE ADVANTAGE AND BUY EMPLOYEE UNIFORMS ONLINE

Here is the background on this release. The 21st century has helped the hospitality industry stay aware of current styles in staff attire. It can be simple to review ideas and buy employee uniforms online in a matter of minutes. The advantage of a quick review and order process can lead to well-dressed employees ready to greet guest in new uniforms.

Citizens may have more money and time to spend on getaways for 2019. Customers might expect new experiences in hotel and resort service. A team of welcoming, well-dressed staff ready to serve up the latest in hospitality could be the right start for a guest.

In previous years, the best way to review and buy employee uniforms was through a catalog. The ordering process could take longer and new uniforms might arrive several weeks later. The ability to buy employee uniforms online may have changed expectations.

For these reasons, Uniform Solutions has announced a new blog post for 21st-century hospitality leaders. Hoteliers could expect to review and receive the latest in clothing trends within a few weeks. A top uniform website can provide a listing of new clothing trends such as the most recent in; front desk jackets, waiter shirts and aprons, chef's whites and housekeeping clothing. A manager given the task to buy employee uniforms online might appreciate a secure site to review and order fashionable styles right on the spot.

ABOUT UNIFORM SOLUTIONS FOR YOU

Uniform Solutions for You is a division of Santa Rosa Uniform & Career Apparel, Inc. The division focuses on online sales of employee uniforms in key industries: restaurant, hotel, and casino. The website has a unique consultation request feature, wherein interested parties can reach out to a human uniform idea consultant to brainstorm employee uniform ideas. Casino and restaurant employee uniforms are included.

Uniform Solutions for You http://www.uniformsolutionsforyou.com/

SOURCE Uniform Solutions
The federal and provincial governments have signed an $8.4-million bilateral agreement to contract out detox services in Winnipeg and Brandon for people addicted to methamphetamine.

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This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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The federal government announced nearly $4.2 million in funding to increase access to substance abuse treatment in Manitoba Friday. Provincial Minister for Health, Seniors and Active Living, Cameron Friesen and Federal Minister for International Trade Diversification, Jim Carr shake hands after Friesen finalized the agreement with his signature while (from left) Winnipeg Centre MP Robert-Falcon Ouellette, Brandon West MLA Reg Helwer and St. Norbert MLA Jon Reyes watch at the The Crisis Response Centre on Friday morning. (Winnipeg Free Press)

The federal and provincial governments have signed an $8.4-million bilateral agreement to contract out detox services in Winnipeg and Brandon for people addicted to methamphetamine.

The effort will see both levels of government chip in $4.2 million each to fund long-term treatment beds, as well as mobile clinics, made up of a nurse and addictions worker, that will help individuals each day of the week.

The services are modelled after a program in B.C. and are expected to help at least 130 people each year between Winnipeg and Westman.

"This is real help for those who want and need it, and it is made possible by close co-operation between the federal government and the Province of Manitoba," Federal Minister of International Trade Diversification and Winnipeg South Centre Liberal MP Jim Carr said at a joint press conference with the provincial government Friday morning at the Crisis Response Centre in Winnipeg.

Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen pointed to a number of other government initiatives that are aimed at addressing the meth issue, including the creation of five Rapid Access to Addictions Medicine clinics  one of which is located in Brandon  which he said have "significantly" reduced wait times for individuals, more treatment beds at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg and the Addictions Foundation of Manitoba site on Portage Avenue, providing paramedics with the anti-psychotic medication olanzapine, and a request for proposals (RFP) for a residential addictions facility in the province.

"These initiatives are all important. I can tell you theyre having an impact in the lives of Manitobans who are struggling with addictions. However, we have said over and over again that responsibility for addressing this sharp rise in use of this devastating drug crosses all jurisdictional boundaries," Friesen said.

"If we are to achieve meaningful progress, if we are to get momentum to curb the use and distribution of meth in our communities, a collaborative and co-ordinated approach is essential."

The federal portion will come from the $150-million Emergency Treatment Fund, which provides one-time funding to provinces and territories to help treat people with substance-use disorders.

While the fund was originally created to address the countrys opioid crisis, the agreement with Manitoba will be tailored toward the pressing issue of meth, by allowing individuals to stay in treatment beds longer than the standard seven to 10 days.

Manitoba becomes the sixth province to sign an agreement with the federal government. The funding will need to be used by March 2023.

"I commend our government for taking this step, and I hope and pray they will continue to address the long-term needs of both substance abuse and trauma for the users and families, and community as a whole," said Danielle Lalonde, founder of the support group Westman Families of Addicts, in an email. "I would hug Minister Friesen given the opportunity!"

Addictions treatment advocate Kim Longstreet said the announcement made her feel hopeful for the first time in a long while.

Longstreet, whose son is addicted to meth, has campaigned for a detox centre and more long-term treatment options in Brandon for the past year.

"So to me, everything that has been suggested or requested, its here. Its tangible now. Its not just a pie-in-the-sky kind of thought. Its actually going to happen," she said.

Longstreet was pleased that the plan takes into account how long individuals need to successfully detox from meth, given some require up to a month to recover before entering long-term treatment.

Combined with the prospect of an addictions facility in Manitoba, Longstreet said she couldnt be happier.

"The very thought that my son, at some juncture in the new year, (can) get into detox and then into a program close to home makes my heart sing."

Manitoba NDP Leader Wab Kinew criticized the province for acting too slowly on the meth crisis and said a lot of details were missing from the announcement, including the number of treatment beds and plans to prevent the spread of diseases related to intravenous drug use.

Kinew has promised to bring a detox centre to Brandon if elected and said the city likely has the demand to warrant a dedicated facility, as opposed to a mobile unit.

"Its going to take a while for this RFP to get fulfilled, its going to be a while before any services actually come to communities across Manitoba, so thats pretty disappointing and it shows a lack of leadership on the part of the province," he said.

Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont said while it was good to see the federal and provincial governments acting on the meth issue, he noted the announcement did not include anything on prevention.

He also criticized the government for not acting sooner, despite stories in the media and calls from the opposition parties, and said he hoped treatment would be affordable for those who need it.

"I hope its not a Band-Aid solution, but well have to see," he said.

Friesen said the mobile teams will make as many as three visits per day, and patients would be treated for other addictions, as well, such as alcohol or opioids.

He did not say exactly how many new beds would be created, but said the next step for the province will be to gather bids and decide where best to allocate resources, whether its in a hospital or residence-based treatment centre.

Brandon West Progressive Conservative MLA Reg Helwer attended the announcement in Winnipeg and said while meth is top of mind for many people right now, the new treatment beds and mobile clinics will serve as an avenue for all people with addictions who want to get help.

"This is something that is moving rapidly and the ... provincial and federal governments are standing together to approach this as a potential solution," he said. Its not a one-size-fits-all, but it will be one way to deal with people that have been impacted by meth.

The Winnipeg Regional Health Authority and Prairie Mountain Health will issue a request for proposals in 2019 and the tendering process is expected to finish in the spring.

The creation of long-term treatment for withdrawal was recommended in the provinces mental-health and addictions strategy, known as the Virgo report, released earlier in the year.

 mlee@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @mtaylorlee
Manitobas largest oil producer is in wait-and-see mode after a recent drop in oil prices and ongoing issues around getting oil to market.

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This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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A Tundra Oil & Gas pump jack is seen west of Virden. (File)

Manitobas largest oil producer is in wait-and-see mode after a recent drop in oil prices and ongoing issues around getting oil to market.

"We saw a lot of good things happening in our industry in terms of becoming more efficient, but now weve got a little bit of a perfect storm of a drop in the world price of oil and the issues we have getting our crude to market in Canada," said Jane Mactaggart, CEO of Tundra Oil & Gas.

She added that prices were strengthening up until the last quarter, but the Manitoba industry is now feeling the effect of the price drop.

"It hasnt been tough until the last couple months, and were starting to see that effect now here in Manitoba  the effect of that congestion here in Manitoba now, which is definitely a big concern."

The majority of Manitoba oil production happens in the southwest corner of the province, in the Williston Basin. Sandy Trudel, Economic Development Brandon director of economic development, said there are 14 oil-drilling sites within an hour-and-a-half drive of Brandon.

Tundra Oil & Gas is the largest oil producer in the province and employs more than half of the people working in the sector in Manitoba, around 300 people. The majority of Tundras activity is in Manitoba and the Bakken oilfield, Mactaggart said, and the company has no plans to expand into Alberta oilfields.

"I think that depth of knowledge that we have and the connection to the communities we work in, that helps us do a better job because we are local, because we have so many of our employees working here in this area helps us partner better in the communities."

The company has also made a number of acquisitions in recent years that have boosted its share of oil production in southwest Manitoba. A news release from Tundra noted that in 2014, the company bought 550 oil wells from EOG Resources Inc., boosting Tundras daily production by around 7,000 barrels per day. Currently, the company produces around 30,000 barrels of light crude oil per day.

The price difference between Canadian and American oil is the main thing people in the industry are talking about, she said. Western Canadian Select oil currently sells for more than $10 less than West Texas Intermediate, its American oil counterpart. In late November, Alberta Premier Rachel Notley announced a plan to buy railcars to help alleviate the backlog of oil and get it to market. She also announced a cut in Alberta oil production to try to raise the price of the commodity.

Notleys plans will help the oil industrys problems, Mactaggart said, but the plan to add railcars will take a few years to have a real impact.

"I think it is an ongoing concern for us," she said.

"Weve built a plan for 2019, which is much like our plan for 2018  we are definitely in wait-and-see mode, so were going to watch closely."

The number of new wells producing oil in Manitoba has fallen since a major dive in the price after 2014, according to the petroleum statistics kept by the Manitoba Ministry of Growth, Enterprise and Trade. In 2014, the average price-per-metre-cubed (how the province measures oil volume) was just over $585, but in 2015 it fell to an average price of $351.31, around a 40 per cent drop. In 2017, the price rebounded slightly to around $391, but that was about as low as it had been since 2005. The number of new wells producing oil added during the year was at its height in 2012, at 600 new wells, but by 2017 was at 191.

Aggregate numbers for 2018 have not been released, but in October the average price was around $490, down around $17 from the average in September.

The value of Manitoba oil sold peaked in 2013 at more than $1.76 billion. In 2017, the total fell by around half to $867 million, according to provincial numbers.

Oil drilling is also a source of revenue for the province, and that money circulates back through the local economies, Trudel said. According to the number from the Department of Growth, Enterprise and Trade, the provincial government collected more than $10 million from oil royalties in 2017, up from under $5 million in 2016. The province collects higher royalties when the price of oil is high, the numbers show. In 2015, when the price of oil dropped, the province only collected around $7 million.

Moving forward, Mactaggart said Tundra will continue to be flexible in its planning for economic conditions in Manitobas oil industry and said she is hoping to see the oil backlog resolved sooner rather than later.

"We do our best to be flexible and to react ot the conditions we see and also not overreact," she said. "We have a long-term view, but we need to be responsive when we see the kinds of dramatic changes weve see recently."

 dmay@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @DrewMay_
Brandon Crime Stoppers is getting the word out about the dangers of fentanyl, and hoping users might consider turning in their dealer if they suspect theyre lacing drugs with the deadly opioid.

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This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

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Brandon Crime Stoppers is getting the word out about the dangers of fentanyl, and hoping users might consider turning in their dealer if they suspect theyre lacing drugs with the deadly opioid.

While at the Canadian Crime Stoppers conference in Hamilton, Ont., Brandon Crime Stoppers board member and former Brandon police officer Blair Cairns noticed a poster they had created regarding fentanyl.

Designed like an I Spy book, the poster displays various drug paraphernalia such as needles, pills and powders, with Find the Fentanyl centred in the middle.

You cant see it, smell it or taste it, the poster reads. Be aware. Be safe.

I liked what it showed  Its explicit and it makes a point, Cairns said. I asked if we could use it to put up around the community, and they were nice enough to give us permission to use it.

Cairns plans to put up posters in Brandon School Division schools, as well as Brandon University and Assiniboine Community College.

Hed like to also have it displayed in local community centres, Cairns said, and will provide a free poster for anyone else whod like to put one up.

Its more of an education piece that were doing to help the cause and bring this issue to light, Cairns said.

Fentanyl is much more toxic than most other opioids  approximately 50 to 100 times more toxic than morphine  which makes the risk of accidental overdose much higher.

Fentanylis also being made illegally and sold on the streets, often taking shape as a powder and mixed with other drugs such as heroin or cocaine.

It can also be pressed into pills made to look like other prescription pills such as oxycontin, or other pills including speed.

Its odourless, tasteless; kids wouldnt know that, they wouldnt know theyre ingesting it  theres no telltale sign until its too late, Cairns said. Its rampant fentanyl is just something else. Its killing so many kids, and adults, across the country, so we just want to get the word out.

The poster also urges people to call Crime Stoppers anonymously if they suspect a dealer is lacing drugs with fentanyl.

Were trying to work with the police service to get information on the dealers and hopefully identity some tips to lead to the arrest of those dealers, Cairns said. Whatever we can do, whatever steps we can take to get the bad guys, were going to do it.

If youd like to put up an awareness poster, contact Blair Cairns at 204-901-1464.

 edebooy@brandonsun.com

 Twitter: @erindebooy
OTTAWA - Canada and the United Kingdom are hosting a "coal-free day" at the United Nations climate talks in Katowice, Poland, a city built on coal mining.

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This article was published 8/12/2018 (1084 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Minister of Environment and Climate Change Catherine McKenna answers questions after meetings in Toronto on Thursday, December 6, 2018. Canada and the United Kingdom are taking their anti-coal messaging right into the heart of the battle next week. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Frank Gunn

OTTAWA - Canada and the United Kingdom are hosting a "coal-free day" at the United Nations climate talks in Katowice, Poland, a city built on coal mining.

Poland relies on coal for almost 80 per cent of its electricity, more than double the global average, and Katowice is the heart of its industry. The city of about 300,000 people grew up around workshops and mills fuelled by the coal deposits abundant in the ground.

At the International Congress Centre in Katowice, where thousands of environment leaders and representatives from almost every country in the world are meeting for at least two weeks, you can see the smoke stacks and plumes of coal exhaust from nearby power plants.

Attendees, whose mission at these talks is to set rules for monitoring countries' progress in meeting their climate-change promises, were greeted by the Polish Coal Miners Band. Displays inside the conference hall include wire baskets filled with coal. Coal jewelry and soap are for sale. The "COP24" conference's main sponsors are all coal companies, including the Polish state-owned coal-mining concern and the state-owned power company.

Coal is the world's dirtiest source of electricity, producing generally twice the greenhouse-gas emissions of natural gas and contributing to air pollution that kills an estimated 800,000 people a year. The UN's Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change earlier this year warned of the grave impacts on the planet if the world doesn't curb emissions significantly over the next decade, and to do that, suggested 60 per cent of existing coal plants must be closed by 2030.

Polish President Andrzej Duda used his opening speech at the COP24 conference on Dec. 3 to declare that coal is not the enemy of climate change action.

"The use of one's own resources  in Poland's case coal  and basing energy security on them, is not in conflict with climate protection," he said in Polish.

Poland is not on its own. The United States, with President Donald Trump's promises to make coal king again in his country, is hosting a side meeting on how fossil fuels can be used cleanly. Russia, which has yet to ratify the Paris accord on climate change, remains a huge exporter and supporter of coal. China, which is trying to close coal plants at home, nevertheless is funding them elsewhere.

Since the Paris climate-change agreement was signed in 2015, more than 92,000 megawatts of new coal power has been added to the world's energy supply and more than six times that amount is planned in new or expanded coal plants. Perhaps the single biggest move to cut greenhouse-gas emissions in Canada, the closure of coal plants in Ontario between 2000 and 2014, took about 8,800 megawatts of coal power off the grid.

Canada still gets about 10 per cent of its electricity from coal.

Canadian Environment Minister Catherine McKenna shrugged off naysayers as she spoke of plans to push the Powering Past Coal Alliance at this year's climate talks. The alliance says all developed nations should phase out coal-fired power plants by 2030, and the rest of the world should do it by 2050. The group includes 28 nations thus far but faces stronger opposition from coal-dominant economies each passing day.

"Some of the countries have taken different tacks, but we know that there's a huge opportunity to reduce emissions and if we're going to meet our Paris targets we all have to phase out coal," said McKenna in a recent interview with The Canadian Press.

She said "we are going to be working very hard at COP" to promote the alliance. Canada plans to phase coal out by 2030, although there will likely be allowances for plants that have mechanisms to capture and store their carbon-dioxide emissions. The United Kingdom, where coal has plunged as a source of electricity thanks to government policies including a carbon tax, is to close its last coal plant in 2025.
SYDNEY, N.S. - A Cape Breton community has leaped into action following the sudden closure of a Sydney, N.S., call centre that left nearly 700 people without jobs just three weeks before Christmas.

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This article was published 8/12/2018 (1084 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

SYDNEY, N.S. - A Cape Breton community has leaped into action following the sudden closure of a Sydney, N.S., call centre that left nearly 700 people without jobs just three weeks before Christmas.

In the wake of the ServiCom facility closure announced Thursday, another local business has decided to forgo its Christmas party, opting instead to donate the funds set aside for the bash to help the employees left stunned and jobless by the move.

Seaside Communications, a telecommunications company based out of nearby Reserve Mines, has donated $10,000 to The Salvation Army Sydney Community Church, which is working to help those affected through its food bank and Christmas assistance program.

"This is a relatively small community that we've got down here, and I think when you have an employer as large as ServiCom that makes an announcement like it did the other day, it has a profound impact on the community," said Seaside Communications CEO Loran Tweedie in an interview.

"Collectively, everybody was very concerned with the way it went down, and the hardship that was connected to the announcement, because it's not just a statistic in a community like this. It's very close to home."

Tweedie said the roughly 100 people who work at Seaside Communications were willing to sacrifice thier party to help out those affected by the ServiCom closure  some of whom they knew personally.

The shutdown followed a bankruptcy protection filing by ServiCom's U.S. parent, weeks of pay delays and promises of bonuses and pay incentives for workers who stayed.

Jessica Strople, an owner of The Cave Bar and Lounge in Sydney, said her business is also stepping up to raise funds for the affected ServiCom staff.

"Living here in Sydney, we know how many people count on ServiCom for their income, for their whole family's income, in some cases," she said.

Strople said the bar, which normally doesn't charge for entrance, is charging patrons a $5 cover fee this weekend, with all proceeds being donated to help the laid-off staff.

"Being a business in the community  a community that supports us  we feel it's our duty to step in and do something," she said. "Even though it's only a $5 donation, I believe it's really important for people to come together, and I think we can really make a difference in the lives of these families."

Since posting about the fundraiser on The Cave's Facebook page, she said they've already recieved dozens of messages from people who don't have the money for Christmas gifts and are worried their children won't have lunch money in the coming weeks.

Kayla Williams, who worked at the office for five years, said Friday that she was blindsided by the news, noting that company officials had recently promised bonuses and pay incentives.

In a subsequent interview Saturday, she said she appreciated the community effort to stand behind her and the other ServiCom employees.

"It definitely shows that there are still great people out there that would do anything to help, even with having their own families," she said.

Nova Scotia Business Minister Geoff MacLellan had said it was a "devastating time for Cape Bretoners," but he said he was confident the centre had a "bright future" after speaking with a prospective buyer Friday morning.

The minister said he couldn't offer more details, citing court proceedings in the United States. He said a deal was pending when the bankruptcy issues caused a snafu.

Williams said she's hopeful this could mean a new job for her and her former coworkers in the new year.

"I do feel like this buyer is going to come through," she said, adding that the former site manager at the Sydney office has been keeping her and the other staff updated about their plans moving forward.

In an email, Nova Scotia Department of Labour and Advanced Education spokeswoman Shannon Kerr said the department has launched an investigation into the situation and is making it a priority.

She said the Nova Scotia Works centres are there to help people who have lost their jobs and the centre in Sydney is ready to assist former ServiCom employees.

 By Alex Cooke in Halifax, with files from Alison Auld and Brett Bundale
A man in his twenties has been rushed to hospital this evening following a stabbing in Longford town.

It happened at Longford Shopping Centre at around 6.30pm.
Six people will appear in court today following separate drugs seizures and arrests in Dublin and Meath.

In total, cocaine and cannabis worth 4m have been seized in operations carried out by the Garda Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau and Finglas Drugs Unit.
A new VAT compensation scheme for charities is set to be introduced in the New Year.

Under the plan - which will be up and running from January - charities will be able to claim relief on an amount of the VAT paid to the exchequer, starting with sums from 2018.
Holders Leinster gained a priceless away victory and severely dented Bath's Heineken Champions Cup hopes by claiming an intense 17-10 victory at the Recreation Ground.

Wing Jordan Larmour's interception try early in the second half meant Leinster shaded a tight Pool One encounter.

Bath delivered arguably their most impressive display of a disappointing season so far, but they were undone after taking the lead through prop Henry Thomas' 22nd-minute try that James Wilson converted, with Wilson adding a late penalty to secure a losing bonus point.

Hooker Sean Cronin hauled Leinster level just before the interval, and with world player of the year Johnny Sexton converting both tries and Ross Byrne kicking a late penalty, Leinster went top of their group.

Bath, though, are drifting towards an early exit, having failed to win any of their first three European games and facing a testing return encounter against Leinster in Dublin next weekend.

Wet and windy conditions dictated an attritional affair, rather than an open, expansive game, and Leinster showcased all their experience to steer themselves home.

Bath were without injured fly-halves Freddie Burns and Rhys Priestland, so Wilson wore the number 10 shirt in a side captained by lock Charlie Ewels, while Francois Louw switched from flanker to number eight.

Another special moment from this man tonight  #BATvLEI pic.twitter.com/q2DIEi4jH5  Leinster Rugby (@leinsterrugby) December 8, 2018

Leinster welcomed back a number of Ireland internationals, including Sexton, full-back Rob Kearney, centre Garry Ringrose and prop Tadhg Furlong as they looked to make further progress towards another appearance in the Champions Cup knockout phase.

Bath dominated early possession in wet and windy conditions, using powerful centre Jamie Roberts to carry the ball strongly, although Leinster had the first clear-cut scoring chance, but Sexton's 10th-minute penalty hit a post.

And Bath retained their appetite to boss the close-quarter exchanges, with England flanker Sam Underhill prominent, and they deservedly went ahead midway through the half.

Leinster number eight Dan Leavy picked up from a scrum deep inside his own half, but Bath's Will Chudley tackled him, the home side turned possession over and then went for broke as Thomas crashed over to score.

Wilson added the conversion, yet it took Leinster just seven minutes to strike an equalising blow.

Bath's England wing Joe Cokanasiga failed to release possession after chasing a Leinster kick, and the visitors kicked to touch before prospering from flanker Rhys Ruddock's lineout take when Cronin applied a finishing touch by touching down.

Sexton kicked the conversion to level things up, and the opening 40 minutes ended all-square after Bath went toe to toe with their opponents, inspired by Louw's towering defensive display.

But Leinster went ahead against the run of play nine minutes after half-time - and they owed it to Wilson's poor judgement.

Bath snaffled lineout possession just inside the Leinster half, and Wilson sensed an opportunity, yet his overly ambitious long pass was caught by Larmour, who sprinted 50 metres unopposed for a try that Sexton converted.

It was a hammer blow for Bath, and they needed to regroup quickly as Leinster moved in front for the first time.

Cokanasiga was then penalised for a high challenge on Leinster scrum-half Luke McGrath, but although referee Mathieu Raynal awarded only a penalty, it might yet attract closer scrutiny from the match citing commissioner.

And Byrne then gave Leinster breathing space by kicking a penalty seven minutes from time, leaving battling Bath down and out, while Cokanasiga limped off during the dying seconds.

PA
Mohamed Salah's imperious hat-trick helped Liverpool equal their club-record run of 17 unbeaten Premier League matches with a 4-0 win at Bournemouth.

Liverpool's supporters hailed their "Egyptian king" for taking his personal tally to 10 league goals as Jurgen Klopp's men matched that record run of the class of 2008.

Salah's second goal proved a study in perseverance over play-acting, the 26-year-old refusing to go down under a naughty challenge from Steve Cook - before drilling home in style.

The beaten Cook stepped his studs on Salah's Achilles in a clear act of desperation, but not even that foul could deny the Liverpool hitman.

Cook's day turned from bad to worse when he turned Andrew Robertson's low cross into his own net, before being bamboozled by Salah as the rampant forward completed his treble.

Liverpool's Premier League run without defeat includes the 4-0 home win over Brighton that concluded last season.

Klopp's 2018 Reds could now set an outright Premier League club-record run should they avoid defeat against bitter rivals Manchester United at Anfield on December 16.

James Milner toasted his 500th Premier League appearance in helping Liverpool secure their seventh away win of the campaign.

The Anfield men tiptoed back to the top of the table, temporarily at least, with Manchester City facing Chelsea at Stamford Bridge in Saturday's evening kick-off.

Liverpool punished Bournemouth's early sluggishness when Salah tucked home from Roberto Firmino's spilled shot, but replays confirmed the Egypt hitman was offside.

The goal stood, much to Bournemouth's chagrin, and some of that ire perhaps accounted for the home side's upswing in composure and performance up until the break.

A startled Nathan Ake should have buried a fine chance when a looping corner dropped to him at point-blank range at the far post.

Instead the Dutch defender connected only with fresh air, and the ball bobbled to safety.

Junior Stanislas' hands raced immediately to his head when he overhit a return pass that should have set Joshua King clear, but instead rolled harmlessly out wide.

Alisson Becker then escaped without punishment for upending King in the area when climbing high but failing to reach a hoisted ball into his box.

King stayed down under the heavy clattering, leaving referee Roger East to halt play so the Norway striker could receive treatment.

Bournemouth could be forgiven for feeling aggrieved at not being allowed a pot-shot at Alisson's unguarded net. Instead play restarted with Robertson booting a drop-ball all the way back to Asmir Begovic.

Liverpool killed any hope of a home recovery straight after the break though, the ruthless Salah shaking off that crude challenge from Cook before angling home in style.

Bournemouth's hefty loss deepened when Cook lost his bearings and unwittingly flicked into his own net on the turn. Such a finish would have been toasted at the other end; instead it merely encapsulated a tough afternoon for both defender and hosts.

Salah then sealed his fine hat-trick, Cook slipping in confusion with the Egypt striker turning Begovic inside and out before tapping home.
A human leg found in a river has been confirmed to be the limb of a woman who went missing a year ago.

Police were called to a report that suspected human remains had been seen in the River Irwell near Salford shortly before 9am on Wednesday November 28.

DNA testing confirmed the leg belonged to Marie Scott, who was reported missing from her home in Hale on December 18 last year, Greater Manchester Police said.

The force said there are not believed to be any suspicious circumstances and no one else is thought to be involved in her disappearance.

Her family has been informed and inquiries into the circumstances of her disappearance are continuing.

Detective Inspector Simon Akker, of GMP's Trafford Borough, said: "This is an absolutely heartbreaking development in the investigation to find Marie, and her family are understandably distraught by the news.

"Having been personally involved in the search to find Marie and met with her family on a number of occasions, I know the devastating impact this will have on them.

"Our efforts now will focus on doing everything we can to ensure we can provide the family with the support and answers they deserve."

PA
An American high school teacher who refused to use a transgender students new pronouns has been fired.

News outlets report that the West Point School Board in Virginia voted unanimously on Thursday to dismiss Peter Vlaming after a four-hour hearing that drew an overflow crowd. The school system said in a statement that Vlaming was fired for insubordination.

Over the summer, the ninth-grade students family informed the school system of the students gender transition to male. The student wasnt involved in Thursdays hearing.

It is not suggested that the 47-year-old West Point High School French teacher deliberately referred to the student using female pronouns in the students presence, but in conversations with others.

Witnesses described a slip-up when the student was about to run into a wall and Vlaming told others to stop her. When discussing the incident with administrators, Vlaming made it clear he would not use male pronouns, a stance that led to his suspension referral for disciplinary action.

I cant think of a worse way to treat a child than what was happening, said West Point High Principal Jonathan Hochman, who testified that he told Vlaming to use male pronouns in accordance with the students wishes.

Vlaming told superiors that his Christian faith prevented him from using male pronouns for the student. Vlaming said he had the student in class the year before when the student identified as female.

Vlamings attorney, Shawn Voyles, says his client offered to use the students name and to avoid feminine pronouns, but Voyles says the school was unwilling to accept the compromise.

That discrimination then leads to creating a hostile learning environment. And the student had expressed that. The parent had expressed that, said West Point schools Superintendent Laura Abel. They felt disrespected.

Nondiscrimination policies were updated a year ago to include protections for gender identity, but didnt include guidance on gender pronoun use, according to Vlamings lawyer, Voyles, who notes Vlaming has constitutional rights.

One of those rights that is not curtailed is to be free from being compelled to speak something that violates your conscience, Voyles said.

Vlaming said he loves and respects all his students but when a solution he tried to reach based on mutual tolerance was rejected, he was at risk of losing his job for having views held by most of the world for most of human history.

That is not tolerance, Vlaming said. That is coercion.

Vlaming is considering a legal appeal, but said he wants to consult with his attorney before announcing further steps.

I have to research how we would do that, what that would entail, Vlaming said. I do think its a serious question of First Amendment rights.

Equality Virginia, an LGBTQ-rights group, said the situation reveals the need for statewide guidance that will protect all students from discrimination at school.
Embattled Ted Baker founder Ray Kelvin, under fire for giving unwanted hugs to employees, will take a leave of absence after company officials learned of "further serious allegations" regarding his conduct.

Kelvin will take a voluntary leave from his chief executive officer's post while Herbert Smith Freehills conducts its independent investigation, the company said in a statement on Friday.

Ted Baker has also created a committee of non-executive directors to ensure an appropriate response to employee concerns.

Complaints about Kelvin's conduct originally surfaced in an online petition to end what has been described as a culture of 'forced hugging'. Credit:Jonathan Brady/PA Wire

Ted Baker's board and the committee "have now been made aware of further serious allegations about the conduct of founder and Chief Executive Officer Ray Kelvin, which it will also be investigating," the company said.
Fat Duck and the group's other UK restaurants are routed through a separate Nevis-based company and are also ultimately owned by Lowenthal Corporation. Detail about the Blumenthal-linked business network comes as leaked rosters reveal that chefs at Dinner by Heston Blumenthal regularly work 25 hours of unpaid overtime weekly. While a meal for two at his high-end Australian eatery can cost hundreds of dollars per head, payslips and other records indicate permanent mid-level skilled chefs could be earning, in effect, as little as $15 to $17 an hour, well under the award minimum. A Dinner by Heston Blumenthal spokeswoman said the company did not believe there were any underpayment issues to address but said it is now undertaking a "thorough review. Any issues uncovered would be "dealt with immediately, the spokeswoman said.

The underpayment is similar to what was uncovered at Neil Perrys Rockpool Dining Group empire and at prominent chef Guillaume Brahimis restaurant businesses by investigations in The Sunday Age and Sun-Herald. Rockpool recently agreed to back pay staff $1.6 million after the investigation. That backpay covered just one year of underpayment. Heston Blumenthal with Neil Perry and Guillaume Brahimi. Credit:Simon Alekna The revelations through 2018 point to endemic exploitation in the Australian hospitality industry, and especially in upmarket restaurant kitchens. Even the restaurant industry association now concedes a widespread underpayment problem exists in the nation's eateries. Blumenthal, a regular on Masterchef in Australia, is famed for his "multi-sensory cooking and unusual food pairings such as white chocolate with caviar, bacon and egg ice-cream and snail porridge. The Michelin-starred The Fat Duck, the eatery for which he is best known, was voted the worlds best restaurant in 2005.

Corporate records show that since it opened in Australia in 2015, Dinner by Heston Blumenthal has, on paper, been loss-making and has paid no company tax. In 2017 the business reported turnover of $15million but a loss of $308,526 after paying large "joint venture fees of $733,584. The year before, "joint venture fees" of about $800,000 were recorded as revenue, not as an expense. Dinner by Heston restaurant in Melbourne. Heston Blumenthal with chef director Ashley Palmer-Watts. Credit:Justin McManus Limited financial records show that parent company Tipsy Cake enjoys an interest-free loan of $750,000 from Crown Melbourne. It also has a separate, unsecured loan from a related company on Nevis that charges no interest and has no set repayment date.

A Dinner by Heston spokeswoman did not directly answer a series of questions about the use by the group of tax havens or about its record of paying tax. The Caribbean island of Nevis is one of the world's most notorious tax havens. "The group operates internationally within an existing trading structure, in a way that allows the business to work efficiently in its chosen markets, she said. The spokeswoman said its Melbourne restaurant was "fully registered in Australia. She did not answer questions about why it was set up in Nevis. Accounting experts said the use of inter-company loans and shifting expenses to related offshore entities was a common tax avoidance tactic by multinationals. University of London tax avoidance expert, Professor Richard Murphy, said it was "utterly unacceptable in the 21st century to set up businesses through tax havens.

"It is extraordinary that businesses and people in the public eye still think that it is acceptable to hide their affairs behind tax haven secrecy, he said. It is not illegal to set up a business operating in Australia in Nevis. Employees at the Australian restaurant are hired through the Nevis-based company, Tipsy Cake. Permanent chefs are paid for a 40 hour week, according to staff contracts obtained by The Age. However leaked rosters show permanent chefs are regularly rostered to work 60 to 65 hours.

The chefs say they often work even longer than their rostered hours, sometimes in excess of 80 hours per week. A regular work day can start at 11am and end at 1am the following morning. United Voice secretary Jess Walsh said there was an industry wide ''scam''. Credit:Ken Irwin As a result, many chefs would be underpaid hundreds of dollars a week. Many of the staff are on temporary visas and from Asia and Europe. United Voice Victorian secretary Jess Walsh said there was an industry wide scam where staff work many more hours than they are actually paid. "You'll pay about $300 a head to eat at Dinner By Heston, Ms Walsh said. "Yet somehow, they cant find the money to pay their staff for all the hours they work. Were talking about low paid workers having to give their boss a Christmas bonus worth tens of thousands of dollars.

This year United Voice set up its Hospo Voice offshoot to start organising hospitality workers. The Andrews government made an election promise to make wage theft a crime, punishable by up to 10 years jail. The laws are yet to be enacted. Loading The hospitality industry has a culture of long and unsociable hours, and the restaurant award allows management to "buy out" penalties and overtime for a 25 per cent higher hourly rate. However, workplace law requires that under any such buyout, permanent workers are still paid more than the award overall. Tax Justice Network Australia spokesman Dr Mark Zirnsak said that employees "should not be left guessing who their ultimate employer is.

It looks very suspicious when a business is owned through a company in a secrecy jurisdiction like Nevis. He called on the Australian Tax Office (ATO) to undertake a thorough audit of the business. Nevis, part of the federation of St Kitts and Nevis, charges no corporate, withholding or capital gains tax for non-resident companies on their worldwide earnings. It has no public database of corporate records. The Fat Duck restaurant, west of London. Awarded world's best restaurant in 2005. The Dinner by Heston spokeswoman said Mr Blumenthal had sold his shareholding in his business more than a decade ago but remained its chef patron and "integral to its operation.
The Sydney Morning Herald chief photographer Nick Moir has never been shy of expressing his passion for the natural world.

A dream for any natural history photojournalist is to be recognised by National Geographic. This photographic award attracts thousand of photographers worldwide and, this year, Moir has been awarded second in the "Place" category, one of three categories: Places, Animals and People. His photo Thunderbird in the Dust is part of a series of images he produced while storm chasing on Tornado Alley in America.

Nick Moir's award-winning photograph Thunderbird in the Dust Credit:Nick Moir

"My last chase day in Tornado Alley this June started with waiting in the shade in a lonely weedy park Amarillo, Texas and watching the sky," he said. "After pouring over weather models all morning I was after a storm I thought would start along the 'dryline' over the city in the Texas panhandle and would move south.

"Things revved up about 5pm and once the energy in the atmosphere was released the storm exploded southwards. It was on the way south , keeping ahead of the strong outflow winds that I came across an old Ford Thunderbird rusting and decrepit.
The borders between television and prose fiction grow ever more porous. At the University of Iowa's Writers' Workshop - a bastion of literary purity for aspiring novelists and poets, which, not coincidentally, has been featured on the TV show Girls - evidence of this porousness is sometimes subtle: "It happened a few years ago," said the workshop's director, Lan Samantha Chang. "Everyone was suddenly using the word 'reveal' as a noun."

But that trickle of ideas became a flow on the universitys campus this northern autumn, when veteran TV writers Mitchell Burgess and Robin Green (Northern Exposure, The Sopranos, Blue Bloods) launched a class called Writing for Television.

"Many of the applicants for the class that Mitch and Robin were most interested in are students coming out of fiction," said Alan MacVey, chairman of the university's theatre arts department. "They thought that these students' particular skill set and artistic temperament was appropriate for the kind of writing being done on TV today."

"We're also mentoring two students. They pitch us ideas for TV shows," Green said.
VIKINGS



9.30pm, SBS

Like Game of Thrones, this struggle for power in barbaric times is a thrilling deviation from the contemporary world in which social mores must be observed and cutlery properly used at table. At times, however, the uniformly grave nature of the dialogue has the beautiful young cast working overtime to maintain the ferocity of their characterisation. Fast-tracked from the US, this episode picks up where we left King Ivar, in the clutches of his new, conniving wife.

Vikings: A struggle for power in barbaric times.

BLUE BLOODS



10pm, Ten

Veteran thespian Len Cariou takes a moment centre stage as his Catholic cop dynasty elder, Henry Reagan, is sent in a clandestine undercover mission to investigate suspicions of fiscal and medical wrongdoing in an aged care facility. It's as timely a topic as ever and treated here with the gravity it deserves. Elsewhere, another prevalent theme, that of racial and gender discrimination in the workplace, is explored in the upper echelons of the NYPD.
The Department of Planning returned fire in response. We do not agree with this statement and its sentiment, a spokesperson said. The spokesperson denied the employees dismissal was connected to the matters he had escalated but declined to say why he was sacked. The chief risk officer has represented Australia on international panels on risk management. A fortnight before his termination, he was honoured with a highly commended for risk leadership at a conference run by icare, the state insurer. I believe this was embarrassing for the department as they had removed me from the chief risk officer position, he said.

He was also scathing of an email circulated to department staff in the wake of the recent publicity, encouraging would-be whistleblowers to raise their issues with management. Anybody who has sought to raise issues has been ejected from the department, he said. How does that give confidence to whistleblowers? 'I have no visibility' In mid-2017, an auditor was combing through St Vincent de Paul Societys books when they spotted something amiss in the charitys Upper Hunter office. Under the state governments $16 million Energy Accounts Payment Assistance Scheme (EAPA), charities and non-government organisations have a supply of $50 vouchers, intended to be handed out as lifelines to families struggling to pay their energy bills.

The St Vincent de Paul auditor raised the alarm after discovering that volunteers in the Murrurundi office had issued over $7000 worth of the EAPA vouchers to themselves or family members. Loading The charity alerted the Department of Planning to the fraud. The departments chief risk officer was immediately concerned at the potential for wider rorting of the public purse. In my opinion, it pointed to systemic weaknesses with the program, he said. Audits by their nature only take a sample  so it could have been larger than that in St Vincent's, we dont know. But the departments systems didn't prevent it. The energy division did not have its own investigative unit, so the chief risk officer suggested a review by a professional standards team that specialised in fact-finding investigations.

The team  which worked out of the resources area but offered its services to the entire department  was happy to oblige. But the deputy secretary for energy, Dr Liz Develin, baulked at using the professional standards team, which fell outside of her control. I have no visibility of what the professional standards team does, and I was just conscious that I had approached what I saw as the departments governance team  not a team which was within [resources], Dr Develin wrote in an email reply seen by the Herald. That reply was missing when the entire email chain was later released to a member of the public in response to a freedom of information request. The Department did not respond when asked for an explanation over the missing email. The freedom of information request was also initially denied on the basis that processing it would require "an unreasonable and substantial diversion of the department's resources", but the decision was reversed after a vehement complaint from the member of the public.

Dr Develin ultimately opted to use an external contractor, Deloitte, to perform the review, at a cost of $214,000. A member of the professional standards team at the time, who did not wish to be named, said her unit had form for unearthing problems and referring things to ICAC. The woman, whose position was later abolished, argued the department had a duty to make proper use of taxpayers money. Having available expertise in-house and refusing to use them in favour of spending upwards of $200,000 on consultants shows a lack of respect for the taxpayer, in my opinion, she said. We were already on the payroll and we were underutilised  why would the department be so concerned that the investigator was independent from the area being reviewed? Within a month, the chief risk officer was stood down from his role. He believes the dispute substantially contributed to the departments decision.

A departmental spokesperson rejected that version of events, saying the professional standards team was part of resources and had no role across the department. Dr Develin did not know what the remit of the professional standards team was as it was in another division of the department [which was] also located in an office outside of Sydney, the spokesperson said, adding that resources had only been moved into the Department of Planning about six months earlier. The professional standards team was later disbanded entirely and its employees re-assigned to the governance branch of the Department of Planning. These employees are utilised, when needed, to assess, manage and inquire into complaint matters, the spokesperson said. Where complaints involve allegations that may amount to possible fraud or corruption these are notified to ICAC. The departments former chief risk officer says he warned against the use of PFAS. Credit:United Firefighters Union

Fresh starts and foam fears The chief risk officer was posted to a new role as the departments director of financial stewardship and accountability. With the new position also came new working quarters: he was asked to work three days a week in Parramatta, one day a week in the Sydney CBD and one day on the Central Coast. He took issue with the flexible working perspective, arguing it was unreasonable to expect him to make the lengthy commute between the three far-flung destinations and his home. Several months into the new role, the Environment Protection Authority contacted the Department of Planning, inquiring about its stocks of toxic firefighting foams containing per- and poly-fluoroalkyl chemicals [PFAS].

Because there were fears there could be some financial liability involved, the matter was referred to the whistleblower in his new role as director of financial stewardship. It wasnt the first hed heard of the topic  when working in corporate risk for Fire and Rescue NSW it was suggested its PFAS-based foam be replaced with a newer type of foam, which also contained the PFAS chemicals. The director intervened, knocking back the foam because it contained the toxins. I rejected this foam for a range of reasons, he said. The fact that it [PFAS] was coming through in breast milk of feeding mothers in Germany, I just went nup, thats food chain contamination. We knew it was toxic. By how much? Im not prepared to throw that dice because the impacts are substantial. As he pursued his fresh inquiries, the director said he was alarmed to discover that the foams had allegedly been used by the NSW Parks and Wildlife Service. He said he sought to find out how much foam the service had and in what circumstances it had been used. You can imagine how embarrassing it would be, for the department thats charged with managing the environment in the state, to have used this foam or a variant of it, he said. Because the national parks  generally are part of the catchment areas for all of the water supplies.

He also raised the potential contamination of Lord Howe Island, due to its airport, and land owned by other state agencies with his superiors. Within a fortnight, the director was terminated under Section 41 and prevented from accessing his work emails. The former Planning employee feared contamination of Lord Howe Island before his employment was terminated. I was shocked, he said. A departmental spokesperson said it did not comment on former employees, but denied the mans termination was related to the PFAS issue.

We understand that this matter has been actively managed by the EPA and Office of Environment and Heritage since 2016 and the former employee left the Department of Planning in 2018, he said. A spokesperson for the Office of Environment and Heritage added that it had conducted a review of the historical use and current possession of firefighting foams that may have contained PFAS in June last year. "The results showed minimal use of the product and where there was anecdotal use, the EPA carried out site sampling ... sampling resulted in no PFAS detected in the environment," he said. "Any known PFAS-containing foam products have been disposed of appropriately." But the whistleblower alleged his inquiries - relating to broader contamination than NSW parks alone - created waves because he was not approaching it in a manner that attempted to limit bad PR.
Chloe Oestreich looks far too sophisticated to drink from a Dapto briefcase.

And it has been a long time since James Hird, group sommelier at the Icebergs Group, wet his whistle from a goon bag of Tropicana.

Wine cask connoisseurs: Chloe Oestreich, the founder of Pord, with James Hird, group sommelier at the Icebergs Group, at The Dolphin Hotel in Surry Hills. Credit:Janie Barrett

Coolabah for sure, but when we were younger, [we] used to prefer a Stanley Leasingham four-litre cask, which wed then mix with coke, call them a Back Beach Cooler and drink down on the dunes at Sunshine Beach, Mr Hird said.

Yet Ms Oestreich, the founder of Pord, and Mr Hird have both launched new wine casks into a market that is losing its taste for chateau de cardboard.
Save Log in , register or subscribe to save articles for later. Normal text size Larger text size Very large text size Christine James* was 17 when she met the man who would spend years treating her like his dirty little secret. At first, she was flattered by the attention of a Catholic priest: confused yet elated that such a figure could be drawn to her. Now, she realises she was his perfect prey: young and vulnerable, from a strict religious family where male authority was to be respected and feared. And in the hierarchy of her small-town church, there was no greater authority than Father Martin.* Christine was barely an adult when the priests attention switched from pastoral to sexual. With that, Father Martin - 11 years her senior - became far more controlling. Hed ask her to bring him lunch after Mass, then got her to lie down so he could rub himself against her. He got her pregnant during university, and then enlisted two fellow priests to help him convince her to have an abortion. The Forgotten Ones Credit:Richard Giliberto When she refused, they told her to go interstate, where hed continue to quietly visit her while she raised the baby alone, working as a housekeeper to make ends meet.

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It wasnt until almost six years later, after she finally walked out, that Christine realised her "relationship" was in fact a violation that had changed the course of her life and left her psychologically scarred. I ended up disconnecting from my family and friends because it was such a big secret I had to keep, she says. I couldn't fulfil my ambitions because he didnt want me to get a better job, and I was totally dependent on him. "It had a devastating impact, and still does. While the Royal Commission into Institutional Responses to Child Abuse shone a much-needed light on clergy assaults against children, countless adults who have also been the victims of sexual misconduct by priests say they are yet to be properly recognised. Survivor advocates call these people the forgotten ones. Some are women - or men - who have been sexually assaulted by clerics from whom theyve sought spiritual direction. Others spent years in apparently consensual adult relationships. However, at the heart of this debate is whether true consent is possible when theres such a disparity in power. The key question you need to ask is: where did these relationships form? Did the priest have some duty of care to these people - that is, did he have a pastoral responsibility? says Neil Ormerod, a recently retired Australian Catholic University theology professor.

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That's the same question you'd ask of a social worker or a psychiatrist, all of whom have very clear ethical guidelines. Inextricably tied up with this is the Churchs own requirement for priests to remain celibate, and the shame and secrecy that is part of even an apparently consensual relationship. Research presented to the Royal Commission suggests that the number of women sexually abused by clergy is four times the figure for children. Yet The Age can reveal that in the Melbourne archdiocese, only 38 women have had their complaints against Church personnel upheld since 1996. It has paid out $1.5 million - roughly $39,400 per person. In the Archdiocese of Brisbane, 21 allegations of sexual misconduct involving Church personnel have been received and accepted as genuine, but no figures on compensation were given. The other metropolitan archdioceses - Sydney, Adelaide and Perth - refused to provide any information at all. But with the Church now claiming it wants to right the wrongs of the past, how must it respond to this particular group, who fall outside the Royal Commission child abuse redress scheme? And what does it mean for the vow of celibacy? One year after the Royal Commission handed down its final report - which called for celibacy to be optional after finding it was a contributing factor to abuse - should the Church finally take heed?

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A fateful choice Celibacy was a voluntary practice of early Christian monks and some clerics, but not universally required of Roman Catholic priests until 1139. However, as the Royal Commission notes, mandatory celibacy (including vowed abstinence) is an unattainable ideal for many priests that leads to living double lives, and contributes to a culture of secrecy and hypocrisy. One priest privately told The Age that while he accepted it as part of his calling when he was ordained, as time went by it becomes quite a lonely existence. The issue of consent between adults muddies the waters even more. Take the case of Sacred Heart Mission founder Father Ernie Smith, who was stood down in February after the Melbourne archdiocese found hed broken his vows and had inappropropriate sexual relationships with various adult women. Months later, as The Age reports today, his family is fighting to clear his name and restore his legacy at the mission he helped create. Father Ernie Smith (right) founded the Sacred Heart Mission to help the vulnerable but was stood down for breaching his vow of celibacy. Credit:Simon O'Dwyer Yes, he was a priest, and he breached his vow of celibacy, and he admitted that, his niece Suzanne Pettersen says. But the Archdiocese made out like he was some kind of pedophile when he was in consensual relationships. On the other side of this complex debate are those who say that a minister of religion who engages in a sexual interaction with an adult is not only committing a breach of his vows, but an abuse of power.

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According to Ormerod, author of the 1996 book When Ministers Sin, women who became involved with a priest were usually vulnerable, seeking spiritual guidance for problems in their life. Some felt flattered at first. But soon enough they were emotionally tied, often to the point of feeling trapped. Often they werent the only one the priest had chosen. One former nun was exploited by Melbourne priest Barry Whelan in the 1970s, a man she had met when she was a patient at St Vincents Hospital. Whelan retired in 2002 while facing a separate abuse claim that was later upheld. Another victim, Jennifer Herrick, was offered a confidential payout to settle a court action she launched against Father Tom Knowles and three senior members of his Catholic order, the Blessed Sacrament Fathers. Defrocked: Father Tom Knowles. Herrick was a shy 22-year-old with hip dysplasia when Knowles, then her family's priest, cultivated a relationship with her that went on for 14 years. But as she told The Age recently: Its not a relationship because consent is invalid. The responses of the churches needs to be more akin to responding to child abuse survivors, says NSW lawyer Peter Karp, who has represented Herrick and other victims. It is not just an adult with an adult. It is a priest in an elevated position with a parishioner who is vulnerable. And the church should be accountable for it." Jennifer Herrick, who was 22 when she was sexually abused by Father Tom Knowles. Credit:Tamara Dean

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A $1 million reward and a fresh eyes police investigation will be announced today into the death of young American Scott Johnson, 30 years to the day since he fell from a cliff at Sydneys North Head  now deemed to be a gay-hate killing.

Scotts brother Steve Johnson, who never believed the original finding of suicide, has flown to Sydney from the US to stand alongside Police Commissioner Mick Fuller this morning and announce the state governments tenfold increase in the reward for information leading to the killer or killers.

The last photo of Scott Johnson, who died in a cliff fall 30 years to the day. Credit:NSW Police

Someone knows what happened to Scott, either because they were present or because they heard of what happened from others who were present, says Mr Johnson, a tech entrepreneur who has spent more than $1 million of his own money seeking the truth since 2005.

That campaign has thrown the spotlight on dozens of other gay-hate killings and assaults, currently the focus of a NSW upper house parliamentary inquiry, which has discussed the prospect of establishing a judicial commission.
If the committee looks at the 40 million doses of mefloquine worldwide, the committee was provided with no evidence that the same symptoms are manifesting in the Australian population or across the world in the civilian population. However as the committee accepted the long-term physical and mental effects suffered by veterans even if they could not prove completely it was caused by the anti-malarial drugs, it focused on providing key recommendations to improve veteran access to support and treatment. An independent review of research by Professor Sandy McFarlane presented to the committee found there was no specific way to diagnose chronic mefloquine effects. Many symptoms are shared with other conditions such as PTSD and there is no specific treatment except to cease the drug and treat the symptoms, the Senate committee concluded. The committee was pleased to hear that a neurocognitive program is being developed by [Department of Veterans Affairs] which the committee commends and supports.

Associate Professor Jane Quinn, a pharmacology researcher at Charles Sturt University whose husband was given mefloquine while serving in the British Army, said she was deeply disappointed by the report. Her husband experienced nightmares and many of the effects experienced by the Australian veterans who also took the drugs. He committed suicide in 2006. "The real key need that most of the veterans who'd gone in and given evidence had been looking for from the Senate inquiry was the validation of their experience during those clinical trials," she said. "And unfortunately we didn't get that at all." Professor Quinn said while there were some positives in the report, such as the outreach program for veterans, she was concerned that those who were already "suffering and disenfranchised" and had come forward to tell the Senate of their experiences would feel even more alienated by the report.

"Theyve now put their stories on the table, suffered again in public and theyre absolutely no better off than they were before," she said. Former ADF Major Stuart McCarthy, who also suffered after being given tafenoquine in 1999 and since formed a support group for veterans who underwent the trials, said he was concerned the Senate report did not adequately cover ethical breaches over the trials. While he understood the Senate did not have the medical expertise to provide hard rulings, he said the veterans who had given evidence were particularly feeling "betrayed" as they felt their experiences had not been adequately validated by the report. "I think thats where a lot of the disappointment and anger stems from, the people who have gone through these traumatic experiences in two decades have not been able to get the right medical treatment," he said. "The inquiry was meant to resolve those issues and tackle them in an unbiased way.

"We were looking at the Senate inquiry not to solve everything, but really to come to grips with a lot of the very substantial questions revolving not just around the medical issues but the care weve been denied by the government for two decades." The committees final report made 14 recommendations, including a recommendation that the Department of Veterans' Affairs' neurocognitive health program be prioritised and a pilot made available to a targeted population. Major McCarthy said that recommendation was a good positive and he looked forward to seeing the pilot program rolled out. The committee also recommended that pilot program be formally evaluated and a final report made public, followed by a working group of veterans, advocates, medical professionals, and DVA to assess the pilot program. The University of Queensland has also been commissioned to conduct detailed research into the self-reported health of ADF personnel using antimalarials on deployment, which is expected to conclude in late 2018.

That research is expected to be used to better support the veterans experiencing the effects of mefloquine and tafenoquine. Veterans Affairs Minister Darren Chester welcomed the report and said the federal government would consider the recommendations in January. Mr Chester said the DVA had recently held a series of consultation forums around Australia for the anti-malarial drugs. Hearing from current and former serving members has helped DVA to better understand the needs of those who are seeking advice, support or access to treatment, he said. The government has listened to ADF members, veterans and their families and has put into place a number of actions to address their concerns, including a comprehensive online information resource along with establishing a dedicated team to assist with access to treatment and support.
A 17-year-old boy has been charged after allegedly stabbing two men at Cleveland, leaving one of them in a critical condition with wounds to his torso and neck.

Police said there was a verbal argument between the teenager and two men at a hotel on Middle Street about 12.20am on Saturday before the teen left the premises.

A teenager has been charged for allegedly stabbing two men at Birkdale.

It will be alleged another fight broke out between the trio on Shore Street a short time later and two men were stabbed.

The Birkdale men in their 20s were taken to Princess Alexandra Hospital.
When Denis Rose was a young fella he caught eels in the freshwater that ran down the lava flow country from Mt Eccles to Bass Strait with his uncles and his dad.

These days he gets the young ones to go eeling for him.

"As I'm getting old my taste is changing a little bit ... I particularly like smoked eel now," he said.

"Smoked eel pate is certainly nice."
Residents in St Kilda were evacuated from their homes early on Sunday morning following a suspicious fire in an an apartment complex which is currently under construction.

Twenty-eight firefighters attended the blaze in Argyle Street shortly after 6am as nearby residents complained of smoke in the area.

Neighbours on either side and to the rear of the construction site were evacuated.

Firefighters took 45 minutes to control the blaze which is being treated as suspicious.
As a gifted queuer with an aptitude for quiet waiting I have been trying in vain to share the angst of the news (plastered over this newspapers feverish front pages and echoed by politicians) of the reported waiting times in Emergency at the Canberra Hospital.

New statistics show that the average waiting time to be attended to in emergency at Canberra is 46 minutes. Eerily, this is almost exactly the time I have waited in emergency on those occasions when a vengeful God (for he cannot forgive me my atheism) has punished me with kidney stones.

The Canberra Hospital emergency department. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

Canberras media and politicians find it knicker-knotting that, at the moment, waiting times at emergency at the Canberra Hospital are some of the longest in the land and that only 49 per cent of emergencys visitors are seen on time.

For your contrary columnist it is not only that 46 minutes is not very long in the privileged, Canberran, Great Scheme of Things (there are an abundant 530,000 minutes in a year) but also that to spend time waiting in emergency seems such a character-building, humanising, educational experience. One should, even when writhing with the sharp nuggets of a kidney stone burrowing along ones narrow urinary tunnels make the most of these opportunities, these glimpses of Real Life.
Refugee advocates within the Labor Party are pushing for radical changes to its asylum seeker policy, calling for an end to offshore processing and boat turnbacks ahead of next week's national conference.

The issue threatens to erupt into a divisive battle over what has long been one of the most fraught policy debates in Australian politics, when delegates gather to vote on Labor's national platform at the three-day conference beginning on Sunday.

Galvanised by the events of the final parliamentary sitting day of the year  when a bill that would force the government to allow sick asylum seekers to be transferred to Australia from Nauru and Manus Island passed the Senate  activists are pushing for Labor to go further.

Bill Shorten is set to face an impassioned debate on asylum seeker policy at Labor's national conference. Credit:Dominic Lorrimer

Hundreds of union delegates, rank-and-file members and Labor MPs will descend on Adelaide this weekend to debate the party's direction, with asylum seeker policy a hot topic alongside climate change and industrial relations reform.
She also believes that women leaders have built reserves of self-discipline over years of having to meet higher standards of personal behaviour in the political field than their male counterparts. You have to be able to do that just to keep all the blokes focussed and on the paddock, she says. This, she says, is reflected in the manner with which they cope with the shock of the end. Former prime minister Tony Abbott during debate in the House of Representatives on Thursday. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Tony Abbott, she notes, has been involved in politics since he was a student. It could be, she says, that he has considered life after politics and simply does not find the thought of it appealing. It has already been remarked upon that Abbott would earn a higher income on a former PMs pension than he does as a government backbencher. Josh Black, a postgraduate student at the University of Wollongong, has just completed a study of the memoirs and diaries of members of the Rudd-Gillard cabinet.

He believes that Rudd is often drawn back into the political fray in part because the issues that drove him - such as climate change and the broadband network - are still at the heart of the political debate. They have become issues that he cant let lie. Carnell says it would do former leaders good to remember that it is simply impossible for their political commentary, no matter how it is intended, to be constructive. It always, always going to be destructive. Former prime minister Kevin Rudd. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen Leanne Faraday-Brash, a leading organisational psychologist, is careful to say she could not comment specifically on individual cases, but says there are psychological explanations for some of the unhealthy and unattractive behaviour of former leaders. She likens Turnbulls early determination not to succumb to "miserable ghost syndrome" and his subsequent political interventions, to the reaction that many senior professionals have upon their sudden dismissal. It is not uncommon in such cases, she says, for initial shock to be later supplanted with a fury so deep that it even cruels a subsequent job search.

But she notes that someone with an attractive outside life outside politics - someone with, say, financial security, close family ties and immediate alternative prospects - may bounce back quicker than others. The most difficult transitions from high-powered jobs, she says, are felt by those with narcissistic traits so deep that it might even be considered a disorder. In those cases grandiosity can be pronounced and rejection can be intolerable, as is the thought that anyone else could be as capable in their prior role as they were. Hypercriticism or abandonment in early life triggered by an ousting later can provoke a pronounced rage and an ensuing lack of self-control. Labor premier Bob Carr resigned from the NSW top job in 2005. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen The day he announced his resignation as premier in 2005 Bob Carr was in a tremendous mood. He had enjoyed a dream political run. He was elected unopposed as leader of the NSW Labor Party, never lost an election and when his polling sank he shocked everyone by announcing his departure.

That day, Carr called members of the press gallery to his office to break the news and told them he had just seen the movie Downfall about Hitlers last days. Over a mineral water he recounted his favourite line. Im done with politics, he recalled the fictionalised Hitler as lamenting while Russian shells pounded his bunker. After a big, deep laugh, Carr added his own commentary about the dark absurdism of the moment. Its not like he had any choice. Its not like he could nip off for some professorial fellowship at Harvard. Asked if there is an inherent sort of driven madness in those compelled to pursue high office, Carr concedes that a person who thinks they might be able to do the job but could not face the endless door-knocking and branch barbeques might be more mentally healthy than those who run. But, he adds, the politician is perhaps little different to anyone else who would take it upon themselves to run any other complex sprawling institution, such as a bank or a media organisation.
London: French authorities boasted they had made a record number of arrests in Paris on Saturday, as they fought protesters for control of the streets.

As evening fell, after hours of clashes between protesters and security forces, it appeared the authorities had gained the upper hand.

But for several hours the protesters had wreaked havoc for the fourth weekend in a row, looting stores, burning cars and vandalising public spaces in the French capital.

Authorities said there had been 125,000 demonstrators and 1385 arrests in France on Saturday  with the action concentrated in Paris.
Kabul: A civilian vehicle was hit by a roadside bomb on Saturday, killing three civilians in western Herat province, a provincial official said.

Gelani Farhad, the provincial governor's spokesman, said the three - who were from the same family - were killed in the Guzra district. No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but Farhad blamed Taliban insurgents who are active in the area.

In eastern Nangarhar province, three members of the Islamic State group were arrested during a military operation in Bahsud district, said Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Khogyani said one of three is a member of the group's press department who had responsibility for the propaganda of the IS in Nangarhar.

Both Taliban and Islamic State militants are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar province.
The overseas trip was Ms Millane's first time travelling abroad alone. Credit:NZ Police via AP "I know that the thoughts of all New Zealanders will be with Grace's family tonight and I want to reassure everyone both here and abroad, that NZ Police are determined to do everything we can to find Grace," Beard added. The last confirmed sighting of Millane was at the CityLife Hotel, in Queen St, at 9.41pm on Saturday. Beard said he had no evidence to suggest Millane knew the man before Saturday night but said he would not speculate on how they met. "Grace is still missing and we want to find her," he added.

Earlier on Saturday, police said some of Millane's belongings, including her passport, a pale pink Casio Baby-G watch and a silver necklace with a green stone in the middle, were missing from the hostel she was staying at. Beard said "that property is going to be somewhere, the clothing is going to be somewhere, we haven't found it. Somebody may find it somewhere, we don't know what has happened to it". Officers have conducted a scene examination at an apartment at the CityLife Hotel and were trawling through "hundreds" of hours of CCTV footage as part of the investigation. Dozens of calls had been made to the 0800 investigation helpline number, and that information continued to be reviewed and assessed, Beard said. News of the murder inquiry comes hours after Millane's family said they were "staying very positive" as the search for her continued.

In a statement released on Saturday morning (New Zealand time), they said it had been "an extremely difficult and emotional time for us all". Her father David Millane fronted a press conference at Auckland Central Police Station on Friday after flying to New Zealand from Essex. A tearful David Millane appealed to the public to come forward with any information, "no matter how small".

Grace Millane was described as a "fun loving, outgoing and [a] family-orientated person". Credit:Facebook "I would just like to take this opportunity to appeal to anybody who has seen, spoken to, or come into contact with Grace over the last few days, to come forward with any detail, no matter how small, and contact the investigation team," he said. In the statement issued on Saturday, Millane's family praised Auckland police "who have been outstanding in their support and efforts in helping to find Grace". Millane was on a year-long OE after graduating from the University of Lincoln in September. The advertising graduate and keen artist arrived in New Zealand on November 20, after travelling through South America. Photos on her Instagram showed she travelled to Cape Reinga with friends before returning to Auckland.

This was her first time travelling abroad alone. Described as "fun-loving, outgoing and [a] family-orientated person", Millane was never out of contact with family and friends for this long, her family said. Detective Beard said Millane's case has been tough, at the press conference. "Of course it's tough, everyone who is a parent out there will understand and appreciate what that family is going through," Beard said. "We've spoken to David [Grace's father] we've met him, but there is family in the UK and our hearts go out to them as well."
Information and technology (IT) major Cognizant organised its first conclave, Importance of diversity and inclusion as a business priority, last month in a clear indication that India Inc is changing its mindset.

This meet marks a changing trend on how companies in the country feel the need to be both diverse and inclusive. However, the journey between the need to look diverse and indeed be one may be long. Over 65 per cent companies with whom we partner have moved beyond just recruitment and started focusing on ways and means by which everyone in the ...
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Niger on Saturday ordered the closure of the offices of the country's biggest telecoms operator Airtel, a subsidiary of India's Bharti group, for unpaid taxes of $107 million.

has been present in Niger since 2001 and holds a 51 per cent market share, according to the national telecoms regulator.

"The tax people sealed our headquarters and we were forced to leave the premises," an employee told AFP in the capital Niamey.

Airtel had a Friday deadline to pay 15 million euros in fines. The company was slapped with tax arrears and a fine totalling 94 million euros, according to the Tamtam info website.

Neither the company nor the tax authorities were immediately available for comment.

Three other firms have also been hit by tax fines -- Orange Niger, a subsidiary of the French firm; the public Niger telecoms and Moov Niger, a subsidiary of Morocco's Maroc Telecoms.

There are around 7.7 million cellphone subscribers in Niger, which has a population of 19 million.

On November 30, the offices of Orange Niger were closed by tax authorities seeking 33 million euros in arrears.
The Tapti fields under the Panna, Mukta and Tapti (PMT) joint venture is estimated to be decommissioned in two years, and is now at a stage where the loopholes are being plugged, said Nitin Prasad, chairman, Shell Companies in India. The company is ahead of its target to have over 1,000 retail outlets in the country by 2027, he added.

Speaking to reporters in the sidelines of the launch of a flat-pack all-terrain truck, The Ox, in India, he said, Tapti is now dry and is facing decommissioning. Last week, we signed an agreement that resolved all the final issues. We now have ...
Thirteen people, including four women and a minor, were killed and 17 others injured Saturday when a 42-seater passenger bus skidded off a road and rolled down into a deep gorge in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

The accident occurred at Plera in Mandi area when the driver of the bus, coming from Loran to Poonch, lost control over the vehicle while negotiating a curve and rolled down into a 100-meter gorge, a police official said.

He said 13 people were killed while 17 others were injured in the accident.

Six persons were found dead on the spot and five more succumbed to injuries while being evacuated from the scene, the officer said, adding that two more succumbed to injuries at a local hospital.

He said condition of four of the injured persons was stated to be critical and are being airlifted to the Government Medical College Hospital, Jammu for specialised treatment.

Governor expressed grief and anguish over the loss of precious lives in the tragic road accident.

In his message, the governor has prayed for eternal peace to the departed souls and expressed sympathies with the bereaved families.

He has wished speedy recovery to those injured in the accident.

Meanwhile, Pradesh Congress Committee (JKPCC) demanded an investigation into the frequent accidents in the mountainous belts.

A special team of officials should be constituted to check the condition of old vehicles on roads, especially in hilly and far-flung areas, the JKPCC said in a statement here.

It also demanded adequate compensation to the next of kin of the deceased and the injured.
A court has issued a warrant to a Bengaluru jail to produce V K on December 13 in connection with a case registered by the Enforcement Directorate for alleged Foreign Exchange Regulation Act (FERA) violations.

Sasikala, an aide of former Chief Minister late J was convicted in a disproportionate asset case and lodged in the Parapana Agrahara Central jail in Bengaluru since last February.

The Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate Court here had issued a warrant to the jail Superintendent days ago for producing Sasikala, who was eased out of the ruling last year, for rectifying procedural irregularities in the charge sheet framed against her last year, court sources told PTI.

Though was earlier directed to appear on November 30 by the court, the jail superintendent had informed that she was not well and could not attend the proceedings.

Charges against her and Bhaskaran, another accused, were framed last year by the then Additional Chief Metropolitan Magistrate (Economic Offence), A Zakir Hussain.

The prosecution was launched against Sasikala, Bhaskaran and the now-defunct J J TV by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) in 1995 and 1996 on charges of FERA violations.

The case relates to alleged violations in transactions, including remittances for a transponder and uplinking charges for J J TV channel.

The prosecution alleged that the payments were illegally routed to US-based Rimsat through firms having a network in the Philippines and Singapore.

On February 15, 2017, was sent to Parapana Agrahara jail after she surrendered before a trial court at Bengaluru, a day after the Supreme Court restored her conviction in the disproportionate assets case.
India and the US are global partners in defence and regional security, a top US commander has said, as Defence Minister toured the headquarters of the strategic Indo-Pacific command in before concluding her maiden visit to America.

Sitharaman described her US visit as part of her endeavour to "take forward the bilateral defence cooperation".

Noting that the India-US relationship in defence has acquired the dimensions of a strategic partnership over the last decade, she said that the two countries have made considerable progress.

Sitharaman capped off her trip with a visit to the headquarters of what early this year was rechristened as US Indo-Pacific Command.

The US calls Asia Pacific as Indo-Pacific. It has renamed Pacific Command as Indo-Pacific Command or INDOPACOM.

"Our two democratic nations are committed to upholding a rules-based international order which has brought decades of peace, stability and prosperity. We are global partners on defence and security, and this exemplifies our mutual cooperation to assure a free and open Indo-Pacific," said US INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Phil Davidson.



ALSO READ: Nirmala Sitharaman urges defence industry to create more patents

US INDOPACOM, at the conclusion of Sitharaman's visit, said that this partnership was a reflection of the increasing strategic importance of the US-India security relationship and the progress both countries have made in advancing their defence cooperation.

The scope for mutual coordination and collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region continues to grow. Air forces of India and the US are currently conducting a 12-day military exercise in Kalaikunda and Panagarh air bases in West Bengal, with an aim to enhance operational coordination, Indian officials said.

The 'Ex Cope India-18' will be the fourth edition to the series of bilateral drills between the Indian Air Force and the US Air Force.

Meeting her American counterpart at the Pentagon on Monday, Sitharaman said the recent high-level meetings are an indication of the depth and quality of "our bilateral partnership, as well as our mutual desire" to work closely on a range of bilateral and global issues.

While no announcements were made with regard to shifting of F-16 production base to India or deals in armed drones, officials privy to the high-level talks said: "US is leaning a way forward" in meeting India's needs and aspirations in the defence sector and is taking steps that would help it achieve its strategic goals.

There is a "mutual desire to move positively and quickly" in defence relationship, Sitharaman told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday, which was also her only media interaction during the visit.

In one month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vice President Mike Pence and then US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinjo Abe in a trilateral meeting wherein Indo-Pacific and regional peace was a discussed.

Early this summer, Mattis met Modi.



Sitharaman, India's first woman defence minister, was accorded a red-carpet welcome during her maiden visit to the US in this capacity wherein she was given a rare look-in and briefing into the various aspects of US armed forces, defence industry and the ecosystem that the US has developed over the last few decades involving the military, strategic thinking community, research and industrial base.

In San Francisco the hub of innovation and starts-ups Sitharaman and her delegation was given an insight into the American defence research set-up and the best defence practices that can be adopted by India.

The current situation in the Indo-Pacific region was the topic of focus during Sitharaman's meetings with US leaders, besides which a wide range of issues was covered, including the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, recent developments in Sri Lanka, Maldives and quick co-ordination between the two powerful armies for peace purposes, officials said.

Issues like CAATSA and purchase of major defence equipment from Russia including S-400 did crop up during the meeting, but the Americans gave an impression that the Trump administration is "eager than ever" to enhance its defence trade and strategic ties with India.

While making it clear that India can buy weapons from any country it sees fit, the American leadership suggested the Asian nation to select the US over other countries.

Some of the existing rules, regulations and legislations have slowed the process of defence acquisition from the US, the Indian delegation said.

This was said despite major changes like India being accorded a 'major defence partner' status in 2016, placed in the STA-1 category this year and signing the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement in September.

Given India's geographical location, its representatives said they were willing to place orders for the latest military hardware and technology and not for anything else.

The officials said India does not want simple defence trade as co-development and co-production need to be essential in the India-US defence relationship.

The US appeared on the same page, but expressed their sense of frustration over India's defence procurement process.

China claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea and has also laid claims on the Senkaku islands under the control of Japan in the East China Sea.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the South China Sea.

The US is periodically deploying its naval ships and fighter planes to assert freedom of navigation.
More than 225 terrorists have been killed in so far this year, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said on Saturday.

He said initiatives taken by the government and security forces had resulted in a drop in the number of local youths being radicalised and taking to militancy over the last few months.

"We have been able to neutralise a large number of terrorists. As on date, we have been neutralised more than 225 terrorists. However, couple of days of this year are still balanced (left)," Singh told reporters here on the sidelines of his visit to Sainik School, his alma mater.

He said locals were sharing information about terrorists' movements with the Army, which is a positive sign.

"That is a very positive sign, which shows a decline of militancy. It shows frustration on the part of to push more and more terrorists into J&K. But our resolve is clear that as long as terrorists are moving around they shall not be provided space to carry out activities at their will. They will be acted against and neutralised," he said.

"We will ensure that peace and stability are maintained in J&K," he added.

Singh said the Army would not allow radicalisation of local youth in the state.

"All the initiatives by the government and security forces in J&K are paying rich dividends. There is reduction in the number of local youths joining militancy, which was taking place in last couple of months. There is a relative decline. There is also a decline in radicalisation," he said.

"That is the reason that situation is stable in J&K. But (if) any untoward thing happens, the Army acts swiftly and ensures peace, stability and security," he added.

Speaking about Pakistan, Singh said the neighbouring country was trying to spread terrorism beyond Kashmir in India.

The Army is taking all measures to arrest the spread of terrorism, he said.

He lauded the Kartarpur corridor, which will connect Dera Baba Nanak in India's Gurdaspur district with Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib Narowal in

It is a good thing as it will encourage people to people contact, he said.

Warning infiltrators, Singh said those who dare to cross the Line of Control (LoC) will have to face death.

He also said the Army was giving befitting response to Pakistan's snipers and the force had kept up the pressure on the adversary along the LoC.
India's proposal to observe an International Year of in 2023 has been approved at the 160th session of the and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) Council being held in Rome, said Friday.

The minister conveyed his gratitude to the countries who voiced their support to this proposal, an official statement said.

Singh said this will enhance global awareness to bring back these nutri-cereals to the plate, for and nutrition security.

This international endorsement comes against the backdrop of celebrating 2018 as the National Year of for promoting cultivation and consumption of these nutri-cereals.

consists of jowar, bajra, ragi and minor millets together termed as nutri-cereals. To boost production of millets, the minimum support price has been raised.

"In addition, the FAO Council also approved India's membership to the Executive Board of the World Program (WFP) for 2020 and 2021," the statement 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.)
One of the major objectives of the Direct Benefit Transfer (DBT) scheme for fertilisers was to ensure timely payment of subsidy to companies and clear the backlog, apart from plugging pilferage and leakages in the system. Senior industry representatives said while it remained to be analysed to what extent pilferage and leakage had been checked, timely payment of subsidies had not materialised so far.

As far as farmers' satisfaction with the new system is concerned, studies are still being conducted, but nothing concrete has emerged. Under the DBT scheme, the subsidy ...
The 136 developing country group, G77+China, was forced to dilute its stance several times through the first week of the Katowice Climate Change talks, as the eight members of the Independent Association of Latin America and the Caribbean group (AILAC) broke ranks and blocked a stronger stance by the bloc on several critical issues. Country groups work on consensus, and therefore the collective negotiating stance is drawn only after each sub-group agrees to the positions.

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At a closed-door security meeting of U.S. companies in Singapore on Thursday, one topic was high on the agenda: the arrest of a top executive at Chinese tech giant Huawei and the potential backlash on American firms operating in China. Officials from major U.S. companies who attended the event, a scheduled meeting of the local chapter of the U.S. Department of State's Overseas Security Advisory Council (OSAC), voiced concerns about retaliation against American firms and their executives, two people with knowledge of the meeting said. A number of attendees said their companies ...
Prime Minister Theresa May could be forced into a Brexit that keeps the UK inside the European Unions single market after she loses the crunch vote on her deal next week. That is the view among some senior officials inside the government, on both the pro-and anti-Brexit wings of the Conservative Party.

On Tuesday, Parliament is slated to vote on whether Mays Brexit deal should survive or die. All the signs are that politicians in the House of Commons will choose overwhelmingly to stop the agreement May has struck after 18 months of talks with the EU. Rewriting ...
US President on Friday lambasted his former secretary of state Rex Tillerson, describing him as "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell", after the ex-diplomat alleged the president regularly pushed him to take decisions that were "illegal".

On the same day, Trump praised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for doing a great job. "Mike Pompeo is doing a great job, I am very proud of him. His predecessor, Rex Tillerson, didn't have the mental capacity needed," Trump said in a tweet.

"He (Tillerson) was dumb as a rock and I couldn't get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at state! he said.

Trump's angry tweet on Tillerson came after the former secretary of state, in an interview to CBS News, was critical of the president.

"I think he grew tired of me being the guy everyday that told him, 'You can't do that, and let's talk about what we can do,'" Tillerson said in his interview.

"He acts on his instincts, in some respects it looks like impulsiveness But it's not his intent to act on impulse. I think he really is trying to act on his instincts," he said.

"It's challenging for me coming from the disciplined, highly process-oriented ExxonMobil Corporation to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports, doesn't like to get into the details of a lot of things.

"But rather just kind of says, 'Look, this is what I believe and you can try to convince me otherwise,' but most of the time you're not going to do that," Tillerson said.

Tillerson was the first Secretary of State in the Trump administration.

They had never met till the day Tillerson was named as the secretary of state.

"I think part of it (differences) was obviously we are starkly different in our styles. We did not have a common value system," he said.

"When the president would say, 'Here's what I want to do and here's how I want to do it,' I'd have to say to him, 'Mr. President, I understand what you want to do, but you can't do it that way. It violates the law. It violates a treaty.' You know, he got really frustrated," said the former CEO of ExxonMobil.

As the secretary of state, Tillerson had announced a 100-year plan for India. He visited India once as the top American diplomat. He was fired by Trump days before he was to participate in the first 'two plus two' dialogue with India. This was postponed and was held months later in September.

Trump replaced, Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, who was the CIA Director at the time.
Democrats and Google executives worked arm in arm for years, particularly during the Obama administration. But when Sundar Pichai, Googles chief executive, testifies before Congress on Tuesday, some of the toughest questioning is likely to come from Democrats. The hearing will provide an early glimpse of how Democrats plan to approach Silicon Valley giants in the coming year as they assume control of the House of Representatives. And the testimony from Mr. Pichai, who is appearing before lawmakers after initially resisting, may provide clues about how he and the company will ...
Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, a close ally of Angela Merkel, won a tight race to succeed her as party leader Friday, seeing off a longtime rival of the German chancellor.

The contest, which required a runoff vote to secure a 52-per cent majority for AKK as she is known, is expected to increase the likelihood that Merkel will be able to see out her fourth term until 2021.

AKK, 56, pledged to maintain continuity after 18 years of Merkel at the helm while opening up the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) to more grassroots democracy.

In a brief, upbeat address before the vote that brought many delegates to their feet, she called on the party to reject the of fear as the far-right makes inroads in and Europe.

"We must have the courage to stay the course against the Zeitgeist," she said.

AKK beat corporate lawyer Friedrich Merz, 63, who had quit in 2009 after losing a power struggle to Merkel and long nursed a grudge against the more centrist chancellor.

The third candidate -- vocal Merkel critic and current health minister Jens Spahn -- lost in the first round.

Merkel, 64, had earlier mounted a staunch defence of her moderate course since becoming chancellor in 2005.

Accepting a lengthy standing ovation from delegates, many tearful and holding "Thanks, boss" placards aloft, a visibly moved Merkel said the party had won four national elections under her by holding fast to its principles.

"In difficult times we shouldn't forget our Christian and democratic stance," she said.

Pointing to the rise of populism worldwide and what she called a breakdown of shared Western values, Merkel acknowledged the order she had championed was at risk.

"Whether it's the rejection of multilateralism, the return to nationalism, the reduction of cooperation to deal-making or threatened trade wars... hybrid warfare, destablisation of societies with fake news or the future of our EU -- we Christian Democrats must show in the face of all these challenges what we've got," she said.

Handpicked by Merkel as general secretary of the party in February, AKK was immediately seen as the chancellor's anointed crown princess.

Her modest style, even temper and largely middle-of-the-road policies mirror Merkel's, while both women are respected for the flash of steel they have shown at decisive moments.

While she has called for tougher policies on refugees who commit crimes, AKK firmly backed Merkel's fateful 2015 decision to welcome more than one million asylum-seekers from crisis zones such as Syria and Iraq.

She won a tough re-election battle in her native Saarland state on the French border in 2017, briefly halting a series of poll debacles for the CDU as it was racked by infighting over the refugee influx.

During her campaign to succeed Merkel as party leader, she repeatedly noted that she was able to blunt an onslaught by the anti-immigrant Alternative for (AfD) party as it picked up seats in state after state.

AfD parliamentary group leader Alice Weidel relished the prospect of AKK as an opponent.

"With her, the CDU's leftist course will continue and so the last conservative Christian Democrats have lost their fight and no longer have a political home in the party," she tweeted.

Merkel has moved the CDU steadily toward the political centre during her long tenure. More generous family leave, an exit from nuclear power and an end to military conscription are among her signature policies.

While Merkel remains popular, AKK inherits a diminished party which is currently polling at roughly 30 percent, far below the about 40 percent enjoyed during Merkel's heyday.

The CDU has bled support to the right in the form of the AfD, as well as to the resurgent Greens.

Meanwhile Germany's oldest party, the Social Democrats (SPD) -- junior partners in Merkel's "grand coalition" -- are mired in an even deeper crisis.

The party has long languished in Merkel's shadow and could well decide to jump ship before 2021 to seek to avert further vote debacles -- a move that would almost certainly trigger new elections.

Underlining the importance of the CDU's choice for the SPD's own future, party leader Andrea Nahles offered AKK close cooperation.

"You have big shoes to fill -- good luck," she tweeted.
She is a moderate centrist with a humble leadership style and wry sense of humor. She does not boast. But she has a track record of forging unlikely consensus  and winning elections. Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the new leader of Germanys most powerful political party and likely future chancellor, sounds a lot like the current one. That is her greatest strength and her greatest weakness as she prepares to take over from Chancellor Angela Merkel, a towering figure both loved and loathed inside her party and her country. Ms. Merkels Christian Democratic Union ...
US President Donald on Saturday once again attacked the on fighting climate change, citing the ongoing protests in the French capital as proof that he was right to reject the pact.

His morning tweet came in the middle of in Poland, where nearly 200 nations have gathered to agree on a universal rulebook to make good on the promises they signed up to in the 2015 Paris climate deal.

"The isn't working out so well for Paris. Protests and riots all over France," said.

"People do not want to pay large sums of money, much to third world countries (that are questionably run), in order to maybe protect the environment."



Saturday's comment was not the first time had used the Paris "yellow vest" protests -- which began on November 17 with road blockades against fuel prices but have since ballooned into a mass movement against French President Emmanuel Macron -- to slam the climate deal.

On Tuesday, he called the "fatally flawed". Trump has long said he distrusts the consensus by nearly all the world's respected climate scientists on the link between human activity and rising temperatures, as well as other damaging phenomena.

Since becoming president in January 2017, he has pulled the United States out of the Paris Agreement on attempting to bring down global temperatures, and torn up a raft of environmental protection laws, saying the US economy needs the boost.

ALSO READ: The most crucial climate talk since Paris 2015 deal begins in Katowice

Late last month, Trump's own government issued a dire report warning of massive economic losses if carbon emissions continue to feed unchecked, but the US leader said he didn't believe the findings.
Developed countries have reciprocated with very little goodwill at the Katowice summit so far, Ambassador Wael Aboulmagd of Egypt, chair of the G77+China group on climate change, tells Nitin Sethi in an interview.

Edited excerpts: At the end of the first week, what are the key areas of concern for the G77+China group and what are the areas that you are happy about the progress made so far? Well, it is difficult to say what we feel good about because for any negotiator you look at the iteration of the text and then you automatically look for the things that matter to you which ...
The Enforcement Directorate (ED) on Saturday sought time to file a reply on the application filed on behalf of Sanjeev Tyagi, cousin of former Indian Air Force chief SP Tyagi and accused of money laundering in AgustaWestland chopper deal, for seeking permission to travel to Switzerland.

It has been alleged that kickbacks were exchanged in the procurement of VVIP chopper from Italian firm AgustaWestland. Alleged middleman Christian Michel James, a British national, was only recently extradited to India from the UAE. He is currently in the CBI custody till December 10.

Sanjeev Tyagi, who recently got bail by the CBI Court in the case, is seeking permission to travel to Switzerland from January 9 to January 14. The CBI Court has sought the reply of Enforcement Directorate on his application.

It is worth mentioning that Sanjeev Tyagi, along with former Air Force chief S P Tyagi and advocate Gautam Khaitan have also sought withdrawal of the lookout circular issued against them.

SP Tyagi and his three cousins-Sanjeev, Rajeev, and Sandeep Tyagi-among others are the accused of money laundering in the VVIP chopper deal. The CBI court granted bail to them on September 12 on a bond of Rs 1 lakh each with the condition that the accused persons shall not leave India without the court's prior permission.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The San Francisco-based 9th Circuit Court of Appeals here denied the Trump administration's effort to delay US federal judge's order that blocked imposition of its asylum policy.

The Hill cited the ruling from a three-judge panel of the court that read "We agree with the district court that the Rule is likely inconsistent with existing United States law. Accordingly, we DENY the Government's motion for a stay,"

In early November, the US Department of Justice in a press release had informed that migrants who illegally entered the United States through the southern border with Mexico would be ineligible for asylum. This came as a part of Trump administration's efforts to crack down on illegal immigration

Judge Jon S. Tigar of the US District Court for California later nullified and granted a restraining order against the asylum policy.

"Whatever the scope of the president's authority, he may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden," read the decision ordered by Tigar last month.

Trump had dismissed the judge's decision and continued to do so while ripping into the 9th Circuit.

According to The Hill, the Trump administration said that the court's decision undermined the president's determination that an immediate temporary suspension of entry was required for the increasing crisis that the immigration system faced.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Dharmendra Malik, brother of Army man Jitendra Malik, on Saturday alleged that his brother has been implicated in Bulandshahr cop lynching case as a part of the alleged conspiracy, claiming to have evidence to prove Jitendra's innocence.

Army man Jitendra Malik alias Jeetu Fauji has been named in the FIR in Bulandshahr violence, which took place on December 3 in which Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was killed. Earlier in the day, Jitendra was detained by the 22 Rashtriya Rifles in Sopore town in Jammu and Kashmir and was handed over to the Uttar Pradesh Police for further investigation.

Speaking to media, Dharmendra Malik, also a soldier, said, "My brother is being framed as part of some conspiracy. He is not involved in the killing of Inspector. I have evidence to prove that my brother was not present at the site where the incident took place. I request Chief Minister Yogi Adiyanath to help me."

Meanwhile, a family of Inspector Subodh Singh reached the Aligarh Police Headquarters. Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Aligarh Ajay Kumar Sahni said, "To express our solidarity towards the family of Singh, the Police Department has given an amount of Rs 11 lakh to the family and assured them of all kinds of assistance."

Earlier in the day, the Indian Army Chief, General Bipin Rawat said that full cooperation will be extended to the Uttar Pradesh Police in connection with an Army personnel's name figuring in the Bulandshahr violence.

On being asked whether Jeetu Fauji, Army personnel, has been detained by the Uttar Pradesh Police or Special Task Force (STF), General Rawat said, "If some evidence surfaces, we will bring him to the police if they want. If anyone has any suspicion, we will produce him to the police. We will fully cooperate in the investigation. "

Speaking on the issue Inspector General (Crime), Lucknow, SK Bhagat on Friday had confirmed that Jitendra Malik is one of the 27 accused named in the FIR filed on December 4.

On Friday, five more people were arrested in the case taking the total tally of arrests to nine. The five arrested on Friday have been identified as Nitin, Rohit, Chandra, Jitendra, and Sonu. The arrests were made on the basis of video footages and eyewitnesses.

Clashes erupted in Bulandshahr on Monday after cattle carcasses were found in a field, which led to agitation by locals demanding the closure of all illegal animal slaughterhouses. In the protests that ensued, one policeman Subodh Kumar Singh, and Sumit, a civilian, were killed.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) on Saturday registered five FIRs against the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Imphal Police and Assam Rifles personnel in connection with alleged Manipur fake encounter cases. The Supreme Court had ordered the CBI to probe the killings.

The Supreme Court bench of Justice Madan B Lokur and Justice UU Lalit on November 12 dismissed a plea seeking their recusal from hearing a case on the alleged extra-judicial killings in Manipur. The petition was filed by 300 serving Army officers. "There is no material to recuse from hearing alleged Manipur fake encounter case," the apex court had said.

The application had been filed before the bench to recuse the judges from hearing the case as remarks passed by the bench during one of the hearings were prejudicial to the probe and affected the morale of the armed forces.

Attorney General KK Venugopal had told the bench that the Centre supports the armed forces that face difficult situations in areas like Manipur and have to adopt various methods. Venugopal had said the reported remarks of the bench that these officers were "murderers" had affected the morale of police and armed forces.

The separate plea was filed by over 300 serving Army officers against the dilution of Armed Force Special Powers Act (AFSPA) that gives immunity to military personnel from prosecution for their actions in disturbed and insurgency-hit areas.

The court was hearing the main case which was a PIL seeking a probe into 1,528 cases of extra-judicial killings in Manipur.

On July 14, 2017, the apex court set up the Special Investigation Team (SIT) comprising Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) officers and ordered the registration of FIRs and investigation into the alleged killings.

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 a commission headed by former Supreme Court judge Santosh Hegde.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar on Saturday said the establishment of Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran (KKP) will play a very important role in doubling farmers' income by integrating different schemes and policies.

The Chief Minister, who was presiding over the introductory meeting of 'Kisan Kalyan Pradhikaran' constituted under Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Department, here said that the KKP has been set up with the purpose of undertaking a humanistic and holistic welfare-based approach to address the difficulties faced by the farmers.

"The KKP will provide relief to distressed farmers in varying and challenging situations. Facilities for branding and food processing should be made available to the farmers for adding values to their produce," added Chief Minister Khattar.

Agriculture and Farmers' Welfare Minister O P Dhankar said that farmer's welfare is one of the most important agenda of the government. "The Pradhikaran will make farmer-centric policies. Efforts are being made to protect farmer market risks. It will provide a platform for the exchange of ideas across departments, farmers, and experts," an official statement quoted him saying on Saturday.

It is worth mentioning that the Central government has set a target of doubling of farmers' income by the year 2022. The Centre has constituted an Inter-Ministerial Committee under the Chairmanship of Chief Executive Officer, Rainfed Area Authority, Department of Agriculture, Cooperation and Farmers Welfare to examine issues relating to doubling of farmers' income and recommend a strategy to achieve doubling of farmers' income in real terms by 2022.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Federal Special counsel in a court filing informed that Michael Cohen, former lawyer of US President Donald Trump, was in contact with a Russian since 2015 who offered "political synergy" with the Trump election campaign.

According to Al Jazeera, filings via prosecutors from New York and the Trump-Russia special counsel's office laid out details of the cooperation of Cohen for the first time.

In one of the filings Special Counsel Robert Mueller detailed how Cohen spoke to a Russian "claimed to be a trusted person' in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign 'political synergy' and 'synergy on a government level," reported Al Jazeera.

Prosecutors on Friday had asserted that Cohen should receive "substantial" prison time for several federal crimes, despite cooperating with law enforcement investigations, which also includes special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

In August, Cohen was pleaded guilty to paying adult-film star Stormy Daniels as part of a non-disclosure agreement over her affair with Trump. He further claimed that he orchestrated the payments at "Trump's direction." He also pleaded guilty in connection with eight criminal charges.

The announcement of the sentence is scheduled for December 12 by Judge William H Pauley and is expected to include jail time and a monetary fine.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress worker Jagdish Sharma, who was detained by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) earlier this morning, has been released by the investigating agency on Saturday evening.

Sharma, who is believed to be a close aide of businessman Robert Vadra said, "The ED pressurising me to name Robert Vadra."

Earlier in the day, the ED conducted a raid at the residence of Sharma and took him to its office for questioning. Later, the agency detained him as he was not cooperating in the interrogation, sources in the investigating agency said on Saturday.

"Jagdish Sharma is not cooperating with ED officials. Currently, he is being questioned by ED in Jamnagar House. We would look for his arrest in case of non-cooperation," the ED sources said.

Sharma, while being taken to the ED office said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi government wants to "trap" Vadra. "Robert Vadra is being framed. Modi government wants to trap Robert Vadra. Searches are on at my residence. What will they get when there is nothing. They are taking me to ED office for questioning," Sharma told ANI.

On Friday, the ED conducted raids at the premises of some close associates of Vadra, son-in-law of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for allegedly receiving money from defence suppliers, according to sources in the investigating agency. The raids were conducted at three places in Delhi and Bengaluru, the ED sources said.

While Vadra's advocate Suman Khaitan cried foul, the ED sources said the investigating agency has "evidence" that the persons being raided had received money in their bank accounts from defence suppliers.

Khaitan claimed that the ED officials raided "close associates" and business partners of Vadra without even showing any search warrants.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Asking the media to be responsible while reporting news, Indian Army Chief General Bipin Rawat opined that media should not "prejudge events."

"We cannot take action based on media reports. Many a times the media gives false reports too," he told reporters on the sidelines of the Delhi Horse Show here on Saturday.

General Rawat was responding to a question on the alleged role of an Army soldier in the Bulandshahr violence incident.

Army man Jitendra Malik alias Jeetu Fauji has been named in the FIR lodged in the Bulandshahr clashes which took place on December 3. The violence resulted in the death two people, including Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh.

Earlier on Saturday, Jitendra was detained by the 22 Rashtriya Rifles in Sopore town in Jammu and Kashmir and was handed over to the Uttar Pradesh Police for further investigation.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday dismissed as "individual person's perception" the remarks made by former Northern Army Commander Lieutenant General (retired) DS Hooda that there were over hype about the 2016 surgical strikes carried out in Pakistan-Occupied-Kashmir (PoK).

Hooda, who had overseen the surgical strikes conducted across the Line of Control (LoC) on the night of September 28-29, 2016, has triggered a major controversy by saying that constant maintenance of hype around the military operations was unwarranted.

Attending an event in Chandigarh on Friday, he said in response to a question that "in hindsight, it would have been better had we done it (surgical strikes) secretly."

Asked about the remarks made by Hooda, General Rawat told ANI on Saturday: "These are individual person's perception. So let's not comment on them."

The Army Chief noted that Hooda was "one of the main persons involved in the conduct of these operations. So, I respect his words very much."

Hooda, however, maintained on Saturday that there was too much hype about the surgical strikes.

"I do think there was too much hype over it. The military operation was important and we had to do it. Now how much should it have been politicised, whether it is right or wrong, is something that should be asked to politicians," the former General Officer Commanding-in-Chief of Northern Command told ANI.

The surgical strikes were conducted after a terror attack on an Army camp in Uri in Kashmir on September 18, 2016, in which 19 soldiers were killed. The Indian Army said several terrorist launch pads were destroyed and many terrorists were killed in the operation.

Incumbent Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, while commenting on Hooda's remarks, said, "Surgical strike is one of the options available to the Army. It had a positive effect on country, We've been able to curb terrorism to a great extent."

Hooda, while participating in the discussion in Chandigarh on Friday, also said that the aim of any offensive like the surgical strikes has to be strategic besides being tactical as it substantially affects the morale of the enemy.

He added that India needs to be pro-active and have an unpredictable response considering the happenings on the LoC.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Huawei CFO, Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested in Canada has been accused of fraud with a maximum penalty of 30 years in prison.

Meng, who is the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei allegedly allowed the company's subsidiary SkyCom to do business in Iran, thereby violating US sanctions against the country, TechCrunch reported.

The US government has long viewed the company and its close ties to the Chinese government as a threat to national security. Huawei reportedly also received several warnings over violating Iranian sanctions.

Meng may be extradited to the US, subject to approval from the Canadian court. Meanwhile, Huawei claims that it is not aware of any wrongdoing by her. The Chinese Ministry of Foreign affairs has firmly requested Meng's release.

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Hollywood actor Jennifer Aniston has shared a fresh perspective on marriage and associating one's marital status with his/her career.

In an interview to Elle magazine, Aniston opined that focusing endlessly on one's relationship status diminishes the success he/she has achieved in life, adding that all her marriages were "successful."

Dismissing reports of a void post her divorce from Justin Theroux, the 49-year-old said: "My marriages, they've been very successful, in [my] personal opinion. And when they came to an end, it was a choice that was made because we chose to be happy, and sometimes happiness didn't exist within that arrangement anymore."

Acknowledging the ups and downs associated with wedlock, the 'F.R.I.E.N.D.S' star elaborated: "Not every moment felt fantastic, obviously, but at the end of it, this is our one life and I would not stay in a situation out of fear. Fear of being alone. Fear of not being able to survive. To stay in a marriage based on fear feels like you're doing your one life a disservice. When the work has been put in and it doesn't seem that there's an option of it working, that's okay. That's not a failure."

"We have these cliche's around all of this that need to be reworked and retooled, you know? Because it's very narrow-minded thinking. It's such a shallow lens that people look through. It's the only place to point a finger at me as though it's my damage-like it's some sort of a scarlet letter on me that I haven't yet procreated, or maybe won't ever procreate," she opined.

While Aniston says she understands the idea of a happy ending, she feels that it is a "very storybook idea."

"The idea of a happy ending is a very romantic idea. I understand it, and I think for some people it does work. And it's powerful and it's incredible and it's admirable. Even enviable. But everybody's path is different," she added.

Recalling her ambitions as a teen, television's Rachel Green said finding a partner or choosing the perfect wedding day outfit was never her priority.

"My priorities weren't about finding partnership and who am I gonna marry and what am I gonna wear on my wedding day. I was building houses with shoe boxes and toilet paper and felt. It was always about finding a home that felt safe. And I'm sure, because I was from a divorced-parent home, that was another reason I wasn't like, 'Well, that looks like a great institution.'" she said in her interview with the popular magazine.

Aniston and Theroux began dating in May of 2011 and got engaged in August 2012, followed by a wedding on August 5, 2015, at their home in Bel-Air.

The ex-Hollywood couple called it quits in February this year.

Prior to her association with Theroux, Aniston was married to actor Brad Pitt for five years.

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Sri Lanka's Supreme Court has extended the injunction order against the dissolution of Sri Lankan Parliament while suspending the Gazette notification by President Maithripala Sirisena until the judgment is delivered

The apex court heard arguments on Friday on petitions filed by political parties against the dissolution for four consecutive days.

According to Colombo Page, Chief Justice Nalin Perera headed seven-Judge bench of the Supreme Court which previously passed an interim order to December 8, further extended the order until the pronouncement of the verdict on December 10.

During the court hearing, President Counsel Kanag Ishwaran appearing for R Sampanthan presented submissions to the bench.

He pointed out that the President had immunity from civil and criminal cases under Article 35 of the Constitution which was, however, restricted under the 19th Amendment to the Constitution.

He further added that the 19th Amendment provided the right under the Fundamental Rights to prosecute the executive and the administrative acts of the President and also question his official duties.

The attorney thus emphasised that the dissolution of the Sri Lankan Parliament could be challenged as it is an official duty of the President.

The other attorneys made further submissions supporting the same argument.

President Maithripala Sirisena had dissolved the Parliament on November 9 after days of political unrest in the island nation.

Following this, fundamental rights petitions were filed by the political parties and individuals in the Supreme Court on November 12th against the Gazette by President Maithripala Sirisena.

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Former Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) chief AS Dulat on Saturday said the "intelligence reports pointing to the intrusion of Kargil heights were submitted to the Central government just ahead of the Kargil conflict.'

Participating in a discussion on 'Wisdom of Spies' at the Military Literature Festival here, Dulat said, "The intelligence reports were shared with the Centre with all the pointers gathered by the Army before the war started."

Dulat, who was with the Intelligence Bureau at the time of the Kargil conflict, said the vital information was shared with then Union Home Minister LK Advani, who was also holding the charge of Deputy Prime Minister.

Earlier, Lt Gen Kamal Davar highlighted the importance of putting all the three defence wings physically under one unified command, with convergence in decision making ensured. Cautioning against the current trend of NSA being the 'Intelligence Czar' of the country, Davar said it was one thing to have information but totally another to act on all available inputs.

Lt General Sanjeev K Longer, however, differed on the issue of collective unified command and said in a country like India we need different heads who come together to contribute towards a crucial decision.

Earlier sharing their views during an interactive session on 'Valour, History, Politics, and Media' on the second day of Military Literature Festival-2018 here, defence experts were of the opinion that there should no politicisation of the defence forces, which was gradually creeping into the system.

The panelists included Lt Gen (Retd) N S Brar, Lt General (Retd) T S Shergill, UK based Brig. Justin Maciejewski, NDTV channel head Arati Singh, besides Actors Sonu Sood and Gurmeet Chaudhary.

Lt Gen (Retd) T S Shergill that the media should play a pro-active role in boosting the morale of the armed forces to enable them to discharge their duties diligently with a sense of utmost professional commitment to safeguarding the integrity, security, and sovereignty of our country. He cited the 26/11 Mumbai attack, when the media was telecasting real-time, which led the perpetrators to know about the counter insurgency operations.

Lt Gen (Retd) N S Brar underlined the need for general debates in the public domain on matters related to Security and defence forces. "Thus, the intimate interface was required more frequently between the government and defence forces on issues of higher defence management," he added.

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The Enforcement Directorate (ED) is looking for Congress worker Jagdish Sharma's arrest as he is not cooperating in the interrogation, sources in the investigating agency said on Saturday.

Earlier in the day, the ED conducted a raid at the residence of Sharma, who is believed to be a close aide of businessman Robert Vadra and took him to its office for questioning.

"Jagdish Sharma is not cooperating with ED officials. Currently, he is being questioned by ED in Jamnagar House. We would look for his arrest in case of non-cooperation," the ED sources said.

Sharma, while being taken to ED office said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi government wants to "trap" Vadra. "Robert Vadra is being framed. Modi government wants to trap Robert Vadra. Searches are on at my residence. What will they get when there is nothing. They are taking me to ED office for questioning," Sharma told ANI.

On Friday, the ED conducted raids at the premises of some close associates of Vadra, son-in-law of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for allegedly receiving money from defence suppliers, according to sources in the investigating agency. The raids were conducted at three places in Delhi and Bengaluru, the ED sources said.

While Vadra's advocate Suman Khaitan cried foul, ED sources said the investigating agency has "evidence" that the persons being raided had received money in their bank accounts from defence suppliers.

Khaitan claimed that the ED officials raided "close associates" and business partners of Vadra without even showing any search warrants.

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John Kelly is likely to step down as the White House chief of staff in the coming days, according to sources.

Amid buzz over the fractious relationship between Kelly and United States President Donald Trump, the two have stopped speaking to each other in recent days, CNN reported.

Trump is actively discussing a plan for Kelly's replacement, although an insider said that nothing is clear as of now and nothing would be final until the US President announces a replacement.

Nick Ayers, who is US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, is seen as a leading contender and is likely to succeed Kelly.

Ever since Kelly took over the post from his previous role as US Homeland Security secretary in July last year, he has reportedly had a "tense relationship" with Trump. There have been previous instances where it was reported that Kelly was stepping down from his role.

Both Trump and Kelly have reportedly been at loggerheads over various issues. In the last few months, Kelly's role began to diminish as the US President evaded most of the policies and protocols he had enacted and Kelly was on the verge of being fired several times.

With the Democrats set to take over the House of Representatives in January following the midterm elections last month, Trump is becoming seriously concerned over the same and has privately said that Kelly is not "politically savvy".

Last month, CNN reported that the US President was mulling over replacements for several senior positions in his administration following the outcome of the midterm polls, where the Republicans expanded its majority in the Senate but lost out in the House.

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Ending months of speculation, United States President Donald Trump on Saturday said that White House chief of staff John Kelly will step down from his post at the end of this year.

"John Kelly will be leaving at the end of the year," CNN quoted Trump as saying to reporters outside the White House.

On Friday, the American cable network reported that Kelly would resign from his post over his fractious relationship with Trump over a number of issues.

Thanking Kelly for serving him for nearly two years as chief of staff, Trump further said: "I appreciate his service very much."

Trump and Kelly have reportedly stopped speaking to each other in the recent days. The US President is actively discussing a plan for Kelly's replacement, although an insider said that nothing is clear as of now and nothing would be final until a replacement was announced.

Nick Ayers, who is US Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, is seen as a leading contender and is likely to succeed Kelly.

Ever since Kelly took over the post from his previous role as US Homeland Security secretary in July last year, he reportedly shared a "tense relationship" with Trump. There have been previous instances where it was reported that Kelly was stepping down from his role.

In the last few months, Kelly's role began to diminish as the US President evaded most of the policies and protocols he had enacted and Kelly was on the verge of being fired several times.

With the Democrats set to take over the House of Representatives in January 2019 following the midterm elections last month, Trump is becoming seriously concerned over the same and has privately said that Kelly is not "politically savvy".

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Commonly known as the 'Silicon Valley of China', is now the best place for doing business in the country.

This is the finding of a recently released annual report by the Academy of Greater Bay Area Studies, which assesses the business environment indicators of 35 Chinese cities.

A small fishing village less than 40 years ago, now hosts industry leaders such as the tech giant Tencent, smartphone producer Huawei, and drone technology innovator DJI.

Shenzhen's explosive growth was fuelled by China's Communist Party leader Deng Xiaoping, who designated as the country's first so-called Special Economic Zone in 1979. It opened the region up to capitalism and foreign investment to fuel its development.

According to Daily, over the past year, the number of market entities in Shenzhen reached 3.06 million, becoming the only city to surpass the three million mark in the country.

In the 2018 report, Shenzhen's business environment ranking climbed two spots to first place. Compared with last year, Guangzhou, on the other hand, slid to third place from first.

The top five cities, therefore, are Shenzhen, Shanghai, Guangzhou, Beijing and Chongqing.

The ranking considers a variety of measures, including infrastructure, business cost, soft environment, market environment, social services and ecological environment, in order to draw up a list of the most favourable areas to do business.
Karnataka Minister DK Shivakumar on Friday asserted that the Mekedatu Dam project will bring good fortune to the people of the state.

During his visit to the site where the dam will be constructed on Friday, Shivakumar said: "No water is going to be drained out. Ninety per cent of the area which will be affected comes under government. The project will help in generating 440 MW of power. It will bring good fortune." He visited the site following the central government's preliminary approval for the project.

On December 6, Shivakumar called for an amicable solution to the long pending Cauvery water sharing dispute with Tamil Nadu. "The Government of Karnataka desires to have an amicable solution to the issue of Mekedatu Balancing Reservoir-cum-Drinking Water project," said Shivakumar in a letter to Tamil Nadu Chief Minister Edapaddi K Palaniswami.

"You (Palaniswami) are aware that the river Cauvery is the lifeline of both Tamil Nadu and Karnataka and is very sacred for the people of both the states. Governments and people of both the states desire to have a permanent solution on the issues pertaining to Cauvery," he said in the letter.

On the same day, Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (DMK) president MK Stalin, however, said that the party will not accept the Centre's stand on permitting the Karnataka government to construct a reservoir across river Cauvery at Mekedatu.

Speaking to media, Stalin said, "We cannot accept central government's stand on permitting Karnataka government to construct a reservoir in Mekedatu. We agree to move a resolution on Mekedatu but we also recommend a resolution on condemning the BJP government for giving permission to Karnataka.

This water dispute dates back to the 1970s and has its origin in two agreements signed between the erstwhile Madras Presidency and the Princely State of Mysore in 1892 and 1924 in which it was decided to divide the river water between the two states, which lapsed in 1974.

Tamil Nadu had then asked the Congress-ruled government at the Centre to form a tribunal to look into the diversion of water and ensure that it gets its due share. When the Centre did not pay heed to Tamil Nadu's demand, it approached the Supreme Court, which, in May 1990, ordered the creation of the Cauvery Water Disputes Tribunal.

In its later order, the apex court had pronounced that Karnataka is given an additional 14.75 thousand million cubic feet (TMC) of the river water while 177.25 TMC of water be released for Tamil Nadu. The allocation of Karnataka which used to be 270 TMC has been increased to 284.75 TMC.

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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari has refused to give his assent to the country's electoral amendment bill for the third consecutive time, asserting that introducing a new legislation before the general elections could cause confusion and uncertainty.

Buhari was quoted by Anadolu News Agency as saying, "I am declining assent to the bill principally because I am concerned that passing a new electoral bill this far into the electoral process for the 2019 general election which commenced under the 2015 Electoral Act, could create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process. Any real or apparent change to the rules this close to the election may provide an opportunity for disruption and confusion in respect of which law governs the electoral process."

With the general elections just two months away, the Nigerian President underlined that he would sign the bill to overhaul the country's electoral laws if the lawmakers add a clause mentioning that it would be applicable after the polls.

Buhari had dismissed the bill twice -- in March and in September -- saying that it would affect the powers of the country's electoral body to hold elections and some clauses were in conflict with the Nigerian constitution.

Nigeria, Africa's most populous nation, will go to polls to elect a new president and parliament on February 16 next year.

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A painting exhibition by poet-diplomat Abhay K. opened at the National Library of Brasilia on Wednesday (December 5) showcased artworks painted in Moscow, St. Petersburg, New Delhi and Brasilia between 2005-2018.

The artist used various media, geometrical forms and colours to highlight the beauty of planet Earth. and brought attention to the pressing issues of climate change and ecological crisis.

Art critic Stanislav Savitsky said, "In his artworks, Abhay creates an allegory of planetary consciousness -emblems of the unity of the people. He draws images of spiritual unity and futuristic reworking of figurative and suprematic motives."

The opening of the exhibition was witnessed by the Ambassadors of India, Malaysia and Ghana, Minister-Counselors of Bulgaria, Egypt, Singapore and senior diplomats of France, Ukraine and Brazil. Other noted personalities who attended the event included Ana Maria Paula, a well known Brazilian actress and Ambassador of Peace, Ambassador Raul de Taunay, a poet and Brazil's Ambassador in Brazzaville, Congo

Former director of the National Gallery of Modern Art, Rajeev Lochan, said, "Abhay's artworks address worldly issues with a sense of introspection.

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In an aim to boost global oil markets, member countries of the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and its allies on Friday decided to slash crude oil production by 1.2 million barrels per day.

The agreement is set to be implemented in January 2019, Xinhua reported.

The 15-member group agreed to cut crude oil output by 800,000 barrels per day, while Russia and its allied producers would slash oil production by around 400,000 barrels per day.

Prior to the meeting, Saudi Arabia, the de facto leader of the OPEC, had said that the group would "seriously consider" the views of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and United States President Donald Trump on lowering global crude oil prices.

On Wednesday, Trump had urged OPEC countries to keep oil production stable so that its prices remained low in the near future. "Hopefully OPEC will be keeping oil flows as is, not restricted. The does not want to see, or need, higher oil prices!", the US President had tweeted.

The crucial meet came at a time when the global oil market is unstable in the aftermath of the economic sanctions imposed on Iran by the US government, thereby stifling Tehran's crude supplies.

Crude rates skyrocketed to a four-year high of USD 86 per barrel in October. But since then, the price spiralled down to about USD 60 per barrel.

The OPEC comprises 15 oil-producing nations and comprises Algeria, Angola, Ecuador, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Iran, Iraq, Kuwait, Libya, Nigeria, Congo, Saudi Arabia, United Arab Emirates, Venezuela, and Qatar. They account for more than half of the world's oil output.

However, Qatar will pull out from the group in January 2019, as it wants to focus on its efforts to increase its natural gas production.

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Prosecutors on Friday asserted that Michael Cohen, former attorney of United States President Donald Trump, should receive "substantial" prison time for several federal crimes, despite cooperating with law enforcement investigations, which also includes special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia probe.

In a filing here, federal prosecutors acknowledged Cohen's cooperation with the law enforcement agencies in "ongoing matters", but demanded that the seriousness of his crimes amounts to "substantial term of imprisonment," The Hill reported.

The filing cited the 52-year-old attorney's decision to not become a "traditional cooperating witness" with authorities in New York, despite his support and assistance in various investigations.

In August, Cohen had pleaded guilty to paying adult-film star Stormy Daniels as part of a non-disclosure agreement over her affair with Trump. He further claimed that he orchestrated the payments at "Trump's direction". He also pleaded guilty in connection with eight criminal charges.

Trump's former lawyer is set to be sentenced in New York on December 12.

Last week, Cohen admitted to making false statements to congressional panels investigating the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election and agreed to cooperate in Mueller's inquiry.

The once friendly relations between Trump and Cohen soured over Daniels' legal action against the duo over the USD 130,000 non-disclosure agreement, in which the porn star had agreed to stay quiet about her alleged affair with Trump.

The contract, which was signed days before the 2016 presidential polls, also led to the violation of Trump campaign's finance laws, which Cohen had agreed later.

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Union Minister of Petroleum and Natural Gas and Skill Development and Entrepreneurship Dharmendra Pradhan opined that the sugar industry has the capacity to produce low emission clean fuel.

"The sugar industry holds a huge capacity to provide sustainable solutions to many of our problems including making low emission clean fuel available and enhancing our farmer's income. Several steps have been taken by our government to improve the condition of sugar mills and our farmers," Pradhan said while addressing the gathering at the 84th Annual General Meeting of the Indian Sugar Mills Association (ISMA) on Friday.

Elaborating upon India's energy consumption, he said: "As the third largest energy consumer of the world, we are investing nearly Rs. 7-8 lakh crore to procure energy from foreign countries. With changing times the world is focused on clean and non-polluting energy. We must also work towards finding and developing alternative and clean energy sources."

Pradhan asserted that the amount of bio-waste India generates can be converted into energy as that will not only generate energy but will help in waste disposal as well.

"India produces an estimated 600 million metric tonne bio-waste, which can be utilised and converted into energy. This will not only provide a sustainable solution to our waste disposal problem but will also address our search for a clean, economical and sustainable source of energy," he noted.

Pradhan also said the ISMA should come forward and contribute to the bio-energy sector to help provide sustainable fuel solutions to the country. "Our government is ready to provide all necessary support for such initiatives," he added.

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GOC-in-Chief Northern Command Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh on Saturday asserted that the 2016 surgical strike across the Line of Control (LoC) had a "positive impact" on the country, contradicting Lieutenant General (retired) DS Hooda who was then the Northern Army Commander.

"Surgical strike is one of the options available to the Army. It had a positive impact on the country and we have been able to curb terrorism to a great extent with its help," Lieutenant General Singh told ANI here.

His statement is in contrast to what Lt Gen (retired) Hooda emphasised on Friday saying that the hype associated with the surgical strike was not needed. Hooda was the Northern Army Commander when India carried out the surgical strike in the wake of the Uri attack.

He told ANI, "I do think there was too much hype over it. The military operation was important and we had to do it. Now how much should it have been politicised, whether it is right or wrong is something that should be asked to politicians."

On September 18, 2016, four Pakistani terrorists attacked the Indian Army at Uri in Jammu and Kashmir, killing 19 soldiers. On September 29, the Indian Army avenging the attack conducted the surgical strike across the LoC in Pakistan occupied Kashmir and destroyed terrorist launch pads completely, killing many terrorists.

Meanwhile, when asked about Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement acknowledging his country's involvement in November 2008 attack in Mumbai, Lieutenant General Ranbir Singh said, "We have always said that Pakistan was involved in the terrorist attacks during that time. They have not said anything new. Now when they have accepted it, they should take actions against those involved in it. Our strategy to combat terrorism is quite clear. Whenever Pakistan tries to do something in Indian territory, our security forces are ready to fight them back.

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Promising solidarity with Afghanistan in resolving the Taliban insurgency, India has claimed that the Taliban offensives are planned and launched by terrorists harbored in safe havens in the neighborhood of Afghanistan, which for years, have provided safety for the dark agendas of ideologically and operationally-fused terror networks like the Taliban, Haqqani network, Daesh, Al-Qaeda and its proscribed affiliates such as the Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed.

In addition to this, India reiterated its support for an Afghan-led, Afghan-owned and Afghan-controlled inclusive peace and reconciliation process which promotes and protects unity, sovereignty, democracy, inclusiveness, and prosperity of Afghanistan. Any meaningful progress towards sustainable peace requires cessation of terrorist violence, renunciation of links with international terrorism, respect for rights of common Afghan people, especially the women, the children, and minorities.

Speaking on "The Situation in Afghanistan" at the 73rd session of the United Nations General Assembly here, Counsellor in the Permanent Mission of India to the United Nations Eenam Gambhir noted, "There is no military solution to the issue. Yet, the Taliban, aided by their supporters, continue to pursue military operations perpetrating violence and destruction, like the recent attack in Kabul, over several parts of Afghanistan."

"India has always stood shoulder to shoulder with our Afghan partners and will continue to do so in this transformation decade in providing assistance that Afghanistan needs and seeks. Building reliable connectivity for landlocked Afghanistan is the key component of our regional partnership," Gambhir was quoted as having said in a press statement.

Last month, many member states attended the recently concluded Geneva conference on Afghanistan, thus reaffirming the commitment of the international community and the UN to Afghanistan. President Ashraf Ghani, who also attended the conference, mentioned that Afghanistan is looking forward to a solution for the Taliban insurgency.

However, despite mounting challenges of security, peace and development, there has also been considerable progress in the last 17 years, especially in promoting education and health care, protecting the rights of women, children and the marginalised, such as securing lives, improving governance and reforms, generating livelihood and in moving Afghanistan towards self reliance.

Also, the enthusiastic participation of the people of Afghanistan in the Parliamentary elections held last month despite terrorist violence, reflect their desire and faith in democratic governance and rejection of forces that foment and spread terror and violence.

In order to rebuild the infrastructure of the war-torn country, India has also invested in various connectivity projects in the region including the Chabahar Port project and direct India-Afghanistan Air-Freight Corridor, which have been successfully operationalised.

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New Delhi [India], Dec 7 (ANI): The 12th edition of 'Aero India 2019' which will begin from February 20 to 24 will see a host of events, including some which will be held for the first time.

The five-day event will be held in Bengaluru, and is likely to be inaugurated by Prime Minister Narendra Modi, said Ministry of Defence Spokesperson Col Aman Anand.

With a tagline "Runway to a Billion Opportunities", the event will, for the first time, provide a platform for students to display their projects pertaining to the aviation industry, the officer said.

On the inaugural day of the event, there will be a CEOs roundtable which will be attended by 15-20 major CEOs. The entire event would be overseen by a Joint Secretary level officer, Col Anand said.

On the second day, there will be a special startup on drone Olympics, while a day will be observed as Women Day and will be attended by Sunita Williams and other women achievers.

The logo of the event is inspired by the smallest supersonic aircraft - LCA Tejas. There will be two aero shows every day, while a vintage aircraft rally will also be held on one of the days.

So far, 158 Indian exhibitors and 106 foreign exhibitors have confirmed their participation for the show.

Countries like Russia, the US, Korea, Israel, Austria, UAE, Belgium, and Japan have enrolled themselves. Moreover, companies including Airbus, ABC, and Thales have confirmed to be there.

A postal stamp on Aero India is also likely to be released.

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Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader Subramanian Swamy has warned that if the Centre or Uttar Pradesh government tries to oppose the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, he would "topple the government."

"If our matter (Ram temple) is listed in January, we'll win it in two weeks. Because my two opposing parties are the central government and Uttar Pradesh government. Do they have the guts to oppose me? If they do, I'll topple the government. Though I know that they won't do it," he said while addressing a gathering at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) here on Friday.

Furthermore, Swamy claimed that the Muslims known to him had no objection in the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya. "The Muslims I meet personally tell me that they will not have any objection on the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya," he asserted.

Explaining the timeline of the case, Swamy noted: "Sunni Waqf Board filed a case claiming that the land that was captured by Mughal ruler Babar is ours. They never said that they want to re-construct Babri. They just said it's our title. Hindu parties like Ram Janmbhoomi Vyas and Nirmohi Akhada said that there were two temples of which they were trustees, and should be given to them. The Allahabad High Court heard their suit and said it's Ram Janmbhoomi, two gumbads will go to Hindus, one to Muslims."

Further substantiating his stance and giving a chronological order to the incidents, he added: "Sunni Waqf board challenged it because the land was given to Muslims and not them. The matter was then not heard from 2010-2017. I went to the Supreme Court, and that is why the date was not being fixed by the court. First, they ousted me asking what my stake is (in the matter)"

Elaborating upon how he further went about the case, Swamy claimed that his right to pray should be considered above a property right.

"I have the right to pray according to the constitution. Court agreed to hear. My faith says that Ram was born here and I want a huge temple there. Muslims are only asking for property, which is not a fundamental right. I appeal to the Supreme Court to put my fundamental right above their normal property rights and accept my petition," said the BJP leader.

Adding weight age to his remark, Swamy claimed that the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) stated that there was a temple on the disputed land of Ram Janambhoomi.

"ASI has given a report that states there that was a temple at the land and Allahabad High Court also said that the temple should be constructed. However, Congress said the 1994 judgement is old and a 7-judge bench should be constituted to take a decision. The judgement came in November that there is no need of the bench, so half of my work is completed."

The Babri Masjid, built by Mughal emperor Babur in 1578 in Ayodhya, was, on December 6, 1992, pulled down allegedly by a group of Hindu activists, claiming that the mosque was constructed after demolishing a Ram Temple. Since then, several hearings have been held in the top court to resolve the issue.

The Supreme Court in October adjourned the Ayodhya title suit till January 2019 to fix the date of hearing in the matter.

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Two construction workers, who were held captive by armed tribal miscreants, were rescued by the police in Manipur's Bishnupur district on Saturday. However, the kidnappers managed to escape, police sources said.

They were identified as G. Golmei and Immanual. Police suspect they were taken hostage to extort ransom from the contractor for whom they were working.

Police said they have so far been unable to rescue three non-Manipuri labourers who were kidnapped on November 29 from Sekmai, about 30 km from Imphal.

The women of Sekmai have been staging sit in protests demanding the safe release of the labourers. Activist Rajesh Angom said if the three labourers are not rescued by December 10 then the National Highway 2 that passes through Sekmai will be blocked indefinitely.

Police commandos under the supervision of T. Krishnatombi, Additional Superintendent of Police, have been combing the tribal villages.

--IANS

ib/mag/bg

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Thousands of students took to the streets across Australia on Saturday in their latest protest against the planned construction of a coal mine in Queensland state by Indian conglomerate Adani.

The protesters called on the Australian government to halt the project, whose construction according to Adani would begin "imminently", reports Efe news.

Protest organisers, Stop Adani, estimated that 15,000 people had joined the marches across the country, while the Australian Youth Climate Coalition said that 5,000 people had marched in Melbourne alone.

The rallies follow last week's demonstrations urging action on climate change, which saw 15,000 school students walk out of class.

Students and activists then staged a sit-in at Parliament House in Canberra to confront Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who had criticised the student protest movement.

Australia has pledged to reduce total emissions to 26-28 percent below 2005 levels by 2030, but a recent UN report said there has been no improvement in the country's climate policy since 2017.

The document said the latest projections published by the government indicated that emissions would remain high rather than being reduced in line with the 2030 targets.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Thousands of student demonstrators took to the streets of Australias main cities on Saturday in their latest protest against the planned launch of a coal mine in Queensland state by Indian conglomerate Adani.

The protesters called on the Australian government to halt the coal mining project, whose construction according to Adani would begin "imminently", Efe news reported.

Protest Organizers, Stop Adani, estimated that 15,000 people had joined the marches across the country, while the Australian Youth Climate Coalition said that 5,000 people had marched in Melbourne alone.

The rallies followed last week's demonstrations urging action on climate change, which saw 15,000 school students walk out of class.

Students and activists then staged a sit-in at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday to confront Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who had criticized the student protest movement.

"Kids should go to school. We do not support our schools being turned into Parliaments," Morrison said in November. "What we want is more learning in schools and less activism in schools."

Australia has pledged to reduce total emissions to 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, but a recent UN report revealed no improvement in the country's climate policy since 2017.

The document said the latest projections published by the government indicated that emissions would remain high rather than being reduced in line with the 2030 targets.

Climate change has historically been a thorny issue in Australia, which has seen several of its governments make policies on eliminating taxes on polluting gases or the national energy plan.

This responds to a strong conservative political sector that seeks to keep up the exploitation of fossil fuels, arguing that alternative energies or measures to mitigate climate change will raise electric tariffs.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Exit polls have given a clear edge to the Congress in the Rajasthan Assembly election, but the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says it is still confident of retaining power in the state.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, after attending a meeting at the BJP office on Saturday, told the media: "The BJP shall form its government in the state and no party worker should be worried on this count."

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who is also a convener of the BJP's Election Management Committee in the state, was equally confident.

"The exit polls have failed many times earlier too," he said.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he was sure the Congress would unseat the BJP in Rajasthan by gaining a "complete majority" in the Assembly.

Another Congress veteran, Sachin Pilot, also felt that his party was on the winning track.

Ghanshyam Tiwari, a six-time MLA who quit the BJP to form his own party Bharat Vahini, said: "We were confident the BJP will be routed."

While not totally agreeing with exit poll predictions of a Congress victory, he said: "It is final that the Congress is emerging as the biggest party."

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Centre has outrightly rejected Maharashtra's plea to extend the upcoming Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train corridor via Nashik, according to recent RTI replies received by a Mumbai activist Jeetendra Ghadge here on Saturday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had written separately to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on January 13, 2016 urging the inclusion of Nashik in the first-ever High Speed Rail project, or Bullet Train, to be implemented in India.

"The alignment now recommended by the consultants covers only three cities in Maharashtra: Mumbai, Thane and Boisar (in Palghar district). I think that the state will truly benefit from the HSR Project if the network is extended to other important cities in the state," said Fadnavis' letter.

Buttressing his plea, the Chief Minister pointed out that during his (official) visit to Japan earlier, he had explored the possibility of extending the HSR Project to include Nashik, which is already a part of the ambitious Mumbai-Howrah Diagonal on the proposed HSR Diamond Quadrilateral.

"I therefore request you to consider the Mumbai-Nashik HSR Project as the first phase of the proposed HSR Quadrilateral Network to be developed by the High Speed Rail Corporation of Indian Railways. I would be grateful if this project is announced in the forthcoming Railway Budget of FY 2016-2017," Fadnavis had pleaded.

While Modi and Prabhu did not respond to the plea, only the Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha replied to the letter.

Much to the state government's shock, Sinha categorically rejected its request to include Nashik on the grounds of 'feasibility'.

However, the MoS Railways assured that Nashik would be considered in the proposed feasibility study of the Mumbai-Nagpur Bullet Train project being planned.

"The fact that the Maharashtra Chief Minister requested to connect Nashik proves that the state has no practical benefit of the Bullet Train Project as currently proposed. It seems like the state government is forced into accepting the project since it is the Prime Minister's pet project which will benefit his home state Gujarat," Ghadge said.

In planning since 2010, the HSR Project materialized with the grand announcement of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train proposal in 2014.

It will be built at a cost of around Rs 1.10 lakh crore, with nearly one-fifth of the amount coming as a long-term soft loan from Japan.

On the first-ever Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor, there will be eight stations in Gujarat - Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, while Maharashtra will get around three.

--IANS

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China launched a lunar probe on Saturday which is expected to make the first-ever soft landing on the far side of the moon.

A Long March-3B rocket, carrying the Chang'e-4 probe including a lander and a rover, blasted off from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan province at 2.23 a.m., reports Xinhua news agency.

Since the moon's revolution cycle is the same as its rotation cycle, the same side always faces the earth.

The other face, most of which cannot be seen from earth, is called the far side or dark side, not because it's dark, but because most of it remains unknown.

The Chang'e-4 mission will be a key step in revealing the mysterious far side of the moon.

"The soft landing and exploration of the far side, which has never been done before, will gain first-hand information about the terrain and lunar soil components and other scientific data, which will help enrich our understanding of the moon and the universe," said Zhang He, executive director of the Chang'e-4 probe project.

The scientific tasks of the Chang'e-4 mission include low-frequency radio astronomical observation, surveying the terrain and landforms, detecting the mineral composition and shallow lunar surface structure, and measuring the neutron radiation and neutral atoms to study the environment on the far side of the moon, the China National Space Administration (CNSA) announced.

China has promoted international cooperation in its lunar exploration programme, with four scientific payloads of the Chang'e-4 mission developed by scientists from Netherlands, Germany, Sweden and Saudi Arabia.

Three scientific and technological experiments, designed by Chinese universities, will also be carried out during the mission.

Scientists believe the special electromagnetic environment and geological features on the far side of the moon will be suitable for low-frequency radio astronomical observation and research into lunar substances composition.

However, landing and roving there requires a relay satellite to transmit signals.

China launched the relay satellite "Queqiao", meaning Magpie Bridge, on May 21 to set up the communication link between the earth and the moon's far side.

The satellite has successfully entered a halo orbit around the second Lagrangian (L2) point of the earth-moon system, about 455,000 km from the earth. It is the world's first communication satellite operating in that orbit, according to CNSA.

Named after Chinese moon goddess "Chang'e", China's lunar exploration programme, which began in 2004, includes orbiting and landing on the moon, and bringing samples back to earth.

The country's first lunar probe, Chang'e-1, was launched in 2007. Chang'e-2, launched in 2010, created a full lunar map with a resolution of 7 metres, as well as images of the Sinus Iridum, or the Bay of Rainbows, with a resolution of 1.5 metres, showing the details of the proposed landing site of Chang'e-3.

Chang'e-3, launched in 2013, was the first Chinese spacecraft to soft-land on and explore an extraterrestrial object.

The scientific instruments on its lander are still operating, making Chang'e-3 the longest working man-made probe on the moon.

China launched an experimental spacecraft in 2014 to test technologies to be used on Chang'e-5, which is expected to bring moon samples back to earth.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
American economist and 2018 Nobel laureate William Nordhaus said on Saturday that participation in climate agreements needs to be mandatory for all countries.

Nordhaus, a 77-year-old economics professor at Yale University, was awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for inventing macroeconomic analysis models that take into consideration the effects caused by climate change and the corrective policies that can be used to counter its damage.

In an interview to Efe news, Nordhaus criticized previous climate agreements such as the yearly UN Climate Change Conferences, the Kyoto Protocol, the Copenhagen Agreement and the Paris Agreement.

The American economist said none of them had imposed any kind of responsibility and instead were completely voluntary, which he described as the main reason they had made no effect.

Nordhaus said that, in his view, countries should have certain obligations, responsibilities and commitments in order to obtain results from a climate deal.

Nordhaus said this obligation had to "go beyond being mandatory" by also imposing punitive sanctions on the countries refusing to participate in an agreement.

He added that he was keeping an eye on the ongoing Katowice climate change conference (COP24), in which key aspects of the Paris Climate Agreement were set to be implemented.

Nordhaus is currently in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, where he will receive the Nobel Prize alongside fellow American economist Paul Romer at an official ceremony on Monday.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Congress and Communist parties instigated some apex court judges to openly criticise the then Chief Justice of India, claims a new book about Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it seeks to knock down the so-called "ruckus" about intolerance, stating that a majority of those in the forefront of the intolerance protest were "Congress retainers and Left-oriented darbaris (courtiers)".

Clearly a hagiography about the Prime Minister, the book, 'Narendra Modi: Creative Disruptor - the Maker of New India' by political analyst R. Balashankar, says that Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat was convinced that only he could bring about a "tectonic shift in the polity" and a great opportunity would be lost if he was not chosen as the party's Prime Ministerial candidate.

As expected from a former national convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a self-confessed follower of safron politics, Balashankar says that Modi has chance of creating history and establishing India as an economic superpower of the 21st century if he wins the 2019 Lok Sabha election and his policy initiatives deliver the projected benefits.

"Non-NDA parties, particularly the Congress and Communists, have been creating such a ruckus about intolerance under the Narendra Modi government. They even targeted the Supreme Court and wanted to move an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of India, which was unprecedented. They could not succeed because they did not have the numbers in Parliament," he says.

The author, without any evidence, says the Congress and the Communists "instigated some apex court judges to openly criticise the Chief Justice of India and these four judges held a press conference to make their differences public, which again was a first in the apex court's history", says the book.

Four Supreme Court judges - Justice Jasti Chelameswar (since retired), Justice Rajan Gogoi (now Chief Justice of India), Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph (since retired) - had held a press conference on January 12 this year in which they aired their grievances over the roster system and allocation of cases in the apex court.

The book says that if one were to recollect the incidents over which the intolerance debate occurred, it would be "laughable" because none of these were happening in India for the first time, nor the last.

"Murders of writers, the so-called progressive thinkers, robberies in churches, killing of a man from the minority community and burning of the hut of a Dalit-these and much worse have happened during six decades of Congress rule.

"With regular frequency Hindu-Muslim riots have happened all over the country, with the majority community taking the brunt of the attack. People have been butchered worse than cattle and yet none had spoken up. If one were to go into the details of each of these incidents, it would be clear that stray, concocted events were joined together to create a mirage, whose only purpose was to tarnish the image of the Modi government," says the book.

No criticism of Modi can be found in the book, which seeks to imbue the Prime Minister with abilities and powers that are extraordinary. There is no word on how over one thousand Muslims could have died in communal attacks in 2002 -- while Modi was the Chief Minister.

In the preface to the book, which will be released by BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday, Balashankar recalls his meeting with Modi in 2012 when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister.

"He (Modi) was convinced that he only can bring about the tectonic shift. He was fully aware of his immense popularity and he knew India was waiting for him. Had the Sangh Parivar not decided, he expressed the fear that a great opportunity may be lost," he said.

Balashankar says Modi was neither a dodger nor prevaricator. "I once asked him as to what is the secret of his success. His reply was eloquent: Mein swayam ko mitane ki kshamta rakhta hun. (I possess the capacity to even destroy myself in pursuit of my aim)," says Balashankar.

The book has been published by Konark Publishers.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Saturday said "anything could happen" in politically sensitive Goa in the coming days, with former Chief Minister Digambar Kamat hinting that the coastal state could be heading for mid-term assembly elections, along with the Lok Sabha polls in 2019.

Addressing a press conference following a meeting of the Congress legislative party and the Pradesh Congress Committee, Kamat said the party is also in the process of starting a state-wide drive to sign up members, seek donations, as well as create public awareness about the corruption and absence of governance in the state, in view of infighting between the coalition allies and prolonged illness of Chief Minister Manohar Parrikar, who is battling advanced pancreatic cancer.

"Nobody knows what will happen in the coming days. We are gearing up for the two by-elections, Lok Sabha elections and the state Assembly polls," he said. Bye-elections were necessitated after two Congress MLAs quit the party to join the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in October.

The political situation in Goa has been fluid ever since Parrikar was afflicted by cancer in February. Ruling allies have been pressuring the BJP for plum portfolios, some even demanding dropping of Parrikar as the Chief Minister, resulting in a crisis in the ruling camp.

"People are angry with what is happening. We are trying to channelise the anger with the campaign. The jan sampark campaign will highlight the failures of the government to the people of Goa by visiting their homes in all 40 Assembly constituencies," Kamat added.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A former member of the banned Lamphel group of Kangleipak Communist Party, who had laid down his arms last year, was gunned down here early on Saturday while taking a morning walk, police said.

S. Modhuchandra, 44, was killed near his house. The killers escaped.

Modhuchandra had come to stay at his home in Thangmeiband Wathem Leirak from his designated camp in Bishnupur district when he was attacked.

The police said he was one of the insurgents who laid down weapons in July 2017. No one has claimed responsibility for the killing.

--IANS

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(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Actor Vir Das, who will begin shooting for "Go Goa Gone 2" next year, says it will be just as fun as the first installment if not more.

"We will begin shooting in some point in 2019. We had a really good meeting between the three of us Kunal Kemmu, Anand Tiwari and me, where we sat and listened to the script. I can confidently tell you it is going to be just as fun if not more," Vir told IANS.

"Go Goa Gone" is a zombie comedy film directed by Raj and D.K. The film features Saif Ali Khan, Kunal Khemu, Vir Das, Puja Gupta and Anand Tiwari.

It was released in May 2013 and almost one third of the film was shot in Mauritius.

Vir will also be seen in Netflix's upcoming show titled "Losing It".

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Hindu seer was found dead in the temple town of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, police said.

The victim, identified as Bhappi Baba, had been living in an ashram for many years.

According to the police, he was hacked to death with a sharp-edged weapon.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Four persons suspected of being involved in Thursday's deadly attack in Iran's port city of Chabahar have been arrested on Saturday, an official said.

At least three persons, including the attacker, were killed and 48 others injured in the suicide bomb attack at the Chabahar's police headquarters in Sistan and Baluchestan Province on December 6, Xinhua reported.

Prosecutor General of Zahedan city in Sistan and Baluchestan Province, Ali Movahhedi Rad, said further investigations are underway to identify the major elements behind the terrorist attack, Tasnim news agency reported.

Iranian officials accused foreigners of being behind the deadly attack.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Iranian President on Saturday warned of a "deluge" of drugs, refugees and attacks on the West if reimposed sanctions by the US weaken Tehran's ability to contain these issues.

"I warn those who impose sanctions that if Iran's ability to fight drugs and terrorism are affected ... you will not be safe from a deluge of drugs, asylum seekers, bombs and terrorism," said at an conference here attended by Parliament Speakers of China, Russia, Turkey, and

"America's oppressive and illegal sanctions against Iran is a clear instance of terrorism," the President told the second conference on "challenges of terrorism and inter-regional connectivity".



Speaking on the sidelines of the conference, Iranian Foreign Minister Mohammad Javad Zarif said that the US poured weapons into the Middle East much more than what the region needs and turned it into a "powder keg", Iranian official news agency IRNA reported.

"The Americans have turned the region into a powder keg. The amount of weaponry, which is sold on the part of the US is unbelievable and quite a lot in excess of what the region needs.

"This indicates the very dangerous policy that the Americans pursue in our region," said Zarif.

Citing a report, Zarif said that weapons supplied by the US and Britain had "fallen into" the hands of splinter groups in Yemen, "some with links to Al Qaeda and Islamic State". He said the oversupply of the arms had not contributed to peace and security in the region in any manner.



Washington, Zarif said, was trying to portray the realities of the region "upside down", resort to "meaningless" accusations and trouble Tehran's relations with Europe.

The Foreign Minister claimed that the US "has become isolated in the world".

"Washington entered (trade) war with and even arrested a senior Huawei executive that indicate the US frustration rather than its power, he said.
The controversy surrounding Navjot Singh Siddhu's pilgrimage to Kartarpur Sahib must have amused President Ram Nath Kovind whose visit to Pakistan in August 2003 as part of a 30-member delegation of political leaders and journalists was one of the most high profile visits in the history of exchanges between the two countries. Kovind's fellow BJP comrade in the delegation was Balbir Punj, whose sense of wonder at the warmth and hospitality from the official to the street level was one of the features I remember. Restaurants would offer food gratis, shops would not accept payments from "our guests from India".

Even though the delegation had been invited by the South Asia Free Media Association, President Pervez Musharraf's Foreign Minister Khurshid Mohammad Kasuri was the unmentioned behind the scenes.

From the Indian side, the All Party Goodwill delegation was part of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's push towards tranquilizing the Line of Control in Kashmir. That was the period when the two countries moved towards the only feasible arrangement -- territorial status quo but movement of people and goods across the line.

The "goodwill" part of the visit was boosted sky high by the sheer presence of Lalu Prasad in the delegation. It became something of a mobile comedy from the moment Lalu was mobbed as soon as he crossed Wagah. Which other leader would create a traffic jam in the middle of a vegetable market comparing prices of potatoes, onions, radish, etc, on both sides of the border -- and with complete authority of the rural economy. With his lilting Bihari speech and folksy humour Yadav monopolised prime time TV across the board and front pages of all newspapers without exception.

The BJP duet coped with the Lalu show in ample humour, but the Congress MP from Karnataka, Margaret Alva, was livid. When President Musharraf, fascinated by the Lalu circus, seated him on his right at the banquet, Alva threw a fit. She represented a party with 110 seats, she declared for everyone to hear. "And you have promoted in the seating order the leader of a party with only seven seats in Parliament?" Alva's tandav caught everyone by surprised. Lalu saved the situation by exchanging seats with her. This dramatic act of humility became a cause celebre. Alva's tantrum and Lalu's humility became prime time fare all over again.

The delegation's visit, a huge public relations success, was followed up in January 2004 by Vajpayee himself. Yashwant Sinha, as Foreign Minister was able to issue, not an agreement but only a press statement which contained the crucial commitment: "President Musharraf reassured Prime Minister Vajpayee that he will not permit any territory under Pakistan's control to be used to support terrorism in any manner "

The contents of the press note had to be tentative in nature. The Pakistan bureaucrat, receiving impulses from Army Headquarters, was aware of the gamble involved. General elections were round the corner in India. Pakistan's hesitations would in retrospect appear to be justified: Vajpayee lost the election.

Having travelled with Vajpayee on most of his foreign trips, including his journeys as Minister for External Affairs (1977-80), one observation is unmistakable. For a leader as thoughtful as him, he was often persuaded by his secretariat to undertake foreign initiatives without a careful study of the pros and cons of the proposed visit that the Indian embassy in the country to be visited may have prepared. Sometimes these assessments were made by outstanding ambassadors. The result of underprepared visits was often disastrous. Sometimes the host country was inadequately prepared for a meaningful dialogue.

Take, for instance, Vajpayee's much-touted bus journey to Lahore in February 1999. It was never a journey to Lahore. I was in that bus. I should know. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Information Minister Mushahid Hussain received Vajpayee in the no-man's-land between the two border gates. A helicopter flew the two Prime Ministers to the Government House in Lahore. The Pakistan establishment could not risk driving Vajpayee because of anti-India demonstrations in Lahore organised by the Jamat e Islami. In other words, public opinion in Pakistan had not been prepared for a visit which New Delhi was advertising as "historic".

As a great symbolic gesture of embracing the idea of Pakistan, Vajpayee even visited Minar-e-Pakistan. Jamaat volunteers washed the Minar that afternoon. The official banquet at the Lahore Fort was delayed by hours because demonstrators disrupted the traffic.

There will be a great willingness in the present mood in India to blame the disastrous visit on the persistent anti-Indian venom in the Pakistan psyche even at the street level. It would be a flawed conclusion. The moral of the story is that Vajpayee turned up in Lahore with Indian intelligence not having it ears close to the ground on how divided the Pakistan establishment was on the Lahore visit. The visit was in February; Kargil happened in May. Musharraf, the author of Kargil, later had a change of heart. How else does one explain his fruitless visit to Agra in July 2001? Vajpayee's visit in 2004 did not set the Ravi on fire because the hosts knew that Indian elections were due in few months. Islamabad did not quite swallow the "Shining India" pitch.

Vajpayee's visit as External Affairs Minister to China in February 1979 was likewise a casualty of South Block not having heeded words of caution from the embassy in Beijing. When China decided to teach Hanoi "a lesson" and initiated a war without as much as a hint to the Indian External Affairs Minister who happened to be their guest. The next morning the Indian delegation, their faces in the lower mould, caught the passage to Hong Kong and thence to New Delhi.

Kartarpur Sahib was not by any stretch of the imagination a comparable diplomatic initiative. But it does give clues to a post-election look at possibilities that one or other of the coalitions in New Delhi might be tempted to explore. It makes logical sense that the one party habit of looking at Indo-Pak tension as a useful ploy for vote consolidation would be a matter of the past in the expected era of balancing coalitions.

(A senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs, Saeed Naqvi can be contacted at saeednaqvi@hotmail.com <mailto:saeednaqvi@hotmail.com>. Views expressed are personal)
Union Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday urged Kerala to host an international summit on fishing for the crucial sector to make a steady development in the coastal state.

"The Centre will provide all the support needed for such a summit that can feature exports to countries like Korea and Japan that are major consumers of Indian seafood. Value added products will play an increasingly decisive role in the growth of the fishing sector.

"India is aiming at a 60-million-dollar turnover of agricultural exports in the next five years. The fish farmers should eye the international market and fulfill international business parameters," he said, while inaugurating a pioneering multi-species aquaculture complex built by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) at Vallarpadam island near here.

Spread over nine acres, the Rs 7.26 crore state-of-the-art unit facilitates production of marine food from disease-free breeds, featuring a hatchery for black tiger shrimps and six nurseries.

The project will cater to the demand from aquaculture farmers in Kerala as well as the neighbouring states.

The Union Minister asked fish farmers to rely on sustainable technology, adding that MPEDA will offer help on this front.

"India's fishing sector is facing multiple problems, also owing to climate change. That gives fresh vitality to aquaculture using inland water-bodies. Exports should be the ultimate aim of each aqua farmer and they should ensure that the aquaculture produce is sustainable and meets the export quality norms. MPEDA will offer all kinds of assistance in this direction," said Prabhu.

Kerala Fisheries Minister J. Mercykuty Amma said the MPEDA complex will boost Kerala's fishing sector.

"Aquaculture in the state should focus more on inland water-bodies," the Minister said.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Special counsel Robert Mueller has said that President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman Paul Manafort told "multiple discernible lies" during interviews with prosecutors, including about his contacts with an employee who is alleged to have ties to Russian intelligence.

In a document filed in a federal court on Friday, Mueller also said that Manafort lied about his contacts with Trump administration officials after Trump took office, reports The Washington Post.

Manafort had told investigators that he had had no direct or indirect contact with White House officials since Trump's inauguration, but the former campaign chairman had been in touch with officials as recently early this year, according to the filing.

Manafort told a colleague in February, four months after he was indicted, that he was in contact with a senior administration official through that time and in a text message, he authorised another person to speak with a White House official on May 26.

Prosecutors from Mueller's team said on Friday that Manafort had told numerous lies in five different aspects of the investigation, including about his contacts with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian employee of Manafort's political consulting firm who prosecutors have said has Russian intelligence ties.

However, key points in the document were redacted from public view, making it difficult to gain a full picture of what Manafort was asked in hours of interviews with investigators since September.

Manafort was convicted of tax and bank fraud charges in Virginia in August, The Washington Post repeated.

He pleaded guilty in September to additional charges, including conspiring to defraud the US by hiding years of income and failing to disclose lobbying work for a pro-Russian political party and politician in Ukraine.

Last week, Mueller accused Manafort of lying during his interviews, saying that his actions during his cooperation were criminal and breached his plea agreement.

Manafort's lawyers have said that Manafort did not believe he lied or violated the deal.

Mueller has also accused Manafort of lying about a $125,000 wire transfer.

It is unclear how that transaction relates to the conspiracies detailed in Manafort's plea agreement, but prosecutors said Manafort lied repeatedly about details of the transaction.

Manafort will tentatively face sentencing on March 5, a federal judge ruled last week. He is currently in jail in Alexandria, Virginia.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Stepping up its attack on the Modi government over the searches at the premises of people linked to Congress President Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra, the Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misusing the investigating agencies.

The Congress also alleged that actions by these were being carried out on opposition leaders at the behest of the Prime Minister.

Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said: "The Prime MInister thinks that the exit polls are correct and he is in a state of panic. Opposition is being targeted with Income Tax, ED or arrests.

"Attacks on opposition are being carried out across the country without any complaint, warrant and they take away records or documents and forcefully make people to sign on blank papers," he alleged.

The Congress leader said the ED team came to "Vadra's office" in Sukhdev Vihar without any warrant and searched the place. "There were four employees and they were kept there till 4.30 a.m."

He said there was no FIR, ECIR against Vadra and the ED reached his offices without any warrant. They did not reveal their names and broke into the office and broke almirahs and cabins. "Under which provision this is being done? Why this is being done?" he asked.

"If on exit poll results this is what your reaction is, then what will happen when your exit comes closer?"

Sibal said: "The other day Modiji was saying that we have played such a game that we have sent Karti Chidambaram to jail. We want to ask from Modiji how are you going to send him to jail?

"It is the law and the Constitution which will decide who shall be sent to jail. And as Prime Minister has said that I had sent them to jail then it means that he has accepted that all the actions are being done on his behest."

He said the government was misusing its agencies also in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Haryana.

He alleged that ED officers Sanjay Kumar Mishra and Jasbir Khichad were harassing employees of Vadra at the Prime Minister's behest.

--IANS

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Morocco's navy coast guards have rescued 72 illegal immigrants in the Mediterranean, the Moroccan Army said.

The rescued included 53 sub-Saharan Africans and 19 Asians, Xinhua quoted the Moroccan Army as saying on Saturday.

The migrants, among them women and children, were brought safely to the port of Nador, the army said.

Morocco has witnessed a significant hike in illegal immigration attempts in 2018.

According to the Moroccan Interior Ministry, the authorities have foiled over 76,000 illegal immigration attempts between January and November 2018.

--IANS

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(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Indian IT industry apex body's social arm Nasscom Foundation will host a conference here on December 10-11 to discuss corporate social responsibility (CSR) trends in IT industry.

"The CSR Leadership Conference will discuss innovative approaches to CSR and help create a roadmap to a new, developed and inclusive India," the Nasscom Foundation said in a statement here.

The conference will see the participation of 300 delegates including industry leaders from IT and business process management sectors, heads of NGOs, policymakers, social innovators and CSR thought leaders.

"In the five years of the mandated CSR era, India Inc has made progress -- from adoption to the application of the law, and now to alignment to UN's Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs)," the statement said.

Section 135 of the Indian Companies Act, 2013 prescribed a mandatory CSR spend of 2 per cent of net profits for companies having net worth of Rs 500 crore or more or a net profit of Rs 5 crore or more during any financial year.

"This year the conference will go beyond discussing the intervention areas to new developments, innovative tools and disruptive ways of making the ecosystem more impactful and efficient," the Foundation said.

Some of the discussion topics will include re-skilling the workforce, environment protection initiatives, collaborative models of CSR, rural development, re-imagining healthcare, employee volunteerism, mapping CSR to SDGs, and science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) education.

The meet will witness the participation of global IT firms and organisations including IBM, Intel, Cognizant, Accenture, Atal Innovation Mission and National Skill Development Corp.

--IANS

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Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Saturday to soon arrange a meeting between security delegations of the two countries.

The agreement was reached during the earlier phone talks between the two leaders over the current Israeli operation on its border with Lebanon, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

A meeting between the two leaders would also be coordinated, the statement noted.

Netanyahu reiterated Israel's policy to prevent the establishment of an Iranian presence in Syria and to act against Iranian and Hezbollah aggression.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Embassy to Israel tweeted that Putin emphasized during the phone talks the necessity to improve the Russian-Israeli interaction in the military sphere.

Russia stressed the need to ensure stability along the line separating Israel and Lebanon in strict compliance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, the embassy said.

On Tuesday morning, the IDF said it launched the Operation Northern Shield to "expose and thwart" attack tunnels that cross from southern Lebanon into northern Israel, which were constructed by Lebanon's Hezbollah.

--IANS

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US President Donald Trump has said he will nominate William Barr to be the new attorney general, a post the jurist previously held between 1991 and 1993.

If confirmed by the Senate, the 68-year-old Barr will succeed Jeff Sessions, who was forced out by Trump on November 7, Efe news reported on Friday.

"He was my first choice from day one, respected by Republicans and respected by Democrats," Trump told reporters at the White House.

"He will be nominated for the US attorney general and hopefully that process will go very quickly," the President added.

Sessions stepped down amid criticism from Trump and was replaced on an interim basis by his Chief of Staff, Matthew Whitaker.

The relationship between Trump and Sessions soured due to the latter's decision in March 2017 to recuse himself from any involvement in the Justice Department investigations regarding alleged Russian interference in the presidential election, or potential collusion by the Trump campaign with Moscow.

Sessions did so after questions arose about the then-senator's contacts with the Russian ambassador in 2016 while he had a role in Trump's campaign.

Less than three months after Sessions' decision, Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein named a former FBI director, Robert Mueller, as special counsel in the Russia investigation.

That appointment came on May 17, just eight days after Trump fired then-FBI Director James Comey, who had been leading that agency's Russia probe.

Barr, who served as attorney general under former US President George Bush, could oversee Mueller's investigation if confirmed.

US intelligence agencies accuse Russia of interfering with the 2016 campaign to favour Trump over his rival, Hillary Clinton.

Trump denies any collusion and Moscow denies meddling in the 2016 election.

--IANS

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Cab hailing giant Uber has filed paperwork for its initial public offering (IPO), The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday citing people familiar with the matter.

This comes a day after San Francisco-based on-demand transportation company Lyft deposited paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an IPO.

"The S-1 filing with the SEC puts Uber neck-and-neck with Lyft. Both planned IPOs are shaping up to be among the biggest in a spate of offerings aimed for 2019.

"Lyft said it had filed its S-1, and people familiar with the matter have said it is aiming to debut in March or April," the report said.

However, the details of Uber's filing, including the exact day of filing the paperwork aren't known.

According to reports, the company's most recent private valuation was $76 billion, when it sold a roughly $500 million stake to car maker Toyota.

Lyft said it hasn't yet determined how many shares will be offered or what the price range will be. The IPO is expected to begin after the SEC reviews the plan, according to CNET.

--IANS

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Online ride-hailing platform Uber has announced to double its workforce in the product and engineering departments -- from over 500 to more than 1,000 'technologists' -- at its Bengaluru and Hyderabad facilities next year.

Uber India aims to hire full-stack teams that include product managers, product designers, data scientists, user researchers, mobile, front-end and back-end engineers, as well as Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts, the company said in a statement late Friday.

"In 2018, our tech teams grew by 150 per cent and we are focused on doubling down again in 2019," said Apurva Dalal, Head of Engineering, Uber India.

According to the company, its tech centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad are critical to the global mission of developing urban mobility solutions for everyone.

"Engineers are working on exciting areas of Customer Engagement, Rider access (next billion riders), Uber Eats, Maps, Marketplace and Data platforms," informed Dalal.

Uber said it will continue to hire talent from top engineering universities in the country.

Uber Engineering India has developed some key innovations such as Uber Lite which is a lighter and faster version of the main app.

Uber currently operates in 31 cities in the country and aims to take its services to other, deeper parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the cab hailing app has filed paperwork for its initial public offering (IPO), The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday citing people familiar with the matter.

The details of Uber's filing, including the exact day of filing the paperwork, were not known.

According to reports, the company's most recent private valuation was $76 billion, when it sold a roughly $500 million stake to car maker Toyota.

The Uber's IPO move came a day after Lyft, its main competitor in the US, deposited paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an IPO.

--IANS

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UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked the international community to prevent rather than react to genocide as the crime does not happen overnight.

"Genocide is deliberate and premeditated and requires serious preparations that take time. Those preparations should give the world time to act," Guterres said on Friday an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the international day to commemorate genocide victims, Xinhua reported.

The Genocide Convention is preventive at its core, and punishes specific acts that are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, he said.

These acts include killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Preventing genocide means paying close attention to these provisions, said Guterres.

"Tragically, the international community has sometimes failed to heed the warning signs and take early and decisive action. Rather than preventing genocide, we are still reacting to it, often too late."

Since the end of World War II, the international community has failed to prevent genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Srebrenica in the former Yugoslavia, he noted.

In the past two decades, the world has at least started to hold perpetrators to account, he said. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia have all convicted perpetrators for the crime of genocide.

The work of these courts reflects a welcome resolve to punish perpetrators of genocide, he said.

The UN General Assembly in September 2015 designated December 9 as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

December 9 is the anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 Genocide Convention.

The Genocide Convention was the first human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations. It embodies a collective determination to protect people from brutality and to prevent the repetition of the horrors witnessed by the world during World War II, said Guterres.

The convention has been ratified or acceded to by 149 states; 45 member states have not become party to it, noted Guterres. "I urge those 45 states to consider becoming party as an urgent priority. Universal participation will send a unifying signal of resolve in this 70th anniversary year."

--IANS

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Union Minister Upendra Kushwaha sat on a day-long fast here in Bihar's Aurangabad district on Saturday to protest against the state government's delay in alloting land for a Kendriya Vidyalaya.

"I have repeatedly requested the state government to allot land for a Kendriya Vidyalaya in Devkund but the government is sitting on the matter. This has exposed the state government's lack of seriousness towards education," said Kushwaha, adding that the central government had given its approval for setting up the Kendriya Vidyalaya in Devkund.

Kushwaha will also sit on a day-long fast in Nawada district on Sunday to protest against the inordinate delay in alloting land for a Kendriya Vidyalaya there.

--IANS

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At a time when some vernacular languages are being "threatened" by the gaining popularity of a foreign language, Nepali and Indian writers on Saturday called for greater "literary exchange" through translations of their literature and writing into regional languages for strengthening mutual collaborations.

They also emphasised on the need of promoting sub-continental languages within the region to showcase the high heritage and cultural exchanges of Nepali and other languages.

"Because of the technological development in the present and coming days, local languages are being taken over gradually by some of the international languages. We are proud of local languages - be it Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Assamese. We have to promote these regional languages by creating mutual collaborations with each and every community," said Bharat Kumar Regmi, Charge d'Affairs of Embassy of Nepal in India.

Governments in the regions should also concentrate on use of regional and local languages as a medium of communications for public purposes, he said, adding that literature written in a local or regional language should be translated into other regional languages.

"Currently, number of translation of these literature is nominal and it needs to be improved," he said.

Inaugurating the third International Nepali Literary Symposium here, Nepal Academy's Chancellor Ganga Prasad Uprety said: "New global scenario created new challenges to the region and regional identity on literature culture and civilisation is in danger. Our identity should be addressed collectively so that we can save and update our identity."

"There is a need to exchange literature through translation," Uprety said.

Rabindra Bharati University's former Vice Chancellor Pabitra Sarkar said all the regional languages except one or two are being "threatened" by a world language - English.

He also called for exchanges of regional literature.

--IANS

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The on Saturday termed the (ED) searches at the premises of some persons linked to President Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law as "blind vendetta" to settle political scores.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Rajya Sabha MP Abhishek Manu Singhvi said: "Facing a complete rout in the Assembly elections in the five states, the Modi government is back to its dirty tricks and malicious tactics."

Targeting the (BJP)-led Central government, he said the Modi government's mask of anti-corruption crusader lies in shambles with successive scams getting uncovered over the last 54 months and zero action against fraudsters.

"Instead, the only tool which is being employed by the Modi government to hide its massive failures are mudslinging, muckraking and hatchet jobs by the dirty tricks department i.e. CBI or ED, to smear opposition leaders," he said.



He said the illegal raids on the premises of Vadra and his associates is another episode of these "concerted conspiracies, blind vendetta acts and web of lies" to target the Congress.

His remarks came a day after the financial probe agency on Friday carried out searches at the premises of some persons linked to the firms of Vadra in connection with alleged commissions received by some people in defence deals. The searches were also carried out at the office of Skylight Hospitality in Sukhdev Vihar area of south Delhi.

Slamming the government, the Congress leader said: "All constitutional, legal and administrative norms are being thrown into a dustbin to target and tarnish an individual for sheer and petty political reasons.

He said the Central Bureau of Investigation, ED and Income Tax departments are acting as "slaves and bonded labours" dancing to the tunes of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Accusing the of vilifying Vadra, Singhvi said: "In last 54 months, Modi government has let loose a criminal conspiracy to vilify, denigrate and malign Vadra to settle political scores."

"As all else failed, Modi government has unleashed all its agencies including ED, CBI and Income Tax to victimize Vadra in an utterly malafide manner," he said.



He also alleged that the ED officers who raided the premises of Vadra's office and people linked to him had a single line brief to "flout all norms and harass".

"Yesterday, in a brazen affront to the rule of law and to the Constitution, on the polling day, officers of ED from Jaipur and Delhi raided the office of Vadra at Sukhdev Vihar, New Delhi," Singhvi said, adding that it continued till Saturday 4.30 a.m.

He said the residence of his associate, his sister and her in-laws at Noida were also raided - all without any FIR or search warrant. The residence of the associate's sister was also raided. The raids have been carried out in a completely illegal fashion with no employee or lawyer being permitted to enter the premises.

Singhvi said that four employees were also illegally detained for this entire period.

He said that Vadra through his lawyer submitted the last two sets of documents running to over 600 pages to the ED on November 26 and December 5.

Singhvi said the ED officers are being used as personal slaves and political agents of the Modi government to take political revenge against opponents.
: The Tamil Nadu government has informed the Madras High Court that 442 government officials and 1,490 other individuals have been booked and detained in the past 10 years for PDS rice-smuggling.

"Out of the 1,490, 131 have been detained more than once under the Prevention of Blackmarketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act.

This includes 15 people detained more than thrice," said Principal Secretary, Co-operation, Food and Consumer Protection Department Dayanand Kataria.

Kataria made the submission through an affidavit in response to a series of queries raised by a division bench of Justices N Kirubakaran and Abdul Quddhose in connection with rice-smuggling.

The court had on October 1 directed the Additional Public Prosecutor to file a report on the loss caused to the exchequer and the steps against those smuggling rice.

The court had given the direction while disposing of a Habeas Corpus Petition by a woman, challenging her husband's detention under the Prevention of Black Marketing and Maintenance of Supplies of Essential Commodities Act, 1980.

The official also informed the court Saturday that as of September 2018, 1.88 crore family cardholders have been getting free rice.

The quantity of rice allotted for January 2018 to October 2018 was 32,27,200 metric tonnes, he added.

The value of rice distributed to ration card holders for 2017-18 was approximately Rs 2,110 crore and the number of cardholders was rising every month owing to splitting and increasing of families, he said.

On the existing mechanism to check rice smuggling, he submitted that after implementation of end-to-end computerisation of PDS, proper mechanism was available to verify distribution of essential commodities to cardholders.

Every transaction in fair price shops was carried out through an internet-enabled Point of Sale device. All transactions were done through smart family cards, which is a unique family code and a QR code, the official said.

Once the transaction was complete, details of the transaction reaches the registered mobile number of the card holders as a SMS immediately, he said.

Recording the submission, the bench reserved its order.

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The Maharashtra government Saturday said 1.8 crore children between the ages of nine months and 15 years had been administered the Measles-Rubella (MR) vaccine in the last 10 days.

A six-week long MR vaccination drive started in the state on November 27 and it aims to cover 3.38 crore children by December 31.

Maharashtra Health Minister Deepak Sawant Saturday said the drive, under which MR vaccines are being given free of cost at government hospitals and dispensaries, had achieved 35 per cent of its target.

He said the drive had been implemented successfully in 96,000 schools in the state.

He informed that Bhandara district had completed 60 per cent of its target, the highest in the state so far.

Districts like Sindhudurg, Gadchiroli, Kolhapur and Yavatmal had also done well, he said, while Navi Mumbai, Vasai-Virar and Dhule had achieved about 40 per cent of the target.

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Two people were arrested Saturday for allegedly breaking into the office of a grain-supplying agency in Maharashtra's Jalna district, a senior police official said.

Three people had broken into the office of Moreshwar Suppliers, a firm that supplies grains and mid-day meals to schools and the public distribution system, in the early hours of Saturday, Additional Superintendent of Police Samadhan Pawar said.

"They damaged the CCTV network in the office of Moreshwar Suppliers, situated in Saklecha Nagar area here, and also took away the digital video recorder. Two of them, identified as Arjun Singh Bhond and Pirit Singh Kalani, have been arrested," Pawar said.

The arrests were made in Hind Nagar area by a local Crime Branch team led by Rajendra Singh Gour and the digital video recorder had been recovered, the Additional SP informed.

The third suspect is still at large and efforts were on to nab him, Pawar added.

He refused to divulge details on what the three accused had stolen from the office of Moreshwar Suppliers.

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The Special Task Force (STF) of Odisha police Crime Branch Saturday rescued two pangolins from Mayurbhanj district and arrested four persons for possessing the animals illegally, police said.

The rare species of pangolins were rescued when the four were in the middle of a deal to sell the animals for Rs 22 lakh, the Superintendent of Police (SP) of STF Mayurbhanj district, Satyajit Naik, said.

Acting on a tip-off, STF personnel carried out a raid at a remote village called Ambadhia, under the jurisdiction of Udala police station, and rescued the pangolins, the police officer said.

They weighed around 13 kg, Naik said.

A case has been registered under various sections of the IPC and under section 5 of the Wildlife Protection Act, 1972.

While the Chinese pangolin, mostly found in northeast India, has been listed as "critically endangered" by the UN affiliated International Union for Conservation of Nature's (IUCN) Red List, the Indian pangolin has been listed as "endangered", the police officer said.

Pangolins are often termed as the world's most trafficked mammal.

Pangolin scales are used in traditional Asian medicine, particularly in China and Vietnam.

The animal's scales are made of keratin, the same material that makes human fingernails and hair, and they have no proven medicinal value.

Pangolin meat is also considered to be a delicacy in some countries, and the scales are also used as jewellery and decorations for rituals.

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Police detained 278 people in Paris early Saturday as the French capital braced for another weekend of violence during protests by the "yellow vest" anti-government movement.

Paris was on lockdown with major monuments and department stores shut and some 8,000 police on the streets following the worst rioting in the capital in decades last weekend.

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: After a 20-day lull since the annual pilgrim season began, long queues and packed crowds are back at the Lord Ayyappa Temple here, which had witnessed a drastic dip in pilgrim arrivals in the initial weeks.

The lifting of restrictions imposed by police and ease in tension that had prevailed at the shrine, following protests against the implementation of the Supreme Court verdict, permitting women of all age groups, have triggered high inflow of devotees after the initial lull.

According to temple sources, over 61,000 pilgrims visited the hill top temple on Friday alone, indicating a steady increase in the footfalls.

While the head count was 79,306 on December 3, it was 61,037 on December 4 and 51,335 on December 5, as per the figures.

Over 45,000 pilgrims had visited the Lord Ayyappa temple on December 6, the anniversary of the Babari Masjid demolition day, though there had been extra vigil and additional security arrangements at the temple complex.

Unlike the previous years, the temple wore a deserted look for many days after it opened for the over two-month-long monthly pilgrim season on November 16.

The number of devotees, who had offered prayers at the shrine, was just 28,717 on November 16, as per figures.

The devastation caused by the August floods had affected the usual pre-season arrangements implemented by the government at Nilackal, the base camp, and Pamba, the last gateway to the hill temple.

The dearth of dormitory facilities, safe drinking water and restrictions imposed on private vehicles have caused difficulties for devotees and affected their usual inflow.

Besides this, the intense protests by devotees and right wing groups against the LDF government's decision to implement the September 28 apex court verdict on the entry of young women had distanced pilgrims away from the forest temple, located in the Western Ghats.

Prohibitory orders had been invoked in and around Sabarimala by police following the violent protests.

The opposition Congress-led UDF and BJP had been on a war path against the Pinarayi Vijayan-led government for the past several weeks, demanding lifting of prohibitory orders.

Raising the same demand, three UDF MLAs have been staging a satyagraha at the portals of the state Assembly, while BJP state general secretary A N Radhakrishnan is on an indefinite fast before the Secretariat since last week.

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Loss-making national carrier Air India is looking to start a flight service to Iraqi city of Najaf from Lucknow in UP via New Delhi, starting early next year.

Najaf is considered sacred by Shia Muslims. Notably, Lucknow has a sizable Shia population.

The airline is discussing modalities of the proposed flight and a final decision is expected to be taken on Monday, an airline source said.

"Air India plans to start services to Najaf from Lucknow, connecting New Delhi. But there are are several issues which need to be sorted out before announcing the new flight. A meeting has been called on Monday to discuss all the issues around the flight. A final decision about the launch will be taken at this meeting," the source said.

When contacted, an Air India spokesperson also said that "it (launch of Najaf flight) is a work in progress".

According to the source, the stay arrangements for the flight crew is one of the key issues as it can't stay in Najaf due to certain reasons.

"Therefore, one proposal is to connect the flight to Medina from Najaf so that the crew can stay in Medina in Saudi Arabia. Also, since the new route is likely to be operated by an Airbus A320 neo, which currently does not have extended diversion time operations (EDTO), which will have to be granted by the aviation regulator DGCA," the source said.

EDTO allows a multi-engine aircraft to divert to a nearby airport in case of an emergency situation.

"It (Lucknow-Najaf flight) is a work in progress and no final decision has been taken. We have applied to the DGCA for granting us permission to operate on the proposed route, which we are expecting next week," the spokesperson said.

The proposed air services to Najaf will be operated by an Airbus A320 neo plane, he said, adding the frequency and date for commencement of operations will be finalised once the plan is firmed up.

Air India group, which comprises Air India, Air India Express and Alliance Air, currently operates over 40 flights per day to more than 80 domestic and 44 international destinations with a combined fleet of 161 aircraft.

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Eighteen people were arrested in Gautam Buddh Nagar's Greater Noida Saturday for allegedly violating the National Green Tribunal's orders on checking air pollution, officials said.

This is the first such action in Delhi-National Capital Region in which arrests have been made at construction sites where material was found uncovered and dust was blowing, they said.

A team of subdivisional magistrate, Dadri, Anjani Kumar Singh, Police Circle Officer, Bisrakh, Nishank Sharma and officials of the Central Pollution Control Board carried out inspections at the construction sites where dust was blowing in violation of the NGT orders, the district administration said.

"Eighteen people were arrested under Section 151 -- of the Environment (Protection) Act, 1986 -- and have been sent to jail," it said in a statement.

The accused were arrested from the sites of Galaxy Builders in Sector 4, Town Central, PKS group in Sector 16B, an under construction Bharat Petroleum filling statuin opposite Ecotech 12 and an illegal crushing/grinding unit from Sector -2 (Village Patwari), it said.

Cases against them were being initiated under the Environmental (Protection) Act, 1986, it added.

District Magistrate, Gautam Buddh Nagar, Brajesh Narain Singh said similar action would continue further against those violating the guidelines and orders of the Supreme Court, the central government and the NGT.

"If we look at the air quality indicators, they are consistently in the 'poor' or the 'very poor' category and that seems to have become the new normal. We are making all efforts towards checking air pollution and improving air quality," he told PTI.

Singh added that in compliance with the court orders, 61 people were arrested in Gautam Buddh Nagar for bursting crackers during Diwali and thereby contributing to air pollution.

The NGT had last month ordered a temporary ban on construction activities in Delhi-NCR in the wake of alarming air pollution situation ahead of Diwali. The green panel had also directed that no construction material be kept in the open even after the ban was lifted.

The SC had on November 26 directed the CPCB, State Pollution Control Board (SPCB) and authorities under the Graded Action Plan "to take immediate action for prosecution" against government officials who have not penalised polluters despite receiving complaint against them.

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Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) leader Prakash Ambedkar Saturday alleged that electronic voting machines (EVMs) were manipulated in the May 28 Bhandara-Gondiya Lok Sabha bypolls in Maharashtra.

NCP candidate Madhukar Kukde had defeated Hemant Patle of the BJP in the bypoll by 48,097 votes, the result of which was declared on May 31.

The bypoll was necessitated due to the resignation of sitting BJP MP Nana Patole.

Speaking to reporters here on Saturday, Ambedkar said the polling percentage (in the Bhandara-Gondiya bypoll) stood at 38.5 at 5pm, however, at 6pm, it rose up to 53.5.

"According to the Election Commission, a maximum of only 101 people can vote. However, here, 140 people were seen to have voted. How is this possible?" he asked.

"This happened because EVMs were possibly manipulated. The EC should conduct an investigation in the phenomenal rise in polling percentage," Ambedkar said.

When asked about an alliance with the Congress for the upcoming Lok Sabha and state Assembly elections, Ambedkar said, "We are told that the Congress has not been given a green signal to hold talks with us by the party high command."



The All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul Muslimeen (AIMIM) and Bharipa Bahujan Mahasangh (BBM) had, on September 15, announced that they will forge an alliance for the Lok Sabha and Maharashtra Assembly polls in 2019.

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Bangladesh's election commission today rejected jailed former prime minister Khaleda Zia's plea challenging the cancellation of her nomination, virtually ending her hopes of contesting the upcoming general election.

"The commission rejected her petition by 4-1 votes...the CEC (chief election commissioner) and three other commissioners were on one side while one of the commissioners was in favour of her candidature," an EC spokesman said.

The Bangladesh High Court had earlier issued an order disqualifying 73-year-old Zia, now serving a 10-year prison term in two corruption cases, from contesting the December 30 polls saying people jailed for more than two years with their appeals pending in court cannot fight elections.

The opposition BNP leader has been in prison since February when a lower court sentenced her to a five-year term in the first of the two graft cases.

Zia had filed nomination papers from three constituencies, two in northwestern Bogra and one in southeastern Feni.

The EC's decision comes a week after returning officers scrapped nomination papers of Zia and several other high-profile politicians, mostly opposition candidates, as they were convicted by courts on graft and other charges, and due to defaulting bank loans or technical flaws in their nomination papers.

Many of them, however, were allowed to contest the polls as the EC reviewed their appeals challenging the returning officers' decisions.

According to election rules, candidates declared ineligible to contest polls can appeal to an EC tribunal or can challenge the decision in the High Court.

Most of the disqualified candidates were nominees of BNP and its partners in the newly-formed opposition alliance National Unity Front (NUF), led by eminent jurist Kamal Hossain.

The December 30 election is crucial for Zia's Bangladesh Nationalist Party, which boycotted the 2014 polls demanding a neutral non-party government and instead waged a violent street campaign in subsequent years.

Analysts say political and legal obligations largely forced the BNP to take part in the polls as it was in danger of losing its registration with the EC as a political party if it boycotted elections for the second consecutive time and was also facing structural erosion from within.

The party remains in a state of disarray with Zia's imprisonment while her "fugitive" elder son and acting BNP chief Tarique Rahman is living in London after a Dhaka court sentenced him to life imprisonment for masterminding a deadly attack on a political rally in 2004 that killed 24 leaders and activists of



the rival Awami League led by current Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina who narrowly escaped the assault.

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Bangladesh will honour Indian Armed Forces personnel who were martyred in that country's Liberation War on December 16, the day Pakistan surrendered and the country was born, its top diplomat posted in the city said Saturday.

Seventeen to 25 martyrs will be honoured on the day and their names are being finalised, Taufiq Hasan, Bangladesh Deputy High Commissioner here said.

"A silver plaque, certificate, speech by Bangladesh Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina and two books by Bangabandhu Mujibar Rahman will be presented to the family of each martyr," he said.

This is the second time that the honours are being presented to the families of martyrs of Indian forces who fought in the 1971 war against Pakistan in the eastern frontier. Sheikh Hasina had done the honours in 2017 in Delhi for the first time, he said.

"All the martyrs of the Indian Armed forces in the eastern theatre in the 1971 war will be honoured gradually," Hasan said.

Major General General Staff (MGGS), HQ, Eastern Command, Major General N D Prasad said that India and Bangladesh share a special relationship and the bond is strengthened by military to military exchanges through joint exercises and other activities.

"We have been working together for the greater good of the region," he said.

He said that the Army will celebrate Vijay Diwas on December 16 with usual fervour.

"A Bangladeshi delegation of 72 members, including 30 Muktijoddhas (freedom fighters) and six serving officers of Bangladesh Armed Forces will participate in the celebrations," Maj Gen Prasad said.

An Army helicopter show, free fall by para troopers, motorcycle display, horse and dog show will be held apart from Military Band concert during the celebrations at Royal Calcutta Turf Club ground on December 14 and 15, he said.

A Military Band concert will also be held on December 13 and 14 at Princep Ghat in the city on the banks of the Hooghly river, Prasad said.

The Bangladesh Deputy High Commission here will also organise a three-day 'Vijay Utsav' from December 16 like other years, Hasan said.

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: BJP state general secretary K Surendran,released from jail after 22 days for his alleged involvement in protests at Sabarimala,Saturday alleged that activists of DYFI, youth wing of the ruling CPI(M), were behind the violence at the hill-top shrine on November 6.

He was speaking to the media at a 'meet-the-press' programme organised by the Press Club here.

"A DYFI team from Thrissur was behind the violence during the "Chithira Aata Thirunal", a special puja at the temple. They were not able to do what they had planned as we were there. Truth will prevail,", Surendran said.

The Kerala High Court Friday had granted conditional bail to Surendran in a case related to alleged attack on a 52-year old woman pilgrim by frenzied Lord Ayyappa devotees at the Sabarimala Temple on November 6 when the temple was opened for the special puja.

Criticising the state government's decision to line up a 'wall of women' from Kasaragod in the northern end to the capital city, with the participation of various progressive organisations, Surendran alleged the initiative was to seek support for entry of women into Sabarimala.

"Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan should explain to devotees whether this wall is an attempt to garner support for his government's plan to allow entry of women into Sabarimala,' he said, adding that it was Vijayan's attitude that had worsened the situation at the hill-top shrine.

He also said the organisers of the 'wall of women' were already 'confused' as Vellappally Natesan, the chairman of the organising committee, had said that the initiative was to uphold the socio-cultural values of society and not against the entry of women to Sabarimala.

Asked about the cases against him, Surendran said there are five "false" cases registered against him.

"What police did to me was clearly in violation of my human rights. I was taken to Kannur from Kottarakkara sub-jail which was a 12 hour journey, in a police bus. A police officer who brought me tea was suspended," Surendran alleged.

He also said that the conspiracy charge in a case related to the violence at Sabarimala was added to his name 17 days after the incident.

Surendran was initially arrested on November 17 from Nilackal, the base camp, while on his way to the Sabarimala Temple after he attempted to defy prohibitory orders and refused to go back despite a request from police.

He was granted bail in the case on November 21 by a court in Pathanamthitta, but remained in prison till date as he was also booked in various other cases, including the alleged attack on the woman pilgrim.

The Kerala High Court had asked him to surrender his passport and not to enter Pathanamthitta district, in which the Lord Ayyappa temple is located, till the charge sheet in the case was filed and to furnish a bail bond of Rs two lakh.

The woman pilgrim, who had come to the 'Sannidhanam' (temple complex) for the 'choorunu' (rice feeding ceremony) of her grandchild, was blocked and allegedly attacked by angry devotees on November 6, during a special puja, suspecting her to be in the "barred" age group of 10-50.

Sabarimala had witnessed violent protests by a section of devotees against the state government's decision to implement the September 28 verdict of the Supreme Court, allowing entry of women of all age groups into the shrine.

Meanwhile, soon after his release, Surendran visited BJP General Secretary A N Radhakrishnan, who is on an indefinite fast in front of the Secretariat for the past six days, demanding, among others, lifting of prohibitory orders.

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A Bharatiya Janata Party delegation submitted letters to the West Bengal government on Saturday, stating its readiness to join discussions over its 'rath yatra' as directed by the Calcutta High Court a day ago.

Led by BJP state vice-president Jayprakash Majumdar and senior party leader Mukul Roy, the delegation had to wait for some time at the state secretariat till an official received the letters, which were addressed to the officials mentioned by the high court on Friday.

"We have said in the letters that the BJP is ready to join the discussion in an hour's notice on any time within December 12 (Wednesday) as directed by the Calcutta High Court," Majumdar told PTI.

The high court had on Friday came down heavily on the government for not responding to BJP's letters seeking permission for its 'rath yatras' in the state and directed top officials to take a decision on the processions by December 14.

"We have informed the state government that we are ready for discussion on the 'rath yatra' issue. The situation is that the state government is not capable of maintaining law and order. Also, there is no democracy in the state," Roy alleged.

The 'rath yatra' in Cooch Behar district was slated to be the first of the three by the BJP before the Lok Sabha polls next year. The other two were to be held on December 9 from Kakdwip in South 24 Parganas district and on December 14 from Tarapith temple in Birbhum district.

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The BJP would definitely win the state assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan, the party's Tamil Nadu president Tamilisai Soundarajan said Saturday.

"The party has given good corruption-free governance in these states and it will definitely win," she told reporters at the airport here when asked about the exit polls for assembly elections in five states predicting a tight finish between the BJP and the Congress in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, and a win for the opposition party in Rajasthan.

The exit polls also predicted that the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) in Telangana will retain power, but forecast a hung assembly in Mizoram, where the Congress is in power.

It would also win in Mizoram despite the outcome of exit polls, she claimed.

On the comments by CPI leader Mutharasan that Lotus (BJP Symbol) would not bloom in Tamil Nadu, she said he should not be bothered about the BJP as it is ruling in 19 states as against one by Left Parties.

"DMK alliance is very weak and Mutharasan need not worry about BJP alliance," she said.

The counting of votes for all five states is scheduled for December 11.

Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan are all ruled by the BJP presently.

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The Uttar Pradesh government Saturday transferred Bulandshahr SSP Krishna Bahadur Singh to the DGP office here, five days after two people, including an inspector, were killed in violence following an alleged cow slaughter incident.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said that the Senior Superintendent of Police will be replaced by Sitapur SP Prabhakar Chaudhary.

The government transferred two other policemen of Bulandshahr -- Circle Officer Syana Satya Prakash Sharma and Chingravati police chowki in-charge Suresh Kumar.

Additional Director General (ADG) Intelligence SB Shiradkar had Friday submitted a report on the violence. The transfers are understood to be in line with the findings of the report on police handling of the situation.

On December 3, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a local youth, Sumit, were killed in violence over an alleged cow slaughter incident in the city.

The inspector and his team had gone to the village to tackle the violence when they came under attack.

Singh was the investigating officer of the Dadri lynching case from September 28, 2015 to November 9, 2015. However, the chargesheet had been filed by a different IO in March, 2016.

Police have arrested nine accused in the Bulandshahr case but the main conspirator, Yogesh Raj, the district convener of the Bajrang Dal, is on the run.

In a video that surfaced online on Wednesday, Raj had claimed innocence.

Another suspect is Jeetu Fauji, and a police team has been sent to Jammu to nab him, a senior officer said.

Another inquiry by a government-constituted SIT is underway, and the team is going into every minute detail and video footage of the incident, the officer said.

Also, a magisterial probe had been ordered by the government into the incidents.

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A team of Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA), which is funding the Mumbai-Ahmedabad bullet train venture, on Saturday concluded its two-day meeting with Gujarat farmers and villagers opposed to land acquisition for the project.

The Japanese government's funding agency is providing a soft loan to India for the first high speed train project in the country which is expected to cost Rs 1.08 lakh crore.

The three-member team led by JICA's chief representative Katsuo Matsumoto met hundreds of farmers, whose lands will have to be acquired for the project, from south Gujarat districts.

The team heard the farmers' grievances and legal issues over two days.

JICA officials were not available for comment.

Farmers' leaders said they apprised the team with the ground reality of the land acquisition process and how it "flouts" JICA's guidelines.

Several farmers have challenged the state government's land acquisition process in the Gujarat High Court. They claim the process is not in accordance with the law.

Farmers had earlier written to JICA, requesting its officials to visit the affected villages to understand the ground reality.

On Friday, around 400 project-affected persons gathered at Amadpore in Navsari district where they made their representations before the JICA team, said Jayesh Patel of Gujarat Khedut Samaj, a farmers' outfit.

"The second meeting was held at Kathor village in Surat district where more than 150 houses will have to be razed to pave the way for the bullet train. JICA met 200 farmers there," he said.

The team also met representatives of Adivasi Ekta Parishad from Maharashtra.

The representatives told the JICA team how rules were being "flouted" for acquiring forest land for the project, Patel said.

Representatives from NGOs working for farmers and met the team on Saturday.

"Based on our representation, the JICA team will prepare a report on environmental and social aspects of land acquisition, issues of compensation, rehabilitation and resettlement and human rights, for consideration by higher authorities," Patel said.

"Villagers who met the JICA team said the government was not taking into account the impact land acquisition will have on their social life," said lawyer Anand Yagnik, who is representing farmers in the high court.

Paryavaran Suraksha Samiti, an NGO working for protection, highlighted the "violations" by authorities for land acquisition in its representation.

"As you (JICA) know, such projects are a matter of concern not only for the project-affected people, but all global citizens," it said in its submission.

"We must uphold the universal human rights and principles and laws related to environmental protection and social justice," it added.

The ambitious bullet train project was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and his Japanese counterpart Shinzo Abe in September last year.

The bullet train will run at a speed of 320-350 kmph and have 12 stations across its 500-km stretch between Ahmedabad and Mumbai.

Around 1,400 hectares of land will have to be acquired in Gujarat and Maharashtra for the project. Of that 1,120 hectares is privately owned.

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China launched a rover early Saturday morning destined to land on the far side of the moon, a global first that would boost Beijing's ambitions to become a space superpower.

The Chang'e-4 lunar probe mission -- named after the moon goddess in Chinese mythology -- launched on a Long March 3B rocket from the southwestern Xichang launch centre in the pre-dawn hours, according to the official Xinhua agency.

The successful launch marked the start of a long journey to the far side of the moon for the Chang'e-4 mission, which is expected to land around the New Year to carry out experiments and explore the untrodden terrain.

Unlike the near side of the moon that is "tidally locked" and always faces the earth, and offers many flat areas to touch down on, the far side is mountainous and rugged.

It was not until 1959 that the Soviet Union captured the first images of the heavily cratered surface, uncloaking some of the mystery of the moon's "dark side".

No lander or rover has ever touched the surface there, positioning China as the first nation to explore the terrain.

"China over the past 10 or 20 years has been systematically ticking off the various firsts that America and the Soviet Union did in the 1960s and 1970s in space exploration," said Jonathan McDowell, an astronomer at the Harvard-Smithsonian Center for Astrophysics.

"This is one of the first times they've done something that no one else has done before."



It is no easy technological feat -- China has been preparing for this moment for years.

A major challenge for such a mission is communicating with the robotic lander: as the far side of the moon always points away from earth, there is no direct "line of sight" for signals.

As a solution, China in May blasted the Queqiao ("Magpie Bridge") satellite into the moon's orbit, positioning it so that it can relay data and commands between the lander and earth.

Adding to the difficulties, Chang'e-4 is being sent to the Aitken Basin in the lunar south pole region -- known for its craggy and complex terrain -- state media has said.

The probe is carrying six experiments from China and four from abroad.

They include low-frequency radio astronomical studies -- aiming to take advantage of the lack of interference on the far side -- mineral tests, and experiments planting potato and other seeds, local Chinese media reported.

Beijing is pouring billions into its military-run space programme, with hopes of having a crewed space station by 2022, and of eventually sending humans to the moon.

The Chang'e 4 mission is a step in that direction, significant for the engineering expertise needed to explore and settle the moon, McDowell said.

"The main thing about this mission is not science, this is a technology mission," he said.

Chang'e-4 will be the second Chinese probe to land on the moon, following the Yutu ("Jade Rabbit") rover mission in 2013.

Once on the moon's surface, the rover faces an array of extreme challenges.

During the lunar night -- which lasts 14 earth days -- temperatures will drop as low as minus 173 degrees Celsius (-279 Fahrenheit), while during the lunar day, also lasting 14 earth days, temperatures rocket as high as 127 C (261 F).

Instruments must withstand those fluctuations and generate enough energy to sustain it during the long night.

Yutu conquered those challenges and, after initial setbacks, ultimately surveyed the moon's surface for 31 months. Its success provided a major boost to China's space programme.

Beijing is planning to send another lunar lander, Chang'e-5, next year to collect samples and bring them back to earth.

It is among a slew of ambitious Chinese targets, which include a reusable launcher by 2021, a super-powerful rocket capable of delivering payloads heavier than those NASA and private rocket firm SpaceX can handle, a moon base, a permanently crewed space station, and a Mars rover.

"Our country's successful lunar exploration project not only vaults us to the top of the world's space power ranks, it also allows the exploration of the far side of the moon," said Niu Min, a booster and expert on China's space programme.

The project, he said in an interview with local website Netease, "greatly inspires everyone's national pride and self-confidence".

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Supriya Pathak, who has worked in all the mediums of storytelling, believes nothing can beat the cinema experience.

Pathak says web is the strongest medium currently as it has the ability to reach out to more people and engage viewers with interesting and layered stories.

"When TV came, it was a very strong medium. It reached out to so many people and it could have made difference but we got into mundaneness of it. I think it will not hopefully happen to this new medium. It has lot of scope.

"I hope we keep the momentum alive and keep it going strong. We as actors can help. In cinema, there are budget constraints and on TV, it has become a sad situation, so this medium has opened up new doors. We have been given opportunity to tell interesting stories," Pathak told PTI.

The 57-year-old actor, however, does not believe that digital medium "can overtake cinema".

"Cinema might have it's share of ups and downs, it can't go. It is a very major part of everybody's life. It is a process like going to cinema halls, watching films on the big screen."



She currently features in "Tigers", a story of a small-time Pakistani salesman, (Emraan Hashmi) who gets recruited by multi-national to sell baby formula, that only rich can afford. He discovers that the baby formula has killed several children, after which he begins a lone and dangerous battle against the company.

Pathak portrays the mother of Hashmi's character and she says she found the story quite relevant and interesting.

"The issues that are being tackled in the film is something we all believe in and try and hopefully make people aware of it."



"Tigers" is currently streaming on ZEE5.

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Around 50 students of City College of Commerce and Business here gheraoed the principal and other faculty members for 17 hours, demanding that they be allowed to sit for first semester exams despite not meeting the required 60-per cent attendance.

The gherao at the evening college by B.Com first-year students began at around 9 pm on Friday night and was lifted at 2 pm on Saturday, following the intervention of Calcutta University authorities.

The protesters, however, vowed to continue their agitation if their demands were not met by Wednesday.

Principal Sandip Paul said the college will not succumb to the pressure tactics of a "small section of students who had abstained from classes most of the time", and asserted that no promise had been made about allowing those having lesser percentage to sit for exams.

Sutirtho Chatterjee, one of the agitating students, claimed their group was not allowed to fill-up forms for the first semester exams with poor attendance figure cited as reason, but many other students were not barred in spite of not having the requisite attendance.

"The rule should be uniform for everyone," he said.

Paul, however, denied the allegations.

A section of students of Heramba Chandra College, Shibnath Shastri College, Behala College, Gurudas College, Jaipuria College had recently agitated for the same reason.

The Calcutta University has made 60 per cent attendance mandatory for students of affiliated colleges writing the first semester exams under the Choice Based Credit System (CBCS).

State Minister Partha Chatterjee has made it clear that agitation against the attendance figure was only taking place in six-seven colleges, while in other colleges, numbering over 100, there was no such issue.

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Delhi's air quality remained very poor on Saturday as inspections by Supreme Court-appointed Pollution Control Authority found rampant illegal activities specially garbage burning taking place at various pollution hotspots across the city.

Supreme Court-appointed EPCA said it will call a meeting specifically for industries in Delhi to discuss the progress from shifting from coal to natural gas, as it noted that the "ease of breathing" cannot be compromised for the "ease of business".

The action comes as Delhi's air quality remained very poor at an air quality index of 354 and authorities warned of increase in pollution level from next week when dense fog is expected to engulf the national capital.

EPCA chairperson Bhure Lal Saturday said he visited various pollution hotspots in Delhi and found rampant illegal polluting activities specially garbage burning taking place in these areas.

Lal visited Mundka where he saw several garbage burning instances.

"The garbage mainly consisted of rubber and plastic waste which is carcinogenic. I held meetings with industrial associations and made our stand clear that we would not tolerate garbage burning at any cost," he told PTI.

He said he got it in writing from industries that they would stop burning garbage in open and would sprinkle water to mitigate pollution effects.

"I told them that a penalty of Rs 50,000 would be imposed for burning garbage in the open and if they are caught for a second time then their industrial unit would be shut," he added.

He also met with villagers who complained that pollution has led to breathing issues and has even caused cancer among many of them.

Accompanied by MCD and DDA officials, he also visited Nangoi and Tikri.

Lal would be conducting an inspection of Bawana and Narela on Monday and would be visiting Anand Vihar on Tuesday.

The EPCA Friday said they are seriously considering banning industrial, construction and demolition activities at major pollution hotspots in Delhi-NCR when air quality levels reach 'severe' category.

Noting that ease of breathing cannot be compromised for ease of business, EPCA member Sunita Narain told various coal industries and oil and gas companies that there is a need to find better fuel which is cleaner and there is a price for it but it has to be paid.

"We cannot compromise ease of breathing for ease of business. We cannot survive this. Either we have to find better fuel we either need to search for a way to find ways of subsidising cleaner fuel," Narain said.

"We need to understand how they moving, what is their economics, who is not moving (to natural gas)," an EPCA member said.

The EPCA also underlined that the biggest challenge in crackdown on illegal industries causing pollution is that upon shutdown, they shift to non-conforming areas and continue polluting activities in other parts of the city.

"As we crack down on industries and industrial areas, they all move to the non-conforming areas or illegal areas where nobody can control them and under the law, the DPCC cannot even enter the area.

"If we crack down on Delhi industries, they move over to neighbouring areas. We have to find a comprehensive solution to it and make sure illegal industry is not allowed anywhere. It is also one of the biggest challenges," an EPCA member said.

The representatives of the industries blamed vehicles for causing greater pollution to which chest specialist Arvind Kumar, who is also an EPCA member, lashed out, saying if the consequences of pollution were known, this "whole discussion will pale into insignificance".

"The PM2.5 can hamper brain development by 10-20 per cent and we are going to make our next generation retarded because of our pleasures that is adding to air pollution," he rued.

"Evidence is now emerging that heart attacks, brain attacks are linked to air pollution. The WHO has called it second tobacco epidemic and if we don't control this menace, it would threaten our very existence," he said.

"...If we don't tackle air pollution on an immediate priority basis, we will not be here to tackle it. It isn't an elective issue we are discussing, it is a question of our survival," Kumar added.

Delhi has been battling alarming levels of pollution for nearly two months with the air quality hovering between "very poor" and "severe", and slipping into "poor" on better days.

The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) said the overall air quality of Delhi continues to remain in the 'very poor' range.

"The meteorological conditions have slightly improved causing dispersion of pollutants but the air quality might deteriorate from Sunday with dense fog engulfing the capital which may degrade the air quality," the SAFAR said.

The Central Pollution Control Board-led task force has identified 15 pollution hotspots in Delhi. They are -- Anand Vihar, Bawana, CRRI Mathura Road, DTU, Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, Dwarka-Sector 8, Jahangirpuri, Mundaka, NSIT Dwarka, Narela, Okhla Phase-2, R K Puram, Rohini, Shadipur, Wazirpur.

In NCR areas outside Delhi, six hotspots have been identified. They are -- Sector-16A in Faridabad, Vikas Sadan in Gurgaon, Vasundhara in Ghaziabad, Knowledge Park-III in Greater Noida, Sector-125 in Noida and RIICO Industrial Area-III in Bhiwadi.

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A doctor, who terms homosexuality as "genetic mental disorder" and uses electric shock to treat gay and lesbian people, has been summoned by a Delhi court as an accused for violating norms.

Though Dr P K Gupta was de-barred by the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), he was still indulging in this bizarre practice.

The court took note of a complaint against Gupta by the DMC, which claimed that he was using hormonal and shock therapy to provide treatment.

The complaint said the DMC had debarred Gupta in 2016 from practising in Delhi and as he was still projecting himself as a doctor, he was liable for prosecution.

Metropolitan magistrate Abhilash Malhotra said treatment given by doctors as a part of "conversion therapy" was not recognised either by medical science or by legislature.

Conversion therapy is an attempt to change a person's sexual orientation using psychological or spiritual interventions.

The court summoned the doctor as accused saying he was prima facie found to be contravening a provision of the Indian Medical Council Act which entails a maximum of one year jail term.

"It is amply clear that the legislature in its prudence and vision did not thought sexual orientation to be part of mental illness. Accordingly, it is clear that the treatment given by the doctors as a part of 'conversion therapy' is not recognised either by the medicine or by the legislation," the magistrate said.

The court said from the complaint, it was prima facie clear that Gupta was practising as a doctor in Delhi despite being debarred by the DMC.

A person found practising without registration, even qualified, shall be liable for action specified by the council, it said.

The court, in its summons, also referred to the judgement on homosexuality delivered by the Supreme Court which had decriminalised consensual sexual acts between two adults in private.

Initially, the council received a letter from Anjali Gopalan, executive director of Naz Foundation (India) Trust, informing it about a report in 2015 where some doctors advocated for 'conversion therapy' claiming to convert "homosexuals into heterosexuals".

According to the report, some doctors including Gupta were using hormonal therapy, shock treatment and medications to treat homosexuals as if they are suffering from some disease.

The letter also referred to another article which said the dubious procedure included talk therapy which could lead to depression, anxiety, seizures and suicidal tendencies.

Referring to the articles, the complaint had said Gupta had described homosexuality as a genetic mental disorder and believed in exploring evidence of childhood psychological damage before starting the treatment.

The court said that Gupta, running a super speciality clinic at Karol Bagh area here, was charging Rs 4,500 for 15 minutes counselling, after which he decides to go for hormonal therapy or psychological therapy.

When the DMC a issued notice to the doctor regarding alleged professional misconduct, Gupta had said he was not registered with the council and was not liable to respond.

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The searches by Enforcement Directorate (ED) against three persons linked to Robert Vadra continued on Saturday with official sources saying the action is being undertaken by the agency on the basis of two criminal FIRs filed by it.

They said the central probe agency is questioning at least four persons on the second day of the raids.

The sources said the agency is recording the statements of these people, who have not been identified till now, under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).

The raids are being conducted as part of ED's money laundering FIRs, called ECIRs in the agency's parlance, in the Bikaner land scam case and one against absconding arms dealer Sanjay Bhandari, they said.

ECIR stands for Enforcement Case Information Report.

While Vadra linked firm Skylight Hospitality and its officials have been grilled by the ED in the Bikaner land scam case, the agency has twice issued summons to Vadra, the brother-in-law of Congress chief Rahul Gandhi, to appear in this case.

Controversial arms dealer Bhandari was booked by the ED in 2016 based on an Income Tax Department and Delhi police complaint of his alleged indulgence in dubious defence deals.

Bhandari's case first came to light after the I-T department conducted searches against him in April, 2016 and recovered certain "sensitive" official defence documents from his premises.

As part of these raids, certain emails are also said to have been recovered that talk about renovation of a costly apartment in London in 2010 which was allegedly owned by Vadra.

Vadra's legal firm has denied that he owned the London property directly or indirectly. It has also denied Vadra has any business ties with an arms consultant or his aides.

The tax department had shared a "seizure memo record" with the defence ministry to apprise it about the contents of these "sensitive" documents.

ED sources had said on Friday that "the searches are being carried out at the premises of two employees of firms linked to Vadra and another person". These people are suspected to have received commissions out of a defence deal and they subsequently invested these funds to acquire illegal assets abroad.

They, however, had not disclosed the names of the people whose premises were searched or the defence deal under their scanner stating that the "action was ongoing".

Vadra's lawyer Suman Khaitan said ED officers "are inside his client's premises since 8/9 AM".

Khaitan had alleged that the ED teams entered the premises of associates of his client without showing "search warrants".

He had claimed that the premises were locked from inside and questioned the government's motive behind it.

Khaitan went on to claim that probably evidence was being fabricated.

The Congress reacted sharply to the ED action and said an "unnerved" Modi government was unleashing "vendetta" against Vadra to divert the narrative.

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A 68-year-old man, who was admitted at the Goa Medical College and Hospital (GMCH), killed himself Saturday by jumping off the third floor of the state-run facility, the police said.

The incident occurred at 6:30 AM when Ravindra Naik walked out of the medicine ward and leapt out, a police official said.

Naik was rushed to the casualty ward of the same hospital where he was declared dead, said Aggassaim police inspector Uday Gawade.

Police are investigating the trigger behind Naik taking the extreme step.

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An encounter broke out Saturday between militants and security forces on the outskirts of Srinagar - the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the evening near the Srinagar-Bandipora road in Mujgund area on the city's outskirts, a police official said.

As the forces were conducting searches, the militants fired upon them, he said.

The forces retaliated, ensuing an encounter, the official said.

He said the gunfight was going on and further details were awaited.

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Army Chief Gen. Bipin Rawat Saturday said the international community knew about the role of Pakistani terrorists in the Mumbai terror attack and that India did not want anyone's acknowledgement about it.

The Army chief's comments came when asked about reported remarks of Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan that the 2008 Mumbai attack was "an act of terrorism" and that resolving the case was in Pakistan's interest.

Khan's comments during a media interview was seen as an indirect acknowledgement of involvement of Pakistani terrorists in the attack.

"International community knows who did it...but even without it, we knew who did it," Gen. Rawat said on the sidelines of an event when asked about Khan's reported comments.

The Army chief, however, said acceptance by Pakistan about the 26/11 terror attack was good.

He further said, "We know who did it. I don't think we have to get anymore statement from anybody."



Asked about comments by former Northern Army Commander Lt General (retd) D S Hooda that the "hype" around the 2016 surgical strikes on terror launchpads along the Line of Control in Jammu and Kashmir was unwarranted and that it is not good when military operations get politicised, Gen Rawat said the remarks were an individual's opinion.

At the same time, Gen Rawat said, he respected Lt Gen (retd) Hooda's words.

As Northern Army Commander, Lt Gen (retd) Hooda was involved in planning and execution of the surgical strikes.

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Former FBI director James Comey, sacked by President Donald Trump in 2017, testified Friday before US lawmakers for the first time in over a year, but this time out of the camera glare.

The hours-long Capitol Hill grilling comes amid turbulence at the White House, and mounting intrigue over Special Counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible contacts between Trump's presidential campaign and Moscow.

Comey smiled as he walked past reporters towards a closed-door House meeting, telling them "maybe later" he would answer questions.

Trump's bete noire had pleaded for a public hearing after he was subpoenaed by members of the outgoing Congress in November, but House Republicans including some of Trump's allies insisted on a private session before the judiciary and oversight committees.

Comey was questioned as part of a Republican-led House inquiry into possible Russian interference in the US election, and email use by Democrat Hillary Clinton, who lost to Trump in 2016.

Congressman Darrell Issa said he wanted answers about what he called the "fake dossier," a 2016 intelligence report including opposition research that alleges misconduct and ties between the Trump campaign and Russia.

"We want to know what he knew and when he knew it," Issa said of Comey. He also complained that Comey's lawyers were preventing the former FBI chief from answering some questions from lawmakers.

In May 2017 Trump abruptly sacked Comey, who was the senior official leading a criminal investigation into possible collusion with Moscow.

Three months earlier the president met privately with Comey and urged him to end the investigation into former national security advisor Michael Flynn, a move that many Democrats interpreted as an obstruction of justice.

Flynn, who was indicted for lying to investigators, has been cooperating with Mueller's probe. Mueller was expected to provide court filings Friday related to Trump's jailed former campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former lawyer and longtime fixer Michael Cohen.

The president has repeatedly blasted Mueller's probe as a "witch hunt," and on Friday unleashed a Twitter tirade against Mueller, Comey and other current and former officials tied to the Russia probe.

"Robert Mueller and Leakin' Lyin' James Comey are best friends, just one of many Mueller Conflicts of Interest," Trump tweeted. Comey's testimony will likely be one of the last sessions conducted by the judiciary and oversight panels this year. Control of Congress shifts in January to Democrats, who are keen to end or alter the probe.

Incoming House Judiciary Committee chairman Jerrold Nadler said the probe into FBI behavior was a "waste of time" and that he would shut it down.

"The entire purpose of this investigation is to cast aspersion on the real investigation, which is Mueller," Nadler told reporters outside Comey's testimony.

Comey had resisted answering questions privately, but struck a deal with Republicans that will see a transcript of the testimony published 24 hours after his interview.

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Former Colombian president Belisario Betancur, who steered his country through one of its most turbulent periods in the 1980s, died Friday aged 95, doctors announced.

President Ivan Duque led tributes for the former conservative leader, who was president of the South American country from 1982 to 1986.

"I deeply regret the death of a great friend, a great Colombian, former president Belisario Betancur," Duque wrote in a message on Twitter.

"His legacy in politics, in our history, in our culture, is an example for all future generations." Betancur was being treated in a Bogota clinic for a kidney condition. The Santa Fe Foundation clinic said in a statement that the ex-president passed away at 2:32 pm (2032 GMT).

Marta Lucia Ramirez, the country's vice president, had prematurely announced Betancur's death in a tweet the day before.

She corrected the mistake within minutes, but not before it was picked up by national media, leading to a flood of reactions from public figures.

The conservative Betancur was president when leftist M-19 guerrillas seized control of Bogota's Palace of Justice in November 1985 -- a dramatic foretaste of the violence that was to mark Colombia over the next decades.

He was the first president to summon the rebel groups that emerged in the 1960s to a dialogue with the government, assuring them he would work to achieve peace.

The main rebel group, the FARC, finally signed a peace agreement with the liberal government of Juan Manuel Santos more than 30 years later, in 2016.

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The Madras High Court has asked authorities concerned to file their counter and status reports by January 9 in a PIL seeking a direction to ban flagpoles in public places.

A division bench of Justice M Satyanarayanan and Justice P Rajamanickam, before which the plea came up recently, said in an interim order that statutory provisions would prima facie disclose that erection of flagpoles by any political party or organization without license or permission was prohibited.

But the provisions are complied with rather in the breach and local body authorities for reasons best know to them turn a "blind eye to the said unlawful cases," the court said recently.

It said putting up flagpoles pose a threat to safety of pedestrians and road-users and it may be the state's duty to compensate the victims in the event of the poles collapsing on them.

Therefore, the bench said, it is for the local bodies to ensure no flagpoles come up on road margins or pavements or arches without permission.

The plea, filed by A Radhakrishnan from Salem, said one of the guidelines issued by the State Election Commission was for removal of flagpoles of all political parties already erected in public places.

He said the commission had issued direction to the police and revenue officials to remove all flagpoles and hoardings put up by the political parties.

Besides, the petitioner said, erecting flagpoles temporarily during conferences and public meetings by digging the ground endanger underground telecom cables and electric cables, among others.

He said these activities violated the Tamil Nadu Prevention of Public Property Damages and Loss Act.

Recording the submission, the bench directed the registry to send a copy of the interim order to director of Municipal administration and the Commissioner of Corporation of Greater Chennai and DGP and posted the matter for further hearing to January 9.

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Thousands of Hungarian workers demonstrated in Budapest on Saturday against a change to the labour code proposed by Prime Minister Viktor Orban's ruling party that critics have dubbed a 'slavery law'.

Tabled by lawmakers from Orban's right-wing Fidesz party, the draft bill seeks a large hike in maximum annual overtime hours that employers can demand, as well as the time period for calculating overtime payments.

Some protestors among a crowd that numbered over 5,000 according to an AFP photographer, wore fluorescent yellow vests in an echo of protests in France.

"Wages should be increased not overtime hours," Gyorgy Kalman, a 47-year-old car-factory worker who travelled from the city of Gyor to attend the protest, told AFP.

"We should stand up for ourselves like the French have," he said, referring to the "yellow vests" movement.

Representatives of most Hungarian opposition parties also took part in the march. The government has argued that the change would benefit those wanting to earn more money by working more hours.

But the demonstration organiser, the Hungarian Trade Union Confederation (MASZSZ), demands the scrapping of the bill.

In a prior statement, MASZSZ leader Laszlo Kordas said the law "attacked a wide strata of society".

"Workers would be obliged to do 50 days overtime work a year," if the proposed limit increase in the current 250 hours to 400 hours is adopted, he said.

Critics have also speculated that German automotive giants, a key part of the Hungarian economy, have lobbied Budapest to loosen overtime restrictions due to increasing labour shortages in the country.

The German-Hungarian Chamber of Industry and Commerce has denied that any German firms have sought the modifications.

The Hungarian parliament is scheduled to vote on the bill Tuesday.

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He is one of the biggest stars of Hindi film industry, but Dharmendra had his fair share of struggles during his initial days in the movies. The actor says his career defining moment was when legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy felt he was good enough to play Devendra in "Bandini".

The actor, who turned 83 on Saturday, reveals he was transfixed and could not eat his food when Roy casually broke the that he was doing "Bandini", over a shared meal of "maach" (fish).

The anecdote finds mention in upcoming biography of the actor, "Dharmendra: Not Just a He-Man", by Rajiv Vijaykar.

Dharmendra (Dharam Singh Deol) had went to Bombay, as Mumbai was called in the 1950s, tried luck and even left for home unsuccessful. Five years later, still dreaming of making a mark in showbiz, he returned to participate in the Filmfare-United Producers' contest for new entrants when luck shined on him.

"I remember restlessly waiting for the results on the day of the final test during the Filmfare contest. The great Bimal Roy was one of the judges, and his assistant Debu Sen (who later directed Roy's 1968 production 'Do Dooni Chaar') was very fond of me. Debu sized me up and simply said, 'Hai baat! (There is something special in you)' while I waited," the actor is quoted as saying in the book.

A little later, Sen called him inside, stating that Bimal Da wanted to see the newcomer.

"I went in, and Bimal Da said, 'Come, come, Dharmendu' the name he stubbornly called me (by) stating that he was saying Dharmender in his Bengali way'Your boudi (sister-in-law) has sent maach (fish)'," he said.

Dharmendra recalled that he was unable to swallow his food, as he was tense about the results and few minutes later, Roy casually stated, "Aur Dharmendu, tum Bandini kar rahaa hai (And Dharmendra, you are doing 'Bandini')!"



"Now I was unable to eat because I was so happy!" quipped Dharmendra, according to the book.

"There is always that moment that comes after months and years of struggle that you catch and do not want to let go! All my years of struggle coalesced into that one moment! I wanted to live it forever!" he added.

However, since "Bandini" took a while to launch, it finally became his sixth movie to release. But that short role which begins and ends in the first half of this iconic film is extremely dear to the actor.

"Getting a role in a Bimal Roy film was not a small thing, and my other director was to be Guru Dutt, but that film, sadly, never happened. But I was starting out with the best!" Dharmendra said.

The book, by Rupa Publications, also reveals that two different climaxes were shot for the 1963 film which starred Nutan and Ashok Kumar.

"See the beauty of the story!" the book quoted Dharmendra as telling the author during an interview a few years ago.

"I, a doctor who also visits a jail, fall deeply in love with the girl prisoner (Nutan), the Bandini, despite coming to know everything about her past, as well as the fact that she is in jail for killing the wife of her lover. She also feels for me, but does not wish to spoil my life, which is just taking off," the actor said.

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Special Counsel Robert Mueller has filed a new set of papers in court that may increase the legal woes of US President Donald Trump in connection with the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible contacts between the Trump's presidential campaign and Moscow.

While the court papers does not answer the central question of whether Trump or his associates conspired with the Russians, the documents suggest that the president's legal woes are far from over and reveal a previously unreported contact from a Russian to Trump's inner circle during the campaign, according to a report in the Washington Post.

The Court papers directly implicated Trump in plans to buy women's silence as far back as 2014 and offering new evidence of Russian efforts to forge a political alliance with Trump before he became the president - disclosures that show the deepening political and legal morass enveloping the administration, said the report.

In his filings before a US federal court in Washington DC, Muller said that Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign manager lied to prosecutors about his contacts with the White House and an associate with suspected ties to Russian intelligence.

The president and the White House denied of any wrongdoings.

"Totally clears the President. Thank You," Trump responded with his characteristic fiery tweets.

In another court submission, Mueller said Michael Cohen, the former personal attorney of Trump, has gone to "significant lengths" to assist his ongoing Russia investigation.

Mueller said Cohen has provided the special counsel "with useful information concerning certain discrete Russia-related matters core to its investigation that he obtained by virtue of his regular contact with company executives during the campaign."



A federal court in New York is scheduled to give its sentencing order against Cohen on December 12. In August he had pleaded guilty to the charges of campaign-finance violations and tax frauds.

Federal prosecutors have recommended substantial prison time for Cohen.

The White House said none of these filing showed any involvement of the president.

"The government's filing in Mr Manafort's case says absolutely nothing about the President. It says even less about collusion and is devoted almost entirely to lobbying-related issues. Once again the media is trying to create a story where there isn't one," White House Press Secretary Sarah Sanders said.

Sanders also said that the government's filing in Cohen's case was nothing new.

"The government's filings in Mr Cohen's case tell us nothing of value that wasn't already known. Mr Cohen has repeatedly lied and as the prosecution has pointed out to the court, Mr Cohen is no hero," Sanders said in another statement.

Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking member Dianne Feinstein said that these legal documents outline serious and criminal wrongdoing, including felony violations of campaign finance laws at the direction of President Trump.

She said that false statements were given to Congress about communications with Russian government officials in the pursuit of Trump Tower Moscow and lies to Special Counsel Mueller about meetings with Konstantin Kilimnik, a suspected Russian intelligence operative.

"It has been clear from the outset that Special Counsel Mueller has been conducting a serious and strenuous investigation. He has now secured 36 indictments, six guilty pleas and the cooperation of key individuals," she said.

"He (Muller) is working meticulously to uncover the truth about Russian interference in the 2016 election and potential coordination with the Trump campaign. His work must be allowed to continue unfettered. The American people deserve to know the truth," Feinstein said.

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A Myanmar court will hear the appeal later this month of two Reuters journalists jailed for their reporting on the Rohingya crisis, a lawyer said Saturday.

Wa Lone, 32, and Kyaw Soe Oo, 28, were found guilty under a state secrets act in September after exposing the extrajudicial killing of 10 Rohingya men during a brutal military crackdown in Myanmar's western Rakhine state last year.

The pair - who have been held behind bars for nearly a year since their arrest last December - were sentenced to seven years in jail, a verdict that drew widespread condemnation, including from US Vice President Mike Pence.

Lawyer Than Zaw Aung told AFP the date for the appeal hearing has been set for December 24 at the Yangon regional court.

"It is difficult to say how long the appeal can take," he said, estimating that it would run for "at least two weeks", but could stretch to months.

"We are hoping for their unconditional release." The reporters will remain in prison during the appeal process.

The pair were investigating the massacre of 10 Rohingya men by security forces in Inn Din village, an atrocity that the military later admitted in a rare acknowledgement of wrongdoing.

And as the much-criticised trial was being held, one whistleblowing police officer told the court how a superior had ordered his men to set up a sting to entrap the reporters -- testimony the judge chose to ignore.

Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi has remained defiant in the face of criticism and insisted the case upheld the rule of law - further tarnishing her image as a democracy icon after her silence over the military's actions against the Rohingya Muslims.

UN investigators have called for senior military generals to be prosecuted for genocide over their handling of the Rohingya crisis, in which more than 720,000 people were forcibly expelled to neighbouring Bangladesh's refugee camps.

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Naxals have killed a former rebel who became deputy sarpanch of his village after surrendering to the authorities in Chhattisgarh's Narayanpur district two years ago, police said Saturday.

Manku Potai was shot dead by ultras late in the night on December 6 on the outskirts of his village, Narayanpur Superintendent of Police Jitendra Shukla told PTI.

The 39-year-old was active as a Maoist militia member and had surrendered before the police in 2016, Shukla said.

"Potai was shot in his head from point-blank range that left him dead on the spot on the outskirts of his village Kalepal under Benoor police station limits," he said.

As per preliminary information, Naxals had called Potai to the forest adjacent to his village, located around 350km from the state capital Raipur, Thursday night, he said.

After hearing the sound of bullets, villagers rushed to the spot and found Potai lying in a pool of blood, he said.

Naxals fled the spot after committing the crime, the police officer said.

On being alerted about the incident, a police team was sent to the village Friday and the former rebel's body taken for post-mortem, he said.

Potai had become deputy sarpanch of Kalepal after quitting the Naxal movement, Shukla said.

He was functioning as in-charge village head after the death of sarpanch early this year, he said.

A Maoist pamphlet was recovered from the spot, but it did not mention the reason for Potai's killing, Shukla said.

The exact reason for the former rebel's killing was being ascertained, the SP said, adding a search operation was on in the area to trace the assailants.

On December 3, Naxals had killed two former colleagues who were working as police informers after surrendering in Bastar district, the police had said.

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The NCP has accused the BJP-led Maharashtra government of "meddling" into the affairs of temples, days after the state administration inked an MoU seeking a Rs 500 crore "interest free" loan from Shri Saibaba Sansthan Trust (SSST) for constructing a dam canal network.

The Leader of Opposition in the Maharashtra Legislative Council Dhananjay Munde also alleged that seeking loan from temples is indicative of "fiscal bankruptcy" of the state government.

"The government's move to seek Rs 500 crore loan from the SSST is unfortunate because the government claims to have ample of funds for the Sammruddhi corridor and Bullet Train projects," the Nationalist Congress Party leader told PTI Friday.

Recently, a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) was signed between the SSST and the Godawari-Marathwada Irrigation Development Corporation (GMIDC) for the Rs 500 crore credit.

Nilwande dam is located on the Pravara River and is expected to benefit 182 villages in Sangamner, Akole, Rahata, Rahuri and Kopargaon talukas in Ahmednagar district and Sinnar in Nashik.

Munde also claimed the state government had already utilised SSST funds worth Rs 700 crore, which is a donation given by devotees of Saibaba, for various works.

"Instead of utilising the funds for providing various facilities for devotees, the government is using them for dam-related works while it is sending notices for payment of Income Tax to SSST," he said.

According to Munde, the government seeking a loan of Rs 500 crore from a shrine is "indicative of fiscal bankruptcy".

Munde claimed that funds worth Rs 28,000 crore, which are meant to be used for irrigation, are currently lying idle with the state government.

He alleged the prime minister and the chief minister are "looting" funds of temples.

Munde also alleged that Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis have "failed" to keep their assurance of granting Rs 3200 crore for the development of Saibaba temple and Shirdi town.

"The PM had promised a miracle after imposition of goods and service tax (GST) but nothing happened," he said, adding that a government is supposed to ensure that a temple is run smoothly and not to intervene into its affairs.

Munde also alleged that the government has been violating rules regarding appointment of trustees for the Saibaba shrine.

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Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday inaugurated a stoppage at Bihar's Bihiya station for the Shramjeevi Express, meeting a long pending demand of locals, a ministry official said.

The minister, while inaugurating the stoppage via video conferencing from the national capital, said it will promote tourism and employment in the area.

"It will provide direct connectivity to Rajgir, Lucknow, Varanasi, Delhi," he said.

The minister highlighted the transformation push for Railways development projects in Bihar.

Railway projects worth Rs 48,170 crore have been sanctioned for creation of infrastructure in Bihar.

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Nigerian President Muhammadu Buhari on Friday refused to sign off on plans to overhaul the country's electoral laws, judging that new rules would cause "disruption and confusion" so close to an election.

Africa's most populous nation goes to the polls to elect a new president and parliament on February 16. Governorship and state house of assembly elections will be held two weeks later.

Buhari, who is seeking re-election, said he was "concerned that passing a new electoral bill this far into the electoral process... could create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation".

Parliament has passed the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2018 and has been awaiting presidential assent in the hope it would be introduced before polling day.

But Buhari said: "Any real or apparent change to the rules this close to the election may provide an opportunity for disruption and confusion in respect of which law governs the electoral process."



Amendments should come into effect after the 2019 general elections, he told the speaker of the lower House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, in a letter.

Domestic and international observers have expressed concern about electoral fraud, after allegations of vote-buying at recent gubernatorial elections.

One of the main amendments in the bill was the compulsory use of electronic voter card readers, which are designed to make it harder to rig the result.

Failure of the technology would see a substitute machine brought in to the affected polling station and voting postponed up to 24 hours, the bill proposed.

Under the current legislation, card readers that scan fingerprints and other personal data are optional.

Election officials can revert to traditional paper ballots and electoral lists should the technology fail.

That happened in 2015 when then-president Goodluck Jonathan voted in his hometown, forcing him to register by hand. Buhari had no such problems when he voted.

Technical glitches with the handheld readers at 300 of the country's 150,000 polling stations forced the election to run over into a second day.

Other proposed amendments in the bill included limits on election campaign funding and the cost of nomination forms for political candidates.

The head of the Policy and Legal Advocacy Centre and civil society election monitor Situation Room, Clement Nwankwo, said it was a "sad day for Nigeria's electoral progress".

Buhari had refused three earlier versions and failed to present his own version, he wrote on Twitter.

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An Afghan official says at least three civilians were killed when their vehicle hit a roadside bomb in western Herat province.

Gelani Farhad, provincial governor's spokesman, says the three who were from the same family were killed Saturday morning in Guzra district.

No one immediately claimed the attack, but Farhad blamed Taliban insurgents who are active in the area.

In eastern Nangarhar province, three members of the Islamic State group were arrested during a military operation in Bahsud district, said Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Both Taliban and Islamic State militants are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar province.

There was no immediate statement from the Islamic State group.

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A man was killed and around 15 others injured, three of them seriously, when the private bus they were travelling in overturned in Mahasamund district of Chhattisgarh on Saturday, police said.

The incident took place around 3 pm under Tendukona police station limits when the bus, with 25 passengers on board, was going towards Pithora town from Bagbahra in the district, a police official told PTI.

According to passengers, the bus was speeding and its driver lost control over it at Urridongri curve due to which the vehicle overturned and skidded off the road, he added.

"A passenger died on the spot and around 15 others were injured. They were taken to a community health centre in Pithora. Three of them are said to be in a critical condition," he added.

A case has been registered in this connection, he said, adding that the deceased passenger was yet to be identified.

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The Pakistani government on Saturday opened the highly secure palatial President House for the general public as part of its plans to allow public access to state buildings.

Officially called as Aiwan-e-Sadar, the historical building is located at the foot of the Margalla Hills on the Constitution Avenue in the high-security Red Zone of the national capital.

The white squarish building represents a modern step pyramid architectural style and is flanked by the Prime Minister House on the one side and the Parliament building on the other.

President House spokesman Tahir Khushnood said the general public were allowed to enter the building from 9 am to 4 pm by showing the national identity card at the entrance.

The opening of the iconic building was in line with the election promise of the Imran Khan-led Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf to open key state buildings for public use if voted to power.

Under this policy, the Governor Houses in Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar have already been opened for public viewing.

Around 4,000 citizens visited the Governor House in Lahore on the first day of its opening for general public in September.

Minister for National History and Literary Heritage Shafqat Mehmood is leading a task force to review how heritage buildings such as governor and state rest houses across the country can be opened up for public use.

Mehmood has recently announced that art gallerias and museums would be established in some of the Governor Houses, whereas a gubernatorial building at Nathiagali would be transformed into a hotel.

Premier Imran Khan has also announced to convert Prime Minister's House into a prestigious state-of-the-art university.

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The recent massacre of civilian workers by separatist rebels in Indonesia's restive Papua province has cast a spotlight on one of the world's longest-running insurgencies, with no end to the bloody conflict in sight.

The killings are a marked escalation from decades of mostly sporadic skirmishes between poorly armed and disorganised guerrillas and a powerful Indonesian military accused of gross human rights abuses against civilians.

Some 16 employees of a state-owned contractor were murdered at a remote jungle work camp on Sunday with at least three more workers still missing.

They were building bridges and roads in a major infrastructure push for Indonesia's most impoverished region, but rebels claimed they were legitimate targets, raising concerns that the independence struggle has taken a dangerous new turn.

"There has never been an attack of this type of scale by separatist guerrillas," said Damien Kingsbury, professor of international politics at Australia's Deakin University.

"The outbreaks of mass violence to date have been perpetrated by the Indonesian military."



The conflict in mineral-rich Papua traces its roots to Dutch de-colonisation in the early 1960s, with more recent grievances fanned by marginalisation of the ethnic Melanesian population and widespread rights abuses, including extrajudicial killings.

Papua, which shares a border with island nation Papua New Guinea, just north of Australia, remained a Dutch colony for more than a decade after the Netherlands relinquished its former East Indies territories to a newly independent Indonesia in 1949.

Despite laying the groundwork for Papuan self-government, the Netherlands came under pressure from a White House fearful about communism spreading across Southeast Asia.

So it agreed in 1962 to place Papua under temporary UN administration before it was ceded to Indonesia a year later, on the condition it hold an independence referendum.

The vote -- called the Act of Free Choice -- is widely viewed as a sham. About 1,000 handpicked Papuans unanimously chose to remain part of Indonesia, allegedly under the threat of violence.

Jakarta cites the referendum as proof its control is legitimate.

But for some Papuans, who are ethnically different and share almost no cultural ties with the rest of the sprawling archipelago, it was the start of another colonial occupation that has seen them dispossessed of land where their ancestors lived for centuries.

Much of the insurgency has centred around a huge gold and copper mine operated by US-based firm Freeport McMoRan, seen locally as a symbol of environmental devastation and exploitation of Papua's enormous mineral wealth.

Since his 2014 election, President Joko Widodo has overseen an unprecedented development push, including the ambitious 4,300-kilometre (2,700-mile) Trans-Papua highway.

But analysts say it may be too little, too late.

"If Papua is part of Indonesia, it should've been built up in the same way as other regions," said Adriana Elisabeth, a Papua expert at the Indonesian Institute of Sciences.

The depth of discontent was underscored last year when 1.8 million Papuans signed a ultimately unsuccessful petition asking the UN to recognise a self-determination vote.

Most victims of the weekend massacre had their hands tied together with some suffering gunshot or knife wounds and blunt-force injuries, authorities said.

One worker was almost decapitated The faction of the National Liberation Army of West Papua (TPNPB), which claimed responsibility, is one of the independence movement's most militant groups and its actions could spark copycat attacks, along with a deadly military response, according to the Jakarta-based Institute for Policy Analysis of Conflict.

While the brazen attack may signal an emboldened rebel strategy, the actions taken by a local faction on its own highlight an armed struggle beset by clan rivalries, competing interests and with no formal command structure, analysts said.

Regardless, the killings may hurt an independence movement that has struggled to capture the attention of the international community, Deakin University's Kingsbury said.

The Free West Papua Organisation (OPM), which includes armed and political pro-independence groups, has little international backing outside a small number of Pacific island nations.

It does not receive significant funding or arms from abroad, the group and analysts say.

"Independence has not received much support because Indonesia is a significant international actor with many differing friends," Kingsbury said.

The rag-tag armed movement poses little threat to a country of some 260 million people, but Jakarta has had little success stamping out the insurgency.

The rebels say they remain committed to fighting for independence, while Indonesia has shown no interest in coming to the bargaining table.

"If you tell the government it should hold talks about Papua's independence, they don't want do that," Elisabeth of the Indonesian Institute of Sciences told AFP.

"They have invested too much in Papua.

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Stepping up its attack on the BJP-led government over ED raids against Robert Vadra's associates, the Congress Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of using probe agencies for "political vendetta" and to "besmirch" the names of people living with dignity.

After the Congress's attack, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) hit back, dubbing Vadra the "fountainhead of corruption". Party spokesperson Sambit Patra lashed out at the Congress, saying it showed that Vadra was only a conduit and the "final track probably leads to the family".

Senior Congress leaders Kapil Sibal, Ahmed Patel and Randeep Surjewala held a press conference in the evening at the All India Congress Committee (AICC) headquarters here, hours after the Enforcement Directorate (ED) carried out raids against Vadra's associates for the second day.

The raids against three persons linked to Vadra, the son-in-law of Congress leader Sonia Gandhi, had started Friday.

Official sources said the action was taken on the basis of two FIRs filed by the agency.

"People are being harassed, held practically under arrest in their houses, raided without any notice. Is this the kind of change Modi had advocated for in (the) 2014 (Lok Sabha) election?", Sibal asked at the press conference.

He alleged that agencies like the ED were "acting on the directions of the prime minister".

Asked if he was suggesting that there was a constitutional failure in the country as agencies that were supposed to uphold the rule of law were being used by the government for its own purposes, Sibal said, "Not only suggesting, but this is my charge that the PM and the PMO are using these agencies for political vendetta and besmirching the names of people who are living with dignity in this country."



The Congress leader, however, did not present any evidence in support of his charge.

There was no reaction of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO) to the opposition party's allegation.

"When law enforcement agencies start doing hooliganism, then who will probe them? And if they get the support of the prime minister, then who will investigate it?



"No Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) of the FIR has been shared, no search warrant issued, people were forced to sign on blank papers. Is this democracy? Is this the rule of law?," Sibal asked.

He also claimed that the BJP and Modi were "frustrated" with the exit poll projections on the just-concluded Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana Assembly elections.

"If this is the situation at exit polls, what will happen when they (BJP) exit (lose the polls)?," Sibal asked.

"Wherever there are people of opposition parties, they are being targeted and the I-T (Income Tax department) or the ED is being sent after them, or they are being arrested or getting picked up at night," he alleged.

Earlier in the day, senior Congress leader Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged at a press conference that the Modi dispensation was using "high-handed tactics" to threaten people as it was in a "state of panic of the highest degree", sensing poll defeats.

He also alleged that there was never such a "terror raj" in the "constitutional rule" of India.

"We fought the British Raj and the BJP would do well to know that the day of judgement will come for it," he said.

The Congress leader claimed that the BJP was in a "state of panic of the highest degree", sensing rejection by the people in the just-concluded Assembly polls.

Singhvi claimed that the searches against Vadra's associates were carried out in violation of laws, adding, "We have nothing against any particular person, but we are talking about principles.... No Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) of the FIR has been shared, no search warrant issued, no access to lawyers and detained persons were also physically roughed up."



The "illegal raids" were "another episode of these concerted conspiracies to target the Congress", he claimed, adding, "The Congress will not be cowed down by such shallow threats.

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The Pattali Makkal Katchi Saturday demanded immediate filing of charge sheet by police in a case of alleged bribery against a former vice-chancellor of the State-run Bharathiar University.

"The Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption should take steps to immediately file a charge sheet," PMK founder S Ramadoss said.

Citing the arrest of the Coimbatore-based varsity's former vice-chancellor A Ganapathy in February this year by the DVAC sleuths for allegedly receiving bribes, the PMK top leader said no charge sheet has been filed in the case despite a lapse of ten months.

The alleged bribery in a government university "brought disrepute to Tamil Nadu," he said adding non-filing of charge sheet so far was "condemnable."



The PMK leader, in a statement, wanted expeditious filing of the charge sheet and punishment to those who had indulged in corruption. Following his arrest, Ganapathy was suspended from his post.

In November 2016, now defunct Coimbatore-Anna University's former vice-chancellor R Radhakrishnan was convicted in a graft case by a court and was sentenced to undergo five years rigorous imprisonment.

Against the background of such incidents, Tamil Nadu Governor Banwarilal Purohit had in October this year alleged that crores of rupees exchanged hands in the appointment of vice-chancellors to universities before he took over.

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The leader of Poland's ruling party has spoken out against having Poland convert to using the European Union's shared currency, the euro.

Jaroslaw Kaczynski suggested that as the Poles aspire to western European living standards, sticking with the local zloty currency would protect them during international financial crises.

At the same time, this strong critic of the EU said that Poland's strong position in the 28-member bloc will help improve Polish living standards. Kaczynski spoke at the party's parliamentary policy meeting Friday.

An EU member since 2004, Poland has been ambivalent about converting to the euro, saying it first needs to meet all the necessary criteria. Nineteen European nations currently use the euro.

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Union Petroleum Minister Dharmendra Pradhan Saturday sought the Home Ministry's intervention in punishing the people behind the sexual exploitation of minor girls at a shelter home in Odisha's Dhenkanal district.

An NGO-run shelter home was sealed on Sunday in Dhenkanal district and two people, including its managing director, were arrested following allegations that the minor inmates there were sexually abused.

"I sincerely urge you to take exemplary action against the perpetrators of this henious crime in order to stop the illegal functioning of the shelter home," Pradhan wrote to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.

Pradhan mentioned in the letter that he was in receipt of a petition from Pravati Parida, the state president of BJP's Mahila Morcha, where a request has been made for taking stern action against persons involved in the sexual exploitation of girls at Dream Centre Shelter Home.

"In the letter, it is stated that Good India, an NGO, is running an illegal shelter home in village Belitikiri, district Dhenkanal. Last week, media surfaced about the sexual abuse of girls at Dream Centre shelter home," Pradhan said.

Quoting Parida's letter, the Pradhan further said that the shelter home is also involved in religious conversions and human trafficking.

"It is also pertinent to mention that flow of foreign funds to Good India is very high and is running 26 shelter homes in Odisha out of which 15 are illegal. The state government is a mute spectator to the blatant violation of the Juvenile Justice Act," Pradhan said.

Earlier, the police had arrested the chief of Dream Centre Shelter Home, Fayaz Rahman.

The NGO received Rs 14-15 crore as foreign donation and the amount was transferred directly through a private bank from USA to West Bengal and then to Bhubaneswar, police had said.

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Police Saturday claimed to have cracked the case of rape and murder of a 17-year-old girl in the city with the arrest of her uncle.

The accused, who is the husband of the victim's aunt, was arrested late last night, police said.

The girl was found dead at her house in Dhayari area on Thursday. Her post-mortem later confirmed that she was raped and strangled to death.

"The accused, who is in his thirties, is the husband of deceased's aunt (mother's sister). He has been arrested," a senior police official said.

"We suspected his involvement and zeroed in on him. During the interrogation, he confessed to committing the crime between 1 pm and 5 pm on Thursday," he added.

The accused knew the schedule of the victim, who used to remain alone at home after returning from college. Her brother used to come back from school in the evening, he said.

"Sinhgad Police have booked the accused under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and relevant sections of the Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act and he will be produced before the court later in the day," the official said.

According to police, when the minor's brother returned home in the evening on Thursday, he found her lying in an unconscious state. He immediately informed his parents, who go out for work during the day as labourers.

Her father then called their neighbour, who is a nurse and asked her to check what has happened. After checking the girl's pulse, the woman rushed her to a private hospital, where doctors declared her brought dead.

Initially, a case of accidental death was registered and the body was sent for autopsy.

"The post-mortem report confirmed that the girl was allegedly raped and strangled to death," the officer said adding that a case under IPC sections 302 (murder), 376 (rape) and relevant sections of Protection of Children from Sexual Offences (POCSO) Act was registered at the Sinhgad police station.

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Hyderabad-based conservationist Imran Siddiqui has been honoured with this year's Sanctuary Wildlife Service Award, Wildlife Conservation Society (WCS) said Saturday.

Siddiqui, who is an Assistant Director for Conservation Science at WCS-India monitors tiger in 10,000 sq km, including Nagarjunasagar Srisailam, Amrabad and Kawal Tiger Reserves, and corridors connecting to Tadoba and Tirupati Forests.

This is India's most prestigious award, the WCS said.

Siddiqui has come a long way from raising and selling poultry to fund his wildlife obsession and is now on the Telangana State Board for Wildlife, and works as an external expert for tiger monitoring in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana, a WCS statement said.

"Traversing the rugged landscapes of Kawal, Amrabad and Nagarjunsagar-Srisailam Tiger Reserves and the Gundla Bramheswaram Sanctuary, he works in tandem with state forest departments and local communities.

"He covers 10,000 sq km of wilderness in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh with his crew of over 35 field staff, 300 volunteers and hundreds of supporters," the statement said.

His efforts have resulted in speedy disbursal of compensation, besides the initiation of relocation of landless tribals who live within the two tiger reserves of Kawal and Amrabad.

"Imran is also largely credited for the declaration of the Kawal Tiger Reserve (where he conducted the fieldwork for his Masters dissertation).

"For this, he had to lobby relentlessly at the political level as well as work tirelessly on the ground to counter misinformation spread by vested interests and finally win the support of local communities," it said.

It pointed out that with his core skills in field surveys and GIS tools, Siddiqui sees the imperative need to build local capacity of the frontline Forest Department staff and other civil society stakeholders to carry out effective conservation and conducted over 72 workshops covering around 2,400 frontline staff in the past 18 years.

"In addition to his technical expertise, Imran uses his strong liaisoning skills to motivate media groups, lawyers, political leaders and general public for conservation of tigers and their habitats. These skills always help in effective conservation," said Prakriti Srivastava, Director, WCS India Program.

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: The Puducherry government Saturday said it would file a review petition in the Supreme Court on its recent verdict, upholding the Centre's nomination of three BJP legislators as members of the assembly.

"The Apex court has delivered its verdict, upholding the nomination of three members to the Legislative Assembly. The government will file a review petition on the matter after consulting legal experts," Chief Minister V Narayanasamy told reporters here.

Lt Governor Kiran Bedi had administered the oath of office to the three members, V Saminathan, K G Shankar and S Selvaganapathi,in her chamber on July 4, 2017, but Speaker V Vaithilingam declined to recognise them as MLAs and had cancelled their nomination.

The issue had intensified the rift between Bedi and the Congress government. with the latter assailing her action as unconstitutional and contending that the Centre had 'unilaterally' nominated the MLAs without consulting the territorial government.

The MLAs then challenged the Speakers' action and moved the Madras High Court, which upheld their nomination.

Later, the Congress leaders filed an appeal in the Supreme Court, which upheld the Centre's decision.

Bedi had on December 6 welcomed the apex court verdict, saying she was "exceedingly grateful and happy" with the judgement.

On the contentious Mekedatu dam issue, Narayanasamy said that the government had filed a petition Friday in the Supreme Court, seeking a direction to the Centre to withdraw its approval for preparing a Detailed Project Report on the proposed dam across the Cauvery river in Karnataka.

He charged the Centre and the Karnataka governments with taking 'injurious steps' to construct the dam, saying it would hit riparian states dependent on the Cauvery, as also Puducherry, "which will suffer a lot'.

On holding civic polls,he said the government was keen on holding them soon and added that a meeting would be held on December 17 to enlist the views of MLAs, who had requested that delimitation of wards be done properly before going in for the exercise.

The Chief Minister regretted that the Centre had not yet responded to the government's request for Rs 1,342 crore as relief to tackle the impact of cyclone Gaja in Karaikal.

"It is also unfortunate that the Prime Minister has been avoiding visits to cyclone hit Tamil Nadu and Karaikal. I am not able to understand the reason for this



He also questioned the 'arbitrary' functioning of the Lt Governor, 'ignoring' the democratically elected government and said he had written several letters to Bedi, questioning the propriety of her visiting offices and issuing on the spot orders to heads of various departments.

Narayanasamy also said he had issued a standing order recently to all officers, asking them not to bypass the statutory rules and to act with the knowledge of the ministers concerned while replying to the Lt Governor's oral orders.

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Supreme Court-appointed EPCA will call a meeting specifically for industries in Delhi to discuss the progress from shifting from coal to natural gas, as it noted that the "ease of breathing" cannot be compromised for the "ease of business".

The Pollution (Prevention and Control) Authority (EPCA) also underlined that the biggest challenge in crackdown on illegal industries causing pollution is that upon shutdown, they shift to non-conforming areas and continue polluting activities in other parts of the city.

"As we crack down on industries and industrial areas, they all move to the non-conforming areas or illegal areas where nobody can control them and under the law, the DPCC cannot even enter the area.

"If we crack down on Delhi industries, they move over to neighbouring areas. We have to find a comprehensive solution to it and make sure illegal industry is not allowed anywhere. It is also one of the biggest challenges," an EPCA member said.

EPCA member Sunita Narain said various coal industries, and oil and gas companies that there is a need to find a better fuel which is cleaner "but there is a price for it that has to be paid".

"We cannot compromise ease of breathing for ease of business. We cannot survive this. Either we have to find a better fuel or we need to find ways to subsidise cleaner fuel," Narain said.

The EPCA has called a meeting specifically for Delhi industries to discuss the progress from shifting from coal to natural gas.

"We need to understand how they moving, what is their economics, who is not moving (to natural gas)," an EPCA member said.

On Friday, EPCA chairperson Bhure Lal said the green panel sealed last week 140 units that were dealing in tar oil, rubber oil and synthetic engine oil.

The representatives of the industries blamed vehicles for causing greater pollution to which chest specialist Arvind Kumar, who is also an EPCA member, lashed out, saying if the consequences of pollution were known, this "whole discussion will pale into insignificance".

"The PM2.5 can hamper brain development by 10-20 per cent and we are going to make our next generation retarded because of our pleasures that is adding to air pollution," he rued.

"Evidence is now emerging that heart attacks, brain attacks are linked to air pollution. The WHO has called it second tobacco epidemic and if we don't control this menace, it would threaten our very existence," he said.

"...If we don't tackle air pollution on an immediate priority basis, we will not be here to tackle it. It isn't an elective issue we are discussing, it is a question of our survival," Kumar added.

Delhi has been battling alarming levels of pollution for nearly two months with the air quality hovering between "very poor" and "severe", and slipping into "poor" on better days.

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Shivpal Singh Yadav, the estranged uncle of Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, will hold the first major rally of his newly floated Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party (Lohia) in the state capital Sunday.

The rally is being regarded as a show of strength by Shivpal Yadav who parted ways with the SP, accusing the parent party of neglecting him.

A PSP (L) spokesperson claimed several Samajwadi Party leaders are expected to attend the rally. He, however, did not comment when asked if SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav too was among the invitees.

"Tomorrow's rally will be like the launchpad for the PSP (L) to present a political alternative to the people before the coming Lok Sabha elections," party spokesperson Deepak Misra said here Saturday.

About two lakh supporters and workers hailing from Uttar Pradesh and other states, including Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Bihar, are expected to attend the rally, Misra claimed.

He said Sunday's rally is aimed at lending a voice to the people suffering from "continued neglect" and "wrong policies" of the central and state governments.

The people are fed up of the of hatred, corruption and police atrocities and we will give a voice to them, Misra said.

Elaborate arrangements have been made for the rally with posters and banners coming up in most parts of the state capital.

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Taking serious note of reports on alleged mining activities in the eco-sensitive Bannerghatta Biological Park, Bengaluru urban district deputy commissioner B M Vijay Shankar has served show cause notices on a Tahsildar, senior geologist and other officers.

The lush green park within the Ragihalli state forest is regarded as an important elephant corridor.

Following media reports and complaints about large-scale mining of granite stones inside the eco-sensitive zone,Shankar inspected the area Friday.

In his show cause notice, Shankar reminded the seniorgeologist that he was entrusted with implementing the SupremeCourt orders and the forest department's regulations to notallow mining activities in the eco-sensitive zone.

Yet,quarrying was rampant in Kannaiyana Agrahara in Jigani Hobliaround Bannerghatta Biological Park, he said.

"You have stated in your report that no illegal mining took place. Though you were aware that this was an eco-sensitive zone, it is evident that you did not take effective steps to stop quarrying in the area," Shankar said and asked him to furnish information within three days.

The deputy commissioner also warned him of disciplinary action if he failed to provide a satisfactory answer.

The deputy commissioner had convened an emergency meeting with officials of various departments Saturday and issued show cause notices mentioning it as urgent, an official said.

Wildlife enthusiast Vijay Nishanth welcomed the issuance of the notices which, he said, would be inadequate until the mining activities were stopped permanently.

He said the area was an elephant corridor and quarrying endangers the habitat of wild animals.

Environmentalists too have expressed concern over the alleged mining in and around the park.

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The 2016 surgical strikes were a successful tactical operation which conveyed a clear message to Pakistan to stop any misadventure along the Line of Control (LoC), Army's Northern Command Chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said on Saturday.

His comments came a day after Lt Gen (retd) D S Hooda, who was associated with the operation, said it was natural to have initial euphoria over the success but the constant hype around the surgical strikes was unwarranted.

In hindsight, it would have been better had we had kept it a secret, he had said on Friday at an event in Chandigarh.

On September 29, 2016, Indian Army commandos had carried out surgical strikes against terror launch pads across the LoC in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

"From military point of view, these were successful tactical operations, which conveyed a very strategic message and the Indian Army was able to convey a very clear message to Pakistan that should they not stop any kind of misadventure along the LoC, they shall be given befitting reply," Singh told reporters here on the sidelines of his visit to Sainik School, his alma mater.

The then Director General of Military Operations (DGMO), who had announced the operation at a press conference, refused to comment on the politicisation of surgical strikes.

Singh said all actions carried out by the Army along the LoC were carried out in an extremely professional manner to meet the national aspirations and achieve the military objectives.

He said there are many other options to check infiltration of terrorists from across the border.

Surgical strike is only one of the options through which we stop infiltration. The armed forces have a range of options and they are being analysed at all times and the best course of action is put into effect, he said.

Responding to a question about possible attempts to revive militancy in Punjab, Singh said Pakistan was trying to extend the "arc of terrorism" beyond Kashmir and the Army was taking all measures to arrest the spread.

The armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir are fully capable of carrying out any task, he said.

This, he said, is the reason that the situation in the state is completely stable.

If any untoward incident takes place, the armed forces act quickly to restore peace and stability, he added.

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Two persons, including a suspended police constable, were arrested Saturday in connection with the killing of a diamond trader whose body was found in adjoining Raigad district, 10 days after he went missing, police said.

The trader, Rajeshwar Udani, a resident of Mahalaxmi Society in suburban Ghatkopar, had gone missing on November 28. The 57-year-old's decomposed body was found at Panvel in Raigad district Friday, police had said.

Police identified the duo as Sachin Pawar and Dinesh Pawar.

Sachin Pawar is a former personal assistant (PA) of a Maharashtra minister, while Dinesh Pawar is a suspended police constable who was arrested earlier in a rape case, a police official said.

They were taken into custody after interrogation, he said.

Several other persons, including a TV actor, were still being interrogated in connection with the case, the official said.

It appears the trader was murdered due to a monetary dispute with the accused and for eyeing a female friend of Sachin Pawar, DCP (Zone VII) Akhilesh Singh said.

According to police, Udani's son had lodged a missing complaint at the Pant Nagar police station on November 29 when his father did not return home.

During the probe, it came to light that an unidentified body has been found in Panvel, about 60km from Mumbai, police had said, adding that it was later identified as that of Udani.

Post-mortem revealed fractures at several places in the body and death by strangulation, Singh said.

The accused were booked under the Indian Penal Code sections 302 (murder), 365 (kidnapping) and 120b (conspiracy), Singh added.

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Former US secretary of state Rex Tillerson said Donald Trump was "undisciplined" and repeatedly wanted to break the law -- leading the US president to respond Friday that his onetime cabinet member was "dumb as a rock."



Tillerson, who was fired in March, made no attempt to deny his poor relationship with Trump during a rare interview Thursday night as part of a charity dinner in his native Texas.

"I think part of it was obviously we are starkly different in our styles. We did not have a common value system," Tillerson told veteran journalist Bob Schieffer of CBS News, which broadcast an excerpt of the interview.

"I'd have to say to him, 'Well, Mr President, I understand what you want to do, but you can't do it that way -- it violates the law, it violates a treaty.'" "He got really frustrated," he said.

"I think he grew tired of me being the guy everyday that told him you can't do that and let's talk about what we can do."



Trump voiced anger hours later in a harsh tweet, saying that Tillerson "didn't have the mental capacity needed" to be the top US diplomat.

"He was dumb as a rock and I couldn't get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!" Trump wrote from Air Force One as he returned from a conference in Kansas City about crime.

Trump praised Tillerson's successor, the brusque former congressman and CIA chief Mike Pompeo, for "doing a great job."



He becomes the latest cabinet member on which Trump has turned his knives.

He repeatedly denounced attorney general Jeff Session, who was ousted last month, as "very weak" for not blocking a probe into whether the Trump presidential campaign colluded with Russia.

Tillerson, a former chief executive of oil giant ExxonMobil, had no government experience and had never met Trump when his nomination was promoted by Republican Party insiders, who hoped for a stable figure who could nonetheless appeal to the tycoon-turned-president with his outsider status and business background.

But Tillerson immediately struggled to fit in, focusing on internal State Department streamlining rather than broader foreign policy goals and avoiding the press as his rapport frayed with Trump.

"It was challenging for me coming from the disciplined, highly process-oriented ExxonMobil Corp to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports, doesn't like to get into the details of a lot of things," Tillerson said at the event in Houston.

Trump is proudly anti-intellectual, saying that he succeeds by following his instincts and knows better than experts.

Asked about his reading habits in an interview shortly after taking office, Trump said he was "looking at a book" but was distracted by phone calls every time he tried to get started.

When he selected him, Trump offered a vastly different assessment of Tillerson than on Friday, saying his "tenacity, broad experience and deep understanding of geopolitics" made him an "excellent choice." But it quickly became clear that the two had little chemistry.

Just as Tillerson was visiting Asia last year and speaking of lines of communication with North Korea, Trump tweeted that he was "wasting his time."



Pompeo has faced no such backlash from Trump and has traveled four times to Pyongyang.

Trump also used Twitter to announce Tillerson's firing and, in a final indignity, the White House made it known that the nation's top diplomat was on the toilet when he learned the

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As some exit polls predicted a close battle between the ruling Telangana Rashtra Samithi in Telangana and the Congress-led 'People's Front', the rivals Saturday expressed confidence about getting a comfortable majority in the Assembly polls



The results of exit polls announced by several channels after polling concluded Friday evening predicted a win for TRS, while some others said the contest would be close.

Counting of votes would be taken up on December 11.

TRS leader and minister in the caretaker government K T Rama Rao Saturday said the TRS would come to power with more than two-thirds majority.

"Many (survey agencies) said directly TRS will come to power. But, we are definitely confident that beyond what they estimated in exit polls, TRS is going to come to power with more than two-thirds majority and 100 seats (among 119 seats)," Rama Rao, son of TRS president K Chandrasekhar Rao, told reporters here.

The high turnout of voters indicated a silent revolution and unilateral verdict (in favour of TRS), he claimed. It was a pro-government vote, he said.

Rama Rao said many voters of TRS complained Friday about their names not being found in the voters' lists.

The TRS would appeal to the Election Commission to rectify the errors, if any, before the Lok Sabha elections, he said.

The leaders of 'People's Front' -- Telangana Pradesh Congress Committee (TPCC) president N Uttam Kumar Reddy, TDP's Telangana unit president L Ramana, CPI leader Chada Venkat Reddy and Telangana Jana Samiti (TJS) -- also exuded confidence that the alliance would come to power.

"I don't know what the exit polls say. We are saying we will get 75-80 seats and we will form government," Uttam Kumar Reddy told reporters Saturday.

He urged the leaders and workers of Congress, TDP, CPI and TJS to be alert about the EVMs.

"All political party representatives must be allowed in the strong room complex because we are having doubts about possible replacement or tampering of EVMs," Reddy said.

Even officials should not enter strong rooms where EVMs have been kept, he said. The EVMs should be escorted properly from strong rooms to the counting centres, Reddy said.

About large number of names missing from the voters' lists, he wanted to know why the state election authority had told the Central Election Commission that it was ready for the polls.

The Congress had pointed out (before announcement of poll schedule) as to why elections should be conducted early when the schedule for rectification of voters' lists was originally supposed to be completed by January 4, 2019, the Congress leader said.

Many people complained Friday about allegedly not being able to vote as their names were missing from the voters' lists.

Shuttler Jwala Gutta Friday alleged that her name was missing from the list.

Reacting to her complaint, Chief Electoral Officer Rajat Kumar Friday said he ordered a report form the concerned district electoral officer on the issue.

"I sincerely apologise to people who could not vote as their names were missing. We will certainly rectify mistakes in the voters list," he said Friday.

Vote was taken for all the 119 seats of Telangana assembly for the first time after the division of Andhra Pradesh and creation of India's youngest state in 2014.

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US President Donald Trump on Saturday blamed the Paris climate accord for the French "yellow vest" protests, while claiming that the agitators chanted: "We want Trump!"



Last year, Trump withdrew the US from the landmark international Paris Agreement, which was also signed by India, on attempting to bring down global temperatures. Trump reaffirmed that decision in November last week when he refused to sign onto the G20's non-binding joint statement promising to tackle climate change.

The Paris Agreement on Climate Change was signed during the previous Obama administration.

"The Paris Agreement isn't working out so well for Paris. Protests and riots all over France," Trump tweeted.

"People do not want to pay large sums of money, much to third world countries (that are questionably run), in order to maybe protect the Chanting We Want Trump! Love France, he further tweeted.

The Paris "yellow vest" protests, which began on November 17 with road blockades against fuel prices, have since ballooned into a mass movement against French President Emmanuel Macron.

Trump has argued that the Paris accord was unjust to the US and favoured developing countries like India and China.

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US President Donald Trump on Saturday again opposed the idea of a united European military force and asked NATO allies to pay their "fair" share for their defence.

"The idea of a European military didn't work out too well in WW I or 2. But the US was there for you, and always will be," Trump said in a tweet.

His comments came amid moves by certain European countries to have a combined European military so as to reduce their dependence on US forces in the region.

"All we ask is that you pay your fair share of NATO. Germany is paying 1 per cent while the US pays 4.3 per cent of a much larger GDP - to protect Europe. Fairness!" Trump said.

Ever since coming to power, Trump has been demanding that European NATO allies increase their contribution to NATO to two per cent of their GDP.

However, several of his followers on Twitter were quick to point out that there was no joint European military during World War I or II.

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Twelve people -- including five hostages -- were killed in northeast Brazil on Friday after police foiled a gang of armed robbers staging simultaneous pre-dawn assaults on two banks in the town of Milagres, officials said.

The five dead hostages were members of the same family and included two children, the local mayor, Lielson Landim, told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. They had been returning from a nearby airport when some of the robbers seized them.

The secretary for security in the state of Ceara, Andre Costa, said in a statement that an investigation was being carried out to identify those killed and the circumstances of their deaths. Costa did not say whose bullets killed the hostages.

Landim had earlier said that, based on initial information, he understood that "the criminals killed the hostages and the police killed the criminals."



Two suspects were arrested, according to Costa's office. "A heavily armed group arrived in the town in the early hours and went to the centre of town, where they tried to commit the crime. There was an exchange of fire between the suspects and police," it said.

It said six gang members were killed and "another six people died from gunshots." The identity of the 12th victim was not immediately clear. Various weapons and explosives as well as three vehicles used in the bank assaults were recovered.

The gang had launched simultaneous assaults on two banks on the same street in Milagres -- population 28,000 -- shortly after 2:00 am (0400 GMT).

According to the G1 website, the robbers had blocked a street with a truck and stopped the car carrying the family, which included relatives who had just arrived on a flight from Sao Paulo to celebrate Christmas with them. G1 reported that the robbers "executed" the hostages when police turned up. It said some of the gang managed to escape.

"I've never seen anything like it. I stayed inside my home, cowering and afraid," a local resident, Mendonca de Santa Helena, told media.

"I heard people yelling and crying. It was horrible." Shaken by the violence, the municipality of Milagres suspended most of its activities on Friday and asked residents to stay at home "until order is restored."



Brazil is one of the most violent countries in the world, suffering nearly 64,000 murders last year -- a homicide rate of 30.8 per 100,000 inhabitants that is three times higher than the level the United Nations considers to be endemic violence.

On January 1, a far-right politician promising a relentless crackdown on crime, Jair Bolsonaro, will become Brazil's new president following his election in October.

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A divided US appeals court late Friday refused to immediately allow the Trump administration to enforce a ban on asylum for any immigrants who illegally cross the US-Mexico border.

The ban is inconsistent with an existing US law and an attempted end-run around Congress, a panel of the 9th US Circuit Court of Appeals said in a 2-1 decision.

"Just as we may not, as we are often reminded, 'legislate from the bench,' neither may the Executive legislate from the Oval Office," 9th Circuit Judge Jay Bybee, a nominee of Republican President George W Bush, wrote for the majority.

A spokesman for the US Department of Justice, Steven Stafford, did not have comment. But he referred to an earlier statement that called the asylum system broken and said the department looked forward to "continuing to defend the Executive Branch's legitimate and well-reasoned exercise of its authority to address the crisis at our southern border."



At issue is President Donald Trump's November 9 proclamation that barred anyone who crossed the US-Mexico border between official ports of entry from seeking asylum. Trump issued the proclamation in response to caravans of migrants approaching the border.

A lower court judge temporarily blocked the ban and later refused to immediately reinstate it. The administration appealed to the 9th Circuit for an immediate stay of Judge Jon Tigar's Nov. 19 temporary restraining order.

In a dissenting opinion Friday, 9th Circuit Judge Edward Leavy said the administration "adopted legal methods to cope with the current problems rampant at the southern border." Nothing in the law the majority cited prevented a rule categorically barring eligibility for asylum on the basis of how a person entered the country, Leavy, a nominee of Republican President Ronald Reagan, said.

In his Nov, 19 ruling, Tigar sided with legal groups who argued that federal law is clear that immigrants in the US can request asylum regardless of whether they entered legally.

The president "may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden," the judge said in his order.

The ruling led to an unusual public dispute between Trump and Chief Justice John Roberts after Trump dismissed Tigar an appointee of Trump's predecessor as an "Obama judge." Roberts responded with a statement that the federal judiciary doesn't have "Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges.
US prosecutors asked a New York court Friday to hand down a "substantial" prison sentence to President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen, rejecting Cohen's request for leniency based on his cooperation with law enforcement officials.

"Cohen, an attorney and businessman, committed four distinct federal crimes over a period of several years. He was motivated to do so by personal greed, and repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends," New York's US Attorney Robert Khuzami said in a court submission.

Khuzami suggested a sentence in the range of 51 to 63 months for Cohen, who was a top executive and Trump's fixer at the Trump Organization.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The remote Vijaynagar circle in Changlang district has huge tourism potential, Arunachal Pradesh Chief Minister Pema Khandu has said.

Khandu reached Vijaynagar, which is surrounded on three sides by Myanmar and the other side by vast swathe of thick forest of Namdapha National Park on Friday as part of the 'Arunachal Rising Campaign'.

Addressing a public function on Friday, he said Vijaynagar has huge tourism potential owing to its scenic beauty and also scope for horticulture and agriculture activities.

"The potentials have been hampered by lack of proper surface and air communication ..." the chief minister said.

He said the 156-km Miao-Vijaynagar road would be taken up on priority in the coming days, a CMO release said.

The chief minister said a 70 m steel suspension bridge would be constructed besides the existing Empen bridge on the 32-km motorable road from Miao, which gets cut off during monsoon.

For air connectivity to Vijaynagar, Khandu said he would ask the Centre to expedite work on advanced landing ground (ALG) and said that it would soon be connected with other six ALGs in the state under CM connectivity scheme.

The chief minister said that the state government has approved scheduled tribe status to the Yobin community and has been issuing ST certificates.

He gave away ST certificates to two Yobin community members on the occasion.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Western donors said Thursday they have pledged 2.4 billion euros (USD 2.7 billion) in funding aimed at preventing terrorism and lawlessness along the southern rim of the Sahara.

The updated pledge total was announced in a final statement from a donors conference held in the Mauritanian capital Nouakchott.

"These pledges from our partners broadly cover the overall needs" of around 40 development projects to fight jihadism in the region, Niger President Mahamadou Issoufou told reporters earlier.

The five Sahel states -- Mauritania, Burkina Faso, Chad, Mali and Niger -- have been struggling against extremism and lawlessness in the Sahel since a jihadist revolt that began with a Tuareg separatist uprising in northern Mali in 2012.

The Sahel Alliance -- which was launched last year and includes the European Union, the World Bank, the African Development Bank, the UN Development Programme, Germany, France and six other European countries -- contributed 1.3 billion euros, it said in a statement.

The EU's International Cooperation and Development Commissioner Neven Mimica annnounced a 122 million-euro contribution on Thursday.

French Foreign Minister Jean-Yves Le Drian said Paris would add 220 million euros.

The five Sahel countries had sought 1.9 billion euros to help them fund the Sahel Priority Investment Programme (PIP) for projects in border regions vulnerable to jihadists. They themselves provide 13 per cent of that sum.

Governments hope that with an array of projects, including building schools and health centres and improving access to water, they can prevent communities from falling under the influence of extremists.

Jihadism in the region has been fuelled by the chaos that engulfed Libya in 2011, the Islamist takeover of northern Mali in 2012 and the rise of Boko Haram in northern Nigeria.

The extremists were largely driven out of Mali in a French-led military operation launched in January 2013.

The France-backed fledgling African regional force fighting jihadists is also suffering from lack of funding, and shortfalls in equipment and training have led to delays in its operations.

As well as fighting terrorism it tackles smuggling and illegal immigration networks that operate in these vast, remote areas on the Sahara's southern fringe.

A devastating attack in June on the force's headquarters in Mali, claimed by an al-Qaeda-linked group, destroyed the communications room, forcing a brief halt in operations.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
Yemen's foreign minister on Saturday said the government-controlled city of Aden could be home to the country's main airport, amid talks to reopen the rebel-held international airport in the capital Sanaa.

"We are ready to reopen Sanaa international airport today... but we have a vision that Aden will be the sovereign airport of Yemen," Khaled al-Yamani told AFP.

"If the other side accepts ... flights could land in Aden and leave to Sanaa, Hodeida, other airports." Yamani spoke on the sidelines of UN-brokered talks in the rural village of Rimbo, where warring Yemeni parties are gathered under the auspices of the UN.

Government representatives, rebel spokesmen and UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths have all said the talks are not intended to reach a political solution to the conflict, which gained renewed attention in the uproar over the killing of Saudi Arabian journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

The murder of Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul sparked international criticism over Saudi Arabia's policies in Yemen, where it leads a pro-government military coalition.

Among the issues under discussion in Sweden are potential humanitarian corridors, a prisoner swap, the reopening of the defunct Sanaa international airport, and Hodeida, the rebel-held port city at the heart of a government offensive.

The Sweden sessions mark the first meeting between the two sides in two years since the last round of talks in 2016 broke down after three months.

While the days leading up to the gathering saw the government and rebels agree on a prisoner swap and the evacuation of wounded insurgents, both parties have publicly traded threats and accusations in Sweden.

After Saturday's third day of talks, the delegations have yet to meet face to face. A UN official, however, said, there was a "difference between private and public discourse". In a statement to the press Saturday, Griffiths said talks had been "serious and constructive".

Yemen's capital has been held by Huthi rebels since 2014, when the insurgents drove the government out and seized a string of ports.

The government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi has since been based in the southern port city of Aden and has fought to drive back the Iran-backed rebels, supported since 2015 by the military coalition led by Riyadh -- Tehran's regional arch-rival.

The coalition accuses the Huthis of smuggling arms from Iran through Sanaa as well as Hodeida, the rebel-held Red Sea city and Yemen's most valuable port. Iran denies the charge.

Shipments to Hodeida, including humanitarian aid, have been severely restricted by the coalition. Huthi fighters are now embedded in residential neighbourhoods to fight off government forces.

The Huthi delegation held firm to its demand that the rebel-held Sanaa airport be reopened, as airport employees rallied in the Yemeni capital in support.

Huthi representative Abdulmalik al-Hajri told reporters his delegation would propose a "comprehensive vision for the opening of Sanaa airport" on Sunday.

Sanaa international has been out of operation for years, severely damaged in air raids by the coalition, which controls Yemeni airspace.

A government proposal to allow flights to and from Sanaa was categorically rejected by the rebels Friday.

Among the conditions set by the government are mandatory transit points in Aden and Sayoun, another government-held city, for aircraft inspections.

Foreign Minister Yamani said a government demand for a full rebel withdrawal from Hodeida city and port were non-negotiable.

Revenues from the once-lucrative port should go to the Hadi government, he said.

"As concerns the port... We accept that it works under the administration that ran the port in 2014, and we are ready to coordinate with the UN on supervision and the reinforcement of port operations," said Yamani.

"But the port must remain sovereign, part of the work of the Yemeni transport ministry which is in charge of Yemeni borders and ports."



The conflict has triggered what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 14 million people now on the brink of famine. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in under four years, according to conservative estimates.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
A Yemeni government official said Saturday that Huthi rebels were "not serious" on finding common ground to end the devastating war, three days into UN-brokered talks in Sweden.

Nearly four years into a war that has pushed 14 million Yemenis to the brink of starvation, the Saudi-backed government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi and Huthi rebels, linked to Riyadh's archrival Iran, are in the rural town of Rimbo for what UN officials expect will be a week of negotiations.

"Expectations stem from experience, and from experience I would say no, they are not serious," said Rana Ghanem, a member of the government delegation to the talks.

"But our hope ... is that this will help alleviate the tension, and alleviate the suffering of the Yemeni people," said Ghanem, the only woman in either delegation.

The last round of talks in 2016 broke down in Kuwait after more than three months of negotiations.

A plan to host the warring parties in Geneva collapsed in September after the rebels refused to leave the capital Sanaa, citing safety concerns.

Government representatives, rebel spokesmen and UN Yemen envoy Martin Griffiths have all said the talks are not aimed at finding a political solution to the conflict.

Both Yemeni parties have threatened to leave the talks if certain demands are not met.

Ghanem confirmed the two parties had not yet met face-to-face, with Griffiths and his team shuttling between the delegations.

The feuding sides had, however, been chatting "informally" in the halls, she said.

Among the issues under discussion are the country's failed economy, potential humanitarian corridors, a prisoner swap, the reopening of the defunct Sanaa international airport, and Hodeida, the rebel-held city at the heart of an ongoing government offensive.

The government has held firm to its demand that the Huthis evacuate the western governorate of Hodeida, home to a Red Sea port that is the entry point for 90 percent of food imports to impoverished Yemen, and hand the area over to security forces.

The rebels, however, refused that demand Friday.

A government proposal to turn Sanaa internatonal airport into a domestic airport was also rejected by the rebels Friday. Sanaa airport has been largely shut for three years, during which the Saudi-led coalition took control of Yemen's sea and airspace.

The coalition accuses the rebels of smuggling arms from Iran through Hodeida and Sanaa airport. Tehran denies the charge.

The Huthis, northern tribesmen who hail from the minority Zaidi Shiite community, overran the capital and a string of ports in a territorial takeover in 2014.

Saudi Arabia and its allies intervened to bolster the Hadi government's standing, triggering what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
The Congress on Saturday slammed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for terming the killing of a police inspector in Bulandshahr mob violence an "accident" and said it was to an attempt to "derail" probe into the case.

"There has been no incident of mob lynching in Uttar Pradesh. The Bulandshahr incident was an accident and the law is taking its course. No guilty will be spared," Adityanath said Friday at an event in the national capital.

At a press conference here, Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government was trying to influence the probe.

"The whole objective of this is to derail an independent, impartial investigation into the case. With a wink and a nod, a message (is) being sent -- 'we want you to know that this is the direction and the momentum of the investigation' -- and that is what is happening," he said.

The violence broke out earlier this week in Bulandshahr after cow carcasses were found strewn around, claiming the lives of Inspector Subodh Kumar and 20-year-old local youth Sumit Kumar.

Nine people have been arrested in connection with the violence.

A team of Uttar Pradesh police left for Jammu on Friday to arrest an Army jawan allegedly involved in Kumar's killing.

(This story has not been edited by Business Standard staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
BEIJING (Reuters) - China's foreign ministry called on Canada to immediately release Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's chief financial officer on Saturday, warning that otherwise it would face consequences.The ministry said in a statement that Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng had issued the warning to Canada's ambassador in Beijing, summoning him to lodge a "strong protest".Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's global chief financial officer, was arrested in Canada on Dec. 1 and faces extradition to the United States, which alleges that she covered up her company's links to a firm that tried to sell equipment to ...
By Teis JensenCOPENHAGEN (Reuters) - Danske Bank elected the favoured candidate of its top shareholder as its new chairman on Friday to help steer the Danish lender through a multi-billion euro money laundering scandal. Authorities in Denmark, Estonia, Britain and the United States are investigating payments totalling 200 billion euros ($229 billion) made through Danske Bank's tiny Estonian branch between 2007 and 2015.The threat of a heavy fine from the U.S. Department of Justice has sent Danske's shares down almost 50 percent since March, erasing around $15 billion of market value and ...
By Jake SpringBRASILIA (Reuters) - Brazil's next government is working to strike a deal between farmers and truckers over minimum freight prices by revising the policy, rather than throwing it out as many have demanded, the country's future infrastructure minister said on Friday.The minimum freight rates were imposed as part of a deal to end a truckers strike in May that crippled the countries roadways, preventing food and other essential items from making it to market.Farmers and commodities traders have complained that the policy raises their costs at a time when profit margins in the ...
FRANKFURT (Reuters) - The German government is ready to orchestrate a merger between Deutsche Bank and Commerzbank to ensure that Europe's largest economy has at least one lender capable of backing its companies abroad, Focus magazine reported.The finance ministry said it did not want to get involved in any speculation. Deutsche Bank declined to comment but referred to recent comments by CEO Christian Sewing dismissing persistent merger speculation.Deutsche, facing negative headlines around two high-profile money laundering cases, has seen its share price fall to record lows. Shares in ...
ATHENS (Reuters) - A Greek prosecutor has laid felony charges against jewellery maker Folli Follie's founders and seven other executives for fraud and money laundering, a judicial source told Reuters on Friday.Folli, an upmarket Greek brand, has been under scrutiny since a hedge fund raised concerns over its financial statements for last year.Quintessential Capital Management said in a report in May that the company overstated the number of its outlets and questioned its accounting practices in Asia where it had expanded rapidly.The report sent Folli shares into a tailspin and prompted a ...
TRIPOLI, Libya (Reuters) - Libyan tribesmen protested at the giant El Sharara oilfield on Saturday and shut down production, the force guarding the facility and a spokesman for the protesters said.State oil firm NOC had no immediate comment. Closing down an oilfield takes time. Engineers at the field had earlier given conflicting reports about whether oil was flowing or was being halted.The tribesmen calling themselves the Fezzan Anger Movement were protesting to demand more development help for their community. Fezzan is the historic name of the southern region of Libya where El Sharara ...
By Jennifer HillerHOUSTON (Reuters) - U.S. shale producers cheered OPEC's decision to trim output, a move that sent crude prices higher on Friday, closing at levels that oil executives said would keep their profits flowing. The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and Russia-led allies agreed to trim output by 1.2 million barrels per day (bpd) beginning in January. The reduction was larger than the 1 million bpd cut that analysts had expected. U.S. oil futures settled up nearly 2 percent at $52.61 on Friday after trading as much as 4.5 percent higher during the day. Prices peaked ...
Have you noticed the increasing number of pop-ups asking you to consent or agree when you visit a website? Do you find these annoying and tend to just click accept without reading the policies? So do most people, and heres why thats a problem.

By agreeing to any of these particular policies, you are effectively allowing a website or app to collect various types of data on you that could violate some of your human rights, such as your right to privacy. To control what data the website or app can gather about you, you have to go through the ...
Union minister for commerce and industry Suresh Prabhu on Friday said that the Abu Dhabi Investment Authority, a sovereign wealth fund owned by Emirate of Abu Dhabi, will invest USD 50 billion in India, especially into infrastructure and food processing capacity, according to a Times of India report.

Speaking at the inaugural function of the annual venture capital summit in Panaji, Prabhu announced that the agreement has been signed on Thursday. Abu Dhabi-based sovereign wealth fund is interested in investing in India in a big way, he added.

According to the agency, Prabhu had also asked the International Finance Corporation to help attract other sovereign funds and pension funds to invest into India.

The Commerce Minister said that India is a top investment destination in the world today. Twenty states have their Startup policy. Suresh Prabhu stated that infrastructure is the sector where India is developing at a faster rate and this is creating lots of opportunities for investors.

He further remarked that India is one country where almost every citizen is an entrepreneur and where 600 million farmers and retailers take enormous risks. The fragmented Indian agricultural holdings provides great opportunity for startups to bridge the productivity gap by providing solutions using cutting edge technology like AI and drones.

Suresh Prabhu also declared Goa as the permanent venue for the Annual Global Venture Capital Summit. The Summit will take place in Goa on the first Friday of December every year.

Edited by Chitranjan Kumar
The exit poll predictions on Friday have left the Congress jubilant as it is expected to topple the Vasundhara Raje government in one of the most-anticipated state polls in recent memory.

In the 200-member Rajasthan Assembly, over 2,000 candidates are fighting for 199 assembly seats, where polling held on Friday in a high decibel battle between the incumbent BJP and Opposition Congress. The crucial elections will determine whether the BJP bucks anti-incumbency and an increasingly aggressive Opposition to return to power.

Rajasthan had a single phase polling on December 7 for its 200-member assembly while its counting of votes will take place on December 11. BJP is contesting election under leadership of chief minister Vasundhara Raje.

Speaking of the Congress, Ashok Gehlot, a two-time former chief minister of Rajasthan, and Jyotiraditya Scindia, a young and promising MP from the Scindia family that once ruled in Gwalior, are two popular faces for the chief ministerial candidate.

Tradition of changing governments every election

Will voters of Rajasthan budge the trend of alternating power between the Congress and the BJP every five years? Since 1998, Rajasthan has alternated between the Congress and the BJP. Neither party has been able to retain power for consecutive terms. It would be interesting to see if the BJP may defy tradition and CM Vasundhara Raje will break the cycle and win a second term, or the Congress will regain lost ground in the 200-member assembly.

What do exit polls say?

As Rajasthan inches closer to the result day, an aggregate of ten opinion polls seem to indicate that the Congress is set to shock the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is expected a massive sweep in the Rajasthan Assembly election.

According to India Today-Axis My India exit poll, the Congress is projected to win 119-141 seats, comfortably above the halfway mark required to form government, of the 200 seats up for grabs in Rajasthan. The exit polls predict that the BJP will get only 55-72 seats, while Mayawati-led Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) will get 1-3 seats and others will get 3-8 seats.

ABP News-CSDS-led exit poll predicted that the Congress will hover around 100 mark, while and the BJP will win five seats and others will get 15 seats.

Meanwhile, India TV-CNX report predicted 80-90 seats for BJP, 100-110 seats to Congress, 1-3 seats for BSP and 6-8 seats to others.

Edited by Chitranjan Kumar
Japan is to ban government use of telecoms products made by Chinese tech giants Huawei and ZTE on concerns about cybersecurity, reports said Friday. The government plans to revise internal procurement rules to exclude products made by Huawei and ZTE as early as Monday, the mass circulation Yomiuri Shimbun reported. Jiji Press agency also reported the expected move. The ban comes after a US request to allies to avoid products made by the two companies over fears they contain viruses used for cyberattacks, the Yomiuri said, citing unnamed government sources.

Domestic products that use parts made by the two Chinese firms will also be excluded from government use, it said. The Yomiuri said the government was not expected to name the companies directly, so as to avoid angering China. Asked about the report, top government spokesman Yoshihide Suga declined to comment, adding Japan was "closely cooperating with the United States" on cybersecurity issues. China said it was "seriously concerned" about the reports, adding that Huawei and ZTE have been operating legally in Japan for a long time.

"We hope that Japan will provide a level playing field for Chinese companies to operate in Japan," Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a regular press briefing. "Do not do anything that would undermine mutual trust and cooperation." The reports come after the arrest of a top Huawei executive in Canada infuriated China, sending global markets wobbling on fears of intensifying tensions between Beijing and Washington. The detention of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's chief financial officer, comes after US authorities reportedly launched an investigation into suspected Iran sanctions violations by Huawei.

The firm was already under scrutiny by US intelligence officials who have deemed the company a national security threat. Huawei's affordable smartphones have made strong inroads in the developing world, but the company has faced repeated setbacks in major Western economies over security concerns. Huawei has been under scrutiny in Washington for more than a decade, and is facing bans for 5G contracts in Australia and New Zealand, both Pacific allies of the US.
New Delhi, Dec 6 (PTI) Chief Operations Officer of the Royal Bhutan Army Lt. Gen. Batoo Tshering met Army Chief Bipin Rawat Thursday during which they discussed issues of mutual interest, officials said. Tshering also laid a wreath at Amar Jawan Jyoti here.India and Bhutan share robust defence ties. Earlier this year, Rawat, Foreign Secretary Vijay Gokhale and National Security Adviser Ajit Doval visited Bhutan and held a meeting with officials of the neighbouring country regarding the increasing flexing of China's military muscle at the eastern border. PTI PR PR KJKJ
A group of diverse but like-minded individuals, the members of ARC have come together in their common desire to fight hatred, bigotry, intolerance and violence because of the harm these antisocial behaviors cause to our society. In that effort, we will not use or sanction the use of illegal actions (such as violence or intimidation) in pursuit of our desired aims and if we learn of anyone who does use these unethical methods we will report those individuals to the authorities. Instead, we will use the guarantees found in the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms that ensure freedom of legal speech and expression.
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Some truly unique Christmas gifts will be available at the Canberra Potters Christmas Fair from next week. The fair opens at the Watson Arts Centre and Canberra Potters on Thursday and continues until December 23. Director Richard Thomas said Canberra potters and ceramicists all provided work for the fair, with more people applying to be part of the popular event than space could accommodate. "It's gaining in popularity every year,'' Mr Thomas said. "It's definitely a good idea to get in early. I can't say the quality goes down, but the quantity definitely does.'' A range of functional ware, decorative ceramics and jewellery will be available from the local makers, half of whom are new to the fair. Mr Thomas said the centre took a small commission from sales, with the fair all about supporting Canberra artisans. "We want to make sure they have their Christmas turkey,'' he said. Watson Arts Centre at 1 Aspinall Street, Watson. The fair is open daily 10am to 4pm from December 13 to 23.

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Christmas is a time of shameless indulgence, but it's also a time for giving. Whether you're a deadly amalgam of efficiency and generosity and you've already donated or you're hatching plans to, we've got tips from 24 local organisations on how we can all give more thoughtfully this Christmas. With many Canberrans donating stuffed toys and children's books each year, often the older kids and teenagers are left behind in the gift-giving stakes. "When donors think of kids, they don't normally think of the older ones, the teens," Anglicare ACT fundraising and events officer Tatum Zotti said. "Often we struggle to find gifts for older kids aged 16-18, so it would be great to have clothing vouchers or vouchers for experiences like movies or trips to the National Zoo, events which could really make a teen's Christmas." Women's refuge services also highlighted the need for locals to donate gift cards for shops like Kmart and Target. While disadvantaged children receive gifts from the refuge centres, their mothers relish the opportunity to use gift cards to choose presents for their children on their own. ACT Rescue and FosterWhat they do: Educate the Canberra community about responsible dog companionship, co-operate with local pounds to rescue dogs from euthanasia and foster dogs until they find permanent homes.What they need: Clean blankets, towels, dog collars and leads.How to give: Email info@fosterdogs.org. ACT WildlifeWhat they do: Educates the public about native animals in the ACT through school and community group visits and through phone enquiries. Volunteers are trained in tasks associated with the rehabilitation of wildlife when they are orphaned, sick or injured.What they need: Quality bird seed, petrol vouchers for animal transport volunteers, second-hand or new artificial grass for animal cages.How to give: Drop off at ACT Wildlife building, Jerrabomberra Wetlands, 2 Dairy Rd, Fyshwick. 10am-3pm weekdays, call 0432 300 033 to arrange pickup, or donate money directly via the webpage http://www.actwildlife.net/donation-info.html AnglicareWhat they do: Help children and families break free from poverty.What they need: Gifts for teens, including vouchers for clothing, zoo visits and movie tickets.How to give: Call 6245 7100 to arrange a drop-off. BarnardosWhat they do: Provide out-of-home care and accommodation services for disadvantaged children, teens and their families in Canberra.What they need: Gifts for teens, including clothing vouchers and sporting equipment.How to give: Call 6228 9500 to arrange a drop-off. Beryl RefugeWhat they do: Provide low-cost crisis housing to women and their children who have experienced domestic violence.What they need: Gift cards from stores like Kmart and Target and phone recharge cards.How to give: Call 6230 6900, and they will collect your items. Canberra City CareWhat they do: Offer low-cost food, clothing, IT equipment and debt management to 300 local families each week through their community hub.What they need: Children's toys.How to give: Take donations directly to Canberra City Care at 20 Cartwright Street, Charnwood. Canberra Hospital FoundationWhat they do: Support patients and their families by responding to the areas of need through community support.What they need: New crotcheted blankets and beanies, books and artwork.How to give: Take donations directly to the main foyer of the Canberra Hospital. Canberra Pet RescueWhat they do: Rescue cats and kittens about to be euthanised at pounds, and take in those who have been surrendered or abandoned and find them a permanent home.What they need: Cat litter, worming tablets, flea combs, wet and dry cat food, and gift vouchers for Coles or Woolworths.How to give: Email canberrapetrescue@gmail.com to arrange a drop-off. Canberra Refugee SupportWhat they do: Support refugees in Canberra through advocacy, helping find accommodation, English courses, scholarships and more.What they need: Furniture and white goods.How to give: Canberra Refugee Support has an agreement with Fyshwick Salvos, so you can donate to the store directly. Communities @ WorkWhat they do: Serve the Canberra community by providing children's services, offering qualifications in early education and care. They also support seniors, people with disabilities and disadvantaged members of the community.What they need: Gifts for teen to adult males including hygiene products and vouchers for movie tickets or go-kart sessions.How to give: Take donations directly to the Tuggeranong Community Centre, Gungahlin Community Centre or their giving trees at Southpoint, Cooleman Court and Casey Marketplace. The Early Morning Centre (UnitingCare Canberra City)What they do: A community hub supporting Canberrans who are experiencing homelessness, at risk of experiencing homelessness or experiencing social isolation. They offer a free, hot nutritious breakfast five days a week along with essential services and facilities including showers, lockers and computers with internet access.What they need: Non-perishable foods, gift vouchers for Coles or Woolworths, small sunscreen bottles, hair comb or brush, toothbrush, facewash and hats with brims.How to give: Call 6247 5041 or email emc@canberracityuca.org.au to organise drop off. HOME in QueanbeyanWhat they do: Provide long-term supported accommodation for 20 men and women with mental illness who cant live independently, or who may be at risk of homelessness.What they need: New pyjamas, underpants, toiletries, toilet paper, and non-perishable foods.How to give: Call 6284 2409 to arrange a drop-off. Karinya HouseWhat they do: Offer outreach services and a secure environment for women without support and accommodation who are pregnant or parenting newborns. The service operates 24 hours a day, seven days a week.What they need: Gifts for mothers (not just the kids), including non-perishable food items, gift vouchers from Kmart or Target, and gift vouchers from Woolworths or Coles for women to purchase fresh food for Christmas.How to give: Call 6259 8998 or email info@karinyahouse.asn.au to arrange a drop-off. Lifeline CanberraWhat they do: Support people in crisis and save the lives of those experiencing suicidal thoughts.What they need: Books for the Lifeline Bookfair which raises funds for their crisis services. Also, they need your time in the form of crisis support.How to give: Take donations directly to the 40 Heffernan St, Mitchell, ACT and find out more about training as a Lifeline Telephone Crisis Supporter at www.act.lifeline.org.au/Volunteer/become-a-lifeline-telephone-counsellor. The Little Pantry (Woden Community Service)What they do: A place where members of the community can visit in times of need. It's open Thursdays 9.30am-1.00pm (or any weekday for emergency packs) for people to choose a small number of non-perishable foods and personal items.What they need: Non-perishable food items and toiletries.How to give: Drop off donations at Woden Community Service, 26 Corinna St, or call 6282 2644 for more information. Little Oak SanctuaryWhat they do: Run a sanctuary farm which homes exploited and vulnerable animals. They also work with local government and animal welfare groups to create policy changes to better support animals.What they need: Large dog coats, fencing supplies, wheelbarrows, non-leather work gloves, heavy-duty blankets, and chicken houses. You can also donate your time if you are a skilled fencer, electrician, shed builder, mechanic, or plumber.How to give: Email info@littleoaksanctuary.org to arrange a drop-off or pick-up. Louisa Domestic Violence ServiceWhat they do: Provides advice, support and crisis accommodation to people escaping domestic and family violence.What they need: Petrol vouchers (so mothers can visit their families), non-perishable food, and gift cards.How to give: Call 6299 4799 to arrange a drop-off. MarymeadWhat they do: Offer child and family counselling, support services for people with disabilities and their families, early intervention programs, out-of-home care, post-separation support, and the Autism Centre.What they need: Sporting equipment, clothing and tickets to movies and events.How to give: Take donations directly to the Rheinberger Centre at the corner of Loch & Weston Streets, Yarralumla. Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services of the ACT Inc.What they do: Provide settlement-related services for migrants and refugees in Canberra by assisting with language, welfare, employment, and advocating for equity for people from diverse cultural backgrounds.What they need: Children's toys, non-perishable food for the adults, and food hampers.How to give: Take donations directly to Migrant and Refugee Settlement Services of the ACT Inc at Level 2, 180 London Circuit, Civic. Ronald McDonald House CanberraWhat they do: Help keep families with their seriously ill children and close to the care their child needs. They run the Canberra Ronald McDonald House and Family Room located inside the Centenary Hospital for Women and Children in Garran.What they need: Food for families' pantries, vouchers for Woolworths or Coles, and movie vouchers for time away from the hospital.How to give: Email events.canberra@rmhc.org.au to confirm the donations they need. Roundabout CanberraWhat they do: Receive donations of secondhand infant and childrens items and work with more than 35 local social services to provide them to families experiencing hardship.What they need: Clothing for children aged six to 10 (in excellent condition), cot and bassinet mattress protectors, school-related items such as backpacks and lunchboxes, toys for children aged five to 10 (no soft toys).How to give: Items can be dropped off to us during our regular weekly volunteer sessions at Sports Club Kaleen. The days/times can be found on our website, or we can be reached at info@roundaboutcanberra.org RSPCAWhat they do: Home thousands of animals each year, respond to animal cruelty complaints, desex companion animals, and advocate for animal welfare.What they need: Treats and play toys for all different species and bird seed (dogs and cats tend to get all the gifts!).How to give: Take donations directly into RSCPA ACT, 12 Kirkpatrick Street, Weston, and put them under their tree. St Vincent de Paul Society Canberra/GoulburnWhat they do: Assists people experiencing poverty and disadvantage in the community. As well as visiting individuals and families in their homes, Vinnies run a range of support programs across the Canberra/Goulburn region.What they need: New toys, non-perishable food for hampers and blankets.How to give: Call 6234 7347 or email marketing@svdp-cg.org.au to arrange a pick-up or drop-off. Toora Women Inc.What they do: Support women who have experienced trauma such as domestic and sexual violence, drug and alcohol issues, mental health issues and homelessness, or been through the ACT corrections system.What they need: New toys, food hampers, toiletries, new bedding for single beds (pillows, pillow protectors and mattress protectors), newborn baby care items, bath towels, and face washers.How to give: Call 6122 7000 or email tooraadmin@toora.org.au to arrange a drop-off. If you have a group to add to the list, email serena.coady@fairfaxmedia.com.au.

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A $36 million office fit-out that could bring hot-desking to tax officials working in Melbourne has hit a wall of sceptical MPs with the power to bring the renovation plans to a halt. The Australian Taxation Office defended the proposed refit for its Moonee Ponds building in a parliamentary hearing on Friday as the agency faced questions over the need for a costly overhaul and copped criticism for failing to consult staff. Both Labor and Coalition committee members vented doubts about the plans as assistant commissioner Andrew Closey told them the spend would cut the agency's wasted building space. Liberal MP and committee chair John McVeigh said the ATO may have moved too fast in pushing its plans to parliament for approval without supplying detailed designs or consulting its public servants. Mr Closey said the Tax Office had consulted staff but could not decide on more detailed plans until it received parliament's approval to spend. Liberal MP Andrew Wallace asked the ATO to justify the spending and, after seeing a video of the plans in a closed section of the hearing, referred to a famous comedy sketch in lampooning the design as extravagant by private sector standards. "We were talking about when we were trying to avoid the Monty Python comparisons, but I can't do it, because when I see the video I have one word in mind, and you know what I'm going to say. I'm going to say 'luxury!'. "If I was to show people in small business or medium-sized enterprise that video and say the Tax Office want to ask to spend $36 million, there would be a riot. Because they would say 'luxury!'. 'Luxury!'." Mr Closey told MPs the building was in need of renovation and its fit-out no longer met the ATO's needs. Moonee Ponds could be the third ATO office to adopt hot-desking after it was rolled out in Gosford on the NSW central coast, and Docklands in Melbourne. Mr Closey defended the workplace trend - requiring workers to find a desk and pack up their belongings each day - in responding to MPs. "It's getting people to the thought that work is something you do, not necessarily somewhere you go, and there are different places you do different activities and I can only but agree that the extent to which we can stop people just looking at computer screens in one place all day, so much to their benefit." An unimpressed Alex Gallacher, Labor senator and long-time member of the committee approving government building projects, said in his experience the problems raised with the ATO's plans were unprecedented for the agency. "We've always used you as an example of how to do stuff. That's why I'm really surprised we're in that situation." He described the latest proposal as "extremely untidy". Tasmanian Labor MP Justine Keay said the ATO's proposed desk numbers - 1200 workpoints for 1250 employees working in the building including 150 casuals - suggested it had already decided to introduce hot-desking at Moonee Ponds. Ms Keay said there appeared to be angst among staff about the future of their office space and way of working. "That doesn't seem to me to be communicating well with staff." Mr Closey said casuals in the office already shared desks and that plans could change. "We need to go out and work through what it's going to be like for the people in the building." The ATO plans to fit out four floors at its building on Gladstone Street in works expected to finish in mid-2020, coinciding with the end of its lease. It would sign a new lease with 7200sqm or 34 per cent less room. The parliamentary committee will later table a report about the planned renovations.

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Photo: Contributed. Karen Nairn, left, and Elaine MacGillivray, right, of Summerland and Vernon, are heading to Peru to fundraise for Cystic Fibrosis Canada.

Two sisters from the Okanagan Valley are going on the journey of a lifetime for a charity walk to support their niece and daughter, who suffers from cystic fibrosis.

Karen Nairn of Summerland has been familiar with cystic fibrosis for many years, ever since her sister Elaine MacGillivray of Vernon's daughter Katie was diagnosed as a toddler. This spring, Karen and Elaine will be joining 87 other Canadians in undertaking the first ever "Worldwide Walk to Make Cystic Fibrosis History: Peru Edition."

"It's pretty exciting, Machu Picchu is somewhere I've always wanted to see, it's been sort of on my bucket list!" Nairn said.

Three groups of 30 walkers from around the nation will be heading to Peru in May and are fundraising in the meantime, with all money going to CF Canada. Karen has participated in fundraising for the cause before, but never internationally.

"We saw the opportunity, my sister did, and we just thought, how amazing would that be?" Nairn said. "And combining that with such a great cause, it just seemed like a natural fit."

Nairn set a goal for herself of raising $4,200, and is already within $1,000 of that, but isn't planning to stop fundraising at that benchmark.

"I'm hoping to raise more than the required amount. Over the past few years they've come a long way when it comes to treatment and stuff, but it sure would be great for a cure to be found," she said.

Watching her niece grow up brought the struggles of those living with CF into harsh reality for her, seeing how much treatment and attention Katie needed, and how as a 20-year-old woman now, she still needs to spend much of her time travelling to doctors and being constantly aware of her respiratory health.

The disease is genetic and affects the digestive system and lungs. It is estimated that one in every 3,600 children born in Canada have CF, a statistic Nairn can attest to.

"I've been in contact with a few people who either have a family member who has CF, or themselves, like people I didn't know before, and their struggles, so it makes it all very real," Nairn said.

To donate to Nairn's Cystic Fibrosis Canada fundraiser, click here. She is funding travel costs herself, so all money raised on that page will go directly to the charity.
WTCI announced a special broadcast event on Thursday, Dec. 13, featuring Senator Bob Corker in conversation with Jon Meacham. Sponsored by BlueCross BlueShield of Tennessee, McCallie School, McCallie Summer Camps and the law firm of Summers, Rufolo and Rodgers, this special local production will be broadcast throughout Tennessee and will be available streaming online following the broadcast.

After 12 years in the United States Senate, Senator Corker is leaving the deliberative body. Pulitzer Prize winning author Jon Meacham will sit down with Senator Corker for a wide ranging, hour-long conversation about how the nation has changed during his tenure and what lies ahead.

Paul Grove, president and CEO of WTCI, said, Producing and distributing this special interview statewide is a service that provides a value to the citizens of the region and Tennessee. WTCI has proudly served for nearly fifty years and as our country continues to change, we are honored to share meaningful conversations. Audiences from throughout the Tennessee Valley and beyond are invited to tune in to the broadcast debut on WTCI on Thursday, Dec. 13, at 8 p.m. Encore broadcasts of this special hour-long conversation will air on WTCI Sunday, Dec. 16, at 7 p.m. and Tuesday, Dec. 18, at 9 p.m.

Mr. Meacham, a McCallie graduate, former Chattanooga Times reporter and presidential historian, delivered a stirring eulogy at the funeral of President George H.W. Bush earlier this week. Meacham is the author of Destiny and Power, a biography of the 41st President of the United States. He was awarded the Pulitzer Prize for biography in 2009 for American Lion: Andrew Jackson in the White House, and has also written several other best-selling history books, including Thomas Jefferson: The Art of Power, Franklin and Winston: An Intimate Portrait of an Epic Friendship, and, most recently, Soul of America: The Battle for Our Better Angels.
The Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agencys five-year strategic deer management plan was presented during the Tennessee Fish and Wildlife Commissions final meeting of 2018.

The two-day meeting concluded Friday at the TWRAs Region II Ray Bell Building in the Ellington Agricultural Center.

The strategic deer management plan has six major goals. This includes gathering more information about Tennessees deer herd, about the harvest of deer in Tennessee, and about the desires of Tennessee hunters. It also encompasses the development of support programs for landowners and communities and to address potential deer-related problems.

In addition, minimize the threat of chronic wasting disease. Increase communication efforts between the Agency and the public. Identify the resources and funding necessary to improve the hunting, management, and overall health of Tennessees deer herd.

The draft plan is available online on the TWRA website for a 30-day public comment period at tn.gov/TWRA/deerplan. The Agency will consider all public comments and modify the draft plan as appropriate. The TWRA hopes to release a final version of the plan in late February.

The TWRA and TFWC honored the Tennessee Chapter of the National Wild Turkey Federation with a resolution for its longtime partnership with the Agency. Ross Melinchuk, NWTF Vice President of Conservation was among the guests. The TWRA and NWTF have had strong partnership through the years in efforts to restore the wild turkey population. The NWTF is involved annually on various projects with the TWRA.

Joe Benedict, Wildlife and Forestry Division Chief, gave a presentation on how the TWRA plans to increase habitat management on four featured wildlife management areas (WMAs). These WMAs include one each from the four TWRA regions and are Wolf River, Cheatham, Bridgestone/Firestone, and North Cumberland.

The TWRA Fisheries Division previewed proposed changes to Rule 1660-1-26 Rules and Regulations for Fish Farming, Catch-out Operations, and Bait Dealers. In an effort to prevent invasive species from being transferred into or propagated in Tennessee, the TWRA proposes a list of species that will be authorized for use in these operations. The TFWC will vote on the rule in February 2019.

The TFWC first meeting in 2019 will be held in Germantown at the Ducks Unlimited National Headquarters. It will be a two-day meeting on Jan. 17-18.
The Volkswagen Group Friday presented its Best Apprentice Awards 2018 to its best apprentices from all over the world, honoring their outstanding performance and professional competence, including Jesus Espinosa from Chattanooga. The prizes for the 46 young talents with 16 vocations were presented by the Chairman of the Board of Management of Volkswagen Aktiengesellschaft, Dr. Herbert Diess, the Member of the Board of Management with responsibility for Human Resources, Gunnar Kilian, and the President of the Global Group Works Council, Bernd Osterloh.

The 14 young women and 32 young men were honored at a ceremony held at the CongressPark in Wolfsburg.

We are proud that Jesus Espinosa represents our apprenticeship program in Chattanooga as a Best Apprentice in Germany, said Ilker Subasi, Volkswagen Chattanooga's apprenticeship program manager. He is currently working as a specialist at our plant. His story shows how our apprenticeship program is a route to success if youre willing to put the work in and make the most of this opportunity.

You have every reason to be proud because you are among the worlds best apprentices of the Volkswagen Group," said Dr. Diess at the award ceremony. "In the future too, we will need a team that is motivated, competent and committed, and also welcomes change. If you want to keep pace with the major challenges of our times, you must demonstrate flexibility and be ready to accept change."

Mr. Kilian said, Volkswagen offers almost 20,000 young people throughout the world excellent training in about 60 vocations and 50 dual courses of study. We have successfully transferred dual vocational training to locations throughout the world and train our budding specialists at our plants across the globe on the basis of this model. The award winners have made exemplary use of this training and laid a firm foundation for a successful career. Dual vocational training also lays solid groundwork in an era of rapid technological change which calls for continuous advanced training.

This years Best Apprentice Award was the 18th of its kind presented by the Volkswagen Group and a total of 523 apprentices have been honored since 2001.

Mr. Osterloh said, I congratulate all the winners of the Best Apprentice Awards from the Volkswagen Group who have come to Wolfsburg this week. Your outstanding performance is also the result of the high-performance vocational training offered throughout our Group. This success clearly shows that we must not make any sacrifice in terms of vocational training despite all the current savings programs. Vocational training develops the specialists of the future. This is an essential prerequisite for shaping change together in the digital era with respect to development, production and mobility.

Eighteen of the award-winners had already been honored in their home countries for their commitment to their companies and for their knowledge and skills in their training vocations. Twenty-one of the Best Apprentice Award winners will be starting a degree course to develop their knowledge and skills in greater depth. Three of the award-winners from Germany will be receiving two years of individual support in their professional family within the talent group for young specialists.
Mareline Alfaro and Ana Rocha Delgado, two Lee University students, attended the Immigration Forum in Washington, D.C. Along with Distinguished Professor Emeritus of English Dr. Carolyn Dirksen, the students attended the invitation-only event by request of Dr. Shirley Hoogstra, president of the Council for Christian Colleges and Universities, who was one of the presenters at the forum.

I am grateful for the invitation from Dr. Hoogstra because this was a remarkable opportunity for our students and for me, said Dr. Dirksen. It was encouraging to all of us to see the broad range of organizations brought together to find ways of solving the immigration dilemma.

The Lee delegates attended the "Leading the Way" conference sponsored by the National Immigration Forum. The CCCU works with the forum on immigration issues as they impact Christian higher education.

Ms. Alfaro, Ms. Rocha Delgado, and Dr. Dirksen listened to multiple presentations at the forum, including one led by two senators, a Republican and a Democrat, working together to support immigration reform. Ms. Rocha Delgado emphasized how inspiring it was to see opposing political parties come together on such a delicate topic. Both senators said the best solution to creating a positive drive for a change in immigration would be for people to reach out to their senators, said Ms. Rocha Delgado. This way senators can learn to prioritize the subject and know that people care and want to see action.

Other panel topics include the impact immigration has on the economy and how media outlets have shaped the debate on immigration. My favorite speaker was Mayra Rose, the Vice President and Chief Administrative Officer of Cummins Inc., said Ms. Rocha Delgado. She was so passionate about Dreamers and spoke on how they have helped her company.

After presentations, they went to Capitol Hill to lobby senators. The trio was a part of a small group invited to the offices of several senators to speak with their staff about immigration legislation. During the sessions with senators staff, Ms. Alfaro and Ms. Rocha Delgado shared what is was like being Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals.

Ana and Mareline told their stories in ways that were thoughtful, articulate, and very persuasive, said Dr. Dirksen.

Being surrounded by important people who were listening to me tell a bit of my story was so empowering, said Ms. Rocha Delgado. Knowing that these people took time out of their busy schedules because they care about the topic made it easy to express myself.

The trio attended a reception where Dr. Hoogstra was honored as a Keeper of the American Dream.

For more information on the Immigration Forum, visit https://immigrationforum.org/event/leadingtheway/.






Lee Universitys Department of History, Political Science & Humanities recently held its third annual Undergraduate Intercollegiate Political Science and Philosophy Symposium. A two-day event, the symposium was held in the Helen DeVos College of Education and focused on the political thought of Shakespeare.

After registration and coffee on Friday afternoon, students broke out into discussion seminars scattered throughout the afternoon on both Friday and Saturday. Each seminar delved into the political wisdom underlying one of Shakespeares plays, including the tragedy Othello, the comedy Merchant of Venice, the history Henry V, and the romance The Tempest.



"The thing I appreciate about this symposium is that its completely voluntary, said Dr. Thomas Pope, associate professor of political science at Lee. Students dont get credit for doing it, which means the people that show up just do it because they love it. It provides for a refreshing conversation rather than drudgery.

Dr. Timothy Burns, professor of political science and graduate program director at Baylor University, provided the keynote lecture on Friday evening. His presentation, titled One That Loved Not Wisely But Too Well: Devotional Love and Politics in Othello, focused on the challenges of individual desire clashing with the demands of the political community. Burns is the author of the book Shakespeares Political Wisdom, and his research interests range from the history of political philosophy to politics and literature.

Along with Lee students and faculty, Lees campus also hosted visitors from Belmont Abbey College, Covenant College, St. Vincent College, and the University of Tennessee at Chattanooga. A total of 35 students, in addition to accompanying faculty, participated in the discussion seminars and attended the student paper panel on Saturday morning, where students were able to present their own undergraduate research.

Ive appreciated the opportunity for Lee students to interact with the broader academic world, said Dr. Pope. It gives them a lot of confidence that what theyre learning here allows them to compete with students around the country. It also provides a nice vision of scholars in the broader academic community should they decide to pursue graduate studies.

For more information about Lees Department of History, Political Science & Humanities, call 614-8137 or visit https://leepoliticalscience.wordpress.com/.
Dr. Alexander Steffanell, associate professor of Spanish at Lee University, presented at the 2018 American Council on the Teaching of Foreign Languages convention in New Orleans, La

With over 12,500 language educator members, the ACTFL convention draws attendees from across the globe. ACTFL, founded in 1967, has become one of the leading organizations in innovating language education.

Dr. Steffanells presentation, Intercultural Competence and Community-Based Tasks Overseas, focused on ways to improve intercultural competence in the authentic setting of a study abroad program. Dr. Steffanell discussed how cross-cultural experiences can enhance foreign language speaking, writing, and content-based skills through a variety of hands-on tasks in classroom, community, and family-oriented settings. He also discussed ways that schools can modify their cross-cultural curriculum and pinpointed an array of service learning initiatives and community-based tasks which may be embedded into a study abroad curriculum.

I am glad that I could present about what we do at Lee University regarding cross cultural trips and the experience that we have after so many years of organizing these trips, said Dr. Steffanell. Lees kind of traveling and compelling experiences make it unique. The audience was amazed by what and how we do things at Lee.

Throughout his presentation, Dr. Steffanell used his experience leading Lee Global Perspectives trips to Colombia as an example. He used journal entries and student handouts from previous trips to provide examples and lead focus group discussions during his presentation.



I showed them what we do in Colombia and what it means to have a real cross cultural trip, said Dr. Steffanell. I explained how we are hosted by Colombian families, learn the language, and experience the culture firsthand. Most importantly, I related this as part of our Christian growth.

Dr. Steffanell has led the Global Perspectives trip to Colombia every summer for the past eight years. On the trip, students take six hours of Spanish classes and have the opportunity to engage directly with the culture about which they are learning.

Originally from Barranquilla, Colombia, Dr. Steffanell joined the Department of Language and Literature in 2007. In addition to the Colombia trip, he has led trips to Argentina, Costa Rica, Guatemala, Nicaragua, and Uruguay.

He also organizes the Annual Undergraduate Conference on Latin American and Iberian Studies every spring and the Program on Education, Mission and Faith every May, hosting international guests on campus.

For more information on the ACTFL convention, visit: https://www.actfl.org/convention-expo.

For more information on Lees Global Perspectives trip to Colombia, visit https://globalperspectives.leeuniversity.edu/index.cfm?FuseAction=Programs.ViewProgram&Program_ID=10011 or contact Steffanell at asteffanell@leeuniversity.edu.






Heavy precipitation will move into the Chattanooga area today, according to the National Weather Service.

Some areas of Tennessee will see some snow accumulation.

Some flights were being cancelled at the Chattanooga Airport due to the inclement weather.

Here is the latest statement:

SPECIAL WEATHER STATEMENT UNTIL 4PM EST SAT ...A WINTRY AND HEAVY RAINFALL STORM SYSTEM THIS WEEKEND ACROSS THE CENTRAL AND SOUTHERN TENNESSEE VALLEY AND SOUTHERN PLATEAU... WIDESPREAD PRECIPITATION WILL MOVE INTO THE AREA TODAY AS A STRONG LOW PRESSURE SYSTEM APPROACHES THE AREA. PRECIPITATION WILL BE MAINLY RAIN TODAY, EXCEPT FOR POSSIBLY EXCEPT A MIXTURE OF SNOW AND SLEET AT THE ONSET. A TRANSITION FROM RAIN TO SNOW AND SLEET IS EXPECTED EARLY SUNDAY MORNING OVER THE CENTRAL TENNESSEE VALLEY, GENERALLY ALONG AND NORTH OF INTERSTATE 40. THE SNOW MAY BE HEAVY AT TIMES AROUND DAYBREAK SUNDAY THROUGH MID-DAY WITH A QUICK 1 TO 2 INCHES POSSIBLE, ESPECIALLY ACROSS THE HIGHER ELEVATIONS, SUCH AS THE AREA RIDGE TOPS. THE WINTRY PRECIPITATION WILL DIMINISH TO DRIZZLE OR POSSIBLY FLURRIES IN THE AFTERNOON. ACROSS SOUTHEAST TENNESSEE, THIS SYSTEM WILL PRODUCE MAINLY RAIN. SOME OF THE RAIN WILL BE LOCALLY MODERATE TO HEAVY AT TIMES WITH RAINFALL AMOUNTS OF 1 1/2 TO 2 INCHES EXPECTED. PONDING OF LOW LYING AREAS AND SOME STREET FLOODING ARE POSSIBLE. SCATTERED RAIN AND SNOW SHOWERS ARE POSSIBLE OVER THE SOUTHERN TENNESSEE VALLEY, SOUTHERN PLATEAU, AND SOUTHWEST NORTH CAROLINA SUNDAY NIGHT AND MONDAY MORNING. LIGHT SNOW ACCUMULATIONS ARE POSSIBLE OVER GRASSY AND ELEVATED SURFACES. STAY TUNED TO NOAA WEATHER RADIO AND OTHER LOCAL MEDIA FOR FURTHER DETAILS OR UPDATES.
A United Kingdom professor says her office door was covered in urine after she criticized a proposal that would make it easier for people to change their gender.

Rosa Freedman, a professor of law at Reading University, said she received threats and verbal abuse on social media and over the phone.

The government is considering changes to the Gender Recognition Act that would allow people to change their legal gender by mere self-identification. The current law allows a person to change his/her gender, although its more cumbersome.

Freedman opposes the changes and says they would harm womens rights.

I am deeply concerned by how the conflation of sex and gender is leading to subjugation of women and is undermining the specific protections guaranteed to women under international and national human rights law, she has said.

She was called a Nazi and told she should be raped, the BBC reported.

Im pretty public and open about the fact that I'm Jewish, Freedman said. Im pretty public and open about the fact Ive survived sexual violence  I have been throughout these debates.

So obviously being told Im a Nazi and being told Im transphobic when Im not transphobic and nothing Ive said or done is transphobic  having been told I should get raped. None of them are particularly pleasant.

Freedman is considered pro-LGBT by her colleagues.

Rosa has not expressed transphobic views and she is not transexclusionary, said Chloe Houston, an associate professor at the university.

Michael Foust is a freelance writer. Visit his blog, MichaelFoust.com.

Photo courtesy: Thinkstock
Last week a French court acquitted a Muslim refugee from Bangladesh of rape charges after finding that he had different cultural norms and cultural codes that led him to misinterpret his sexual contact with the girl.

His actions took place in 2015, when he was 18-years-old and the alleged victim was 16-years-old. They walked home together after school and he talked her into going to his house. There, he kissed her, groped her, and fondled her. She reported his actions to her principal the next day who in turn alerted police.

Police arrested the young man who told them that the contact was consensual and police dropped the case until the victim attempted to commit suicide.

A second complaint came in December 2015. The 15-year-old victim said he brought her to his studio and forced himself on her. She said she did not cry out because she was paralyzed with fear. He again argued that the sexual act was consensual.

The court found the man not guilty of the rape but guilty of the sexual assault. The gave him a two-year suspended sentence and he will be forced to register as a sex offender.

Scott Slayton writes at One Degree to Another.

Photo courtesy: Pixabay
Bishop Victor Couzens assures he did not use church money for affairs as some congregants stop giving

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Pastor Victor S. Couzens of Inspirational Baptist Church in Cincinnati, Ohio, urged his congregation to move forward in a recent sermon in which he apologized for having sexual affairs with multiple women and revealed some members had stopped giving to his ministry because they believe he used church funds to support his lifestyle.

Any check you have seen belongs to me, it does not belong to the church. Your tithe and your offering goes in the churchs bank account. I dont have access to that account. Im not a signer on that account. My understanding is that some have not been giving because they were concerned about where the money is going. If you need an excuse not to give, any excuse will do, the embattled pastor said in a clip shared on Facebook Sunday by Larry Reid Live.

Bishop Paul S. Morton, founding presiding bishop of The Full Gospel Baptist Church Fellowship International which encompasses some 5,000 churches and 1 million members, confirmed last month that Couzens, whom he described as his "spiritual son," engaged in "multiple" sexual relationships while he ran his 5,000-member church.

Mortons apology came after Andrea Garrison, a 30-year-old New York City model, went public about a long-term sexual relationship she had with Couzens after she discovered he was also seeing other women and lied to her about it.

Another unidentified woman, who is an educator, shared a story similar to Garrison's experience and alleged that Couzens paid for her education with "church checks" and took her on trips to places like Paris, France, during their time together.

A copy of one of those checks was shared with The Christian Post for the amount of $200, written on a church check earmarked as the Pastoral Maintenance Account.

The Christian Post reached out to Couzens on Tuesday and asked if he was familiar with the check and if he could disclose the source of the funding.

"My congregation is fully aware of where the funds from the Pastoral Maintenance account comes from. And they are fully aware of where their tithes/offerings/donations are deposited, who controls those funds and signs the checks related to the revenue and income of the church," Couzens replied in an email to CP.

In his recent message, Couzens further acknowledged his behavior without going into details but insisted he did nothing illegal or unethical with the churchs money. He also noted that the work of his church was too important for it to be derailed by Satan.

The work of the church is too significant. The mission that God has called us to is too significant. The calls of Christ is too significant. And I understand why Satan hates this ministry. I understand. I get it. No defense, endeavor to be offered, no deflecting or anything of that nature but we as a church have to settle in our hearts and our minds that were going to go forward, he said.

I assure you as I be a man of God  staff know, deacons know, elders know that there is nothing illegal or unethical that is happening with the finances of this ministry. And if you are still not sure about that or need proof of that, just call the office. Schedule a time to come in, they will open up the entire cadre of financial statements, records and audits we have gotten done over the last several years, he continued.

It is time for us to go forward. I apologize to you, I ask for your forgiveness. I forgive you, I forgive them, I forgive the bloggers, I forgive everybody but we absolutely have to go forward."

Last month, the NYPD confirmed that detectives were investigating a complaint of aggravated harassment against Couzens after Garrison alleged that she was threatened with blackmail unless she recants certain claims about her sexual relationship with the preacher.

The NYPD said no arrests have yet been made in that case.
Tamera Mowry-Housley joins church choir after niece's murder in California mass shooting

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Following weeks of grieving over the murder of her niece who was killed in a mass shooting at a bar in California, "The Real" host Tamera Mowry-Housley has revealed that she's going to start signing worship music.

On my vision board I have just decided that Im going to join the worship team at my church, Mowry-Housley said last week on the daytime talk show.

The actress said her co-hosts on The Real have always encouraged her to pursue singing worship music and now she finally will.

My cousin is a worship leader, my mom was a worship leader, it actually runs in my family so Im going to do that, she said.

I would love to do that for my church and then move on to do a Christian album  thats something that Ive always wanted to do, Mowry-Housley concluded.

A clip of Mowry-Housley singing a gospel song went viral a few years back after she posted a video of herself singing Crystal Lewis' '90s gospel hit "Lord, I Believe in You" to "The Real" Instagram account.

Her decision to join her church's worship team comes just weeks after it was announced that her 18-year-old niece, Alaina Housley, was among the dozen people killed at the Borderline Bar & Grill in Thousand Oaks. After pleading with people on social media for prayers, Mowry-Housley and her husband, former Fox News correspondent Adam Housley, released a statement to USA TODAY confirming that Alaina was one of the people gunned down inside the country music dance bar.

"Our hearts are broken. We just learned that our niece Alaina was one of the victims of last night's shooting at Borderline bar in Thousand Oaks," the couple's statement read. "Alaina was an incredible young woman with so much life ahead of her and we are devastated that her life was cut short in this manner. We thank everyone for your prayers and ask for privacy at this time."

Mowry-Housley has said that she will fight to keep her niece's memory alive by using her voice to advocate against gun violence.

The "Tia & Tamera" actress grew up in a Christian household, and held to her Christian values but has publicly confessed that after dating her then-boyfriend Adam Housley for some time, she broke her vow to God to stay a virgin until marriage. In a previous episode of "The Real," Mowry-Housley said she had struggled to forgive herself for breaking the vow but her faith remains unshakable.

"I waited until I was 29. However, I had made that pact with myself and with God, so it really messed me up you guys, when I, you know...," she said as she burst into tears. The audience cheered as Mowry-Housley pulled herself together and then affirmed her Christian faith.

"Most importantly, He knows my heart," she declared. "And I think in all of it I had to learn that God, He doesn't see things in a legalistic manner. You don't really have to earn His love, He loves you just as you are."

The Housleys have been married for seven years and have two children together.
Dalit Christian Hacked to Death by Hitman Hired by Father of Upper-Caste Bride

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Seven people were arrested Tuesday in the Indian state of Telangana in connection with the killing of a low-caste Christian man who married an upper-caste woman.

Pranay Kumar, 23, was reportedly hacked to death last Friday as he walked out of a hospital in the Nalgonda district with his pregnant wife, Amrutha Varshini.

Varshini belonged to the third-highest caste community in Hindu society, while Kumar is part of India's low-ranking Dalit caste.

The couple was married in January. Amrutha's father, Maruti Rao, was among the men arrested for Kumar's murder. Nalgonda Police Chief A.V. Ranganath told the media that the murder appears to be a contract killing.

According to the Indian magazine The Week, police say that Rao was opposed to the marriage and conspired with others to kill Kumar. Rao was alleged to have paid an advance of about Rs 15 lakh, which is the equivalent of about $20,000, to carry out the murder.

Surveillance footage shows Kumar walking out of the hospital when an assailant, who was later identified as Subhash Kumar Sharma, attacked the victim from behind with a machete and got in at least two blows before fleeing the scene.

According to The Hindustan Times, local Congress leader Abdul Karim, suspected Islamic terrorist Asghar Ali, and Rao's brother, Sravan, and driver Shiva were also arrested in connection with the murder.

Ali is accused of being connected with Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence. Ali and his aid, Mohammad Bari, who was also arrested for the killing of Kumar, were both accused and acquitted previously for the murder of former Gujarat home minister Haren Pandya in 2003.

According to police, Ali and Bari hired assassin Subhash Sharma from Bihar to carry out Kumar's murder. Sharma was also arrested on Tuesday.

Ranganath told the media that the plot to kill Kumar has been in the works since June.

"[Rao] first discussed his plan with his friend Abdul Karim and they got in touch with Bari, whom they have known since 2011," Ranganath was quoted as saying. "In the first week of July, Rao and Karim met Asghar Ali and Bari to work out a plan while sitting in a car at Miryalguda. Rao also showed them the residence of Pranay."

On Wednesday, six of the seven who have been arrested in connection with the crime were given over to judicial custody in Nalgonda district. Meanwhile, Sharma was being transferred to Nalgonda after being arrested in Bihar.

According to authorities, Sharma had previously tried to kill Pranay on two other occasions that were not successful.

Varshini and Kumar's father reportedly told reporters that they would like to see all involved in Kumar's death receive the death penalty. The pregnant mother said that she has also faced pressure to abort her baby.

"I have no intention of aborting my baby. Pranay's baby is my future," she told NDTV. "Pranay was such a nice person. He looked after me so well, especially after I became pregnant. I don't know why caste is so important in this time and age."

Caste-based honor crimes are not uncommon in India.

On Saturday, protesters and rights activists gathered to demonstrate against the caste-based violence. The demonstration caused shops in Telangana's Miryalguda town to shut down.

Earlier this year, another Dalit Christian man was abducted and murdered in Kerala for marrying an upper caste woman by a mob led by the victim's brother-in-law.

Last year, an Indian Muslim family burned their pregnant daughter alive for marrying a lower-caste man.

The killing of Kumar also comes after five civil rights activists were arrested last month by the BJP-led government in Maharashtra state on grounds of the Unlawful Activity Prevention Act. Authorities have also conducted recent raids across the country that have targeted the homes of Dalit scholars and civil rights activists calling for reform in India.

As the BJP is often linked to the right-wing Hindu nationalist group Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh, some rights advocates believe that the arrest of the activists is an attempt to silence those who oppose the nationalistic agenda of the Hindu right and seek reform for India's corrupt caste-based society.

"The latest arrests of human rights activists show the government's widening assault on free speech to create an atmosphere of fear across India," Meenakshi Ganguly, the South Asia director for Human Rights Watch, said in a statement. "Officials are again targeting human rights defenders and those working with poor and marginalized communities just for doing their jobs."

On Wednesday, the Supreme Court of India decided that it would look into the arrests of the five activists and called for the state government to produce a document justifying their arrests. The court stated that there must be a distinction between opposition and dissent and attempts to create disturbance in law and order.

"[T]hose at the helm of institutions may not like everything that is said about them but this cannot be grounds to stop them," Justice Dhananjaya Y. Chandrachud was quoted as saying by the English-language newspaper the Deccan Chronicle. "Our institutions should be robust enough when there is an opposition to the system or even to this court. Then there has to be something different to constitute subversion of law and order as far as elected government is concerned. We may not like it but we must also accept there could be dissent."

"Let us make a clear-cut distinction between an opposition and attempts to create disturbance, overthrow government," he added.

Members of the European Parliament also voiced concern in a letter last week calling for the EU to discontinue agreements with India until the civil rights activists are released.

"The Indian government adds these most recent raids and arrests to the continuous and relentless repression on the democratic voice," reads the letter. "This amounts to a very serious attack on the already crumbling state of democracy in India."
Salvation Army Worker Shot Dead With Bible in Hand, Preaching the Gospel to His Killer in Ohio

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A 21-year-old Salvation Army worker in Cleveland, Ohio, was shot dead in the head Saturday morning with his Bible in hand, while preaching the Gospel.

Those who knew Jared Plesec say that he was devoted to his faith, and lived to teach others about God.

"Jared was an employee (youth worker) and church member of The Salvation Army Temple Corps Community Center in Collinwood. Jared died as he lived, sharing God's love. Jared passed away in full Salvation Army uniform with his Bible in hand leaving home on his day off to volunteer at The Salvation Army's Red Kettle," The Salvation Army said in a statement, as reported by WKYC.com.

"In the past two days, hundreds of individuals, mostly youth, have flocked to The Salvation Army in Collinwood to pay tribute to Jared's life. They all had one thing in common, Jared loved them, he cared for them and he changed their lives.

"Today our we feel great loss that Jared was taken from us too soon. Yet we rejoice that he is in heaven with the loving Heavenly Father he told so many people about."

Police have arrested 27-year-old William Jones in connection with the murder. Jones reportedly went on a carjacking crime spree after killing Plesec, before being captured in Lakewood.

The suspect has been charged with aggravated murder, grand theft auto and fleeing and eluding.

Witnesses said that Jones killed Plesec as he was sharing the Bible with him, Fox 8 News reported.

Plesec, who was also a Bible study teacher, was described as smart, sweet, and full of faith, with mourners stating that he would forgive his killer.

Major Daniel Alverio of the Salvation Army told Fox 8 News that the 21-year-old lived to "teach people who God was."

"To love and care for people," Alverio said.

"I would talk to Jared often and he would say that he was not afraid. I would say 'Jared, be careful in the streets.' He said, 'I'm not afraid. I know where I'm going' and for him he would tell you to die is gain. Like he had no problem with the idea of being persecuted for the Gospel. He knew what he believed and he was assured that if anything ever happened to him he was going to be alright," he added.

Amante Crawley shared that Plesec brought people to church.

"He showed me the light and everything that the Lord could do to me, how he could work through me. Anybody who did him wrong he just loved. He loved everyone. That's why I can't understand why someone would do this to him. He was a loving person," Crawley stated.

The Salvation Army held a service for Plesec on Sunday, which was attended by members of his family.

"Jared, he was the real deal. He loved the Lord with all his heart. All he wanted was to bring people to him. He wanted to do it in whatever way he could," shared Diane Schaffer, one of his cousins.

"He would go into any neighborhood. He wasn't afraid of anything. He wanted people to know what they were supposed to be doing and how to live their lives. He was a wonderful, wonderful person."
Thousands of women burned alive in India, not recognized as humans: Ministry warns

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Thousands of brides are being burned alive in India despite the practice being illegal, a Christian ministry has warned.

India Partners, a Christian organization that works alonside indigenous Christian grassroots agencies in India, told Mission Network News on Thursday that there are still as many as 8,000 bride burning cases a year in the Hindu-majority country.

A representative with India Partners, identified only as John, said the low view of women is spread through parts of India's society.

This is true both of men and women. Its not just of men itself. Most women see the other woman as in an inferior position and not able to recognize her rights as a human being," he said.

The burning attacks, some of which have resulted in deaths, are tied to dowry and marriage disputes in rural districts.

Horrible things like this happen, and many times they happen because of dowry deaths. Before marriage, the families will agree upon a dowry that the brides family generally will pay to the grooms family," John explained.

"After marriage, the grooms family sees the leverage of threatening the girl and asking for more money. So they will begin threats, they will begin beatings, and the rule of thumb is something like the more money you want, the more you need to beat her.

Women are often beaten when the groom's family demands more money, which then sometimes escalates in dousing them with flammable liquid and setting them on fire.

John said that bride burning is more common in rural districts like Uttar Pradesh because the perpetrators are less likely to be prosecuted.

"But the harassment happens everywhere. In the harassment of women, your caste doesnt make any difference. How much education you have doesnt make any difference," he added.

Women in India continue to suffer from a widespread rape epidemic, with many stories of extreme violence, sexual assaults, and murder making international news.

Dalits, members of the so-called "untouchables" lowest caste class in India, are also subject to discrimination, especially those who choose to convert to Christianity.

Earlier this week, some 2,000 Christian Dalits marched in New Delhi, demanding that the government does not stop their social benefits due to their new faith.

The fears are based on government regulations that argue that Dalit Christians and Muslims who leave the Hindu faith can no longer be considered part of the caste, UCA News.com reported.

"Government comes and goes, and we get only false promises. Several protest rallies and marches in the past were useless. Now we play our drums to wake up the sleeping government," said Father A. Arputharaj, a protest organizer in the march.
VGF Church founder had illegal relationship with teen student, impregnated her after graduating

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More details have emerged about the sinful and illegal actions committed by the founder of one of the largest churches in Licking County, Ohio, that led to his resignation in October.

John Schouten, who founded VGF Church (formerly known as Vineyard Grace Fellowship) in Heath, has admitted to having an inappropriate years-long relationship with a teenage student when he was a newlywed teacher at Liberty Christian Academy over 30 years ago.

The relationship, which occurred before Schouten was a Christian, resulted in the girl becoming pregnant at the age of 19 after she graduated from the school.

Although Schouten officially parted ways with VGF in October, only a few details were reported in the media at the time out of privacy concerns. It was noted that Schouten committed "wrong, evil and illegal" acts that only involved one accuser and took place before his spiritual conversion in the 1980s.

But this week, a former Liberty Christian Academy student who knew both Schouten and the female student in question came forward to disclose more details about the situation to 10TV.

"John would have been 25. He started sleeping with her when she was 14, she was a senior when I got there, the former student, who chose to remain anonymous, explained. He got her pregnant while his ... pregnant wife Marilyn was working at the school.

"I wanted to vomit [when] I heard that he was a megachurch pastor," the student added.

Mark Weaver, a church member acting as a spokesperson for both the board of elders and Schouten, told The Christian Post on Friday that the same former student who spoke to 10TV first contacted the church through an email about the allegations in June.

The church later disclosed the information provided by the whistleblower to its congregants that same month during a congregational meeting that was held directly following a Sunday church service.

Some [members] had the view that [Schouten] had preached about his sinful and immoral life before he came to Christ and that he sought redemption and was forgiven by God under the blood of Christ, Weaver explained. Others thought he should have been much more forthcoming about the details of the adulterous and immoral life before Christ. Different people had different views.

Although Schouten had been open with the church about the sinful life he led before coming to Christ and often mentioned his past drug addiction and lawlessness in his sermons, he kept quiet about the fact that he had an illegal and adulterous relationship with a teenager during the 1980s.

At the time the relationship with the minor began, Schouten was newly married. But when his wife found out, she left him. Schoutens life would turn around after his wife took him back, insisted that he get off drugs and led him to Christ with the help of others.

Church leaders first found out about this sinful and illegal relationship in June. They placed pastor Schouten on administrative leave and began a series of discussions and prayer sessions for discernment, Weaver said. There was no consensus on what step should be taken next. As a result, church leaders and John Schouten parted ways.

Weaver explained that the church hired a private lawyer who used to be a prosecutor as a consultant to determine if the church had any responsibility to report the allegations to police.

But since the crime was committed before the church was founded, the lawyer determined that the church didnt have reporting responsibilities. The lawyer also advised that the statute of limitations on the crime had expired.

These were all moral issues essentially left, not legal issues, Weaver said. There are some odd facts here and it doesnt quite line up with the stories you hear at other churches.

For the time being, the churchs three other pastors have shared the responsibility of leading worship services. Last week, the elders announced a search committee to look for a new lead pastor, Weaver said.

VGF Church was previously associated with the Association of Vineyard Churches. But in 2017, the church announced that it was ending its affiliation and becoming an independent evangelical church.
Robert Jeffress on Trump's Apostles Creed furor: Sometimes I fail to recite in my own services

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Texas megachurch pastor and longtime Donald Trump supporter Robert Jeffress has defended the president amid criticism over his not reciting the Apostles Creed during the funeral of former president George H.W. Bush.

During the service when the Christian statement of faith known as the Apostles Creed was being recited, many noted that Trump was not reciting the creed or reading the text from the bulletin, even as the former presidents beside him were doing so.

In a statement emailed to The Christian Post on Thursday, the lead pastor at First Baptist Church of Dallas explained that he has personally seen President Trump sing hymns and recite Christian prayers.

Ive stood next to President Trump and heard him recite the Lords Prayer, and I sat behind him at Billy Grahams funeral and watched him and the first lady sing All Hail The Power of Jesus Name, said Jeffress.

Jeffress labeled the outrage over Trump not reciting the Apostles Creed a manufactured controversy and a nothing burger that was cooked up by the perennial Trump haters.

There are times in my own church services when I fail to sing the hymns or recite the Scripture because Im distracted by my own thoughts, continued Jeffress. I imagine the leader of the free world has a few things on his mind, as well.

On Wednesday, the Washington National Cathedral presided over the funeral of George H.W. Bush, with Trump and his wife Melania sitting in the front row along side the remaining living former presidents and their wives.

Many took to social media when video of the worship services showed Trump not reciting or reading the creed, especially in light of the strong support the president has among white evangelicals.

Striking that all the former Presidents and First Ladies recited the Apostles Creed, but Trump and Melania stood silently and did not. The creeds are at the heart of historic orthodox Christianity, tweeted journalist and author Jon Ward.

Other Twitter users offered up denunciations, claiming that this showed that Trump was playing like he is a Christian just to get Christians to support him and that they cant believe Evangelicals anointed a man who doesnt recite the Apostles Creed.

Liberal comedian and practicing Roman Catholic Stephen Colbert also poked fun at the president for his not reciting the creed during the funeral on a segment of CBS The Late Show on Wednesday evening.

Im sorry, I zoned out there for a minute, said Colbert, impersonating Trump. I was thinking about all the evangelicals who voted for me. What are we doing, the Macarena? Im in.
Nebraska principal bans all things Christmas, says candy canes symbolize Jesus

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A school district in Nebraska has clarified that a principals recent directives to teachers effectively banning all Christmas and other religious holiday symbols violate school board policy.

A lawyer for Elkhorn Public Schools has criticized the guidance given last week to teachers at Manchester Elementary School by Principal Jennifer Sinclair in a response letter sent Monday to lawyers at Liberty Counsel.

Sinclairs guidance warned teachers against things such as having Christmas trees in the classroom, putting Christmas symbols on school worksheets, the singing of Christmas carols and the playing of Christmas music.

Sinclair advised teachers against having students make Christmas ornaments as gifts and even advised them not to use the colors red and green because of their connection to the Christmas holiday.

Also on Sinclaires "not acceptable" list was candy canes, cane-shaped sticks of candy that are often peppermint flavored.

Thats Christmas-related, she wrote. Historically, the shape is a J for Jesus. The red is for the blood of Christ, and the white is a symbol of his resurrection. This would also include different colored candy canes.

Sinclair based her guidance off of a school district policy that calls for all learning activities, student exhibits and student programs to not endorse or promote any given religion or faith.

I know that you all are very kind and conscientious people, Sinclair told the teachers in her guidance. I know all of the things that youd like to do, have done, want to do are coming from such a good place. I come from a place that Christmas and the like are not allowed in schools, as over the years in my educational career, this has evolved into the expectation for all educators.

Sinclair suggested that if teachers have any doubt about an activity or decoration they had planned, they should ask themselves What is the clear instructional purpose of this?

Does this item or activity promote a certain belief or religious? Sinclair wrote.

Liberty Counsel, a national conservative Christian legal nonprofit, raised concern in a letter sent to Superintendent Bary Habrock last Friday. It argued in its letter to Habrock that Sinclair appears to have conflated her own values and preferences with the law.

The First Amendment simply does not require the elimination of all Christmas symbols  religious and secular  in a misguided attempt to be inclusive by eliminating all traditional elements of a federally and state-recognized holiday, the Liberty Counsel letter sent by attorney Richard Mast reads. The effort to comprehensively eliminate Christmas symbols is Orwellian.

In response, Liberty Counsel received a Dec. 3 letter from Justin Knight of the law offices of Perry, Guthery, Haase and Gessford, which represents the school district.

Please be advised that, after the receiving your letter, the Administration investigated this matter and determined that Principal Sinclairs memorandum did not comply with Board Policy, the letter reads. The Boards applicable policies are lawful on the issue of religion in schools, and all District employees are expected to follow Board Policy at all times.

According to Knight, the school district administration has informed staff at Manchester Elementary School that applicable board policy does allow certain Christmas symbols. The administration has vowed to work with the staff to to correct any erroneous communications and clarify any misunderstandings.

I trust that the foregoing resolves this matter, Knight wrote in his letter.

Although candy canes are found nearly anywhere around Christmastime and are likely to be hung on more than a few Christmas trees, the principals claim that candy canes are inherently Christian and are made in the shape of a J for Jesus is not backed up by evidence or documentation, according to the fact-checking website Snopes.

Additionally, Smithsonian.com points out that almost none of the common explanations or myths given for the origin and design of the candy cane are true.
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Every once in a while, were offered a peek behind an ideological curtain. Thats what happened last week in the New York Times.

If you were a surgeon and someone asked you to perform a surgery that would not heal, would not help, would not make them feel better, and would leave the patient with a permanent wound, would you do it? Is there any area of medicine where such a request would even be considered?

The answer to the first question is, of course, no. No one should perform a surgery that does not help, does not heal, does not make someone feel better, and that would leave a permanent wound. The answer to the second question  does any field of medicine perform such surgeriesis yes. One. Only one.

In the case of gender dysphoria, doctors perform a surgery that, in effect, amputates perfectly healthy body parts. This kind of surgery is not performed in the case of any other type of whats called body dissociative disorder, cases in which patients believe they were born into the wrong body. For example, there are those who believe they should be without an arm or a leg. But their requests to become an amputee are not honored, nor even taken seriously.

However, in the case of gender dysphoria, amputative surgery will, were told, align someones physical body with their internal sense of sex and gender. We are told that without this surgery, theyd be a high risk of suicide and other mental health risks.

At best, this is pseudo-scientific. Dr. Paul McHugh, longtime chair of psychiatry at Johns Hopkins Medical School, has argued for years that such procedures ignore and may even aggravate underlying psycho-social troubles. In fact, those who undergo sex-reassignment still have a suicide rate nearly twenty times that of the general population. Thats why McHugh famously called transgender medicine cooperating with mental illness and thats why he put an end to surgeries at Johns Hopkins.

So why should these surgeries proceed? Andrew Long Chu, in a stunning, must-read piece in the New York Times, ventured an answer. Chu is a man who identifies as a woman and is currently raising money for sex-reassignment surgery. In his Times piece, he says that he knows the transition wont make him happy. Until the day I die, he writes, my body will regard [the result of this surgery] as a wound (that) will require regular, painful attention to maintain.

Chu even admits that the transition process and treatments have made him more miserable. I was not suicidal before hormones, he writes. Now I often am. And yet he insists that he has a right to the surgeryand that no doctor should refuse. Why? Because, its what he wants. Thats it.

This deeply troubling opinion piece reads like a cry for help. In fact, more than a few transgender advocates have condemned it. And to be clear, not everyone who pursues gender reassignment surgery reports being as miserable as Chu. But his story is revealing something very important. Already, this is the only type of surgery that amputates fully-functioning and otherwise-healthy body parts for no physically necessary reason. The justification has always been emotional and psychological health. Now we have an individual admitting that it wont help him emotionally or psychologically either, but that he still wants the surgery anyway. If thats all it takes, then its clear: Transgender ideology isnt really about health or scientific reality at all. What were doing is aiding and abetting serious problems, not helping.

As hard  brutal even  as this piece is to read, please do. Its a look behind the curtain of a harmful ideology to which our entire culture is currently bowing down. Anyone who disagrees is a bigot. Well, read this piece, and then read Ryan Andersons important response to it, and see whos being hateful and whos being loving. As Ryan writes, the New York Times just revealed painful truths about transgender lives.

Come to BreakPoint.org and well link you to both articles.

Resources

My New Vagina Wont Make Me Happy, Andrea Long Chu | New York Times | November 24, 2018

The New York Times Reveals Painful Truths about Transgender Lives, Ryan T. Anderson | Public Discourse | November 25, 2018

The Sex-Change Revolution Is Based on Ideology, Not Science, Ryan T. Anderson | Heritage.org | January 22, 2018

Originally posted at Breakpoint.
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Cue the dramatic music: A pro-life student group harassed by fellow students and university staff at Miami University-Hamilton sets off a chain of events unlike anything the school has ever seen in a chilling series of events spanning multiple years. As the pro-life group struggles to share their message of hope on campus -- without discrimination -- the vandalization case turns into an all-out free speech fiasco. These crimes are under investigation, and time is of the essence.

Just this past year, the schools administration was desperately trying to impose a trigger warning rule on the pro-life group  a gross illegality considering Miami is a public institution. Fortunately, with the help of a federal lawsuit, the school has since backed off from their policy of censoring certain students and even become surprisingly helpful in subsequent free speech issues surrounding the pro-life campus group.

Whats the lesson here? Public campuses are not allowed to stifle certain viewpoints. The pro-life students at Miami started with a menacing, untamed administration that had lost sight of how inconsequential they are compared to the U.S. Constitution. When the students stood up for themselves (and all other pro-life students, by example), they ended up with a tamed beast that respects them and even offers extra support in the face of peer hostility.

This could be a "made for TV" event. Fans of The First 48 know the shows introduction by heart: For homicide detectives, their chance of solving a murder is cut in half if they dont get a lead within the first 48 hours. While these violations of student rights dont result in macabre crime scenes, students are still dealing with something pretty scary.

Sadly, this is not an isolated event. Pro-life students at colleges and high schools across the country are the victims of vandalizations and discriminatory actions each year. These come from fellow students and school staff alike, all in favor of abortion and all subscribing to the ridiculous belief that the people they disagree with should be silenced. This includes everything from washing away chalk messages and tearing down flyers to stealing displays, shouting down pro-life speakers and even threats of violence.

Plenty of student pro-life groups are quite interested in catching the perpetrators responsible for the destruction of the groups materials, which is completely justified. But for most, the fight is simply to be able to share their message without fear of violence.

But back to our story: Miami University-Hamilton in Ohio is a great example of exactly what to do immediately following an attack on free speech.

This is what a successful, first 48 Hours can look like:

1. Be Prepared: When putting up a display or setting up an event, take Before pictures. Assign group members to keep an eye on things throughout the duration of the display and have a plan in place should things get rough.

2. Get Help: Most vandalism occurs out of sight, but if someone approaches and starts destroying things right in front of you, call the police in case the person poses a threat.

3. Document Everything: This is perhaps the most important bit of advice. Without proper documentation, a legal case (should it become necessary) is weakened. Documentation means pictures, videos, and evidence in writing (I.e. emails, letters, etc.). Check out this video Miami students captured of a someone destroying their display.

4. Stay Timely: Report vandalization, theft, or whatever the transgression to the appropriate authorities immediately, and keep a copy of the reports filed. Their enthusiasm for addressing the issue will be strongest in (surprise) the first 48 hours.

5. Engage Allies: Often school administrations will address problems only after being confronted by the pro-life student group themselves  or their advocates and attorneys. Miami Students for Life contacted Students for Life of America and Alliance Defending Freedom to create a precedent and make sure their free speech rights would be protected in the future. During their most recent spate of harassment, they also garnered the support of campus police.

6. Keep Fighting: It can feel intimidating to get back out there following campus harassment, but its a crucial last step. Continuing to do what your pro-life group set out to do (consider adding extra displays or events to your schedule) to send the message that the Pro-Life Generation will not be silenced. The Miami group, following every instance of vandalization, promptly went back out and replaced whatever was broken or stolen.

7. Stay Loving: Part of going about their business included kindness through it all. The Pro-Life Generation cares about mothers and their children, born and preborn, and wants to engage their peers with love and compassion. We understand that those who lash out are often the ones who are hurting the most.

American school campuses should be the safest places on Earth for free speech and the exchange of ideas. Its not altogether surprising that pro-life students are seeing an increase in violence directed towards them, given the violent and incendiary language coming from pro-choice politicians and celebrities. But the example set by Miami and their pro-choice vandals is a template for how to effectively respond.

Brenna Lewis is the current Staff Writer, and former Regional Coordinator of Kentucky & Tennessee, for Students for Life of America, who managed events and crisis response on college and university campuses.
Weekly Briefing: George HW Bush, Lauren Daigle, Christmas ban

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We've compiled the top stories of the week. Here's what you need to know:

America says farewell to George H.W. Bush

The funeral for George H.W. Bush proved to be a rare moment when the nation came together in unity to remember and mourn the 41st U.S. president.

On Wednesday, his son, George W. Bush, paid tribute with a eulogy that left many in tears.

He taught us how to grow with dignity, humor and kindness, and when the good Lord finally called, how to meet Him with courage and with the joy of the promise of what lies ahead.

Christian artist Michael W. Smith sang Friends at the memorial service. It was the late Bushs request.

Read Interesting facts about Bush

Lauren Daigle fallout

The popular Christian artist who has gained mainstream success experienced backlash after she said she couldnt answer whether homosexuality is a sin. Im not God, Daigle said on "The Domenick Nati Show.

Her comments drew a slew of reactions, some showing sympathy and others expressing disappointment.

You've ministered to me on multiple occasions, and I trust you will continue to do so  But last week you were tested  Lauren, dear sister in Christ, you failed this test. But look at it this way: These tests are not one-and-done. What you do in the wake of this failure can have a substantially redemptive impact, said John Wesley Reid, a fan.

Some have weighed in on how Christian celebrities should address the inevitable question of homosexuality when asked.

Ban on Christmas

With Christmas weeks away, schools and cities are facing complaints from atheists and being told that Christmas displays are illegal.

Though reluctant, the mayor of Dover, Ohio, removed a Nativity scene from public property after being threatened with a lawsuit from an atheist group.

Meanwhile, a school in Michigan is standing its ground by keeping its Three Wise Men display despite complaints from activists.

And in Nebraska, while a principal tried to ban anything Christmas-related, including candy canes, trees and music, a lawyer for Elkhorn Public Schools assured that it would reverse the ban.

Terrorism deaths on the decline

A new report found that terrorism-related deaths around the world fell 44 percent since peaking in 2014.

The drop is largely a result of the decline of ISIL, which lost most of its territory and revenue sources in Syria and Iraq, according to the Global Terrorism Index. But ISIL remained the deadliest terrorist group globally in 2017.

The report warned that ISIL affiliate groups are becoming more active in other regions and recorded a dramatic increase in violence involving Fulani extremists in Nigeria this year.

Pray for

Talatu Gado in Nigeria, whose family members were killed by extremists and who is now homeless

The family of Jeannot Plessy, a pastors wife who was killed during a carjacking

New releases

Movie:

Buttons: A New Musical Film (Dec. 8 only)

Album:

Glorious by Cindy Cruse Ratcliff (Dec. 7)

Book:

Praying for Your Missionary: How Prayers from Home Can Reach the Nations by Eddie Byun (Dec. 4)
Christian grandmother homeless after son, his wife, 5-y-o daughter killed by Muslim Fulani

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A Christian grandmother in Nigeria has shared her heartbreaking story of losing much of her family to a Muslim Fulani attack and being made homeless.

Talatu Gado told Morning Star News through tears on Wednesday that her 35-year-old son, 21-year-old daughter-in-law and 5-year-old granddaughter were all killed after Fulani herdsmen, which some groups say have been radicalized, attacked their village.

The attack on Aug. 3 happened in Angwan Kauna village in Bassa county of Plateau state, part of a series of violent raids this past year which has seen thousands of Christians killed and their villages and homes burned down.

Prior to the herdsmen attack on us, they had while grazing their cattle around homes and farms threatened us, said Gado, a member of the Evangelical Church Winning All community.

One of them once told me that a day would come that I will weep, that is if Im still alive to cry. I never knew theyll carry out their threat. Now my heart bleeds."

A fourth relative, 7-year-old Gado Monday, was injured by a gunshot but survived.

Those of us who were able to escape from the house survived the shooting, but we were displaced as we have been forced to flee the village, she said.

Many in the community who also survived have fled to other areas. Some are living with relations in Miango town, while others are living in Internally Displaced Peoples camps in the city of Jos.

The grandmother revealed that she and other relatives who managed to flee were taken in by another family in Jebbu Miango village, but their room was destroyed by torrential rains.

You can see that we now sleep in the open, she pointed to their circumstance.

A church leader identified as Pastor Birih shared of another attack on Zanwra and Angwan Kauna in late January, where several members of his church were killed, but he managed to survive.

It was during this first attack that my house was burnt down, the pastor revealed.

The herdsmen after this attack thought they had killed me and my family as they went round and proudly spread the news that the pastor and his family were burnt alive. But unknown to them, me and my family escaped during the attack before the house was burnt down.

The continuous attacks on civilians throughout Nigeria by the Fulani and terror groups like Boko Haram have led to the displacement of millions of people in the past several years.

In August, leading persecution watchdog group Open Doors USA told The Christian Post that Christians are losing their families and their homes all over rural towns in Nigeria's Middle Belt.

"Just the idea of being trapped with your family in some of these villages and knowing that your village is about to get raided, and essentially having to run, leave everything behind and knowing that you are about to become an internally displaced person, you're not sure what you're going to do because your entire village is forced to leave," Chris Summers, senior writer at the relief group, told CP.

"So any kind of community you had is stripped away. Your church is gone, which for many of these Christians in the Middle Belt, their church is the center of their community and the center of their social structure. So the church is gone, it is burned, and they may not ever see it again."
Churches turned into military barracks, people killed: Cameroon Christians cry out

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Cameroonian Christians are crying out against the ongoing violence in their country, where churches are being converted into military barracks and believers are forced to flee.

We need peace and the United Nations intervention," a Methodist Christian, whose identity wasn't revealed, told Protestant Digital.

Many people die every day, homes and villages are burned, there are famished people and also those who take refuge in Nigeria. We do not have a voice in our country."

The violence in question stems from protests in the English-speaking region of the country, where some militant groups have created the self-proclaimed Republic of Ambazonia in opposition to what they say is oppression from the French-speaking side of the country.

Hundreds of people have been killed this year, while tens of thousands have been forced to flee as refugees. Some 50 primary and secondary schools and Christian hospitals have been affected, while at least four churches have been converted into military barracks.

The government of Ambazonia, which controls most of the Northwest and Southwest, has placed a group of soldiers in the school until the crisis is resolved, the Methodist Christian said. There are often shootings between different forces, and a stray bullet can kill a minor."

Kidnappings have also been rife. Seventy-nine children were taken by gunmen from a Presbyterian Church school but were returned earlier in November.

"They look tired and psychologically tortured," said Fonki Samuel Forba, moderator of the country's Presbyterian Church.

The Presbyterian school said that it will close due to concerns over safety.

"It is unfortunate we have to close the school and send home 700 children," Forba said. "Their security is not assured by the state and armed groups constantly attack and kidnap them."

American missionary Charles Wesco was killed late in October when he was caught in "crossfire" between the Cameroon army and English-speaking separatist forces, the U.S. government said.

Wesco had only moved to Cameroon with his family, which includes eight children, earlier in October after selling most of his possessions in the U.S., in order to serve as missionaries with the Believers Baptist Church in Warsaw, Indiana.

In October, on the occasion of a community bank holiday, Forba declared in a statement:

Given what the English-speaking community is going through at this time, we cannot have a celebration while many of God's children are being killed, suffering or living as internal or external refugees.

The emphasis should be placed on supplying the Working Fund for the Mission, to allow the church to continue assisting our pastors and brothers displaced by the armed conflict that has brought pain and suffering to many."
Global Terrorism Index ranks top 10 countries most affected by terrorism

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The number of people killed in terror attacks worldwide has decreased by 44 percent since 2014, yet terrorism remains widespread and is even getting worse in some regions, according to The Global Terrorism Index for 2018 released on Wednesday by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

The Index ranked 138 countries based on the severity of terror attacks they suffered throughout 2017, and found that despite the trend of overall attacks decreasing, more than 18,000 people were killed in terror attacks last year.

The total number of deaths fell by 27 percent between 2016 and 2017, with the largest falls occurring in Iraq and Syria. The overall trend of a decline in the number of deaths caused by acts of terror reflects the increased emphasis placed on countering terrorism around the world since the surge in violence in 2013, read a press release from the think tank earlier this week.

The top five countries on the GTI has remained unchanged from the previous edition, with Iraq ranking No. 1, followed by Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria and Pakistan.

The findings noted that the decline of the Islamic State terror group has played a big part in the decline in the number of terror attacks being committed since 2014.

Despite the losses sustained by IS, the Index warned that IS-affiliated groups are becoming more active.

In the Maghreb and Sahel regions of Northern Africa, there has been a resurgence of terrorist activity in the past two years, most notably of al-Qaida. As of March 2018 there were more than 9,000 members of terrorist groups active in the region, mostly concentrated in Libya and Algeria, it noted.

The report also does not include figures for 2018. Nigeria, No. 3 on the Index, in particular has suffered thousands of deaths this year alone, due to attacks on Christians from radicalized elements within the Fulani Muslim group.

Rounding out the top 10 were Somalia, India, Yemen, Egypt, and the Philippines.

The United States was also ranked highest among western countries on the Index, coming in at No. 20.

"In North America, the number of deaths from terrorism increased for the fourth successive year, rising from 65 deaths in 2016, to 85 deaths in 2017. Deaths rose in both the U.S. and Canada, with Canada having its second deadliest year since 1998 with six deaths," the report explained.

"In the U.S., total deaths rose from 64 to 86, primarily as the result of the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017 that killed 59 people. The number of incidents per year in North America has tripled in the past five years, with 61 recorded terrorist incidents in 2017, up from just 19 incidents in 2012," it added.

Europe, on the other hand, had the biggest percentage improvement, with total deaths from terrorism falling by 75 percent, especially in the nations of France, Germany and Belgium.

Overall there were 18,814 deaths due to terrorism recorded worldwide for 2017, which was the lowest level since 2013.

Still, the number of deaths remains significantly higher than a decade ago, and nearly three times as high as the number recorded for 2001, the Institute for Economics and Peace said.

The Index found that that the total global economic impact of terrorism measured in around $52 billion, though that represented a 42 percent decrease compared to 2016. The reported pointed out that the figures are conservative, however, as they did not account for the indirect impact on business, investment and the costs associated with security agencies.
One of the oldest English copies of the Bible sells at auction for over $47,000

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A rare copy of one of the first New Testaments to be published in English has sold to a private collector for the equivalent of nearly $48,000.

The 1536 text was translated from Hebrew and Greek by renowned English scholar William Tyndale, one of the most well-known figures of the Protestant Reformation who believed that everyone should be able to read the Bible in their own language.

The piece is titled The Newe Testamente Yet Once Agayne Corrected By William Tyndale and is only the fourth copy to be sold since the 1970s, Premier reports.

The piece of history sold at auction to an unnamed collector on Nov. 28 for 37,500, which is equivalent to $47,908.95.

According to Clive Moss, the head of the book department at Chiswick Auctions in West London, the Bible was Tyndales final revision and shaped the grammar and vocabulary of the English language in a period in which it was crude and unrefined.

"The Tyndale Bible has been described as the most important book in the English language, Moss said, according to Premier. "William Tyndale contributed to the rise of the view that the Bible is a historical document and should be read with 'historical faith.

Moss explained that Tyndale made political use of his vernacular translations in order to win the common people to the Protestant cause.

"It is, therefore, unmistakably of huge national and historical importance to Britain, Moss asserted.

The 37,500 auction price is higher than what some had anticipated.

In October, it was estimated that the text would sell for around 8,000-10,000.

David Instone-Brewer, the senior research fellow at Tyndale House in Cambridge, told Premier in October that only a few of the Tyndale Bibles have survived as they were declared heretical in Britain.

Tyndale had to hide in the Netherlands because British authorities didn't want an unauthorized version of the Bible, Instone-Brewer said.
S. Korean megachurch pastor loses case in leadership fight; church opposes court involvement

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The Rev. Oh Jung-hyun, pastor of the 60,000-strong Sarang Church in South Korea, has lost a Supreme Court case against several church members over an internal leadership battle.

The more than decade-long battle stems from 2003, when Oh was appointed as head pastor by the Eastern Seoul arm of the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea, The Korea Herald reported.

Plaintiffs against the pastors appointment lost their petition in the lower courts, but the Korean Supreme Court remanded the case in April.

The court found on Wednesday that Oh is indeed recognized as a pastor of the Presbyterian Church in America and probationer in the General Assembly of Presbyterian Church in Korea, but failed to pass exams to qualify as a pastor under the general assembly.

Chosun.com noted that the 37th Division of the High Court of Civil Rights found that Oh "did not have the ministerial requirement set by the denomination."

The nine church members who filed a lawsuit in 2013 against the pastor argued that Oh did not successfully graduate from Chongshin University Graduate School of theology and pass the examination of the presbytery, which is a necessary qualification.

Opposing the ruling, Sarang Church argued that the decision breaches the separation of church and state.

[The ruling] contradicts the separation of church and state, freedom of religion guaranteed by the Constitution, and the precedent set by the Supreme Court that matters related to religious orders autonomy and internal relations, in principle, are not subject to judicial review, the church contended.

The church is considering appealing the case.

Christianity Daily reported in March that Oh was a friend of the world famous late evangelist Billy Graham. Oh traveled to meet Graham in North Carolina, where the two discussed the Korean reunification issue.

Graham said during the 2008 meeting that he hoped to see the reunification of South and North Korea, noting, "The reunification comes from God. Pray to God. The reunification will be surely actualized if your prayer is suitable for God's will."

"I acknowledge that the power of Korean churches dispatching missionaries to countries around the globe. I am also encouraged by the devotion and amazing ministries of Korean churches, he added. "God works now as well. Rely on Him. Pray to God more earnestly. Following the guidance of the Holy Spirit is the best way.

On its website, Sarang Church says that it is guided by five ministry visions, namely glorifying God, living as Jesus' disciples, being one in the Holy Spirit, vitalizing the community and evangelizing the world.

It adds that Oh's "basic ideas of pastoral work lie in discipleship training through which one man can be a real disciple of Jesus. He focuses on the discipleship training by stressing concentrated life."
Vatican astronomer responds to claim that God's existence can't be proven

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While science cannot definitely prove the existence of God, it can showcase indicators of a supreme being, a Vatican astronomer has argued.

David Brown, an astronomer with the Vatican Observatory who belongs to the American Astronomical Society and the International Astronomical Union, was recently interviewed by the Jesuit publication America magazine.

When asked by the publication how he responds to the claim that science cannot prove God, Brown responded by saying that scientific methods cannot prove everything.

We have to realize science is a method able to probe and study one slice of the reality of our universe through very precise methods, but by no means does that precise methodology presume to be the definitive word on everything, Brown replied in comments published Monday.

 the methods of science dont lend themselves to prove, definitely in the sense of mathematical proof, the existence of God in the way we can demonstrate things from an empirical point of view, though what science explains very much for me already reveals a profound beauty suggestive of God.

Brown added that he believes the Bible is not written as a science book, with precise language and methods and up-to-date results.

The Bible is the inspired Word of God, but written by human beings who had limitations of what they knew of the world when they were writing, continued Brown.

They didnt have open to them the mysteries of the universe in their totality. What God revealed to them wasnt so much science as Gods plan of salvation more than anything else.

Earlier this year, 11-year-old William Maillis, who graduated from St. Petersburg College in Florida only two years after completing high school, said he wants to become an astrophysicist and prove that God exists.

"I want to prove that God does exist through science  so that the world can know," Maillis told The Tampa Bay Times in an interview published in July. "Science is a tool for explaining the world. Science doesn't disprove God."

The question of whether science can prove, or for that matter disprove, the existence of God has been a debate among many writers, scholars, theologians, and apologists.

In 2016, for example, Lutterworth Press published a book by University of Maryland Public Policy professor Robert H. Nelson titled God? Very Probably: Five Rational Ways to Think about the Question of God.

This book brings together for the first time such recent diverse contributions from fields such as physics, the philosophy of human consciousness, evolutionary biology, mathematics, the history of religion, and theology, explained its description on Goodreads.

Based on such new materials as well as older ones from the 20th century, it develops five rational arguments that point strongly to the (very probable) existence of a god. They do not make use of the scientific method, which is inapplicable to the question of a god. Rather, they are in an older tradition of rational argument dating back at least to the ancient Greeks.
Apple CEO Tim Cook vows to remove 'hate' from tech company's platforms

Apple CEO Tim Cook has said that those pushing 'hate' will not find a home on the tech giant's platforms.

Cook issued the warning while accepting the Anti-Defamation League's 'Courage Against Hate' award in New York City.

'We only have one message for those who seek to push hate, division and violence: You have no place on our platforms, you have no home here,' he said.

His comments come after Apple removed five podcasts by right-wing Infowars founder and conspiracy theorist Alex Jones from iTunes and its Podcast app. Facebook, YouTube, Spotify and Twitter quickly followed suit.

In his address to the Anti-Defamation League, Cook was unapologetic, saying: 'As we showed this year, we won't give a platform to violent conspiracy theorists on the App Store.'

He continued: 'We believe the future should belong to those who use technology to build a better, more inclusive, and more hopeful world.

'I believe the most sacred thing that each of us is given is our judgment, our morality, our own innate desire to separate right from wrong. Choosing to set that responsibility aside in a moment of trial is a sin.'

Apple's actions against Jones have triggered accusations of censorship.

In September, the right-wing advocacy group Freedom Watch launched a class-action lawsuit against Facebook, Google, Twitter and Apple, claiming that they violated antitrust laws.

'Our YouTube account on Google never gets above 49 thousand,' said founder Larry Klayman in an interview on FOX Business' 'Varney & Co'.

Christians have also accused the major tech giants of being biased against conservatives.

Conservative Christian Elizabeth Johnston, who blogs as The Activist Mommy, has previously had her Facebook account suspended over her views on homosexuality and transgenderism.

She was also banned from Twitter last year after strongly criticising Teen Vogue's anal sex guide, and again this year after sharing an article about a trans suicide.

Martin Luther King's niece Alveda King said earlier this year that her pro-life adverts had been blocked by Facebook.

The makers of pro-life movie Gosnell made similar claims in October when they tried to promote their film on Facebook.
Christian charity under fire for telling school children Santa isn't real

A Christian charity has been criticised after a volunteer reportedly reduced young school children to tears after telling them Santa Claus is not real.

The Mirror reports that children at Fleet Wood Lane Primary in Lincolnshire were told that Santa was 'made up'.

During the school assembly, the volunteer from the Mary Bass Charity also reportedly invited two children to come to the front and smash up chocolate Santas.

According to its page on the Charity Commission website, the Mary Bass Charity exists 'to further the religious and other charitable work of the Church of England (including the furtherance of the aims of the Christian Stewardship Movements)'.

The school has since apologised and ended its relationship with the charity after parents complained about the presentation.

Head teacher Mrs Rachael Cotton said: 'We have apologised to parents and children and totally sympathise with their concerns.

'I have written to parents stating that some of the presentation by the Mary Bass Charity in a school assembly was inappropriate and assured them that we will not be using representatives from this charity again.'
European church leaders call for 'respect and compassion' towards refugees

Dozens of church leaders have signed a joint statement calling for the European Union to 'cherish the dignity' of refugees.

In their Christmas Statement to the European Union, the leaders said they wanted Europe to be a 'welcoming and inclusive community'.

'We call on the nations and the people of Europe, on the political leaders and on our Churches: don't allow us to become indifferent to the suffering of others,' the statement read.

'Let us rather cherish the dignity of those who need our help and recognise that welcoming the stranger is part of our Christian and European heritage.'

The statement goes on express 'deep concern' over Europe's response to new arrivals of migrants, saying that the right to seek asylum needs to be protected.

'It is unacceptable that policies of "managing migration" lead to situations where the massive loss of human life on the way to Europe has become normal and exploitation and violence an everyday reality,' it reads.

'We need meaningful safe passages (e.g. resettlement, humanitarian visa, realistic labour migration policies) and search and rescue on the way to Europe.'

The church leaders said that while it was important to try to improve conditions in the countries migrants are coming from, Europe should for 'as long as reasons for migration exist [...] accept its obligation to welcome and protect - as one of the richest and most developed regions of the globe; instead of coercing third countries into stopping migration into Europe'.

They also renounced the common concern that accepting in large numbers of migrants is harming European societies.

'Policies should address the specific needs of new arrivals in Europe and encourage their potential to contribute, while at the same time honouring the traditions and needs of inhabitants alike,' they said.

'Discussions on migration and refugees should be characterised by dignity, respect, and where possible compassion. Spreading of inaccurate, unverifiable and divisive messages only makes the challenge of living together more difficult.

'Conflicts will inevitably arise where people of diverse ethnic and religious backgrounds are living together, particularly under rapidly changing circumstances.

'Living together in diversity can be both enriching and challenging. We ask for a spirit of tolerance and goodwill and a commitment to constructive engagement.'

Signatories of the letter include several church leaders from the UK: the General Secretary of the Baptist Union of Great Britain, the Rev Lynn Green; Moderator of the General Assembly of the Church of Scotland, the Rt Rev Susan Brown; Chair of the European Chapter of Cherubim and Seraphim Churches, Apostle Pastor John Adegoke; President of the Methodist Conference, the Rev Michaela Youngson; Moderators of the General Assembly of the United Reformed Church, the Rev Nigel Uden and Mr Derek Estill; and Bishop Jonathan Clark of Churches Together in Britain and Ireland.
Law professor 'scared' for her safety after speaking out on gender self-identification

An academic at the University of Reading says she has received rape and death threats from trans rights activists over her opposition to gender self-identification.

Prof Rosa Freedman said her office door had been covered in urine and that she had been forced to hide behind trees after being followed.

She also claimed to have received anonymous phone calls in the middle of the night from individuals who told her she 'should be raped and killed' for her beliefs on gender identity.

Prof Freedman, an expert in human rights law, said the campaign of harassment began after she took part in a public debate in which she voiced concerns about women's safety if the Government goes ahead with proposed changes to the UK's gender laws.

According to the Daily Mail, she explained further that she believed 'a woman should be defined by law as biological not psychological' and that other academics were being 'harassed' in the workplace for sharing the same view, even when it was evidence-based.

'[We] are being demonised, harassed, and targeted for expressing opinions based on the expertise for which we were hired and for why we are revered,' she wrote.

'This evening I was followed by students on campus, and ended up hiding behind trees because I was scared for my physical safety.

'I have been open about being a survivor of sexual violence, despite which young male-bodied persons have seen fit to abuse me verbally about rape or follow me in the dark into secluded spaces.'

She went on to say that with her experience of abuse, it was 'little wonder' that other women 'feel unable to speak up to protect women's rights'.

Prof Freedman also told the BBC that critics had branded her 'transphobic' and a 'Nazi' for her views.

Dr Chloe Houston, an associate professor at the university, condemned the 'abusive treatment' by 'anonymous cowards' and denied that her colleague was transphobic.

'Rosa has not expressed transphobic views and she is not transexclusionary,' she said.
Terrorist attack fatalities down by 44 per cent since 2014

The number of people killed in terror attacks worldwide has decreased by 44 percent since 2014, yet terrorism remains widespread and is even getting worse in some regions, according to The Global Terrorism Index for 2018 released on Wednesday by the Institute for Economics and Peace.

The Index ranked 138 countries based on the severity of terror attacks they suffered throughout 2017, and found that despite the trend of overall attacks decreasing, more than 18,000 people were killed in terror attacks last year.

"The total number of deaths fell by 27 percent between 2016 and 2017, with the largest falls occurring in Iraq and Syria. The overall trend of a decline in the number of deaths caused by acts of terror reflects the increased emphasis placed on countering terrorism around the world since the surge in violence in 2013," read a press release from the think tank earlier this week.

The top five countries on the GTI has remained unchanged from the previous edition, with Iraq ranking No. 1, followed by Afghanistan, Nigeria, Syria and Pakistan.

The findings noted that the decline of the Islamic State terror group has played a big part in the decline in the number of terror attacks being committed since 2014.

Despite the losses sustained by IS, the Index warned that IS-affiliated groups are becoming more active.

"In the Maghreb and Sahel regions of Northern Africa, there has been a resurgence of terrorist activity in the past two years, most notably of al-Qa'ida. As of March 2018 there were more than 9,000 members of terrorist groups active in the region, mostly concentrated in Libya and Algeria," it noted.

The report also does not include figures for 2018. Nigeria, No. 3 on the Index, in particular has suffered thousands of deaths this year alone, due to attacks on Christians from radicalized elements within the Fulani Muslim group.

Rounding out the top 10 were Somalia, India, Yemen, Egypt, and the Philippines.

The United States was also ranked highest among western countries on the Index, coming in at No. 20.

"In North America, the number of deaths from terrorism increased for the fourth successive year, rising from 65 deaths in 2016, to 85 deaths in 2017. Deaths rose in both the U.S. and Canada, with Canada having its second deadliest year since 1998 with six deaths," the report explained.

"In the U.S., total deaths rose from 64 to 86, primarily as the result of the Las Vegas shooting in October 2017 that killed 59 people. The number of incidents per year in North America has tripled in the past five years, with 61 recorded terrorist incidents in 2017, up from just 19 incidents in 2012," it added.

Europe, on the other hand, had the biggest percentage improvement, with total deaths from terrorism falling by 75 percent, especially in the nations of France, Germany and Belgium.

Overall there were 18,814 deaths due to terrorism recorded worldwide for 2017, which was the lowest level since 2013.

Still, the number of deaths remains significantly higher than a decade ago, and nearly three times as high as the number recorded for 2001, the Institute for Economics and Peace said.

The Index found that that the total global economic impact of terrorism measured in around $52 billion, though that represented a 42 percent decrease compared to 2016. The reported pointed out that the figures are conservative, however, as they did not account for the indirect impact on business, investment and the costs associated with security agencies.

Courtesy of The Christian Post
Six former Jesuit leaders who once worked in Houston have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors decades ago, including five who once worked at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in southwest Houston and one who served within the St. Joseph Church.

The six were included in a list of 42 names released by the Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province on Friday morning. Their periods of alleged abuse occurred decades ago between the 1960s and 1980s.

Therese Meyerhoff, director of communications for the Jesuits' Central and Southern Province, said all those listed Friday are no longer serving in public ministry, although four remain members of the province. She said many were removed after a series of allegations were released in 2002.

ONLY FOR SUBSCRIBERS: Cardinal DiNardo, archbishop for Galveston-Houston walks a fine line, on HoustonChronicle.com.

"The church and religious communities have really done a lot to make places safer for children," Meyerhoff said. "There are no recent allegations in our province, so hopefully people will feel some assurance from that."

The Province noted that the list is not meant to imply those named have been found guilty of a crime or are liable for civil claims. It also said inclusion on the list does not necessarily mean the allegations are true or correct, and that many allegations were made several years or decades after the alleged abuse.

Messages left with Strake Jesuit College Preparatory were not immediately returned.

Among former Strake Jesuits accused of sexually abusing minors include:

Rev. Jody Blanchard Blanchard allegedly abused at least one minor in the 1980s and was ordained in 1983. He was born in 1953 and left the Society of Jesus in 1994.

Rev. Thomas J. Naughton Naughton died in 2012 and was removed from the ministry in 2002. He allegedly abused at least one minor in the 1970s. Although he was removed from ministry in 2002, he remained a member of the Society of Jesus until 2009. He was born in 1933 and ordained in 1965.

Rev. Vincent A. Orlando Orlando allegedly abused at least one minor victim in the 1980s and was removed from the ministry in 2002. He currently lives under supervision. He was born in 1941 and was ordained in 1974.

Rev. Charles G. Coyle Coyle died in 2015 and was removed from the ministry in 2002. He allegedly abused more than one minor in the 1960s and 1970s. He was born in 1932 and ordained in 1965, and he left the Society of Jesus in 2004.

Rev. Edward D. DeRussy DeRussy died in 2001 and was restricted from ministry with minors in 1991. He allegedly abused more than one minor in the 1970s and was ordained in 1957. He was born in 1926. He also served a stint at St. Joseph's Hospital in Nassau Bay, Texas.



The Jesuit from St. Joseph's Church accused on the list is:

Rev. Austin N. Park Park died in 2015 and allegedly abused more than one victim in the 1960s. He was already removed from ministry because of dementia when the allegations were received. He was born in 1918 and ordained in 1955.



Meyerhoff said some of the names contained on the list have appeared publicly in the past but she did not know which. She said the church began compiling the names several months ago by reviewing archived records. The Western Province will release a similar list at 10 a.m. Pacific Standard Time.

In a statement, Provincial Ronald Mercier said those who were abused by a church they trusted deserve transparency and a response that recognizes past missteps and seeks a new way forward.

"The storm that the Church experiences today calls forth from us an unprecedented and yet needed response," Mercier said. "Silence in the face of the events of recent months cannot be an option."

The Province encouraged survivors of past and current abuse to report an incident by contacting Carol Zarinelli Brescia, a licensed clinical social worker. She can be reached confidentially by phone at 314-915-7168 or email at ucsoutreach@jesuits.org.

For a complete list of accused Jesuits, click here.

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West Harris County residents, including people living in the city of Katy, will be billed more for the water they use starting Jan. 1.

Thats a result of recent action taken by the board of the West Harris County Regional Water Authority (WHCRWA). The rate increase is 25 cents per 1,000 gallons of water. That means that the groundwater reduction plan fee will become $2.95 per 1,000 gallons and the surface water fee will become $3.35 per 1,000 gallons of water. In the past, the city of Katy has applied a formula to reduce part of the increased cost to residents.

Bruce Parker, president of the water authority board, said rates are determined by an independent rate analyst who considers debt service on authority bonds, design and construction cost of the surface water supply project, water system maintenance and operation and projected population growth. Those calculations include the authoritys share of the cost for the Luce Bayou Inter Basin Transfer Project and expansion of Houstons Northeast Water Purification Plant, both of which are required for the authority to meet the state-required goal to convert from groundwater to surface water use.

That goal calls for the authority to reduce groundwater use by 60 percent by 2025 and by 80 percent by 2035. The authority has met the 2010 goal of being 30 percent converted, Parker said. Visit www.whcrwa.com for information.

Municipal utility groups that do not participate with the authority toward that goal are charged a disincentive fee by the Harris-Galveston Subsidence District, which was created by the Texas Legislature in 1975 to restrict groundwater withdrawals to stop subsidence, which has been linked to an increased flooding risk.

That fee will go to $9 per 1,000 gallons of water used starting Jan. 1, 2019, said Parker. Compared to the HGSD disincentive fee our pumpage rates are a bargain.

Please be aware the board of directors is doing everything possible to keep our rates as low as possible for as long as possible, said Parker. As directors we also pay the water rates we have established and have an incentive to keep rates as low as possible.

The groundwater fee started at 10 cents per 1,000 gallons in 2001. The surface water fee started at 80 cents per 1,000 gallons in 2005. Both have increased gradually through the years. In 2010, for example, the groundwater and surface water fees were each $1.25 per 1,000 gallons of water. In 2015, the groundwater fee had increase to $2.05 while the surface water fee was $2.45 per 1,000 gallons.

Kathleen Jackson, a member of the Texas Water Development Board, spoke to local water officials at the authoritys Partners in Progress Forum on Oct. 25.

Referring to the Luce Bayou in East Texas and related work, she said, It is the largest infrastructure project in construction in the nation today.

Jackson added, Youre a model for others to follow.

She praised Houston area regional water officials for their collaboration and leadership as they look to the future.

The state produces a water plan every five years and the Luce Bayou project is a recommended strategy, said Jackson. The Luce Bayou dates to the late 1930s when Houston officials realized the need to identify sources for surface water, according to officials, but the project actually broke ground in February 2017. While the city of Houston owns the water, the system is built, owned and operated by The Coastal Water Authority. The Luce Bayou project includes a $50 million 500 million gallon per day pump station, 3 miles of dual 96-inch pipeline and 23 miles of earthern canal. Water from Trinity River will be transferred to Lake Houston.

Sharing in the cost of that project with the West Harris County Regional Water Authority are the city of Houston, North Fort Bend Water Authority, North Harris County Regional Water Authority and Central Harris County Regional Water Authority. Total cost of the project is $350 million. The WHCRWA cost is $70 million.

The project includes expansion of the northeast water purification plant which will treat water from Lake Houston. That project cost is estimated at $1.775 billion with the WHCRWA cost at $460 million.

The water will be sent from the plant via an 8-foot diameter pipeline to west Harris County and North Fort Bend County. Cost of the surface water supply project is estimated at $1.2 billion. The WHCRWA cost is approximately $660 million. The authoritys website also shows an estimated $361 million for 2025 internal distribution lines. WHCRWA and North Fort Bend Water Authority are sharing the costs for the 39-mile long pipeline from the plant to west Harris County and north Fort Bend County.
Its just human nature I suppose. We often attend various events and have marvelous experiences without giving a great deal of thought to how it happened, who made it happen or what was required to even make it possible that it might happen. For example, several hundred of you took part in this past weeks Holiday Home Tour and spent a few hours marveling at your neighbors willingness to turn their homes into displays of holiday splendor for your viewing pleasure (and to raise money for their charities of choice). What you wouldnt have noticed behind the scenes is that the BLO committee spent months organizing the details, and home owners spent weeks planning, primping and preparing. So, many thanks to the stars of the show, the Bechtels, Brooks, Hoffmans and Kilpatricks for opening their homes to you, as well as Michael Tinberg who not only opened his home but also fed many of you. But what about the shows producer, director, stage hands, lighting crew, parking attendants and ushers? Lots of moving parts all made to appear effortless thanks to dozens of BLO volunteers and recruits. Your neighbors. Special people doing special things.

The evening prior to the main event, Julie and Roger Rodriguez kindly hosted a remarkable dinner at their home to thank participating home owners and acknowledge the BLO committee who have lived and breathed the event for months. Chair, Luann Banks (who might just be the most organized human in Texas), took great care to explain the logistics and details (of which there were many) for everything that was about to happen, who would be doing what, when and where. She was joined by co-Chair, Jill Cambern, and Volunteer Coordinator, Karen Spartz, along with current BLO President, Susan McFarland, and incoming President, Ann Davis, as they presented each homeowner with an exquisite watercolor painting of their home. Each stroke of each painting had been skillfully and lovingly applied by Bentwater resident, Annette Young. Again, special people doing special things. But, then, thats Bentwater.
When its Christmas in Montgomery, parade floats play George Strait.

At least thats what the Boy Scouts Pack 907 did as they made their way around the Historic District in downtown Montgomery playing Christmas songs with a touch of western swing. The small-town streets they traveled were packed with people bundled in blankets on a frigid Saturday morning to warm their hearts with a traditional Christmas Celebration.

I love coming to this, said Montgomery resident Tammy Chelf, who has attended the parade since 2008 and had five grandchildren participate in the parade. Its my favorite time of year. It really hasnt changed much. Its gets a little bigger but it is still a down-home type of parade.

This year, the parade had a record-breaking turnout with over 70 entries, including 30 jeeps despite cold, wet weather.

Last year was the biggest parade we ever had, this year far exceeded that, Montgomery County Historical Society Board Member and Parade Coordinator, Emily Jones, said.

Retiring Montgomery Police Chief and former U.S. Secret Service Agent, Jim Napolitano, could be seen tossing candy from his float as the grand marshal.

We are sorry to lose him, Jones said. We felt it would be appropriate to give the community a chance to see him and honor him.

World War II Veterans with Lone Star Honor Flight, a vintage fire truck, horses wearing bows on tails, tractors, trailers and more participated in the parade on a variety of floats representing organizations, new and old businesses, and schoolsincluding Montgomery School Districts new Lake Creek High School and Oak Hills Junior High-- that embraced the holiday spirit to portray this years theme of Christmas Songs. Among them included Fellowship Montgomery that created a large red sleigh with music sheets for The Best Present Ever and Care Now Urgent Care who had a man dressed in a wig laying on a medical bed with an IV bag hooked up to his arm for Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.

I think the parade was awesome, said Montgomery Resident Tricia Dawson whose daughter participated as a Montgomery High School cheerleader. Even though it was cold a lot of people still came out to show support.

The Christmas Celebration featured a parade, holiday market place, cookie walk, and candle light home tour. The event not only aims to entertain and spread Christmas cheer, but to also help raise funds for the Montgomery County Historical Society in maintaining historical homes and buildings.

This year the 27th annual Cookie Walk featured 72,000 little Christmas cookies in all shapes and sizes that prompted a line outside the Community Building once again this year, three hours early. For the fifth year, Montgomery Resident and hair stylist Jennie Cashmere stood at the front of line.

Anywhere I have ever worked I have said this is important, I have to be off for the day of Christmas in Montgomery, Cashmere said. I have to be one of the first people in line at the Cookie Walk, my kids have to see the parade, its a tradition. Its the second most important day of the year.

Traditions like this, you dont see that as much anymore as the cities get bigger and bigger and bigger, she added. Christmas is so important and anything that celebrates Christmas and community is a good thing. But I should have worn a bigger jacket.

mellsworth@hcnonline.com
The Ark Church provided 180,000 pounds of free groceries to an estimated 1,200 cars in the cold Saturday morning.

The church partners with the Montgomery County Food Bank to bless the changing community in the Spring and Fall each year. While the fall event normally is held on Thanksgiving Day, this year the church decided to host a Christmas Grocery Giveaway in December because it would be better logistically, the church said.

However, Community Pastor Brandon Johnson with The Ark said the feedback from the community was positive about the change and that the church is will discuss and consider hosting the event around the same time again next year based on the communitys feedback.

There seemed to be a greater need this time then when we typically do it, he said. We see every year the need keeps growing.

Among the cars in line this year to received enough groceries to feed a family of four for a month included an old multicolored Jeep Grand Cherokee with a missing bumper driven by Charlie Tutter of Conroe. He shared he and his family of three are currently living in the jeep.

This is awesome. These people do these food drives out here all the time and they are always helping us out here, Tutter said. Me and my family are homeless basically. It is hard for us to do anything. If it wasnt for these people sometimes we wouldnt be eating.

Johnson shared the cars starting lining up at 8 p.m. Friday night, which is a record for the earliest the line has started for the event held at the church located at 450 Humble Tank Road in Conroe. The groceries include non-perishable food staples along with fresh items, such as meat, vegetables, and fruit.

The church saw less than 1,000 cars at the 2016 spring food giveaway. But, following Hurricane Harvey the 2017 Thanksgiving Day Grocery Giveaway fell short of the need despite having 335,000 pounds of food, 125,000 pounds more than the November 2016 event, when it saw at least 1,150 cars. The church reported an average of one to two families per car with an estimated total of 6,000 people in need of the groceries. The cars filled the parking lot and lined down the street, wrapped around the Interstate 45 feeder, and ended at Target on Texas 105.

This year, in the spring, 1,100 cars and at least one individual with a buggy, arrived at the church which served 300,000 pounds of food and saw 300 more people than the spring 2017 grocery giveaway and reported over 500 cars on the property. Johnson shared some cars have had as many as five families in need of groceries. Members of the community have told The Courier in previous articles that some of the challenges that were a factor in the need included unemployment, health issues, a death in the family, and Hurricane Harvey.

It just seems as our county continues to grow and more and more people are seeing this as a help to some of their financial situations and the challenges they face, Johnson said.  We remember a time when had to wait a little for all the food to (be distributed to) that number (1,200)  now we dont wait at all.

For more information about The Ark Church or Grocery Giveaway, call 936-756-1988 or visit thearkchurch.com. For more information about the MCFB food drives, call 936-539-6686 or visit www.mcfoodbank.org.

mellsworth@hcnonline.com
Services for former President George H.W. Bush elicited a wide range of emotions as people grieved, honored and remembered.

The nation won't soon forget the images of former Sen. Bob Dole raising a left hand to salute Bush's casket, former President George W. Bush's emotional eulogy, the thousands of people lining train tracks in Texas or even Sully, the late president's service dog, lying next to his casket.

Exclusive: Inside the train carrying George H.W. Bush's casket

Even light-hearted moments, such as when George W. Bush greeted Michelle Obama by handing her a cough drop, marked the occasion.

Click through the slideshow above to see the best of the images from the several days of memorials and tributes.

And go to our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com, for full coverage of the late president's life and death. There, you can also find a gallery of our best photography selected by Chronicle editors.

NEWS WHEN YOU NEED IT: Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message | Sign up for breaking news alerts delivered to your email here.
The defense attorney representing a Houston mother who is accused of drowning and decapitating her 5-year-old son described the woman as a very mentally ill individual after she appeared in court on Friday.

His client, Lihui Liu, has been charged with capital murder and held without bond in the death of her son, Jiandong Xu. The boy was found headless and stashed in a trash can at their home on Nov. 30.

Attorney George Parnham, who is known for representing Andrea Yates and Clara Harris in their high-profile murder cases, said Liu is receiving mental health help in jail and is taking medication.

My observations support a very mentally ill individual, Parnham said. Just a sad situation all the way around.

Speaking quietly and through a Mandarin translator, Liu stood before Judge Susan Brown, of the 185th Criminal Court, on Friday to hear her legal warnings.

After the procedural court hearing, Harris County prosecutors emphasized the nature of the crime and urged the public to think of the boys family at this time.

This is a horrific, tragic, tragic, case, said Michele Oncken, division chief of the Harris County District Attorneys Offices child fatality division. What we want everyone to just have their minds and their hearts just thinking about, the family, this little boy, a 5-year-old child who was murdered and taken from this world much, much too soon. It is really unthinkable.

The 43-year-old mother was arrested one week ago after Houston police responded to a stabbing call around 7 p.m. at the family's home in the 13000 block of Holly Lynn.

After the father came home to find the bloody scene, officers arrived and saw the slain child on the garage floor, headless and partially covered by a plastic bag.

The father told police that hed left his wife home that morning with their 5-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. His wife was in the garage when he returned, saying shed sent the boy away.

While his father was looking for the boy, Liu said the child was in the trash can, police said. The body was wrapped in a black plastic bag, and the severed head was found in the same bin.

Police also found a bloody knife in the bathroom and a blood-spattered bathtub. During questioning, Liu allegedly admitted to drowning the boy but wouldnt talk about the decapitation.

Liu doesnt appear to have any prior criminal history in Harris County. Her husband, Kai Xu, told the Houston Chronicle that his wife had been experiencing a downward spiral with depression, starting in March. She was being treated for mental health problems after a suicide attempt in August, he said, about a year after she underwent a hysterectomy to remove a mass.

Xu was present at the court hearing Friday but declined to speak with the media.

Child Protective Services confirmed they'd interacted with the family back in 2015, though the children were never in state custody. It's not clear why CPS was involved with the west Houston family to begin with, or how that involvement ended.

The 13-year-old daughter is staying with the father, CPS confirmed on Friday.

Parnham said that Liu, who is from Singapore, is in a state of not being able to communicate. Whether thats from not being able to understand his questions or not being able to process an answer is unclear, he said.

Of course, theres a great deal of grief involved, Parnham said. The very facts of the situation speak to an action of irrational mind.

Prosecutors have requested that the judge officially approve no bond in Lius case. A judge in Harris County Probable Cause Court set no bond last week.

Prosecutors will meet on a committee and determine whether they will pursue that the death penalty, Oncken said. If they dont and Liu is found guilty, she would automatically be sentenced to life without parole.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com

Twitter.com/sam_kett
The Woodlands Township will grow in size by about 50 acres after the voluntary annexation of land in the Village of Creekside Park.

The land, which will be developed by Flair Builders has plans in place to build a one-story senior care living facility on about six acres of the property; about 15 acres of professional office space; a nine-acre lake and park with walking paths; and a more than 17-acre senior apartment complex. There is also a water plant on the site that sits on roughly one acre.

Duane Iselt, a representative of the J. Alan Kent Development Co., represented Flair Builders at the townships Dec. 5 meeting. Iselt said the voluntary annexation of the land by The Woodlands will satisfy requests by officials with the Harris-Montgomery Counties Municipal Utility District No. 386, which wanted the land as part of The Woodlands before agreeing to provide services. Once the project is annexed by The Woodlands, officials at MUD 386 agreed to provide it with water and other utility services.

Iselt said the Flair Builders acquired the land in 2013 as one of seven tracts for development, however a road issue prevented the area from being able to be developed at the time. It took five years for the company to clear all the hurdles with the road in question  Indian Hill Road.

Indian Hill Road had never been acquired by Harris County into the roads log, Iselt said. We built a 60-foot paved and guttered street. We have completed all the requirements (the MUD requested) except being in the township.

The board voted unanimously on Dec. 5 to provide a letter to MUD 386 officials expressing that the township had agreed to a voluntary annexation of the land. The move will not cost the township any money, and property tax revenue generated from the developments is expected to fully fund any necessary services the township will provide to the area. The city of Houston has consented to the annexation.

Township board Chairman Gordy Bunch said he was in favor of the move as long as the developer agreed to abide by township covenants and connect the pathways in the new area to the existing township trails system.

As long as we have that (Design Review Committee) height restrictions and buffers and pathways, Bunch added.

The development is in the nascent stages of design and no conceptual drawings or architectural renderings have been made. There is no timeline for the offices or senior living facilities opening date, either.

jeff.forward@chron.com
WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors filed new court papers Friday directly implicating President Donald Trump in plans to buy women's silence as far back as 2014 and offering new evidence of Russian efforts to forge a political alliance with Trump before he became president - disclosures that show the deepening political and legal morass enveloping the administration.

The separate filings came from special counsel Robert Mueller III and federal prosecutors in New York ahead of Wednesday's sentencing of Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Taken together, the documents suggest that the president's legal woes are far from over and reveal a previously unreported contact from a Russian to Trump's inner circle during the campaign. But the documents do not answer the central question at the heart of Mueller's work - whether the president or those around him conspired with the Kremlin.

The documents offer a scathing portrait of his former lawyer as a criminal who deserves little sympathy or mercy because he held back from telling the FBI everything he knew. For that reason, prosecutors said, he should be sentenced to "substantial" prison time, suggesting possibly 3 1/2 years.

Trump immediately declared that he was vindicated. "Totally clears the president. Thank you!" he tweeted. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the Cohen filings "tell us nothing of value that wasn't already known."

The special counsel's office said Cohen had provided "useful information" about its ongoing probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as "relevant information" about his contacts with people connected to the White House between 2017 and 2018.

Mueller revealed that Cohen told prosecutors about what seemed to be a previously unknown November 2015 contact with a Russian national, who claimed to be a "trusted person" in the Russian Federation offering the campaign "political synergy" and "synergy on a government level."

Cohen told investigators that the person, who was not identified, repeatedly proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that such a meeting could have a "phenomenal" impact, "not only in political but in a business dimension as well," the special counsel's office wrote.

Cohen, though, did not follow up on the invitation, because he was already working on a Trump project in Moscow through a different person he believed to have Russian government connections, the special counsel's office wrote.

Prosecutors also singled out Trump as being directly involved in efforts to buy the silence of women who might level public allegations about him.

The memo from New York prosecutors identifies three people at an August 2014 meeting: Cohen, "Individual 1" and "Chairman 1." The document elsewhere identifies Individual 1 as Trump, and people familiar with the case said Chairman 1 is David Pecker of the National Enquirer.

"In August 2014, Chairman-1 had met with Cohen and Individual-1, and had offered to help deal with negative stories about Individual-1's relationships with women by identifying such stories so that they could be purchased and 'killed,' " the prosecutors' memorandum says.

Cohen pleaded guilty in August to violating campaign finance law when he arranged payments to an adult-film star during the 2016 election. At the same time, he pleaded guilty to a handful of other crimes, including making a false statement to a bank. In recent weeks, he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about efforts during the 2016 presidential campaign to get a Trump-branded tower built in Moscow.

Cohen had asked for a sentence of no prison time, citing his cooperation with investigators. Mueller's office gave him some credit for his assistance, saying that while his crime was "serious," he had "taken significant steps to mitigate his criminal conduct."

"He chose to accept responsibility for his false statements and admit to his conduct in open court. He also has gone to significant lengths to assist the Special Counsel's investigation," the office wrote.

New York prosecutors, however, were far harsher in their assessment of Cohen's character, saying he should get only a modest reduction in an expected prison sentence of about five years. In their 38-page filing, they suggest he should receive about 3 1/2 years in prison.

"He seeks extraordinary leniency - a sentence of no jail time - based principally on his rose-colored view of the seriousness of the crimes; his claims to a sympathetic personal history; and his provision of certain information to law enforcement," prosecutors wrote in their filing. "But the crimes committed by Cohen were more serious than his submission allows and were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life."

The filing also suggests that Cohen's cooperation with law enforcement was not so significant to the investigations swirling around the president.

"To be clear: Cohen does not have a cooperation agreement and is not . . . properly described as a 'cooperating witness,' as that term is commonly used in this District," the prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors also accused Cohen of holding back some of what he knew.

"This Office understands that the information provided by Cohen to [Mueller's office] was ultimately credible and useful to its ongoing investigation," prosecutors wrote, but said they would not give him a legal letter detailing his cooperation because "Cohen repeatedly declined to provide full information about the scope of any additional criminal conduct in which he may have engaged or had knowledge."

The two memos were submitted to U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley III, who is scheduled to sentence Cohen.

Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, said the filings show that Cohen "was trying to have it both ways" and that, instead of succeeding, he became "a textbook example of how not to cooperate with federal prosecutors."

Mueller submitted a seven-page memo that doesn't take any firm position on how long Cohen should spend in prison.

In their memo, New York federal prosecutors lambasted Cohen, detailing his lies to the IRS and banks and his gaming of the campaign finance system - acts that prosecutors said were driven largely by his "own ambition and greed."

Cohen, they claimed, relished the role of being Trump's "fixer," trying to use it to win a role in the administration, and then, when that failed, he set out to swindle companies out of money by tricking them into thinking he could provide access and insight.

In reality, though, they said Cohen was not much more than "a man whose outlook on life was often to cheat," and he did not deserve to be spared entirely because he finally decided to plead guilty.

"After cheating the IRS for years, lying to banks and to Congress, and seeking to criminally influence the Presidential election, Cohen's decision to plead guilty - rather than seek a pardon for his manifold crimes - does not make him a hero," prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors repeatedly highlighted what they suggested was minimal information provided by Cohen, noting that while he also met with New York state investigators and tax authorities, that cooperation "warrants little to no consideration as a mitigating factor" because Cohen told them nothing of value beyond what they would probably have gotten without his help.

The Mueller memo says that Cohen "repeated many of his prior false statements" when he met with the special counsel's office in August, and it was only in a second meeting on Sept. 12 - after he pleaded guilty to the campaign finance charges - that he admitted "his prior statements about the Moscow Project had been deliberately false and misleading."

The special counsel's office wrote that Cohen's lies to Congress "obscured the fact that the Moscow Project was a lucrative business opportunity that sought, and likely required, the assistance of the Russian government," and that, if completed, the Trump Organization could have received "hundreds of millions of dollars from Russian sources in licensing fees and other revenues." They noted, as Cohen had already admitted, that Cohen and Trump discussed the project "well into the campaign."

The special counsel's office added, though, that Cohen "has gone to significant lengths to assist the Special Counsel's investigation."

The office wrote that Cohen had "explained financial aspects of the deal that would have made it highly lucrative," and, without prompting, he had corrected other statements he made about his contacts with Russian officials during the campaign.

For example, Cohen said in a radio interview in September 2015 that Trump should meet with the president of Russia during the United Nations General Assembly, and he claimed for a time afterward that the comment had been "spontaneous" and not discussed with members of the campaign. In fact, the special counsel's office said, Cohen later admitted that he had conferred with Trump about contacting the Russian government for the meeting - which ultimately did not take place.

In asking for a sentence of no prison time, Cohen stressed his extensive cooperation with Mueller as well as investigators from other agencies. His lawyers linked his wrongdoing directly to Trump, writing that Cohen was motivated to pay the women to keep quiet and lie to Congress out of his "fierce loyalty" to Trump. Trump had publicly denied the affairs and said he "stayed away" from business in Russia.

"He could have fought the government and continued to hold to the party line, positioning himself perhaps for a pardon or clemency, but, instead - for himself, his family, and his country - he took personal responsibility for his own wrongdoing and contributed, and is prepared to continue to contribute, to an investigation that he views as thoroughly legitimate and vital," Cohen's lawyers wrote in court papers submitted last week.

For his part, Trump ridiculed Cohen's request on Twitter and seemed to contrast him with Roger Stone, a longtime Trump adviser who has suggested publicly that he would be unwilling to cooperate against the president.

Of Cohen, Trump said, "He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence." Of Stone, he said, "Nice to know that some people still have 'guts!' "

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Video: Federal prosecutors filed new court papers on Dec. 7 that revealed a previously unreported contact from a Russian to Trump's inner circle during the campaign.(Melissa Macaya ,Monica Akhtar/The Washington Post)

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The high-profile defense attorney representing a Houston mother who is accused of drowning and decapitating her 5-year-old son described the woman as a very mentally ill individual after she appeared in court on Friday.

Lihui Liu has been charged with capital murder and held without bond in the death of her son, Jiandong Xu. The boy was found headless and stashed in a trash can at their home on Nov. 30.

Attorney George Parnham, who is known for representing Andrea Yates and Clara Harris in their murder cases, said Liu is receiving mental health help in jail and is taking medication.

My observations support a very mentally ill individual, Parnham said. Just a sad situation all the way around.

Speaking quietly and through a Mandarin translator, Liu stood before Judge Susan Brown, of the 185th Criminal Court, on Friday to hear her legal warnings.

After the procedural hearing, Harris County prosecutors emphasized the nature of the crime.

This is a horrific, tragic, tragic, case, said Michele Oncken, division chief of the Harris County District Attorneys Offices child fatality division. What we want everyone to just have their minds and their hearts just thinking about, the family, this little boy, a 5-year-old child who was murdered and taken from this world much, much too soon. It is really unthinkable.

The 43-year-old mother was arrested one week ago after Houston police responded to a stabbing call around 7 p.m. at the family's home in the 13000 block of Holly Lynn.

The father told police that hed left his wife home that morning with their 5-year-old son and 13-year-old daughter. His wife was in the garage when he returned, saying shed sent the boy away.

While his father was looking for the boy, Liu said the child was in the trash can, police said. The body was wrapped in a black plastic bag, and the severed head was found in the same bin.

Police also found a bloody knife in the bathroom and a blood-spattered bathtub. During questioning, Liu allegedly admitted to drowning the boy but wouldnt talk about the decapitation.

Liu doesnt appear to have any prior criminal history in Harris County. Her husband, Kai Xu, told the Houston Chronicle that his wife had been experiencing a downward spiral with depression, starting in March. She was being treated for mental health problems after a suicide attempt in August, he said, about a year after she underwent a hysterectomy to remove a mass.

Xu was present at the court hearing Friday but declined to speak with the media.

Child Protective Services confirmed they'd interacted with the family back in 2015, though the children were never in state custody. It's not clear why CPS was involved with the west Houston family to begin with, or how that involvement ended.

The 13-year-old daughter is staying with the father, CPS confirmed on Friday.

Parnham said that Liu, who is from Singapore, is not responsive at this time. Whether thats because she cannot understand his questions or whether its because she is unable to process an answer is unclear, he said.

Of course, theres a great deal of grief involved, Parnham said. The very facts of the situation speak to an action of irrational mind.

Prosecutors have requested that the judge officially approve no bond in Lius case. A judge in Harris County Probable Cause Court set no bond last week.

Prosecutors will meet on a committee and determine whether they will pursue that the death penalty, Oncken said. If they dont and Liu is found guilty, she would automatically be sentenced to life without parole.

samantha.ketterer@chron.com

Twitter.com/sam_kett
Early voting concluded Friday in the special election to replace Sylvia Garcia in Senate District 6, and the low turnout is about what the Harris County clerk expected.

More than 1,097 voters cast ballots Friday either in person or by mail, bringing the early voting tally to 10,011.

Turnout typically spikes on the last day of early voting, but heavy rains that began Friday afternoon may have encouraged residents to wait until regular balloting on Tuesday. Harris County Clerk Stan Stanart expects just shy of 20,000 of registered voters the district to participate, for a turnout of about 6 percent.

The race features four candidates: Democratic state Reps. Carol Alvarado and Ana Hernandez, Democratic consultant Mia Mundy and Harris County Republican Party precinct chairwoman Martha Fierro.

Garcia resigned the seat last month after she was elected to the U.S. House District 29 seat vacated by the retirement of fellow Democrat Gene Green.

Senate District 6, in east Harris County, is heavily Hispanic and traditionally supports Democrats.

Alvarado and Hernandez are the frontrunners, University of Houston political science professor Brandon Rottinghaus said, because they have more elected experience and have raised more money. Alvarado spent $391,000 from the end of October to Dec. 1, while Hernandez spent $162,000 during that period. Fierro reported only $4,000 in fundraising in that time frame, which was higher than Mundy, who disclosed no contributions or expenses.

In the races only debate, held Tuesday, Alvarado and Hernandez spent much of their time sparring with each other about their time in the Legislature. Hernandez said Alvarado was too agreeable with Republicans in the chamber, while Alvarado suggested Hernandez lives outside the Senate district, a charge she denies.

If no candidate receives 50 percent of the vote, a runoff election will be held. If Alvarado or Hernandez ultimately prevails, Harris County must hold a special election, likely in January, to fill her House seat in the Legislature. That election would be overseen by incoming county clerk Diane Trautman, who defeated Stanart in November.

Polls will be open Tuesday from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. Residents can find their voting location at HarrisVotes.com.

Staff writer Jasper Scherer contributed reporting.

zach.despart@chron.com

www.twitter.com/zachdespart
Six Jesuit priests who once worked in Houston have been credibly accused of sexually abusing minors decades ago, including five who once worked at Strake Jesuit College Preparatory in southwest Houston and one who served in the St. Joseph Church.

The six were included in a list of 42 names released by the Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province on Friday morning. Their periods of alleged abuse occurred decades ago between the 1960s and 1980s. Four of those are deceased.

Therese Meyerhoff, director of communications for the Jesuits' Central and Southern Province, said all those listed Friday are no longer serving in public ministry, although four remain members of the province. She said many were removed after a series of allegations were released in 2002.

"The church and religious communities have really done a lot to make places safer for children," Meyerhoff said. "There are no recent allegations in our province, so, hopefully, people will feel some assurance from that."

The province noted that the list is not meant to imply those named have been found guilty of a crime or are liable for civil claims. It also said inclusion on the list does not necessarily mean the allegations are true or correct, and that many allegations were made several years or decades after the alleged abuse.

Strake Jesuit College Preparatory issued a statement late Friday: Nothing is more important to us than the safety and well-being of our students, it said. The school has a zero-tolerance policy regarding the sexual abuse of minors. We have comprehensive measures and policies in place to ensure a safe environment for students. Strake Jesuit actively promotes a culture of accountability and conducts training on mandatory reporting, proper boundaries and sexual abuse detection and prevention. All employees undergo criminal background checks and participate in regular safe environment training.

Among former Strake Jesuits accused of sexually abusing minors include:

The Rev. Jody Blanchard

Blanchard allegedly abused at least one minor in the 1980s and was ordained in 1983. He was born in 1953, and left the Society of Jesus in 1994.

The Rev. Thomas J. Naughton

Naughton died in 2012 and was removed from the ministry in 2002. He allegedly abused at least one minor in the 1970s. Although he was removed from ministry in 2002, he remained a member of the Society of Jesus until 2009. He was born in 1933 and ordained in 1965.

The Rev. Vincent A. Orlando

Orlando allegedly abused at least one minor victim in the 1980s and was removed from the ministry in 2002. He currently lives under supervision. He was born in 1941, and ordained in 1974.

The Rev. Charles G. Coyle

Coyle died in 2015 and was removed from the ministry in 2002. He allegedly abused more than one minor in the 1960s and 1970s. He was born in 1932, ordained in 1965, and left the Society of Jesus in 2004.

The Rev. Edward D. DeRussy

DeRussy died in 2001 and was restricted from ministry with minors in 1991. He allegedly abused more than one minor in the 1970s and was ordained in 1957. He was born in 1926. He also served a stint at St. Joseph's Hospital in Nassau Bay, near League City.

The Jesuit from St. Joseph's Church accused on the list is:

The Rev. Austin N. Park

Park died in 2015 and allegedly abused more than one victim in the 1960s. He already had been removed from ministry because of dementia when the allegations were received. He was born in 1918 and ordained in 1955.

Meyerhoff said some of the names contained on the list have appeared publicly in the past but she did not know which. She said the church began compiling the names several months ago by reviewing archived records. The Western Province also released a list of 111 priests that have been accused of sexually abusing minors on Friday.

In a statement, Provincial Ronald Mercier said those abused by a church they trusted deserve transparency and a response that recognizes past missteps and seeks a new way forward.

"The storm that the church experiences today calls forth from us an unprecedented and yet needed response," Mercier said. "Silence in the face of the events of recent months cannot be an option."

shelby.webb@chron.com

twitter.com/shelbywebb
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ORANGE, Ohio -- Domestic violence, Park Avenue: Police responded Dec. 1 to an altercation on the street in the Pinecrest complex, which had prompted a Euclid woman, 27, to run into the Shake Shack, where 911 was called around 11:45 a.m.

Police found a Maple Heights man, 29, matching the description of the suspect and heading toward another establishment. Police further described him as loud, irate, uncooperative and unwilling to get off his cell phone, and found a warrant out of Beachwood with a "caution" attached to it.

The victim said he had grabbed her and squeezed her arm, swinging her around and causing injury. Police gave her information about filing a temporary protection order.

Damage to property (public and private), Interstate 271 and Harvard Road: Police received a report of boulders in the highway around 4:30 a.m. Dec. 2 and arrived to find large holes in the roadway as well, taking up most of the ramp from the northbound lanes, in addition to large pieces of concrete scattered around.

Finding a Cleveland man, 23, up the road in a 2009 Chevrolet with at least one flattened tire and a ruined rim, police first set up flares, then cones to block the whole area off from traffic.

Suspicion, driving under suspension; Waterford Court: Responding to a report of a car stuck in an empty lot on the evening of Nov. 30, three passengers said the driver had set out on foot for McDonald's seeking help, although she was probably home by then -- since they had been sitting there for two hours.

They explained that their driver did not have a license and that they had been heading to the Verizon store in Pinecrest using GPS. They then followed what appeared to be construction equipment tire tracks until they got stuck. The car wound up being towed.

Disturbance, warrant served; Park Avenue: Management at the Silverspot Cinemas requested an officer on the night of Nov. 30 to stand by as a Maple Heights man, 19, was fired.

Police also found a warrant from Maple Heights and told him he was no longer welcome in the theater and could face a trespassing charge in the future.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND HEIGHTS, Ohio -- Aggravated menacing, Mayfield Road: At 9:20 p.m. Nov. 25, police made a traffic stop of a car that had run through a red light. From inside the vehicle, occupied by a lone man, officers could smell the odor of burnt marijuana.

When a female officer, believing the man to be impaired, asked him to step out of his car for testing, he replied, "Queen, I ain't got time for that."

When asked again, the man refused to get out of his car to be tested. He then asked for a sergeant to be present, and was told that the female officer is a sergeant. He slurred his speech while stating that he was returning from work.

The man gave a police a Lyndhurst Municipal Court paper that stated that his license had been suspended from a previous OVI conviction, but that he had driving privileges.

After being told to exit his car, the man replied, "I swear to God I will punch you for this." More officers were called to the scene.

After a struggle, an officer pulled the man out of his car and got him face down on the ground. The man continued to make threats to harm officers. He was eventually handcuffed.

Police found in the man's car marijuana, a scale and several cell phones. Found on his person were bags containing white powder and pills.

The man, 42, continued to fight during the booking process, and refused to remove his clothes to put on a jail suit. Police had to rip the man's clothes from him to get him into a jail suit. Throughout, the man continued to threaten officers' lives. He threatened to murder the sergeant.

In the police report, the sergeant called the man "the most hostile, volatile and combative arrested person that I have encountered in my six-and-a-half years of police work."

The man was eventually cited for failure to stop at a red light, OVI, refusal to submit to a breath test, and possession of a controlled substance. Further, police signed complaints against him for resisting arrest, possession of criminal tools, felony possession of drugs, trafficking in cocaine and trafficking in marijuana.

Aggravated robbery, Euclid Heights Boulevard: At 6:10 p.m. Nov. 29, a man reported that he had been robbed at gunpoint by a male suspect, about 20-22 years of age.

The victim said he had returned from Case Western Reserve University, where he is a student, parked his car on the street and noticed a man walking alone on the sidewalk on the other side of the street. The victim went into Marc's, 1833 Coventry Road, purchased food, the returned to his car.

As he approached his car, the man who had been walking showed a gun and demanded the student's car keys. The robber next demanded the man's cell phone and wallet, which he was holding in his hand. The suspect then drove away.

The victim later reported that one of his credit cards was used to purchase groceries at Walmart in Steelyard Commons in Cleveland.

At 2 p.m. Dec. 3, the man's car was recovered on East 89th Street and Hough Avenue in Cleveland. The car had been involved in a crash in which the car had struck a city garbage truck.

The garbage truck driver immediately got out of the truck to see if the car driver was injured. He saw a man get out of the car, hand some items to two people in a nearby Toyota, then get into the Toyota and leave the area. Police collected DNA swabs from the stolen car.

At 6:30 p.m. Dec. 4, another aggravated robbery was reported in the area where the initial robbery took place. Police were giving the area special attention because of the first crime.

Police arrested a man who confessed to using a gun to rob the CWRU student of his car. The suspect was charged with aggravated robbery.

OVI, South Taylor Road: At 8:25 p.m. Dec. 2, officers on patrol watched as a car sped by, ran through a stop sign, then slowed and went through another stop sign without stopping.

A traffic stop was made and the driver could not provide a driver's license. The male suspect told police his name and Social Security number and was identified. The man had bloodshot, glassy eyes, and his speech was thick.

When asked what he had had to drink, the man said he had had two or three beers, then later said he had been drinking all day with friends, downing two fifths of liquor.

It was subsequently found that the man was driving with a suspended license. He failed field sobriety tests and was arrested on a charge of OVI. Police drove home a woman who was a passenger in the man's car.

If you would like to discuss the police blotter, please visit our crime and courts comments page.
CLEVELAND, Ohio  Katie Stubblefield, the youngest recipient of a face transplant in the United States, continues on her long path to recovery Saturday with a walk. This one will take her down the aisle of the chapel at Brookside Farms in Louisville, Ohio, as a bridesmaid in the wedding of her friend, Lauren Gobel.

Gobel, a personal trainer who began volunteering her services for Katie more than a year before the transplant, is one of the dozens of Clevelanders who have grown to love Katie and her family as they dealt with the trauma of Katies injury.

I feel like with Katie, its the same as with every professional whos ever worked with her, Gobel said a couple of weeks before the wedding. You cant not be friends with her. Shes so sweet. Were both goofy, and right away we clicked.

Katie, excited for her friend, plans to dance  a lot  at the reception.

On Wednesday, Dec. 12, Katie and her parents, Robb and Alesia, will hit another milestone. They plan to spend their first night in their rented triplex apartment in Little Italy.

I cant wait, Katie said last week about the upcoming move. Shell finally have a bedroom to herself.

For more than four years, the family has lived in one room at the Ronald MacDonald House near the Cleveland Clinic, where they landed on May 2, 2014. Katie, then 18 years old, was critically wounded and near death after a suicide attempt. Feeling bullied by the headmaster of her small, private high school in Oxford, Miss., and deeply hurt when her boyfriend broke up with her, she put a hunting rifle under her chin and pulled the trigger.

That moment, which a psychiatrist at the Clinic later characterized as an impulsive act triggered by her adolescent brain, not a premeditated suicide attempt by a clinically depressed person, led the family to Cleveland. A doctor at the Memphis trauma hospital where Katie was first treated urged her parents to contact the Clinic about a transplant. Until her injury, the Stubblefields had not heard of face transplants, which the Clinic pioneered in the United States with its first transplant in December of 2008.

At the Clinic, a team of surgeons, nurses, therapists and specialists led by Dr. Brian Gastman cared for Katie before, during and after her 31-hour, full-face transplant surgery three years later, on May 4 and 5, 2017. It was the Clinics third face transplant.

The recovery has not been easy. Katie spent three months in the hospital following the transplant, and then returned to Ronald MacDonald House to live as a professional patient, as Gastman put it. Her parents became her full-time caregivers, dispensing her powerful anti-rejection and other medications, monitoring her for signs of rejection, trying to help her cope with her near-constant pain and taking her to endless medical and dental appointments.

Katie spent hours each week in physical, occupational and speech therapy, learning how to move her new facial muscles, almost 100 percent from the donor, even though she could not feel them and her new nerves were still regenerating. She went through three major revision surgeries: first, to clean out her sinuses and better position her eyes; second, to remove some of the extra tissue and skin her surgeons had left in place in case of rejection, and third, to shorten her lower jaw and move her tongue forward.

Regaining speech has proven especially difficult. A fourth surgery awaits Katie in February, to lengthen her tongue and pull it forward even more. All the musculature under her tongue was destroyed when she shot herself, Gastman said, along with most of her jaw and palate. Scar tissue formed, restricting the tongues movement even further. Well try to rebuild and hope that whatever little tongue musculature survived will help her speak more clearly.

Until the surgery, Katie will continue speech and physical therapy two to three times a week, regular visits to a chiropractor and acupuncturist, medical visits, and, when Lauren returns from her honeymoon, strength training. Last week she also resumed guitar lessons with Andy Poxon, a graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, who is a teacher for the nonprofit organization Cleveland Classical Guitar Society.

When Katie was injured, Robb and Alesia quit their jobs as teachers to care full-time for their daughter, the youngest of their three children. This is our new normal, they said, over and over, through her many hospitalizations.

Now, theyre embarking on a new, new-normal. Robb is picking up odd jobs painting and hoping to find a job teaching high school history, in Cleveland, where the family plans to stay indefinitely. Alesia has done some housecleaning, but plans to take on Katies care alone. In six months, after Katie recovers from this next surgery, it will be a whole new ballgame for us, Robb said, with no more surgeries on the horizon, a real home and regular income.

Katie, now 23, plans to go to college eventually. She is legally blind, though she sees some shadows and shapes. The family hopes that she will be a candidate for an eye transplant, a promising medical development still being researched at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center, that could allow her to see again.

Meanwhile, the Stubblefields are saving up to buy an OrCam MyEye 2, a portable, wearable visual system for blind and visually impaired people. The device uses artificial computer intelligence and augmented reality to read text, recognize faces and identify products.

At a housewarming and going-away party last week thrown by friends the family has made at the Clinic and Ronald MacDonald House, one of those friends Robin Koslen, joked, Were here because we want to get rid of the Stubblefields.

Then, addressing the family, she turned serious. Were so happy to have you leave because it means youre putting your lives back together. Youve impacted so many people. Youve shown us how to be resilient, and go out there and do what you have to do.
If youre an elitist, Ohio House Joint Resolution 19 should be your cup of tea. HJR 19, backed by the Ohio General Assemblys Republican leaders, would make it harder for rank-and-file Ohioans to amend the state constitution.

Whether legislators approve HJR 19 this month, or in the two-year session that will begin in January, it could crimp the right that Ohio voters have had for more than 100 years to propose state constitutional amendments directly, without the legislatures help.

The way things are now, Ohio voters may propose an amendment to the state constitution by gathering signatures on a petition. If they gather enough signatures, the proposed amendment goes on Ohios statewide ballot  no General Assembly required. And if a simple majority of those Ohioans voting on the proposal vote yes, the amendment becomes part of the Ohio Constitution.

One thing HJR 19s cheerleaders dont ballyhoo is that the required number of petition signatures is pegged to turnout in the most recent governors election.

And "with record turnout in [last months] election, the requirement has now been raised from 305,591 to 431,840 signatures, Jen Miller, executive director of the League of Women Voters of Ohio, told the House Government Oversight and Accountability Committee this week. The people of Ohio have effectively increased the threshold for signatures by 41 percent.

Even so, among HJR 19s other features, the proposal would make it tougher to gather the required number of signatures. Thats plenty bad.

This is worse: Under HJR 19, a constitutional amendment proposed by voters signatures would have to get yes votes from at least 60 percent of those voting on it. In contrast, a constitutional amendment proposed by the legislature would still only require yes votes from a simple majority of those voting on it.

For example, if 100 Ohioans voted on a constitutional amendment backed by the Senate president and his caucus and (ipso facto) their campaign contributors, and the House speaker (and ditto), the amendment would become part of the Ohio Constitution if 51 of a (hypothetical) 100 Ohioans voting on it voted yes.

But if voters, by petition, proposed a constitutional amendment, at least 60 of the (hypothetical) 100 Ohioans voting on it would have to vote yes. Thats nearly 20 percent more yes votes. Evidently, the theory is that the Ohio General Assembly knows what its doing (yeah, right), while voters dont know what theyre doing.

GOP partisans sometimes like to claim Democrats are elitists  wine, cheese, tofu, the whole nine meters. And HJR 19 isnt elitist? Still, assume HJR 19s GOP backers are correct: The only way to make sure Ohio voters know what theyre doing is to require a 60 percent supermajority for constitutional amendments proposed by petition. Anything less than 60 percent? Uh  no.

Have General Assembly Republicans thought that through? After all, Republican Gov.-elect Mike DeWine, and his running mate, Lt. Gov.-elect Jon Husted, drew 50.39 percent of Ohios statewide vote last month  nowhere near 60 percent. Does that suggest Ohio voters didnt know what they were doing when they backed the DeWine-Husted ticket?

Likewise, the GOPs other statewide victors drew nothing like 60 percent of Ohios vote. Attorney General-elect David Yost, of Columbus, drew 52.16 percent; Secretary of State-elect Frank LaRose, of Hudson, drew 50.65 percent; State Treasurer Robert Sprague, of Findlay, drew 53.26 percent; and State Auditor-elect Keith Faber, of Celina, didnt even reach 50 percent; he drew 49.66 percent.

Given HJR 19s proposed 60 percent victory margin, perhaps runoff elections are called for: Just under 51 of 100 voters gave Mike DeWine Ohios supreme executive power  the constitutions words. Is the General Assembly sure that enough Ohioans are OK with that?

The late George H. W. Bushs Ohio ties

Seemingly unmentioned last week after former President George H.W. Bushs death were his Ohio ties. As noted here before, his grandfather, Samuel P. Bush (1863-1948), was a Columbus industrialist. Hes buried in Green Lawn Cemetery. At Samuel Bushs funeral, grandson George H.W. Bush was among the pallbearers. And the late Barbara Bushs grandfather was Ohio Supreme Court Judge James E. Robinson (1868-1932), once Union Countys prosecuting attorney. Robinsons buried in Marysvilles Oakdale Cemetery.

Thomas Suddes, a member of the editorial board, writes from Athens.

To reach Thomas Suddes: tsuddes@cleveland.com, 216-999-4689

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Six years ago recreational marijuana use was illegal in all 50 states  and had been for nearly a century. Following the 2018 midterm elections, anyone over 21 will soon be allowed to legally consume marijuana in 10 states plus the District of Columbia. Overall, 33 states in the past 22 years have passed some form of marijuana legalization, from medical to recreational use.

Despite the ever-present federal threat  the Drug Enforcement Administration still considers marijuana a banned substance, and former Attorney General Jeff Sessions threatened a crackdown  the $8.5 billion U.S. marijuana industry seems poised to grow as rapidly as the law will allow it. And it's generating jobs just as quickly.

By 2020 the industry is expected to create 250,000 new jobs, according to New Frontier Data, an industry research firm. In 2017 the number of job posts for openings in the marijuana industry increased by 445 percent, outpacing tech (254 percent) and health care (70 percent), according to ZipRecruiter.

The industry is in search of workers across the spectrum, from accounting to compliance, customer service, sales, technology and more. As the industry grows, so too do the opportunities. California, Colorado and Washington currently have the greatest demand for workers, but that could shift as legalization spreads.

Though the total number of marijuana jobs are still far smaller than those other, much older industries, they include several positions that didn't exist prior to legalization, offering enterprising workers the opportunity to get in on the ground floor of an entirely new career.

Because legalization has come state by state, there is no single association or governing body offering licenses, training or certifications. Workers looking to enter the industry will need to do a bit of research to find out their specific state requirements.

But newcomers don't necessarily need an encyclopedic nature of weed culture to succeed in the industry. In fact, Karson Humiston, CEO and founder of recruiting firm Vangst, said she decided to start her firm, which specializes in the cannabis industry, after discovering the breadth of talent required by entrepreneurs attending a 2015 industry convention.

"When I asked people what positions they were hiring for, it was everything from a botanist to a chemical engineer to a Ph.D. to a retail store manager to a marketing manager to a human resource manager to a CFO," she said. "You name it, and these companies were hiring for it."

Though some may hesitate to join an industry selling a drug that's still banned by federal law, everyday workers have little to fear, said Morgan Fox, media relations director for the National Cannabis Industry Association. "We haven't seen any U.S. attorneys make an effort to crack down on businesses that are compliant with state law, even though the former attorney general gave them carte blanche to do so," he said, referring to Sessions. "If someone is just an employee of a company, I would think there's pretty much no risk."

Here are five fast-growing new careers driven by marijuana legalization. Salary data is gleaned from the 2018 Vangst Salary Guide. In most cases the salary ranges are unusually broad due to the industry's youth and rapid expansion.
The basin is home to half the Egyptian population and the river supplies around 90% of its water needs. Increasing temperatures and drought are drying up the stream. A problem sharpened by sea rise and salinization. Eco-compatible technologies such as solar energy irrigation are being studied.

Cairo (AsiaNews / Agencies) - Climate change and rising temperatures endanger the delicate ecosystem of the Nile delta, in the north of Egypt, one of the most fertile areas and of vital importance for the whole country with the its green and lush fields. The arch-shaped basin is home to about half of the total population and the river that feeds it provides about 90% of the national water needs.

Local experts, environmentalists and farmers warn that rising temperatures and droughts are drying up the Nile; a problem sharpened by the rise in sea levels and the progressive salinization of the soil. Together, these factors risk jeopardizing the cultures of the most populous country in the Arab world, above all the access to food for an estimated 98 million.

The Nile is shrinking. The water doesn't reach us anymore," says Talaat al-Sisi, a farmer who has grown wheat, corn and other crops for 30 years in the southern Delta governorate of Menoufia.

"We've been forced to tap into the groundwater and we've stopped growing rice," a cereal known for its greedy water consumption, he adds.

According to a study, by 2050 the region could lose up to 15% of its agricultural land due to salinization. The decline in tomato crops could reach 50%, with basic grains such as wheat and rice falling by 18% and 11% respectively.

In Kafr al-Dawar, in the north of the delta, the Egyptian Ministry of Irrigation and the United Nations are working on eco-friendly techniques such as solar-powered irrigation; according to the experts it allows to reduce the emission of greenhouse gases and could help to improve the crops. Ibrahim Mahmoud, head of the development projects of the dicastery, announces plans for the development and modernization of the water distribution system throughout the country by 2050.
If you find yourself anxious a lot, you're not alone. "The human mind wants to worry," writes Bill Gates on his blog, Gates Notes.

These days especially, there are plenty of "reasons for concern," he says, including terrorism, climate change, privacy breaches and the rise of artificial intelligence.

To curb or otherwise cope with those tensions, the Microsoft co-founder and avid reader recommends Noah Harari's new book, "21 Lessons for the 21st Century."

As Gates learned from Harari, "The trick for putting an end to our anxieties, he suggests, is not to stop worrying. It's to know which things to worry about, and how much to worry about them."

"But his big idea boils down to this: meditate," continues Gates, who recently picked up meditation as a regular habit. "Of course he isn't suggesting that the world's problems will vanish if enough of us start sitting in the lotus position and chanting om. But he does insist that life in the 21st century demands mindfulness  getting to know ourselves better and seeing how we contribute to suffering in our own lives.

"This is easy to mock, but as someone who's taking a course on mindfulness and meditation, I found it compelling."
When a young Michelle Obama first visited Barack at Harvard Law School, she was surprised to see him pull up in a "snub-nosed, banana-yellow Datsun."

It was in that moment that she knew: "Life with Barack would never be dull," the former first lady wrote in her new book "Becoming."

The two had recently started dating, having met in 1989 after Barack took a summer position as an associate at Chicago law firm Sidley Austin where Michelle was a first-year lawyer.

Barack, 28, lived frugally as a "loan-strapped" student. Still, when she arrived in Cambridge, Massachusetts to visit after he returned to law school, she was surprised to see the condition of his rusted, beat up car, bought used on his student budget. She asked, in awe, "You drive this thing?"

Smiling, the future president turned the key in his Datsun. "The engine revved and the car spasmed violently before settling into a loud, sustained juddering that shook us in our seats," wrote Michelle.

"Just give it a minute or two," he assured her. "It goes away."

After they waited for the car to start, Barack then warned her to avoid the "rusted-out, four-inch hole" in the car's floor. Through it, Michelle said she "could see the pavement rushing beneath us."

The experience, combined with his confidence, charmed her. At 25, Michelle found early success with law and the perks that came with it, including an office in a high-rise and her own assistant. On her new salary, one higher than her parents ever made, she could now afford a brand new Saab and pay her student loans. Still, despite her success and hard work, she said her passion for law was low.



By contrast, Barack seemed assured of his path, even without Michelle's same "lockstep march" to success. He didn't talk about buying material things, even shoes, and spent most of his money on books, "sacred objects," that he'd read late into the night. Wrote Michelle, he was "like a unicorn."

It did occur to Michelle that Barack might never make any money, she wrote, but the idea of life with him seemed exciting.

"It would be some version of banana yellow and slightly hair-raising," she wrote. "I knew it even then."

The two would marry in 1992. Barack's vows would not promise riches, but only an interesting life. Said Michelle, "On that promise, he delivered."

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After a years-long pummeling, Microsoft this week surrendered in the browser war, saying that it will junk Edge's home-grown rendering engine and replace it with Blink, the engine that powers Google's Chrome.

With Edge pulling code from the Chromium project, the browser will also be able to run on Windows 7 and Windows 8.1, as well as macOS.

"We intend to adopt the Chromium open source project in the development of Microsoft Edge on the desktop to create better web compatibility for our customers and less fragmentation of the web for all web developers," wrote Joe Belfiore, a corporate vice president in the Windows group, in a post to a company blog.

Belfiore's announcement was a stunning humiliation for Microsoft, which in the early years of this century ruled the browser world after Internet Explorer (IE) had obliterated Netscape Navigator and achieved market share in excess of 90%.

Although Edge will survive, it will no longer be a Microsoft-made browser: It will exist as a UI (user interface) wrapper around core technologies developed almost entirely by Google engineers, in the same way Opera has existed since 2013, when it ditched its own internal engine for Chromium's Blink.

Shed share at record rates

Microsoft cast the decision as affection for, and adoption of, open-source software that would, said Belfiore, lead to an application compatible "with other Chromium-based browsers." That would "make the web experience better" for users, web developers and corporate IT, he argued.

Not surprisingly, Belfiore declined to mention the poor showing of Edge and the years of user share declines that bled IE white. But taking up Chrome's rendering engine - dubbed "Blink" when it forked from WebKit in 2013 - was an admission of defeat and a move of desperation.

Microsoft's troubles were largely of its own making.

In 2014, a year before the debut of Windows 10 and its default browser Edge, Microsoft announced that it would require all Windows users to run the most-recent version of IE, and when that requirement took effect, dropped support of the others. That, combined with the glacial development pace of IE, opened the door for rivals. Millions of Windows users, when faced with a change of browsers, decided to change from IE to Chrome rather than go from one version of IE to another.

From January 2016, when the mandate went into effect, to the end of that year, Microsoft lost an astounding 22 percentage points of user share by the tally of analytics vendor Net Applications. That represented nearly half of IE's and Edge's share at the time. No other browser had fallen that far, that fast, in just 12 months. Although the losses weren't as steep in 2017, Microsoft's browsers lost an additional 35% of their remaining share that year.

Nor did Edge make up for IE's fall from grace. The former never caught on with Windows 10 users. At its best, the browser was the first choice of about a third of them, but in November 2018, that had shrunk to approximately one out of every 10.

Microsoft had choices: It could pack it in and refuse to bother building a browser. It could keep on keeping on by continuing to watch Edge's relevance evaporate. Or it could try to get into the mainstream tent by adopting Chrome's rendering engine. All three smelled of failure, but the third had the least odor.

Chrome extensions and frequent updates

"Our intent is to align the Microsoft Edge web platform simultaneously (a) with web standards and (b) with other Chromium-based browsers," Belfiore said Thursday. "This will deliver improved compatibility for everyone and create a simpler test-matrix for web developers."

Microsoft's move will do more than that.

By replacing Edge's rendering engine - named "EdgeHTML" - with Blink, Microsoft's one remaining browser will be able to access the library of Chrome extensions. That will be welcome to Edge diehards, because the browser's meager library of add-ons has been a serious point of pain.

Joining Chromium and putting Blink inside Edge will also allow Microsoft to again offer a cross-Windows and cross-platform browser. "Microsoft Edge will now be delivered and updated for all supported versions of Windows and on a more frequent cadence," Belfiore said. "We also expect this work to enable us to bring Microsoft Edge to other platforms like macOS."

Microsoft's timeline for shifting from EdgeHTML to Blink was vague; the company said it would work on the change "over the next year or so" and that a preview would be available in early 2109. How that timetable, and a Chromium-based Edge, would help Windows 7 users is unclear, since the OS is currently set to exit public support in only 13 months: mid-January 2020. The Redmond, Wash. developer may be assuming that significant numbers of Windows 7 PCs will survive support retirement - a near certainty according to usage data - or is hoping that enterprises that pay to extend support beyond 2020 will run Edge rather than Chrome or IE11.

Windows 8.1, the other now-supported OS, is a non-factor: Only about 6% of all Windows PCs rely on the edition.

Detaching Edge from Windows 10 will have another benefit for users, as it will result in new updates, courtesy of Chromium, every six to eight weeks, rather than the twice-annual tempo Edge now follows. As each new version of Chromium is completed - and Chrome comes out with an update - Microsoft will presumably roll that code into its own Edge, as Opera Software now does for Opera, and launch a refresh.

Google plans eight Chrome updates in 2019, the same number as launched this year. If Edge relied on Chromium now, it would be upgraded in the coming year four times as often as in 2018.

What does Microsoft get out of it?

Belfiore said little about what Chromium does for the company, other than keep Edge alive.

One potential benefit, assuming the move halts the decline of the browsers' share, would be to Bing and the ad revenue generated by Microsoft's search engine and site. Even with a shrinking browser share, Microsoft has increased Bing revenue by double digits for five consecutive quarters. Increasing browser share would be the simplest way to pull more profit from search.

By piggybacking on Chromium, Microsoft may also be able to reduce the number of engineers working on its browser. While Belfiore said the firm would "become a significant contributor to the (open-source) Chromium project," its part will almost certainly be smaller than Google's.

But will the desperate measure work? It's impossible to know with certainty, but the odds are against Microsoft reclaiming substantial browser share.

Once in decline, a browser just doesn't come out of its funk. Netscape Navigator did not. Nor has Mozilla's Firefox stymied the decline which began in 2010. (In November 2018, Firefox had a 9% share, far below the 25% high-water mark in March 2010.) And Opera, which stood at 1.7% when it joined the Chromium project, didn't turn things around with the change of rendering engines; the latest from Net Applications was Opera at 1.6%.
Cross-party manoeuvres against May gather steam as Rudd breaks ranks on Norway

MPs are lining up to sack Theresa May if her Brexit deal is rejected on Tuesday. Labour is seeking to join forces with rebel Tories and the Democratic Unionist Party to bring the prime minister down by voting against her leadership. Although the vote would not be binding it would place enormous pressure on Mrs May to resign. Conservative MPs reported febrile communications yesterday from those jockeying for position before a potential contest. Among those expected to run are Boris Johnson, Dominic Raab, Amber Rudd, Liz Truss, Sajid Javid, Jeremy Hunt and Michael Gove. In a sign of ebbing cabinet confidence that Mrs May can win Tuesdays vote, Ms Rudd today becomes the first cabinet minister to break the taboo of discussing a Plan B

to Mrs Mays deal. In an interview with

Ms Rudd says that a

Norway-style Brexit

, which would keep Britain tied to large parts of European law, seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of

 Jeremy Corbyn, the Labour leader, fears that a formal attempt to collapse the government and trigger a general election is doomed to fail even if Mrs May loses heavily. Instead, Labour is planning to ask MPs to register their opposition with a vote expressing no confidence in her ability as prime minister.  The Times

Cabinet ministers tell Prime Minister to quit if deal falls  Daily Telegraph

Duncan Smith says May would have to resign  The Sun

Rivals vie to take power if the Prime Minister is forced out  The Times

Operation Stop Boris underway amidst claims MPs would quit  Daily Mail

Peer floats Remain Plus alternative  Daily Express

where the MPs are

More:

May: a survivor cornered by Brexit  FT

Rudd: If theres a new referendum, were better off in  The Times

The loaded, leftie elites conspiring against Brexit  The Sun

>Today: Mohammed Amin in Comment: If there is a second referendum, no deal must be kept off the ballot paper

>Yesterday: Interviews: As Mays defeat looms, Johnson sketches a manifesto: People want to see a bit of gumption and a bit of leadership

as Brexiteers claim that deal makes Ulster a separate country

Northern Ireland will be turned into a separate country under direct Brussels rule under Theresa Mays Brexit deal, a scathing report from a Eurosceptic group has warned. Detailed analysis of the Prime Ministers Withdrawal Agreement and legal advice to the Government showed the province would remain subject to more than 300 EU laws after Brexit, according to the report from Lawyers for Britain. It also condemned the backstop border protection mechanism as a complete capitulation to the EUs demands. The report, written by leading lawyer Martin Howard QC, said Northern Ireland would effectively be ruled by a foreign power after Brexit under the Prime Ministers deal. Northern Ireland citizens would get no say over rules and regulations imposed by Brussels, it added. They would no longer have have the same privileges, and be on the same footing as the rest of the country. Great Britain will essentially be treated as a third country by Northern for goods passing from Great Britain into Northern Ireland, said the report.  Daily Express

Patel sparks fury for suggesting no-deal consequences give UK leverage over Ireland  Daily Express

Hancock warns of six months of border chaos

Ports boss says Government warnings of major disruption are misleading  Daily Telegraph

May mocked for last throw of the dice doom-mongering  Daily Express

A disruptive no-deal Brexit could lead to six months of chaos at the borders, the government has warned. If Britain left the European Union without a deal in March, ferry services between Dover and Calais and traffic using the Channel Tunnel would face severe disruption until the end of September, it said. The warning was included in a letter sent by Matt Hancock, the health secretary, to the pharmaceutical industry and the NHS yesterday Michael Fabricant, the Conservative MP for Lichfield, said that he did not believe the six-month figure. He wrote on Twitter: Government say they expect six months of chaos at British ports if we Brexit without Chequers. When the Treasury set up a meeting for me with HMRC, the senior officer said I feel like kicking in the TV every time I hear about queues at Dover  this just wont happen.  He added: This Project Fear stuff is getting childish. The warning was made four months after Mr Hancock told pharmaceutical companies to stockpile an extra six weeks worth of drugs in case there were a no-deal Brexit.  The Times

>Yesterday:

and grassroots opinion hardens against the deal

Theresa Mays efforts to encourage Tory activists to bring her MPs into line have failed, a Conservative Home survey for The Times suggests. The prime minister has held meetings and conference calls with activists and launched leaflet campaigns to convince the party to back her Brexit deal. A survey of 1,262 Tory members, taken on Thursday and yesterday, suggests that 72 per cent reject her deal and want their MP to do the same. Twenty-six per cent want their MP to accept the deal and 2 per cent are unsure. The scale of unhappiness with Mrs May is stark. Asked if she should resign if she loses the vote on her deal next Tuesday, 62 per cent say yes, 34 per cent say no and 4 per cent do not know. One moderate Tory MP, who has been fastidiously loyal to Mrs May in recent weeks, told The Times: This could be the moment I put in a letter. I never thought Id say it but its probably better to get it over and done with.  The failure to secure the backing of activists will be a personal blow for the prime minister. She has always prided herself for being in tune with the grass roots, having spent most of her life actively working for the party.  The Times

May falters in bid for voters to pressure MPs  FT

Wavering Tories mystified by weak whipping operation  The Times

Last-ditch bid to win round Leavers rubbished  The Sun

Pro-Brexit aides threaten to quit over the backstop  The Guardian

Deal backed by just three Conservative MEPs  The Sun

More:

Three reasons the meaningful vote may never happen  The Times

Is your constituency one of just two which back the Prime Minister?  Daily Telegraph

Fear and loathing in the regions  The Times

Ten ways the Government has erred over Brexit  FT

>Today: ToryDiary: May should quit if she loses next week  our special survey with The Times

>Yesterday: Exclusive. Tory Association Chairmen protest against the misuse of Party funds on propaganda campaign backing the deal

James Forsyth: At this point, May is gambling with her premiership

If Parliament thwarts Brexit, why would voters ever trust it again?  Charles Moore, Daily Telegraph

MPs will feel the hand of history as they decide Brexit  Ben Macintyre, The Times

As a Unionist, I just cant in good conscience support this deal  Ross Thomson, Daily Telegraph

Rebel MPs risk destroying the Tory Party  Peter Oborne, Daily Mail

Norway Plus would be a disaster for Labours radical vision  Luke Cooper, The Guardian

Parliament takes back control as power drains from May  Camilla Cavendish, FT

Whatever happens now, were not leaving on March 29  Katy Balls, Daily Telegraph

Theres only one route to No Deal: ditch May and fight an election  Juliet Samuel, Daily Telegraph

A way to avoid such a humiliation would be to find an amendment that could pass the Commons. This means there would be no vote on Mays deal as it currently stands, enabling the Government to argue that it hadnt actually been defeated. Though, as one source admits, voters would be left baffled by this procedural trick. This approach isnt guaranteed to work either. First of all, it would rely on John Bercow selecting the amendment  which is far from certain. The Speaker is supposed to be impartial, but Bercow has long used his power to cause the Government trouble. Much of Tuesdays Cabinet meeting was taken up with ministers complaining about him. Liam Fox, the Trade Secretary, called Bercow a disgrace to his office. Also, some Tory rebels are itching to defeat the Government. They are discussing whether to vote against ALL amendments, regardless of whether they agree with them or not, so they can make clear their opposition to Mays deal. Some in Cabinet think that if MPs voted for an amendment setting out what would make the deal acceptable to Parliament, it would strengthen Mays hand with the EU.  The Sun

>Today: Nick Hargraves column: The Conservative split is coming. Indeed, it is already here. Unless

Grayling seriously considering backing flawed rail upgrade

The transport secretary is seriously considering a recommendation to spend almost 3 billion on a flawed and detrimental rail upgrade in the north of England that will do nothing to improve reliability or air pollution on a slow and delay-plagued line, sources have told the Guardian. In recent briefings, Department for Transport officials have told stakeholders that its Board Investment and Commercial Committee (BICC) has recommended to Chris Grayling that the 76-mile TransPennine route between Leeds and Manchester should not be fully electrified. If the plan is put in place, tunnels will not be made big enough to carry modern freight trains and not enough additional track will be laid to allow fast trains to overtake slow services. It will be a downgrade of another downgrade, according to the shadow rail minister, Rachael Maskell, who said she was passed information from well-placed sources. Reliability and capacity has been taken off the table, she said, accusing Grayling of ruining all of the TransPennine ambition. If Grayling follows the advice, critics warn it would undermine the governments oft-stated claim that the 2.9bn upgrade would deliver faster, longer, more frequent and more reliable services across the north of England, from Newcastle, Hull and York towards Manchester and Liverpool via Leeds.  The Guardian

Brokenshire offers new training to people working with spice addicts

Further resignations plunge UKIP into chaos

Homeless workers are to be specially trained in how to handle addicts high on Spice for the first time. The move  to be announced by Housing Secretary James Brokenshire  is a telling sign of how endemic the powerful drug has become on Britains streets. More than 600 council staff and charity volunteers will be taught how to bring round rough sleepers who have passed out from overdosing on it. The outreach workers will also learn how to persuade them into kicking the synthetic drug, which turns users into zombies. Mr Brokenshire told The Sun: Sadly, all too often there is a direct link between the use of dangerous psychoactive substances and people sleeping rough. New training for outreach workers on issues such as Spice will mean these vital staff have the specialist knowledge and skills they need to help some of the most vulnerable people recover from life on the streets. The new training is part of the governments Rough Sleeping Delivery Plan, to be published on Monday.  The Sun

The resignation of three MEPs from Ukip over the appointment of the far-right campaigner Tommy Robinson as adviser has plunged the party into turmoil, forcing its leader to pull out of his European party group. The leader, Gerard Batten, announced his resignation from the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy group (EFDD) after an exodus of senior figures from the party, including the EFDD president, Nigel Farage. Batten said he could not remain in the EFDD while Farage launched continual attacks on me and Ukip in the UK media. On Friday Ukips former leader Paul Nuttall announced he was quitting the party, as did David Coburn, its leader in Scotland, and Nathan Gill, a Welsh MEP. Later, the London assembly member Peter Whittle, Ukips 2016 candidate for London mayor, also resigned. Several other leading Ukip figures have also quit in recent weeks over the partys lurch to the far right. They include the former leadership candidate Suzanne Evans and the MEP Patrick OFlynn. Nuttall, who led the party during the 2017 election, said Battens appointment of Robinson was a catastrophic error that would tarnish Brexit. Farage quit the party on Tuesday, saying it had a fixation with Battens anti-Muslim policies.  The Guardian

News in Brief:
Mohammed Amin: If there is a second referendum, no deal must be kept off the ballot paper

Mohammed Amin MBE is Chairman of the Conservative Muslim Forum. He is writing in a personal capacity.

After long negotiation, Theresa May has agreed with the EU-27 a deal comprising a legally binding departure treaty setting out the terms for the UK leaving the EU plus a non-binding political declaration regarding the future relationship between the UK and the EU.

As well as covering the strictly required terms of departure, the draft departure treaty also contains forward-looking sections covering the Northern Ireland backstop to ensure there is no hard border in Ireland and a UK wide backstop with customs arrangements to avoid an internal goods border between Northern Ireland and the rest of the UK if the Northern Ireland backstop ever needs to be applied.

The governments negotiated deal is widely unpopular, and many Brexiteers are hankering for a No deal Brexit. The tide seems to be turning inexorably towards Parliament seeking a referendum to ask the people what should happen next.

Which referendums merit respect?

My 2017 Conservative Home article Why referendums are almost always a bad idea explained the difference between two kinds of referendums:

Referendums where one of the choices is A pig in a poke Referendums offering a choice between the status quo and a completely specified alternative

The 2011 Alternative Vote referendum was an example of a category (2) referendum. Unfortunately, the 2016 European Union membership referendum was a category (1) referendum.

17 million Leave voters were each able to vote for their personal vision of an idealised Brexit, unconstrained by the reality of what type of Brexit could actually be achieved if Leave won.

This difference between the two types of referendum is at the heart of my reasons for respecting the 2011 referendum, but not respecting the 2016 referendum.

What does a No deal Brexit look like?

No deal means no deal. There would be no separation agreement with the EU-27. How does one then divide up EU assets and liabilities including pension liabilities? The inevitable result would be international lawsuits, just like domestic divorces end up in court when the parting couple cannot agree a deal.

In such circumstances, the EU-27 would want to nail the UK to the floor. That is what I would do if I were representing the EU-27 and if the UK had walked away from its treaty obligations without a separation agreement.

I looked at this kind of world in my 2016 Conservative Home piece Ultra-hard Brexit  a mathematical perspective. At its most brutal, no planes would fly between the UK and the EU-27, and no goods would move by sea. This would be very harmful to the EU-27; the disappearance of all of their exports to the UK could reduce their GDP by around three per cent. However, for the UK the consequences would be catastrophic with an overnight reduction in GDP of around 10 per cent. When divorcing couples start throwing plates at each other, they have ceased to care how much damage they do to themselves; what matters is the damage they do to the other.

When ardent Brexiteers talk about a No deal Brexit, they do not mean the above.

Instead, they visualise a fantasy of the UK leaving the EU without the Governments negotiated departure deal, paying nothing to the EU, but the EU-27 falling over themselves to give the UK everything that they declined to give May in her two years of negotiations.

At its heart, they have an extreme illusion about the relative negotiating power of the UK and the EU-27. For some of them, it is not even the 1950s but rather the 1850s when Britain really was the worlds dominant superpower; and could resolve minor problems overseas by sending a gunboat.

The second referendum question

I do not really want a second referendum. As I said earlier this year in Brexit and the duty of every Parliamentarian, if MPs consider that instructing the Government to remain within the EU by withdrawing the UKs Article 50 notice is preferable to approving the Governments departure deal, then it is their duty to do precisely that.

However, if Parliament is unwilling to carry out the above duty, and decides instead to hold a second referendum, then it must be a category (2) referendum.

The two defined choices should be:

Leave the EU on the basis of the Governments negotiated draft departure treaty plus political declaration. Remain in the EU.

Putting an undefined No deal Brexit on the ballot paper would be even more irresponsible than David Cameron putting an undefined Leave the EU option on the 2016 ballot paper. It would risk voters visualising their own personal fantasy No deal Brexit and then voting for that, leaving the Government to sort out a 2019 act of self-harm even greater than the 2016 act of self-harm which is what David Camerons referendum result constituted. Nothing should go onto a second referendum ballot paper unless it has been negotiated with the EU-27 and written down as implementable text, as Theresa Mays withdrawal deal has been.
Rachel Maclean is the Conservative MP for Redditch.

Fancy a pizza? Need to get home late after the work Christmas party? Most of us think nothing about turning to our phone, and opening one of those sharing economy apps that Liz Truss has referred to on Twitter as the staples of my life.

This weeks Deliveroo High Court decision, however  in which a previous ruling was upheld that its riders are self employed rather than workers or employees  reminds us of some of the big questions around the future of work.

Within self-employment, the gig economy is a small but growing part of daily life. Peer-to-peer companies like Uber, Deliveroo, and TaskRabbit have become everyday solutions, offering cheap and reliable goods and services, quickly.

The Department of Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy estimated earlier this year that 4.4 per cent of the population of Great Britain, or 2.8 million people, participated in this form of work over the past twelve months. Working this way offers many people more freedom, a better work-life balance, and greater flexibility. Businesses  and small businesses, in particular  can benefit from a more mobile and flexible pool of readily accessible labour. These benefits are also passed on to consumers, who enjoy increased choice, better experiences, and decreased expense.

New entrants to the market drive up standards and drive down costs, as innovation meets demand and drives growth. Meanwhile, more traditional business models are forced to update, becoming disrupted and newly open to competition, as they lose monopolistic control. There is much to be celebrated, here.

However, the gig economy is often painted by its critics as a framework that systematically exploits vulnerable low-skilled workers, and it is important to acknowledge that this can sometimes happen. But reforms and protections, including the banning of exclusive zero-hour contracts, have, thankfully, decreased instances of genuinely exploitative practices. These practices would be supported by few people with a true interest in the maximisation of freedom: I certainly dont support them, and neither does the party I represent.

Moreover, common fears about economic insecurity and financial hardship related to participating in the gig economy often lack evidence. In a recent paper by Public First, for instance, it was reported that Deliveroo riders can typically earn more than they would in the alternative work available to them. And, while the CIPDs 2017 report To gig or not to gig? emphasises that 49 per cent of gig economy participants report they are living comfortably or doing alright, in contrast to 56 per cent of other workers, the percentage of gig economy participants who self-report as fitting in the most comfortable bracket (living comfortably) is very slightly higher (17 per cent) than the percentage of other workers who do so (16 per cent).

Rather, the key sticking points in this debate focus on questions around employment status  as pointed up by the High Court case this week  and the place for further regulation.

My new FREER paper, out today, examines these questions in detail, and proposes sensible freedom-enhancing ways to address them. Moreover, it also emphasises the way in which it is not only the self employed who value and can greatly benefit from increased flexibility in their work. According to a recent YouGov survey, only six per cent of people now work a normal 9-5 week, and Timewise reported earlier this year that 87 per cent of employees want to work flexibly.

In this dynamic age, however, individuals must keep up to date with the new skills necessary to contribute and achieve fulfilment across a longer working life span. The future of work is unbreakably tied to learning and skills. Yet the frameworks of our education system have remained largely unchanged since the industrial revolution. It is time for a fundamental debate on the prevailing notion that, for most people, education finishes in their late teens or early adulthood.

My paper, therefore, also engages with the lifelong learning discussion. The recent serious fall in the number of part-time and mature students should be of concern to us all. We must accept that the learner of the future will not be an 18-21-year-old on a full-time three-year university course, and recognise the benefits and challenges that this change will bring. This will be key, not least, for the country to meet the skills challenges ahead. Of equal importance, our current approach underplays the vast intrinsic value of good education to everyone, of any age.

We urgently need to reassess the critical yet complex roles that both work and education play in our society. My paper, which is the first of a FREER stream focused on the future of work, aims to kickstart an essential conversation.
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Rosa J. Correa has been a Republican for decades and ran for office three times in her hometown of Bridgeport. She served on the partys town committee until two years ago, headed former Gov. John G. Rowlands district office and gushes over her moment meeting former President George H.W. Bush in Ansonia.

She watched this weeks funerals for the elder Bush with wistfulness and reverence, coming at a wrenching time when shes had several deaths among family and friends.

But in the November elections, she doesnt even know the name of the Republican who ran against the Democratic state Representative that she voted for. It didnt matter. She wouldnt consider marking a ballot for a single GOP candidate at any level.

The reason, you might have guessed, is President Donald Trump. For Correa, the final insult was the president leaving her native Puerto Rico to rot after Hurricane Maria, then lying coldly about thousands of deaths on the island.

The character comparison with Bush this week sealed her convictions.

I had to vote for Ned Lamont because I could not pull the lever for a person who was manifesting for Donald Trump, said Correa, a retired manager at Career Resources Inc., a job training and placement agency based in Bridgeport that works with a challenged population.

That vote in the governors race was painful because she believes in Republican principles of smaller government and individual self-sufficiency. Shes still a registered Republican and party member by conviction, she said, just as shes a Catholic by belief, not tradition. That wont change.

This party had values, said Correa, whos 69. If you think of Lincoln and you think back to Ronald Reagan and you think back to the Bushes...Im hoping and praying that we can get out of this rut and move forward the way the party exemplified under the leadership of George H.W. Bush, with his gentlemanly ways.

Shes hardly a typical Republican, being a big-city Latina with a social services background, but shes not alone. And shes part of a broad swath of activists the party desperately needs. Thats powerfully true in cities, where, lets face it, one-party control hasnt exactly improved conditions over the last half-century.

So, what should Republicans do about the political poison of Trump in blue states such as Connecticut and deep blue cities such as Bridgeport? It certainly wont get easier in 2020 if Trump finds his way back onto the ballot, as he intends.

The answer is, for the good of the party and for the betterment of the state at a time of fiscal crisis, Republican candidates need to reject Trump outright. They must do it in rich towns and poor cities, where the backlash in November unwound a decade of gains in the General Assembly.

They need to to it publicly, loudly and without dilution  none of this I like the policies, not the man nonsense. And not with the sort of dog-whistle hints we saw from some moderate Republicans such as Danbury Mayor Mark Boughton, the endorsed candidate for governor, who lost to Bob Stefanowski in the primary.

Ive heard people say, lets say in conversations, Im against Donald Trump, Correa recounted on Thursday, referring to local Republican candidates. And I said, Will you say it publicly? and they say no.

Truth shall make you free, she said, citing the verse in the Book of John.

Free, yes, but will it win elections? It just might.

Would Sen. L. Scott Frantz, R-Greenwich, have won re-election against the upstart Democrat Alexandra Bergstein if he had repudiated Trump? Maybe yes, maybe no. She spent a fortune, benefited from running in the Year of the Woman and hit Frantz hard on gun control.

It certainly wouldnt have hurt. Greenwich sent 5,351 more people to the polls last month than it did in 2010, when Gov. Dannel P. Malloy first ran, and the margin for governor narrowed  but remained Republican. Some of those added voters came out for Bergstein, who won by about 600 votes, but probably more came out against Trump.

And with all due respect for Bergstein, a very impressive Democrat, Frantzs expert, level-headed, big-picture view of the budget makes his defeat a huge loss for the General Assembly and for the state. Its not like the new Senate will need Bergsteins vote to pass Democratic legislation.

In short, Republicans unwillingness to rebuke a toxic president is hurting the whole state, not just the party.

Yes, I get that we have closed primaries that favor hardliners and I get that Trump has deep support in heartland places such as the Naugatuck Valley. But a good, local, anti-Trump Republican should rise above that.

Party leaders including J.R. Romano, the state party chairman, and Rep. Themis Klarides, R-Derby, the House Republican leader, acknowledge that Republicans took a beating in large part because of Trump.

They say the basic Republican message about Connecticut is sound and I dont dispute that. Klarides, in comments reported by Mark Pazniokas of The CT Mirror, toughened her position on Trump, for whom she was a delegate in 2016.

She told Pazniokas, its important that people are very clearthat when he does something that we dont like, we stand up, were vocal about it....That means we may support some of the things he does, and we dont support other things he does.

Good first step. Should have been done long ago. Not enough in 2020.

Klarides, Romano, Sen. Len Fasano, R-North Haven, the Senate Republican leader, strategist Chris Healy, Boughton and others name many possible solutions. Ive yet to hear any of them add rebuking Trump outright to the list.

Romano chafes at the idea, saying only the rich can afford to snub Trump.

The Trump effect was centered around people who were more interested in being self-indulgent instead of focusing on the crisis that Connecticut is in, Romano said. They made the life of a single mom who who works as a nurse making $55,000 a year, they made her life harderbecause shes going to pay for failed policies in Hartford.

Romano asks pointedly, why dont Democrats hold their leaders accountable for political sins such as calling for the abolishment of ICE, Immigration and Customs Enforcement?

Um, theyre not the president of the United States lying over and over again, separating toddlers from their parents at the border, denying basic science, claiming hes cleared in a criminal inquiry when hes not.

Even if Romano is right, political reality is what it is, and GOP candidates in 2020 can win by trashing Trump.

Correa, for her part, is prepared to return to the fold. She tells a story about visiting the White House in 2011 in her role on a commission planning a National Museum of the American Latino. She needed help getting out of her chair for a picture, and suddenly a hand appeared, and a voice asking if she needed help.

It was President Barack Obama. He walked her to a waiting wheelchair.

She was awestruck. But a year later, she still voted for Republican Mitt Romney against Obama. She wants to be a loyal Republican, and shes waiting for that hand from a leader.
BRIDGEPORT  Richard Pezzella has lived in the Charles F. Greene Homes for six years and is vice president of the low-income public housing developments residents board.

He had heard rumors that owner Park City Communities  formerly the Bridgeport Housing Authority  was considering tearing down the seven-story, 270-unit complex, which has been plagued by crime and infrastructure woes.

But when I went to the (management) office to find out if anything was going on they said no, Pezzella said.

According to meeting minutes for Park City Communities mayoral-appointed board, as of Nov. 13, planning was under way for roof replacement at Greene Homes next summer.

Then on Nov. 30 came the sudden announcement by local housing officials and the mayors office that they planned to ask the federal Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) for permission to demolish what locals call The Greenes.

Pezzella said he and other residents have obvious questions  how soon will the tear-down happen, and where will they move to?

Its easy to say theyre going to knock down buildings, Pezzella said. Its easier said than done.

Consider the slow ongoing effort at Park City Communities Marina Village in the South End to knock down and replace the aged buildings in phases while relocating existing tenants. Six years ago, then-Mayor Bill Finchs administration pledged to move forward on that project, and the second phase of demolition finally began late summer 2018.

Cowlis Andrews, chairman of Park Citys mayoral-appointed board, admitted in an interview this week that when it comes to dismantling Greene Homes, Were talking a couple years.

This is gonna take a while, agreed Councilman Alfredo Castillo, whose district includes Greene Homes and who is the councils liaison with the Park City Communities. Its a process. But were saying we cant have these people living like this.

Some wonder if city housing officials and City Hall are taking on too much.

How they gonna move people from Greene when they aint finished with Marina (Village)? said Bettie Cook, president of Park City Communities resident advisory council. I mean cmon.

The Greenes got close to 300 or more people over there, she said. Where you going to put them?

Pezzella said the number of tenants is closer to 400.

Even City Council President Aidee Nieves, though supportive of Ganims big idea to improve the quality of life for Greene Homes residents, said she is concerned about doing it right while at the same time completing Marina Village.

We can talk about moving people, but moving people into good apartments, good places, is another question, Nieves said.

Breaking point

The city and Park City Communities are seeking proposals from qualified firms to help with the HUD application to raze Greene Homes. Responses had been due Thursday, but that deadline was extended until this coming Wednesday.

The plan is to get a plan, Andrews said. To get permission from HUD to begin the process for demolition (and) relocation. The plan is to identify housing options for folks. To meet with tenants and their representatives and to move forward. I dont know the plan, exactly. Were going to rely on the professionals in our office. ... But were giving folks a heads-up this is coming.

According to HUD guidelines, public housing authorities can seek to tear down a limited number of properties if those developments are obsolete and unsuitable for housing and no reasonable program of modifications is cost-effective.

Andrews said Greene Homes is at that point, from constantly broken down elevators to hygiene issues like people urinating and defecating in hallways  sometimes right in front of maintenance workers.

We probably put a little bit more than $2 million into the Greenes over the last few years, Andrews said. It doesnt look like we put $5 into it.

Then there was the brutal October 2017 murder of 18-year-old Jeri Kollock, who was forced to strip naked, then was robbed and shot seven times inside Greene Home, dying some 45 minutes later.

Andrews said Kollocks death was a breaking point for him: That kid  I have a son that same age. My son is in college. And it broke my heart, really. ... Its like, wow. It just tears at you.

Andrews said maybe about two or three months ago he and Ganim first spoke about demolishing Greene Homes.

We saw each other in passing. He said, Weve got to do something about it. I said, Im willing to take it down, Andrews recalled. Sometimes you have to take things down to bring it back to get it right.

And, Andrews added, perhaps only a few of Greene Homes five buildings need to come down. HUD regulations state that partial demolitions are allowed if it will ensure the viability of the remaining portion of the development.

To be frank, half the problems go away once we get rid of one or two buildings, Andrews said.

Not in Bridgeport

Andrews said he would like to follow the Marina Village model and that of another former housing site  Father Panik Village. In both cases, the city and Park City Communities partnered with a private developer who is building mixed-income housing with various funding sources, including some government subsidies.

Those are the new formulas out there now, said Steven Nelson, another member of Park Citys board. HUD doesnt really have the money to come in and fix the place (Greene Homes) the way it needs to be fixed for decent living for people.

Father Panik Village, which the New York Times once wrote had become a national symbol of both urban decay and the failure of large public housing complexes, was torn down in the early 1990s during Ganims first administration. He was re-elected in 2015.

But it was only four years ago under Finch that a public/private deal was struck to build the new Crescent Crossings mixed-income complex on the former Father Panik grounds. Crescent Crossings broke ground in late 2015.

Im hoping were not just talking about doing something (at Greene Homes), tearing it down and leaving the place sitting there for 20 freakin years, Nelson said.

Alice King is president of Greene Homes residents board. She and Pezzella blamed many of the problems at the complex on outsiders.

The majority of the people that live here are good people, King said. Its only the outsiders that come and do bad things here.

King agreed the buildings need a lot of work. But, she said, the violence is more under control  at least during the winter.

We dont see as much, she said. We hear gunshots at night or sometimes during the day.

Bridgeport is part of Fairfield County and that type of housing is not acceptable anywhere else in Fairfield County, Andrews said. And it shouldnt be acceptable in Bridgeport.
Editors note: This is one of two stories about the death of Ethan Song. Today: A profile of Ethan. Monday: How his parents have turned their grief into action.

GUILFORD  In January, it looked like Ethan Song was hitting his stride as a Guilford High School freshman.

In the past few months he had gone through major chest surgery for a condition that would have seriously limited his breathing ability. He had played in a youth league all-star game in lacrosse. His brother, Evan, would be leaving for Boston College in the fall and his sister, Emily, was studying nursing at the University of Connecticut, so Ethan would have his parents, Kristin and Mike Song, all to himself.

We really thought we were on our way, said Kristin Song. And he was doing so well in school and just got his braces off.  That day I was like, We are all that and a bag of chips. This kid is going to do great things.

That day was Jan. 31. Ethan, who unknown to his parents had been playing with guns at a friends house, pulled the trigger on what he thought was an unloaded .357 Magnum and shot himself to death.

Since then, Waterbury States Attorney Maureen Platt has ruled that Ethans death was accidental and stated that the guns owner, Daniel Markle, would not be charged because, under Connecticut law, he would have had to know the gun was loaded and that a minor could gain access to it without permission. The Songs have launched a campaign, called Ethans Law, to increase gun owners responsibility for storing their weapons safely.

Since then, Guilford police have charged Markles son, who is 14, with second-degree manslaughter in connection with Ethans death, and with first-degree reckless endangerment from an earlier incident.

Please ask

And since then, the Songs have dealt with their grief, leaned on their family and close friends and taken action to honor Ethans life. But among the hardest things theyve had to cope with has been how people avoid talking about him, how others freeze when they mention his name.

That is one of the saddest things about losing a child is people stop talking about that child, Kristin Song said. And so for me its kind of like mist in the air that kind of like evaporates. And people partly dont want to ask because they dont want to upset you. But the most upsetting thing is when people dont ask you. And so when I meet moms whove lost children, I always try to ask them, What was one really amazing thing about your child? Just so they feel theres still a connection to that kid.

While she understands it can be awkward, Song said, Its hurtful, because I have three kids and everyones [asking], Oh, hows Emily and Evan?

The Songs need and want to talk about Ethan. As painful as the memory of his death is, its important that he remain a part of their lives.

I will say that my greatest joy  I loved every minute of raising my children. I know that sounds like cliche, but I loved hearing their first words, seeing their first steps. It really just filled my cup of joy. So that really was my job, Kristin Song said.

And youre great at it to this day, Mike Song said.

The Songs have many amazing things to say about Ethan, the Songs said. He had an especially caring, empathetic nature that he expressed in a way that warmed the heart.

It showed in how Ethan cared for 95 of the 107 foster dogs the family has taken in from the Little Pink Shelter. He and his mother had set a goal of 100.

These dogs come off these 18-wheelers and theyre freaked out because they were either strays, sitting in a shelter, Kristin Song said. They would be frantic, and Ethan would just sit down and just have this amazing gift where he could just calm them down. Literally they would just curl up in his lap, and it happened almost every single time. It was really such a unique trait.

It showed in his love for his ethnic heritage, which included grandparents from Mexico, South Korea and a Jewish grandmother who left Nazi Germany for the Netherlands and gave Ethan the gold Star of David she had been forced to wear because he was just so caring about it, Mike Song said.

On a tour of the Anne Frank House in Amsterdam, Ethan wore an Israeli flag over his shoulders. We didnt know he had an Israeli flag, Kristin Song said. He draped it around his shoulders and he walked the entire house and he said, This is in honor of Grammy. I mean, this is what a 14-year-old kids thinking about.

He could really melt your heart with his compassion for other people, Mike Song said.

It showed in how he reached out to others who might be left alone.

One thing I loved about Ethan was he was the kid who went into the cafeteria, and if a special-needs kid was sitting by himself he would go gather him up, Kristin Song said. And I have texts from some of those moms who told me that. I didnt know that he did this, and it just meant so much to them as a mom, and of course to their child.  He just had a sweet way about him.

He had that loving, empathetic heart, she said. After her mother died, I would always play her music  because my mother played music all the time in her house, and he would hear it up in his room and he would come down and just give me a hug cause I would be crying and thinking of her. He just got it intuitively.

I think it defined him, and it made him feel different from the other two kids, so he really embraced it, Mike Song said.

Id always tell him, Youre going to make such a great husband, because he just naturally was a loving kid, Kristin Song added. It just came natural to him. And he was funny, really, really funny.

He would crack up laughing about stuff and he would always be teasing us about one thing or another, in a fun way, Mike Song said.

It would have been his time

The loss of Ethan means a future with no children living full time at home. Once Evan Song, 19, went to college and with Emily Song, 21, at UConn, it was going to be just Mike, Kristin and Ethan  and the dogs  in the house on Norton Avenue. (The Songs moved in August to a house away from Guilford center, in a quieter area with a view of the water.)

The saddest part to me is that we were both looking forward to having three years with Ethan alone, said Mike Song. They had plans to give Ethan his time, as his mother put it. He was just looking forward to just being the only kid, she said.

The whole family is close, but Evan and Emily are more typical siblings. They fought over whos going to sleep in which room, all that normal sibling stuff they did, Mike Song said. So he was going to have the house to himself.

Ethan loved to travel, his father said. I was dying to take him to these fun places that I sometimes get to go to. He has written three books about time management and owns Get Control!, which offers webinars and training on the subject.

Besides the trip to Holland, they went to South Korea to visit Mike Songs father, a Korean War hero, and they also indulged their love of sushi. He definitely would say, But were going to stop off in Japan and do a sushi thing, Mike Song said. He was just ready to travel the world.

The other food focus was lobster rolls. We had a quest to find the best lobster roll in the world and the best sushi in the world, so we were reading and evaluating these lobster rolls all up and down the Shoreline and Connecticut, Mike Song said. Used to have these arguments about cold vs. hot lobster rolls.

The funny thing was he would bite into a lobster roll and hed say, These are the five things about this roll that I like and these are five things that I dont like.  I kind of thought he was just listening to what I said and just parroting it back, but I started to realize he could taste the difference in food.

Used to drive me crazy because I dont eat lobster, Kristin Song added.

Ethan also was very intellectual, his mother said. He was reading Camus and so was my daughter at college and he understood it, Mike Song said. He wanted to go into the military and, that day he died, at breakfast we kind of made an agreement that he would go into college first.

He also was interested in his family ancestry. He had collected flags and was obsessed with having flags of different countries that he was from, Mike Song said. He had one relative from Mexico [Kristin Songs mother], so he had a Mexican flag in his room. He wanted to celebrate everybodys culture. And he was proud of his culture. Sometimes we would say, Ethan, its beautiful that youre so proud of your culture but dont forget to learn about other peoples cultures, and he would take that on as well.

The Songs saw Ethan really coming into his own during the last year. He was an all-star lacrosse player for one year  Im really glad that he did that, and that was really nice to see him doing sports, Mike Song said. His grades were up too. He was a member of the United Nations Club and Unified Sports, which pairs Special Olympics athletes with those without intellectual disabilities. The Songs plan to make a donation to the organization.

About six months before the accident, Ethan had to go through a fairly major surgery and he did it with so much courage, Mike Song said. His chest was growing inwards. It is not an uncommon thing but  its a major surgery.  If it kept going he would have had trouble breathing. So Ethan said, Im getting that surgery. And I said, Are you sure you want to go through with this? I mean a lot of people try to live with it. He was like, Absolutely not.

So, sadly he went through a very arduous surgery, quickly weaned himself off the opioids  he really didnt want to have anything to do with that, because he really wanted to live, he wanted to survive, Mike Song said. And he recovered really fast and his chest looked great and we just thought, Wow, this kids out of the woods.

His father continued: It was as if  and this doesnt happen for a lot of people  the one thing that he was self-conscious about suddenly disappeared and so we were very up, and then obviously we crashed 

Keeping Ethans memory alive

As they move forward in their forever-altered lives, the Songs want people to remember Ethan, and not to freeze up when he comes up in conversation.

For people who really know us well, our family and good, good friends, I would just like people to be more relaxed when I bring up his name, Mike Song said. Referring to Kristin, himself and their other two children, he said, Youve got four people on different grieving pathways. At this point, I like it when people say, How are you doing? not how sad they are.  I may bring up Ethan and if I do, dont feel awkward. Its just a natural thing for a parent to want to talk about your child.

Song wants people to respond to where he is today  working to make firearms laws safer and planning other activities in honor of Ethan  not where he was 10 months ago.

I think for the most part, people have been amazing, he said. And if something irritated me it was more because of the rawness of the experience; they were always trying to say something nice. I think early on we decided, everybody means well. ... I think what we realized was before this happened to us that we would have acted the same way. You dont know what to say. A lot of people said no words. There were 1,500 people at Ethans wake so we heard 1,500 different people attempt to try to say Im so sorry and it was beautiful.

And now I feel like its been 10 months and now I feel like I want to ask them how theyre doing, Mike Song said. Because its awkward for them. They dont know at what point to stop being this incredibly sympathetic friend. But I like to ask them how theyre doing, pretty quickly. But I always talk about Ethan for a little bit of that conversation. ... So many people can express that this has been a tragedy but it starts to wear on you.

What helps is people supporting their efforts to pass Ethans Law and their charitable fundraisers, he said. I think those are where a lot of my energys going into right now, to turn this negative not into a positive, but ... it helps get you back to some semblance of your former self, to be doing positive things out there. And it seems for me to be a positive feedback loop. I feel better and better the more I bump into these folks who want to collaborate and work on this statute and try to do something that could really change the world.

This story has been corrected to say that Ethan Song was a freshman when he died, not a sophomore, and that his brother was a high school senior, not a college student.

edward.stannard@hearstmediact.com; 203-680-9382
During his first NATO summit in Brussels, President Donald Trump refused to state his support for NATO's most important treaty obligation. During his first British visit, the president managed to offend everybody, from tabloid journalists to the queen. But although there are many incidents and relationships to choose from, the most embarrassing European foreign policy failure of the Trump administration is not unfolding in London or Brussels, but in Budapest.

Why? Because in Budapest, the Hungarians are undermining the policies of the Trump administration by following its lead. In a recent speech, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo declared that "our mission is to reassert our sovereignty." In addition, he said, "we want our friends to help us and to exert their sovereignty as well."

But "exerting sovereignty," by undermining NATO and other international norms and agreements, perfectly describes what Hungary is now doing - at the expense of the United States.

For those who - understandably - don't follow Hungarian politics, let me preface this by explaining that Hungary is a de facto one-party state, led by a prime minister, Viktor Orban, who has stayed in power by exerting total control over all broadcast and print media in the country; by manipulating and gerrymandering elections; and by creating a network of corrupt oligarchs who finance him and his party. One of the reasons Orban gets away with all of this is because he has successfully changed the subject in order to attract foreign support: Although Hungary has few immigrants of any kind, Orban runs a chauvinistic anti-immigration campaign, deliberately designed to appeal to the European and American far right. Stephen Bannon is an avid fan.

But despite Orban's declared affinity for Trump's versions of "sovereignty" and "nationalism" - or, perhaps more accurately, because of it - Hungary goes out of its way to undermine U.S.-led institutions. This Last week, the Hungarian government once again blocked the meeting of the Ukraine-NATO Commission, in defiance of U.S. requests. Hungary's preference for its relationship with Russia, over and above its formal treaties with the United States, also manifested itself in a recent refusal to extradite two Russian arms dealers sought by the U.S. Drug Enforcement Administration. Instead of cooperating with a U.S. request, Hungary handed the two men over to Russian authorities.

These defiant gestures come directly on the heels of another one: Last month, despite its prejudice against ordinary asylum-seekers, the Hungarian government welcomed the rogue former prime minister of Macedonia to apply, in order to evade corruption charges at home. Nikola Gruevski had been convicted of abuse of power by the office of the special prosecutor in Macedonia, an institution that was set up with the help of the U.S. government; the State Department has described Gruevski's trial as a "thorough and transparent legal process." But the Hungarian government, unlike the U.S. government, is not interested in the rule of law, either domestically or internationally, and doesn't pretend otherwise.

Finally, and more famously, Hungary received international attention this last week for forcing the Central European University - a U.S.-registered and -accredited institution, and one of the strongest universities in the region - to leave the country. Michael Ignatieff, the university president, described the situation as "unprecedented. . . . A U.S. institution has been driven out of a country that is a NATO ally." The decision was made after the government created legal problems for the university and ran another destructive poster campaign against the university's original founder, financier George Soros, who does not have a role in its current management. Talk of Soros was, once again, a fig leaf, a narrative designed to appeal to Hungarian anti-Semitism and the American right.

In practice, of course, the expulsion of the university is also a direct insult to the U.S. Embassy, whose successive employees and ambassadors fought for the CEU to stay. It's a stain on the long tradition of independent and international American academic institutions - think of the U.S. universities in Beirut and Cairo. And, of course, it's a blow to Hungarian academic freedom. Hungarian teachers and scholars across the country, most of whom work for Hungarian state institutions, already fear they will pay a price for saying or writing something that the government doesn't like. I am told that political scientists studying Orban's election violations have become reluctant to present their evidence in public.

To all of this, the Trump administration has no response. Trump's ambassador burbled something about his "friend" Orban; the State Department was reduced to condemning Hungarian behavior as "not consistent with our law enforcement partnership." The truth is that even though this kind of "sovereignty" - tough talking that hides law-breaking - weakens the United States, it's hard for Pompeo, Bannon or Trump to object. They've opened a Pandora's box, and now it won't close.
New businesses, opportunities arising in Confluence because of the GAP
WEST CHESTER  A Chester County Court judge has agreed to place a Montgomery County man accused or raping a woman while he was driving for Uber on stringent bail requirements to insure that he appears for trial in the future.

On Thursday, Common Pleas Court Judge Patrick Carmody said that defendant Ahmed Mostafa Elgaafary would have to surrender all his passports, whether foreign or domestic, check in with the Chester County Pre-Trial Services Department in person on a weekly basis, and submit to electronic home monitoring.

The judge set the conditions after Assistant District Attorney Vincent Cocco, who is prosecuting Elgaafary on the rape charges, argued that the Egyptian national is a flight risk because of the serious nature of the case against him and the fact that he may still hold an Egyptian passport.

Elgaafary appeared in court at the county Justice Center at the bail hearing on Thursday. He has been free on $50,000 cash bail since late last month.

According to an arrest affidavit filed by state Trooper Amos Glick, Elgaafary, 26, of Lansdale, was identified as the driver of an Uber ride sharing car that picked up a woman at the Valley Forge Casino in Upper Merion in the early morning hours of Feb. 10.

The woman told investigators that she had been at the casino and was drinking heavily that morning. She called for an Uber ride to take her home, and was picked up at about 2:20 a.m. She said she did not remember anything about the ride home, and woke up in her home that morning nauseous and with a bad feeling that something may have happened.

She had bruises on her legs and forehead, and dirt under her fingernails. She was also dressed only in a bra when she woke up.

Checking the Uber applications, the woman, whose name was not included in the affidavit, saw that the ride had lasted approximately 58 minutes, when the normal travel time between the casino and her home in Charlestown Township is about 15 minutes.

She was taken to Pottstown Hospital, where a sexual assault examination was conducted, including swabs for her DNA.

Glick, a seven-year veteran of the state police assigned to the Lancaster barracks, was able to identify Elgaafary as the Uber driver who had picked her up the night of Feb. 10. He appeared for an interview on March 2, and said he remembered picking the woman up, and noticing that she appeared intoxicated. He said she vomited multiple times during the ride, but denied having any sexual contact with her. He voluntarily agreed to provide Glick with a sample of his DNA.

When Glick later received the results of the examination, he said the state police forensic lab had detected evidence of sperm on the victim. A DNA analysis of that positively identified his DNA in the examination results  confirming that he had had sex with the woman.

He was arrested on Oct. 31, and charged with rape of an unconscious person, involuntary deviate sexual intercourse, sexual assault, and indecent assault. He was arraigned by Magisterial District Judge Joann Teyral of Phoenixville, who initially set bail at $75,000, which he could not post. After a preliminary hearing at which he was held for trial on all charges, the judge reduced his bail to $50,000 cash.

Cocco said in his petition to modify his bail that Elgaafary posted bail on Nov. 21.

The prosecutor noted in his petition that Elgaafary has been in the United States since 2008, first on a student visa at Temple University, and later after he was detained for having overstayed his visa, as a lawful permanent resident because of his 2014 marriage to a U.S. citizen.

He is represented by defense attorney Jonathan Altman of West Chester.
With a heavy heart, I feel compelled to write about the European issue again. I am sick of it. I want it to be over. I would, by now, accept almost any arrangement if only this ignorant, stupid squabbling would stop.

People who only five years ago dismissed the whole subject as irrelevant are now on fire with mad passion for one outcome or another.

They have no business to be. I recall trying to persuade Tory politicians, now brawling, red-faced and panting, about backstops and customs unions, that the EU mattered at all.

Theresa May speaks to the Commons during a debate on the Brexit withdrawal agreement, ahead of the meaningful vote

Nothing doing, they said. Not important, they said. A dead issue, they said. People dont care, they said.

Then and later, they never bothered to try to find out why it mattered or how it worked. They wouldnt read the necessary books, or talk to the people who knew. To this day most of them are clueless. In fact, the more clueless they are, the more frantic they get.

I also warned against the referendum, and that it would cause a constitutional crisis. Almost everything I warned of has come to pass.

So now Ill say just this. It seems Mrs Mays agreement will fail. I care little about that. The only point of it was to fend off the madmen who are so blinded by dogmatic frenzy that they want a Tory leadership challenge and a General Election, and to hell with the country.

Former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson spoke out against Mrs May's deal in the Commons. The deal could fail in the meaningful vote next week

The May plan has prevented that until now. It has also left a tiny passage through which we might escape into calm and sanity.

I have, for some time, urged that we take the Norway option, out of the EU, away from its courts and its wasteful farm and fishery policies, with access to a powerful emergency brake on immigration but still able to trade through the Single Market.

It is still just possible that, in the weeks of closed minds and jockeying that seem likely to come about, enough calm heads will grasp this.

There could actually be a majority for it. It would be miles better than any other feasible outcome.

But it is like that bit at the end of the adventure story where the hero, pursued by implacable enemies, has to leap from a tottering, crumbling bridge on to a meagre ledge below, and then swing himself into the tiny opening to safety.

In the story, you know he is going to do it.

But in British politics, it is far more likely that hell miss his footing and fall screaming into the chasm, taking the rest of us with him. Well, you cant say I didnt warn you.

Even the Left-wingers at The Guardian are a bit perplexed by the number of lesbian films we seem to be getting in our cinemas now, from action-thrillers such as The Girl In The Spiders Web to The Favourite, out soon, which suggests that poor old Queen Anne throbbed with same-sex passion.

Perhaps most irritating is a much-praised drama called Disobedience, starring Rachel Weisz as a modish British photographer in Manhattan who, while not taking pictures of pathetic tattooed old men, or smoking hard enough to keep warm, is having vigorous heterosexual encounters in lavatories.

Rachel Weisz, left, stars in Disobedience as a photographer working in Manhattan. The series also features Rachel McAdams, right

Suddenly her father, a very strictly Orthodox rabbi, dies in mid-sermon. Back she goes to London for the funeral.

There she irritates everyone by her contempt for their faith, her smoking and, finally, by seducing another rabbis wife in a park, and later in a hotel, destroying their marriage and endangering the rabbis faith.

Of course, its the devout Jews with their ancient respect for God and scripture who are portrayed as the difficulty. This sort of propaganda can always get money and publicity.

How I wish the same attention had been paid to the beautiful, brilliant Polish film Ida, which avoids all these weary cliches and is, as a result, one of the best and most neglected films of the past ten years.

Losing faith in Alice's Humanist excuses

You may recall Professor Alice Roberts, the TV star and Humanist zealot, who made such a fuss about how she could not find places for her children in non-church schools.

She said: Seven out of the nearest nine schools to me were Church of England schools. I applied to the two which werent and we did not get in there.

The accounts of this clearly stated that she lived in Bristol. I was a bit baffled about this.

Bristol council told me that, of the 108 state schools in the city that take primary pupils, just 26 have church affiliations.

Professor Alice Roberts on BBC series Digging for Britain. She said how she could not find places for her children in non-church schools

So there are 82 non-church schools, roughly two per square mile. This is probably fairly typical, as about 7,000 of 20,000 state schools in England are church schools, but many of the church schools are concentrated in rural areas.

I do not know or seek to know where exactly Prof Roberts lives. But it seems to me that, if it is so important to her to send her children to a non-church state primary school, she ought to have been able to find something to her liking among 82 possible schools in her home city.

When I put this to the Humanists, they revealed that she doesnt in fact live in Bristol at all.

Coyly, they said: Without disclosing where Alice lives, I am afraid your premise, that she lives in the boundaries of the city proper, is faulty.

Perhaps, I wondered, shed chosen to live in a country area, where the chances of finding a church school are known to be high. Who can blame her? But, in that case, was her complaint valid?

When I tried to discover more from the Humanists, they suggested wrongly that I was seeking to know where she lived, and then fell silent.

Vital school lesson that we refuse to learn

Once again The Sutton Trust does excellent research on the terrible state of our schools. Once again, driven by ideology, it misses the point.

The revelation that eight expensive private schools together scored as many Oxbridge places as 2,894 state schools will delight Left-wing fanatics, who will pretend its the result of Oxbridge snobbery.

In fact, the two great universities strive very hard to encourage applicants from poor backgrounds. But atrocious, disorderly state secondaries dont teach them well enough, and too many of their teachers, in the grip of inverted snobbery, sulkily refuse to encourage children to apply for top colleges.

Eight expensive private schools together scored as many Oxbridge places as 2,894 state schools, research from The Sutton Trust found [File photo]

Thats only the half of it. The Sutton figures, read carefully, show that academically selective state grammar schools come close to matching the vastly expensive public schools in gaining Oxbridge places.

Alas, there are hardly any of them. In the days when we had a national network of state grammar schools, 64.6 per cent of their pupils came from working class homes, according to the Gurney-Dixon report of 1954.

And most survived into the sixth form, in those pre-expansion days the equivalent of university. The Crowther Report of 1959 found more than 40 per cent of sixth-formers at grammar schools were working class. What outstanding comprehensive or academy can say that today?

By 1964, these bright boys and girls from working class homes were storming Oxford and Cambridge, beating the expensive private schools without any special help or concessions. Then that stopped, when all but a tiny rump of grammars were smashed up in the egalitarian lunacy of the 1960s.

Watching experts and politicians discussing education is like being in a nightmare.

In that awful dream, I have to watch, powerless, while a surgeon kills a patient because he refuses to use the only procedure which could have saved him.
Bad acne and eczema are the bane of many people's existence as they're often forced to try a variety of lotions and potions to cure their skin.

But luckily there is a new product on the market that claims to help irritable skin conditions completely die down overnight.

Candice Kemp, 36, from the Gold Coast stumbled across the recipe for Dew Drops unintentionally when she was trying to manage her severe breakouts - and now her company Supple Skin Co is turning over $60,000 a month.

The mother-of-two had hemp oil and essential oils lying around the house so decided to experiment.

'After using it my breakout had disappeared over night. I had previously spent hundreds on treatments but the formula made the pimples flat overnight,' she told FEMAIL.

Dakota Masters is an influencer who purchased Dew Drops as she was looking for anything that would help cure her severe acne (before)

Now she 'can't live without' the product and promotes it regularly online of her own volition (after)

'I used it over a week to see if it was a fluke and it wasn't, it got rid of the redness as well.'

Still worried that it happened simply by chance, Ms Kemp put a callout on Instagram to see if others wanted to try it.

Amazingly 49 out of 50 of the people who tried the serum absolutely loved it and they eagerly requested that Ms Kemp sell them commercially.

Although she wasn't intending to sell the product, demand was so great Ms Kemp had the products ready for market five weeks later.

Candice Kemp, 36, from the Gold Coast stumbled across the recipe unintentionally when she was trying to manage her own severe break outs (pictured)

Worried that it was simply by chance, Ms Kemp put out a call out on Instagram to see if others wanted to try it (left before and right after using the Dew Drops for six weeks)

On the first day she sold 200 bottles and the brand has continued to grow organically through word of mouth as people have been so impressed with the product ever since.

'Month to month we've had at least a 100 per cent increase in sales, we had a 400 per cent increase last month,' Ms Kemp revealed.

June was the first month she started selling the 'miracle' oil and in those four weeks she accumulated $10,000 in sales.

Now their sales are sitting between $50,000 and $60,000 a month as demand for the product increases.

She sold 200 bottles in the first day and the brand grew organically through word of mouth as people were so impressed with the product (pictured less than one month apart)

Influencer Lily Brown is also a fan of the product and said in a caption that she has been using it for the last four months

'It's taken off from the get go because it's a pot of gold that works miracles,' she said.

The company is so confident in their $39 hemp-filled remedy that the company will give customers their money back if it doesn't work in the first two weeks.

'One product isn't going to suit everyone but we have a 99 per cent success rate and we've only had three returns,' she said.

'It's proven to be good for eczema and psoriasis, diminish scarring, fade pigmentation and soften the skin.'

Love Island star Erin Barnett said she is loving the results she is seeing from using the oil

The oil is 100 per cent natural as it contains carrot seed for anti-ageing, lavender to kill bacteria, frankincense to reduce scarring and tea tree prevents acne.

The addition of hemp oil is because it has a zero per cent comodogenic rating, meaning it doesn't clog pores and there is less of a chance of break outs and redness.

Ms Kemp said she has received dozens of messages from women who have said the product has changed their lives and their confidence levels.

'One product isn't going to suit everyone but we have a 99 per cent success rate and we've only had three returns,' Ms Kemp said

This woman saw her dry skin, eczema and uneven skin tone completely disappear

'One girl told me she had severe depression from her acne and hadn't had clear skin in 12 years,' she said.

'She wanted to cry after using the dew drops as after using it for one week her skin was cleared.'

The business is only new but six out of 10 people are returning customers.

Social media is the main driving force behind getting the brand's name out there and it is proving to be working.

The addition of hemp oil is because it has a zero per cent comodogenic rating, meaning it doesn't clog pores and there is less of a chance of break outs and redness

Fans of the product include a variety of Instagram stars who have promoted it online.

'Dakota Masters is an influencer who purchased the product herself as she suffered from breakouts before using our Dew Drops and now she can't live without it,' Ms Kemp said.

'I even offered to pay her once to help promote it but she refused and said she genuinely just wants girls to know how well it works.

Moana Bikini owner Karina Irby was also suitably impressed, particularly as she's been on a very vocal mission to rid herself of eczema

Moana Bikini owner Karina Irby was also suitably impressed, particularly as she's been on a very vocal mission to rid herself of eczema.

'When all you want is for the skin on your legs to match the skin on the rest of your body,' she captioned a photo of herself.

'Shout out to all my dry skin sufferers, try a product called Dew Drops from Supple Skin Co. This product is meant for the face, however I also use it all over my legs.'

Now Ms Kemp is working on a cleanser that she plans to release in February and then she will continue to expand from there.
Sir Cliff Richard is determined to find a silver lining.

After what he calls four bad years, fighting a court battle against the BBC and South Yorkshire police, hes thrown himself back into recording and touring.

Im back where Im meant to be, he says inside Abbey Road recording studios.

Its strange that Ive had to have the four bad years before somebody said, Lets do an album of brand new songs. I havent been broken down.

'Im reborn recording-wise, I didnt know I was ever going to do this again, I thought those days were way behind me.

New ITV documentary Sir Cliff Richard: 60 Years In Public And In Private celebrates his six decades in showbusiness, spending time with 78-year-old Cliff at home in Portugal with his younger sister Joan, and includes contributions from Brian May, Olivia Newton-John, Andrew Lloyd Webber, Dame Joan Collins, Gloria Hunniford and fellow Shadows band members Bruce Welch, Hank Marvin and Brian Bennett.

Sir Cliff Richard, 78, (pictured) has worked within show business for 60 years and is set to celebrate his career in new ITV documentary Sir Cliff Richard: 60 Years In Public And In Private

It also follows him on tour and at Abbey Road, where 60 years earlier he recorded his first hit.

His new album is called, appropriately, Rise Up!

Of course, theres also reaction to his court case, of which Brian May says, Cliffs been through stuff that would break many a man  to be accused of stuff youre not guilty of and have that kind of smear on you, I cant imagine how hurt he must have been.

His sister Joan admits that she was seriously concerned. I wasnt even sure if Cliff was going to pull through it.

The documentary looks back to when Cliff started as a rocknroll heartthrob, hanging out in The 2is Coffee Bar in Londons Soho.

He was, recalls Dame Joan Collins, clean-cut, he was the boy next door and he had this enormous charm.

His big break came in 1958 with the song Move It.

It was the first real British rocknroll hit, says Hank Marvin, who was in The Shadows, then known as The Drifters, which became Cliffs backing band the same year.

He certainly made an impact.

It was apparent to Bruce [Welch] and me that he had something special, says Hank.

We could see it straightaway in rehearsal. We just werent ready for the audiences response.

Cliff (pictured with Olivia Newton-John) has worked hard to safeguard his privacy throughout his career

'As soon as Cliffs name was mentioned they went nuts, screaming. Quite honestly we couldnt hear ourselves play.

The band moved from appealing to a teen audience to the mainstream with the 1959 hit Living Doll, which Lord Lloyd Webber describes as one of the greatest pop records ever made.

Cliffs clean-cut image continued, heightened further when he came out as a Christian in the 1960s.

The rock star is a very rebellious kind of creature, says Brian May, and hes scornful of the morals of the time.

'For Cliff to cast himself in that role but still maintain his open faith was, I think, hard for him to pull off.

Olivia Newton-John, who had a hit with Cliff in 1980 with the song Suddenly as well as starring with him in the 1972 film The Case, saw his failure to fit into the rock stereotype as no setback.

Not having that image of sex, drugs and rocknroll obviously didnt hinder him... he managed to have that sexy image without the stuff that supposedly goes with it, she says.

Cliff (pictured with Joan Collins on the set of his 1964 film Wonderful Life) currently has a childish excitement about the prospects of his new album

Over the years, Cliff has worked hard to safeguard his privacy, or as he puts it, The only thing you have to be sure of is to only tell the public what you want them to know.

He is deeply affected by recent events, but Cliff has a childish excitement that his new album may make it into the charts.

Therell never be another Cliff Richard. Therell never be anyone who has 130 or 140 hits over 60 years, says Bruce Welch.

'Talking of when Cliff became Sir Cliff in 1995, Bruce adds, He wasnt knighted because he was a pop star, it was for his charity work, being a Christian, and being a good guy.

Although still in a reflective mood, Cliff is eager to look to the future.

For me and other artists whove survived the years, our age is a plus  weve done it before, he says.

We know how to deal with situations and we still want fame... You cant kill ambition!

Sir Cliff Richard: 60 Years In Public And In Private, Monday 10 December, 9pm, ITV.
Another royal wedding? Havent we had enough this year? Well, not quite.

New BBC2 documentary Victoria & Albert: The Wedding is an ambitious restaging of Queen Victorias ceremony, researched down to the last sprig of orange blossom by historians, that re-creates the happiest day in the life of the queen in honour of her bicentenary in 2019. Or was it?

I have the honour of an invitation: The Lord Chamberlain is commanded by Her Majesty to invite you to attend the ceremony of Her Majestys marriage in the Chapel Royal, St Jamess Palace, on the Tenth of February, 1840...

Although the dress code is ladies without trains  the chapel at Winchester College, which were pretending is the Chapel Royal, is too small for such extravagance  I still feel tragically under-dressed for this grand occasion: no fan, no jewels, no Court feathers bobbing on my head like a monstrous fascinator.

But I do have a ringside seat.

Royal historian Dr Lucy Worsley, explores the marriage of Victoria and Albert ahead of a new BBC2 documentary about the couple's wedding (pictured: BBC's re-creation)

Victoria and Albert's wedding has shaped the royal weddings to follow including Meghan and Harry's nuptials in May (pictured)

Albert is standing at the altar rail, pomaded and handsome.

And here comes the bride and her bridesmaids  there are only eight, but Victoria had a dozen  bumping into each other because her 18ft train is too short for so many to carry.

According to royal historian Dr Lucy Worsley, who presents the show, wed have been inhaling the scent of camphor, used against clothes moths, and musky perfumes with a basenote of civet cat oil.

And wed be damp because it was chucking it down outside.

Lets remind ourselves why this wedding was happening.

By 1840 the 20-year-old queen had been reigning for less than three years but her popularity had plummeted.

As viewers of ITVs Victoria know, she was party to spreading rumours that her mothers lady-in-waiting Lady Flora Hastings owed her expanding waistline to an illegitimate pregnancy.

With Victorias connivance, Lady Flora, a virginal spinster, was subjected to a brutal internal examination  but her swollen belly turned out to be a tumour on her liver from which she died months later.

For this lack of compassion, Victoria was hissed at in her own drawing room at Buckingham Palace.

She was in need of guidance and the steadying hand of a husband.

Victoria was forced to marry, says Lucy.

Theres quite a lot of pragmatism behind the fairy tale.

ITV's Victoria (pictured) portrayed the royal's habit of spreading rumours about her mother's lady-in-waiting Lady Flora

By the time Victoria proposed to her German cousin Prince Albert of Saxe-Coburg and Gotha, she found him much improved since their first meeting in 1836 when they warily eyed each other up as 16-year-olds.

Victoria fell in love with Albert, describing him in her diary as an Angel.

Albert was more reticent; when he arrived in England in October 1839, for his second visit, he had resolved to wriggle out of the marriage, resentful that Victoria had kept him dangling.

Yet Victorias PR makeover was so successful that we still believe in this couple as the greatest royal love match.

Thats why her beloved prime minister and mentor Lord Melbourne insisted on the modern wedding that has shaped all future royal weddings, even that of Harry and Meghan this year.

She wanted to marry as a submissive girl in love

Instead of a traditional intimate evening ceremony, Victorias was in the daytime, with crowds cheering the queen as her carriage rode from Buckingham Palace to St Jamess, then back, and on to Windsor for her honeymoon.

Back in the chapel for the re-creation, and Albert has entered on a fanfare of organ music  Handels See, The Conquering Hero Comes, a sop to his bruised ego as Parliament hasnt approved him as large an income as he feels he deserves.

He is wearing a field marshals dress uniform. Hes only 20, with no military experience  it cant make him any less nervous that hes feet away from a national hero, the Duke of Wellington.

Moving down the aisle, Albert kisses Victorias mother, the Duchess of Kent.

Victoria wanted to marry as a submissive girl in love (pictured: A portrait of the real Victoria in her royal wedding outfit)

The queen loathes her mama and keeps her at arms length. Sir John Conroy, the mentor who tormented Victoria throughout her childhood, has been left off the guest list.

The dignified lady in grey silk is Louise Lehzen, Victorias beloved governess.

Albert plans to get rid of her  there wont be three people in this royal marriage! Albert has also tried to interfere with the choice of bridesmaids, who are supposed to be of unsullied reputation.

A very moral Albert discovered some were the offspring of adultery, explains Lucy.

There was Lady Sarah, daughter of the promiscuous Lady Jersey; Lady Eleanora, whose parents had divorced; and Lady Ida, whose mother was one of Victorias uncle William IVs illegitimate children by his mistress Dorothy Jordan, an actress.

Victoria didnt care, Albert did, says Lucy.

Lord Melbourne, however, was pragmatic: he said there simply werent a dozen completely respectable aristocratic young ladies to find.

Today, our Victoria approaches the altar to Handels A Virtuous Wife Shall Soften Fortunes Frowns.

After the ignominy of proposing, as protocol demands, she wants to marry as a submissive girl in love, not a queen.

Costume designer Harriet Waterhouse, spent five days and nights re-creating the outfits worn at Victoria's wedding for the BBC documentary (pictured)

Her cream satin dress with a flounce of Honiton lace, made by her dressmaker Mary Bettans, is simple by royal standards.

For this re-creation, it has taken costume designer Harriet Waterhouse  who was a tailoress on the BBCs A Stitch In Time  five days and nights.

The bridesmaids dresses, with roses pinned to tulle skirts, were designed by the real Victoria: again, so simple there were comments at the time that the young ladies looked like village girls.

Our Victoria, like the real queen, wears imitation orange blossom in her hair, not a crown; her jewellery is low-key by royal standards: a sapphire brooch, a wedding gift from Albert, and her Turkish diamonds.

I hear Victoria promising to obey, despite the Archbishop of Canterbury having given her the option to omit that from her vows.

Shes the most powerful woman in the world, but her groom will assert his influence.

They werent swinging off the chandeliers that night

When he pledges his worldly goods to his bride, its hard not to laugh.

Albert is aware that no one else thinks hes much of a catch.

The ceremony is brisk, only 21 minutes long.

On the way out, Victoria kisses her aunt Adelaide, the queen dowager  and offers a cool handshake to her own mother.

What a shame we arent invited to the wedding breakfast.

Food historian Annie Gray has re-created two dozen dishes from the original menu of around 80.

Shes made five soups, turbot in lobster sauce and beef with truffles.

The re-creation of Victoria and Albert's wedding cake used 3D printers to match her decorations which included sugar figures of the couple wearing togas

And a showstopper, as she describes it  two pigeon pies topped with a taxidermied pigeon.

There are millefeuilles and brown bread pudding a la Gotha.

And a gigantic wedding cake.

There were comments in the press at the time about Victorias cake, which was three yards across, weighed 300lb and was topped with sugar figures of the couple bizarrely dressed in togas.

It was certainly a technical challenge: decorations for todays version had to be made with the help of 3D printers.

On that evening in 1840, spectators cheered the couple on their way to Windsor.

Then, they were finally alone.

But Victoria had a headache... My dearest dearest dear Albert sat on a footstool by my side, and his excessive love and affection gave me feelings of heavenly love and happiness, she gushed in her diary.

By bedtime Victoria was vomiting. It was a migraine, says Annie Gray.

She was prone to nervous exhaustion.

Then they went to bed.

People think they had great sex, says Lucy Worsley. But the evidence isnt promising.

Lucy says although Victoria and Albert's wedding gets dressed up as a fairy tale, it's not how the couple described it (pictured: BBC's re-creation)

Victoria said she lay in his arms and there was purity and religion in it all.

It was memorable, but they werent swinging off the chandeliers.

Annie concurs, Albert wasnt that into sex: she was but he wasnt.

'He never had a mistress, which was really unusual. He wasnt that up for it.

By the next morning, Albert was feeling very poorly, Victoria wrote in her diary, and had to remain quiet in his room.

So the four-day honeymoon cant have been much fun. And to her horror, within weeks Victoria was pregnant.

I was in for it at once, she wrote, and furious.

And so the seeds of their stormy marriage were sown.

Its not happy ever after, thats the royal propaganda machine, says Lucy Worsley.

It gets dressed up as a fairy tale, but thats just what theyve told us!

Yet traditions were invented that day that we still cherish today.

Everyone who has a big white wedding is copying Victoria, says Lucy.

Victoria & Albert: The Wedding, Friday 21 December, 8.30pm, BBC2. Queen Victoria: Daughter, Wife, Mother, Widow by Lucy Worsley, 25, Hodder & Stoughton.
Englands grandest country house is crumbling, brought low by decades of feuding that destroyed the aristocrats who built it.

Wentworth Woodhouse in South Yorkshire is reputed to have more rooms than there are days in the year.

Once it was staffed by hundreds of servants but today much of it is empty, and a scheme to renovate it could require 150m of public funds over 20 years.

Last week Weekend magazine revealed how the estate once acted almost as an independent kingdom, where the rule of Earl Fitzwilliam was law.

Custom even dictated he could sleep with his tenants daughters  a tradition the Seventh Earl embraced with gusto.

His name was William FitzWilliam... but the tenants called him Billy FitzBilly.

Wentworth Woodhouse (pictured: The Palladian East Front) currently lies in ruins and needs up to 150m worth of renovations. Weekend explores the history of the house's residents

His son Peter, the Eighth Earl, abandoned his wife for an affair with a sister of the future US president JFK.

They both died in a plane crash in 1948.

But the most scandalous story of all, the one that ended the earldom and left the house a ruin, is told here  of a mothers jealousy, the love affair she could not prevent... and her terrible revenge.

The judges verdict was ruthless. George Toby Fitzwilliam, the 63-year-old heir to an ancient earldom and Britains grandest stately home, was illegitimate.

His parents had been unmarried when Toby was born, ruled Mr Justice Pilcher at the Royal Courts of Justice in 1951.

Attempts to prove otherwise were a put-up job, a stage performance, a bluff by theatrically-minded people.

That language betrayed the judges contempt for Tobys mother, a common actress.

And his ruling had catastrophic consequences for one of Englands richest families.

The Fitzwilliams had made hundreds of millions from their coal mines in South Yorkshire.

They lived as secretive monarchs in a sprawling mansion with passageways of more than five miles.

But with Toby barred from claiming the ancient title, it passed to his younger brother Tom who had no children and never would have.

Toby had children, but since their father was illegitimate they had no right to the earldom.

When Tom died in 1979, the title died too.

It was an ignominious end to more than 250 years of history.

Daisy Evelyn Lyster, or Evie, (pictured) was an actress who caught the eye of George Fitzwilliam and was regarded as a social climber by many

Today, the familys stately home, Wentworth Woodhouse near Rotherham, is crumbling into dereliction.

All this ruin might never have happened though, if a mother had not turned against her son and disowned him  for the crime of marrying for love.

Tobys mother was an actress and dancer at a notorious West End theatre, one of the infamous Gaiety Girls, when she met his father, nephew of the wealthy Sixth Earl Fitzwilliam.

Daisy Evelyn Lyster was 20. George Fitzwilliam, also 20, was impressionable, boisterous and hard-drinking  and he fell hopelessly in love with Evie.

Though he did not expect to be earl, he was heir to another Fitzwilliam estate of 23,000 acres at Milton, near Barnsley in Yorkshire.

Georges family saw how smitten he was, and his sister Alice could understand it.

Evie was the most lovely woman Ive ever seen, she said.

But he was forbidden to marry her, not only by his family but by his regiment.

Toby fell hopelessly in love, just like his father had

If a Guards officer wed an actress, he had to resign his commission.

In September 1886, just weeks after they first met, Evie and George set off for Scotland.

She was appearing in a touring musical comedy called The Beggar Student.

By the time they returned to England, they were living together as Mr and Mrs Fitzwilliam.

George, however, did not resign his commission, and decades later no record of any marriage in Scotland could be discovered.

A boy was born in 1888  Toby. And thats when rumours began to fly.

Gossips in the London clubs said there had never been a Scottish wedding.

Evie's son Toby, his wife Beryl and their daughter Rosemary in 1951 (pictured left to right). Toby was sent to the Western Front in November 1914

Georges sisters were horrified to imagine he had fathered a son with Evie.

Neither she nor the baby would ever be accepted at Milton, they said.

And they were more horrified still to learn that, in 1888, at a church in Hanover Square in Westminster, George and Evie had been officially married.

Whether it was their second wedding or their first, they were now definitely man and wife.

The Royal Horse Guards heard of it too, and George was asked to send in his papers  to resign.

George hasnt one ounce of family pride or feeling in his constitution, raged a cousin.

As his parents had died, George and Evie had a comfortable income from the Milton estate and, then in 1904, they had another son too, little Tom.

Evie had a vindictive, stubborn streak

Their social standing never recovered, however.

Evie was conscious that she was not born an aristocrat, and that many people regarded her as a social climber.

That was why she was so furious when she discovered that Toby was engaged to marry a farmers daughter.

Toby was 26 when he too fell hopelessly in love, just like his father. But his sweetheart, Beryl Morgan, was far from a Gaiety Girl.

Her parents owned a smallholding in Gloucestershire, and her mothers parents had run a drapers shop in Exeter.

Beryl worked as a governess in Bristol. She was plain, but witty and intelligent.

George Fitzwilliam (pictured in a Vanity Fair cartoon) was powerless to stop Evie from her plans to exclude Toby from their family

Their first visit to Milton was a success  Beryl made Evie laugh, and the two women had such fun that they told Toby to go and occupy himself somewhere else. You cant have her all to yourself, chided Evie.

But then disaster struck. Toby had craftily told his mother that Beryls family had a bit of land and described her mothers side as an old Devonian family.

In the aristocratic world, such phrases implied wealth and high birth.

When Evie discovered the truth, she was furious.

She accused Beryl of being a climber  exactly the crime she had been condemned for herself 25 years earlier.

However, it was 1914, the brink of war, and Tobys regiment, the Territorial Mounted Brigade, would be sent to the front.

He knew he might not come back  and he and Beryl were desperate to marry.

If you marry her now you will estrange yourself from us forever

Evie did everything she could to halt the engagement. She sent poisonous letters to her son and his fiancee.

I feel disgusted with the whole thing, she told Beryl.

Dont ask me to be present at the wedding because I have finished with it all.

To Toby, she said, If you marry her now you will estrange yourself from us forever.

Toby pleaded with his father, saying his love was no fortune-hunter and, Were our engagement to be broken off, my life would be ruined, and for Beryl I believe all the happiness of life would be taken from her forever.

George replied, I do not intend to discuss the business any further as I am damned sick of the whole thing.

They married anyway and Toby was sent to the Western Front in November 1914. Within weeks he was blown up and injured.

Toby claimed his father had deceived him his whole life when he realised he had been disinherited, and all things were left to Tom. Pictured: The exterior of Wentworth Woodhouse Hall today

Afterwards, he suffered from shell shock, now called post-traumatic stress.

His father visited him in hospital. His mother did not, and she forbade anyone from mentioning her sons name.

Beryl and Toby had two children, Richard and Rosemary, in 1916 and 1918, but Evie refused to see them.

During the war, with her health beginning to fail, Evie plotted how to exclude Toby from the family after her death.

George was powerless to change her mind.

She was a woman of very strong character, just as George was very weak

She was a woman of very strong character, just as George was very weak, commented a friend.

She dominated him and he gave in to her every wish. She had a very vindictive and stubborn streak.

How vindictive, nobody could have guessed.

Evie began to tell neighbours that Toby was illegitimate.

She summoned the secretary of the local hunt and his wife to Milton Hall, to tell them that she and George werent married when he was born.

Most people didnt believe it.

The row between mother and son was common knowledge, and for years Evie had proclaimed that if anyone doubted she and George had been married in Scotland, years before Toby was born, she had the certificates to prove them wrong.

Now she was saying the opposite  but everyone knew what Evie was like.

George certainly did. He meekly said nothing, until Evie died in 1925, aged 59.

Then he assured Toby that he was legitimate, and he would inherit Milton Hall.

But in 1935, when his father died, Toby received a shock.

Wentworth Woodhouse's dynasty was destroyed within a few decades. The Ninth Earl was an alcoholic who died in the house surrounded by bottles

The will disinherited him, and left everything to his younger brother Tom.

Perhaps George had been forced by Evie to change his will, and had never got round to reversing it.

Perhaps he was scared of what his wife might say in the afterlife.

In any event, the blow was heavy.

I had the most frightful feeling, Toby said, that my father had deceived me all my life. It was a very great shock.

Toby accepted the loss of the Milton estate. But over the next 15 years the family suffered other reversals.

The Eighth Earl Fitzwilliam died childless in a plane crash over France with his lover, Kathleen Kick Kennedy.

The Ninth Earl was an alcoholic who died pitifully, surrounded by bottles at Wentworth Woodhouse.

And so the succession passed to George and Evies son  but which one? Toby was determined to prove he was the legitimate heir, and hired Sir David Maxwell-Fyfe, who prosecuted war criminals at the Nuremberg trials, as his barrister.

His efforts failed.

Mr Justice Pilcher sided with Tom, saying that most of the family doubted the truth of that wedding in Scotland.

The dry language of the judgment failed to conceal the familys unravelling.

In just a few decades, the dynasty had been destroyed by love.

Black Diamonds by Catherine Bailey, Penguin Books, 9.99. To order it for 7.99 visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640, p&p free on orders over 15. Offer valid until 15/12/2018. Adapted here by Christopher Stevens.
A doctor with tattoos all over her body has revealed the challenges and judgement she has faced over the years because of her heavily inked body.

Dr Sarah Gray, from Adelaide, has always been intrigued by body art and got her first piece of ink when she was 16.

The 30-year-old said she's now 'the world's most tattooed doctor' and is seen as a positive role model within the tattoo community, but this doesn't mean she hasn't had to deal with adversity.

Like the film Pretty Woman, Dr Gray said she has been ignored by shop assistants in high end stores.

When she was hunting for a pair of designer heels for her birthday three separate shop assistants paid no attention to her when she was wanting a correct size to try on.

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Dr Sarah Gray, 30, from Adelaide, has always been intrigued by body art and got her first piece of ink when she was 16

Dr Gray said she's now 'the world's most tattooed doctor' and is seen as a positive role model within the tattoo community

'They all served other customers first and wouldn't even make eye contact with me,' she told Daily Mail Australia.

'I waited politely for ages and eventually gave up and left. They did themselves out of a sale and I saved myself $1,000, so I guess that's one bonus!'

This isn't the only time she's been treated differently as she said something similar happened when she once went for lunch with her husband.

'I was out for lunch in a restaurant with my partner on the Gold Coast when we were seated at a table,' she said.

'After being seated for lunch, management then came up to us and asked us to leave as they had a "no visible tattoo policy" for diners. That was a little disappointing to say the least.'

She hopes that being in the public eye will help teach people to not judge a book by its cover

Similarly to the film Pretty Woman, the 30-year-old said she has been ignored by shop assistants in high end stores

She revealed that previously her and her friends have even been denied access to a casino due to their visible tattoo policy.

When this happened it was after a body art expo, so the majority of them were heavily tattooed.

After being seated for lunch management then came up to us and asked us to leave as they had a "no visible tattoo policy" for diners.

'I was able to discuss my concerns for unfair discrimination based solely on our appearance with management and they bent the rules to allow us access,' she said.

'Quite a few night venues seem to have this policy and although it doesn't affect me very often as I hardly go out, it can be super frustrating when we get categorised as "bad people" or being gang afflicted due to our colourful skin.'

When she was hunting for a pair of designer heels for her birthday, three separate shop assistants paid no attention to her when she was wanting a correct size to try on

This isn't the only time she's been treated differently as she said something similar happened when she once went for lunch with her husband

Originally Dr Gray had only planned on collecting a few small pieces of ink from specific artists as well as a large scale back piece but slowly her collection grew.

She never thought she'd have a body suit when she first started but now she's close to completion.

Dr Gray refers to herself as an 'art collector' as instead of hanging art on a wall she wears it on her skin.

She said she isn't fazed by the tattoo process and is easily able to sit in a studio for upwards of 12 hours in any one session.

'I don't enjoy the pain (although it's more of an annoyance that you adjust too) but I certainly enjoy the outcome,' she said.

'The outcome far outweighs the adversity! Watching a tattoo evolve from the stencil process to a completed piece by layering is mind blowing.'

She revealed that previously her and her friends have even been denied access to a casino due to their visible tattoo policy

Originally Dr Gray had only planned on collecting a few small tattoos from specific artists as well as a large scale back piece but slowly her collection grew

She never thought she'd have a body suit when she first started but now she's close to completion

Dr Gray disagrees with those who call it an addiction because she said could give it up if she needed to.

'I think it is possible to catch the "tattoo bug" where you start with one piece and find yourself drawn to wanting more,' she said.

The doctor explained that she thinks the reason people want more tattoos after they get their first is because it's a good way for them to wear their personalities on their skin.

Dr Gray said tattoos have definitely helped her find positive body confidence because they have allowed her creative expression of her individuality.

Dr Gray refers to herself as an 'art collector' as instead of hanging art on a wall she wears it on her skin

The doctor explained that she thinks the reason people want more tattoos after they get their first is because it's a good way for them to wear their personalities on their skin

Dr Gray doesn't know how many tattoos she has because rather than having individual pieces her body is now a cohesive canvas.

She does know that she has spent more than 300 hours of her life being tattooed.

Dr Gray aims to complete her body suit and she only has a few small gaps to fill before she's all done.

'My tattoos don't all necessary have personal meanings behind them, some I had no say in the design process as I admired the artist's work and pursued them for a piece as a collector,' she said.

'On the other hand, some of them signify times in my life or things that are important to me, like my career, my Vegas wedding, my love of anatomical skulls and all things horror or my love of cheese.'

The 30-year-old doesn't know how many tattoos she has because rather than having individual pieces her body is now a cohesive canvas

Dr Gray aims to complete her body suit and she only has a few small gaps to fill before she's all done

Although negative situations have eventuated because of her tattoos, Dr Gray said being tattooed has also affected her life in a positive way.

'Through the tattooing industry I found my soul mate, I have friends scattered all around the world and I'm able to be a positive role model for those around me as a colourful professional in a traditionally conservative industry, like medicine,' she said.

When she went through medical school she was conscious of having visible tattoos as she feared colleagues and patients wouldn't take her seriously.

She has since found out that people's views of body art in modern society are very different to what they used to be.

Some of her tattoos signify things that are important to her, like her career, her Vegas wedding, her love of anatomical skulls and all things horror or her love of cheese

Although negative situations have eventuated because of her tattoos, Ms Gray said being tattooed has also affected her life in a positive way

'Having colourful skin in no way affects your skill level and with all the anti-discrimination laws now it wouldn't be appropriate to compartmentalise or treat me differently based on my appearance,' she said.

'I've worked really hard to develop good professional relationships as I'm fairly memorable, so I've made sure I'm memorable for the right reasons through hard work, determination and an always positive attitude.'

I've worked really hard to develop good professional relationships as I'm fairly memorable, so I've made sure I'm memorable for the right reasons

Dr Gray said that being so colourful has acted as a great conversation starter and people often find her quite approachable.

'Sometimes people will inappropriately grab your arms though which is a massive overstep of a personal boundary, so don't be that person,' she said.

The young doctor said the days are gone where tattoos represent criminals or unsavoury behaviour

When she went through medical school she was conscious of having visible tattoos as she feared colleagues and patients wouldn't take her seriously

Dr Gray said that being so colourful has acted as a great conversation starter and people often find her quite approachable

'Occasionally someone disapproving will say a negative comment under their breath or shake their head at me, but these situation are rare,' she said.

Dr Gray, who was previously crowned Miss Inked Australia and New Zealand, has just gained her medical degree and has career aspirations to be an orthopaedic surgeon.

She hopes being in the public eye will help teach people to not judge a book by its cover.

The young doctor said the days are gone where tattoos represent criminals or unsavoury behaviour.

'We should all be able to love the skin we're in, regardless of how we choose to decorate it,' she said.

'For those that don't like tattoos, that's entirely their prerogative, I just urge them to at least consider the artistic skill that goes into creating body art, before they judge someone harshly at face value for choosing to wear them.'
An aromatic coffee blend created by ALDI and Australian roasters Black Bag Roasters has taken a top award at the world's largest coffee event.

The competition, which was flooded with over 1,400 entries from more than 400 roasters, saw ALDI's Lazzio Medium Roast take out the number one spot in the Golden Bean Competition in the Chain/Franchise Filter Coffee category.

Black Bag Roasters, a Melbourne-based coffee roasters, has been in the business of creating quality coffee for the past 14 years and have been collaborating with ALDI since 2014.

'In just a few short years the Lazzio blends have grown from strength to strength, as evidenced in our recent Gold Medal award-win at the Golden Bean Competition,' Lance Brown, General Manager at Black Bag Roasters, said.

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ALDI's Lazzio Medium Roast Ground Coffee (pictured) has taken out the top spot in the Golden Bean Competition

Lance Brown, General Manager at Black Bag Roasters (pictured) has been working with ALDI to develop it cafe-style coffee since 2014

Mr Brown explained the process of creating the award-winning coffee started with the company's dedication to sourcing the best quality beans.

'Every Lazzio roast is tendered to by a close-knit and passionate team of award-winning roasters.

'It [the process] begins at the origin of the bean, where our Green Bean Buying team work directly with farmers to grow the highest quality coffee varietals for picking and processing.

'To ensure every cup of Lazzio coffee is as delicious and consistent as the last, our Q Graders cup the coffee at the origin and again once it arrives in Australia,' Mr Brown added.

The supermarket chain (pictured) has a track record for creating quality foods for an increasingly discerning customer

According to Amy Lewis, Buying Director at ALDI Australia, the coffee was developed in response to customers need to create a cafe experience at home.

'Black Bag Roasters commitment and passion are evident in the quality and freshness of the coffee they produce,' she said.

'We look forward to continuing our partnership and producing quality coffee blends into the future.'

ALDI's Lazzio Roast is priced at $6.99 for 500 grams.
A 3ft 6in woman who was born with a rare form of Primordial Dwarfism that affects just over a dozen people worldwide continues to defy all the odds, becoming the oldest living female with the condition at age 30.

Monica Zaring, from Louisville, Kentucky, was born with Saul-Wilson Syndrome  an extremely rare skeletal disorder characterized by a significantly short stature, a pronounced forehead, hearing loss and microcephaly  the appearance of a smaller head.

The condition has baffled doctors for decades, and six years ago Monica provided a sample of her DNA to doctors who were working on a groundbreaking study of Saul-Wilson Syndrome at the National Institute of Health.

Beating the odds: Monica Zaring was born with an extremely rare form of Primordial Dwarfism and has grown to be just 3ft 6in tall

Fighter: Doctors told 30-year-old Monica's mother that she had just a week to live when she was a baby, yet she is now the oldest living female on the planet with Saul-Wilson Syndrome

And in the latter stages of 2017, Monica's years of heartache and unanswered questions were finally resolved, with doctors successfully identifying the root cause of her rare dwarfism.

Monica told Barcroft TV: 'I've definitely defied all the odds! I really didn't think I'd make it to 30.

'Unfortunately, I had a lot of misdiagnosis when I was younger. At one point, a doctor actually told my mother to enjoy the time she had with me. They gave me a week to live.

'Since then, I've battled on. I've had to learn to adjust over the years. I don't think about my lack of height or any other symptoms really, I haven't let anything stop me.'

Monica has closely worked with doctors over the last several years to try and identify why she is the way she is.

When growing up, Monica found it very challenging that no one could provide her with a definitive answer about her condition.

And so from there on, she made it her life-goal to make sure that no child growing up with Saul-Wilson Syndrome had to experience the same frustration.

Monica said: 'I grew up without any kind of answers and I always said if I got the chance to help doctors find those answers for future generations, I would have to do it.

'So I provided my DNA to their research study without hesitation.

'And now, I'm so glad I could help out. It makes me really proud to know that there are answers, not only for me, but for future generations and all those cases to come.

Support: The Louisville, Kentucky, resident - pictured with her best friend, mother, and aunt, says she has never allowed her condition to stop her from living a full and happy life

Success: 'I have a full time job, I drive a car, I went to high school, I graduated college,' Monica - pictured with her grandparents on the day of her graduation - said

'It's a big step for everyone involved. This is just the beginning.'

Doctors released the official medical article on October 4, 2018, which found the cause of Saul-Wilson Syndrome to be an alteration in a single gene located on chromosome 16Q22.

People with the condition have differences in their Golgi complex  these are structures that usually populate cells with clearly defined nuclei that help the proteins in our body.

'It's a genetic mutation in the gene, it's not something that's hereditary,' Monica added.

And despite this leading to Monica's significant lack of height, she still manages to live the most normal life possible.

She said: 'I have a full time job, I drive a car, I went to high-school, I graduated college  my parents raised me to believe that I can do anything in this world. I might just have to do it a little bit differently.

'I started out as a cashier at a local company and ended up becoming an assistant manager.

'We're from a very small community, so all the customers know me. They're always really nice.'

Not everyone has been so understanding of Monica's condition in the past, however.

Growing up, Monica experienced a certain amount of name-calling and would have people staring at her when she was out and about.

Searching for answers: Monica spent years facing misdiagnosis, and only recently got some concrete information about why she was born with Saul-Wilson Syndrome

Helping hand: Six years ago, Monica gave a sample of her DNA to doctors researching the condition, and in October, they published an official article detailing the results

'When I was a young kid, I noticed it a lot more  it bothered me a lot,' Monica said.

'I mean, people are always going to stare. But now I'm older, I try to educate those people.

'It's actually quite funny because I'll have kids looking at me and they'll see me with a cellphone or with my car keys and they're like 'you have a car?' and 'you're allowed to have a cellphone?'

'I always had an amazing support system around me too, which helped. My friends and family were always there willing to fight for me no matter what I faced.'

Monica's mother, Margie Zaring, and aunt, Donna Kaelin, have always been her greatest support in life.

Margie said: 'Monica is a kind, hard-working young lady. She is a wonderful family member.

'Around the community, I'm known as "Monica's mother'", because people always remember her.

'Monica is my fifth child. We had no idea that she would be born with any differences. It was a complete surprise.

'It's been a very interesting journey. Monica has been open to experiencing everything in life that is possible.

'I'm very proud of her and appreciative that we have now discovered some major answers.'

Monica's aunt, Donna, added: 'I've been with Monica to little people conferences and doctor's offices for many medical appointments to discover the cause of her being different.'

Proud: 'Monica is a kind, hard-working young lady,' her mother Margie says

Survivor: Monica, pictured with her doctor, her aunt and her mother, has shared her research and experiences with Saul-Wilson Syndrome on a blog to help others with it

Future: 'I feel happy to be who I am today,' Monica, pictured with her family and friend, said

Whilst Monica's mother and aunt took her to Little People of America Conferences and doctor's appointments, her father stayed at home to tend to the family farm and watch over Monica's four older siblings.

Donna continued: 'I've watched her progress to being a pretty typical person in what she can do. Her confidence has improved a lot over the years.

'And now, Monica has been instrumental in defining Saul-Wilson Syndrome and the huge process they went through to find the cause of it.

'I just look at her now and I go, "Wow, that's because of you."

'I think the world is a better place because of Monica Zaring and I think families all over the world will benefit from the fact that Monica was born.'

Monica is now using her online blog, littlepersonuniquelife.com, to help raise awareness about Saul-Wilson Syndrome to families around the world and anyone who is affected by the condition in the future.

'I wrote my blog because I was tired of Googling Saul-Wilson Syndrome and never having those answers,' Monica said.

'I have never really known what the future might hold for me. But doctors kind of gave me reassurance for the most part of the next 10 years.

'I feel happy to be who I am today.

'For some people, reaching the age of 30 might not mean that much. But to me, it means 18 surgeries later, it means high school, a college education, working as an assistant manager.

'It means me living the life I enjoy living.'
From the perfect turkey to this decadent trifle, the most fabulous festive recipes by the Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers and Si King

Christmas doesn't have to mean turkey and this fantastic pork is the ultimate alternative

Known as porchetta in Italy, this pork dish has become a much-loved classic in Britain and is a great alternative to turkey for a festive meal.

Boning, butterflying and stuffing the pork like this means the flavours go all through the meat, especially if you leave it to marinate for a couple of days.

This is a crackling good dish!

Serves 6

3kg (6lb 8oz) piece of boned belly pork attached to the loin, butterflied and rind scored

1.5kg (3lb 5oz) potatoes, such as maris pipers, thickly sliced

1 onion, thickly sliced

Sea salt and black pepper

100ml (3fl oz) white wine or cider

100ml (3fl oz) chicken stock or water

For the filling

3tbsp finely chopped rosemary

1 thyme sprig, leaves only, finely chopped

1 garlic bulb, cloves peeled and crushed

1tbsp fennel seeds, crushed

1tsp chilli flakes

Zest of 1 lemon

50ml (2fl oz) white wine

For the filling, either put all the ingredients in a small food processor and blend until well combined  it doesnt have to be smooth  or pound with a pestle and mortar. Season.

Lay the pork out, skin-side down, and rub the filling over the meat.

Roll it up as tightly as you can and secure at even intervals with butchers string.

If you have time, leave the pork in the fridge, loosely wrapped in kitchen paper towel, overnight or for 2 nights.

This gives the flavours time to permeate the meat and allows the skin to dry out.

An hour before you are ready to cook the pork, remove it from the fridge to come up to room temperature.

Preheat the oven to 150C/fan 130C/gas 2. Arrange the potatoes and onion slices on the base of a large roasting tin and season with salt.

Pour the white wine or cider and the stock or water over them. Make sure the rind of the pork is dry and season with salt.

Place the pork on top of the potatoes and onions. Cover with foil and put in the oven. Roast for 4 hours, until the pork is cooked fully.

Check with a meat thermometer  the internal temperature should be 68C.

Turn the oven to its highest setting and cook for 30 minutes to crisp up the skin.

Remove from the oven and transfer the meat and potatoes to separate serving dishes.

Leave the meat to rest for half an hour, uncovered, but keep the potatoes warm.

The Hairy Bikers British Classics by Si King and Dave Myers is published by Seven Dials, 22. To order a copy for 17.60 visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640, p&p is free on orders over 15. Spend 30 on books and get FREE premium delivery. Offer valid until 15/12/2018
From the perfect turkey to this decadent trifle, the most fabulous festive recipes by the Hairy Bikers, Dave Myers and Si King

The crowning glory, nothing quite beats a turkey, and this recipe tops the rest

Buy the best turkey you can afford  it should definitely be free-range.

Serves 8-10

6kg (13lb 4oz) oven-ready turkey, preferably with giblets

100g (3oz) softened butter

Sea salt and black pepper

For the stuffing

600g (1lb 5oz) sausage meat

1 turkey liver, finely chopped (if you have the giblets)

1 onion, finely chopped

200g (7oz) chestnuts, peeled and roughly chopped

2 eating apples or quinces, cored and grated

1tsp allspice berries, ground

1tbsp finely chopped thyme

4tbsp finely chopped parsley

Zest of 1 lemon

For the gravy

Turkey giblets

1 onion, roughly chopped

2 carrots, roughly chopped

2 celery sticks, roughly chopped

2 bay leaves

1 thyme sprig

500ml (18fl oz) chicken stock

2tbsp plain flour

100ml (3fl oz) red or white wine

Put all the stuffing ingredients into a bowl and mix them thoroughly by hand. Make sure the mixture is at room temperature before stuffing the turkey.

Preheat the oven to 190C/fan 170C/gas 5.

Weigh both the turkey and the stuffing, to calculate the cooking time from their combined weight later.

Split the stuffing between the cavity of the turkey and the neck end.

At the neck, pull the skin up away from the flesh and place the stuffing between flesh and skin.

Pull the neck flap down over the stuffing and tuck it under the bird.

Put the turkey, breast-side up, in a large roasting tin. Smear butter all over it, concentrating on the breast, then season with salt and pepper.

Take a large sheet of foil and use it to cover the whole bird, tucking it over the edges of the roasting tin.

To work out the cooking time, allow 20 minutes per kilo of bird and stuffing, plus a further 90 minutes.

A 6kg turkey with stuffing will need about 3 hours. Roast the turkey according to your calculations, then 50 minutes before the cooking time is up, remove the foil and continue to roast, allowing the skin to brown.

Start checking to see if the turkey is done 20 minutes after removing the foil. The best way to check whether the turkey is cooked is to use a meat thermometer.

The temperature of the thickest part of the meat  usually the thigh  should be 71C.

You can also pierce the same part with a skewer and see if the juices run clear.

To ensure the stuffing is properly cooked, insert a skewer into the cavity for 5 seconds.

Take the skewer out, place it on your finger and if after 1 second its too hot to touch, the stuffing is ready.

When the turkey is done, transfer it to a large serving platter and cover with foil to rest while you make the gravy.

For the gravy, first make the giblet stock while the turkey is roasting. Put the giblets, except the liver, in a pan with the onion, carrots, celery, bay leaves and thyme.

Cover with 500ml of water and the stock, then season with salt and pepper.

Bring to the boil, then simmer for 1-1 hours. Strain the liquid into a bowl through a sieve.

Strain the juices from the roasting tin into another bowl and spoon off as much fat as possible.

Put the tin over a medium heat, pour the juices back in and add the flour. Stir until well combined, scraping the sediment from the bottom.

Add up to 500ml of giblet stock and stir until all the sediment is incorporated.

Transfer this to a saucepan and stir in the wine, then bring to a simmer and cook for a few minutes. Season to taste.

The Hairy Bikers British Classics by Si King and Dave Myers is published by Seven Dials, 22. To order a copy for 17.60 visit mailshop.co.uk/books or call 0844 571 0640, p&p is free on orders over 15. Spend 30 on books and get FREE premium delivery. Offer valid until 15/12/2018
Pulling out all the stops for Christmas might mean buying new table linen, reserving a top-of-the-range turkey or splashing out on fizz.

The Worlds Most Extraordinary Christmas Dinners, a one-off documentary on Channel 4, looks at people who go a lot further  150,000 crackers, a 25ft tree or the worlds most expensive pudding.

Its interesting the lengths people go to, says producer Stacey Burns. They are all extraordinary.

Food historians Marc Meltonville and Adrian Warrell produce a Tudor speciality called a cockenthrice.

Channel 4 explores how people around the world prepare for the festive season in new documentary The Worlds Most Extraordinary Christmas Dinners (pictured: Astronauts celebrating on the ISS expedition)

Designed to look like a mythical beast, it is half pig-half turkey, stuffed and sewn together.

NASA astronaut Anne McClain will be on top of the world on the big day  eating her meal on the International Space Station.

But her turkey with cranberry sauce, like all her meals, will come in packets that need to be hydrated.

Anne doesnt have the oddest food on the show.

That accolade goes to chicken breeder Jonjo, who eats one of his exotic birds at an early Christmas dinner with his family.

The rare Ayam Cemani chicken  the Lamborghini of poultry  is black, right down to its bones, and sells live for about 60.

But how does it compare to the regular Sunday roast? It just tastes like chicken, says Jonjo.

Chef Marc Guibert is the creator of the worlds most expensive dessert, costing an estimated 26,000.

He makes the chocolate dish, laced with edible gold and with a diamond ring inside, for a family in Surrey.

Chef Marc Guibert is the creator of the worlds most expensive dessert (pictured) which has a value of up to 26,000

But the most special dinner is aboard a nuclear submarine, where chefs make mince pies to freeze weeks ahead because they never know where in the world they will be  only six out of a crew of 150 know  or when theyll see land again.

Decorations are important too, and we will see florist to the stars Kally Ellis turn the Rosewood London hotel into a winter wonderland, using a crane to manoeuvre a 25ft tree.

Then theres jeweller Mark Hussey who, having made a diamond-encrusted bauble worth 82,000, crafts a set of crackers costing 150,000.

Each is in a ruby-encrusted silver sleeve.

People look for unique, beautiful things, says Mark.

But we also wanted tradition, so they have the plastic gifts and bad jokes that Christmas needs too.

The Worlds Most Extraordinary Christmas Dinners, Wednesday 19 December, 9pm, Channel 4.
Robots could soon be used to carry out C-sections and slice off skin cancers, experts say.

And robots are expected to become so sophisticated surgeons can take a backseat and even healthcare assistants will be able use them.

The use of robotics and recording people's DNA will bring a 'watershed moment' for medicine in the next 20 years as they make surgery safer.

Doctors will also be able to diagnose illnesses like cancer before they destroy organs and, as a result, operations will be smaller scale and less traumatic, an independent commission has predicted.

A report published today said medicine is 'on the cusp' of a digital breakthrough and new machines could be in NHS hospitals as soon as next year.

But medics must proceed with caution after a landmark inquest this year revealed a 69-year-old man died when a robot was used to carry out his heart surgery in 2015.

Robots are helping to revolutionise surgery and will one day become so sophisticated they won't need surgeons to operate them, an independent commission has said

The Commission on the Future of Surgery, set up by the Royal College of Surgeons in 2017, has predicted how it sees operations changing in the future.

Robots are soon expected to be used more in vaginal surgeries and operations on the bowel, heart and lungs.

And using advanced robots controlled by technicians and surgeons will mean operations will be faster, less invasive and easier to recover from.

Even healthcare assistants  who do not need any formal qualifications to get a job  could one day be trained to perform c-sections with the robots, The Telegraph reported.

Specialists and surgeons will remain in charge of operations but may not always need to be in the room.

'This is always going to be under the watchful eye and careful supervision of a surgeon,' said Richard Kerr, neurosurgeon at Oxford University and chair of the commission.

'These are highly qualified healthcare professionals and they will be trained in a specific aspect of that procedure.

'The changes are expected to affect every type of operation  this will be a watershed moment in surgery.

MAN DIED BECAUSE ROBOT WAS USED FOR ROUTINE HEART OP Stephen Pettitt, 69, died in 2015 after he had an operation to repair a valve in his heart. A robot made by the firm Da Vinci was used in the surgery but the surgeon performing the procedure  Sukumaran Nair  had turned down the offer of training on the machine before he used it, an inquest heard. Part of Mr Pettitt's heart was damaged during the operation, in which the people supervising the machine left the room. Experts later predicted Mr Pettitt would have almost definitely survived the operation if it had been performed by human hand. Surgeons in the theatre had struggled to communicate during the operation because the machine was so loud, it was revealed. Advertisement

'We will be able to act early and tailor surgery to the needs of individual patients, and therefore likely operating on patients who are otherwise well.'

Some applications of robots and DNA-based medicine are expected to happen sooner than others, with healthcare assistant-led C-sections possible within five years.

But the use of robots in surgery could be controversial after a man who died in a robotic operation in 2015 would have survived if a human had done the surgery.

The doctor using the robot in the procedure which ended in the death of Stephen Pettitt in Newcastle reportedly turned down being trained to use the machine.

And the people supervising him left halfway through the operation, during which Mr Pettitt's heart was damaged leading to his death just days later.

Today's report claims major cancer operations could become a thing of the past because screening DNA will pick up diseases earlier, before they ravage the body.

And similarly, people with severe forms of arthritis could be identified early on and faster treatment might reduce the need for major hip and knee replacement ops.

'These big, set-piece operations will become less common as we are able to intervene earlier and use more moderate interventions,' added commission member Professor Dion Morton.

The commission said these developments will one day impact on every kind of surgery.

And some simpler procedures  or routine parts of bigger operations  could even be carried out by highly qualified and trained technicians under the supervision of a surgeon.

This would free up surgeons for more complex, demanding parts of surgery, the experts claim.

Elderly people might be able to have more surgery, too, because the procedures won't be as damaging for the body, reducing the risk of complications or infection.
Most Americans would sooner ban alcohol than marijuana because they see the herb as safer, a new survey found.

In a survey of over 1,000 people, 57 percent said that, if they could only legalize one, it would be cannabis, while the remaining 43 percent picked alcohol.

Digging deeper, the researchers at American Addiction Centers found this is largely driven by the fact that people see cannabis as much safer than alcohol.

Even people who didn't consume weed believed it to be 25 percent safer than booze, and much less addictive.

But experts warn that just because marijuana isn't as deadly as alcohol, its effects can be debilitating, from disrupting memory, mood stability, muscle control, and motivation.

Weed has a very good reputation, unlike alcohol. But is it really safer?

What's more, it is widely accepted in the scientific community that marijuana can be addictive - so much so that federally-funded scientists are racing to develop a drug to ease withdrawal symptoms for cannabis addicts trying to quit.

This week, Michigan became the 10th state to legalize recreational marijuana, and in June, Oklahoma became the 30th state to legalize medical marijuana.

Acceptance has gained steam as more research shows clinical benefits, and - unlike most other illegal drugs - it's impossible to fatally overdose on it.

While alcohol is legal nationwide since the Prohibition lifted, it has lethal effects. More than 88,000 people die a year due to alcohol-related conditions, with rates rising among women.

WHY ARE MORE PEOPLE USING WEED AND LESS DRINKING ALCOHOL?

For a myriad of reasons, a person's changing view on marijuana appears to influence how they feel about alcohol at any given time, and vice versa.

Some of it has to do with coincidental timing.

Public health officials have spent decades pushing to drive down drinking rates to

That push only really started to trigger a downturn in the last decade - at the same time that campaigns to recognize marijuana's qualities took off.

But perhaps more importantly, cannabis is used for the same reasons as alcohol - and more.

Even people who didn't consume weed believed it to be 25 percent safer than booze, and much less addictive

Most of the time (78.8 percent), alcohol is used to socialize, to celebrate (77.7 percent), or for fun (62.3 percent), according to the new survey.

The reasons for cannabis use was more varied. There was no overwhelmingly typical activity. The most common reason (for 41.1 percent of respondents) was to cope with stress, followed by 'to have fun' (39.1 percent), 'to socialize' (33.9 percent) and 'to sleep' (37.3 percent).

Alcohol was more commonly chosen than marijuana to relax after work, whereas cannabis was the go-to for creative inspiration.

A similar proportion of people said they used because they were addicted - 14 percent were alcohol addicted, and eight percent were cannabis addicted.

It's something the alcohol industry seems acutely aware of.

In Canada, which legalized nationwide in October, a Toronto startup has developed the first beer made from the cannabis plant (rather than being infused with THC oil).

The founder, Dooma Wendschuh of Province Brands, told the Guardian: 'The idea came from thinking, can we create something that can serve the role that alcohol serves in our society, and can we do that using this monumental sea change that is happening in our world right now?'

Cannabis is used for the same reasons as alcohol - and more

WHY DO PEOPLE FEAR ALCOHOL MORE THAN THEY FEAR CANNABIS?

Asked whether they were concerned about the effects of alcohol or cannabis, more were concerned about alcohol than cannabis.

Almost everyone asked said the alcohol triggered concerning public behavior, was highly addictive, and could change your facial appearance.

They were also concerned that it could give you a disease, that you could die while drunk, and it could leave you obese.

All of those concerns far outweighed any concerns about marijuana.

When it came to marijuana, some where somewhat concerned about its impact on public behavior, but that was it. The next biggest concern was how the drug affected the teeth, but most were 'not very concerned'.

Dr Lawrence Weinstein, chief medical officer at the American Addictions Center, told DailyMail.com he found that disconnect concerning.

In 2015, nearly four million people met the diagnostic criteria for marijuana use disorder, and 15 million had alcohol use disorder, but it's not perceived that way

'Any substance that alters the mind or impacts the functionality of the prefrontal cortex, such as marijuana, should not be viewed as being generally safe in any regard,' he said.

'The impairment of logic and decision-making, for which the prefrontal cortex are responsible, can lead to detrimental occurrences and can be the end result of marijuana use prior to undertaking a task that requires someone to be mentally present.'

He added: 'There seems to be a prevalent thought that marijuana is mostly, if not completely, harmless and that simply is not the case.

'This message is being passed down to younger generations and now there are juveniles who view marijuana as something innocuous.'

WHAT ARE THE RISKS OF CANNABIS?

Cannabis research is still in its infancy, because its illegal status has been a barrier for scientists to study it.

We do know that no dose of marijuana can be lethal.

But it can be dangerous.

'We do know that a persons heart speeds up shortly after use of marijuana and we know that marijuana use can produce many other unwanted effects throughout the body,' Dr Weinstein said. 'We also know that marijuana dependence and addiction exists.

'But unknowns do exist when it comes to cannabis. The sheer number of cannabinoids that exists and the ways in which they bind to receptors in the brain is something being studied by scientists.'

In the short-term, THC, the psychoactive component of the plant, can alter moods, impair bodily movement, and trigger hallucinations.

Asked whether they were concerned about the effects of alcohol or cannabis, more were concerned about alcohol than cannabis

Long-term, there is evidence it could inflict damage to the brain.

Studies have also shown cannabis could pave the way to memory loss and cognitive decline, though it's not clear if those effects are permanent.

What's more, it is addictive.

Research shows that 10 percent of regular users become dependent on it, with the risk of addiction higher if started in an individual's teens or if used every day.

Regular users who quit may get withdrawal symptoms such as cravings, difficulty sleeping, mood swings, irritability and restlessness.

HOW DOES CANNABIS COMPARE TO ALCOHOL?

Cannabis - unlike alcohol - can have real, therapeutic uses.

But used recreationally, it carries risks that may not be apparent.

'The visible signs of marijuana use may not be as apparent as someone who is inebriated, but the consequences of both can nearly be the same,' Dr Weinstein warns.

'The short term mind-altering effects may seem unimportant at the time, but it is still a drug and the drug still has its dangers.

'In addition to cardiovascular risks, some studies have shown a clear link between marijuana use by adolescents and an increased risk for an aggressive form of testicular cancer that primarily affects young men.'

The addiction element is also comparable.

57 percent said that, if they could only legalize one, it would be cannabis, while the remaining 43 percent picked alcohol

In 2015, nearly four million people met the diagnostic criteria for marijuana use disorder, and 15 million had alcohol use disorder.

'Many factors play into the development of addiction including environment and genetics,' Dr Weinstein said.

'Often, people with addiction struggle with maintaining dopamine levels and the introduction of a chemical or drug that spikes dopamine makes them feel amazing; that chemical or drug can be alcohol or it could be cannabis. When dopamine is stimulated, the reward centers of the brain are activated which is why the drug of choice is pleasurable.'
A YouGov poll showed nearly three quarters of people have never used cannabis

The Centre for Social Justice calls on the Government to resist decriminalisation

Legalisation of cannabis would drive a million young people to take drugs and see 100,000 become addicted, a think-tank warned yesterday.

The Centre for Social Justice said evidence from home and abroad suggests that cannabis use is linked to mental health problems such as psychosis or impaired thinking.

Ministers have already licensed marijuana for medicinal purposes, and there are growing calls for cannabis to be decriminalised for recreational use.

Advocates of legalisation say it would make cannabis safer by allowing government regulation. The report accepts that state-backed cannabis would include less potent and less dangerous forms of the drug [File photo]

In October, Canada became the second country in the world to legalise its possession and recreational use. Former foreign secretary William Hague has called on the UK to follow suit.

But in its hard-hitting report, the CSJ, which was set up by former Tory leader Iain Duncan Smith in 2004, called on the Government to resist these calls.

It quoted marijuana addicts, including M from Bradford, who said: Cannabis took over my life  it got to a point where I put it before my children, myself, my bills  I wish I never touched it.

YouGov polling, commissioned by the CSJ, revealed that nearly three quarters of people have never used cannabis.

Managing a cannabis free-for-all would also prove a nightmare in which the drug would become even more widely available and young children would be sucked into the mayhem [File photo]

Of those aged between 18 and 24 that had never used it, 26 per cent stated that, if the drug were legalised, they would definitely or probably try it.

This equates to more than a million new users under the age of 25. According to NHS estimates, approximately 10 per cent of this number would become addicted to the drug.

The situation could be even worse because the poll also strongly suggested that legalisation would increase the frequency of use.

Of those aged 18 to 24 who had indicated that they had smoked cannabis before, over a third stated they would smoke it more frequently if it was legalised.

Andy Cook, chief executive of the CSJ, said: Advocates of cannabis legalisation or decriminalisation should think through the implications of their views.

They would open the floodgates to hundreds of thousands of new users, many of whom will be young and vulnerable, and so more prone to damaging physical and mental damage.

Managing a cannabis free-for-all would also prove a nightmare in which the drug would become even more widely available and young children would be sucked into the mayhem.

We should not be disheartened in the effort to curb illegal drug abuse. For all our difficulties, we should remember that only about 7 per cent of people aged 16 to 59 have smoked cannabis in the last year.

Our focus should be on a compassionate response to offenders and the use of education to warn young people about the serious damage the drug can do.

In October, Canada became the second country in the world to legalise its possession and recreational use of cannabis. It has created a legal cannabis industry [File photo]

The report concluded that the law has had an important and limiting effect on consumption.

It said: The existing law does mitigate the risk that cannabis poses. Although there has been a slight uplift in recent years, cannabis consumption has been falling for nearly 20 years in the UK.

A great many people do take the law seriously and, to many, the law continues to deter them from using a harmful substance.

Advocates of legalisation say it would make cannabis safer by allowing government regulation.

The CSJ report accepts that state-backed cannabis would include less potent and less dangerous forms of the drug.

But it warned that cutting back on the psychoactive element risked making it more popular.
Shes a former U.S. First Lady, a Harvard-educated lawyer, and renowned speaker and campaigner with a global profile.

She also has an adoring husband, two lovely daughters and now shes topping bestseller lists, having sold two million copies of her new memoir in just two weeks.

Michelle Obama, who grew up in a poor part of Chicago, is the epitome of the American Dream of having it all  and then some.

Yet, while giving a sold-out talk at the Royal Festival Hall in London this week, she admitted to suffering from Impostor Syndrome  an all-pervasive and unshakeable self-doubt; a feeling that she doesnt deserve her success and that shes a fraud.

Michelle Obama pictured at the Royal Festival Hall in London where she admitted to suffering from 'Impostor Syndrome' - an all-pervasive and unshakeable self-doubt

Many of you reading this will know exactly what Michelle means. While impostor syndrome isnt an official psychiatric diagnosis, there is no doubt it exists and has a significant impact on sufferers.

Most people experience it at some point in their life. I know I have. In fact, its particularly prevalent among doctors, and much of the research into impostor syndrome has been carried out among medics.

As a society, we have an idealised notion of doctors. Not only do they possess specialist knowledge, they exude authority and are in control in life-and-death situations.

The reality, of course, is very different. In my first weeks on the wards after qualifying, I remember some emergency unfolding and one of the nurses looking up and exclaiming: Dont worry, the doctor is here already. For a split second, I was also relieved  until I realised she was talking about me. I didnt feel like a doctor because I was only too aware of how much I didnt know.

Dr Max Pemberton: 'We selectively look for evidence that supports an idea we already have - that we are pretty useless - and discount evidence to the contrary'

Most days I still feel like that, but Ive learned not to dwell on it. I also know that on-the-job learning is what we doctors do throughout our careers.

Impostor syndrome is often assumed to affect women more than men in what has been a patriarchal society. Women, traditionally, have been made to feel inferior and less entitled.

So when they do get to positions of authority or achieve success, they conclude there must be some mistake: that theyve just been lucky, or are really good at blagging their way through life while everyone around them is far more deserving.

Actually, the evidence suggests impostor syndrome impacts both sexes equally. Its just that men rarely admit to it. Often, men cover up their feelings of inadequacy by being demanding, arrogant or rude to subordinates.

They deflect blame and avoid certain actions for fear they will be exposed, instead delegating these tasks to others who they then criticise for their mistakes.

Thats a worse-case scenario, of course. For the majority of us, impostor syndrome is the constant niggling feeling that were just not good enough, and it can hold us back and lead to anxiety disorders and depression. So what should you do if this psychological trait is blighting your life?

Well, first understand that too often we set unrealistically high standards for ourselves while giving others the benefit of the doubt. We need to start giving ourselves a break.

Psychologists know that something called cognitive bias underlies impostor syndrome. This means that we selectively look for evidence that supports an idea we already have  that we are pretty useless  and discount evidence to the contrary.

In other words, we ignore praise, but we take negative comments to heart, as these confirm our own self-doubts and insecurities.

If you are a sufferer, I suggest that you identify one or two confidants to discuss your insecurities with. Ask if they have the same concerns as you? Do they think everyone else is really so much better? Youll soon find that you have common ground.

Next, write down every positive comment someone makes about you or your work, and look at the list at the end of the week. Then ask yourself what you would think if a friend showed you such a list about themselves.

Would you conclude that everyone was mistaken about your friend or that your friend was being too hard on themself?

Once you understand the answer to that, youre on the way to breaking out of impostor syndrome. Next stop is to start enjoying your success. You deserve it!

All a child needs is a box of delights

Dr Max Pemberton: 'It was a car, a spaceship, a castle, a submarine  whatever he wanted it to be'

One of my favourite snaps of my nephew Monty is of him peering impishly out of an upturned cardboard box with the caption: Monty LOVES his present.

It was taken at Christmas last year after my sister had opened a big box of presents that Id sent the family. And the reason it makes me chuckle is that Monty had played with the empty box for hours, ignoring his actual present.

To the three-year-old, the box was a thing of wonder: something to crawl into, climb on top of, hide in, or topple. It was a car, a spaceship, a castle, a submarine  whatever he wanted it to be.

I thought of Monty this week while reading a study by paediatricians at New York University who reported that the best presents for toddlers are things like building blocks, plasticine, paint  or even cardboard boxes. They argue that the more basic the gift, the more the child is able to engage his or her imagination and creativity, so boosting their neurological development.

The opposite is true for all-singing, all-dancing electronic devices, which even very young children are given. Research shows these can slow speech development. Something for those buying for small children to remember this Christmas.

I'm awed by your kindness

Dr Max Pemberton: 'As an 18-year-old, I volunteered at my local hospital and it changed my life'

Ive been bowled over by readers wonderful response to the Mails Hospital Helpforce campaign to boost volunteering in the NHS.

This week, I wrote about how, as an 18-year-old, I volunteered at my local hospital and it changed my life  and many of you have contacted me to say you are signing up. I know you will find it as rewarding as I did.

But, of course, its really about the patients. A survey by the Royal Voluntary Service reports that almost seven out of ten older people who are visited regularly at home by a volunteer say they felt emotionally and physically healthier as a result and better able to cope.

This is good news for hospitals, too, especially in winter, as it will lead to fewer social admissions  elderly people who arent sick, but who suddenly find they cant manage at home. It means theres less pressure on beds, so everyone benefits.

A group of leading dementia specialists published a paper this week suggesting that Alzheimers disease  the commonest cause of dementia  is not actually one disease but could be up to six different conditions.

This is a revolutionary hypothesis but one that makes total sense. Ive often been baffled at the range of symptoms and progression of the disease in different patients.

And its always struck me as odd that while certain anti-dementia drugs work well for some, in others they do nothing. The specialists conclude that we need a range of drugs to treat different forms of Alzheimers. I believe this is the start of something really important in the battle against this condition.

Dr Max prescribes...

I had a huge response to last weeks column on FOFO (Fear Of Finding Out), whereby people put off going to their GP about worrying symptoms because theyre fearful of bad news. Many of you wrote to say that, after reading it, youd made a GP appointment.

So when this week I saw a nifty innovation that aims to tackle the FOFO factor in bowel cancer, I wanted to share it with you.

Half of bowel cancers are picked up late because people are too embarrassed to go to their GP. Now, the biotech arm of Oxford University has launched the first digital DIY bowel cancer screening kit.

Of course, all men and women aged 60-74 are automatically sent a free NHS bowel cancer screening kit every two years. You take samples at home and send them back in a sealed envelope for testing in a lab.

But I know there are people  perhaps younger ones, too  who might prefer a different approach. With this device, you take samples over three days and get the results straight away via the digital display. You then discuss the results with your GP. For more information, see measurebowelhealth.com
Since the age of 13, crippling anxiety has derailed mealtimes for long-term eating disorder sufferer, Sophie Sanders*. Now 27, her condition is something she has had medical treatment for, on and off, for more than a decade.

But 18 months ago, she put her faith in the promise of a relatively new type of psychotherapy: mindfulness. Following her GPs advice, she downloaded a smartphone app called Headspace, for a ten-minute, daily audio session.

A soothing voice instructed her to focus on her breathing and let noisy thoughts float by without judgment, as if they were passing traffic. But for Sophie, far from leaving her calmer and less worried, it evoked a disturbing reaction.

I began obsessing over my bloated stomach and the food Id eaten. For the first time ever, I felt the need to purge, she recalls.

A recent study celebrated mindfulness for reducing war veterans symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder (stock image)

Sophie later tried mindful walking, a mindfulness method in which participants focus on the environment and bodily sensations as they walk. I was suddenly overcome with the urge to run, she recalls. I ran for miles to silence the nervous thoughts swimming around my head. My anxiety was heightened for weeks.

Mindfulness  a type of psychotherapy based on meditation  is booming in popularity.

Reconnecting our bodies and minds, the therapy said to increase understanding of how our thoughts influence our emotions and behaviour, and promotes self-esteem.

Dozens of scientific studies have found it to alleviate symptoms of depression and anxiety, and millions say the practise has transformed their lives for the better.

One recent meta-analysis of six trials found individuals who received a mindfulness-based therapy were 43 per cent less likely to experience depressive symptoms than those receiving other therapies.

Its NHS recommended for treating anxiety, post-traumatic stress disorder, obsessive compulsive disorder, depression and phobias.

And you dont need an appointment with a psychotherapist to do it. There are DIY books, apps, and even spa retreats lasting weeks on end in which guests swap their busy lives for intensive, daily mindfulness activities including meditation and yoga. There is no doubt that mindfulness is a welcome addition to the psychotherapists toolbox. Yet, amid the enthusiasm, a growing number of psychological experts are concerned that, far from being a panacea, mindfulness could actually be putting the mental health of thousands of people at risk.

RISK OF BEING ALONE WITH YOUR THOUGHTS

During a typical mindfulness session, individuals sit in silence with their eyes closed for between ten and 60 minutes, focusing on one thing such as the sensations of breathing in and out.

When the mind wanders, patients are advised to bring their attention back to the thing they are focusing on. Sessions can be carried out alone, or with the help of a therapist or guide.

Studies have shown that mindfulness can improve self-esteem, reduce anxiety and help to manage depression. But leading psychologists warn there could be a dark side, and the therapy can in fact exacerbate or even trigger serious psychiatric illness in some vulnerable individuals.

Dr Miguel Farias, a psychologist and researcher from Coventry University, says: For about five per cent of people, these practices have a paradoxical effect. It makes them much more anxious, induces panic attacks and even psychosis.

According to Dr Farias, more than 20 studies  involving thousands of participants  over the past two decades have demonstrated the potentially damaging effect of mindfulness meditation.

Many people have childhood traumas or underlying mental health problems that may be undiagnosed, notes Dr Farias. Being forced to sit alone with their thoughts brings out dark memories which they cant cope with. He believes the adverse effects have been overshadowed by a celebrity-fuelled mindfulness hype.

A recent study celebrated mindfulness for reducing war veterans symptoms of post-traumatic stress disorder  such as flashbacks, intrusive thoughts and night terrors  by 20 per cent.

But two months after the intervention, soldiers symptoms returned and were just as debilitating.

A 2014 study by researchers at the University of Pittsburgh found a daily, 25-minute mindfulness exercise  similar to that of a popular phone app  actually increased blood levels of the stress hormone cortisol in anxious office workers.

Yet, in 2015, an all-party parliamentary group advocated the use of mindfulness in British educational, healthcare and criminal justice institutions. And since last year, the Government has funded mindfulness schemes in 200 British primary schools in an effort to combat the crisis in childrens mental health.

ZEN RETREATS THAT LEAVE YOU MORE DEPRESSED

Dr Mark Salter, a consultant psychiatrist in East London, has also witnessed the fallout of mindfulness. He says: Most psychiatric illness, whether diagnosed or undiagnosed, is rooted in trauma. People draw on a wide range of distracting coping mechanisms to deal with these day-to-day, he explains.

Mindfulness involves stopping all these mechanisms at once which can become distressing, often inducing severe panic and anxiety.

For this reason, the UKs leading venue, The Oxford Mindfulness Centre, exclude those with suicidal thoughts and psychiatric disorders from treatment.

Dr Farias believes that, by definition, those accessing mindfulness are more mentally fragile than the general population.

By engaging in this therapy, they are seeking a solution to uncomfortable feelings, he notes.

There is specific, grave concern about the growing popularity of mindfulness retreats: week-long, intensive meditation and switching off from the wider world.

One study found that half of individuals attending a mindfulness retreat felt more depressed, anxious and disorientated than before. One experienced delusions, eventually leading to a suicide attempt.

Scientists believe the reason mindfulness has this unwanted effect could lie with the brains alarm centre, the amygdala.

Brain-imaging studies by University of Michigan researchers show mindfulness reduces connectivity between the amygdala and the subgenual anterior cingulate cortex  crucial for emotional processing.This can mean less worry for some, but anxiety and panic for others.

Dr Farias warns: Without a trained psychological professional, it can be seriously harmful. Mindfulness is not for everyone.

Sophie has since found relief in another type of psychotherapy.

Ive been learning why I need to feed my body properly, she says. Trying to stop thinking was never going to help me. Only when I tackled how I saw my body could I fix my relationship with food.

WHAT'S THE DIFFERENCE...

between IBS and IBD?

IBS (irritable bowel syndrome) affects more than ten million people and symptoms include gas, cramps and alternating constipation and diarrhoea. Rarely serious, its thought to be down to a bodys response to trigger foods. IBD (inflammatory bowel disease) affects about 300,000 and includes Crohns disease and ulcerative colitis  serious illnesses leading to severe inflammation of the bowel. Patients suffer diarrhoea, weight loss and fever. Most end up needing surgery.

HEALTH HACKS

USE ONE PILLOW TO AVOID NECK STRAIN

Ensuring the neck is in a neutral position and in line with the spine when sleeping is key to avoiding neck strain.

Marc Sanders, of the British Chiropractic Association, says: Two pillows can cause your neck to excessively bend forward.

But remember, if your one pillow is too thin you may find your neck is bent backwards.

When we adopt these postures during sleep, they can increase stresses on the neck.

*Names have been changed
The first time I meet breast surgeon Julie Doughty, in Starbucks at the San Antonio Convention Center in Texas, she is bursting with passion  and anger.

We are here for a major cancer conference and Im hoping Doughty, a highly respected consultant in Glasgow, will give me a few tips on the hot topics.

But she has other ideas. Ill tell you what you need to write about, she says, clearly fired up. The fact that countless women tell me, The life I have on tamoxifen is awful.  Tamoxifen is a daily pill taken by about 550,000 British breast cancer survivors. It can slash their risk of recurrence after treatment by up to 45 per cent.

Its also offered to women with a strong family history of the disease, as it cuts their odds of ever developing it. At about 6p per pill, it has been hailed a wonder drug  widely said to cause few side effects in the majority of patients. Surely good news, then?

Tamoxifen is a daily pill taken by about 550,000 British breast cancer survivors (stock image)

Doughty couldnt disagree more. I object to the suggestion that the drug has little toxicity and is well tolerated, she says.

I see women who are struggling on tamoxifen and other hormone drugs on a weekly basis. The worst symptoms by far are the hot flushes and sweats, but many women suffer from joint pain and feel very depressed. Thats the real story.

To say the medical community is divided over tamoxifen, and its downsides, would be a huge understatement. Last week, a Leeds University study found that four in five women at high risk of breast cancer, when offered the drug for prevention, didnt want it.

More than half reported concerns about potential unpleasant side effects.

Yet lead researcher Dr Samuel Smith appeared to think the real problem was one of perception. Some beliefs were very negative, he said. This appears to be putting some women off tamoxifen, despite its proven ability to help prevent breast cancer.

Professor Jack Cuzick, at Queen Mary University, London, who led pivotal trials into tamoxifen, wants more women to try it.

Its become demonised, he says. The fear that everyone is going to have these terrible side effects is a gross overstatement. We are trying to help women, not make life worse for them. Tamoxifen has been given a bad name, unfairly.

But many patients clearly loathe being on the drug. At least half of breast cancer survivors are thought to stop taking it before the recommended five years. And many more  aware of this  are unwilling to take the tablets in the first place.

It is hard not to notice that female medics seem more in tune with this than many male researchers. So is there, as some have privately suggested to me, a sex divide among doctors on the issue? And more importantly, where does this all leave patients?

Mary Huckle, who has taken Tamoxifen as part of her breast cancer treatment

Mary doesn't regret stopping it - even though cancer returned Mary Huckle, 53, a personal trainer and mother- of-three from Enfield, North London, was diagnosed in August 2007 with an aggressive form of breast cancer. She says: I have small breasts and the lump was found behind my nipple, so I had no choice but to have a mastectomy. After six months of chemo, I started taking tamoxifen in 2008. I was on it for five years. My decision to come off it was made when it was suggested it would be even better to take it for ten years. The side effects were unbearable. I woke up every morning with a foggy head and awful headache. There was joint pain in the wrist and knees. Then I started getting back pain too. I used to be a Pilates teacher  I know how to look after my body and this wasnt normal for me. When I stopped taking the drug, the headaches and brain fog went immediately. As the drug was still in my system, it took a while for the joint pain to go. Ive got secondary cancer now and take an oral chemo drug and a hormone inhibitor  but not tamoxifen. The second cancer was diagnosed around the same time I stopped tamoxifen. My oncologist supported me in that decision and said it was a coincidence. Although the drug reduces the risk of recurrence, it doesnt eliminate it. Even today, I have no regrets about stopping it. I understand why so many women come off it. My quality of life is so much better. As soon as I ditched tamoxifen, I got me back. Advertisement

ONLINE FORUMS AWASH WITH STORIES OF WOMEN STRUGGLING

Tamoxifen, which blocks the activity of the female sex hormone oestrogen in the body, started life in 1962 as a contraceptive pill.

Then, in the 1980s, trials showed that when given to breast cancer patients after surgery and other treatments such as chemotherapy and radiotherapy, it further reduced the risk of the disease coming back. By stopping oestrogen from reaching the cancer cells, it meant tumours grew more slowly or ceased growing altogether.

Today, it is one of the most taken drugs to treat the disease, and is recommended by prescribing watchdog the National Institute for Health and Care Excellence for about 80 per cent of breast cancer patients.

And, after further studies found that it reduced the chances of breast cancer developing in the first place, in 2013 it became the first drug to be prescribed to prevent cancer.

It is estimated that up to 500,000 women could benefit, but online forums are awash with breast cancer survivors who are struggling against the side effects.

Many talk about how they stopped taking tamoxifen for a holiday and their symptoms melted away. They also complain about how doctors often trivialise or dismiss symptoms experienced by women on tamoxifen.

Tamoxifen can slash their risk of recurrence after treatment by up to 45 per cent

One woman, on Breast Cancer Cares forum, writes: I have been taking tamoxifen for about six months. I am restless, anxious, moody and the hot flushes are unbearable.

Im just not sure that I am gonna be able to conquer this but am so worried about stopping the treatment. I am so miserable.

Another, on the Cancer Research UK forum, states: I have hot flushes, but compared to the joint pain, coping with those is a walk in the park.

However, there are more reassuring comments: For the first few months the sweating was horrendous, but I had my dose adjusted as I found I could handle 10mg twice a day but not 20mg once a day.

Karen Bates, 55, was prescribed tamoxifen in 2015, after being diagnosed with cancer in her left breast. The author, from Lincolnshire, who had surgery to remove her breast along with chemotherapy and other drugs, said: It made me feel like I was 90. I ached everywhere  it was as though I had arthritis.

I was worn out, tired, snappy. My libido had gone too.

A year after starting it, I stopped taking it for a month. I was about to have my breast reconstructed and tamoxifen is a blood thinner.

I got me back during that time, so I discussed tamoxifen with my oncologist, who told me that taking it meant I had only a two per cent chance of the cancer returning.

So I decided not to take it any more. He wasnt happy but understood my reasoning. The cancer might come back  who knows?

So is tamoxifen always to blame for such terrible symptoms?

Last year, Cuzick and his team at Queen Mary University published the latest in a number of studies that suggest not. For five years, they followed thousands of healthy women taking tamoxifen for cancer prevention. Half were given the real drug daily and the other half a placebo or dummy pill, containing no active drug.

They found that just as many women  about a third  taking the dummy treatment suffered severe side effects and dropped out of the trial, as those on the real thing.

This would suggest its not the tamoxifen causing the problems. Its only natural when we have aches and pains to blame it on something, explains Cuzick.

But the truth is, these things are just part of life as we get older.

Try telling that to Liz ORiordan, consultant breast surgeon at Ipswich Hospital NHS Trust, who has twice had breast cancer herself, and youll be cut a short shrift.

She says: I hated taking it. Its a horrible drug. If there was anything else, I would have stopped it, but there isnt. Its the best we have at the moment.

ORiordan, 43, who has written a bestselling book, The Complete Guide To Breast Cancer, adds: With normal menopause, the symptoms come on gradually.

Karen Bates ditched the pill due to the negative symptoms

But on tamoxifen, its bang  hot flushes, night sweats, insomnia, hair thinning  you cant have sex because of vaginal dryness, and you lose your libido.

I know women who have begged their husbands to divorce them because they feel so bad about what theyre putting them through.

Doughty was just as forthright. Any doctor, male or female, who actually sees patients will know that women really struggle with tamoxifen. The side effects are very real.

SO IS THE MEDICAL RESEARCH SEXIST?

There is a long-standing problem with sex bias in medical research  although few doctors will say much on the subject. Dr Clare Gerada, a GP based in London and former chair of the Royal College of GPs, says: There has been a cautious, even paternalistic, medical approach to women for many years. Think back to Victorian times when women were treated for hysteria when they had physical illnesses.

Scientific studies themselves may be relying on assumptions made in the past that contained a gender bias, such as underestimating heart attack fatalities in women, because they have subtle silent symptoms which are often missed.

It is recognised that the lack of studies of women and how they respond to medications, which may be different to men, in cardiac medicine means mortality rates from heart disease are higher in older women than in men, for instance.

Gerada says The legacy of gender bias in medical research is only just beginning to be understood, but it may cause incorrect conclusions to be drawn today.

ORiordan believes part of the problem is that women arent being completely honest with their doctors. She says: Women often under-report side effects, thinking they just have to put up with them. About half of women stop tamoxifen treatment early, but pretend to their doctor they are taking it because they feel so guilty.

And some male doctors may well think, How bad can a few hot flushes be? So they dont appreciate how debilitating the side effects are. Maybe they dont think a pill can make you feel that bad.

And what of the idea that the symptoms arent really side effects at all? Thats just rubbish, she says.

FOCUS ON personal risk assessmentS

So what should women, fairly concerned about the downsides of taking tamoxifen, do?

Doughty believes there needs to be a more personalised approach to prescribing.

She says: Im not telling breast cancer patients, Stop taking medication. But its so important for each woman to be given a really accurate risk of her cancer coming back based on the stage and type of cancer she has, her age and other risk factors.

Some women may feel that they are prepared to cope with side effects if it maximises their chances of seeing their children grow up, for example.

But if she is really struggling on tamoxifen, and the risk of her cancer returning is very low  say ten per cent over a ten-year period  the decision may be taken between her and her oncologist to stop it. However, if the risk is 40 per cent, she may well want to persevere.

ORiordan agrees. She says: We have very good ways to assess individual risk, using computer scoring models. A woman who has a very small cancer that hasnt spread may already have a 90 per cent chance of being alive a decade later after surgery and radiotherapy alone. So the benefit of tamoxifen will be small.

If the tumour is large, if it has spread, and the patient is having chemo, the benefit of the drug might be greater. Those patients might want to consider trying it for six months to a year, to see how they get on.

And what about healthy women offered it for prevention?

Youre asking a healthy young woman to take a drug that will make them feel utterly awful, that could turn them into a sexless, menopausal woman, suffering weight gain, thinning hair, leg cramps and everything else.

It increases the risk of cataracts, blood clots, strokes and endometrial cancer which, if youre taking it to prevent breast cancer coming back, may be worth the risk. But even women who have had breast cancer dont want to take it.

Cuzick, however, feels that women should give it go. He says: Some women  about 20 per cent  will have a very difficult time, and they should stop if they want to.

But in most cases, problems are mild. Theres also evidence that in breast cancer patients, these side effects show that the drug is working well.

Scare stories about side effects shouldnt stop women at risk of breast cancer trying it, to see how they do on it. It doesnt mean theyre committed to taking it for ever.

And for those who have had breast cancer and are taking it to stop it coming back, there is a case for putting up with the downsides for five years, as the benefits make it worth it.

As for those on the drug suffering the side effects, Cuzick says: Many of the aches and pains associated with getting older can be alleviated by more physical exercise. This is true whether you are taking tamoxifen or not.

For some women, this could mean going to the gym and doing a workout. And for others, it could be as simple as walking more.

Additional reporting: Thea Jourdan and Samantha Brick
Adventurer Ed Stafford was the first person to walk the Amazon river  and it sent him spiralling into debt. Stafford, 42, has never forgotten trudging through the Amazonian swamps, plagued by mosquitoes, worrying about how he could afford to carry on and complete his two- and-a-half-year expedition.

But he never gave up and now commands fees of up to 14,000 for a half-hour motivational talk.

He also earns a six-figure salary from his work as a TV presenter and explorer on the Discovery Channel.

His series First Man Out premieres on the channel at the end of January and a book about his inspiring journeys, Adventures For A Lifetime, with a foreword by Ranulph Fiennes, is out now and costs 18.99.

Wise: 'I remember that Dad would get stressed about it all. It taught me to be thrifty and save, because if you know that you have got reserves in the bank, you can relax,' he says

What did your parents teach you about money?

My parents were not good with money. They were hard-working, middle-class solicitors who adopted me when I was eight weeks old. They paid for me to have an expensive private education  I went to prep school and boarding school  but they were always in the red and money was tight.

Sometimes, I remember that Dad would get stressed about it all. It taught me to be thrifty and save, because if you know that you have got reserves in the bank, you can relax.

What was the first paid work you ever did?

When I was eight, I worked for a local farmer at weekends, hauling hay bales and opening gates. He would give me 50p for a mornings work and I would spend it on a 99 ice cream with a flake.

Have you ever struggled to make ends meet?

In between finishing university and joining the Army, I worked in a metalwork factory for 3 an hour while trying to pay off a student loan. I did not have much money left at the end of each month and it was mind-numbingly boring.

I thought I would prefer the Army  outdoors, rolling around in the mud and doing physical stuff. But being told what to do was not my cup of tea.

Have you ever been paid silly money?

Yes, doing motivational talks. Since becoming the first person to walk the length of the Amazon river, I can charge upwards of 5,000. I have even been paid 14,000 for a half-hour talk. It is the sort of money that makes you get up in the morning and pinch yourself.

But to put that in context, when I came out of the Amazon I was 54,000 in debt.

The expedition took two-and-a- half years. I slept in hammocks, washed in rivers and fished piranhas for food. But I had to pay an expert guide to travel with me and that cost a lot. There was also insurance, satellite communications, a website and a public relations campaign to pay for. I received donations but the expedition cost 108,000 and midway through my sponsor pulled out.

Success: Now a veteran TV star, Ed earns a six-figure salary from his work as a TV presenter and explorer on the Discovery Channel, for which he's filmed seven series

Did you worry about money while in the Amazon?

Yes. I did not want to stop the expedition because we had run out of money.

One day, after I had been trudging through the swamps getting bitten by mosquitoes, I received an email from a guy in Hong Kong whom I had never met. He said he was donating 5,000 and even apologised for not having given earlier. He had been unemployed, he said.

I remember reading his email and crying  sobbing in the middle of the jungle. That money enabled us to keep walking for another two months and buy return flights and sort out costs I had been stressed about.

What was the best year of your financial life?

This one. I have just finished filming my seventh series for the Discovery Channel and now earn a six-figure sum.

What is the most expensive thing you bought for fun?

It was a 45,000 bespoke Antarctic pulk  a sledge you drag behind you made from carbon kevlar. It was for a world-first expedition to cross the Antarctic alone on foot that never came off.

I poured my own money into designing it but no one agreed to sponsor the expedition so I just had to suck up the loss.

What is your biggest money mistake?

Moving out of London just as house prices started to dip in 2016. I sold for 85,000 less than I had paid 18 months previously.

'The expedition took two-and-a- half years. I slept in hammocks, washed in rivers and fished piranhas for food. But I had to pay an expert guide to travel with me and that cost a lot,' he says

Do you save into a pension or invest in the stock market?

No. I am not a fan of pensions and I do not have any spare cash to invest in the stock market.

Do you own any property?

Yes. Home is a four-bedroom Grade II-listed grange in Leicestershire. It was built in 1693 and has its own priest hole and an attic that used to be the servants quarters.

Do you pay off your credit cards in full?

Not at the moment due to the cost of designing that Antarctic pulk. I have not quite recovered from that, but I am chipping away at my debts.

What little luxury do you treat yourself to?

Reading a magazine in the bath with a glass of Guinness. I am away so often for the Discovery Channel, sleeping on a mountain or in a jungle, that when I come home I like to relax.

If you were Chancellor what would you do?

Given I am an ex-military man, the issue that troubles me is homelessness. A large number are ex-military because people sometimes fall apart when they leave the Forces.

I would invest in better resettlement programmes that hold peoples hands when they come out of the army until they are able to look after themselves.

What is your number one financial priority?

Not to have to worry about my income when I am too old and knackered to be on the television.
London is no longer the prime location for housebuilder Berkeley Group, which warned of a 'lack of urgency' in the capital's property market.

As it announced a 26 per cent fall in half-year profits, but raised its guidance for the full year, Berkeley said it had invested in 11 new sites, all outside London.

Though the FTSE 100 giant seemed to be in no rush to buy land in the capital, which it warned in September was 'constrained' by Brexit uncertainty, it hasn't given up on its home market entirely.

Berkeley said it had invested in 11 new sites, all outside London

Chief executive Rob Perrins said he saw new opportunities in London and the South East as the market factored in economic uncertainty and policy interventions, such as stamp duty hikes.

Over the six months ending in October, Berkeley finished 2,027 homes, more than 10 per cent of London's new private and affordable houses. Though pre-tax profit of 401.2m was down on last year's 539.8m for the first half of its financial year, Berkeley said it now expects to make at least 5 per cent more than the 641m it was due to rake in for the full year.

The group also promised to extend its shareholder returns programme until 2025, which gives investors a combined 280m per year through dividends and share buy-backs. Shares climbed 1.1 per cent, or 35p, to 3356p.

But George Salmon, an equity analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, said: 'Sentiment will remain closely tied to the Brexit barometer, since London could well be in the eye of the storm should a disorderly departure [from the EU] trigger a housing meltdown.'

After Thursday's slump, the FTSE 100 rebounded 1.1 per cent, or 74.06 points, to 6778.11.

John Wood Group, an engineer for oil wells and industrials businesses, was the largest riser  it climbed 4.4 per cent, or 26.6p, to 628p as the oil price jumped.

Following its brief foray below $60 per barrel on Thursday, the price of oil was up by almost 5 per cent. This gave a helping hand to London's hefty energy sector: Royal Dutch Shell was up 2.8 per cent, or 63.5p, at 2365p. Premier Oil hit new production records and shares shot up 14.8 per cent, or 9.75p, to 75.85p.

Satellite firm Inmarsat was vindicated in court after a long- running battle with competitor Viasat over in-flight wifi.

Several years ago Inmarsat was granted a contract by the European Commission to build the European Aviation Network, to provide wifi on planes.

It then had to obtain permission from the telecoms regulator in each European country to build the network. The UK's Ofcom, as well as other European regulators, granted the licence. But California-based Viasat, which itself wants to muscle in on the network, claimed Ofcom should not have given Inmarsat a licence.

It said Inmarsat was in breach of its contract with the Commission, because it was using ground-based infrastructure as well as satellite frequencies to build the network. But Viasat's challenge at the Competition Appeal Tribunal in London was dismissed yesterday. Inmarsat's shares climbed 1.6 per cent, or 6.5p, to 418.4p.

Miniature war-gaming manufacturer Games Workshop reported sales of 124m and an operating profit of 41m in the six months leading to December 2.

It said its Warhammer game, which now commands increased factory capacity, was in 'great shape' and announced a 30p dividend, taking the year-to-date dividend to 95p compared to 85p last year. The shares rose 4.3 per cent, or 130p, to 3125p.

Miner Condor Gold jumped 8.9 per cent, or 2.5p, to 30.5p on announcing it had expanded a site at a project in Nicaragua by 45 per cent.
GUILTY: MICHAEL FLYNN

Pleaded guilty to making false statements in December 2017. Awaiting sentence

Flynn was President Trump's former National Security Advisor and Robert Mueller's most senior scalp to date. He previously served when he was a three star general as President Obama's director of the Defense Intelligence Agency but was fired.

He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his conversations with a Russian ambassador in December 2016. He has agreed to cooperate with the special counsel investigation.

GUILTY AND JAILED: MICHAEL COHEN

Pleaded guilty to eight counts including fraud and two campaign finance violations in August 2018. Pleaded guilty to further count of lying to Congress in November 2018. Sentenced to three years in prison and $2 million in fines and forfeitures in December 2018

Cohen was investigated by Mueller but the case was handed off to the Southern District of New York,leaving Manhattan's ferocious and fiercely independent federal prosecutors to run his case.

Cohen was Trump's longtime personal attorney, starting working for him and the Trump Organization in 2007. He is the longest-serving member of Trump's inner circle to be implicated by Mueller. Cohen professed unswerving devotion to Trump - and organized payments to silence two women who alleged they had sex with the-then candidate: porn star Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal. He admitted that payments to both women were felony campaign finance violations - and admitted that he acted at the 'direction' of 'Candidate-1': Donald Trump.

He also admitted tax fraud by lying about his income from loans he made, money from taxi medallions he owned, and other sources of income, at a cost to the Treasury of $1.3 million.

And he admitted lying to Congress in a rare use of the offense. The judge in his case let him report for prison on March 6 and recommended he serve it in a medium-security facility close to New York City.

GUILTY AND JAILED: PAUL MANAFORT

Found guilty of eight charges of bank and tax fraud in August 2018. Sentenced to 47 months in March 2019. Pleaded guilty to two further charges - witness tampering and conspiracy against the United States. Jailed for total of seven and a half years in two separate sentences. Additionally indicted for mortgage fraud by Manhattan District Attorney, using evidence previously presented by Mueller

Manafort worked for Trump's campaign from March 2016 and chaired it from June to August 2016, overseeing Trump being adopted as Republican candidate at the Republican National Convention in Cleveland. He is the most senior campaign official to be implicated by Mueller. Manafort was one of Washington D.C.'s longest-term and most influential lobbyists but in 2015, his money dried up and the next year he turned to Trump for help, offering to be his campaign chairman for free - in the hope of making more money afterwards. But Mueller unwound his previous finances and discovered years of tax and bank fraud as he coined in cash from pro-Russia political parties and oligarchs in Ukraine.

Manafort pleaded not guilty to 18 charges of tax and bank fraud but was convicted of eight counts in August 2018. The jury was deadlocked on the other 10 charges. A second trial on charges of failing to register as a foreign agent due in September did not happen when he pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and witness tampering in a plea bargain. He was supposed to co-operate with Mueller but failed to.

Minutes after his second sentencing hearing in March 2019, he was indicted on 16 counts of fraud and conspiracy by the Manhattan District Attorney Cyrus Vance Jr., using evidence which included documents previously presented at his first federal trial. The president has no pardon power over charges by district and state attorneys.

GUILTY AND GOING TO WEEKEND JAIL: RICK GATES

Pleaded guilty to conspiracy against the United States and making false statements in February 2018. Sentenced to 45 days weekend jail and three years probation, December 17, 2018

Gates was Manafort's former deputy at political consulting firm DMP International. He admitted to conspiring to defraud the U.S. government on financial activity, and to lying to investigators about a meeting Manafort had with a member of congress in 2013. As a result of his guilty plea and promise of cooperation, prosecutors vacated charges against Gates on bank fraud, bank fraud conspiracy, failure to disclose foreign bank accounts, filing false tax returns, helping prepare false tax filings, and falsely amending tax returns.

GUILTY AND JAILED: GEORGE PAPADOPOLOUS

Pleaded guilty to making false statements in October 2017. Sentenced to 14 days in September 2018, and reported to prison in November. Served 12 days and released on December 7, 2018

Papadopoulos was a member of Donald Trump's campaign foreign policy advisory committee. He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about his contacts with London professor Josef Mifsud and Ivan Timofeev, the director of a Russian government-funded think tank.

GUILTY AND JAILED: RICHARD PINEDO

Pleaded guilty to identity fraud in February 2018. Sentenced to a year in prison

Pinedo is a 28-year-old computer specialist from Santa Paula, California. He admitted to selling bank account numbers to Russian nationals over the internet that he had obtained using stolen identities.

GUILTY AND JAILED: ALEX VAN DER ZWAAN

Pleaded guilty to making false statements in February 2018. He served a 30-day prison sentence and was deported to the Netherlands on his release

Van der Zwaan was a Dutch attorney for Skadden Arps who worked on a Ukrainian political analysis report for Paul Manafort in 2012.

He admitted to lying to special counsel investigators about when he last spoke with Rick Gates and Konstantin Kilimnik. His law firm say he was fired.

GUILTY: W. SAMUEL PATTEN

Pleaded guilty in August 2018 to failing to register as a lobbyist while doing work for a Ukrainian political party. Sentenced to three years probation April 2019

Patten, a long-time D.C. lobbyist was a business partner of Paul Manafort. He pleaded guilty to admitting to arranging an illegal $50,000 donation to Trump's inauguration.

He arranged for an American 'straw donor' to pay $50,000 to the inaugural committee, knowing that it was actually for a Ukrainian businessman.

Neither the American or the Ukrainian have been named.

CHARGED: KONSTANTIN KILIMNIK

Indicted for obstruction of justice and conspiracy to obstruct justice. At large, probably in Russia

Kilimnik is a former employee of Manafort's political consulting firm and helped him with lobbying work in Ukraine. He is accused of witness tampering, after he allegedly contacted individuals who had worked with Manafort to remind them that Manafort only performed lobbying work for them outside of the U.S.

He has been linked to Russian intelligence and is currently thought to be in Russia - effectively beyond the reach of extradition by Mueller's team.

INDICTED: THE RUSSIANS

Twenty-five Russian nationals and three Russian entities have been indicted for conspiracy to defraud the United States. They remain at large in Russia

Two of these Russian nationals were also indicted for conspiracy to commit wire fraud and 11 were indicted for conspiracy to launder money. Fifteen of them were also indicted for identity fraud.

Vladimir Putin has ridiculed the charges. Russia effectively bars extradition of its nationals. The only prospect Mueller has of bringing any in front of a U.S. jury is if Interpol has their names on an international stop list - which is not made public - and they set foot in a territory which extradites to the U.S.

INDICTED: MICHAEL FLYNN'S BUSINESS PARTNERS

Bijan Kian (left), number two in now disgraced former national security adviser Mike Flynn's lobbying company, and the two's business partner Ekim Alptekin (right) were indicted for conspiracy to lobby illegally.

Kian, an Iranian-American was arrested and appeared in court charged with a conspiracy to illegally lobby the U.S government without registering as a foreign agent. Their co-conspirator was Flynn, who is called 'Person A' in the indictment and is not charged, offering some insight into what charges he escaped with his plea deal.

Kian, vice-president of Flynn's former lobbying firm, is alleged to have plotted with Alptekin to try to change U.S. policy on an exiled Turkish cleric, Fethullah Gulen, who lives in Pennsylvania and who is accused by Turkey's strongman president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, of trying to depose him.

Erdogan's government wanted him extradited from the U.S. and paid Flynn's firm through Alptekin for lobbying, including an op-ed in The Hill calling for Gulen to be ejected. Flynn and Kian both lied that the op-ed was not paid for by the Turkish government.

The indictment is a sign of how Mueller is taking an interest in more than just Russian involvement in the 2016 election.

GUILTY AND AWAITING SENTENCE: ROGER STONE

Roger Stone, a former Trump campaign official and longtime informal advisor to Trump, was indited on seven counts including obstruction of justice, witness tampering, and lying to Congress about his communications with WikiLeaks in January 2019. Convicted on all counts November 15, 2019, awaiting sentence

Stone was a person of interest to Mueller's investigators long before his January indictment, thanks in part due to his public pronouncements as well as internal emails about his contacts with WikiLeks.

In campaign texts and emails, many of which had already been publicly revealed before showing up in Mueller's indictment, Stone communicated with associates about WikiLeaks following reports the organization had obtained a cache of Clinton-related emails.

Stone, a former Nixon campaign adviser who has the disgraced former president's face permanently tattooed on his back, has long been portrayed as a central figure in the election interference scandal.

'They got nothing,' he said of the special counsel's investigation.

Stone gave 'false and misleading' testimony about his requests for information from WikiLeaks. He then pressured a witness, comedian Randy Credico, to take the Fifth Amendment rather than testify, and pressured him in a series of emails. Following a prolonged dispute over testimony, he called him a 'rat' and threatened to 'take that dog away from you', in reference to Credico's pet, Bianca. Stone warned him: 'Let's get it on. Prepare to die.'

CLEARED: GREG CRAIG

Greg Craig, President Barack Obama's White House counsel, was indicted for failing to register as a foreign agent. Mueller's investigators uncovered Craig's work on behalf the government of Ukraine while probing Manafort, who did business with Craig.

Prosecutors released a grand jury indictment of Craig in April 2019, after Craig's law firm of Skadden, Arps, Slate, Meagher & Flom LLP agreed to pay more than $4.6 million as part of a settlement. The prominent firm also acknowledged it had failed to register, and placed much of the blame on Craig, a senior partner there.

Craig's lawyer blasted the decision as an abuse of prosecutorial discretion, and prepared to argue that omission of information during an interview is not tantamount to making false statements.

The charges stem from a 2012 report Craig and the firm produced on behalf of the Ukrainian government on opposition figure and former prime minister Yulia Tymoshenko. She was an opponent of Manafort's client , former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych.

Craig was cleared on September 9 2019.
In the span of just two years, Paul Manafort has gone from one of Washington's most sought-after Republican lobbyists to a political pariah with a shattered family.

'My life - personally and professionally - is in shambles,' he told Judge T.S. Ellis III, in federal court in Alexandria, Virginia on March 7.

'The last two years have been the most difficult years for my family. Humiliated and would be a gross understatement.'

He laid it on thicker to the next sentencing judge, Amy Berman Jackson, in Washington D.C. on March 13: 'I will be 70 years old in a few weeks. My wife is 66. She needs me. I need her. Please let me and my wife be together.'

Self-pitying certainly, but hardly wrong. Sitting in a wheelchair and contemplating the real prospect of dying behind bars, Manafort was diminished in every way, the extravagantly-tailored and immaculately connected powerbroker who could ask for millions for his counsel now wearing prison green as he asked not for money but compassion.

Typically though, the whole story was not on display; in recent years, Manafort had betrayed his wife with a mistress 30 years his junior who he put up in a New York apartment and handed an unlimited credit card.

That infidelity was only another staging post on the long and spectacular fall from grace for the 69-year-old former Trump campaign manager, the son of a small-town mayor who went on to work for four U.S. presidents and made his fortune as the Washington mouthpiece for some of the world's most notorious dictators.

Today Manafort has few defenders in the nation's capital, after being convicted of tax fraud and money laundering by special counsel Robert Mueller - who first secured a guilty verdict from a jury then a plea deal on the eve of a second trial.

Even Manafort's former boss, President Trump, claimed he never would have hired the former lobbyist if he had known about the allegations.

'Paul Manafort came into the campaign very late and was with us for a short period of time (he represented Ronald Reagan, Bob Dole & many others over the years), but we should have been told that Comey and the boys were doing a number on him, and he wouldn't have been hired!' wrote Trump in a Twitter post in June 2018.

The president had faced Manafort co-operating with Robert Mueller 'fully and truthfully.'

But even that was beyond the ability of Manafort, who Mueller's prosecutors charge lied to them after his agreement to cooperate.

The power brokers: Paul Manafort, his future business partners Roger Stone and Lee Atwater, were photographed as young Republican operatives. Stone, a Trump confidante and notorious political dirty trickster is now fighting off the Mueller probe himself; Atwater died in 1991, a former RNC chairman with a reputation for dirty campaigns. All three cashed in on their political work by lobbying those they got elected

Manafort, the grandson of an Italian immigrant, was raised in a staunch Republican home in New Britain, Connecticut.

When he was 16, his father Paul John Manafort Sr. was elected mayor of New Britain and served for three terms.

In 1981, Manafort Sr. was indicted  but later acquitted  on perjury charges in a sweeping city corruption and bribery scandal that also ensnared the police and fire chiefs.

After Catholic parochial schools and graduating from Georgetown University Law School, Manafort went on to work as an advisor for Republican Presidents Gerald Ford. It is unclear why he was not drafted for Vietnam.

He went on to serve as an advisor to Ronald Reagan, George H.W. Bush and Bob Dole's presidential campaign.

But he worked out how to turn political advising into a gusher of cash: by lobbying the very politicians they had helped elect.

He co-founded a prominent lobbying firm with ex-Nixon aide Roger Stone, and Lee Atwater, another notorious figure, which shopped their access to top Republicans to U.S. businesses, state and city governments, and anyone who would pay.

The lobbying would be punctuated by periods of working for campaigns - guaranteeing the access on which they depended if their candidates won (which by and large they did).

That came to embrace the wider world too; the Manafort lobbying roster included brutal regimes willing to pay high fees for his services  including Filipino dictator Ferdinand Marcos and Zaire military leader Mobutu Sese Seko.

Betrayed: Kathleen Manafort stood by her husband despite his family finding proof of his mistress on Instagram; she attended every minute of his trial and was there when he said he was flipping

Manafort went on to found his own political consulting firm in 2005, bringing on his former intern Rick Gates as his trusted deputy.

He also continued to take on controversial clients. In 2010, Manafort helped elect Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, head of Ukraine's Putin-allied Party of Regions.

The victory paid off  between 2010 and 2014, federal investigators said Manafort's firm earned 'a cash spigot': $60 million in fees from the Party of Regions' political patrons.

According to prosecutors, Manafort stashed the funds away in a series of offshore bank accounts and shell companies, and failed to disclose the income in his tax returns. In total, they claim he dodged taxes on $15 million.

But after Yanukovych was voted out of power by Ukraine's parliament in 2014, Manafort's fortunes suddenly changed. He stopped getting payments from Yanukovych's wealthy oligarch supporters, and started to have trouble paying his bills.

This is when prosecutors claim Manafort started applying for loans using phony financial information. In total, they said he scammed banks out of $20 million.

Manafort's then-alleged crimes were uncovered during the course of a special counsel investigation led by Robert Mueller, who has been investigating potential Russian interference in the 2016 election and collusion with the Trump campaign.

Even before the charges were filed against him, Manafort's personal life had been unravelling, according to years of hacked text messages between his daughters Andrea, 32, and Jessica, 36, that were posted online.

According to the messages, Manafort's family had caught him having an affair with a woman who was around the same age as his daughters, renting a pricey house for her in the Hamptons and paying her credit card bill.

They discovered the affair after seeing the woman's posts boasting about her expensive travel and dinners on Instagram.

Manafort, who was undergoing an emotional breakdown according to the messages, committed himself to a psychiatric clinic in Arizona in 2015.

Texts: Manafort's daughters Jessica (left, with now ex-husband Jeff Yohai, who flipped) and Andrea (right with husband Christopher Shand) exchanged text messages which were hacked revealing his affairs and calling him a psychopath. Jessica has changed her name to Bond, her mother's maiden name

Fruits of lobbying: This is the condo overlooking the Potomac where the FBI raided Manafort on orders from Mueller. He bought it for $2.75 million, part of a property empire worth conservatively $15 million

After he was released in 2016 - claiming he had 'new insight' into himself - he linked up with the Trump campaign and became the candidate's campaign manager during the crucial months surrounding the Republican National Convention.

His daughter Andrea took a different view of that. She wrote in a leaked text to a friend, who was not named in the leak: 'Trump probably has more morals than my dad. Which is really just saying something about my dad. My dad is a psycho!!! At least trump let his wives leave him. Plus, Trump has been a good father.'

And she also texted: 'Trump waited a little too long in my opinion, but I can attest to the fact that he has now hired one of the world's greatest manipulators. I hope my dad pulls it off. Then I can sell my memoir with all his dirty secrets for a pretty penny.'

But getting in tow with Trump in June 2016, his neighbor in Trump Tower, was to prove catastrophic.

Trump in fact fired him in August 2017 when questions about Manafort's dealings with Russians in Ukraine started to surface.

Manafort returned to his shadowy lobbying life, but then he was caught up in the Mueller probe.

In July 2017 his home in Alexandria was raided before dawn; in October he and his loyal deputy Gates were indicted, with charges of tax fraud, bank fraud, money laundering, failing to register as foreign agents and conspiracy against the United States.

Manafort's legal strategy was to split the cases in two, meaning two separate trials - one for the monetary charges, the second conspiracy and failing to register as a foreign agent.

But before they began, Gates took a plea bargain, turning on his boss, agreeing to cooperate fully and truthfully with Mueller. From there Manafort's path was consistently downhill.

In Washington D.C. Judge Amy Berman Jackson, an Obama appointee, proved tough; she had him locked up before trial when Mueller accused him of witness tampering.

Turned: Rick Gates

That meant he attended his first trial, in Virginia, from jail, walking in every day with federal marshals and walking out in handcuffs.

In Virginia, Ronald Reagan-appointee T.S. Ellis III presided over the first trial in August 2018. Manafort and his supporters might have been cheered by his apparent toughness on the Mueller prosecutors, including berating them in front of the jury, and repeated demands for them to hurry up.

But when the jury returned its guilty verdicts on eight of the 18 counts, other legal observers said Ellis was making sure the case could not be appealed. Ellis declared a mistrial on the remaining 10 counts, which meant that Mueller could keep them in reserve for a second trial.

And if there were any lingering thoughts that the judge had sympathy for the felon, Ellis told Manafort that he would be wearing prison, not regular, clothing for subsequent hearings.

The next month his second trial was due to begin but Manafort then decided, finally, to seek a deal with Mueller, and pleaded guilty to conspiracy to defraud the United States and witness tampering.

He also admitted to most of the 10 charges which the jury could not reach a verdict on the previous month, and - crucially - agreed to cooperate fully and truthfully with Mueller.

But he could not even manage that; by November, Mueller filed a court document accusing him of lying in breach of the plea deal.

The next month they revealed Manafort's attorney had briefed the White House on his dealings with Mueller.

Then in January came a moment which showed Manafort still had the power to shock: Mueller revealed in a court filing that he had passed Trump campaign polling data to Konstantin Kilimnik, his one-time aide who has been named as a suspected Russian intelligence asset.

In a February hearing Mueller's prosecutors went further, suggesting Manafort might have lied about passing on the polling data to boost his chances of a presidential pardon.

Judge Berman Jackson ruled he had lied and set his sentencing for March; his sentencing in Virginia will come after that.

If he were to get a pardon, the peril is hardly over; New York state's attorney general is investigating his tax fraud to see if he could be prosecuted for evading state taxes. Presidential pardons do not apply in state courts.

Left in tatters is a reputation, a fortune, and a family.

His elder daughter, Jessica Manafort filed to change her name to Jessica Bond in August 2018, after his conviction, telling the Los Angeles Times: 'I am a passionate liberal and a registered Democrat and this has been difficult for me.'

Despite the clearly unhappy family, Manafort's wife Kathleen stood by him in the face of his infidelity.

She loyally attended each day of his tax fraud trial, always sitting in the row directly behind his defense table.

Tarnished legacy: Paul Manafort Sr. was three-term mayor of New Britain, CT

Since June 2018, Manafort has been incarcerated in a county jail in Alexandria.

Largely held in solitary confinement for his own safety, his health has clearly suffered. He attended some hearings in a wheelchair and his legal team disclosed he had been diagnosed with gout.

Perhaps more stinging to his vanity, in a mug shot, the fashion-conscious Manafort sported a jailhouse jumpsuit and shadowy stubble. His brown hair, which he previously dyed, is now tinged with grey.

The former lobbyist, who once spent $18,000 on a python skin jacket, has also been forced to attend his trial without socks  because he reportedly balked at the white ones he is required to wear as an inmate.

He has depression and anxiety and his lawyers complained he had little contact with his family. In letters submitted ahead of his sentence family members pleaded for leniency.

But there were no letters from the rich, powerful Republicans who Manafort had counted as his friends.

Manafort's conviction even impacted the legacy of his father, the popular three-term mayor in New Britain, Connecticut, from 1965 to 1971.

In August 2018 the city changed a street named after the former mayor from 'Paul Manafort Drive' to 'Paul Manafort Sr. Drive.'
Michigan's chief medical executive will stand trial on involuntary manslaughter and other charges in a criminal investigation over the Flint water crisis, a judge ruled Friday, making Dr. Eden Wells the second member of Gov. Rick Snyder's Cabinet to go before a jury.

Wells, 55, is among six current or former government officials facing involuntary manslaughter charges in connection to an outbreak of Legionnaires' disease in the Flint area in 2014 and 2015.

Wells is now the second high-ranking state official, along with Health and Human Services Director Nick Lyon, to be ordered to trial.

Dr. Eden Wells will stand trial on involuntary manslaughter and other charges in a criminal investigation of the Flint water crisis in Michigan, a judge ruled Friday

Wells, who like Lyon is accused of failing to alert the public of the spike in Legionnaires' cases in a timely manner and causing the death of 85-year-old John Snyder, learned of the trial decision from Judge William Crawford II inside a Flint courtroom.

Wells, of Ann Arbor, Michigan, also faces charges of obstructing justice, lying to an investigator and committing misconduct in office.

She denied any wrongdoing.

'Dr. Wells is not guilty of these manufactured crimes and we will continue to fight as long as it takes to achieve a just result,' said Steven Tramontin, one of her attorneys.

Her legal team said Wells, who took the job in May 2015, was not informed of the 2014-15 epidemic until September or October of 2015, months before the governor and Lyon informed the public. They also said that even if she had known, there was no 'legal duty' to alert residents, and there is no evidence that John Snyder died of Legionnaires' disease.

Wells also denied allegations that she told a county health department to not notify the public, that she interfered with the work of university researchers and that she lied about when she learned of the outbreak.

Defense attorney Steve Tramontin (left) consults with client Wells, who is accused of failing to alert the public of the spike in Legionnaires' cases in a timely manner, leading to a man's death

Wells (center) also faces charges of obstructing justice, lying to an investigator and committing misconduct in office, stemming from the 2014 and 2015 Legionnaire's outbreak

HOW LEAD GOT INTO FLINT'S WATER As lead pipes age, the atoms on their surface react with oxygen and other chemicals in the system and become oxidized, or rusted. Adequate water treatment doesn't prevent that process. What it does prevent, though, is the breakdown of the rust layer. Back scattered electron images of a cross-section of the layer of metal scale, or rust, inside pipe samples from lead service lines in Flint, Michigan. The outside of the pipe is on the left side, and the holes in the 'Swiss cheese pattern' are voids where the lead used to be Water utilities with both corrosive water and lead service lines in their systems add compounds called orthophosphates to prevent that breakdown. When Flint switched from Lake Huron water to the more corrosive Flint River to save money, the utility didn't adjust its treatment process by adding orthophosphates. Advertisement

Michigan Attorney General Bill Schuette charged Wells last year.

'It was the correct outcome under the circumstances, based upon the evidence that was presented,' Paul Stablein, a special assistant attorney general, said of the judge's ruling.

An additional 14 current or former state and local officials have been charged with crimes, either related to Legionnaires' or lead in the water. Four agreed to plea deals; the other cases are moving slowly.

Some experts have blamed the outbreak on the use of the Flint River for municipal water. Legionella bacteria can emerge through misting and cooling systems, triggering a severe form of pneumonia, especially in people with weakened immune systems.

At least 90 cases of Legionnaires' occurred in Genesee County, including 12 deaths. More than half of the people had a common thread: They spent time at McLaren Hospital, which was on the Flint water system.

Flint residents show off a clump of hair and bottles full of contaminated water from their city after attending a hearing on Capitol Hill in Washington, DC in February 2016

The Republican governor, who has kept Wells on the job during the prosecution, said she should be presumed innocent unless and until proven guilty. He said she has his 'full faith and confidence,' saying she has been 'tremendously effective' both helping Flint recover and aiding the response to emerging chemical contaminants around the state despite her lengthy preliminary exam.

A top state lawmaker, Senate Minority Leader Jim Ananich of Flint, countered that Wells' 'inaction caused irreparable harm to the people of Flint.'

The future of the Flint cases is uncertain. The term-limited Schuette is leaving office, and incoming Democrat Dana Nessel has said she plans to dismiss Todd Flood - the special prosecutor appointed by Schuette - and bring in a new team to evaluate the cases.

'She is deeply concerned about the people of Flint. However, until she takes office, she will not comment specifically on any pending issue or cases,' said Nessel's transition spokeswoman Kelly Rossman-McKinney.
A British beauty queen has revealed how she was 'raped every single day' after her parents took her to Bangladesh and forced her to marry a man twice her age.

Rubie Marie was just 15 when she married the man, against her will, and he tried to get her pregnant so he could move to the UK.

Ms Marie, now 35 and living in the West Midlands , eventually had a daughter but she was born prematurely and 'handicapped' - because her husband had herpes and gave it to her without her knowledge.

She only managed to escape her horrific situation when she returned to her home in Wales to give birth.

Ms Marie was crowned Ms Galaxy UK in 2016, after taking part in the over 30s category and went on to win the international title of Ms Galaxy 2017.

She opened up about her terrible ordeal to raise awareness of an issue she said is affecting many young girls.

She told the BBC: 'It's like your worst nightmare - the worst horror movie you've ever seen and you are just stuck in that scene forever.'

In the harrowing interview, British beauty queen Rubie Marie revealed how she was forced into a marriage at 15 and 'raped every single night'

She said that her husband was trying to get her pregnant so he would be able to move to the UK

Ms Marie talked about her initial excitement at going to Bangladesh and enjoying the journey on the plane.

However, her family holiday, which was only supposed to last six weeks, stretched to six months and took a terrible turn.

She opened up about how her life changed one day during a seemingly innocent family dinner.

She said: 'I was sitting down having dinner with the whole family and he [her father] just came in and he sat down and he started to eat and just out of the blue, I remember it like it was yesterday, [he said] ' Oh, wouldn't it be great if we got Ruby married?'.'

Ms Marie was shocked by her father's plan.

Ms Marie was crowned Ms Galaxy UK in 2016, after taking part in the over 30s category and went on to win the international title of Ms Galaxy 2017. She opened up about her experience

As well as her work as a beauty queen, Ms Marie is campaigning to raise awareness about the issue of forced marriages

She said: 'I was 15, I couldn't understand why they'd do this to me. It was horrible. I was treated like a slave.'

The 35-year-old then recalled the moment her 'heartbroken' mother pointed out her new husband.

She said: 'I just looked at her, I was numb. I didn't have any emotions, no tears came out of my eyes. I didn't know what to think.'

Ms Marie said she was 'dressed up like a doll' at her wedding, covered in gold jewellery and the object of fascination for many of the guests.

Speaking about the aftermath of her wedding, she revealed her horror when she realised her husband wanted to get her pregnant.

She said: 'He [her husband] tried to be nice to me. But then again, he wasn't because he raped me every single night.

Now 35, she talked about how she was treated like a slave and an object by her husband's family

She also revealed how her husband gave her a virus which she, unknowingly, passed on to her daughter when she eventually got pregnant

Ms Marie had the CMV virus. If a pregnant woman has active CMV the virus can be passed to her unborn baby, causing problems such as hearing loss and learning difficulties

'He knew I wanted to get home. He knew everything.'

In her desperation to avoid getting pregnant, she took some contraceptive pills given to her by her cousin.

But her husband's family realised what she was doing and took them away from her.

Ms Marie's daughter was born three weeks early and taken to a special care unit where doctors told her she was 'handicapped'.

She said: 'He passed a virus onto me and that's what made it happen.'

Ms Maries was found to have cytomegalovirus (CMV), which belongs to the herpes family of viruses.

It is spread through saliva and bodily fluids, and can be contracted by kissing or through sex.

If a pregnant woman has active CMV the virus can be passed to her unborn baby, causing problems such as hearing loss and learning difficulties.
This is the moment three police officers took a nine-year-old boy away in an unmarked police car after he allegedly terrorised neighbours in a quiet suburb.

They boy, who lives in Ellenbrook in Perth's northeast, is accused of vandalising properties and vehicles and punching locals who try and stop him.

Police arrived at the boy's home on Thursday afternoon and ushered him into a ute.

They cannot arrest or charge the boy because he is below the age of criminal responsibility but are working with his family to manage him.

'People are ready to take law into their own hands because people are petrified of him,' one resident said.

'We've gone to police, we're asking police for help but when he gets returned home sometimes three times a night, he goes back out and does it again.'

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Police have taken in a nine-year-old boy (pictured) accused of terrorising residents in a quiet suburb

Three police officers arrived at the boy's home on Thursday afternoon and ushered him into a ute

Other residents say they are considering moving because of the problem.

'We're in a rental but as soon as our lease is up we are out of here to a different area because it's horrible sitting in your backroom at night, listening out to see if he is going to jump your fence,' another fed-up resident said.

Commissioner Chris Dawson told Perth Now the alleged vandal was too young to be held legally responsible.

Though he said police were working with the family and other agencies to tackle the problem.

'Clearly this is a difficult situation,' he said on Thursday.

'Nine-year-olds arent criminally responsible for their actions . . . but we all have a responsibility to make sure children are kept under some care and control.'

The boy currently lives with his grandmother, who helped to escort him to the unmarked police car.

The grandmother looks after the boy as well as several other children.

Residents have claimed the boy's mother recently gave birth to another child.

Neighbour Abbie said she found the boy in her garage and he allegedly threatened her with a handsaw.

'He was in my garage under my car and when we tried to tell him to leave, he pulled out a handsaw and threatened me with it,' she said.

Resident James Colton said the boy needed help and that the misdemeanours were a 'cry for help'.

But he has still decided to install spikes on his side gates to deter the boy from breaking into his property.
A Texas man kidnapped a teenager from New York and drove her over 1,600 miles to his trailer park to produce child porn, police say.

Bill Harmon Dunn Jr allegedly met the 15-year-old girl through an adult website, where he sent explicit messages about what their life would be like as 'daddy and daughter.'

He also coerced her into sending nude images of herself, court documents obtained by the New York Post state.

Bill Harmon Dunn Jr sent a 15-year-old girl explicit messages about what their life would be like as 'daddy and daughter', police say

Dunn took the child to a trailer park in Kosse, Texas, where he had been living for a month (pictured)

Dunn, 48, initially intended to send the teen bus tickets to meet her after grooming her online.

But he rented a car and drove to Park Slope to pick her up himself once he realized she was too young to travel alone without a guardians signature, court documents state.

Dunn reportedly drove to pick the child up on September 6 and her mother reported her as missing to the NYPD later that day.

Eight days later, the child emailed her mother and told her she wanted to come home but 'could not'.

'When I pull up to your house u need to be ready to go sweetie,' read a message he sent her on August 27, 2018.

'We got a long drive ahead of us write a note to your parents, saying you are choosing to live with you boyfriend and u will be SAFE and loved', the complaint reads.

Kosse Police Chief Mark Morris said he was contacted by detectives from NYPDs Sex Crimes Division in Brooklyn who believed the girl was being held against her will at a trailer park

The young girl sent an email to her mother saying he wouldn't let her leave

Authorities traced the email to a location in Kosse, Texas, and she was rescued soon after.

During a subsequent search of the trailer, law enforcement found images of the child engaged in sexually explicit acts, the court papers state.

He is charged with transporting a minor across state lines to engage in illegal sexual activity.

He was arraigned Thursday in a Texas courthouse, and is awaiting extradition to Brooklyn.

Dunn faces life in prison if he is convicted. Kosse Police Chief Mark Morris told KWTX: 'It doesn't have to be a big city to have a major problem. This is a problem, it's a bigger problem than people realize it is'.

'Wed had several citizens say they'd seen her earlier that night, one of the citizens just happened to say 'oh, I saw her go in an RV over here just a while ago', so that kind of gave us a good run as where to look for her. Sure enough, thats where she was at'.
Two teenagers have been charged with terrorism offences after they were arrested by police investigating a neo-Nazi group that posted an online threat against Prince Harry.

An 18-year-old man from Portsmouth faces five charges of encouraging terrorism and three of disseminating terrorist publications.

Meanwhile, a 17-year-old boy from London faces five charges of encouraging terrorism.

Two teenage boys have been charged with terrorism offences after police launched an investigation into a neo-Nazi group that called for Prince Harry (pictured at Dominion Theatre, London) to be shot

They have both been bailed to appear at Westminster Magistrates' Court on Wednesday.

Counter Terrorism Policing North East said the pre-planned operation was part of an ongoing investigation into extreme right-wing activity.

It is understood a neo-Nazi group named the Sonnenkrieg Division is included in the investigation.

One propaganda image shows a picture of Harry with a pistol pointed at his head and the words 'see ya later race traitor'.

The poster is believed to be referencing the Prince's marriage to Meghan.

Other swastika-branded images show praise for mass murderer Anders Breivik and an affection for the noose.

A 21-year-old man from Bath, who was also arrested in the operation, has been released on bail pending further enquiries.
After Kevin Hart bowed out of hosting the Oscars, finding a suitable comedian to emcee Hollywood's most iconic award show has become harder than ever.

Hosting the Academy Awards - known as the 'most thankless job in town' - has become a challenge in the past couple years as the show faces declining ratings.

Kevin Hart seemed to fit the bill until he shocked tinsel town by stepping down as the host of the 2019 Oscars on Thursday after his years-old old homophobic tweets resurfaced - and he refused to apologize for them.

Insiders say that celebrities in Hollywood don't want the job as it places 'a target on your back', just as it did with Hart.

Insiders say that celebrities in Hollywood don't want to host the Oscars as it places 'a target on your back', just as it did with Hart. Hart stepped down from being the 2019 Oscars host on Thursday amid backlash for his old anti-gay tweets

The comedian announced he would step down on Thursday and then apologized to the LGBTQ community for his 'insensitive words'

His apology came too late, however, considering rejected the Academy's ultimatum to apologize or they would seek a new host

'Oscars host has become a not very desirable job in Hollywood. Very few people see an upside. You put a huge target on your back,' Matthew Belloni, the editorial director of The Hollywood Reporter, said.

He adds that the Academy didn't do a thorough job in electing Hart.

'I think it's embarrassing. It shows that they either didn't vet this host properly, or they did vet him and didn't think this would be an issue. And both are a little troubling,' he said.

At first glance, Hart seems to fit the bill of an ideal host.

'He checks all the boxes for a show like the Oscars. He's a legitimate movie star. He's a funny guy and can handle the stand-up element of the show. And he has a gigantic social following. And to the academy, that's important. They want someone who can bring a new audience to the show,' Belloni added.

The Oscars already has a cringe-inducing history of hosts.

From the mediocre performances of Anne Hathaway and James Franco, to Seth MacFarlane's uncomfortable 'We saw your boobs' intro song where he called out actresses who have bared their chests on film, to Chris Rock's racist Asian jokes that fell flat.

Now the question that stands is how dated does one's controversial posts have to still be to be incriminating today.

Previous flopped hosts include Anne Hathaway and James Franco (above in 2011)

Seth MacFarlane hosted in 2013 and sparked outrage for his opening song 'We saw your boobs' where he called out actresses who revealed their breasts in movies

Chris Rock faced backlash after he hosted in 2016 and cracked racist Asian jokes

Hart's offensive tweets were posted nearly a decade ago and were well known, but it's current backlash has booted him out of the host gig this year.

In 2018, an unsavory social media post can cost someone their job.

Just this past summer, the Walt Disney Co. fired director James Gunn from the third Guardians of the Galaxy movie for old tweets in which he joked about subjects including rape and pedophilia.

As with Hart, the problematic tweets were amplified by social media outrage.

Immediately after Hart was confirmed as host on Tuesday night, some journalists began tweeting reminders of Hart's past comments.

By Thursday morning, a few publications had written articles about them and the outrage escalated.

But Hart did not apologize, stoking even more outrage, which culminated with his announcement on Thursday night that he was stepping down as host of the 91st Academy Awards.

But his stepping down hasn't pleased everyone.

A 2009 now-deleted tweet from Hart displays his anti-gay humor

Hart had refused to apologize for a 2011 tweet in which he said he would tell his son it was gay to play with a doll house

Hart appears to have stopped tweeting hateful homophobic words in 2011

'A Comedian says something that offends people and refuses to apologize? F*** 'em if they can't take a joke! Well done #KevinHart,' actor D.L. Hughley said.

Snoop Dogg also posted a video supporting Hart.

Even LGBTQ advocacy group GLAAD wishes Hart didn't step down, but asked for a simple apology.

'Hart's apology to LGBTQ people is an important step forward, but he missed a real opportunity to use his platform and the Oscars stage to build unity and awareness,' GLAAD President and CEO Sarah Kate Ellis said.

The Academy Awards is yet to comment on Hart's departure.

Hart did say, however, that the academy told him to apologize publicly or he'd lose the gig. He chose to bow out on his own, without an apology.

All eyes are now turned to the Academy to choose another host.

Many keep coming back to Whoopi Goldberg, who has hosted the awards four times. Others have suggested Ellen DeGeneres, who hosted one of the Oscars' highest-rated shows, or Tom Hanks, who has a longstanding academy relationship.

Keegan Michael-Key and Jordan Peele, Will Smith or Lin-Manuel Miranda are other names in the mix.

Busy Phillips threw her own name out there tweeting: 'I AM AVAILABLE.'

She also suggested Issa Rae, Sarah Silverman, Ali Wong, Samantha Bee, Robin Thede and Aisha Tyler, or 'any other woman working in Hollywood right now who wants to.'

But the film academy will need to move quickly as the 91st Oscars ceremony is less than three months away slated for February 24, 2019.
A Sunshine Coast man says he'd rather die from skin cancer than travel 90 minutes to Brisbane for life-saving surgery.

Ray Bevan, from Maroochydore, was due to have an operation at the region's new Sunshine Coast University Hospital to remove a skin cancer tumour on his head.

But the hospital said this week that they couldn't do the operation and he would have to travel to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital, around a 90 minute drive away.

Mr Bevan claimed the last minute change of plan was due to funding issues, which the Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service has since denied.

Ray Bevan (pictured) would rather keep his skin cancer tumour than travel to Brisbane

Mr Bevan, 77, has spent the last few days repeatedly refusing the request and insisting the surgery be done locally as it meant that his family would be unable to visit him regularly in Brisbane.

He was then told by hospital staff he had to go to Brisbane because it was 'too big' of an operation.

The retired builder and insurance assessor said it was 'disgusting' that a world class hospital designed for the area so patients could avoid travelling to Brisbane didn't have the budget to do vital procedures locally.

'If they can't get funding down there to this hospital they may as well go down there and close the doors,' Mr Bevan told the Sunshine Coast Daily.

'It's my tumour, if I have to I'll keep it, but I am not going to Brisbane.'

Mr Bevan had his wishes to have his operation at Sunshine Coast University Hospital denied

Opened in early 2017, the $1.8billion Sunshine Coast University Hospital has 450 beds with plans to expand to 738 beds by 2021.

The hospital's services and capacity will continue to develop over the coming years, according to its website.

A Sunshine Coast Hospital and Health Service spokeswoman told Daily Mail Australia Mr Bevan's operation wasn't denied due to funding issues.

Ray Bevan said his family wouldn't be able to visit regularly if he went to Royal Brisbane and Women's Hospital (pictured)

Area health service chief operating officer Karlyn Chettleburgh said his 'complex surgery' was not currently provided by the hospital.

'Over the next six months, we will be enhancing Sunshine Coast University Hospital's ability to provide this type of surgery,' she said in a statement.

'Patients requiring complex surgeries that are not available at SCHHS are referred to other hospitals to ensure they receive the treatment they require. In the meantime, patients are managed by their local hospital to ensure they continue to receive care and treatment closer to the home prior to surgery.'
The Prime Minister is being warned she will have to resign should her crunch Brexit vote end in disaster next week, it has emerged.

Several Cabinet ministers have warned her she is heading for a heavy defeat and urged her to seek fresh concessions from Brussels.

They fear if Mrs May goes ahead with Tuesday's vote and loses by a large margin it will prove fatal for her leadership  and open the door to a softer 'Norway-style' Brexit.

Theresa May (pictured above) will decide on Monday whether to pull the crunch Brexit vote amid intense pressure to push for a delay

Last night it was claimed the PM had been warned by several Brexit-backing aides that they are prepared to resign on Tuesday unless there are major changes to her deal.

Mike Wood, the parliamentary private secretary to Trade Secretary Liam Fox, told the Guardian he would quit and join leave-supporting backbenchers unless changes were made.

It is understood that other junior ministers have made similar representations and more were considering their positions.

Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith cautioned against Mrs May and her Cabinet deciding to 'brazen it out', saying such an approach would be a 'disaster'.

'How the PM responds after the vote matters more than anything else she has done,' he told the Daily Telegraph.

'I believe that if the response is, 'we've lost but we will do this all over again' it will become a leadership issue.

'I don't want it to be. If she and the Cabinet decide to brazen it out and simply say [a defeat of] anything under 200 is not as big as you think, then that would be a disaster.'

Julian Smith (pictured above) is set to present the Prime Minister with his final count of the number of Tory MPs on whose support she can rely

The paper reported Cabinet ministers have also warned Mrs May she would have to stand down if the deal is defeated and she fails to secure better terms from the European Union.

Last night Amber Rudd became the first Cabinet minister to openly discuss an alternative plan to Mrs May's deal.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told The Times a Norway-style arrangement 'seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are'. A Norway option would keep Britain tied to most EU laws and rules, including free movement and vast annual contributions.

As many as ten senior ministers have privately discussed backing the option. However, one minister described it as 'absolutely horrendous', adding: 'It would split the party for a generation.

'It would also be the biggest betrayal of the British people. We're in real danger now.'

There were also signs last night that Labour is seeking to join forces with rebel Tories and the DUP to force Mrs May's resignation in a no-confidence vote if her Brexit plan is heavily defeated.

In public, Downing Street continued to insist yesterday that the vote on the withdrawal agreement would go ahead as planned.

Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom (pictured above) is also understood to be open to the idea of pulling the vote if there is a clear plan about what to do next

But privately aides acknowledged the Prime Minister would 'take stock' over the weekend at her country retreat of Chequers before reaching a decision.

A final media blitz is planned for the next 48 hours as Tory whips canvass MPs on their intentions. Mrs May will then sit down with her inner circle on Monday to make the call. At the meeting, Chief Whip Julian Smith will present her with his final count of the number of Tory MPs on whose support she can rely. In recent weeks more than 100 Tory MPs have signalled their opposition.

One Whitehall source said trying to convince rebels to fall in line was like 'shouting out of a window'. Last night, one Cabinet source said: 'If we're heading for three figures defeat then why go ahead with it?'

An amendment designed to limit the UK's stay in the Northern Ireland backstop appeared dead on arrival after it was blasted by the Democratic Unionist Party  which props up the Tories in the Commons  and Eurosceptics.

A poll also revealed that despite the chaos in Westminster, the parties are running neck and neck among the public. Both Labour and the Conservatives are on 38 per cent, according to the survey by Ipsos Mori.

Arlene Foster (pictured above) has said that 'domestic legislative tinkering won't cut it'

May loyalists are split over what the Prime Minister should do next. Some argue that pulling the vote now and seeking concessions from Brussels at a summit next Thursday  or trying to find a legislative route to satisfy MPs  is her only hope of getting the deal through.

Liz Truss, pudding on the style... Much like Brexit, black pudding has its devoted fans  but others can't stomach it. Cabinet minister Liz Truss managed to combine both yesterday with a visit to a butchery. Liz Truss (pictured above) tries her hand at making black puddings After posing with a black pudding, she claimed Theresa May's EU withdrawal agreement would give British foodmakers the chance to sell more overseas. 'There's a lot of demand for fantastic British products,' said the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on a visit to the Fruit Pig Company in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Advertisement

But others say any attempt to reopen the deal would be a 'world of pain' and immediately prompt Spain, France and other countries to demand concessions on issues such as Gibraltar and fishing. Last night one senior Tory warned Eurosceptics that not voting for the deal would 'almost certainly' mean leaving on softer terms. 'Eventually you have to stare down the barrel,' said the source. 'There is no Parliamentary manoeuvre which hardens the options that we have now. They are going to have to choose.'

Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom is also understood to be open to the idea of pulling the vote if there is a clear plan about what to do next. Hardline Eurosceptics argue a huge defeat would send a signal to the EU that they would need to compromise.

The amendment, proposed by Tory loyalists, would give MPs a vote in 2020 over whether to enter the backstop or extend the transition period  and place a 'duty' on the government to have a workable alternative within a year. But backbench Tory Peter Bone told the BBC the amendment was 'absolutely meaningless'. He said: 'It's got no binding force.'

DUP Leader Arlene Foster said: 'Domestic legislative tinkering won't cut it.' Last night US vice president Mike Pence spoke of a 'strong partnership' after discussions about Brexit with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

It appeared to boost the chance of a UK-US deal after Donald Trump last week indicated the EU deal would make it hard to achieve.
A former Miss Kentucky has been charged with sending nude pictures to a 15-year-old boy.

Married beauty queen Ramsey Bearse, 28, was arrested on Friday and charged with four felony counts of distributing or displaying obscene matter to a minor.

Bearse is now an eighth grade teacher at Andrew Jackson Middle School in Cross Lanes in West Virginia and was arrested after her nude pictures were found on a 15-year-old former student's phone.

The lewd pictures were discovered by the student's mother and flagged to authorities on Wednesday December 5. His parents say Bearse was the boy's teacher while he attended the school from sixth to eighth grade.

Former Miss Kentucky Ramsey Bearse, 28, was arrested on Friday for sending nude photos to a 15-year-old boy. She is a middle school teacher in West Virginia and sent the lewd photos to a former student. Pictured left in 2014 after she won the Miss Kentucky crown

Bearse looked stern as she was arraigned in court earlier this week. Officials say she confessed to sending photos of her naked breasts to the teenager from August 2018 to October 2018

She was charged with four felony counts of distributing or displaying obscene matter to a 15-year-old former student. If convicted she could face up to 20 years in prison and $100,000 in fines. Pictured above in Atlantic City after winning the Miss Kentucky crown

Officers arrested Bearse and say she admitted to sending the photos via Snapchat, according to WDRB.

Officials say she confessed to sending photos of her naked breasts to the teenager from August 2018 to October 2018, according to Heavy. They both live in Kanawha County.

Authorities aren't sure if there are more underage victims involved.

Bearse is an eighth-grade science teacher at the school and the victim was a former student.

Kanawha County Schools released a statement in light of her arrest.

'Mrs. Bearse is a teacher at Andrew Jackson Middle School. We cannot comment on personal matters, but we will follow all applicable policies and procedures. The safety and security of our students is our top priority.'

Hearse won the title of Miss Kentucky under her maiden name Carpenter in 2014. Pictured walking in the 2015 Miss America Competition preliminaries

Beauty Queen: In interviews from her pageant days she said she always wanted to be an elementary school teacher and the beauty competitions put her teaching career on hold

The eighth grade science teacher pictured above in the 2015 Miss America competition playing the fiddle for her talent

When she was arraigned in Kanawha County Magistrate Court she said: 'I have no comment to make to you all at this time'.

Her lawyer has said that she would post the requested $10,000 bond. If convicted of her charges she could face up to 20 years in prison and $100,000 in fines.

Bearse was crowned Miss Kentucky in 2014 under her maiden name Carpenter.

From there she competed for the Miss America title in 2015 where she went on to finish in the top 12. In the competition, her talent was playing the fiddle.

Bearse had always wanted to be an elementary school teacher, according to her old interviews. She once told reporters she had to put her dream teaching career on hold in order to compete for the Miss Kentucky crown.

She has since deleted all of her social media following her arrest.

She married Charles 'Chas' Bearse in July 2016, according to their The Knot page.

His family are involved in Massey Energy, a coal mining company in West Virginia, according to Heavy.

He too has deleted some of his social media.
Jeremy Corbyn was mocked from all quarters yesterday after jetting off to Portugal just days before the crucial Brexit vote.

The Labour leader flew to Lisbon for a two-day congress of European socialists, days after he was in Mexico for the inauguration of the countrys new Left-wing president Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador. Mr Corbyn tweeted that he had enjoyed great meetings with Latin American and European leaders.

But Labour supporter Philip Edwards replied: As a @UKLabour party member can I suggest you stop wasting my money on climate changing air travel, get back to the UK and start to act as if you are a Prime Minister in waiting rather than a Prime Minister in hiding.

Jeremy Corbyn (pictured above) was mocked for jetting off to Portugal

Tory MP Andrew Percy said: Why is he in Portugal? He should be in the UK thinking about the promise he made to the British public which was to honour the Brexit result, which clearly he is lining up to betray.

And former Lib Dem leader Tim Farron added: Jeremy Corbyn might pretend to be all things to all people but this is a dereliction of duty. Whenever hes needed he goes missing in action. Mr Corbyn has faced ongoing criticism from Remain voters within the Labour Party who have accused him of ignoring the wishes of party members because of his own Eurosceptic beliefs.

He used a speech to European socialists in Lisbon last night to hit out at EU support for failed neoliberal policies, saying it had paved the way for Brexit.

He said he hoped to build a socialist Europe that will strengthen solidarity across borders.

He added that he would consider delaying Brexit if Labour wins power  and that there might be an argument for delaying Article 50.
Police have stormed a house in northern Tasmania and brought a 16 hour standoff to an end.

Armed officers escorted a woman, 47, and a man, 24, from the home at the Trevallyn suburb in Launceston on Saturday morning.

Police earlier said the pair were in talks with negotiators to surrender peacefully, since the standoff began at 4.30pm on Friday, ABC reported.

They confirmed no-one was injured, despite up to 33 shots fired and residents in the surrounding area being evacuated.

The house is the same New World Avenue address where a woman was found with a gunshot wound to the leg on Wednesday.

Police have stormed a house in northern Tasmania and brought a 16 hour standoff to an end

Armed officers escorted a woman, 47, and a man, 24, from the home at the Trevallyn suburb in Launceston on Saturday morning

Police confirmed on Saturday morning that 33 shots were fired overnight and 14 nearby residents have been evacuated, with no-one injured

Tasmania Police Commander Brett Smith said in a statement a speedy and tactical response was made once it became apparent the woman's life might be in jeopardy.

'It was always our intention to resolve the situation peacefully and we were committed to using a range of strategies and resources to manage a peaceful resolution.

'However, there came a point where police were of the strong view that the woman's life was in imminent danger.'

Commander Smith said the standoff had taken its toll on everyone involved.

'Especially the residents and the attending emergency services.

'The residents can be reassured that their suburb will be returned to normality shortly.'

He earlier told the ABC about 34 police officers had been deployed to deal with the situation at any one time.

'We're pretty well resourced for this particular type of incident, and we see this as something that is unnecessary, but we're more than adequate and capable of providing the necessary response,' he said on Saturday.

Tasmania Police Commander Brett Smith said in a statement a speedy and tactical response was made once it became apparent the woman's life might be in jeopardy

He said police had a range of specialty units that provided front-line support, including members of the Special Operations Group and the bomb response group.

'Police are attempting to negotiate with both the occupants to a peaceful resolution,' he said at the time of the standoff.

'This will be our strategy going forward.'

Detective Inspector Philippa Burk had told The Mercury that police had negotiators in place to peacefully resolve the situation.

'At this point in time we are not treating it as a hostage situation,' she said on Friday night.

'My best advice to both of them is to surrender, put the gun down ... and hand yourself in to police.'

A number of nearby homes were evacuated as a precaution and police advised members of the public to avoid the Reatta Road area until further notice.

Tasmania Police Commander Brett Smith told the ABC about 34 police officers had been deployed to deal with the situation at any one time
Charlie Kaye, 32, spent his professional life propelled by two instincts  to save lives and help others

Like many dedicated firefighters, Charlie Kaye has spent his professional life propelled by two instincts  to save lives and help others.

In ten years of distinguished service hes battled blazes all over London and attended harrowing road and rail accidents  each one leaving its mark.

I have lost count of the number of fatal incidents Ive attended. Each one eats away at you a little, he recalls. But thats the job.

Its a job which, in June last year, led him to one of the most distressing points of his career, when the 32-year-old was one of the hundreds of fireman to attend the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, helping to clear bodies from the wreckage of the West London tower block. The sights of that day are permanently seared on his mind  along with the guilt that this time, there was no chance of saving anyone.

Its a guilt that, nine months later, he believes led to him running into a burning building in Ilford, East London, in a desperate bid to save a man he thought was trapped inside.

He was without his partner  a contravention of the London Fire Brigades rules. Yet with flames belching out of the top floor windows and hearing the pleas of the flats elderly owner to save her son, Charlie believed there was no time to lose. With two other firefighters ahead of him, he battled acrid smoke to try and carry out a rescue  only to find the flat empty.

Selfless heroism, nonetheless, you might think. Not according to his employers.

Instead, Charlie  a commended firefighter previously described as a credit to both the borough and the London Fire Brigade  was sacked for contravening health and safety regulations. Is there any more depressing example of bureaucracy gone mad?

Charlie himself has another phrase for it. Its a massive injustice, he says. I acted not for personal gain but to save a life  risking my own life in the process  and this is how they have treated me.

If I had rescued someone, I would be a hero. But instead, I have been cast out of a job I love.

Charlie Kaye (centre left) was one of four firefighters to receive a prestigious Borough Commanders Award for bravery for helping to save a woman who had collapsed from a blood clot

His bewilderment is enhanced by the fact that his superiors were, he says, aware he had been diagnosed with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) after his experiences at Grenfell  a diagnosis that he believes helps to explain what he acknowledges was an error of judgement.

Since Grenfell I was carrying a lot of guilt, and in those initial milliseconds of getting off the fire engine in Ilford it all came flooding back. I had this overwhelming instinct to get in there, he recalls.

Today, that bewilderment remains palpable. An articulate and compassionate man, Charlie admits he is still struggling to accept that he has lost not only his livelihood, but a job he considered a vocation.

Raised in Billericay, Essex, the eldest of three boys, Charlies father was a firefighter who retired after 30 years of service. From when he was a teenager, Charlie knew he wanted to follow in his footsteps.

He joined the service in 2008, aged 21, passing out in July that year after a rigorous six-month training. Theres so much to learn  from how to search properly so that you dont miss a casualty in a pitch-black room to operating equipment and giving first aid, he recalls.

Based in Ilford, the grim reality of the job revealed itself straight away, from house fires and harrowing car crashes to electrocutions and train accidents.

On more than one occasion people took their dying breath in his arms. Something upsetting would happen on most shifts, he says.

Charlie also helped save many lives, and in December 2013 he was one of four firefighters to receive a prestigious Borough Commanders Award for bravery for helping to save a woman who had collapsed from a blood clot.

Mr Kaye (centre) was raised in Billericay, Essex, the eldest of three boys. Charlies father was a firefighter who retired after 30 years of service

In his commendation, Redbridge Borough Commander Steve Brown described Charlie as a credit to both the borough and the London Fire Brigade and praised his outstanding work in a stressful and distressing situation.

But nothing could prepare any firefighter for arguably the most distressing incident they would ever have to face.

On June 16 last year, Charlies team was detailed to assist the Disaster Victim Identification team tasked with recovering bodies from the Grenfell Tower fire two days earlier, in which 72 people lost their lives. Today he still struggles to talk about what he witnessed.

Dispatched to the 23rd floor, he made his way up the stairwell in the pitch black, wading through filthy water, strewn with the floating personal effects of fleeing residents.

It was like a scene from Titanic, he recalls. Watches, mobile phones, glasses, flip-flops, coats, a childs dummy  anything you can imagine that people who were running down the stairs had dropped on their way out. There were handprints on the charred walls, and dead animals that people had trodden over in their panic.

Charlie was one of the hundreds of fireman to attend the aftermath of the Grenfell Tower fire, helping to clear bodies from the wreckage of the West London tower block

The devastation worsened with each floor. When we got to the 12th and the 13th floors you could smell burning flesh even through your mask.

It took half an hour, carrying heavy equipment, to reach the 23rd floor which was a shell, with piles of rubble and ash concealing human remains, among them a tiny skull and the larger skull of a teenager or young adult.

It hits you hard, that lots of people had lost their lives there. You imagine their last moments; the panic. He shakes his head.

Charlie and his fellow firefighters rode home later that day largely in silence. No one could shake it off really, and for two to three weeks afterwards I really struggled to sleep. I had nightmares, and was very anxious, he recalls.

Family and friends started noticing that I was almost hibernating and I was very snappy with people.

Nine months later, he ran into a burning building in Ilford, East London, in a desperate bid to save a man he thought was trapped inside

He claims that while firefighters were supposed to be given a mandatory mental health assessment, he and fellow colleagues at Ilford never received one.

Instead, it was business as usual  business which, in February, came in the form of a severe house fire: the first significant one Charlie had attended since Grenfell.

He and his crew arrived to a chaotic scene. The whole top floor of a house was ablaze, and after getting out the fire engine I could see a woman had been rescued. She was horribly burned and shouting that her son was inside. Desperate to make a difference, Charlie went in, reassured by the fact that two other firefighters had gone ahead of him even though, he claims, the house had not got a fireman stationed at the entry, checking breathing apparatus  part of the protocol. I thought my partner was with me but he had dropped back to help the elderly lady. By the time I realised, I was already in the house, he recalls.

Besides, Id seen other people breach health and safety by going in without a watch officer. I realised that if this ladys son was up there, then 30 seconds could be life or death for him. It was a case of making a split-second decision.

Later, it emerged that the flats owner had dementia and was confused. I apologised to my superior officer and said I had made a mistake and left my partner behind. He told me not to worry about it, that I had done a great job.

I knew there would have to be a rap on the knuckles from management and I accepted I had made an error of judgement, although I now think that if Id had the right aftercare post-Grenfell, it would not have happened.

Pictured: Charlie Kaye's letter of congratulations, describing him as 'a credit to both the Borough and the London Fire Brigade'

In reality, the incident had shaken him more than he realised.

I was very emotional and shaking as I drove. I pulled over into a lay-by and got out the car to compose myself, then threw up on the side of the road, he recalls.

I knew something wasnt right with me and I realised that it could have an impact on my job and that I needed to seek help.

On his return to work, Charlie was put on light duties and, finally, offered counselling to help him cope with his experience at Grenfell  although in the end he says he had to arrange it himself.

I waited a further two weeks for a phone call from the trauma centre. When nothing came, I contacted them myself.

He started weekly therapy sessions, as well as consulting his GP, who diagnosed him with PTSD. Against this backdrop, then, Charlie believed that his contravention would be treated as a performance issue, meaning he would be given extra training.

But in the summer, his station head told him he was sending Charlies case to the Health and Safety Executive as a serious breach.

I asked about what was happening to everybody else who had attended the fire, as several of them blatantly disregarded health and safety, but they were being given extra training, he says.

I was getting treated totally separately. I knew what I did wasnt right, but it was no more or no less damning than anybody else on that fire.

Charlie  a commended firefighter previously described as a credit to both the borough and the London Fire Brigade  was sacked for contravening health and safety regulations

One problem, Charlie claims, was that he already had a warning on his record for a minor transgression  having his phone in his pocket at the scene of a road traffic accident. That mobile phone policy is flouted day in, day out by everybody. So it seemed madness that they would roll these things together. Where was the common sense?

All Charlie could do in the weeks that followed was place his faith in that fact that at the discipline hearing on September 20 at the Brigade headquarters in Union Street he would escape with a written warning. Instead, he was sacked on the spot.

Nobody expected that  everyone told me Id be fine, that the job was a total mess from start to finish and I had been singled out. I walked out of there just utterly shocked. I couldnt take it in.

With the backing of his union, he submitted an appeal, which took place two months later.

My case was based on the fact that my evidence hadnt been listened to, he claims.

I had evidence from my doctor saying Im suffering from PTSD, as well as the London Fire Brigade Trauma Centre saying I had been visiting for many months suffering PTSD following Grenfell. 

But the decision was upheld and the London Fire Brigade said it was impossible to determine a causal link between Charlies actions in February of this year and a subsequent diagnosis of PTSD from his GP.

They also took into account his disciplinary record over many years and found a consistent inability to comply with brigade policies. Charlie was told he could not return to work.

My world was turned upside down, he says. It felt like I had been very shabbily treated. It rubs salt in the wound that recently the Fire Brigade has made a point of lauding itself for being conscious of mental health issues.

When approached by the Mail for comment, a London Fire Brigade spokesperson said: We do not discuss individual members of staff.

Today, with his last pay packet long gone, Charlie is living off savings, and pinning his hopes on a tribunal hearing where he hopes to overturn his sacking.

All I want to do is what Ive done for ten years: get up, put my uniform on and serve London, he says. But after everything Ive been through, Im not hopeful.
Volunteering for just two hours a week can help to ward off dementia, a major study found.

Keeping active in retirement was found to reduce memory problems and boost thinking skills by 6 per cent.

Experts say it adds to growing evidence that stimulating activities  such as helping on hospital wards or reading to patients  can contribute to maintaining brainpower into old age.

Volunteer Roger Groocock helps patient Mary Charlton with her lunch after she was admitted with a wrsit injury in Frimley Park Hospital in Surrey

So far, more than 19,000 people have signed up to the Daily Mails campaign to boost volunteer numbers in the NHS.

Today Justin Welby gives his support to the campaign, commending those who have already pledged their time and encouraging others to follow suit.

The Archbishop of Canterbury says volunteers are in a privileged position and can give the precious time busy doctors and nurses do not have.

The Archbishop of Canterbury Justin Welby has given his support to the Mail's campaign. He has encouraged others to give their time to volunteer for the NHS [File photo]

By joining the Hospital Helpforce  pledging as little as three hours a week, or one day a month of your time  you could have a profound impact on the lives of patients, whether giving practical help like picking up prescriptions, offering a shoulder to cry on, talking to patients who may be elderly or confused, or staffing helpdesks to make the hospitals as efficient as possible, he writes.

The Christmas campaign with the charity Helpforce aims to fill important roles such as providing patients with companionship, delivering prescriptions and even running singing groups.

So far, more than 19,000 people have signed up to the Daily Mails campaign to boost volunteer numbers in the NHS

Last week, a major report by respected health think tank, The Kings Fund, found voluntary help reduces pressures on NHS staff.

Research by charity the Royal Voluntary Service has also shown the benefits to those on the receiving end.

Now researchers say there is compelling evidence that this can benefit volunteers as well as patients and staff.

The study, published in The Journal of the Economics of Ageing, followed 64,000 adults in the US, who were aged 60 and over, between 1998 and 2010.

It found those who completed volunteer work for 100 hours a year  just two hours a week  scored 6 per cent higher in cognitive testing than non-volunteers did.

Volunteer Jenni Peach is pictured at Southampton Hospital with patient Lizzy. The Christmas campaign with the charity Helpforce aims to fill important roles such as providing patients with companionship

Dr Sumedha Gupta, of Indiana University-Purdue University Indianapolis, said the evidence showed it was win-win situation for all involved.

Volunteering is different from other activities, she said.

For instance, if you were playing Sudoku, it would give you brain stimulation but it does not provide you social interaction or make you move.

If you volunteer, it is really good because it draws three things  physical stimulation, social interaction as well as cognitive stimulation  all into one. If they dont volunteer, their cognitive scores decline faster.

Dr Gupta added: The amount of time the Daily Mail is asking people to volunteer  three hours a week  is also almost exactly that in the study. I think this campaign will be a meaningful exercise for all involved.

Why we were all inspired to help

More than 19,000 selfless Daily Mail readers have responded to our call for hospital volunteers. Here, three reveal why they want to give up their free time to help:

Paramedic who wants to do more

Sophie Piper, from Swadlincote, Derbyshire, is a paramedic for West Midlands Ambulance Service, but wants to volunteer

Sophie Piper, 28, a paramedic for West Midlands Ambulance Service, said: I might be a strange candidate to volunteer when I already work long hours for the NHS, but as I work two days and two nights a week I effectively have four days off a week, too, when I could help. My partner told me I might as well do overtime, but I wanted to make a different sort of impact.

Miss Piper, who lives in Swadlincote, Derbyshire with her fiance, John, 33, an HGV driver, added: My mother is undergoing chemotherapy for stage-four breast cancer, so I know what an extra pair of hands could achieve. She often has to wait for ages for her drugs. If a volunteer could take pressure off nurses things like that could be done more quickly.

As a paramedic, I also see first-hand peoples impression of the service. An elderly woman I attended recently was having a heart attack, yet was adamant she didnt want to go to hospital because she had had such a bad experience the last time. We managed to persuade her, but it wasnt easy.

On the whole, the NHS is brilliant. Of course its overstretched and theres too much demand on every aspect, but its also still free. People often forget that.

This is an excellent campaign and a great opportunity for young people to gain experience if they want to go into hospitals or care work. It helps everyone.

Hopefully Ill be good at speaking to the elderly or cheering up children after their parents have gone home  anything to give people a break.

The heart patient keen to give something back

Howard Davies, 75, a locksmith who lives in High Wycombe, Buckinghamshire, said: Three months ago I suffered a heart attack and the NHS were fantastic.

I was at home on my own at the time. It felt like somebody was pushing the centre of my chest and I suddenly felt quite cold. I recognised the symptoms and dialled 999 and the ambulance came quickly and I was taken to Wexham Park Hospital where four stents were inserted into my heart whilst I was awake.

Locksmith Howard Davies, from Buckinghamshire, suffered a heart attack three months ago and wants to give something back to help the NHS

Half the arteries in my heart were blocked. I was very lucky.

The father-of-two, who has three grandchildren and one great-grandchild, added: Im still having treatment  cardiac rehab to try and make me a bit fitter than I was before  but I felt perfectly fit and healthy both before and after and it remains the only time I have ever really had to use the NHS for something serious.

It made me think that at my time of life, I work but am self-employed, I can afford to offer some of my time, to give something back.

The NHS is a wonderful, wonderful institution and I have put my money in all my life.

I think its a must-keep and there are people around who could give time.

My skills are probably people-facing, but Im interesting in helping anyone in any way I can.

The Daily Mail is asking readers to find time to help patients and take pressure off staff. More than 19,000 selfless Daily Mail readers have responded to our call for hospital volunteers

Widow repaying the kindness of NHS staff

Judith Ayres, 75, a retired receptionist of Torquay, Devon, with two daughters and three granddaughters, said: Since my husband John, a retired college lecturer, died in February aged 76 Ive felt very, very lonely. The only way to keep myself going is to stay busy, and volunteering is an excellent way of doing that. I also want to give something back to the NHS, who are amazing.

Join the hospital helpforce Whatever your skills or experience, you can make a valued and lasting impact. You will join the volunteers working in hospitals or with organisations that support the NHS, such as the Royal Voluntary Service, Marie Curie, British Red Cross, and others. Join us by pledging your time in 2019 at www.hospitalhelpforce.com and clicking on the pledge now box. Thank you  and welcome aboard! Advertisement

Ive been trying to cope with Johns death, but it came out of the blue. He wasnt ill  it was a sudden problem with his heart. I called the paramedics and an ambulance arrived within minutes.

'They were such lovely people and although they werent able to save him they really looked after me. It was their kindness that was most striking. Before that, Id had operations at Torbay hospital. Theyve fixed a broken wrist and removed my cataracts. The people are fabulous. I just love the NHS.

To be able to help them in any capacity would be wonderful and make me feel as though Im being useful. I like meeting people and chatting. Ill be happy speaking to patients, picking up prescriptions or just showing people around. I dont mind what I do!

My daughter works for Southmead Hospital Charity in Bristol and tells me how essential the volunteers are to the work they and the nurses do. John would have loved me doing this, I know he would have been delighted.

Vital hospital roles include mentoring patients and providing friendship. A major report by respected health think tank, The Kings Fund, found voluntary help reduces pressures on NHS staff
A legal fight has begun to stop almost 1million of taxpayers money being spent on adult asylum seekers posing as children, it emerged last night.

Since May Liverpool council say 39 refugees whose age was in doubt have arrived in the city.

Following specialist assessments costing 60,000, 24 were found to be adults, while only 15 were under 18. Another 17 cases are under review.

Some asylum seekers coming to Britain try to lie about their age because support for under-18s is much better than for adults.

Storm: Siavash Shah claimed to be 15. A pupil at Stoke High School in Ipswich posted a Snapchat image of a Shah in his maths class with the caption, how's there a 30-year-old man in our maths class?

Children must be offered free access to schools and universities, secure housing and qualify for more benefits.

But councillors in Liverpool say that when the age of an asylum seeker is disputed, solicitors representing the refugees attempt to contest the councils age assessment by threatening to take the authority to judicial review.

Instead of incurring high legal costs, the council has been providing homes and support for the young immigrants  at a cost of around 350,000 a year  until they claim they reach adulthood.

However, according to a report to the councils education and childrens services committee, it cant go on funding the increasing numbers as it tackles a 6.6million budget shortfall.

Don't report illegal immigrants if they're crime victims, police told Police should turn a blind eye to illegal immigrants if they are victims of crime, according to new guidance. It says officers will not take enforcement action in relation to any suspected immigration breaches when people have been crime victims. The guidance was agreed by chief officers amid heightened interest after the Windrush scandal, when it emerged that Commonwealth citizens had been wrongfully detained and deported. It says that where a person reporting a crime is identified as potentially not having leave to remain or enter the UK, the fundamental principle must be first and foremost to treat them as a victim. The guidance includes a ban on checking the police national computer solely to see if someone is an illegal immigrant. A paper setting out the policy says: Where police are investigating a crime and it becomes apparent the victim is also suspected of being an illegal immigrant, it is appropriate that the officer in the case should contact Immigration Enforcement at the appropriate juncture, whilst ensuring they are also treated as a victim. The police will share that information with Immigration Enforcement, but will not take any enforcement action in relation to any suspected immigration breaches. Advertisement

Bosses have now agreed to pay to fight the next six cases in court. They say that if they win, it could save them up to 850,000 a year.

Councillor Barry Kushner, cabinet member for children and social care on the city council, said: We will start to challenge these cases so were not rolling over all the time.

But this is a judicial review and is expensive. They cost 20,000 to 30,000 a time. There are some legal firms playing the system, which is a real issue. We need the Government to link things together because their age assessments at the point of entry into the UK are not robust enough.

Even if we think young people are adults, we have to get a proper assessment and place them in the right environment  we cant put them with other children  which takes time and money. Local taxpayers are picking up the tab for what should be coming out of the national pot.

The Local Government Association said Liverpools problems were not unique.

Deputy chairman David Simmonds said: This is a national issue. The process at the border is pretty weak because there is no definitive way of checking age. Lawyers know a judicial review will cost a council between 20,000 and 60,000 and use the threat of court to get their client what they want.

Fair play to Liverpool for trying to stand up to it. But win or lose, the taxpayer always loses out.

According to the report, the 15 asylum seekers correctly identified as children should have been dispersed at their point of entry in the UK by the Home Office and not sent to Liverpool. Failure to assess them earlier has cost taxpayers in the city more than 650,000 in foster placement and accommodation costs.

While Liverpool should be able to recover that from the Government, it is still paying for the other 17 refugees who claim to be under 18 while their cases are assessed.

The report said: If the results are similar to the 39, this could cost Liverpool City Council an additional circa 500,000, on top of the existing 1million. Last month, an investigation began after parents at a school in Suffolk complained that an asylum seeker posing as a boy of 15 was attending lessons with their children.

Stoke High School, which is an Ormiston Academy in Ipswich, where some of the parent's concerns were dismissed by staff, who in some cases had claimed the objections were motivated by racism

Siavash Shah, described by pupils as having a beard and looking 30, spent six weeks as a Year 11 pupil at Stoke High School in Ipswich. He is expected to be deported after the Home Office concluded he was older than 18.

A Home Office spokesman said: Age-disputed cases remain challenging.

The Home Office will treat someone claiming to be a child as an adult where their appearance and demeanour very strongly suggests they are significantly over 18.

We recognise that local authorities feel funding for supporting unaccompanied asylum-seeking children remains an issue and that is why it is under review.
The Indonesian government has been in "structural communication" with China for the past year. Jakarta refuses any government-to-government loan. For Indonesian minister, Chinese investment must include Indonesian workers and the most advanced, environmentally friendly technology.

Jakarta (AsiaNews /Agencies)  In order to capitalise on Chinas Belt and Road Initiative (BRI), Indonesia wants to secure up to US$ 60 billion from Chinese investors to build power plants, factories, ports and infrastructure in the provinces of Central Kalimantan, North Sumatera, North Sulawesi and the island of Bali.

Despite growing international concern over Chinas business modus operandi, which lead to so-called "debt trap", Indonesian authorities are for now not too worried about the potential problem.

Despite Indonesia's strategic position, Southeasts largest economy is not among the main beneficiaries of the new Silk Road.

However, Jakarta has been in structural communication with Beijing since last year on possible infrastructure projects worth a combined US$ 50 billion to US$ 60 billion, said Ridwan Djamaluddin, Indonesias Deputy Minister of Maritime Affairs.

So far, its biggest BRI project is a US$ 6 billion railway linking Jakarta to Bandung but the construction has faced problems related to land procurement. But there is more. Indonesia has in fact proposed a number of projects across the country, whilst Chinese officials and experts have toured regional governments in search of projects to fund.

We are fully aware that we must not let this cooperation end badly, Djamaluddin said. Other countries have been forced to pay back loans and some have let go of their assets. We dont want that.

Getting agreement has taken longer than expected because Indonesia insisted on a business-to-business (B2B) structure for all its deals, refusing to take any government-to-government loans, he added.

I understand were not as quick as other countries to tap into the fund because the fund owner will think longer on our offers, Djamaluddin said.

The minister expects agreements in the next round of talks in April, after China responds to Indonesias most recent proposal last month.

The B2B model would shield Indonesia from any risk of China wielding leverage because of the countrys financial dependence. And, he insisted, Chinese investment must employ Indonesian workers and have the most advanced, environmentally friendly technology and allow for transfer of technology.

Projects on offer include four hydropower plants with a combined value of US$ 35 billion in Indonesias province of North Kalimantan on the island of Borneo.
The Duke and Duchess of Cambridge failed to attend a board meeting of the Royal Foundation this week amid rumours of a royal rift with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

William and Kate lead the foundation together with Harry and Meghan but while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex both attended the meeting, as well as a staff Christmas party afterwards, the other two members of the so-called Fab Four didn't show up.

Kensington Palace insists that the Cambridges were not expected, but a source admitted that it 'was a shame' they didn't attend the meeting or the subsequent party.

Rumours of a rift between the Cambridges and the Sussexes have spread like wildfire following the announcement that Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, are set to move away from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge visit military personnel in Cyprus on December 5. The royal couple skipped a board meeting attended by Prince Harry and Meghan

And the latest chapter of the rumoured rivalry saw Harry and Meghan attend the board meeting alone.

A source revealed: 'Not only were Harry and Meghan there, but they went to the staff Christmas party afterwards.

'It was a very jolly affair. It's a shame that William and Catherine did not turn up.'

Kensington Palace insists that the Cambridges had not been expected. 'Their Royal Highnesses attend these meetings in turn,' a spokesman says.

'This session was focused on programmes led by the Duke of Sussex.'

Although the rift has mostly focused on the relationship between Meghan and Kate, recent reports suggest that the issue is actually between William and Harry.

According to the Sun, a royal source claims that Harry is accusing William of trying to 'wreck his relationship with Meghan'.

Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex at The Royal Variety Performance, held at the London Palladium. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex both attended the board meeting

William is believed to have 'voiced concerns' about Meghan to his brother.

And Harry's over-protectiveness of his wife has apparently driven a wedge between the two brothers.

One courtier told the Sun: 'It's my opinion that Harry feels he couldn't protect his mother, so he's going all out to protect his wife.

'This is his way of atoning. He will brook absolutely no criticism of Meghan  and he is so sensitive he often sees criticism or negativity where there isnt any.'

The friction between the two apparently started when William tried to give Harry some brotherly advice about the Canadian actress, back when their romance was still fairly new.

However, the chat went down badly with one friend saying that Harry 'went mental'.

The friend added that the relationship between the two brothers has never really recovered since.

Rumours of a rift between the two royal couples started when Harry and Meghan announced they would be moving to Windsor

The source also revealed that Meghan felt rebuffed when she tried to befriend Kate and that the brothers are competing against each other over palace appointments.

Meghan apparently tried to approach Kate to learn the ropes but the Duchess of Cambridge was pre-occupied with her children Prince Louis, George, five, and Charlotte, three.

The Duchess of Sussex is also said to be surprising the royal household with just how keen her mind is.

Harry and Meghan are set to move out of Kensington Palace - and away from William and Kate - to make a new home at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

Officially, the couple are moving to have their own space for their new child who is due in the spring.

However, rumours have spread since the announcement that a secret family feud is the real reason for the move.
The Government of New South Wales is negotiating compensation payments to female students who were preyed upon by their teachers in the 1980s.

Law firm Maurice Blackburn have confirmed they are acting on behalf of several women who had relationships with their teachers, The Daily Telegraph reported.

The women claim they were victims of a culture which allowed male teachers to sleep with students while school officials turned a blind eye.

This culture was exposed by the podcast Teacher's Pet which focused on the disappearance of Lyn Dawson, wife of former Cromer High teacher Chris Dawson.

Seedy culture was exposed by the podcast Teacher's Pet which focused on the disappearance of Lyn Dawson, wife of former Cromer High teacher Chris Dawson.(pictured together)

Mr Dawson moved his teenage mistress Joanne Curtis (pictured) into the family home just two days after Lyn Dawson went missing

There is no suggestion that Mr Dawson is the subject of any claims made by the women.

However, at least one of the women did attend Cromer High, the school where Dawson taught Joanne Curtis.

Mr Dawson moved his teenage mistress Joanne into the family home just two days after Lyn went missing.

Mr Dawson was arrested this week and charged with her murder.

Maurice Blackburn told the publication they have been in contact with the NSW Department of Education and are waiting on a response before they officially lodge the claims.

New South Wales Police are still investigating the historical claims of sexual abuse at three Sydney northern beaches schools, Cromer, Forest and Beacon Hill.

It's believed the claimants are tied to the police investigation.

The law firm said it was hopeful the Department of Education would be willing to accept the compensation payments which could be anywhere from $100,000 to $1million.

Law firm Maurice Blackburn are acting on behalf of several women who had relationships with their teachers, The Daily Telegraph reported (pictured)

A department spokesperson told the publication it would not get in the way of the police investigation.

Jane Muir was a Cromer High school captain in 1983 and told The Daily Telegraph it wasn't just Mr Dawson who had relationships with students.

'It was a culture where teachers and the students mixed quite readily  there was a lot of underage drinking and we saw them at parties,' she said.

'I know myself, I didn't think much of it. I assumed that it was the norm.

'I was grabbed by a male teacher I was babysitting for, he tried to kiss me.'

She said students still carried the demons of what happened to them more than three decades later and that victims deserved to see justice done.
A curtain of secrecy should be wrapped around the workings of the family courts that decide whether children should be taken into care or given up for adoption, judges were told yesterday.

The identities of social workers, doctors, and expert witnesses should be removed from officially published judgements, the countrys most senior family judge said.

The names of councils that seize children from their parents should also be kept from the public, Sir Andrew McFarlane said in instructions passed down to the courts.

Even the name and location of the town where the court made its decision may be suppressed.

Sir Andrew McFarlane took over of president of the Family Division of the High Court in the autumn (Royal Courts of Justice pictured)

Sir Andrew, who took over in the autumn as president of the Family Division of the High Court, said that key information about child cases should be secret to protect children.

He said academic reports had suggested they may suffer if published information about family court cases means that their neighbours can work out who they are.

But campaigners for open justice say the new rules mark a reverse for efforts to open up the family courts to public scrutiny.

John Hemming, a former LibDem MP and legal activist, said: These rules do not protect children, they protect the people who run the court system. By allowing bad practice to go on in secret you are really putting children at greater risk.

Family Courts had begun to publish rulings, almost always without naming those involved.
The mother of a baby who died after being pulled from a bath insists she is not to blame and says his death was just a 'tragic accident'.

Makavelii Leoni, 13-months, died in hospital on September 24 after he was found not breathing at his home in Cairns.

His mother Lina Marie Daley, who has a history of illicit drug use, may now be investigated for possible child neglect and homicide.

Makavelii Leoni, 13-months, died in hospital on September 24 after he was found not breathing at his home in Cairns

Ms Daley, 20, claimed on Saturday that a friend was bathing her son before his death, not herself, 'so how is it my fault?'

In social media posts seen by Daily Mail Australia the young woman said Makavelii's death was a 'tragic unforeseen accident'.

'No parent should have to bare (sic) this pain, love you forever my son wish I could bring you back,' she said on September 25.

'Gone way to soon, rest In peace my beautiful baby boy. Your brother and I will always love you, forever our hearts.'

Ms Daley was unable to explain the events leading up to her son's death, according to Child Safety documents.

Ms Daley, who has a history of illicit drug use, was unable to explain the events leading up to her son's death

Makavelii had multiple bruises and bite marks on his body and a graze to his left temple, the Cairns Post reported.

He also had a possible burn mark with 3mm of skin missing from his forehead.

'There are concerns that Ms Daley may not have adequately supervised Makavelii and that he may have been left in the care of persons who were unsafe,' the documents read.

'There are concerns that Ms Daley may have been under the influence of substances whilst caring for Makavelii.'

Ms Daley claimed her son's the injuries were a result of ordinary misadventures encountered by small children.

Makavelii had multiple bruises and bite marks on his body and a graze to his left temple and a possible burn mark with 3mm of skin missing from his forehead

Ms Daley tested positive for meth, speed, ecstasy, MDMA, and marijuana and that her drug use increased after her son's death

'They came from playing with his ruff head brother, falling when he was learning to walk, I have never and would never harm my children,' she said.

The documents revealed Ms Daley had tested positive for meth, speed, ecstasy, MDMA, and marijuana and that her drug use increased after her son's death.

She had also become suicidal, they added.

However, Ms Daley denied she had tested positive, or was under the influence, at the time of her son's death.

'Yes I have done drugs since he passed away, and tried to end my life because losing your child is indescribable and the pain I feel is worse than anyone can imagine,' she said.

Social media posts seen by the Cairns Post appeared to show her taking at least some responsibility for Makavelii's death

Social media posts seen by the Cairns Post appeared to show her taking at least some responsibility for Makavelii's death.

'I'm the reason his (sic) gone,' she allegedly wrote in now-deleted comments. 'Nothing but a child killa I Am'.

Makavelii's body was finally released to his family on Friday after months of examination by the coroner.

Police have not yet filed any charges are were still trying to identify the baby's cause of death and compile a report for the coroner.
The British far-Right is forging a sinister alliance with highly organised neo-Nazis in Poland, the Mail can reveal.

Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen  currently on the run from police  has been in regular contact with extremists in Warsaw.

She reportedly plans to return to Poland after previously delighting a crowd of 10,000 at a rally in the country where fascists waved white supremacy flags and chanted racist slogans.

Across Britain, far-Right groups posing as respectable Polish patriots have set up cells to recruit youngsters via family days and seemingly innocent offers to help their community, while a former Polish wrestling champion has become a key lieutenant in Britain First.

Menacing: Members of far-Right groups light torches at a gathering in Warsaw, Poland

Anti-racist campaigners warned it was part of a deeply disturbing trend of British extremists developing links with larger, more regimented neo-Nazi organisations in Eastern Europe.

Ex-wrestling champion Marian Lukasik, who moved to the UK in 2004 and now lives in north London, told the Mail he has helped scores of Poles to join Britain First and attend its rallies in London and the Midlands. He said: Many, many people call me and want to join. Im not their leader but I help these people.

Mr Lukasik, who has called for Angela Merkels assassination over her immigration policy, was with Miss Fransen when she addressed a far-Right rally in Wroclaw last year.

He said: People at the rally loved her. Jayda was invited to come this year but was not allowed because of the terms of her arrest.

Polish rally: Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen, right, with Jacek Miedlar and Piotr Rybak

Members of National Radical Camp and Malopolskie Patriotic light torches during a commemorative ceremony during the 74th anniversary of the Warsaw Uprising at the Main Square

What we are doing we are doing for free, for the community.

It emerged last night Fransen was on the run after police raided an address in London to try to arrest her for allegedly breaching parole conditions following her release from a nine-month sentence for religious hate crimes.

Police have urged her to surrender after she allegedly fled to Northern Ireland, Britain First leader Paul Golding said in an email to the groups members.

Miss Fransen, 32, is banned from Northern Ireland after building up a base for Britain First there, and has to give ten days notice to the authorities before travelling away from her probation hostel.

Mr Golding added: At any moment she can be arrested and dragged to a court in London. Its only a matter of time.

March of the extremists National Radical Camp The National Radical Camp is a Polish neo-Nazi organisation gaining a foothold in the UK. It sees itself as a continuation of the fascist Falanga group that existed during the Second World War and wants a homogeneously ethnic Poland. It has said it is setting up factions for compatriots in Leeds, Glasgow and Birmingham. United Poland Association Britain First deputy leader Jayda Fransen has formed a strong bond with Polish ex-priest Jacek Miedlar, who started the far-Right United Poland Association, a former Britain First member told the Mail. She began bringing Polish-born Britain First member Marian Lukasik to events with them to connect with the group and he became their link man. Ogniwo (the link) Members of this Polish patriotic association have been pictured making Nazi salutes and had military training sessions in the UK. It is mainly based in London but has chapters in Cambridgeshire and the South of England. Advertisement

Also at the rally in Wroclaw with Miss Fransen were two of Mr Lukasiks associates  priest Jacek Miedlar, sacked from his Catholic church for anti-Semitic rants, and Piotr Rybak, jailed in 2015 for burning an effigy of a Jew at an anti-Muslim march in the city.

Mr Miedlar has also spoken of his regular contact with Fransen and celebrated her release from jail last month by posting a picture of them together on Twitter.

Rafal Pankowski, from Never Again, Polands largest anti-racist organisation, said the drive by Polish far-Right groups to send activists to the UK could lead to violence if unchecked.

Mr Lukasik returned to Poland last month  accompanied by another British far-Right campaigner known only as Based Amy who regularly taunts Muslims  to attend the Polish Independence Day rally.

The march was hijacked by thousands of followers of the Polish neo-fascist group the National Radical Camp (NRC).

Fiyaz Mughal, from the anti-extremist group Faith Matters, warned the NRC was one of a number of Polish extremist groups now operating in Britain.

He said: We have seen far-Right entryism into the heart of Polish communities. Extremist are infiltrating decent people by offering to do apparently healthy patriotic things like clean graves of Poles and organising family days with a bouncy castle for the kids. The authorities know it is happening but are struggling to deal with it. He added: Six years ago Britain First was having a go at Polish people, telling them to go home. Now they court them.

Its sinister to see them getting together and a great concern.

Mr Lukasik is facing a civil court hearing in Poland that he claims is politically motivated because of his support for Britain First.

Miss Fransen, of Penge, south-east London, has a string of convictions relating to religious hate crimes and has posted a number of threatening videos to Britain Firsts social media channels.
Motability yesterday revealed record profits  on the day it was exposed for overcharging disabled customers while hoarding billions of pounds.

The taxpayer-funded charitable car schemes annual report shows it made a spare 516million last year.

Chief executive Mike Betts is already quitting in disgrace after the Mail investigated his 1.7million pay and an official report by auditors concluded his firm was overcharging the disabled by 390million.

Mike Betts (left) decision to quit came after the investigation revealed his company had been overcharging customers

The company published its 2018 annual report which shows it is making more cash than ever  with every penny coming from the public purse.

The figures show that Motability, which leases cars to wheelchair users and others in exchange for their state mobility benefits, doubled its profits in 2017-2018. The firm is supposedly non-profit so any money it makes from the disabled, and from sales of second-hand cars, is usually added to its reserves  currently standing at 2.5billion.

In response to a Mail investigation earlier this year, the company scrambled to offload its profits by making a 400million donation to Motabilitys charitable arm.

The Mail investigated Mr Betts' 1.7million pay and an official report by auditors concluded his firm was overcharging the disabled by 390million

The sum was so vast  14 times the charitys annual budget  that it will struggle to absorb it, the National Audit Offices report said.

After making this donation, just before the end of its financial year in September, Motability Operations went on to record a post-tax profit of 116million.

Taken together, it means the amount of money that went unspent, before the last-minute donation, was 516million  a record profit for the charitable organisation. The previous years profit was 217million.

If this half a billion pounds was returned to the taxpayer, rather than being kept within the Motability scheme, it could pay for 15 new schools or the salaries of 22,000 teachers.

Last night Labour MP John Mann, a member of the Commons Treasury committee, said: This truly is a company with no shame. It beggars belief that on the very day they are exposed for overcharging vulnerable people with disabilities and paying the top boss a telephone-number salary, they reveal record profits.

This money should be going straight back to the Treasury to be put to good use. Motabilitys shamed chief executive fell on his sword on Thursday, on the eve of a damning official inquiry by the National Audit Office triggered by the Mails investigation.

Motability Operations Ltd offices at Gate House, Southwark Bridge Road in London

But there was fresh anger when it emerged Mr Betts could cling to his post for up to 17 months until a successor is found, potentially earning hundreds of thousands of pounds more.

The NAO report condemned levels of executive pay at Motability and its unnecessarily large pile of reserve money. It found the firm had racked up a whopping 1.05billion in unplanned profits.

Forensic accountants also discovered a bonus worth 2.2million due to Mr Betts which had been hushed up in previous years accounts.

In his statement to Motabilitys annual report, Mr Betts said: We are proud of the service we provide. Meeting the needs of customers is our major focus.
A shocking investigation has revealed how former English Defence League founder Tommy Robinson is receiving significant financial and political support from abroad - including from a US tech billionaire.

The controversial newly-appointed UKIP adviser has become something of symbol for the American far-right after he was jailed on contempt of court charges in May.

And his popularity has seen him receive support from US thinktanks, Russian and Australian trolls and several major right-wing figures.

The news comes as several high-profile UKIP members, including former leader Paul Nuttal, resigned from the party following Robinson's appointment.

The investigation has revealed how a US tech billionaire and several US thinktanks have given financial and political aid to Tommy Robinson

As well as the tech billionaire, he has received funding from a Philadelphia-based thinktank and two other organisations who have published several articles to support Robinson.

The startling network was laid bare by a Guardian investigation.

The Philadelphia thinktank is called the Middle East Forum and it spent around $60,000 (47,000) on Robinson's legal fees and demonstrations staged in London earlier this year.

Meanwhile, tech billionaire Robert Shillman funded a fellowship that helped pay for Robinson to be employed by a rightwing Canadian media website, the Rebel Media, in 2017 on a salary of about 5,000 a month.

A smaller Australian rightwing group, called the Australian Liberty Alliance, also claimed to fund the former EDL leader, but withheld the amount it spent.

The Gatestone Institute, in New York, published a series of articles to support Robinson, as did the David Horowitz Freedom Center (DHFC) in California, that describes itself as a 'school for political warfare'.

Ex-Ukip leader Paul Nuttall became the latest to walk away from the party over the hiring of Tommy Robinson as an advisor today

Horowitz, the co-founder of the DHFC, told the Guardian in an email: 'Tommy Robinson is a courageous Englishman who has risked his life to expose the rape epidemic of young girls conducted by Muslim gangs and covered up by your shameful government.'

The investigation also found that more than 40 per cent of the tweets supporting Robinson came from the US, 30 per cent from the UK and he also received significant support from Canada, the Netherlands and nine other countries.

Meanwhile, 600 Twitter accounts, believed to be directly tied to the Russian government, tweeted multiple times in Robinson's defence.

Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, has also been using Facebook donation tools, which are designed for charities, to raise funds for his activism for several months.

Gerard Batten appointed Mr Yaxley-Lennon as an adviser on rape gangs and prison reform. They are pictured in an undated photo

He has more than 1 million followers from at least a dozen countries outside the UK, including the US, Australia, Sweden and Norway.

He claims to have raised several hundred thousand pounds from donations which he says he intends to use to launch a European version of the rightwing conspiracy website Infowars and to sue the British government over his prison treatment.

The network comes a day after UKIP was thrown into yet more chaos by a trio of resignations in protest at Tommy Robinson being appointed as an adviser.

Former leader Paul Nuttall was the first to walk, complaining about the direction the beleaguered party has taken under his successor, Gerard Batten.

Mr Batten has been criticised for appointing political activist and English Defence League (EDL) founder Mr Robinson, real name Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, as an adviser on rape gangs and prison reform.

Mr Nuttall said: 'The association with Tommy Robinson will simply appal many moderate Brexit voters and inevitably be detrimental to the cause.'

Ukip's leader in Scotland, MEP David Coburn, also resigned. He protested about the 'English nationalist direction' adopted by the party and accused it of promoting anti-Islamic policies.

'As a unionist, I abhor English nationalism as much as I abhor Scottish nationalism,' he wrote in a resignation letter. 'The party has been infiltrated by people with an alternative agenda.'

Later, former London mayoral candidate and serving London Assembly member Peter Whittle also announced he was quitting.

Ukip's most high-profile figure, Nigel Farage, quit the party earlier this week after calling for Mr Batten to be ousted over the appointment of Mr Robinson.
Parents of teens at a Florida high school are outraged after an unannounced 'code red drill' was conducted this week, sending students and teachers into a panic.

Orange County school district spokesman Michael Lawrence told the Orlando Sentinel the drill happened Thursday morning at Lake Brantley High School.

Panic was caused when a Lake Brantley student shared a screenshot of an alert that some teachers received during the drill, warning of an active shooter on campus.

The text message alert read: 'Active Shooter reported at Brantley/ Building 1/ Building 2 and other buildings by B Shafer at 10:21:45. Initiate a Code Red Lockdown.'

Lake Brantley High School in Florida conducted an unannounced 'code red drill' Thursday

The problem was, the text message did not provide indication the active shooter incident was not real.

Lawrence said schools sometimes conduct unannounced drills and immediately alert parents.

He said Thursday's message may have gone out a 'bit later' than normal.

The drill happened Thursday morning at Lake Brantley High School. Students posted about the incident on social media

A parent who responded to the school's Facebook message said her daughter was terrified.

'Nothing is more terrifying than getting a text from your daughter who is hiding in her classroom having a complete anxiety attack,' the parent wrote.

She said it was the wrong way to practice safety.

Principal Trent Daniel sent out an email that said administrators believe a student is responsible for the 'campus disruption caused by a social media post.'

Daniel said that a second incident 'started in the cafeteria' when the post was 'disseminated to other students and parents.'

Daniel added the incident is being investigated as a 'disciplinary matter and all responsible parties will be disciplined.'

Lake Brantley High School is pictured above
A softened border policy allowing asylum seekers into Australia even if they are rapists and murderers could become reality early next year.

Opposition leader Bill Shorten has pushed for asylum decisions to not include considerations of the applicant's character, it has been revealed.

In medical cases where a foreign national has to be sent to Australia to treatment, doctors could even make the final decision via Skype.

Scroll down for video

Opposition leader Bill Shorten (pictured) has pushed for asylum decisions to not include considerations of the applicant's character, it has been revealed

The government and the opposition are due to clash on what has been dubbed the 'medivac bill' when it passes through the lower house in February.

Seen in legal advice by The Daily Telegraph, the new push has come under fire from immigration minister David Coleman.

'Under Labor's law, a person who has been convicted of serious offences would have to come to Australia and there is nothing the minister could do to stop it,' he said.

'For the alternative prime minister to support this is staggering.'

For those asylum seekers on Nauru, two doctors' recommendation would be enough to force the Australian government to bring them over for medical treatment.

The policy would also apply to those who have been sent to Manus Island.

In that case, the immigration minister would have just 24 hours to approve moving the asylum seeker.

For those asylum seekers on Nauru and Manus Island in Papua New Guinea (pictured, stock image), two doctors' recommendation would be enough to force the Australian government to bring them over for medical treatment

In medical cases where a foreign national has to be sent to Australia to treatment, doctors could even make the final decision via Skype (stock image)

The only grounds under which the minister could fight the doctors' recommendations would be medically-based or if the person was a terror threat.

The changes, which would still be verifiable by a medical panel, were first proposed by independent MP Kerryn Phelps.

Speaking to ABC, Mr Shorten defended his party's policy change.

He said: 'Labor does not accept the corollary between discouraging the people-smuggling trade and keeping people in detention for five plus years. That's shameful.'
Leaders of the cash-rich police union have been accused of betraying the memory of murdered officers by refusing to fund a memorial to those killed in the line of duty.

The Police Federation of England and Wales, which represents 120,000 rank-and-file officers, had pledged to give up to 1million towards the cost of building a new 4.5million police cenotaph to remember 4,000 fallen officers.

Those to be honoured at the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire included 1,400 police officers who gave their lives protecting the public, as well as those who died while at work.

PC Fiona Bone (right), 32, and PC Nicola Hughes (left), 23, were murdered in a gun and grenade attack

But the Federation, which has a 26million luxury HQ in Surrey and millions of pounds in assets and reserves, has allegedly gone back on its pledge to make a huge donation towards the memorial  plunging plans for the project into serious doubt.

So far, 3.6million has been raised from the Government, the private sector and the police, including about 250,000 from local branch boards of the Federation. But another 900,000 is still needed for the memorial to be built and opened late next year.

One-eyed drug dealer Dale Cregan murdered PC Bone and PC Hughes in Greater Manchester in 2012

The funding gap had been expected to be filled by the national Police Federation, which has been dogged by controversy in recent years. Sources in the Federation said verbal reassurances had been given by two of its senior officials that up to 1million would be given towards the memorial project.

Sources added that its new chairman, John Apter, who has been supportive of the memorial project, has been outmanoeuvred by old guard colleagues and that the snub has caused bitter divisions.

Last night the widow of one of three unarmed police officers shot dead by a notorious career criminal said those behind the snub should be ashamed of themselves.

Gillian Wombwell, 72, whose husband David, 25, was killed by Harry Roberts in London in 1966, said: The whole thing is totally unjust. The fact that the national Police Federation doesnt support this memorial project is incredulous.

They ask the public to dig deep in their pockets to support it, but arent doing it themselves. They are betraying the memory of brave officers.

The fathers of Fiona Bone, 32, and Nicola Hughes, 23, two police officers who were murdered in a gun and grenade attack by one-eyed drug dealer Dale Cregan in Greater Manchester in 2012, urged Federation leaders to change their minds.

Its reserves of cash run to millions With 16.5million in central reserves and a 26million HQ in Leatherhead, Surrey, the Police Federation of England and Wales could hardly be described as impoverished. On top of this astonishing wealth, there are 43 branch boards across individual police forces, which together have reserves and assets worth tens of millions of pounds more. The exact amount held by the branches of the Federation was unclear last night. But sources admitted that the union remains cash rich. The Federation, which represents 120,000 officers from the rank of chief inspector down, was mired in controversy about its finances following an independent review five years ago. According to reports, it had reserve funds of 64.5million  about 35million held by local branch boards. The fall in police numbers in recent years has led to a fall in revenue from subscriptions. Advertisement

Paul Bone said the funding U-turn was really disappointing. Bryn Hughes said: There needs to be a place where people can go and have time and space to reflect, and where they can pay their respects.

Details of the dispute have been revealed in a letter to Home Secretary Sajid Javid from former chief constable Sir Hugh Orde, chairman of the trustees of The Police Arboretum Memorial Trust.

Sir Hugh said: Whilst a number of local branch boards (of the Federation) have been extremely generous, it is disappointing that the national organisation that represents all 120,000 frontline police officers feels unable to make a donation.

The Police Federation said: We have not declined to make a donation  the Federation collectively has already given nearly 250,000 and have been looking at other ways in which we can support this project. The Federation has not gone back on anything.

It said a request for an additional 760,000 was considered too much by many, taking account of the fact that, as an organisation, we had already given almost 250,000.

Donations can be made to the Memorial by visiting www.ukpolicememorial.org and clicking on the donate button. Alternatively you can make a 5 text donation by texting COURAGE to 70171.
A man has been charged with allegedly murdering two people in a caravan park.

Detectives took the 64-year-old man into custody over the suspected homicides on Thursday, 9 News reported.

Police were first called to Calliope Caravan Park south of Gladstone, Queensland, at about 5pm on Thursday - where they found the bodies of a 63-year-old man and a 60-year-old woman.

The 64-year-old will face Gladstone Magistrates Court charged with two counts of murder on Monday December 10.

A man has been charged for allegedly murdering two people in a caravan park in a suspected double murder

Police were first called to Calliope Caravan Park (pictured) south of Gladstone, Queensland at about 5pm on Thursday

The 63-year-old man, believed to be a former railway worker, had been found on a veranda outside his caravan with head injuries.

He was transported to Gladstone Hospital for treatment but later died.

A good friend of the victim said the injuries were terrifying.

Gladstone Police Station (pictured) - a command post and crime scene was set up at the caravan complex and a homicide investigation centre was brought in to the police station

'He was slumped over his veranda, the blood was everywhere - splattered everywhere,' the friend said.

The body of the woman was also found inside the caravan, also having suffered significant injuries.

Neighbours raised the alarm after the television was left on and nobody answered her door.

The long-term residents of the park may have been in a de-facto relationship, 9 News reported.

Detective Inspector Darrin Shadlow had said in a statement the pair knew each other.

'Our investigations to date indicate that the incidents may have occurred sometime between 3.30 and 4.40pm yesterday.

A 63-year-old man had been found on a veranda outside his caravan with head injuries

'We are appealing for anyone who may have noticed or heard something or seen anyone suspicious, or something out of the ordinary, to contact us.'

Police have launched a full-scale investigation and spent Thursday night interviewing residents of the complex.

A command post and crime scene were also set up at the complex and a homicide investigation centre brought in at Gladstone Police Station.

Police have launched a full-scale investigation and spent Thursday night interviewing residents of the complex
Boris Johnson made a thinly-disguised pitch for the Tory leadership yesterday amid signs of concerted plotting among some senior ministers.

In an interview with a website popular with Tory activists, the former Foreign Secretary launched an astonishing assault on the Prime Ministers Brexit deal.

He said it was full of exquisite humiliations and suggested it was equivalent to the terms that might be imposed on a nation that had suffered a military defeat.

Meanwhile, Remainer Tories were revealed to be working on a project to stop Boris amid reports up to 20 MPs could quit the party if Theresa May is ousted next week and he wins the leadership.

Boris Johnson speaks at the Conservative Home fringe meeting at the Conservative Party Conference in Birmingham in October

Former Attorney General Dominic Grieve, former business minister Anna Soubry and backbench MPs Heidi Allan and Sarah Wollaston were among the names floated yesterday.

At the same time, the Home Secretary Sajid Javid and Andrea Leadsom sparked speculation about a joint ticket by inviting MPs to a joint Christmas drinks party.

Observers suggested the alliance would help Mr Javid  who backed Remain  win support among pro-Brexit Tories. But aides insisted the only reason for the event was their offices were next door.

There were also claims leadership candidates were already offering up cabinet jobs in return for support.

The BBC reported one senior Tory suggesting he had been offered a cabinet post by two different candidates.

In an interview with the ConservativeHome website yesterday, Mr Johnson suggested Mrs May had collaborated with the EU by agreeing to the customs backstop. Its unbelievable. Its a kind of S&M approach to government. What perversion is it where you want to be locked up in chains.

Theresa May attending the switch on of the Christmas lights outside 10 Downing Street this week

It also emerged Mr Johnson had compared his predicament over Brexit to that of Winston Churchill in the Second World War.

He said Churchill had gambled by confronting Nazi Germany in the face of opposition from appeasers.

In comments which risked accusations he was comparing the EU to Nazi Germany, he told an audience of financial firms in Amsterdam on Tuesday the result was to rescue this continent ... from a pretty odious tyranny.

So you cant say he was wrong. In fact he was triumphantly right. A compulsive gambler was proved triumphantly right.

And I think the only lesson I draw from that is that sometimes you do need to do the difficult thing and you do need to take a position that everyone says is too fraught with risk.

And the lesson I draw from that is the UK today has every reason to be confident about our future and what we can achieve.
A Queensland paramedic has spoken of the terrifying race against time to save her own life after she was bitten by a deadly brown snake.

Emma Hegarty noticed her cat Moxie getting irritated about something hiding under a recliner chair in the backyard patio at her Dalby home, in the Darling Downs region, on November 27.

She pulled the lever to find out the source of Moxie's irritation when the venomous snake suddenly struck her leg.

Queensland paramedic Emma Hegarty (pictured) became a patient after she was bitten on the leg by a deadly brown snake at her Dalby home last week

'It was more than a metre long,' she told Yahoo 7.

Ms Hegarty, 27, was on her own at home at the time and her neighbours were out.

Nor did she have a first-aid kit and had to use a belt to create a tourniquet for her leg.

Ms Hegarty knew time was against her, having seen a woman die and a man go into cardiac arrest on previous snake bite jobs as a paramedic.

'I knew the venom would only move into my bloodstream if I moved around a lot or my heart rate went up,' she said.

'I'm bloody lucky and there's nothing like a near-death experience as a wake-up call.'

Fortunately, the bite was only a warning one and after an overnight stay in hospital, Ms Hegarty was back at her job two days later.

Emma Hegarty spent a night in hospital and returned to work as paramedic within days

She urged people to have their phone at hand at all times so they can call triple-0 if a snake bite emergency occurs.

A snake catcher called to Ms Hegarty's home was unable to find the reptile.

The brown snake is considered the world's second-most venomous land snake and is responsible for around 60 per cent of snake bite deaths in Australia.

Bites can result in paralysis, uncontrollable bleeding and death if left untreated.

People are urged to be vigilant for deadly brown snakes (pictured) as summer heats up

Ms Hegarty's ordeal has promoted Queensland Ambulance to post a series of warnings about snakes in recent days.

'Prevention is better than cure when it comes to snakes  take extra care to avoid them during these hot months,' it tweeted.

Queensland Ambulance also advises everyone to avoid walking through long grass, wear sturdy enclosed shoes and ensure you have quick access to a quality compression bandage.

'Avoid washing a snake bite wound  the hospital may need to test the bandage for poison to identify the type of snake,' it posted.
An Ohio woman busted shoplifting has attracted attention for her rather unusual mugshot that features her full-face skull tattoo.

Alyssa Zebrasky, 27, was arrested around 6:30pm Wednesday when police were called to the Walmart in Boardman Township after she was caught stealing a bag.

During a search, police said they found a hypodermic needle, a 'whitish rock like substance' and an 'orange pill' in containers inside her purse.

Alyssa Zebrasky, 27, was arrested around 6:30pm Wednesday for shoplifting

Before and after: Zebrasky's most recent Facebook photos are from 2012, when she had no tattoos and lighter hair (left) but a more recent mugshot shows her drastic transformation (right)

Zebrasky admitted to police the drugs were Methamphetamine and a suboxone pill.

She is seen in her mugshot with a spider web tattoo across her forehead and a skull design accross her eyes, cheeks, nose and lips.

Zebrasky last posted photos to Facebook in 2012, when she had very few tattoos and lighter hair.

What a difference: In 2012, Zebrasky had a few tattoos but nothing on her face

Police were called to the Walmart in Boardman Township after the woman stole a bag. They also found drugs in her purse

Her bio states she is from Cleveland and lived in Brooklyn Heights.

Zebrasky has been charged with theft, possession of drugs and drug abuse instruments.

She was booked to the Mahoning County Jail.

In November, Zebrasky was taken into custody for obstructing business in Austintown, according to Fox News.
A snake catcher filmed the incredible moment a python devoured a family's pet chicken inside their shed.

Gold Coast and Brisbane Snake Catchers shared the video of the 2.5m python swallowing the bird on its Facebook page on Friday.

Snake catcher Tony Harrison told Yahoo7 that the snake was so large it could have been 'knocking off' a chicken every week.

The family believe the python is responsible for at least one other missing chicken, he said.

A snake catcher filmed the moments he was tasked with relocating a python that had already half ingested a pet chicken inside of a family shed

'There was a second one in the barn too but he was mainly eating rats and mice so the homeowner asked that we leave him alone,' he told the publication.

The video shows Mr Harrison enter the family shed in the dead of night to find the two metre python already in the process of eating the whole chicken.

He he gets in for a closer look the snake seems to tighten its grip on its dinner.

'Unfortunately I've got two options, to sit here and let him get that down or I touch him and re regurgitates it,' Mr Harrison said.

The snake had already eaten one chicken and it returned to feed on the family's pet chicken

'It's one hell of a feed'

'I'll let him get it down then take him and release him'

The snake finished consuming the chicken in less than 30 minutes.

Mr Harrison took advantage of the fact the snake was lethargic after digesting the chicken before removing it from the shed.

Gold Coast and Brisbane snake Catchers told Daily Mail Australia the family was upset because the chicken happened to be a family pet.

Meanwhile social media users shared their opinions on the video.

'I just feed my 3 snakes tonight, they really enjoyed their frozen thawed rats! Now that fella there is really enjoying his meal tonight as well,' one social media user wrote on the video.

'I normally eat half a chicken from Charcoal Chickens. This snake is just plain greedy,' another added jokingly.

'Always amazes me,' a third added.
Police in New Zealand say a 26-year-old man will be charged with the murder of missing British backpacker Grace Millane.

Ms Millane, 22, from Essex, England, was last seen at an Auckland hotel nearly a week ago with the man, said to be Tinder date.

It comes hours after detectives announced they believed the missing backpacker had been murdered.

Auckland City Police Detective Inspector Scott Beard said evidence they had located so far told them Grace was 'no longer alive'.

A 26-year-old man is being held in connection with her murder and a vehicle of interest has been found.

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Ms Millane (pictured) was said to have been in regular contact with her family until she went missing on Saturday night

New Zealand Police have announced they believe missing British backpacker Grace Millane, 22, has been murdered. (pictured are released images of the young woman wearing her necklace (left) and her watch in the hope it might lead to information as to her whereabouts)

At a press conference at 5pm local time, Det Insp Beard told reporters Ms Millane's family had been informed of the investigation's latest development.

He said: 'Just after 3pm this afternoon (Saturday) a 26-year-old man was located at a central Auckland address by police.

'He was brought back to the Auckland Central Police Station and is currently speaking to us in relation to the murder of Grace Millane.

'Sadly the evidence we have gathered to this point of the inquiry has established that this is a homicide.

'We still do no know where Grace is. We are determined to find her and return her to her family.'

Earlier on Saturday police released images of her necklace and watch and urged anyone who recognised the items to come forward.

They said that several of Ms Millane's possessions, including her passport, were missing.

Despite a major police search and public campaign for information, no further sightings of the backpacker have been confirmed.

Police released this CCTV image of Grace Millane, 22, leaving Sky City, in Auckland's CBD, at around 7.15pm on December 1

In a tearful press conference on Friday, Ms Millane's millionaire father, who has travelled to Auckland, said the 'fun-loving' graduate's family are 'extremely concerned' for her welfare.

Ms Millane, who turned 22 on Sunday, was last seen with a 'male companion'at CityLife Hotel, in Auckland, on December 1.

Searches have also been carried out at the backpackers' accommodation.

Det Insp Beard said: 'Detectives have assessed Grace's belongings that were found at the backpackers where she was staying.

'Several of her belongings, including her passport, are missing and police believe it is likely Grace has these items with her.'

Ms Millane, from Essex, graduated from university in September and had embarked on a year-long worldwide trip.

After visiting Peru she arrived in New Zealand on November 20 and had been 'bombarding' her family with photos as she kept in near-daily contact with her parents and brothers via social media.

Her father, David Millane, said they last had contact on the day she vanished.

Police said they had received dozens of calls to a hotline and more than 25 staff were working on the case, trawling through hours of CCTV footage to trace her movements.

David Millane, Grace's property developer father, broke down in tears as he begged for help finding his backpacker daughter after she vanished in New Zealand

A CCTV image shows she was at Sky City, a hotel a short distance away, at 7.15pm on the same night - but her whereabouts between those two sightings is unknown.

Her father, a 60-year-old property developer, fought back tears as he urged anyone who has any information about his 'outgoing, fun-loving' daughter to come forward.

'We last had contact with her on Saturday the 1st of December and as a family we've been extremely concerned for her welfare,' said Mr Millane, who arrived in New Zealand on Friday morning.

'Grace is a lovely, outgoing, fun-loving and family orientated daughter.'

Her father David Millane, a 60-year-old property developer, wept as he made an emotional statement urging anyone who has any information about his 'outgoing, fun-loving' daughter to come forward

Police have revealed Grace was last seen with a man at the City Life hotel on December 1 before she disappeared. CCTV also showed her at Sky City earlier in the day

Declan Millane made an emotional plea to find his sister in a video widely shared on social media

The 22-year-old, originally from Essex in south-east England, travelled to Auckland two weeks ago

He tearfully explained that his daughter has never been out of contact with her family for such a long period of time, usually contacting them on social media.

'She arrived here on the 20th of November and has been bombarding us with numerous photographs and messages of her adventures,' Mr Millane said.

'We're all extremely upset and it's very difficult at this time to describe the range of emotions we are going through.'

'Finally I would like to take this opportunity to appeal to anybody who has seen, spoken to or come into contact with Grace over the last few days to come forward with any detail no matter how small and contact the investigation team.'

A spokesman for the Foreign Office said: 'We are providing consular support to the family in the UK, and working with the New Zealand Police in relation to reports of a missing British national in New Zealand.'

The family said it was 'completely out of character' for Ms Millane to go silent as they would speak with her most days

The 22-year-old tourist had reportedly been staying at Base Backpackers on Queen Street in the heart of Auckland

A missing persons report was filed on Wednesday morning and police are investigating
Shocking footage has emerged of an arsonist blowing himself up as he attempted to set a car on fire with two accomplices in Canada.

Montreal police are seeking the publics help in locating three men who were involved in setting an SUV on fire on Wednesday morning.

The arson attack was caught on camera at 10.55 am on Wednesday in Montreals Mile Ex district.

Police are seeking three suspects in connection with an arson attack on Esplanade Street

Police released CCTV images of two men who they believe carried out the arson attack

The surveillance video shows three men walking around a red 2018 Dodge Journey, opening its doors and pouring liquid from a plastic container.

Seconds later, one of the men sets the car on fire and it immediately explodes into flames, knocking one man over before they all run off.

Police say the three suspects are all men in their twenties who likely have burns on their hands and faces.

They also released CCTV footage which they believe is two of the suspects of the suspected arson attack.

The vehicle had an Ontario licence plate with the number BXNL 193.

Anyone with information is urged to call 911 or to place an anonymous call with Info Crime at 514-393-1133.

The footage shows the men circling the red 2018 Dodge Journey for a couple of seconds

The car then bursts into flames , sending two of the men hurling through the air with the impact

The suspects appear shocked but later manage to get to their feet and run from the scene

In October, a man killed in a car explosion over the weekend in Allentown, Pennsylvania, intentionally carried out the blast that also killed his 2-year-old son and another man.

Jacob Schmoyer, 26, revealed his intentions in four letters sent to his family and law enforcement, said Don Robinson, special agent in charge of the investigation for the Bureau of Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives.
A teenage girl has been charged with murder over the fatal stabbing of a 61-year-old woman.

Police arrested and charged the 18-year-old attacker following the brutal attack on Friday night in Adelaide.

Emergency services were called to a house at 5pm on Goodman Avenue in Kilburn, Adelaide Now reported.

A teenage girl has been charged with murder over the fatal stabbing of a 61-year-old woman

Emergency services were called to a house at 5pm on Goodman Avenue in Kilburn, Adelaide Now reported

The victim died at the scene from her stab wounds and hours later major crime detectives arrested the girl at her home.

She was charged with murder on Saturday morning.

The 61-year-old lived at the home with her husband it is thought she and the girl were known to each other.

A fellow resident said the victim was a 'really nice lady'.

'She never had an argument with anybody around here,' he said.

Inspector Billy Thompson said police believed the girl had been at the address prior to the stabbing.

'We do believe they (the alleged offender and victim) may be been known to each other but thats yet to be categorically confirmed.'

Police are appealing for any CCTV or dashcam footage of the Goodman Avenue area between 3pm and 5pm on Friday.

Detectives and SES rescue volunteers searched the scene on Saturday morning for the bladed weapon.

The attacker was refused bail.

She will appear at Adelaide Magistrates Court on Monday.
A NASA-funded physicist and astronomer has revealed the awkward predicaments that could arise during sex in space.

While sci-fi movies such as Barbarella make sex in space seem like a piece of cake, Dr John Millis told The Sun that lovemaking in a space environment is similar to having sex while 'skydiving' - both are considered nearly possible.

The problems stem from the effects of microgravity on the human body, which makes it difficult for humans to keep in physical contact.

Microgravity rushes blood to the head and chest, rather than the lower body, making it even more challenging for men to have an erection.

A NASA-funded physicist and astronomer has revealed the awkward predicaments that could arise during sex in space (pictured is a scene from Moonraker where Roger Moore's James Bond has sex in anti-gravity)

Millis said: 'The issues surrounding the act all revolve around the free-fall, micro-gravity, environment experienced by astronauts.

'Imagine engaging in sexual activity while skydiving - every push or thrust will propel you in opposite directions.'

THE COST OF MICRO-GRAVITY ON THE BODY There is a loss of body weight and calcium. Bodily fluids are redistributed, with less in the lower extremities, and more in the upper body. Without the pulls of normal gravity, blood doesn't flow downhill, but pools in the extremities including the face, hands and feet, causing a puffy appearance. And without that downward pressure, height increases. Body mass often decreases with a loss of muscular tissue from nitrogen depletion; the veins and arteries of the legs become weaker, anaemia occurs, accompanied by a reduction in blood count. The calcium loss from bones subjected to extended microgravity takes place at 10 times the rate of an elderly person suffering from osteoporosis. Source: NASA Advertisement

Also embarrassing, bodily fluids including vaginal discharge, semen and sweat can float around during the process.

Millis explained: 'Because of the micro-gravity environment sweat and tears don't run down the astronaut's bodies like it does hear on Earth, instead it pools like small ponds of fluid near where it was secreted.

'If the motion is vigorous enough it could be ejected from the surface of the body.'

The physicist suggested astronauts would need to 'brace themselves against the space station, and even each other' or share a sleeping bag.

He said: 'It would likely be very hot, especially as two bodies press against each other, as well as sweaty.

'That seems decidedly un-romantic while also possibly bringing challenges to physical movements.'

As far as reproducing in space, scientists aren't quite sure what would happen if human beings were to give birth.

Last year, researchers in Japan revealed they had successfully used freeze-dried mouse sperm that had lived on the International Space Station for nine months to birth healthy pups, Space.com reported.

Dr John Millis, a US physicist and astronomer, spoke to The Sun about the issues astronauts would face during sex in space

Jan Davis and Mark Lee (pictured) became the first married couple in space when they both took part in the STS-47 mission on the shuttle Endeavour

While this suggests reproduction could be possible even in the face of the extreme radiation levels in space, the resulting offspring were born and raised back on Earth.

No one has openly admitted to having sex in space - but that hasn't stopped dirty minds thinking about how and if it could happen.

Mark Lee and Jan Davis, however, were the first married couple to enter space in 1991. The former couple have not spoken about their sexual experience or lack thereof.
A bar in Detroit was caught serving a whole lot more than just drinks.

The Michigan Avenue watering hole allegedly served as front for a marketplace dealing in stolen items and it's alleged the owner was part of a major theft ring.

The doubling-up appeared to have operating for years at Cas Bar run by a local woman known as 'Mama Joe'.

Dearborn police have depict the woman as the leader of a criminal gang specializing in retail fraud.

The bar would sell everything from air fresheners, to top shelf liquor to ceiling fans

$670,000 in cash was found in among the haul at the Detroit, Michigan bar

Numerous bottles of top-shelf liquor was found ready to be sold to whoever paid cash

Investigators said heroin addicts were being paid to steal as part of a fencing operation with the stolen goods then being sold out of Cas Bar

The bar appeared to have served as a marketplace for stolen items and was part of a major theft ring that operated for years

There appeared to be a healthy trade in air fresheners and booze going on a the bar

Dearborn police found large amounts of cash after raiding the bar as well as weapons, booze and drugs. The cash element alone totaled $620,000.

70-year old Beverly 'Mama Jo' Sassin, 38-year-old Amanda Lynn Mosed, 49-year-old Jodie Beth Welbes and 45-year-old Christopher Buchannion are all accused of stealing and selling the items.

Sassin has owned the bar for at least the past 20 years. Members of the group would head to big stores such as Target, Home Depot, Kroger and Meijer before shoplifting.

The goods when then be sold at the bar with a huge discount. But to the owners, having not paid for any of the merchandise, every dollar earned was pure profit.

Beverly Jo Sassin, 70, was the alleged ring leader of the theft ring which had been running for years. Christopher Bucannion, 45, face eight felony counts related to the case

Amanda Lynn Mosed, 38 and Jodie Beth Welbes, 49, face eight counts related to the case. Another man Christopher Bucannion, 45, was also charged with the same

Items recovered include weapons, booze, drugs, and large amounts of cash totaling $620,000

A corner of a police conference room was filled with proceeds from the alleged theft ring, including three video arcade games, a washing machine, many bottles of top shelf liquor

A strange array of stuff, from ceiling fans to Instant Pots to coffee and air freshener, was found, plus lots of liquor and Red Bull

Three arcade video game machines were also seized in the haul from the bar

Donovan Bertrand lives right down the street from Cas Bar, and says he goes there often. He told 7 Action News he saw some strange things happening inside the bar.

'People come in with things like Jack Daniel bottles, like space heaters, like just the most random things to bring into a bar late at night, and you're like where are they getting it,' Bertrand said.

During a press conference earlier in the week, an entire corner was filled with proceeds from the alleged theft ring, including three video arcade games, a washing machine, many bottles of top shelf liquor,stacks of energy drinks, tools, Starbucks coffee, televisions, guns, ceiling fans, faucets and $600,000 stashed in a large box of Velveeta.

'This is a prominent crime that is happening in our communities, and the message is we are no longer tolerating it,' said attorney for the stores, Fadwa Hammoud.

'This was not someone looking for a deal at Christmastime,' Hammoud said. 'This isn't a pack of gum  it's high-end stuff.'

It's believed Sassin had run the retail fraud ring out of the bar since she took it over years ago

The haul looked like something that might have been purchase during a Black Friday sale

The bar, which had a legal capacity of less than 50 people, had become a favorite, drawing plenty of regulars

Hammoud said that in her years of trying these cases, organized retail fraud is 'drug-driven, heroin-driven,' estimating that some 90 percent of boosters, the people who physically steal goods from store shelves, are addicts resorting to theft for drug money.

'It's a quick way for boosters to go out and get cash,' Hammoud said.

'It was a criminal enterprise concealed in a legitimate business that was the bar,' Chief Ronald Haddad of the Dearborn Police Department said.

The authorities believe Sassin had customers in place to buy certain items, Chief Haddad said.

The stolen items found at Cas Bar were things that could expire or could not be stored for years at a time. 'It was obvious that there was a quick turnaround time,' he said.

Drug addicts would be sent yo Target, Home Depot, Kroger and Meijer, as part of a fencing operation with the stolen goods then being sold out of Cas Bar

A number of weapons were also found in among the haul. That brought new charges

'The stolen property was purchased at a much devalued rate' before being sold, he added. 'That's where the profits came from.'

In May, the authorities began surveilling the bar's owner, Beverly Jo Sassin, after they arrested a man who had been accused of shoplifting 'large amounts of alcohol' from a retail store in Dearborn, according to Chief Haddad.

During an interview meant to determine if he needed help with drug addiction, the man explained to the police that he could 'fence' the stolen goods at Cas Bar, the chief said.

The four suspects are charged with eight felony charges described as people 'in position to move a lot in a hurry. t's organized and they know exactly what they're doing.'

'What you see here is a mere fraction of what our department recovered in the way of stolen property,' said Chief Haddad.
Dramatic footage shows a driver leading cops on a high speed chase through multiple towns before they performed a maneuver to finally stop the car in Oklahoma.

Officers attempted to pull over a maroon sedan near I-40 and Portland Avenue in Cleveland County at 10.30am on Friday.

The high-speed chase led police through southwest Oklahoma City to Moore and into Norman.

Dramatic footage shows a driver leading cops on a high speed chase through multiple towns in Oklahoma

At some point throughout the chase, the driver reached speeds of 120 miles per hour

The officers hit the vehicle with a PIT maneuver, which caused the vehicle to go airborne and roll several times before crashing

At some point throughout the chase, the driver reached speeds of 120 miles per hour.

A passenger in the suspect vehicle jumped from an open door during the chase, which spanned several towns and cities.

When police performed a pit maneuver to stop the car, it went off the highway, flipped several times, and crashed into a utility pole.

Four people who were in the car had been arrested and taken into custody.

The driver, 27-year-old Daydrion Dennis, was issued a number of traffic citations.

As the chase reached a town called Norman, police pulled back on the chase since they were getting into areas with heavier traffic.

The driver was pulled from the window since the door was shut

Dennis was taken to the hospital to be treated for her injuries

Although officers stopped chasing her, the driver continued to speed through red lights and stop signs.

The officers hit the vehicle with a PIT maneuver, which caused the vehicle to go airborne and roll several times.

The driver was pulled from the window since the door was shut. Two other people were pulled from the vehicle.

Dennis was taken to the hospital to be treated for her injuries.
Donald Trump was mercilessly ridiculed on social media for declaring that the memo recommending that his former lawyer Michael Cohen serves jail time for a range of federal crimes 'totally clears' him of any wrongdoing.

A federal prosecutor told a judge on Friday that Michael Cohen should spend between 51 and 63 months in prison for tax evasion and violating campaign finance laws for trying to 'influence the election from the shadows'.

Robert Khuzami, the acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, said Cohen did so by arranging payoffs to porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal to avoid October-surprise embarrassments for then-candidate Donald Trump.

The prosecutor also singled out Trump as being directly involved in efforts to silence those women in a memo

A memo from New York prosecutors identifies Cohen, Chairman 1 and Individual 1 - later identified in the document as Trump - attending an August 2014 meeting to figure out how to deal with potential negative press which could emerge from the women's stories.

But bizarrely POTUS tweeted an hour after the document was filed in New York that it '[t]otally clears the President. Thank you!'

Special counsel Robert Mueller's office filed documents saying that Cohen lied to investigators to protect Trump regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election.

But millions of people took to social media to mock Trump and claim that he may have more to answer for that on the controversy than he thinks.

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Donald Trump was mocked on social media for declaring that the memo recommending that his former lawyer Michael Cohen serves jail time 'totally clears' him of any wrongdoing

Trump tweeted barely an hour after prosecutors filed their court statement about Cohen that it 'totally clears' him

Legal experts quickly reminded him that he may actually need to read the sentencing guidelines before claiming he is cleared, as the document refers 'Individual-1,' which was identified as Trump earlier this year.

POTUS has already been labeled as a major subject of interest, complete with the code name: Individual 1 in separate investigations.

Last month, evidence from two separate fronts of special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation cast doubt on Trumps version of key events involving Russia, spelling potential political and legal trouble for the President.

Trump was placed as a central figure in their probe into whether his 2016 Presidential campaign and subsequent administration conspired with the Russian government.

Last month Michael Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress when he insisted that Trump was not pursuing plans to build a Trump Tower in Moscow after January 2016.

This cast doubt on Trumps repeated claims that he had no business interests in Russia in a new light.

A draft special counsel document last month also indicates that prosecutors are closely scrutinizing Trumps interactions with a longtime adviser, Roger Stone, as Stone was allegedly seeking information about WikiLeaks plans to release hacked Democratic emails.

Trump was said to have received direct updates from Cohen as he pursued a Moscow Trump Tower project with the Kremlin up until June 14, 2016.

The president also appears in the draft-charging documents for Trump ally Jerome Corsi, who allegedly told Stone about WikiLeaks plans to release damaging Democratic emails in October of that year because he knew Stone was in 'regular contact' with Trump.

The Washington Post reported last month that Trump spoke with Stone the day after he got the alert from Corsi.

Trump has given slightly differing accounts of his Moscow business ties over time. In July 2016, he tweeted: 'For the record, I have ZERO investments in Russia. A day later he claimed, I have nothing to do with Russia'.

In January 2017, he told a reporter: 'I have no deals that could happen in Russia, because weve stayed away'.

Legal experts are not sure whether a sitting President may be indicted for a federal crime or be compelled to testify in court.

Some argue that the Constitutions provision for presidential impeachment is the only method by which a president could be held to account while still serving.

Others believe an indictment could be brought, but that it could be held in abeyance until the president left office, Fortune magazine report.

Cohen's sentencing recommendation tells a story of Cohen working 'in coordination with and at the direction of' Donald Trump  by his own admission  to arrange for the National Enquirer to buy the rights to the two women's stories and 'kill' them, preventing media exposure of their claims.

In Mueller's case, filed just last month, the special counsel alleges that Cohen has admitted lying about his efforts and timing on the Trump Tower Moscow plan, and alleges that he briefed Trump about the project's status in 2016.

Cohen told investigators that the entire projet was scrapped before the Iowa caucuses and New Hampshire primary inJanuary 2016. In fact, however, negotiations related to the proposal were going on through the time of the July Republican National Convention.

Mueller charged Cohen with a felony for lying to his investigators, but said he was truthful in six other sessions where government lawyers plied him with questions.

Mueller's seven-page memorandum says the former Trump fixer 'provided information about his own contacts with Russian interests during the campaign and discussions with others in the course of making those contacts.'

As one example, he cited Cohen's willingness to discuss a November 2015 discussion with 'a Russian national who claimed to be a "trusted person" in the Russian Federation.' That person, he wrote, offered to help create 'synergy' with Trump 'on a government level.'

At the time, Trump was slicing his way through the Republican primary field.

Cohen told Mueller's team that his Russian contact proposed arranging a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying 'that such a meeting could have a "phenomenal" impact "not only in political but in a business dimension as well".'

That, he wrote, was a reference to the Moscow Trump Tower proposal. Cohen never followed up, and the project was never built.

Other testimony has revealed that Trump campaign advisers discussed a separate meeting between Trump and Putin in 2016, and that Cohen spoke to a Kremlin official about a possible Trump-Putin meeting after the Republican convention in Cleveland, Ohio.

There have been suggestions over the years that the two men met in Moscow during the Trump-run Miss Universe pageant in 2013, but that claim has not been substantiated.

The Russian contact who offered to be Cohen's go-between in late 2016 is believed to be Felix Sater, a former mobster who pleaded guilty in 1998 to his involvement in a Russian Mafia-led $40 million stock fraud scheme.

Mueller also wrote that Cohen helped his office with information about 'discrete Russia-related matters' that he obtained 'by virtue of his regular contact with [Trump Organization] executives during the campaign.'

And Cohen provided 'relevant and useful information concerning his contacts with persons connected to the White House during the 20172018 time period.'

Khuzami's much longer 40-page sentencing memo in the New York case, however, downplays the level of help Cohen may have provided.

'Cohens description of those efforts is overstated in some respects and incomplete in others,' Khuzami wrote. 'To be clear: Cohen does not have a cooperation agreement.'

Former Playboy model Karen McDougal (left) and porn actress Stormy Daniels (right) both claimed to have slept with Donald Trump in the past, but the government says Cohen coordinated with Trump to make sure the women were paid for their silence  in effect a pair of massive campaign contributions designed to save the election for Trump

Special Counsel Robery Mueller spelled out in a separate memo four ways in which Cohen has been helpful to his Russia probe

Condemning Cohen's end-around attempt to influence the 2016 election, Khuzami wrote that '[w]hile many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks, or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows.'

'He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs with Individual-1,' he added, referring to President Trump.

'Cohen, an attorney and businessman, committed four distinct federal crimes over a period of several years. He was motivated to do so by personal greed, and repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends,' he wrote.

'Now he seeks extraordinary leniency  a sentence of no jail time  based principally on his rose-colored view of the seriousness of the crimes; his claims to a sympathetic personal history; and his provision of certain information to law enforcement.

'But the crimes committed by Cohen were more serious than his submission allows and were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life (and was evidently hidden from the friends and family members who wrote on his behalf).
The son of a rugby league legend is the second man to be charged over the alleged indecent assault of a young woman at a popular Sydney pub.

Penrith Panthers' Liam Coleman, the son of South Sydney champion Craig Coleman, was charged by police this week alongside fellow footy player Zane Musgrove.

The two accused allegedly assaulted a 22-year-old woman at the Coogee Bay Hotel, in Sydney's eastern suburbs, last month.

Liam Coleman (pictured) is one of two footy players charged over the alleged indecent assault of a young woman at a popular pub in Sydney's east

Coleman (pictured left and right) has been charged with assault with an act of indecency and aggravated indecent assault - offender in company

The pair were charged almost a fortnight after the alleged incident, after the young woman first complained to security before reporting the allegation to police.

The alleged incident took place after a Saturday night out on November 24.

Musgrove was charged last Wednesday with assault with act of indecency, aggravated indecent assault - offender in company and common assault.

Coleman was charged the day after with assault with an act of indecency and aggravated indecent assault - offender in company.

Fellow NRL player Zane Musgrove (pictured) was also charged over the alleged incident

Both men have been granted conditional bail and will appear before Waverley Local Court on January 23.

Musgrove has appeared in 22 games and was lured from the South Sydney Rabbitohs by the Wests Tigers to play in their 2019 side.

The Tigers released a statement on Friday, saying the NRL's integrity unit were informed of the matter.

'Wests Tigers takes its position in the community very seriously and will work with the NRL Integrity Unit and NSW Police on the allegations,' the statement said.

Coleman is yet to make his NRL debut for the Penrith Panthers after he was signed in June.
A man who was seriously burnt after one of his mates threw an aerosol can into a camp fire has warned others about the dangers of accelerant fires.

Brent Dixon, 40, received burns to 14 per cent of his body when his friend dropped a spray paint can into a camp fire at mate's buck's party and it exploded.

His quick-thinking friends saved the 40-year-old's life by rushing him to a nearby river, where they extinguished the flames that engulfed his body.

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Brent Dixon, 40, (pictured) suffered severe burns after one of his mates threw an aerosol can into a camp fire has warned others about the dangers of accelerant fires

Mr Dixon (pictured) received burns to 14 per cent of his body when his friend dropped a spray paint can into a camp fire at mate's buck's party and it exploded

He suffered burns to his face, hands, down the right side of his body and his arms and legs, but he is thankful his injuries were not more severe.

'It could have been a lot worse,' Mr Dixon told 7News from his hospital bed.

'I could have lost my face, lost my sight, lost a limb.'

Mr Dixon, from Torquay in Victoria's south-west, is expected to make a full recovery and he is now warning others about the dangers of mixing accelerants and fire.

New data from The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne revealed the highest number of preventable accelerant-related burn injuries occur in December.

Among the most common chemicals being used, which can lead to a potentially serious burn are petrol, menthylated spirits and gas.

Plastic and reconstructive surgeon Dr Health Cleland said: 'Be very careful around accelerants, and don't mess around with things that explode'.

Dr Cleland also said people often use the excuse they have used the chemicals before, but that is no guarantee an accident will not occur, 9News reported.

New data from The Alfred Hospital in Melbourne revealed the highest number of preventable accelerant-related burn injuries occur in December

Mr Dixon (pictured left) suffered burns to his face, hands, down the right side of his body and his arms and legs but he is thankful his injuries were not more severe

Data from the hospital shows more than 1,000 people have presented to The Alfred's emergency department with accelerant burns in the past nine years.

Nearly half of all those burn injury presentations were found to be the result of petrol being thrown on fires, the data showed.

The figures also showed men were five time more likely than women to suffer an accelerant-related burns, with 20-29-year-olds having the highest risk.

Metropolitan Fire Brigade assistant chief fire officer Martin Braid said: 'Never put petrol, aerosol cans or flammable liquids on an open flame or a barbecue'.

A key risk factor that was identified in the data was increased alcohol consumption.

'Once the beers are in, the brain goes out a bit,' Mr Dixon said.

He said his mate who threw the can in the fire is feeling much worse than him, so he is now urging others to take care in the lead up to the festive season.

'Parties, camping, up the river - whatever, you've just got to be careful because, you know, this can happen,' Mr Dixon said.

He added to 7 News: 'Even a tiny little thing (like) throwing a cup of fuel on the fire, you can end up here or worse'.
The city of Salisbury is set to get a major re-brand in the wake of the nerve agent attacks that took place there in March.

The high-profile poisoning of Sergei and Yulia Skripal, and the subsequent poisonings of Dawn Sturgess and Charlie Rowley saw the city's tourist plummet by 12% for this time of year.

Officials are now making a concerted effort to improve the cathedral city's reputation as part of a 3.7 million overhaul, with 500,000 set aside for national and online advertising campaigns.

The high-profile poisoning of Yulia (left) and Sergei Skripal (right), affected Salisbury's tourism

Around 1000 of the city's residents were vetted on how they think progress could be made in Salisbury, with many feeling the strain of lower tourism numbers.

Jason Regent, who runs Regent Tailoring, told Sky News that 2018 has been challenging year.

'As events unfolded, more and more of our figures were dropping and for a small business with no one behind you it can have easily crippled us. I had sleepless nights.'

The Alexander Petrov (left) and Ruslan Boshirov (right) saga kept Salisbury in the headlines

Salisbury hit the headlines in early March when Sergei Skripal, a former Russian military officer and double agent for the UK's intelligence services, and his daughter Yulia Skripal were poisoned in a Zizzi restaurant.

The city remained in the headlines as a policeman who found the Skripals slumped on a bench also became ill.

Although seven miles away, Amesbury in Wiltshire plunged Salisbury into the spotlight once more when it was the host of another poisoning, claiming the life of 44-year-old Dawn Sturgess.

The art piece 'The Light', a 4-metre illuminated globe, hangs in the spire crossing, at the launch of Salisbury Cathedral's illuminated Advent art installations

Councillor Pauline Church, who works on the South Wiltshire Recovery Team which was set up after the poisoning, said it has 'been a tough year since March' for Salisbury and Amesbury, but it's now about looking forward.

'The brand proposition is one of those things we're doing - I think it's all about Salisbury competing with other cities, like our peers such as Winchester and Bath,' she told Sky.

Salisbury Cathedral, the image of the city, became linked to the poisoning case when the two men deemed responsible for the poisonings of the Skripals said they were only in the city to see the famous landmark.

An illuminated artwork is seen at Salisbury Cathedral as it celebrates the beginning of Advent

'Our friends had been suggesting for a long time that we visit this wonderful town,' said a man who identified himself on news channel RT, as Alexander Petrov.

A 'symbol of hope' in the shape of a four-metre wide illuminated globe has now been suspended in the cathedral.

The lead artist behind the globe - called 'The Light' - Richard McLester, told Sky: 'We're hoping that in light of the recent controversies surrounding Salisbury that it can become a symbol of hope for people, or a common symbol we can unite under.'
Darren Pinches, 52, approached woman in Browns at the Quay bar in Worcester

Darren Pinches (pictured outside Warwick Crown Court) called his victim a 'b****' after offering her cocaine in exchange for sex

An 'aggressive' nightclub boss who 'turned into Hannibal Lecter' when he tried to offer a woman cocaine in exchange for sex has been jailed.

Darren Pinches, 52, called the woman a 'b****' and demanded she got undressed after clearing the desk in front of him 'in a violent manner', a court heard.

The woman, 40, said Pinches acted like the Silence of the Lambs serial killer when he spotted her at the Browns at the Quay bar in Worcester and invited her into his office.

He then made a series of 'expletive-laden demands' and offered her the drug 'with a view to lowering her resistance' to his approaches, a judge at Warwick Crown Court said.

Delivering the 21-month sentence on Wednesday, Judge Anthony Potter said: 'This is not a case, I remind myself, where you have expressed any remorse for your offending.

'You have continued to deny this offence as is your right.

'You became aggressive, so aggressive in fact that she compared the transformation to turning into a Hannibal Lecter figure.

The nightclub boss was jailed for 21 months at Warwick Crown Court for offering to supply cocaine

'You made a series of expletive-laden demands and announced the plan to have sexual intercourse with her.

'You referred to her as a b**** and cleared in a violent manner the desk in front of you of any items and demanded she get undressed and get onto the desk.

'It's clear that your main intention in offering her cocaine was with a view to lowering her resistance to your approaches and seeking to make her more vulnerable to your sexual advances.

'She described how she had never been so scared in her life. She plainly thought she was about to be the victim of forced sexual intercourse.'

The woman, 40, told a court how Pinches acted like the Silence of the Lambs serial killer when he spotted her at the Browns at the Quay bar in Worcester and invited her into his office

Jurors heard the woman said Pinches was 'like an animal' and demanded she took off her underwear in September 2015.

She said: 'He leaned back in his chair. It reminded me of Hannibal Lecter. He drew the air through his teeth and looked at me.

'It was the way he looked at me. He turned from being normal and quite jovial into some kind of raving animal.

Jurors heard how Pinches acted 'like an animal' and demanded she took off her underwear in September 2015

'He said "I'm going to f*** you." He was talking through his teeth. I just thought "oh my God!"

'He absolutely terrified me. I have never been so scared in my life.

'He was like a predator.'

The court also heard how he swiped everything off the table and ordered: 'Take off your pants.'

The woman escaped by telling Pinches she needed to use the toilet but fled through a fire escape.

Pinches was cleared of groping another woman on New Year's Day in his Bushwackers nightclub and forcing her to look at his 'small, flaccid penis'.

Michael Burrows QC, defending, said: 'It's important to bear in mind what he's been convicted of, possessing a small amount of cocaine and the offer to supply cocaine.

'On any of the facts it was at the lowest level on a social and non-commercial.'

Pinches was jailed for 21 months on Wednesday after being found guilty of offering to supply cocaine.
A year after Amazon launched its Australian website, the online retail giant has provided an insight into the nation's most frequent purchases.

Amazon remained tight-lipped on exact figures but dishwasher tablets, sticky-tape and lollies all topped the list.

Finish All in 1 Max dishwasher tabs were the best selling product for Australians on a broader scale but they were also the most purchased individual product on the retailer's famed Black Friday sales.

Video games were also a popular choice for shoppers.

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A year after Amazon launched its Australian website, the online retail giant has given an insight into the nation's most frequent purchases

Finish All in 1 Max dishwasher tabs (stock image) were the best selling product for Australians

Scotch tape and Wonka Fabulicious Raspberry Twister lollies were both popular contenders for the most unusual purchases.

Kathy Sheeran from the Shopping Confessions website told news.com.au the lollies bought a sense of nostalgia.

'I think adults are saying they are buying them for the kids but in fact they are buying for themselves. They are one of my favourite sweets, I think a lot has to do with my childhood memories with my grandfather,' Ms Sheeran said.

The lollies are also not sold in regular grocery stores and limited primarily to online sales or small-time sweet stores.

Lego topped the list for Australia's favourite children's toys - defying trends and fad-crazes to remain a steadfast favourite among generations.

Korean beauty brand Cosrx and its Acne Pimple Master Patches was also a popular product.
A man was rushed to hospital after suffering a cardiac arrest at a music festival in Sydney on Saturday.

The man in his 40s was reportedly standing between the stage and the metal barrier in front of festivalgoers before he suddenly collapsed.

He is understood to have been a security guard at the Good Things festival at Parramatta Park, in the city's west.

A man suffered a cardiac arrest at a music festival in Sydney on Saturday afternoon. Pictured, emergency services at the scene

A New South Wales police spokesman told Daily Mail Australia 'CPR was performed in front of stage three about 5.45pm'.

An ambulance spokeswoman said: 'A man in his 40s was treated after having a medical episode'.

The man suffered a cardiac arrest and paramedics treated him at the scene, according to the spokesman.

He was then rushed to Westmead Hospital in a serious condition.

A festivalgoer told Daily Mail Australia the crowds were 'frantic' as the incident unfolded.

He said members in the crowd tried to get the metal barrier taken down after they saw the man collapse.

A man who attended the festival said members in the crowd tried to get a metal barrier down after they saw the man collapse. Pictured, emergency services at the scene

The man who suffered the cardiac arrest is understood to have been a security guard at Good Things festival at Parramatta Park, Sydney's west, on Saturday afternoon

'Everyone was just shocked. Thousands surrounded the ambulance shocked and upset,' he added.

He said paramedics attempted to give the man CPR for about 10 minutes and then use what he believes was a defibrillator.

He said the band Mayday Parade, who were on stage at the time, stopped playing for about 30 minutes from the time the man collapsed to when emergency services rushed him to hospital.
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Britain is facing a washout weekend with heavy showers expected to bring two days rainfall in just one hour as well as strong gales of up to 70mph in some parts.

Temperatures are also set to drop tonight with the north and east of England seeing highs of only 5C and it'll feel even colder because of the strong gusts of wind.

The Met Office currently has two flood warnings in England, four in Scotland and one in Wales and these will be updated throughout the day as the showers continue.

A Met Office forecaster, told MailOnline: 'There will be lots of windy showers today and some places, mainly in the west, and we can expect 5-10mm of rain to fall in just one hour.

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A woman uses a newspaper to shield herself from the rain while walking around London on Friday afternoon

Heavy showers and strong winds are predicted across the country today while the weather is set to brighten up tomorrow

Rough seas splash against Brighton seafront during a dark and cloudy day yesterday

'There may also be some hail and thunder mixed in with the showers. And north Wales may see 20-30mm throughout the day, although this is standard for the time of year.'

Usually in December the UK has an average of 120mm of rain during the month, or around 3.8mm each day meaning today's downpours are especially heavy.

As well as the rain, Britain will have to deal with gales of up to 70mph which will hit northern England on Saturday morning and batter south Wales, Devon and Cornwall by the evening.

The Met Office said: 'There's no weather warnings out yet as most of the strongest gusts are expected to be through the night, but people should still be prepared for the strong winds later.'

By the late afternoon clearer, less blustery weather will develop in the north, however this means frost and ice could form overnight on Saturday.

An uprooted tree in Birmingham after heavy winds of up to 80mph battered the Midlands during bad weather in November

The wind will continue into Sunday with scattered showers continuing towards the north and west, and the chance that some of these could be wintry.

Although the outlook is a little cheerier with a dryer and brighter day predicted, the Met Office warns it will become colder and feel even worse because of a change in wind direction to a 'north flow.'

The Met Office said: 'Although we could see highs of 14C today it will feel colder due to the wind changing to a north flow and temperatures will drop by Sunday.

'Tomorrow the temperatures are down, but highs in the north and central England are still above average for what we'd expect at this time of year.

'Northern and eastern England will see highs of 5 or 6C but it will feel colder because of the wind.'

High ground in Scotland could also see some snow over the weekend and into the start of the new week.

The Met Office spokesperson said: 'Snow is looking unlikely at the moment but as we get into the middle of the week things become more unsettled and it is not out of the question.'

The Met Office has several flood warnings in place this morning however none of them are of the most severe category

Gales of up to 70mph will hit northern England this morning and batter south Wales, Devon and Cornwall by the evening
A desperate manhunt has been launched for a key suspect in the beach murder of a 24-year-old woman.

Australian authorities are working with Interpol and Indian law enforcement to track down an Indian male nurse who was working at a far-north Queensland hospital near the beach where Toyah Cordingley was found dead nearly two months ago.

The nurse is understood to have packed up his belongings and flown back to India in the days after Ms Cordingley's body was found in the dunes of Wangetti Beach by her distraught family, according to The Courier-Mail.

New details have emerged in the investigation of the Queensland beach murder of Toyah Cordingley (pictured)

The prime suspect in the young woman's (pictured) murder has been reportedly revealed to have fled the country in the days after her body was discovered

Police are reportedly working to track the movements of the Indian man, who is believed to have travelled to Cairns on the day of the murder, and link his DNA to the crime scene.

He is understood to have worked at a hospital in the far-north Queensland suburb of Innisfail, about 125km south of Wangetti Beach.

In the days following the discovery of Ms Cordingley's body, he disappeared from work without an explanation.

'We can confirm the person is no longer an employee of Queensland Health,' a statement provided to The Courier-Mail read.

Police are hoping to link the Indian man's DNA to the beach where she was killed on Wangetti Beach (pictured)

'This matter is under police investigation and therefore we will not be making any comment.'

Staff working in the same hospital as the suspect have reportedly provided statements to police about the man, his behaviour, professional record, personal details and his family history.

His family was also contacted, who declined to speak except to say the man was not home.

Queensland Police have also maintained silence for the ongoing investigation, a spokesperson telling Daily Mail Australia: 'The Queensland Police Service will not be providing anything further other than the investigation is continuing'.

'Speculation surrounding elements of the investigation are not helpful and have the potential to jeopardise it.'

Ms Cordingley (pictured) was found on Wangetti Beach by father Troy the morning after she died

The community have rallied around Ms Cordingley's family, making more than 100 reports to Crime Stoppers while also distributing these bumper stickers to raise awareness

Ms Cordingley, who was described as a 'beautiful soul' by those close to her, was brutally murdered on October 21 in broad daylight.

The pharmacy assistant was walking her dog along the secluded beach when she was attacked, her body found the next morning by her father Troy almost one kilometre from where her car was parked.

Her dog was found alive and tightly bound to a nearby tree.

The far-north Queensland community rallied around her family, making more than 100 separate reports to Crime Stoppers, who continue to appeal for information.
Roman Abramovich is among a group of Russian oligarchs with ties to Vladimir Putin being targeted by British intelligence, it's been reported.

The Chelsea owner is one of six wealthy Russians in Putin's 'inner circle' who authorities want to disrupt and frustrate in retaliation for the Skripal nerve agent attack in March.

Intelligence agencies are reportedly looking to block the oligarchs' ability to travel and run their empires by revoking visas, imposing travel restrictions and inspect their financial and property assets.

Roman Abramovich is being targeted by British intelligence in a bid to frustrate Putin and his inner circle, it's claimed

The Chelsea owner (pictured beside Putin) is one of six Russian Oligarchs on a watch list

The plan is believed to have been drawn up and submitted to Theresa May. The next step will be to convince Britain's European and North American allies to get on board as tensions between the Kremlin and the West ramp up.

A senior Whitehall security source told The Telegraph: 'The aim of the measures we intend to take is to limit their manoeuvrability and their ability to travel and operate freely in Britain, Europe and elsewhere.

'We believe they are involved in doing the Kremlin's bidding on a whole range of fronts, which includes using their financial muscle on behalf of the Russian state.'

Putin's former judo partner Arkady Rotenberg (left), his younger brother Boris (pictured with his wife Karina) are being targeted as part of the crackdown on Putin's inner circle

'Roman Abramovich is on the list because he is believed to be Mr Putin's most important financial supporter.'

Mr Abramovich's spokesman refused to comment.

The source added that targeting the businessmen was a direct retaliation for the Sailsbury attack. There is no suggestion any of the men were involved in the nerve agent attack.

In March, Britain refused to let Abramovich back into the country following a trip to his homeland until he renewed his visa.

It appeared to be a move on behalf of the UK of frustrating the Chelsea owner amid tensions with the Kremlin.

Oleg Deripaska is another man intelligence agencies plan to disrupt in retaliation to the Salisbury nerve agent attack

Others on the list include Oleg Deripaska - who has ties to British politicians and hit the headlines in 2017 when he was found to have ties with Paul Manfort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman.

Mr Deripaska was put on the list due to his alleged links with Russia's security forces.

A Whitehall official told The Telegraph he was a priority because he provides the Kremlin with finances.

British intelligence agencies will be keeping a close eye on former Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov's assets (pictured with Putin)

Former Arsenal shareholder Alisher Usmanov is another name on the watch list.

The billionaire, who was involved with the rise of gas giant Gazprom, has been accused of corruption - which he strongly denies - and is considered a close friend of Putin.

Also on the list is Putin's former judo partner Arkady Rotenberg and his younger brother Boris.

The sixth member of the list is energy baron Igor Sechin, who was once Putin's secretary and is known as 'Darth Vader' in Russian media

Arkady owns a mansion in Surrey and a home in London. The tycoon and his younger brother have been repeatedly sanctioned by the EU over Russia's annexation of Crimea.

The sixth member of the list is energy baron Igor Sechin, who was once Putin's secretary.

The former Soviet spy is known as 'Darth Vader' in Russian media because he's considered one of the most powerful men in the country.
An evil mother has been jailed for seeking to sell the virginity of her 13-year-old daughter to a wealthy paedophile.

Shamed Irina Gladkikh was sent to prison for four-and-a-half years by a Russian court, and has been deprived of her right to raise the girl and her younger brother.

The 35-year-old mother - a former beauty contestant - was caught in a police sting after flying to Moscow from Chelyabinsk to find a man who would pay 19,100 for sex with her daughter.

Irina Gladkikh and her 13-year-old daughter whom she tried to sell off for sex to make money

In court Gladkikh, wearing a fur coat, bowed her head to avoid her face being seen by cameras, and was wringing her hands as she sat in the dock.

She had obtained a doctor's certificate stating that the girl was a virgin, the court in Lyublinsky, Moscow was told.

She also made a set of 'sexualised' photographs of the child.

Irina Gladkikh bowed her head as she was escorted into court in Lyublinsky, Moscow

The dock in the court is surrounded by steel bars, pictured here with a slumped Gladkikh

In sickening video testimony soon after she was detained in January, she confessed: 'At 7.35 am, me and my daughter flew to Moscow.

'We came to Moscow to get to know a rich man, in order to get financial help for providing sexual services by my daughter.'

The mother had two accomplices who were both sentenced in August to three and a half years in penal colonies.

The former beauty queen admitted the allegations and was jailed for four-and-a-half years

One, Yelena Anisimova, confessed to being tasked with seeking a wealthy buyer for the girl.

The other Alina Kukanova, 25, wept and screamed in court when the verdict was announced.

The mother went with one accomplice to meet the buyer at a floating restaurant in Moscow, but police had found out about the deal and a detective posed as the wealthy man.

'We came to Moscow to get to know a rich man, in order to get financial help for providing sexual services by my daughter,' she admitted in a video to police

As soon as money was in the mother's bag, both women were arrested.

The girl now lives with her grandmother who has been made her official guardian.

Gladkikh, described as an IT worker and earlier as an estate agent, was found guilty of trading her underage daughter.

A friend said: 'She always dressed well, and wore expensive and stylish clothes.

'She paid a lot of attention to her appearance and spent a lot of time partying.

'She also participated in Chelyabinsk beauty contests.'

Police said the mother and her two accomplices had previously earned money as sex workers.
A human rights lawyer who was groomed, raped and made pregnant at 14 by her mother's boyfriend is suing her former school over claims it failed to spot signs of the abuse.

Kim Fawcett, 30, said Ellesmere College, in Shropshire, 'failed to keep her safe' despite her friends and one of their mothers informing the school of sexual text messages from her abuser, Robert Stuart McClelland.

Waiving her anonymity to speak to MailOnline in August 2017, she revealed that her mother met McClelland on an internet dating website after her relationship with her father broke down and they divorced.

McClelland, a truck driver, was convicted of indecent assault and sexual intercourse with a girl under 16 at Chester Crown Court. He was charged in 2003. The 57-year-old was sent to prison for six years in 2004 and placed on the sex offenders register - but only served two years of his sentence.

Human rights lawyer Kim Fawcett, who was groomed, raped and made pregnant at 14 by her mother's boyfriend is suing her former school over claims it failed to spot signs of the abuse

Ms Fawcett (right), 30, said Ellesmere College, in Shropshire, 'failed to keep her safe' despite her friends and one of their mothers informing the school of sexual text messages from her abuser, Robert Stuart McClelland (left)

After writing to Ellesmere College (above) last year about her claims, Ms Fawcett has now decided to take her case to the High Court because the school rejected her allegations

Ms Fawcett, who lives in Bristol, has since been diagnosed with complex post traumatic stress disorder, and, after failing to find the support she needed, she set up a support group for victims of abuse.

After writing to Ellesmere College last year about her claims, she has now decided to take her case to the High Court because the school rejected her allegations.

Ms Fawcett said the teachers had 'explicit knowledge' of the messages she received from her stepfather McClelland - and the school was allegedly aware of the self-harming she carried out as a result of the abuse, according to The Times.

She is suing the school for negligence, neglect and breach of duty. However, Ellesmere College said a review found 'nothing to support her claim'.

'None of these concerns were reported to social services. Had the college reported McClelland to social services, the abuse would have stopped in June 2002 instead of June 2003,' she told the BBC.

The school's headmaster, Brendan Wignall, told The Times he was 'appalled' by the abuse but was 'completely unaware of what had been happening to her', and apologised that she felt she had been let down by the school.

Ms Fawcett said the teachers had 'explicit knowledge' of the messages she received from her stepfather McClelland - and the school was allegedly aware of the self-harming she carried out as a result of the abuse

He added: 'We are very sorry... but we can genuinely find nothing to support her claim and therefore have no option but to resist it.'

Speaking to MailOnline in December 2017, Ms Fawcett said that after McClelland raped her for the first time, he 'boasted' about taking her virginity to his colleagues and would pick her up from school so he could carry out sex attacks on her.

The first time she was raped by him, she was sent to go and stay with McClelland at his home in Oswestry, Shropshire.

Speaking to MailOnline in December 2017, Ms Fawcett said that after McClelland (above) raped her for the first time, he 'boasted' about taking her virginity to his colleagues

The lawyer, who was 13 at the time, said: After going out driving together, we went back to his house and he bought me a big bottle of Smirnoff Ice. I started feeling excited and giddy but then really confused and dizzy after drinking it, which I realise now I was drunk.

He asked me to sit on his lap and started touching me. I was really confused as to why he was doing this as I really liked him. I froze still. He kept putting my hands on him and trying to kiss me. I just couldnt move.

'Eventually I managed to say that I was going to go to bed. I made it to the stairs to go and sleep in his daughters room. But then he grabbed me by my wrists and dragged me into his room and it first happened.

Ms Fawcett said he then scratched the date of the first rape on a bottle as a sick memento.

When she was just 14, she discovered that she was pregnant, and was told by McClelland to have an abortion - something she was not sure she wanted.

She also contracted sexually transmitted diseases.

A family friend encouraged Ms Fawcett to go to the police and McClelland was arrested.
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Violent protests in Paris spread to Brussels and Amsterdam last night, as 1,400 are arrested and French police call up to 8,000 reinforcements in a bid to quell the rising discontent.

The French 'Yellow Vest' protest movement crossed borders, with demonstrations in neighboring Belgium and in the Netherlands even though meither country has proposed a hike in fuel tax - the catalyst for the destructive demonstrations in France in recent weeks.

Hundreds of police officers were mobilised in Brussels on Saturday, where yellow vest protesters last week clashed with police and torched two police vehicles.

Belgian police fired tear gas and water cannons at stone-throwing yellow-vested protesters near the country's government offices and parliament.

Protesters smashed street signs and traffic lights near a police barricade blocking access to the office of Prime Minister Charles Michel, as they chanted slogans calling on him to resign. They threw paving stones, fireworks, flares and other objects at police.

Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere says around 400 protesters are gathered in the area.

About 100 have been detained, many for possessing dangerous objects like fireworks or wearing clothing that could be used as protection in clashes with police.

More than 650 protesters were detained in France last night, as riots continued into the evening. The yellow vest protesters are angry with rising living costs and proposed tax hikes in France

The view of the Place de la Republique as riot police tried to keep protesters away from major landmarks but struggled with the weight of numbers

Smoke from grenades billows into the night sky as the Yellow Vests surround the Place de la Republique and a helicopter circles overhead

In the Netherlands, about 100 protesters gathered in a peaceful demonstration outside the Dutch parliament in The Hague. At least two protesters were detained by police in central Amsterdam.

Protests also continued in Paris on Saturday as rioters set fire to cars, burn barricades and smash windows in pockets of violence across the city centre. Police reinforcements were boosted to 8,000 across the city, with armoured vehicles deployed in Paris for the first time ever.

More than 650 protesters were detained in the capital last night. Many of them stopped as they arrived at train stations or meeting points carrying hammers, petanque balls and other potential missiles.

Nationwide, 89,000 police officers were on duty in towns, cities and on numerous motorways which caused havoc on France's road network, including a blockade of a border crossing with Spain.

Police officers stand guard beside their vans and armoured cars pack the route towards the Arc de Triomphe as they try to contain the rioters and keep them away from the landmark

A youngster lies on the wet street with his hands bound behind his back close to the Place de la Republique as members of the Yellow Vests close to him bleed from injuries on their foreheads

The shell of a Smart car burns on the streets of Paris, as the warped sign of store nearby is melted by the flames; despite authorities being on high alert the chaos has continued

A young man sits with blood pouring from his face as he is detained by riot police who stand around him and other protestors covered in blood after heavy clashes in the Place de la Republique

A woman wags her finger at heavily-armoured gendarmerie in Paris on the fourth Saturday of protests against fuel duty and cost of living

Rioters clash with heavily armoured police at the Place de la Republique in central Paris on Saturday night, as the city was torn to pieces by carnage

Mounted police bark orders as they try to take control of the streets which have been dominated by protesters for another weekend

Armour-clad gendarmerie stand on the corner of a street littered with broken projectiles as a Ford hatchback billows toxic fumes from its burning shell

A yellow vest holds up a sign as a jet from a water cannon sprays over his head near Avenue Marceau, Paris on Saturday

Yellow vests tend to a fallen comrade who bleeds from the head after he was injured in the protests on Saturday

Protestors wearing a yellow vest stand next to a burning barricade, during a demonstration against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes in Toulouse, southern France (pictured)

Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse (pictured) and other cities also saw major clashes between protesters and police on Saturday

Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said about 120 demonstrators and nearly 20 police officers had been injured nationwide, as the Paris riots spread to cities including Toulouse

Riots also spread to Bordeaux this evening (pictured), with protesters detained across the city. The riots began on November 17 over rising fuel prices - partly due to taxes aimed at helping the country transition to a lower-carbon economy. But the demonstrations have since swollen into a broad movement against ex-banker Macron, whom the protesters accuse of favouring the rich

Protestors stand near a fire this evening in Bordeaux, southwestern France, on the sideline of a demonstration against rising costs of living - as the movement spreads to cities and towns across the city

A yellow vest protester is marched away from the scene of chaos near to the Champs Elysees, Paris' main thoroughfare

French police officers handcuff rioters and take them away from the area as they try to impose themselves on the streets of Paris

French riot police tackle a protester to the deck at riots in Mondeville near Caen in northwestern France on Saturday

Riot police members stand in a Paris street as garbage is burnt in the foreground during a protest of yellow vests. Nearly 1,400 people were detained across France, according to Interior Minister Christophe Castaner

Protesters with 'yellow vests' (gilets jaunes) gather in the background following clashes with riot police during a protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes in Tours, northwestern France

Police also clashed with protesters in the southwestern city of Toulouse, though elsewhere, such as Marseille, the demonstrations were peaceful.

Nearly 1,400 people were detained across France, according to Interior Minister Christophe Castaner.

Earlier on Saturday, French police fired tear gas and water cannons trying to stop thousands of yellow-vested protesters from converging on the presidential palace to express their anger at high taxes and Emmanuel Macron.

Dramatic photographs offered a snapshot into the volatile atmosphere surrounding the streets of France, as protesters continue to demand more concessions from the government after Macron's U-turn on the fuel tax.

Cars were flipped and set ablaze, smoke bombs were launched and tri-colour flags waved in defiance as heavily amoured police fought back in a bid to keep control of the city streets.

The French protests also attracted the attention of US President Donald Trump, who said they were evidence of a lack of public support for pro-environment policies like the Paris climate agreement.

'The Paris Agreement isn't working out so well for Paris. Protests and riots all over France,' Trump tweeted.

The demonstrations are not linked to the climate agreement.

Paris is on lockdown as armed police battle to contain 'yellow vest' demonstrators with more than 700 arrests in the fourth straight weekend of demonstrations over living costs and proposed tax rises in France. Angry protesters have been pictured throwing flares and smoke bombs at police who have returned in kind with tear gas and water cannons

French riot police fired tear gas and water cannons trying to stop thousands of yellow-vested protesters from converging on the presidential palace to express their anger at high taxes and French President Emmanuel Macron

A protester waves a French flag during clash with riot police amid tear gas near the Champs Elysees in Paris on December 8

Dramatic photographs offer a snapshot into the volatile atmosphere surrounding the streets of France, as 'yellow vests' continue to demand more concessions from the government after Macron's U-turn on the fuel tax

Protestors wearing 'yellow vests' (gilets jaunes) stand behind grids set on fire near the Champs Elysees avenue as they protest against living costs and proposed tax rises in France

Protests spread to Marseille this weekend, with a car seen here burning during clashes with police over Emmanuel Macron presidency

A woman is sprayed with teargas by the riot police officer during the 'yellow vests' protest against higher fuel prices, in Brussels

The rioting has now spread across Europe to Brussels (pictured) and Amsterdam as Belgium and Dutch police brace themselves to tackle more violent demonstrations

Protesters were seen wearing yellow vests during a protest near European institutions headquarters in Brussels on Saturday (pictured)

Pepper spray was used to quell protesters, as demonstrations spread to Brussels today after weeks of unrest in France

Firemen work to extinguish vehicules on fire during a 'yellow vests' demonstration against rising costs of living near the Champ Elysees

While elsewhere rioting has spread across Europe to Brussels and Amsterdam as Belgium and Dutch police brace themselves to more violent demonstrations

While elsewhere rioting has spread across Europe to Brussels and Amsterdam as Belgium and Dutch police brace themselves to more violent demonstrations

Security officials imposed a lockdown on parts of central Paris, determined to prevent a repeat of the rioting a week ago that damaged a major monument, injured 130 people and tarnished the country's global image

Security officials imposed a lockdown on parts of central Paris, determined to prevent a repeat of the rioting a week ago that damaged a major monument, injured 130 people and tarnished the country's global image.

Blue armored vehicles rumbled across cobblestone streets from the Arc de Triomphe across toward eastern Paris as scattered demonstrations spread around the city.

Police were mounted on horses and surrounded protesters with trained dogs. A ring of steel surrounded the Elysee Palace itself, as police stationed trucks and reinforced steel barriers in streets throughout the entire neighborhood.

Police were mounted on horses and surrounded protesters with trained dogs. A ring of steel surrounded the Elysee Palace itself, as police stationed trucks and reinforced steel barriers in streets throughout the entire neighborhood

Blue armored vehicles rumbled across cobblestone streets from the Arc de Triomphe across toward eastern Paris as scattered demonstrations spread around the city

Riot police forces spray tear gas at a woman during copycat 'yellow vest' demonstrations rocking neighbouring France, in Brussels

Some stores along the Champs-Elysee had boarded up their windows with plywood, making the neighborhood appear like it was bracing for a hurricane

Protests have also spread to Amsterdam in the Netherlands where groups are angry at high prices of food and fuel

Multiple protesters were hurt in Saturday's clashes with police. Paris police said 30 people were injured, including three police officers.

A video journalist was wounded in the leg as police fired tear gas and rubber bullets on the Champs-Elysees.

Some stores along the Champs-Elysee had boarded up their windows with plywood, making the neighborhood appear like it was bracing for a hurricane. Angry protesters on Saturday tried to rip the boards off.

Protesters threw flares and other projectiles and set fires but were repeatedly pushed back by tear gas and water cannon. By mid-afternoon, more than 700 people had been stopped and questioned, and more than 400 were being held in custody, according to a Paris police spokeswoman.

Angry protesters on Saturday tried to rip the boards off. Protesters threw flares and other projectiles and set fires but were repeatedly pushed back by tear gas and water cannon. By mid-afternoon, more than 700 people had been stopped and questioned, and more than 400 were being held in custody, according to a Paris police spokeswoman

Protesters threw flares and other projectiles and set fires but were repeatedly pushed back by tear gas and water cannon. By mid-afternoon, more than 700 people had been stopped and questioned, and more than 400 were being held in custody, according to a Paris police spokeswoman

Despite the repeated skirmishes, Saturday's anti-government protests appeared less chaotic and violent than a week ago, when crowds defaced the Arc de Triomphe, set vehicles ablaze and looted high-end stores in the city's worst rioting since 1968.

Also last week some 200 cars were torched in the worst rioting in Paris in decades.

Prized Paris monuments and normally bustling shopping meccas were locked down Saturday at the height of the holiday shopping season.

The Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum were among the many tourist attractions that closed for the day, fearing damages amid a new round of protests. Subway stations in the center of town were shut down.

The yellow vest movement - named after the fluorescent outerwear French drivers must keep in their vehicles - started as a protest against higher taxes for diesel and gas, but quickly expanded to encompass wide frustration at stagnant incomes, the rising cost of living and other grievances.

Despite the repeated skirmishes, Saturday's anti-government protests appeared less chaotic and violent than a week ago, when crowds defaced the Arc de Triomphe, set vehicles ablaze and looted high-end stores in the city's worst rioting since 1968

Prized Paris monuments and normally bustling shopping meccas were locked down Saturday at the height of the holiday shopping season. The Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum were among the many tourist attractions that closed for the day, fearing damages amid a new round of protests. Subway stations in the center of town were shut down

Protesters who came to Paris from Normandy described seeing officers block yellow-vested passengers from boarding public transportation at stops along their route. The national gendarme service posted a video on Twitter of police tackling a protester and confiscating his dangerous material, which appeared to be primarily a tennis racket

Macron on Wednesday agreed to abandon the fuel tax hike, which aimed to wean France off fossil fuels and uphold the Paris climate agreement, but that hasn't defused the anger.

After two weekends of violence in Paris that made the authorities look powerless, police went into overdrive Saturday to keep a lid on unrest.

Protesters who came to Paris from Normandy described seeing officers block yellow-vested passengers from boarding public transportation at stops along their route.

The national gendarme service posted a video on Twitter of police tackling a protester and confiscating his dangerous material, which appeared to be primarily a tennis racket.

Riot police fire tear gas canisters at yellow-vested protesters gathered on the Paris' famed Champs-Elysees Avenue

Dramatic photographs offer a snapshot into the volatile atmosphere surrounding the streets of France, as 'yellow vests' continue to demand more concessions from the government following Macron's U-turn on the fuel tax

France had been braced for 'ultra-violent' demonstrations on Saturday, with tens of thousands of officers deployed to police the anti-government protests

Macron's government had warned that the yellow vest protests had created a 'monster' and that Saturday's protests would be hijacked by radicalized and rebellious crowds.

Demonstrators waving French flags, shouting the French anthem and wearing the movement's signature neon vests gathered before dawn Saturday near the Arc de Triomphe, then tried to march down the Champs-Elysees Avenue toward the presidential palace.

Rows of helmeted, thickly protected riot police blocked their passage down the Champs-Elysees toward the heart of presidential power. So the protesters tried other routes, marching through the prime shopping district that includes the high-end stores of Galeries Lafayette and Printemps and the Palais Garnier opera house.

About 89,000 police were deployed across the country. Of these, about 8,000 were deployed in Paris to avoid a repeat of last Saturday's mayhem when rioters torched cars and looted shops off the famed Champs Elysees boulevard, and defaced the Arc de Triomphe monument with graffiti directed at President Emmanuel Macron

Police are seizing protective equipment from journalists and barring some provincial yellow vest protesters from boarding trains to Paris, as part of exceptionally stringent security measures to prevent a repeat of last week's rioting

French gendarmerie keep watch during the demonstration of the yellow vests on the Champs-Elysees avenue

National police estimated the number of protesters in Paris on Saturday at 8,000, among 31,000 protesters nationwide. They appeared to be outnumbered by police, with 8,000 officers deployed in the capital alone and 89,000 fanned out around the country.

The yellow vests include people with views that range from the far right to the far left. The group has no leaders but is united in its feeling that Macron and his government are out of touch with the concerns of ordinary French families.

'We are here to tell (Macron) our discontent. Me, I'm not here to break things because I have four children so I am going to try to be safe for them, because they are afraid,' protester Myriam Diaz told the AP. 'But I still want to be here to say `Stop, that's enough, this has to stop.''

Cyril, a garbage truck driver in Normandy who earns 1,430 euros (1,431) a month, said Macron's mistake was trying to reform France too quickly.

Protester holds a Brittany flag as 'Yellow vests' protesters clash with riot police amid tear gas on the Champs Elysees

Police are already battling accusations Friday of being heavy-handed, with a video of high-school pupils kneeling on the ground with their hands behind their heads causing widespread outrage

Paris police are firing water cannons on yellow-vested protesters throwing flares and setting fires in one of the French capital's main shopping districts. Scattered clashes are continuing around the city as the protesters seek to reach the presidential palace and demand President Emmanuel Macron's resignation

'I don't want to have kids because I have trouble feeding myself, let alone another mouth,' the 25-year-old said, adding he came to Paris to demonstrate and 'defend myself.'

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner urged calm. 'I ask the yellow vests that want to bring about a peaceful message to not go with the violent people. We know that the violent people are only strong because they hide themselves within the yellow vests, which hampers the security forces,' he said Saturday.

Four people have been killed in accidents since the unrest began Nov. 17. Christmas markets, national soccer matches and countless other events have been canceled due to the protests.

While the situation is tense, police appear to have it more under control than a week ago, when rioting and looting overwhelmed Paris security forces

Like several neighborhoods of Paris, the area is largely locked down, with many stores shuttered for fear of violence. Overall police estimate there are about 8,000 yellow vest protesters in Paris on Saturday, down from last week. Meanwhile the government deployed 8,000 police in the city, as part of exceptional security measures aimed at preventing a repeat of last week's rioting, which injured 130 people and struck a new blow to France's global image

French CRS riot police vehicles stand in place along the Printemps Department store during a national day of protest by the 'yellow vests' movement in Paris

The protests, named after the high-visibility safety jackets French motorists have to keep in their cars, erupted in November over the squeeze on household budgets caused by fuel taxes. Demonstrations have since swelled into a broad, sometimes violent rebellion against Macron, a challenge made more difficult to handle since the movement has no formal leader

Authorities say the protests have been hijacked by far-right and anarchist elements bent on violence and stirring up social unrest in a direct affront to Macron and the security forces. 'We have prepared a robust response,' Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said on Saturday. He called on peaceful protesters not to get mixed up with 'hooligans'

French police arrest a man during a Yellow Vests demonstration. Macron, whose popularity is at a low ebb according to polls, has been forced into making the first major U-turn of his presidency by abandoning a fuel tax. Despite the climbdown, the 'yellow vests' continue to demand more concessions from the government, including lower taxes

Demonstrators wearing yellow vests march down the Champs Elysees holding the French tricolor in Paris

Some 89,000 officers, as well as armoured vehicles, have taken position across the nation. There were 8,000 police in Paris alone. Saturday's protests were predicted to be most dangerous yet

Macron, who has not spoken in public since he condemned last Saturday's disturbances while at the G20 summit in Argentina, will address the nation early next week, his office said

Officials are set to deploy 12 Berliet VXB-170s, which are usually equipped with a 7.62mm machine gun and a 56mm Alsetex Cougar grenade launcher

Macron has agreed to abandon the fuel tax hike that triggered the movement. However, protesters' demands have now expanded to other issues hurting French workers, retirees and students

People face off with French Gendarmes as they demonstrate during a national day of protest by the 'yellow vests' movement in Paris

About 5,000 people gathered on the Champs-Elysees and marched a short distance to a police cordon, where they stopped. There have been a few confrontations, with police firing tear gas at protesters in a side street as tensions flared

Riot police clash with protesters wearing yellow vests on the Champs Elysee

Prized Paris monuments and normally bustling shopping meccas locked down Saturday and tens of thousands of police took position around France, fearing worsening violence in a new round of anti-government protests

A riot police holds a flashball gun during a protest of Yellow vests against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes, near the Champs Elysees in Paris

A protestor wearing yellow vest kicks back a tear gas canister on the Champs Elysee in Paris

Protesters also blocked roads, roundabouts and tollbooths elsewhere in France. Offshoot movements have emerged elsewhere, and yellow-vest protests were held Saturday in Belgium and the Netherlands.

U.S. President Donald Trump sought to fuel the anger in France, seizing the moment to criticize the Paris climate accord, which he is abandoning.

'People do not want to pay large sums of money ... in order to maybe protect the environment,' he tweeted.

Many economists and scientists, however, say higher fuel taxes are essential to saving the planet from worsening climate change.
Former Brexit secretary David Davis has warned the Tory leadership against trying to 'bully' MPs into backing Theresa May's deal.

He said: 'The decisions taken in the next few months will dictate our nation's future for a generation.

'We will be judged in the future as to whether we flinched in the face of unfounded threats and panic, or stood up for our national interest and took our proper place in the world.

Former Brexit minister David Davis has warned Prime Minister Theresa May that her position will be untenable if she fails to secure support for her Brexit deal in Parliament on Tuesday

'To do this, we need to preserve our freedom of action on trade, on regulations, on migration, on fishing.

'We must not subordinate ourselves to partisan foreign institutions. Democracy demands no less.

'The Conservative Party has a key role in this. That role is not to attempt to bully MPs into support for a failed strategy.

'Our role is to come together to find a joint approach that supports the decision of the referendum and promotes the national interest.'

Amber Rudd has warned fellow Tories not to oust Theresa May if her Brexit plan is rejected after the PM was told she would have to resign if the deal was defeated in the Commons

However, Work and Pensions secretary Amber Rudd has warned her colleagues against any plot to oust the PM.

Mrs Rudd backed the prime minister's deal and said she still thought it was the best option despite her comments about her preferred plan B, and the mounting opposition from more than 100 Tory MPs who have vowed to vote against it.

The Conservative MP criticised men at Westminster who 'seem to flounce out quite a lot', telling The Times: 'Everyone is looking for someone to blame while the only one actually trying to sort it out is the prime minister.'

She said that she felt a 'particular support for Theresa May as a woman to a woman', adding that: 'The men think they are standing on principles but they're not getting things done'.

Speaking on BBC Radio 4's Today Programme, Mrs Rudd said: 'The best deal we have is the one the prime minister's put forward.

'Most of us are coalescing behind it in order to try and deliver on the outcome of the referendum, the withdrawal agreement, the political declaration. I think that is the best compromise,' she said.

'What I've done is look ahead and seen that after that, if it doesn't get through, anything could happen, there could be all sorts of alternatives that could be thrown up, which is one of the reasons we need to back the prime minister in the vote on Tuesday.'

The former Home Secretary added: 'It's remarkable, I think, that she's managed to deliver on a plan which delivers on the outcome of the referendum, that gives us the best in terms of keeping close to the economy and addresses people's concerns, for instance, on fishery and immigration.

Theresa May (pictured above) will decide on Monday whether to pull the crunch Brexit vote amid intense pressure to push for a delay

'But, if that deal doesn't get through, anything else could happen. There's no other properly formed plan ready to take off the shelf and deal with. It could be chaotic after the withdrawal agreement, if it doesn't get through. Lots of different factions are saying they don't like it.

'But there isn't anything, I don't believe, that is better. The withdrawal agreement is the best option and will allow us to have the orderly departure, kind of over a period rather than immediately, which was always how I thought we'd have to deliver Brexit.

'But if it doesn't get through, anything could happen: people's vote, Norway-plus, any of these options could come forward. None of them are as good as the current arrangement we've got with the withdrawal agreement to vote on on Tuesday.'

Last night it was claimed the PM had been warned by several Brexit-backing aides that they are prepared to resign on Tuesday unless there are major changes to her deal.

Mike Wood, the parliamentary private secretary to Trade Secretary Liam Fox, told the Guardian he would quit and join leave-supporting backbenchers unless changes were made.

It is understood that other junior ministers have made similar representations and more were considering their positions.

Eurosceptic Iain Duncan Smith cautioned against Mrs May and her Cabinet deciding to 'brazen it out', saying such an approach would be a 'disaster'.

'How the PM responds after the vote matters more than anything else she has done,' he told the Daily Telegraph.

'I believe that if the response is, 'we've lost but we will do this all over again' it will become a leadership issue.

'I don't want it to be. If she and the Cabinet decide to brazen it out and simply say [a defeat of] anything under 200 is not as big as you think, then that would be a disaster.'

Julian Smith (pictured above) is set to present the Prime Minister with his final count of the number of Tory MPs on whose support she can rely

The paper reported Cabinet ministers have also warned Mrs May she would have to stand down if the deal is defeated and she fails to secure better terms from the European Union.

Last night Amber Rudd became the first Cabinet minister to openly discuss an alternative plan to Mrs May's deal.

The Work and Pensions Secretary told The Times a Norway-style arrangement 'seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are'. A Norway option would keep Britain tied to most EU laws and rules, including free movement and vast annual contributions.

As many as ten senior ministers have privately discussed backing the option. However, one minister described it as 'absolutely horrendous', adding: 'It would split the party for a generation.

'It would also be the biggest betrayal of the British people. We're in real danger now.'

There were also signs last night that Labour is seeking to join forces with rebel Tories and the DUP to force Mrs May's resignation in a no-confidence vote if her Brexit plan is heavily defeated.

In public, Downing Street continued to insist yesterday that the vote on the withdrawal agreement would go ahead as planned.

Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom (pictured above) is also understood to be open to the idea of pulling the vote if there is a clear plan about what to do next

But privately aides acknowledged the Prime Minister would 'take stock' over the weekend at her country retreat of Chequers before reaching a decision.

A final media blitz is planned for the next 48 hours as Tory whips canvass MPs on their intentions. Mrs May will then sit down with her inner circle on Monday to make the call. At the meeting, Chief Whip Julian Smith will present her with his final count of the number of Tory MPs on whose support she can rely. In recent weeks more than 100 Tory MPs have signalled their opposition.

One Whitehall source said trying to convince rebels to fall in line was like 'shouting out of a window'. Last night, one Cabinet source said: 'If we're heading for three figures defeat then why go ahead with it?'

An amendment designed to limit the UK's stay in the Northern Ireland backstop appeared dead on arrival after it was blasted by the Democratic Unionist Party  which props up the Tories in the Commons  and Eurosceptics.

A poll also revealed that despite the chaos in Westminster, the parties are running neck and neck among the public. Both Labour and the Conservatives are on 38 per cent, according to the survey by Ipsos Mori.

Arlene Foster (pictured above) has said that 'domestic legislative tinkering won't cut it'

May loyalists are split over what the Prime Minister should do next. Some argue that pulling the vote now and seeking concessions from Brussels at a summit next Thursday  or trying to find a legislative route to satisfy MPs  is her only hope of getting the deal through.

Liz Truss, pudding on the style... Much like Brexit, black pudding has its devoted fans  but others can't stomach it. Cabinet minister Liz Truss managed to combine both yesterday with a visit to a butchery. Liz Truss (pictured above) tries her hand at making black puddings After posing with a black pudding, she claimed Theresa May's EU withdrawal agreement would give British foodmakers the chance to sell more overseas. 'There's a lot of demand for fantastic British products,' said the Chief Secretary to the Treasury on a visit to the Fruit Pig Company in Wisbech, Cambridgeshire. Advertisement

But others say any attempt to reopen the deal would be a 'world of pain' and immediately prompt Spain, France and other countries to demand concessions on issues such as Gibraltar and fishing. Last night one senior Tory warned Eurosceptics that not voting for the deal would 'almost certainly' mean leaving on softer terms. 'Eventually you have to stare down the barrel,' said the source. 'There is no Parliamentary manoeuvre which hardens the options that we have now. They are going to have to choose.'

Leader of the Commons Andrea Leadsom is also understood to be open to the idea of pulling the vote if there is a clear plan about what to do next. Hardline Eurosceptics argue a huge defeat would send a signal to the EU that they would need to compromise.

The amendment, proposed by Tory loyalists, would give MPs a vote in 2020 over whether to enter the backstop or extend the transition period  and place a 'duty' on the government to have a workable alternative within a year. But backbench Tory Peter Bone told the BBC the amendment was 'absolutely meaningless'. He said: 'It's got no binding force.'

DUP Leader Arlene Foster said: 'Domestic legislative tinkering won't cut it.' Last night US vice president Mike Pence spoke of a 'strong partnership' after discussions about Brexit with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt.

It appeared to boost the chance of a UK-US deal after Donald Trump last week indicated the EU deal would make it hard to achieve.
Flight Lieutenant William 'Bob' Hughes, who died on Monday, joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as an 18-year-old

Tributes have been paid to one of the last Battle of Britain veterans after he died aged 97.

Flight Lieutenant William 'Bob' Hughes, who died on Monday, joined the Royal Air Force Volunteer Reserve as an 18-year-old in the spring of 1939.

He then served with the 23 Squadron at RAF Wittering in west Sussex and took to the skies against the Germans in the Battle of Britain a year later.

Mr Hughes completed two operational tours in Bristol Blenheim bombers and was awarded a Distinguished Flying Cross for gallantry in 1943.

There are now only seven Battle of Britain veterans remaining following the deaths of Flight Lieutenant Ronald Mackay, Wing Commander Tom Neil and Squadron Leader Geoffrey Wellum earlier this year.

David Brocklehurst MBE, chairman of the Kent Battle of Britain Museum, said: 'RIP Bob Hughes. Your duty is done.

'Our flag will be flown at half mast for the next seven days as a mark of respect.

'He should be remembered for his bravery. Many of them said they were not heroes, just doing their duty, but we see them all as heroes.

'It makes it all the more important that we carry on their legacy as there will be a time when they will no longer be able to do so.'

A spokesperson for Shoreham Aircraft Museum, where Mr Hughes was a regular visitor, said: 'Bob was a regular at the museum and will be sadly missed.

'Rest in Peace Bob your duty is done.'

He was one of less than 3,000 men who took to the skies against the Germans in the Battle of Britain

Group Captain Patrick Tootal OBE, honorary secretary of the Battle of Britain Fighter Association, said: 'He was a delightful man and very unassuming for a man with his war record.'

Members of the public have also taken to social media to pay their respects.

Julie Gough said: 'A debt that cannot be repaid with words but actions. Never to be forgotten xox'

Arthur Elliott said: 'RIP sir immense gratitude for your bravery.'

Paula McMullan added: 'Thank you for everything you did for us and this country, sir. Blue skies forever.'

Mr Hughes (pictured during his time with the Royal Air Force) worked as a flying instructor before leaving the RAF in March 1946

Mr Hughes was born in Tunbridge Wells, Kent, in 1921 before moving to Northampton at five years old.

Following the Battle of Britain in 1940, Mr Hughes was posted to Malta to serve with the 148 Squadron before being transferred to the 70 Squadron in Egypt.

He returned to Britain in early 1942 to complete a tour with the 12 Squadron, for which he earned his Distinguished Flying Cross.

Mr Hughes then worked as a flying instructor before leaving the RAF in March 1946.

The group of less than 3,000 men who took part in the Battle of Britain became known as 'The Few' following Winston Churchill's wartime address to Parliament.

He summed up the contribution of RAF Fighter Command to the war effort with the words 'never in the field of human conflict was so much owed by so many to so few'.

544 men sacrificed their lives and successfully repelled the German Luftwaffe in the summer of 1940, turning the tide of World War Two.

The remaining surviving members of' The Few' are Flight Lieutenant William Clark, 219 Squadron; Wing Commander John Elkington, 1 Squadron; Wing Commander Paul Farnes, 501 Squadron; Squadron Leader John Hart, 602 Squadron; Flying Officer John Hemmingway, 86 Squadron; Pilot Officer Archie McInnes, 601 Squadron; Flight Lieutenant Maurice Moundson, 56 Squadron.
The UK could pursue alternative options including a 'Norway Plus' option should Theresa May's Brexit plan be rejected by MPs, Amber Rudd has acknowledged.

The Secretary for Work and Pensions became the first Cabinet minister to publicly discuss the merits of a 'Plan B' if Mrs May deal is defeated in Tuesday's crunch Commons vote.

She said should the deal be voted down, she would prefer a so-called Norway-plus model for Brexit that would involve staying part of the European Economic Area.

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The UK could pursue alternative options including a 'Norway Plus' option should Theresa May's Brexit plan be rejected by MPs, Amber Rudd has acknowledged. The Secretary for Work and Pensions became the first Cabinet minister to publicly discuss the merits of a 'Plan B' if Mrs May deal is defeated in Tuesday's crunch Commons vote

Under the Norway-plus plan, the UK would remain in the single market and customs union, which would remove the need to use the Irish backstop provision.

She also suggested a second referendum was another potential outcome that might be sought by MPs if the deal is thrown out.

The former home secretary said the alternative 'seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are,' but conceded that 'nobody knows if it can be done'.

Ms Rudd predicted a 'chaotic' period if the Government is defeated.

'If it doesn't get through, anything could happen - People's Vote, Norway-plus, any of these options could come forward and none of them are as good as the current arrangement we have got with the Withdrawal Agreement to vote on on Tuesday.'

Her comments could be viewed as an attempt to win over Brexiteers who might prefer Mrs May's deal, even with its controversial Northern Irish backstop, to a Norway-plus future inside both the single market and customs union or the possibility of another referendum reversing the 2016 vote.

She said should the deal be voted down, she would prefer a so-called Norway-plus model for Brexit that would involve staying part of the European Economic Area. Under the Norway-plus plan, the UK would remain in the single market and customs union, which would remove the need to use the Irish backstop provision

'A lot of people have a perfect vision of what they think Brexit should look like, and that 'perfect' is not available,' she told BBC Radio 4's Today.

'What we need is a compromise deal, that's what the Prime Minister has proposed and I would urge my colleagues to think about, first of all, why people voted to leave the European Union, what their interpretation is of that; and secondly, what the alternatives are.

'This is why I think it is important for people not just to think why they don't particularly like the Withdrawal Agreement but what they would like better that is available and would get through the House of Commons.'

Amber Rudd (pictured) has said a Norway-style arrangement 'seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are'

Senior Norwegian politicians have warned Britain cannot have the same deal enjoyed by their country even if Theresa May's deal is defeated.

It was claimed today that at least 10 Cabinet ministers could back the Norway-style Brexit to break the impasse.

Under the Norway-plus plan, the UK would remain in the single market and customs union, which would remove the need to use the Irish backstop provision.

It would also protect current trade links with the EU - but it would fail to deliver on key Brexiteer promises over free movement and sovereignty.

Mrs May was warned by critics that she could be forced to stand down as Prime Minister if her Brexit deal is defeated in the Commons next week.

Norwegian MP Heidi Nordby Lunde (file) Britain cannot have the same deal enjoyed by her country even if Theresa May's deal is defeated

Eurosceptic former party leader Iain Duncan Smith cautioned against the PM and her Cabinet deciding to 'brazen it out', saying such an approach would be a 'disaster'.

'How the PM responds after the vote matters more than anything else she has done,' he told the Daily Telegraph.

'I believe that if the response is, 'we've lost but we will do this all over again', it will become a leadership issue.'

Another former leader Lord Howard said Mrs May would have 'difficult decisions to make about her future and about the future of our country' if she loses on December 11.

Ms Rudd said she hoped the Government would 'regroup' and 'hold stable, hold firm' in the aftermath of a defeat.

Despite the warning Labour MP Stephen Kinnock (file) said the warring Brexit tribes needed to put aside their differences

'What would be a complete mistake would be to allow what is already an unstable period to descend into further instability with talk of a leadership change,' she said.

The Cabinet minister also appeared to endorse an amendment to the Government's motion for the vote on Tuesday tabled by former Northern Ireland minister Sir Hugo Swire in an attempt to win over wavering Eurosceptics.

The alteration would mean Parliament would have to approve a decision to trigger the backstop arrangement, put a one-year time limit on it and seek assurances from the EU that the backstop would be temporary.

Ms Rudd told Today: 'Hugo Swire has put an amendment down which I hope will give some of my colleagues reassurance over the so-called backstop.'

Lord Howard suggested that talks with Brussels should be intensified to prepare for a Brexit with no formal deal.

'We should seek to put in place some ad hoc, temporary arrangements with the agreement of the European Union which would minimise and, indeed, perhaps even eliminate any disruption at the border on March 30 next year,' he told Today.

'We should also undertake that we would unilaterally, for the period of 12 months after March 29, allow any goods and services in from the European Union without any tariffs or tariff barriers or obstacles in any way - hope that they will reciprocate but do it even if they don't - and use that 12-month period to negotiate a free-trade agreement along the style of Canada-plus.'

Norwegian MP Heidi Nordby Lunde told The Guardian it was 'not an option'.

She said: 'Really, the Norwegian option is not an option.

'We have been telling you this for one and a half years since the referendum and how this works, so I am surprised that after all these years it is still part of the grown-up debate in the UK.

'You just expect us to give you an invitation rather than consider whether Norway would want to give you such an invitation.

'It might be in your interest to use our agreement, but it would not be in our interest.'

Despite the warning Labour MP Stephen Kinnock said the warring Brexit tribes needed to put aside their differences.

It was claimed today that at least 10 Cabinet ministers could back a Norway-style Brexit to break the impasse if Theresa May's deal is crushed on Tuesday night

Backing Norway, he said: 'We understand that there are at least 10 Cabinet ministers who are supporting this arrangement.'

He told BBC Radio 4's Today programme: 'What we need the Prime Minister to do, when she loses the vote on Tuesday, is to go on to the steps of Downing Street and make a very clear statement that we must pivot now to Norway-plus.'

A Norwegian-style compromise is opposed by many Eurosceptics, who believe it will amount to 'Brexit in name only', and by former Remainers who are pushing for a second referendum.

There is also resistance within Europe about the possibility of an economy the size of the UK joining the European Free Trade Association (EFTA) and European Economic Area (EEA) along with Norway, Iceland and Liechtenstein.

The People's Vote campaign, which wants a second referendum, published a dossier condemning the Norway-plus proposal.

In a joint foreword, Labour former foreign secretary David Miliband and Tory ex-minister Jo Johnson - who quit his Government role in November over Brexit - said: 'Norway-plus would represent a long-term commitment to pay to benefit from the European Union's regulatory structures while choosing to be outside it.'

They added that while rejoining EFTA may limit the economic damage it would represent a 'significant loss of power' and influence.

'Both sides would be entitled to ask, if the past two and a half years of upheaval and tortuous negotiation culminated in a Norway-plus deal, what was the point of all that?'

Mr Johnson said the arrangement would turn the UK into a 'nation of lobbyists' seeking to influence rules set in Brussels over which it had no say.

But Tory ex-minister Nick Boles said: 'Norway-plus is a compromise that has broad appeal to the pragmatic middle.

'It delivers a softish Brexit with a deal that preserves membership of the single market and keeps the union of the UK intact.'
The mother of the 'bully' schoolboy accused of 'waterboarding' a Syrian refugee has been quizzed over a second suspected racist attack after calling a chip shop owner a 'terrorist'.

The woman, who cannot be named for legal reasons, allegedly threw a charity box at an Asian chip shop worker, 28, and called him a 'terrorist' just months after she was convicted of launching a vile racist attack on his brother, The Sun Online revealed.

The mother allegedly went into a chip shop in Huddersfield to confront the owner on July 21 after she was convicted of racially aggravated threatening behaviour in March last year.

Jamal, 15, was allegedly waterboarded by the mother's 16-year-old son in sickening footage that gained national notoriety this week

Staff claim the woman confronted the chip shop workers after she believed the owner had received a payout after the racist attack, according to The Sun Online.

The owner told The Sun Online: 'She was ranting and raging accusing me of profiting from the first incident which wasn't true.

'My brother told her I hadn't and wasn't there but she just lost it. She called him a "P**i" and "terrorist".'

The second alleged incident was three months before her son was filmed allegedly strangling refugee Jamal and pouring water over his face on playing fields at Almondbury Community School in Huddersfield, West Yorkshire.

When contacted by The Sun Online, a spokesperson for West Yorkshire Police said: 'A woman was questioned by police in relation to an incident in Westgate, Huddersfield on July 21 2018.

'There was insufficient evidence to prosecute and no further action was taken.'

In March, the woman launched a vile attack before she spat at the owner of a chip shop.

'I came in to work at around 8pm to help lock up for the night. She was sitting eating with one of her sons. I went to the toilet and when I came out there was a pool of sick on the floor. It must have been them,' the owner told the Sunday People.

'I approached them and said, 'Why didn't you do it in the bin?' It was right there.

'He just walked off, but the mum was saying 'f*** off' and 'p*** off'. They went outside and that's when she started calling me 'P**i' and 'terrorist'. She spat at me.'

The owner posted the footage to Facebook, which helped police identify the woman and track her down.

The shocking video shows the moment a bully apparently grapples with the Syrian boy on the floor and squirts water in his face

In the clip, a bully walks up to Jamal and apparently chokes him before tackling him to the ground in a vile attack

He said it went viral with thousands of views and that it took two months for the woman to be charged by police.

She was hauled before a court last November where she admitted racially aggravated threatening behaviour and was fined 162.

The alleged school bully comes from a family with convictions for far-right offences, as his brother was jailed after a Britain First rally erupted in violence

The boy made headlines after the video he appeared in went viral. The 16-year-old claimed he had not been bullying his classmate before the incident and was previously on 'good terms' with him.

A sickening video showed the 15-year-old being set upon by an attacker who dragged him to the floor and said 'I'll drown you' before pouring a bottle of water on his face as others watched on.

Thousands flocked to support the teenager and bemoaned how he escaped war-torn Homs only to be abused by youngsters in the UK.

In separate footage, a Syrian girl thought to be Jamal's sister is attacked. Her headscarf is apparently tugged at as she is shoved and falls down a grassy slope at school

The boy, who escaped war torn Syria with his parents and sister, has suffered two years of bullying since they arrived in Huddersfield.

Now they want to leave the town and start a new life somewhere else because the level of abuse has got too much.

More than 135,00 has been raised after a shocking video of an assault on the boy went viral, showing him being pinned down by his attacker, and water squirted in his face.

Later it was claimed his sister had also suffered bullying and had her headscarf ripped off in a school playground attack.

The family's lawyer says they are 'extremely grateful' for the amount raised, but will be using it to move out of their home.

Mr Akunjee told the MailOnline: 'They will be using this money to relocate from Huddersfield.

They don't want to live there anymore, the level of abuse the children have received has become too much.

'It is early days on exactly where they will relocate to, but I have been advising them that they need to think about that now.
A 20-year-old man has been tasered in an apparent revenge attack, where up to 20 thugs armed with weapons stormed a home in Melbourne's south-east.

The thugs smashed their way into the house on Monahans Road in Cranbourne West just after 9.30pm on Friday using car batteries, before tasering the man.

The home invasion was allegedly over a stolen motorcycle but the man's brother, who was not home at the time, told 9News the attack was 'an overreaction'.

A 20-year-old man has been tasered in an apparent revenge attack, where up to 20 thugs armed with weapons stormed a home in Melbourne's south-east

Police were called to investigate the incident and it was later revealed jewellery and other valuables were taken by the intruders during the violent attack

The man said as the hoodlums stormed the property, he fled the scene and ran as far as he could, before hiding in the back of a car.

'I mean any situation if you got something stolen, you're gonna react, but I mean I think this was a little bit of an overreaction,' the man's brother said.

'I just feel bad for the neighbours. These people don't deserve this, we don't deserve this.'

Police were called to investigate the incident and it was later revealed jewellery and other valuables were taken by the intruders during the violent onslaught.

Five people were reportedly in the house, which is usually home to a baby girl, but only one person suffered minor injuries.

The terrifying ordeal was captured on the home's security cameras but the thugs allegedly ripped out the system's computer, along with the evidence.

The thugs smashed their way into the house on Monahans Road in Cranbourne West just after 9.30pm on Friday using car batteries, before tasering the man

The family has been targeted before, with another gang of thugs wielding knives and bats raiding the home just last week.

Neighbours in the street say the recent escalating violence has left them on edge.

One neighbour told 9News there has been a lot of violence in the area and it seems to be getting worse in recent times.

Another neighbour said: 'It's not nice, but it happens everywhere.'

No arrests have been made and police are continuing their investigations.
UK officials flew to Saudi Arabia during an investment conference just days after the brutal murder of the journalist Jamal Khashoggi in October.

While the senior officials from the Department of International Trade and the Home Office didn't actually enter the conference, they were 'on the fringes' and held secretive meetings with business men in nearby hotels.

Theresa May had expressly said that no UK representatives or ministers would attend the three-day event in the Saudi capital, Riyadh.

Officials and business personnel from all over the world, supposed to include UK officials, pulled out of conference in Saudi Arabia in the midst of the controversy over Khashoggi death

She said in the Commons in October: 'No minister or official is attending the investment conference in Saudi Arabia.

'And the Home Secretary is taking action against all suspects to prevent them entering the UK.

'If these individuals currently have visas, those visas will be revoked today.'

While no UK official actually entered the Future Investment Initiative conference, The Mirror are reporting that officials definitely travelled to the oil-rich state and acted on the fringes from nearby hotels and restaurants.

Theresa May,pictured here with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, had said no UK official would travel to the conference in Saudi Arabia over concerns around the killing

They reported that officials included Simon Penney, Trade Secretary Liam Fox's Trade Commissioner for the Middle East.

The UK's secretary of state for international trade was supposed to have pulled out of the conference, nicknamed 'Davos in the Desert', which ran from 22-25 October amid concern over Khashoggi's disappearance.

British officials had said Liam Fox decided it was not 'the right time' and urged Saudi leaders to conduct a 'credible' investigation into the case surrounding Mr Khashoggi.

A spokesman from Dr Fox's department added at the time: 'We encourage Turkish-Saudi collaboration and look forward to the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia conducting a thorough, credible, transparent, and prompt investigation, as announced.

Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry blasted UK's attendance, calling it 'hypocritical'

'Those bearing responsibility for his disappearance must be held to account.'

Labour has called the revelations 'disgusting' while Shadow Foreign Secretary Emily Thornberry told The Mirror the clandestine deals were 'typical of the government's hypocrisy over the Khashoggi murder'.

The conference, which hosted officials from all over the world, saw 40 billion worth of deals signed with Saudi Arabia when the uproar over Khashoggi's killing and dismemberment was at its peak.

Google, HP and Uber were among around 40 huge companies and participants that pulled out of the conference in the wake of the killing.

The Shadow Foreign Secretary also told The Mirror that the government have a 'loudly expressed determination to find out who ordered this killing' but it 'goes out the window the more the evidence points to Crown Prince bin Salman.'

She had previously called on Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt to suspend UK arms sales to Saudi Arabia as well as imposing fines on those found responsible for the journalist's death.
Three teenage burglars who police found tucked up in bed with stolen jewellery and pretending to be asleep have been jailed for a total of more than seven years.

The boys, who are all 19, also claimed they didn't know each other when officers questioned them, even though they were sharing two beds at the home in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire.

Seth Lee, from Leighton Buzzard, was sentenced to 40 months in prison and Patrick Casey, of no fixed address, was given a 24-month jail term.

Patrick Casey, 19, (left) was given a 24-month jail term and Seth Lee, 19, (right) was sentenced to 40 months in prison after they were found pretending to be asleep with stolen jewellery

Mark Boyce, 19, was jailed for 22 months and received a shorter sentence because he returned a watch stolen in the burglary

Mark Boyce, from Dunstable, was sentenced to 22 months imprisonment.

Boyce received additional credit and a shorter sentence because he returned a watch stolen in the burglary and brought it to the court.

A 16-year-old boy has also been found guilty but he hasn't been sentenced yet.

In the early hours of 15 June, police received reports from members of the public of a group of young people acting suspiciously in Leighton Buzzard.

The officers attended the scene and with the support of the National Police Air Support tracked the four teens to a house.

Officers found Boyce, Casey, Lee and the 16-year-old undressed and pretending to be asleep in bed, alongside a large number of items of stolen jewellery.

Speaking after the boys were found guilty at Luton Crown Court (pictured) Detective Constable Andrew Boston said it was one of the more 'unusual' cover stories he had heard

Although they were found sharing two beds, they denied knowing one another or having any involvement in the burglary.

Detective Constable Andrew Boston said: 'This was one of the more unusual cover stories for a group of burglars that I've encountered, but unfortunately for them our officers didn't buy it.

'Hopefully this will serve as a warning to others who think they are above the law - we are committed to catching anyone who looks to profit from other people's misery.'
North Carolina authorities have arrested a man in connection with the kidnapping and murder of 13-year-old Hania Aguilar.

Michael Ray McLellan, 34, has been charged with 10 felonies for first-degree murder, first-degree forcible rape, statutory rape of a person under 15 years of age, first-degree sexual offense, statutory sex offense with a person 15 years or younger, first-degree kidnapping, felony larceny, felony restraint, abduction of child, and concealment of a death.

He was already in custody for unrelated charges at the time of his arrest.

Police say Hania was snatched from her driveway at Rosewood Mobile Home Park in Lumberton and forced into the back of a family member's idling SUV on the morning of November 5.

The SUV was found several miles south of her mobile home park and her body was found a few miles further away on November 27.

North Carolina authorities have arrested 34-year-old Michael Ray McLellan in connection with the kidnapping, rape and murder of 13-year-old Hania Aguilar

Police say Aguilar was snatched from outside her home in Lumberton and forced into the back of an SUV on November 5. Her body was found last week

McLellan's arrest came after results from an FBI forensic exam of the stolen SUV wer cross-matched with the results from preliminary tests on Hania's body by the North Carolina State Crime Lab.

The 34-year-old stood before a state magistrate at the Robeson County Detention Center early on Saturday morning, according to Fox8.

He is currently being held at Robeson County Detention Center with no bond and is scheduled to appear in front of a judge on Monday morning at 9am EST.

Authorities say additional charges could be filed as the investigation is ongoing and final autopsy and toxicology reports have not yet been completed.

The map above shows the 10 miles between where Hania was abducted on November 5 and the stolen SUV was found three days later on November 8

Surveillance footage released by the FBI showed the SUV just after the abduction took place

A funeral for Hania will be held today in Lumberton, though her father Noe Aguilar, a Guatemalan citizen, will not be in attendance.

Noe's visa was denied earlier this week because he 'doesn't have enough ties to the country', according to his attorney Naimeh Salem.

'To tell you the truth, with past administrations, we never had a problem like this,' Salem, an immigration lawyer based in Texas, told the New York Times.

'With [President Donald Trump's] administration, most everything that is discretionary is getting denied.'

A mother by the name of Monique Cespedes created the 'Permission for Hanias Father to attend her funeral!' petition, which has gotten more than 57,000 signatures by Saturday morning.

An update to a Change.org petition said the slain teen's grandfather may attend the services in Noe's absence.

A funeral for Hania will be held Saturday in Lumberton, though her father Noe Aguilar, a Guatemalan citizen, will not be in attendance because his visa was denied this week. A mother by the name of Monique Cespedes created the ' Permission for Hanias Father to attend her funeral! ' petition, which has gotten more than 57,000 signatures as of Saturday morning
Casey Anthony's former roommate has claimed 'she's lying about everything' that happened when her daughter Caylee mysteriously vanished in June 2008 and was later discovered dead.

During an interview for Casey Anthony: Her Friends Speak, which airs Sunday on Reelz, Clint House spoke about the Florida woman's behavior before, during and after her two-year-old went missing.

One particular instance he referred to was Anthony's attitude after she was acquitted and said 'I sleep pretty good at night', claiming it wasn't the regular response for a woman who had lost her child.

Casey Anthony's former roommate, Clint House, said 'she's lying about everything' that happened when her daughter Caylee vanished in June 2008

He slammed her for taking part in a hot body contest when her child was missing and friends didn't know Caylee had disappeared

'She's lying about everything,' he said in the episode that begins 8pm sees him cry at the spot Caylee's body was dumped. 'And that interview, where she says she sleeps pretty good at night, are you kidding me?

'If I was put on trial for killing my kid, and I was acquitted because I didn't do it, as soon as I walked out those doors at the courthouse, I would be on a manhunt trying to find out who killed my kid. I wouldn't sleep again until I found out who killed my kid. That says everything you need to know.'

House was mentioning a comment she made to the Associated Press in 2017.

Clint House met Caylee, 2, a few times and described her as 'intelligent'

Anthony said: 'I don't give a s**t about what anyone thinks about me, I never will. I'm OK with myself, I sleep pretty good at night.'

But House was also convinced she played a part in her child's death due to her actions prior to Caylee being reported missing.

The toddler disappeared June 16 that year and her grandmother told authorities she was gone a month later on July 15.

House officially lived with Anthony's then-boyfriend Anthony Lazzaro, Cameron Campana and Nathan Lesniewicz but said that was just a technicality as she too 'stayed over on a regular basis'.

He saw her participate in a 'hot body contest' at a Fusion nightclub event he hosted, when she should have been worried about her baby's whereabouts.

'At that time, none of us knew that Caylee was missing,' he explained, adding they weren't alarmed at her actions at the time because she hadn't even mentioned her daughter had vanished.

'We couldn't be surprised. We weren't surprised until after the fact, until police were talking about it, asking questions. Until the media got ahold of it and things exploded. We were shocked and surprised that she could be out here doing what she had been doing that night, and meanwhile, her child is missing. It came as a big shock once we found out about it. But we just didn't know.'

Even before she went on trial she didn't seem rattled when he saw her in downtown Orlando.

House said her 2017 interview was suspicious after she said she sleeps well at night after being acquitted after a trial for her child's death

For the first time, he visited the site where Caylee's remains were found in the program

He speaks in Casey Anthony: Her Friends Speak airing Sunday at 8pm on Reelz

'She just didn't seem like there was anything wrong,' said House. 'She was like, 'Hey, how's it going? Good to see you.' Then we went our separate ways. That's the hardest part about this whole story, is that she was just completely so normal during the time Caylee was supposedly missing.'

Anthony originally claimed her child went missing with a babysitter and her attorney's later argued Caylee accidentally drowned.

He said in the interview he hasn't heard from Anthony since then but people pretending to be her have contacted him on Facebook.

With Anthony spending so much time in his residence, House said he met Caylee a few times and called her 'intelligent'.

He said: 'She was probably one of the sweetest little girls. Very articulate for her age. You could understand 90 percent of the words that were coming out of her mouth when she was talking to you. She seemed just so full of life, and she was just a great little girl. She was very well-behaved.'

To this day House maintains the Anthony their friendship group saw was 'a very loving, attentive mother' who never got angry at her child.

House said Anthony seemed normal when he last saw her which was before her trial. She pictured at a sentencing hearing at the Orange County Courthouse on July 7, 2011

He otherwise described Anthony as appearing to be a good mother who never needed to discipline her child

Caylee's grandparents George (right) and Cindy Anthony at a February 2009 memorial. Cindy reported her missing a month after she vanished

'I even testified to that in the trial. That is what I saw with my own two eyes,' he said on the program. 'I never saw her grab Caylee in any kind of abusive manner. I never saw her have to discipline Caylee because Caylee was such a well-behaved child She just seemed like a good mom.'

Despite 10 years having passed since Caylee's remains were found on the side of the road, House said the tragic story 'still affects us to this day'.

As he visited the site for the first time, the man - who is now a father himself  tearfully reflected on the toddler's death.

'There's nothing you can do to prepare yourself or to hear something like that. It was like a punch in the gut,' he recalled about hearing Caylee had vanished.

He continued: 'How was it that all the searchers miss this? It was harrowing to be there and see the leftover remains of all the people that had come and put stuffed animals that had started to decompose into the dirt.

'That was just really hard, knowing that's where she ended up. She didn't deserve that at all. She really didn't.'
President Donald Trump has blamed the riots in Paris on the climate change agreements and falsely claimed that the protesters are chanting 'We Want Trump' in the streets.

The commander in chief also slapped down the idea of a 'European Military' because it 'didn't work out too well in WW1 or 2' in a flurry of tweets on Saturday morning,

The French capital was a scene of chaos on Saturday and was placed on lockdown as armed police arrested more than 700 people and battled to contain the 'yellow vest' demonstrators fighting against higher living costs and proposed tax rises in France.

Trump suggested that the rioters wanted his leadership because they don't want to pay large sums of money to 'third world countries to maybe protect the environment'.

It comes after he withdrew from the Paris climate change agreement last year, calling it an economic burden.

He tweeted on Saturday morning: 'The Paris Agreement isn't working out so well for Paris,' he wrote. 'Protests and riots all over France. People do not want to pay large sums of money, much to third world countries (that are questionably run), in order to maybe protect the environment. Chanting "We Want Trump!" Love France.'

President Donald Trump blamed the riots in Paris on the climate change agreement Saturday and also slapped down the idea of a 'European military', because it didn't 'work out too well in WW1 or 2'

Trump's (right) 'Love France' jab came after Emanuel Macron (left) mocked his 'nationalism'

Trump insinuated the protests were linked to climate change issues, after the US pulled out of the Pairs agreement last year

Trump, 72, then criticized the Europe in a second tweet saying that the United States spends money protecting the continent

Hours later POTUS added that money spent on the climate change agreement should be given back to French citizens

Trump, 72, then criticized Europe in a second tweet Saturday morning saying that the United States spends more money protecting the continent than some of the countries in it.

He continued about the financial strain: 'The idea of a European Military didnt work out too well in W.W. I or 2. But the U.S. was there for you, and always will be. All we ask is that you pay your fair share of NATO. Germany is paying 1% while the U.S. pays 4.3% of a much larger GDP - to protect Europe. Fairness!'

Hours later POTUS added that money spent on the climate change agreement should be given back to French citizens.

Trump tweeted: 'Very sad day & night in Paris. Maybe its time to end the ridiculous and extremely expensive Paris Agreement and return money back to the people in the form of lower taxes? The U.S. was way ahead of the curve on that and the only major country where emissions went down last year!'

Trump's jab came after Emanuel Macron mocked his 'nationalism' during the World War I commemorations in November.

'Patriotism is the exact opposite of nationalism. Nationalism is a betrayal of patriotism by saying, "Our interests first, who cares about the others? We erase what a nation holds dearest, what gives it life, what gives it grace and what is essential  its moral values,' he said in Paris during a speech with Trump sitting in the front row.

The city is on lockdown as armed police battle to contain demonstrators

Dozens of streets in central Paris were closed to traffic, while the Eiffel Tower and world-famous museums such as the Musee d'Orsay, the Centre Pompidou and the Louvre closed

About 8,000 were deployed in Paris this weekend to avoid a repeat of last Saturday's mayhem when rioters torched cars and looted shops

On Tuesday Trump began to spread a famous right-wing radio host's unproven claim that rioters in Paris have been heard shouting that they want the president to replace their own.

He retweeted a message from Charlie Kirk, president of the conservative Turning Point USA youth organization, that 'We want Trump' is 'being chanted through the streets of Paris.'

Kirk appeared to take that claim from a broadcast Monday of Rush Limbaugh, who said French President Emanuel Macron has seen a proposed fuel tax increase  a measure intended to fight global warming  generate riots larger than any 'since the student protests of May 1968.'

'You know whats been overheard in some of the cheering over there? I kid you not. I know friends who are there,' Limbaugh said. 'There are some people wearing the yellow vests chanting, "We want Trump" among the rioters in Paris! We want Trump!'

No video surfaced showing Parisians yelling for Trump to be their president.

France, on their way to becoming a 3rd world country chants. WE WANT TRUMP https://t.co/koLOqLEEMb  jack white (@HorseRacingCOO) December 3, 2018

American conservative youth activist Charlie Kirk tweeted a claim that originated on the Rush Limbaugh talk-radio program, that 'We want Trump' was 'being chanted through the streets of Paris'

The US president seems to have ignored the fact that the footage was found to feature British people who were shouting in English language, after videos posted in June and a few days ago reflected the same scenes.

'We want Trump' in French is 'Nous voulons Trump'. No such utterances could be heard in the videos featuring a man wearing a mask of the president's face while standing on top of a Megabus.

Megabus does not offer a Paris service.

Around the chanters, an England flag bearing the Saint George's Cross can be seen as well as police officers in New Scotland Yard's Metropolitan Police Service uniform.

Dozens of streets in central Paris were closed to traffic, while the Eiffel Tower and world-famous museums such as the Musee d'Orsay, the Centre Pompidou and the Louvre were closed Saturday.

Dramatic photographs offer a snapshot into the volatile atmosphere surrounding the streets of France, as 'yellow vests' continue to demand more concessions from the government after Macron's U-turn on the fuel tax.

Many shops were boarded up to avoid looting, and street furniture and construction site materials have been removed to prevent them from being used as projectiles. About 89,000 police were deployed across the country.

Of these, about 8,000 were deployed in Paris to avoid a repeat of last Saturday's mayhem when rioters torched cars and looted shops off the famed Champs Elysees boulevard, and defaced the Arc de Triomphe monument with graffiti directed at President Emmanuel Macron.
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Hundreds of merry drinkers have descended on the streets of London dressed as Father Christmas as they take part in an annual pub crawl to raise money for charity.

This year Santacon London is supporting Christmas for Kids, a small London based charity who devise and perform multi-sensory and interactive shows for free at children's hospices.

Describing itself as 'a non-profit, non-political, non-religious and non-sensical', the parade that originated in San Francisco invites people to 'join the naughty list' and down drinks in the capital's bars and open spaces.

As well as a mandatory Santa dress code - that must be more than just a simple hat -participants are advised to download and bring carol song sheets so they can spread the Christmas cheer around.

Attendees are also encouraged to bring presents for children but are warned to 'make sure your merriment doesnt become anothers grief' after a few too many drinks.

Santas have already been spotted taking selfies and sipping on bottles of alcohol as they make their way around the fancy dress pub crawl this afternoon.

Alcohol flowed freely as thousands of merry Santas took to the streets of London today to mark SantaCon - and these two decided to relieve themselves in some bushes

Hundreds of Santas fill a street in Brixton, south London, and a couple merry participants raise their drinks into the air

Two men, one wearing sunglasses, take a selfie of their Santa outfits and white-sprayed beards in Brixton, south London

A bus drives through a massive group of Santas, and a few elves dressed in green, who are wearing festive hats and tinsel

A woman sips on her drink (left) during the annual pub crawl while a man (right) wears a costume with a funny modern twist

Participants in Santa costumes meet in Brixton, south London, before making their way through the streets of London

A woman on crutches, several merry Santas and a lone elf, walk pass a row of Christmas trees as they take part in festivities

A woman holds up her wine glass and others cheer as Santcon participants make their way down an escalator at Brixton tube

Two Santas take a drinking break to play on the swings together while a friend pushes them in Pedlars Park in Vauxhall

A man wears a turkey costume (left) to stand out from the crowd of Santas while a woman (right) swings from a lamppost

Two female Santas push their drinks in a shopping trolley at Geraldine Mary Harmsworth Park in south London

A woman adds accessories to her costume by wearing a tinsel tree hat, jingle bell glasses and glittery snowflake earrings

One man ditches the Santa theme and dresses up as a gold Christmas tree bauble for the day of festive fun in London

Four Santas and two reindeers take a moment to relieve themselves on the wall of the Imperial War Museum

A participant dressed up in a suit, hat and white beard drinks a beer in Brixton before setting off for the pub crawl

Two people take a picture of the huge crowd of Santas outside of King's Cross station today

Two friendly female Santas joining in on the fun with Santa and his helpers having fun around Euston Station and Bloomsbury

These Santas struggle to control their 'reindeer' as they take part in SantaCon near Euston Station in London earlier today

Santa pile-up! Everyone that took part in today's SantaCon in London seemed to be in high spirits, as shown by these Santas

The happy Santas marked the day in several hilarious ways, including this female Santa who decided to wear an inflated outfit

Thousands of people dressed up as Santa, Elves, Reindeer and Christmas Trees and took part in a chairty pub crawl for SantaCon

This Santa decided to put his own twist on the classic white beard, decorating his face with baubles and fairy lights
When a Louisiana man named Kea (right) fell on hard times his coworkers at Ruffino's on the River in Lafayette, Louisiana came together and gave him the gift of a lifetime, buying him a new car on November 28. Manager Ruffin Rodrigue is shown, left

When their friend and coworker fell on hard times, the crew at a restaurant in Louisiana came together and gave one man and his young family the gift of a lifetime, buying him a new car.

Virtually the entire staff at Ruffino's on the River in Lafayette showed up to surprise Kea with his new set of wheels on November 28, with the tearful moment he saw what they had done for him caught on camera.

Members of the management team at the Italian-Creole fusion restaurant shared videos of the surprise on Facebook, explaining what led to the perfectly timed holiday surprise.

'Last week, our long time employee had his car stolen from the parking lot at Ruffinos on the River,' Chris Muffoletto said. 'The staff decided that we had to do something, so we all pitched in and surprised Kea with a replacement.'

In the video of the big reveal, Ruffin Rodrigue walks Kea out of the restaurant with his arm around his shoulder, around the corner of the entrance and down to the parking lot.

Once there, Kea is greeted by a large number of his coworkers, standing en mass in the parking lot, and Rodrigue starts to tell him what's in store.

'The whole staff got together and we got you a little surprise,' Rodrigue says to Kea. 'Just a little surprise, just a small surprise.'

The look on Kea's face is one of disbelief, like he doesn't know quite what to expect.

In the video of the big reveal, Ruffin Rodrigue (right) walks Kea (left) out of the restaurant with his arm around his shoulder, around the corner of the entrance and down to the parking lot

Once there, Kea is greeted by a large number of his coworkers, standing en mass in the parking lot, and Rodrigue starts to tell him what's in store

After telling him that he's like family to them, Rodrigue gestures for the crowd of Kea's coworkers to part, and when they do, a shiny, new silver car is revealed behind them

'Look at me, you're family alright?' Rodrigue tells him. 'You've been here a long time, you work your butt off. We want you to be here as long as you can be here. We got you a little something.'

At this, Rodrigue gestures for the crowd of Kea's coworkers to part, and when they do, a shiny, new silver car is revealed behind them, all for Kea and his family.

At the sight of the incredibly generous gesture, Kea breaks down in tears, covering his face with his hands.

At the sight of the incredibly generous gesture, Kea breaks down in tears, covering his face

A coworker walks up to Kea and Rodrigue Ruffin (right) to embrace him when he's emotional

'Everybody's rooting for you, everybody pitched in,' Rodrigue tells his employee, as Kea and Rodrigue bring it in for a hug.

'Everybody pitched in, everybody who's out here, because we wanted to take care of you like we're family.'

Overcome with emotion and smiling from ear to ear, Kea says, 'I love you all, man,' as he goes about giving out hugs before walking over to the car.

Probably the most touching thing Ive experienced in my 30 years in the business. Last week, our long time employee had his car stolen from the parking lot at Ruffinos on the River. The staff decided that we had to do something, so we all pitched in and surprised Kea with a replacement. I cant tell you how proud I am of our staff, their big hearts, and our family environment. A HUGE shout out to Dons Wholesale Automotive. They heard what we were trying to do and matched the donations of our staff to put Kea and his young family in a reliable, beautiful car. Big thanks to Mr. Don and Dylan for your generosity and spirit of giving. You have customers for life!!!! Posted by Chris Muffoletto on Wednesday, November 28, 2018

'Everybody's rooting for you, everybody pitched in,' Rodrigue tells his employee, as Kea and Rodrigue bring it in for a hug

Overcome with emotion and smiling from ear to ear, Kea says, 'I love you all, man,' as he goes about giving out hugs

Once he's checked out his new set of wheels, he walks over and gives his lady a kiss before grabbing the child and getting in his driver seat for the first time

In his post with the video on Facebook, Rodrigue called the experience 'one of the most special days in [his] 20 years in the restaurant business'

Once he's checked out his new set of wheels, he walks over and gives his lady a kiss before grabbing the child and getting in his driver seat for the first time.

In his post with the video on Facebook, Rodrigue called the experience 'one of the most special days in [his] 20 years in the restaurant business.'

Muffoletto said the same, over his 30 years in the industry.

'I cant tell you how proud I am of our staff, their big hearts, and our family environment,' Muffoletto wrote, before going on to thank the car lot where they bought the vehicle.

'A HUGE shout out to Dons Wholesale Automotive. They heard what we were trying to do and matched the donations of our staff to put Kea and his young family in a reliable, beautiful car. Big thanks to Mr. Don and Dylan for your generosity and spirit of giving. You have customers for life!!!!'
President Donald Trump has said that prosecutors found no evidence of campaign collusion with Russia despite a lengthy and costly investigation.

'After two years and millions of pages of documents (and a cost of over $30 million) no collusion!' Trump tweeted on Saturday morning, one day after new court filings from special counsel Robert Mueller.

The $30 million appears to be a reference to the cost of Mueller's investigation. The figure does not account for the assets former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort agreed to forfeit, real estate and cash estimated to be worth between $42 million and $46 million.

Trump followed it up with a tweet quoting Geraldo Rivera, who said of Mueller's filings: 'This is collusion illusion, there is no smoking gun here.'

President Donald Trump has said that prosecutors found no evidence of campaign collusion with Russia despite a lengthy and costly investigation

The new court filings allege Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was in touch as far back as 2015 with a Russian who offered 'political synergy' with the Trump election campaign and proposed a meeting between the candidate and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Mueller and prosecutors in New York suggested the Kremlin aimed early on to influence Trump and his campaign by playing to both his political aspirations and his personal business interests.

The filings, in cases involving Cohen and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort , capped a dramatic week of revelations in Mueller's probe into possible coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

They bring the legal peril from multiple investigations closer than ever to Trump, tying him to an illegal hush money payment scheme and contradicting his claims that he had nothing to do with Russia.

However, the President's supporters say that the filings still do not provide a 'smoking gun' on Russian collusion, charging that Mueller has merely woven innuendo about Russia contacts together with unrelated crimes.

In one of the filings, Mueller details how Cohen spoke to a Russian who 'claimed to be a 'trusted person' in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign 'political synergy' and 'synergy on a government level.''

Trump sent this tweet just an hour after the Cohen sentencing memos were released

Mueller's (above) latest court filings tie Trump to Michael Cohen's campaign finance violation, but the President's supporters say they do not prove collusion

The person repeatedly dangled a meeting between Trump and Putin, saying such a meeting could have a 'phenomenal' impact 'not only in political but in a business dimension as well.'

That was a reference to a proposed Moscow real estate deal that prosecutors say could have netted Trump's business hundreds of millions of dollars.

Cohen admitted last week to lying to Congress by saying discussions about a Trump Tower in Moscow ended in January 2016 when in fact they stretched into that June, well into the U.S. campaign.

Cohen told prosecutors he never followed up on the Putin invitation, though the offer bore echoes of a March 2016 proposal presented by Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, who broached to other advisers the idea of a Putin encounter.

Prosecutors said probation officials recommended a sentence for Cohen of three-and-a-half years in prison. His lawyers want the 52-year-old attorney to avoid prison time altogether.
A $1million reward is now on the table for anybody who is able to provide information into the gay hate killing of mathematician Scott Johnson 30 years ago.

The 27-year-old's naked body was found at the bottom of a cliff at Sydney's North Head on the morning of December 10, 1988.

His death has been subject to three coronial inquiries over the years - the first ruling he died by suicide and the second delivering an open finding.

But in November last year, Coroner Michael Barnes ruled the American died as a result of a gay hate attack.

A $1million reward is now on offer to help find the killer or killers of American mathematician Scott Johnson (pictured)

On the 30th anniversary of his death, police have increased the reward for information tenfold, making the case only the seventh in New South Wales to have a $1million reward, the Sydney Morning Herald reported.

His family, who have refused to give up the search for answers, have welcomed the increased reward.

The renewed hopes and plans to review the case from 'a fresh set of eyes' comes after his brother, Steve Johnson, returned to Australia.

'Someone knows what happened to Scott, either because they were present or because they heard of what happened from others who were present,' Steve said.

The naked body of Scott, a mathematics PhD student, was found at the base of a 60m cliff near Blue Fish Point, just south of Manly, on Sydney's northern suburbs.

The haunt was a well-known gay beat.

The coroner last year said while the mathematician (pictured) died as a result of a gay hate attack, there was insufficient evidence to identify the perpetrators

Since the discovery of Scott's body, there have been three inquests into his death. He is pictured above with his brother Steve, who was welcomed the $1million reward for answers

'It is likely that those who were involved in Scott's death would have bragged about it given the culture of gay-hate amongst groups in Sydney at the time,' Steve said.

He encouraged 'anyone who has any information to come forward and provide it'.

New South Wales Police Commissioner Mick Fuller said Mr Johnson's case was one of the most challenging he had ever seen.

'It is one of the greatest hindrances has been an unwillingness for witnesses to come forward,' Mr Fuller said.
Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton has lashed out at the Labor Party, accusing them of endorsing a policy that would 'collapse' Australia's border protection.

Mr Dutton's criticism comes after the Bill Shorten-led opposition backed a bill that would see ill asylum seekers on Manus Island and Nauru transported to Australia to receive medical treatment.

Should the policy pass the lower house in February, Mr Dutton says it will 'restart the boats'.

Home Affairs Minister Peter Dutton (pictured) says Bill Shorten's Labor has supported laws that would 'restart' a flow of boats full of asylum seekers

Mr Shorten hit back, saying his government will 'turn back boats' if it is safe to do so. Pictured are asylum seekers on Manus Island

'What Labor is proposing here is a back doorway to end regional processing. That is one of the three limbs that has stopped the boats,' Mr Dutton told reporters in Brisbane on Saturday.

Labor offered conditional support for crossbencher Kerryn Phelps' bill earlier in the week, sparking Mr Dutton's criticisms.

The legislation was eventually delayed by the federal government in a bid to avoid a historic loss in the House of Representatives.

Dr Phelps, the newly-elected Independent MP for Wentworth, proposed laws which would see critically ill refugees be flown to Australia for medical treatment on the advice of two doctors.

But it was revealed earlier the bill would not include considerations for the applicant's character, meaning those with serious prior convictions would be allowed into the country.

In medical cases where a foreign national has to be sent to Australia to treatment, doctors could even make the final decision via Skype.

Bill Shorten's (pictured) Labor party backed laws that would see asylum seekers taken in for medical treatment

Immigration minister David Coleman was one of the first to slam the proposed law.

'Under Labor's law, a person who has been convicted of serious offences would have to come to Australia and there is nothing the minister could do to stop it,' he told The Daily Telegraph.

'For the alternative prime minister to support this is staggering.'

The only grounds under which the minister could fight the doctors' recommendations would be medically-based or if the person was a terror threat.

However, speaking in support of Dr Phelps' bill, Mr Shorten shifted the focus to the dangers of offshore detention.

'Labor does not accept the corollary between discouraging the people-smuggling trade and keeping people in detention for five plus years. That's shameful,' he told ABC Radio.

The laws were first proposed by newly-elected Independent MP for Wentworth Dr Kerryn Phelps (pictured)

Labor finance spokesman Jim Chalmers also hit back at Mr Dutton, saying the Liberals were making up 'desperate lies'.

'The fact is, Labor will never let the people smugglers back into business,' he told reporters on Saturday.

'The urgent medical transfer amendments that passed the Senate this week are about making sure sick children and adults get the medical care they need.'

Mr Dutton still has 'ultimate discretion' over transfers, Mr Chalmers said.

'The legislation enshrines the minister's discretion to reject transfers - currently the government makes ad hoc decisions often rejecting medical advice,' he said.

Mr Shorten also rejected claims he was softening his approach to border protection, telling The Australian accusations he would 'abolish offshore processing' were false.

'We will turn back boats where it is safe to do so. We will still keep offshore processing full stop,' Mr Shorten said.

'But if Mr Morrison is trying to argue that the only way you have borders, protections, is not to provide timely medical treatment to some asylum-seekers on Manus and Nauru, that's rubbish.'
A father of four was hacked to death by a machete-wielding group of 'seven or eight lads' outside a Chinese takeaway in the West Midlands in a tragic case of 'mistaken identity'.

Yassir Alam, 34, from Nelson in Lancashire was with a male cousin visiting family in Dudley when a van suddenly rammed into the takeaway window before armed attackers jumped out and chased him.

The Costcutter store owner was stabbed in the back three times as he tried to flee and was pronounced dead at the scene at around 10pm on Tuesday.

Father-of-four, Yassir Alam, 34, died because of stab wounds sustained to his back on Tuesday

The men swooped with weapons including a machete which killed Yassir, in what his family are calling a case of mistaken identity.

His brother Sultan Alam posted on Facebook: 'On Tuesday the 4th of December 2018 my brother was stabbed with machete by 7 or 8 lads in Dudley on Central Drive.

'All our family travelled 120 miles to see my brothers dead body and I've never seen a dead body in my life but today I did and it was my brothers. His kids are face timing their dad every day it's heart breaking.

Yassir leaves behind a widow and four children Adil, 13, Azaan, eight, Malaika, 11 and four-year-old Hazan

'My mum is in a real state we can't get her to come around he was such a caring loving person even if he was being hit he wouldn't fight back we lost a dad, a son, a brother.'

Sultan also told of the heartbreaking moment the family rushed to Coventry Hospital not knowing if he was alive, only to be told he had been pronounced dead at the scene.

He said: 'We travelled to Coventry hospital and got there 2am Wednesday morning only to be told he was pronounced dead at the scene 10pm on Tuesday and they wouldn't let us see his body. He died on his own he would have been scared and terrified.'

Police confirmed they arrested four men, aged 20, 32, 36 and 41 on suspicion of murder. They also arrested a 21-year-old woman on suspicion of assisting an offender but she was released pending further investigation.

Yassir, from Nelson in Lancashire was with a male cousin visiting family in Dudley when killed

One of the men, Nabeel Choudhary, 20, has been charged with murder in connection with the incident. He has also been charged with possession of an imitation firearm with criminal intent. He is set to appear at Walsall Magistrates' Court on Saturday.

Yassir leaves behind a widow and four children Adil, 13, Azaan, eight, Malaika, 11 and four-year-old Hazan.

Tributes flooded in to the 'loving and caring father' on Facebook with Guftar Khan writing: 'Can't believe you're gone saw you grow from a child to man to father you never stopped smiling you are one person son who will be missed R.I.P'

And Roxanne Jackson also posted on Facebook, saying: 'I'm absolutely devastated yas wouldn't hurt a fly what is our world coming to taking somebody like Yas life away. I feel for you all stay strong he wouldn't want to see you unhappy such a loving and caring person xxx'
The real reason Harry and Meghan are moving to Windsor is because of tensions between the two brothers, it's claimed.

Initially it was thought that a frosty relationship between Meghan and Kate was to blame for The Duke and Duchess of Sussex's move from Kensington Palace.

But the driving force behind the divide is actually friction between Harry and William, according to The Sun.

The driving force behind the divide between the two couples (pictured in July) is friction between Harry and William, it is claimed

The paper claims Harry has accused William of trying to 'wreck his marriage' after his older brother voiced concerns over Meghan.

The Duke of Sussex is also said to be overly-protective about his wife because 'he couldn't do the same for Princess Diana'.

A Palace insider told The Sun: 'It's my opinion that Harry feels he couldn't protect his mother, so he's going all out to protect his wife. This is his way of atoning.

Happy couples! The Camrbdiges and Sussexes were all smiles as they attended church at Sandringham on Christmas Day in 2017, but rumours emerged in recent weeks of a rift between the foursome

'He will brook absolutely no criticism of Meghan  and he is so sensitive he often sees criticism or negativity where there isnt any.'

The first hint of friction between the brother came when Harry introduced William to Meghan, 37, the first time she came to stay at Kensington Palace.

Once she'd left, William reportedly warned Harry that they didn't know her intentions and her background, according to the paper.

Harry then reportedly 'went mental' and accused his brother of trying to finish their relationship before it had started.

Other royals are thought to have expressed their concerns to the Duke of Sussex.

Kensington Palace refused to comment when approached by MailOnline.

It comes after the Duke and Duchess of Cambridge failed to attend a board meeting of the Royal Foundation this week amid rumours of a royal rift with the Duke and Duchess of Sussex.

Prince William and the Duchess of Cambridge visit military personnel in Cyprus on December 5. The royal couple skipped a board meeting attended by Prince Harry and Meghan

William and Kate lead the foundation together with Harry and Meghan but while the Duke and Duchess of Sussex both attended the meeting, as well as a staff Christmas party afterwards, the other two members of the so-called Fab Four didn't show up.

Kensington Palace insists that the Cambridges were not expected, but a source admitted that it 'was a shame' they didn't attend the meeting or the subsequent party.

Rumours of a rift between the Cambridges and the Sussexes have spread like wildfire following the announcement that Harry, 34, and Meghan, 37, are set to move away from Kensington Palace to Frogmore Cottage.

And the latest chapter of the rumoured rivalry saw Harry and Meghan attend the board meeting alone.

Prince Harry and the Duchess of Sussex at The Royal Variety Performance, held at the London Palladium. The Duke and Duchess of Sussex both attended the board meeting

A source revealed: 'Not only were Harry and Meghan there, but they went to the staff Christmas party afterwards.

'It was a very jolly affair. It's a shame that William and Catherine did not turn up.'

Kensington Palace insists that the Cambridges had not been expected. 'Their Royal Highnesses attend these meetings in turn,' a spokesman says.

'This session was focused on programmes led by the Duke of Sussex.'

Although the rift has mostly focused on the relationship between Meghan and Kate, recent reports suggest that the issue is actually between William and Harry.

According to the Sun, a royal source claims that Harry is accusing William of trying to 'wreck his relationship with Meghan'.

William is believed to have 'voiced concerns' about Meghan to his brother.

And Harry's over-protectiveness of his wife has apparently driven a wedge between the two brothers.

One courtier told the Sun: 'It's my opinion that Harry feels he couldn't protect his mother, so he's going all out to protect his wife.

'This is his way of atoning. He will brook absolutely no criticism of Meghan  and he is so sensitive he often sees criticism or negativity where there isn't any.'

The friction between the two apparently started when William tried to give Harry some brotherly advice about the American actress, back when their romance was still fairly new.

However, the chat went down badly with one friend saying that Harry 'went mental'.

The friend added that the relationship between the two brothers has never really recovered since.

Rumours of a rift between the two royal couples started when Harry and Meghan announced they would be moving to Windsor

The source also revealed that Meghan felt rebuffed when she tried to befriend Kate and that the brothers are competing against each other over palace appointments.

Meghan apparently tried to approach Kate to learn the ropes but the Duchess of Cambridge was pre-occupied with her children Prince Louis, George, five, and Charlotte, three.

The Duchess of Sussex is also said to be surprising the royal household with just how keen her mind is.

Harry and Meghan are set to move out of Kensington Palace - and away from William and Kate - to make a new home at Frogmore Cottage in Windsor.

Officially, the couple are moving to have their own space for their new child who is due in the spring.

However, rumours have spread since the announcement that a secret family feud is the real reason for the move.
Chinese telecoms giant Huawei is set to spend 1.5bn on technical changes to its equipment to allay fears in the UK of cyber security risks

Embattled Chinese telecoms giant Huawei will spend 1.5billion on technical changes to its equipment to allay fears in the UK of cyber security risks.

Huawei executives and senior officials from GCHQ's National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC) agreed to the changes this week, following issues first raised in a report in July.

British intelligence had issued the demands over Huawei's equipment and software as it seeks to be part of the country's 5G network plans, the FT reported, citing two people with knowledge of the discussions.

Senior UK security officials have made it clear their concerns are purely due to technical shortcomings and are not connected to the company's Chinese origins or any evidence of espionage or malicious activity.

The news comes as Meng Wanzhou, the heiress to Huawei, appeared in court in Canada yesterday after she was arrested in Vancouver last week for allegedly violating US sanctions against Iran.

And today, US prosecutors charged Meng - chief financial officer and daughter of Huawei's founder - with fraud, saying she had used at least seven passports, from China and Hong Kong, in 11 years, according to Sky.

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Meng Wanzhou (above), the heiress to Huawei, appeared in court in Canada yesterday after she was arrested in Vancouver last week for allegedly violating US sanctions against Iran

US prosecutors have charged Meng - chief financial officer and daughter of Huawei's founder - with fraud, saying she had used at least seven passports, from China and Hong Kong, in 11 years. (Pictured, a court sketch of Meng at her B.C. Supreme Court bail hearing yesterday)

It is not known whether Meng will be extradited to the US; prosecutors in America have 60 days to formally request this.

The US alleges that Huawei used a Hong Kong shell company to sell equipment in Iran in violation of US sanctions.

It also says that Meng and Huawei misled American banks about its business dealings in Iran.

The surprise arrest raises fears of an escalation in the trade war between China and the US.

Beijing called her arrest a 'despicable rogue's approach' and part of a campaign to stymie China's high-tech ambitions.

Huawei executives and senior officials from GCHQ's (above) National Cyber Security Centre agreed to the technical changes this week, following issues first raised in a report in July

On Friday, the EU's technology chief said the European Union should be worried about Huawei and other Chinese technology companies because of the risk they pose to the bloc's industry and security - echoing concerns raised elsewhere in the world.

Huawei expressed disappointment at EU tech commissioner Andrus Ansip's comments, saying it had never been asked to install technology that could be used for spying and never would.

What is Huawei? Huawei, a privately held company, based in southern China's tech hub of Shenzhen near Hong Kong, is the world's largest supplier of network gear used by phone and internet companies. It also recently surpassed Apple as the second biggest maker of cellphones after South Korea's Samsung Electronics Co. The company, founded in 1987 by a former military engineer, Ren Zhengfei, who is Meng's father, has 170,000 employees worldwide and says it has business in more than 170 countries. Advertisement

Over the summer, Australia barred Huawei from providing 5G technology for wireless networks over espionage fears.

New Zealand followed suit in November but said the issue was a technological one.

Britain's largest mobile provider has also joined the global ban.

The NCSC said in a statement that it was 'committed to the security of UK networks, and we have a regular dialogue with Huawei about the criteria expected of their products.

'The NCSC has concerns around a range of technical issues and has set out improvements the company must make,' it said.

On Wednesday, BT announced it was removing Huawei's telecommunications equipment from its 4G cellular network, following a warning from the head of the MI6 foreign intelligence service that singled out the Chinese company as a potential security risk.

But Robert Hannigan, former head of the GCHQ intelligence agency that deals with cyber-security, on Friday warned of 'hysteria' over Chinese technology.

'My worry is there is sort of a hysteria growing... we need a calmer approach,' he told BBC Radio 4's Today programme.

British intelligence agencies have not 'reported a backdoor or malicious intervention' by Huawei, and any official criticisms so far are of 'incompetence rather than malice,' he added.

But he warned that 5G presented a different challenge given that more data is processed locally, making it harder to keep tabs on.
President Donald Trump has announced that he's tapping Gen Mark Milley as his next top military adviser.

In a pair of tweets on Saturday morning, Trump wrote: 'I am pleased to announce my nomination of four-star General Mark Milley, Chief of Staff of the United States Army  as the Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, replacing General Joe Dunford, who will be retiring.

'I am thankful to both of these incredible men for their service to our Country! Date of transition to be determined.'

Milley is a battle-hardened commander who has served as chief of the Army for the last three years.

President Trump announced Saturday morning that he will tap Gen Mark Milley (above) to be his next top military adviser. If confirmed by the Senate, Milley will succeed Marine Gen Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff

Milley commanded troops during several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan and has served as the Army's top officer since August 2015.

Trump had been expected to reveal his pick at the Army-Navy game on Saturday afternoon, but chose - as he often does - to do it on Twitter instead.

The announcement came unusually early given that Dunford's term as chairman does not end until October 1, 2019. Sources told Fox News on Friday that he has no plans to end his term early.

Dunford, a former commandant of the Marine Corps and commander of coalition troops in Afghanistan, was nominated to the post in 2015 by President Obama.

Trump nominated him for a second two-year term last year.

If confirmed by the Senate, Milley will serve a four-year term as a result of Congress' 2016 decision to extend the term-length to provide continuity before and after a presidential election.
President Donald Trump's attorney Rudy Giuliani has said that the rebuttal he is preparing to special counsel Robert Mueller will seek to discredit the President's many familiar foes who were involved in various stages of the investigation.

'You're d**ned right we are. I can't imagine how we wouldn't' target the various personalities involved, Giuliani told the Huffington Post on Friday, after Trump announced the 'major counter report'.

FBI lovers Peter Strzok and Lisa Page, high DOJ official Bruce Ohr and his Democrat consultant wife Nellie, and British ex-spy Christopher Steel, who authored the 'dirty dossier' for Hillary Clinton's campaign, are all said to be prime subjects of Giuliani's report.

'I could write a whole book,' Giuliani said of the various players involved, saying he planned to lay out an argument that the investigation was tainted by partisanship and illegitimate surveillance of the Trump campaign from the very beginning.

Rudy Giuliani (above) said that the rebuttal he is preparing to special counsel Robert Mueller will seek to discredit the President's many familiar foes

The president tweeted Friday that his legal team will be issuing a lengthy rebuttal to Mueller

Trump on Friday morning announced his legal team was working on the report, writing on Twitter: 'It has been incorrectly reported that Rudy Giuliani and others will not be doing a counter to the Mueller Report. That is Fake News. Already 87 pages done, but obviously cannot complete until we see the final Witch Hunt Report.'

'We will be doing a major Counter Report to the Mueller Report. This should never again be allowed to happen to a future President of the United States!' Trump added.

Giuliani confirmed the draft report is approximately 87 pages at present, but noted it could run longer or shorter when released, depending on what Mueller publishes and what responses Trump's team includes.

The report will likely make the case that Mueller's probe has its origins in the dossier that Steele was hired to write by lawyers for Clinton's campaign and the Democratic National Committee, alleging links between Trump and Russia.

British ex-spy Christopher Steele's (right) main contact at the Department of Justice was Bruce Ohr (right), whose wife Nellie Ohr did opposition research on Trump for Fusion GPS

Steele's contact at the Department of Justice was Bruce Ohr, whose wife Nellie Ohr was hired to conduct opposition research on Trump for Democrat-financed consultancy Fusion GPS, which also contracted the Steele dossier.

Giuliani will likely argue that that the Democrat-financed Steele dossier was funneled into the DOJ by Ohr and formed the main evidence that partisan FBI investigators used to obtain surveillance warrants on Trump campaign advisor Carter Page - a claim investigators have denied.

Strzok and Page will also come under scrutiny in Giuliani's report. Strzok led the FBI's investigation into Russian election interference before becoming the top agent on Mueller's team after the special counsel was appointed.

Text messages between Strzok and lover Page, an FBI lawyer, revealed strong anti-Trump sentiments and a cryptic reference to an 'insurance policy' against a Trump presidency. Strzok was fired and Page resigned from the FBI, and in testimony they both strongly denied that any political bias affected their work.

FBI lovers Lisa Page (left) and Peter Strzok (right) will also get scrutiny in Giuliani's report

Giuliani's report is also likely to take aim at fired FBI Director James Comey, his deputy Andrew McCabe, former CIA Director John Brennan, and former Director of National Intelligence James Clapper, painting them as partisans who planted the seeds of the Russia investigation to damage Trump's candidacy and presidency, which they deny.

In addition to the attack on the probe's legitimacy, Giuliani said he also plans to make legal arguments, including that Trump is immune from obstruction charges while acting in his legal capacity as president.

Trump's firing of Comey in May 2017, which led to the appointment of Mueller, could not be obstruction of justice, Giuliani argued.

'As a matter of law, there can't be obstruction in this case,' he told HuffPo.

Responding to the charge that prior to firing him Trump had asked Comey to go easy in investigating his national security advisor Mike Flynn, Giuliani said that Trump had merely made a polite request because he believed Flynn's innocence.

'In obstruction, you don't have 'please.' It's usually: 'I'll break your legs,' Giuliani said, noting that Comey had continued investigating Flynn. 'It's sure as hell not very effective obstruction.'
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Mesmerising footage shows a sea of 'ice pancakes' of all different sizes covering a river in the Scottish Highlands.

The 'rare phenomenon' on the River Helmsdale was such a spectacle that it prompted a group of binmen to pull over and take in the unusual view.

Binman and nature photographer Daniel Norrie, 31, took photos and video of 'ice pancakes' that are caused when pieces of ice knock together and create circular shapes.

Daniel had been driving through Strath of Kildonan, Scotland, on Wednesday when he spotted the sight from his window while working.

Dozens of the rare 'ice pancakes' were spotted on the River Helmsdale in the Strath of Kildonan, Scotland, by Daniel Norrie

So interested by what he had seen, he asked his colleague to pull over so he could snap the beautiful river as he'd never seen anything like it before.

Mr Norrie, from Brora, Scotland, said: 'After we'd driven past these strange-looking things, I asked the driver if we could stop briefly so I could have a look at what they were.

'I was just so puzzled and interested by them, then I learnt they were called ice pancakes. I think they look more like prawn crackers than pancakes.

'They varied in size - some were the size of a DVD while others were the size of a vinyl.

'I regularly take pictures of sunrises in winter, and I've definitely taken nicer pictures before but nothing as unique as this.'

Mr Norrie, who regularly takes pictures of winter sunrises while on the job, admits these images are his best yet.

The pancakes sit on top of the water, are all different sizes and form when the weather gets very cold

Mr Norrie said he was 'puzzled and interested' by the floating discs and added that they look more like 'prawn crackers' to him

According to the Met Office, ice pancakes require very specific conditions to form and are most commonly seen in the Baltic Sea, but can also form in North America and Canada.

The discs formed can measure anywhere between eight and 80 inches and are described as a 'unique spectacle.'

Whilst ice pancakes look like solid discs, they are often quite slushy and easily break apart when lifted up.

On rivers the pancakes form when foam begins to freeze and then joins together and as they are sucked into an eddy (a swirling current of water) and a circular shape is made, says the Met Office.

Mr Norrie said: 'I went down river bank to have a look as I had never seen these before. It was clearly ice but I couldn't figure out how the 'pancakes' had formed so I had to do some research.

'I had no idea they were so rare, I'd never seen anything like them. As far as I've read, they're caused by foam freezing and bouncing off other bits of frozen foam.'
The CIA hired its first woman, Elizabeth Kimber, to head up its clandestine arm

The CIA has hired its first woman to head up its clandestine arm.

Elizabeth Kimber will take control of the Central Intelligence Agency's Directorate of Operations it was announced Friday.

Going by Beth Kimber, the 56-year-old is a decades-long veteran and her job will entail recruiting spies overseas, gathering intelligence and engaging White House-approved covert actions.

The prestigious job has been dominated by males in the CIA's 70-year history.

'With nearly 34 years of experience and a proven ability to deliver with impact on CIA's operational mission, Beth Kimber will be an exceptional leader of our Directorate of Operations,' the CIA's director of public affairs, Brittany Bramell, said.

Other than her LinkedIn page, which lists her only role as a senior executive for the United States government, Kimber has kept much about her under wraps.

The social media website mentions a bachelor's degree from New York's Hamilton College in and claims she speaks French.

According to the Wall Street Journal, an insider said she has worked with Russia and terrorism operations in the CIA.

The role has been dominated by males for 70 years since the CIA started and her role will include recruiting spies overseas and engaging White House-approved covert actions

Former senior CIA officer Daniel Hoffman predicted there wouldn't be much of a problem with a new female lead and praised her 'very high intellect' when it comes to 'understanding the world'.

It make her one of several females in high-ranking roles during the Trump administration.

Director Gina Haspel is the first woman to head the entire CIA and their principal deputy director of National Intelligence Sue Gordon was rumored to have been a backup for the role if she wasn't confirmed by the Senate.

Director Gina Haspel (left, with Mike Pompeo second left, Donald Trump center right, Mike Pence right) is the first woman to head the entire CIA

According to WSJ, in the next few weeks senior intelligence official Tonya Ugoretz is likely to be named deputy assistant director of the FBI's cyber division.

Currently the director of the Cyber Threat Intelligence Integration Center, an insider claims Ugoretz  who has worked on the US investigation into Russia possibly meddling in elections  is heading for a promotion.

Amy Hess is the highest-ranking woman working for the FBI after this year landing an executive assistant director of the criminal, cyber, response and services role.
A Washington man is accused of driving around with a dead woman's body in a rented SUV for nearly one week after her death, before abandoning the vehicle by a highway overpass.

Forrest McDonald Grove, 36, pleaded not guilty to the misdemeanor charge of failing to notify the medical examiner of human remains on November 20 in Whatcom County District Court.

The body of Anita Kumari Bisnett, 37, was found by a construction worker who noticed it inside a gold Infiniti SUV parked in Bellingham on August 28, police told the Bellingham Herald.

Grove and Bisnett were known associates with a history of prior and ongoing drug activity, Lt. Claudia Murphy said.

Police do not believe there was any foul play involved in Bissnet's death.

Forrest McDonald Grove, 36, is accused of driving around with the dead body of Anita Kumari Bisnett, 37, in an SUV for nearly one week after her death, before abandoning it in Bellingham, Washington near the intersection shown here, by a highway overpass

Grove had been stopped by police while driving with Bissnet in the car on August 19 at around 8.30pm. The officer who made the stop said that she was alive at the time, though too sick to drive.

Police believe that Bisnett likely died seated in the passenger seat of the SUV, just as she was found, on August 20 or 21.

Grove told police he left her in the vehicle while he searched for drugs, and when he came back, Bisnett had died, but he wasn't sure when that was, or when he had left the vehicle near Lincoln Creek Condominiums on Gladstone Street.

Police said Grove continued to drive around with Bisnett in the passenger seat and didn't inform anyone of her passing, even driving with her dead body to the Whatcom County Jail to pick up a friend who had just been released.

The abandoned SUV was found at around 2.30pm on August 28, with Bisnett's body covered by a blanket.

The body of Bisnett was found by a construction worker who noticed it inside a gold Infiniti SUV parked in Bellingham on August 28. A stock photo of a gold Infiniti SUV is shown

The cause of Bissnet's death is not yet known, Whatcom County Medical Examiner Dr. Gary Goldfogel said.

An autopsy with a toxicology report has been ordered, the results of which can take up to six months to come back from the lab.

Grove, who was arrested on September 28 for outstanding warrants, is also accused of using another man's identity in the days leading up to Bissnet's death, to avoid traffic citations and arrest.

Police bodycam footage shows Grove identifying himself as Robert Calderwood, a former friend, during at least five interactions with officers, including at least once on August 19, the day before police believe Bissnet died.

Grove has been in custody since his September arrest, except for a period of temporary release in mid-October when he received treatment for drug abuse.

Grove was cited related to his failure to report Bissnet's death on November 8. He also faces four charges of first-degree criminal impersonation.

He's due back in court for failing to notify the medical examiner about Bissnet's body on January 28.
A stay-at-home mother claims she was shamed for not having childcare by a California judge who told her: 'I don't care about your children' when she asked to be excused from jury duty.

In a Facebook post, Christa Pehl Evans recounted the humiliating encounter with Judge James Petrucelli when she reported for jury duty on November 20 in Fresno, California.

Evans said that during the jury selection process she raised her hand to be excused, telling the judge that she needed to be home with her children under the age of seven, one who is still being breastfed and two others whom she homeschools.

She wrote on Facebook that Petrucelli responded to her by saying: 'I dont care about your children' and asked 'Who is going to take care of your children when you get hit by a mack truck? What do you do when you are sick?'

When she replied: 'I take care of my kids,' the judge 'shook his head at me with a disgusted expression on his face', Evans wrote.

She said the exchange in front of the entire courtroom culminated in Petrucelli saying to her and another very pregnant woman with a 20-month-old child: 'I just dont understand these people with no childcare.'

There are court records that verify Evans' claims, according to the Sacramento Bee.

Stay-at-home mom Christa Pehl Evans (pictured) has spoken out against a judge in Fresno, California, who she claims viciously insulted her for not having childcare when she asked to be excused from jury duty to take care of her three children under the age of seven

Evans claims Judge James Petrucelli (pictured) told her: 'I don't care about your children' when she asked to be excused from jury duty in Fresno Superior Court on November 20

Evans was ultimately selected to serve on the jury for a trial that was expected to last two weeks.

In her now-viral Facebook post, Evans wrote: 'There were almost 300 people at the courthouse called to serve jury duty, and Judge James Petrucelli chose to berate two mothers of young children.

'In contrast the man in the room asking to get off the jury because he needed money from his job to support his family was not questioned. Judge Petrucelli simply nodded his head in agreement with him.'

The mother, who has a PhD from Princeton, said that being a mother has been the most challenging job of her life so far, writing: 'I am more than happy to serve on the jury when my children are older, but my most important duty to this country at this moment is to raise loving human beings, a job that consumes me all day and many nights.'

'Until we respect mothering as a valid and important occupation, we have a major sexist problem. Paid work is not the only work that matters.'

Evans, who has a PhD from Princeton, detailed the exchange with Petrucelli in a Facebook post after she was selected to serve on a jury for a two-week trial. The mom expressed that she needed to be at home to homeschool her two older children and breastfeed the youngest

As of Saturday morning more than 1,700 people have commented on Evans' post, with roughly half slamming the judge for his 'sexist' remarks while the rest accused the mother of being unreasonable.

One woman wrote: 'Just tell that ignorant judge that the wives husbands will have to take off work and no income will be earned because they have to watch the children. And the baby will be brought into the courtroom when it is time to breastfeed.'

Another person commented: 'Oh boo f**king hoo. Being a stay at home isnt a full time job and its not an excuse to miss jury duty. Quit using your crotch fruit as an excuse.'

Until we respect mothering as a valid and important occupation, we have a major sexist problem.

A couple commenters posted links to a 2015 story about detailing how Petrucelli committed judicial misconduct by ordering correctional officers to release from jail a friend facing spousal abuse charges.

Others noted that in the state of California, lack of childcare is not a valid excuse for getting off jury duty, but caretakers can postpone their service up to one year.

The law states: 'The prospective juror has a personal obligation to provide actual and necessary care to another, including sick, aged, or infirm dependents, or a child who requires the prospective juror's personal care and attention, and no comparable substitute care is either available or practical without imposing an undue economic hardship on the prospective juror or person cared for.

'If the request to be excused is based on care provided to a sick, disabled, or infirm person, the prospective juror may be required to furnish verification or a method of verification that the person being cared for is in need of regular and personal care.'
A mother has spoken of her heartbreak after her father died unexpectedly from a brain haemorrhage just months after she was told to enjoy her 11-month-old baby son 'while she can.'

Steph Sutcliffe, from Aintree, told how her father Stephen, 59, died two weeks ago, after falling from the top of the stairs and suffering a brain haemorrhage.

Just months before the devastated mother-of-two was told to enjoy her youngest son Kain, who can have up to 100 siezures a day, is registered blind and has no use of his arms, legs or body, as his 'condition is constantly deteriorating.'

Steph Sutcliffe's father Stephen (pictured together) died two weeks ago after falling from the top of the stairs and suffering a brain haemorrhage

The mother-of-two was recently told to 'enjoy her baby' son Kain, who can have up to 100 seizures a day, while she can as his condition is constantly deteriorating

Speaking about her father, the 29-year-old said: 'He was at home, he was fine and was with us in the day.

'At 1am the following morning we were told to go to Aintree because he had hit his head, and they kept him on life support until my brother got there to say his goodbyes.

'We're not sure if he fell down the stairs by accident, or if he had a stroke. But by the time he got to Aintree, he was in an unrecoverable state and had sustained brain damage.'

Steph then discovered that her dad did not have life insurance, meaning that she had to contribute towards the funeral costs.

The mother, to 10-year-old Rueben and 11 month old Kain, was left with no choice but to spend the money she had saved for her sons' Christmas presents.

This blow comes just months after Steph and her 28-year-old partner, Lucas Tiesteel, were given the tragic news that Kain had a life-threatening and life-limiting condition called West syndrome.

Steph and her partner Lucas Tiesteel have given up their jobs to care for Kain and 10-year-old Rueben

The 11 month old baby has now been registered blind and has no use of his arms, legs or body, and his family have been told 'to just enjoy him.'

He has spent most of his life in and out of Alder Hey Hospital receiving treatment, and has up to 100 seizures each day.

Steph said: 'Out of the 11 months he has been alive, he has been in the hospital five and a half months between two admissions.'

Kain was diagnosed with West syndrome, mental and neurological delay, medically resistant epilepsy and blindness at just three months old.

The mum added: 'My labour was perfect, my pregnancy was perfect and he was perfect until we started to notice small signs like not smiling, holding his head up or moving around.

'He was diagnosed quickly and it was so scary, it was hard to get our head around how serious it was. His seizures can last 30 seconds or up to an hour.'

Steph, who was a radiographer at Walton Centre, and Lucas, who used to be a welder, have given up their careers to become full-time carers for their children.

Eleven-month-old Kain has been registered blind and has no use of his arms, legs or body

The mum-of-two was the first to give up work, but Lucas soon followed as Kain's condition is worsening and additional care was needed.

She said: 'It's been hard for us as a family, Kain can have anything from 40 to 100 seizures per day.

'He needs medication four times a day, and physio and needs to be fed through a tube in his stomach.

'Me and Lucas take turns to sleep at the hospital, while the other one is at home with Rueben.'

As both of the parents stopped working earlier this year to care for their son, they admit that it has led to financial difficulties.

The 29-year-old explained: 'There is a cross over from having two big incomes to being out of work and having to rely on the council for help.

'Kain's condition is constantly deteriorating and it's not going to to get better.

'We have been told to enjoy the time we have with him. They can't tell us if he will be with us for 10 weeks or 10 years - they just don't know.'

Because of this, the family are keen to spend as much time and make as many memories with Kain while they can.

In order to enable the 11 month old boy to leave hospital more often, more equipment is needed to accommodate him at home.

Because of this, the local community have launched a fundraising page on Facebook to help contribute to the costs, and more than 1,500 has been raised so far.

A fundraising event was also held at the Valentine Pub in Aintree and all money raised will be used to purchase equipment for Kain, to enable him to come home, and the family hope they will even get to go on a short holiday in the UK.

A percentage of money raised will also be donated to Alder Hey Children's Hospital.
Chancellor Angela Merkel's party is bleeding voters as her ally Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer steps up to replace her as leader of the Christian Democratic Union party.

Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, dubbed 'mini Merkel', narrowly won the leadership runoff with 517 votes versus 482 against her rival, Friedrich Merz on Friday.

She defeated her more conservative rival and represents a youthful, progressive conservatism.

But she faces a battle to consolidate power as party members walked out on the CDU as her victory was announced.

New leader: Christian Democratic Union general secretary Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, an ally of Angela Merkel, has been elected new party leader during their congress in Hamburg

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer said: 'This party is not split - we all have the task of working on the unity of this party'

Angela Merkel (left) congratulates her successor Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (right) after the 31st Party Congress of the CDU on Saturday

According to the Daily Telegraph, CDU offices across the country confirmed losses in membership and a senior party figure said 'very many' had quit.

Kramp-Karrenbauer showed on Saturday she is keen to prevent lasting divisions and give younger members a strong voice.

She nominated Paul Ziemiak, the 33-year-old leader of the party's youth wing, to serve as her general secretary - the official in charge of day-to-day political strategy and the job she held herself until she was elected leader.

'This party is not split - we all have the task of working on the unity of this party,' she told a party congress in Hamburg.

Ziemiak, who ran unopposed, won the support of 62.8 percent of delegates, a result suggesting Kramp-Karrenbauer still has plenty of work to do.

Merkel announced in October she would give up the reins in her party, though she plans to remain chancellor until her current term ends in 2021.

In a passionate speech to the 1,001 delegates at the congress in Hamburg this afternoon, she seemed to try to move away from her 'mini Merkel'-nickname .

'I have read a lot about what I am and who I am: 'mini', a copy, simply 'more of the same',' she said.

'Dear delegates, I stand before you as I am and as life made me and I am proud of that.'

Playing up her 18 years in regional government, she added to cheers and loud applause: 'I learned what it is to lead - and above all learnt that leadership is more about being strong on the inside than being loud on the outside.'

Earlier today, Merkel marked the end of her 18 years as CDU leader with a farewell speech that moved some to tears at the party congress in Hamburg.

You did it! German Chancellor Angela Merkel, right, congratulates newly elected party chairwoman Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer

Emotional: Kramp-Karrenbauer appeared shocked and overjoyed when the votes came in

Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, is the CDU's general secretary and has spent some 18 years working in regional politics for the party

Winner: Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer won the leadership with 517 votes versus the 482 of her rival, Friedrich Merz, a former leader of the party's parliamentary group

WHO IS CDU LEADER ANNEGRET KRAMP-KARRENBAUER ? 'Mini-Merkel': New CDU leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer The CDU's general secretary since February, Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer - often called 'AKK' - is a Merkel ally and the closest to her centrist stance. She touts her own lengthy experience in regional government, which saw her become the first woman to become a state's interior minister, or top security official, and serve as governor of western Saarland state. Kramp-Karrenbauer says she knows how to win elections, having defied expectations to win re-election in Saarland by a wide margin last year. And she says she put herself 'at the service of the CDU' by giving up that job this year. Kramp-Karrenbauer has consistently shown more willingness than the chancellor to cater to conservative rhetoric and more vocally opposed gay marriage. Recently, she has sought to put careful distance between herself and Merkel without disavowing her, saying she has had 'very lively discussions' with the chancellor on various subjects. She has talked tough on immigration issues, proposing a lifelong entry ban to Europe for asylum-seekers convicted of serious crimes. But she has warned that endlessly reheating arguments about the 2015 migrant influx is a turn-off for voters. Advertisement

Merkel has been CDU leader since 2000 and chancellor since 2005. She moved her party relentlessly to the center, dropping military conscription, accelerating Germany's exit from nuclear energy, introducing benefits encouraging fathers to look after their young children and allowing the introduction of gay marriage.

Most controversially, she allowed large numbers of asylum-seekers into Germany in 2015.

Merkel listed some of those moments and many more in a half-hour farewell speech as leader, telling delegates that 'our CDU today is different from the year 2000, and that is a good thing.'

She also celebrated Germany's balancing its budget in recent years and its response to the eurozone debt crisis.

For years, Merkel's popularity lifted the CDU and its Bavaria-only sister party, the Christian Social Union.

In the 2013 election, they won 41.5 percent of the vote and only just fell short of an outright parliamentary majority.

Princess and the queen: Angela Merkel thanks the CDU following her farewell speech at the party's convention in Hamburg on Friday, flanked by Kramp-Karrenbauer,

Going, but staying: Merkel announced in October she would give up the reins in her party, though she plans to remain chancellor until her current term ends in 2021

Parting gift: Merkel holds a frame with a baton signed by conductor Kent Nagano and was used by him as he conducted Beethoven's 9th symphony at the Elbphilharmonie venue during the 2017 G20 summit in Hamburg. Nagano's dedication reads: 'In my greatest reverence for Angela Merkel, the most important conductor of world politics'

I'm off! Merkel waves to the more than 1,000 CDU party delegates at the congress

Merkel, however, recalled that the CDU was in a deep crisis when she took over in 2000, mired in a party financing scandal surrounding ex-Chancellor Helmut Kohl.

'We are in demanding times today, no doubt about that,' she said. 'But ... we faced an hour of destiny for the Christian Democratic Union 18 years ago.'

'We kept a cool head,' she said. 'We showed everyone.'

Merkel appealed to the party to show unity, noting that arguments in recent years over migration have showed 'where endless arguments lead.'

'I wasn't born as chancellor or as party leader,' she said. 'I have always wanted to do my government and party jobs with dignity, and one day to leave them with dignity.'

'Now it is time to open a new chapter,' Merkel said. She was greeted by a several-minute standing ovation, with some delegates holding up 'Thank you, boss!' placards.

At present, the center-right bloc is polling around or below 30 percent. Merkel's fourth-term governing coalition with the center-left Social Democrats has lurched through a series of crises since taking office in March, and the CDU has lost supporters both to the liberal Greens and the far-right Alternative for Germany.
Jared Kushner advised Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to resolve his conflicts in the Middle East and avoid further embarrassments, after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi, it has been claimed.

The New York Times reports that a source from the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia claimed they spoke on the phone after news emerged of the journalist's October 2 death inside the KSA Istanbul embassy.

The White House only recognizes one official talk between the pair after Khashoggi's killing  an October 10 chat where national security adviser, John R. Bolton, took part and American 'asked for more details and for the Saudi government to be transparent in the investigation process'.

White House officials declined to comment specifically on one-on-one communication between the prince and Trump's adviser after the death of Khashoggi.

A spokesperson said in a statement: 'Jared has always meticulously followed protocols and guidelines regarding the relationship with MBS and all of the other foreign officials with whom he interacts.'

Jared Kushner urged Mohammed bin Salman to resolve his conflicts around the region after the murder of Jamal Khashoggi. The two are pictured with Ivanka Trump May 2017 in Saudi

However it was alleged the duo enjoyed multiple unofficial phone calls and eventually started speaking on a first name basis and even text each other via Whatsapp.

The Times says three former White House officials and two people briefed by the Saudi royal court participated in their report that claims their friendship got so concerning the National Security Council staff members were strictly reinstated to listen in on all calls.

According to Hezbelloh sympathizing Lebanese newspaper, Al Akhbar, which shared email and text message communications with them, it was part of a string of talks in a friendship orchestrated by the Saudis to gain favour from Donald Trump.

As the US President's adviser, Kushner was reportedly regarded as an easy way in for the Middle Eastern royal who was yet to oust his cousin, Prince Mohammed bin Nayef, and take on the prominent position in 2017.

Trump's foreign policy adviser and son-in-law also told the Saudi royal to avoid further embarrassments after the October 2 killing of Khashoggi (pictured)

The report states that the Saudis initiated a plan before Trump was elected and even offered help in the lead-up to him being voted into power.

A slide presentation viewed by the Times showed communication where a member of the Saudi delegation reported back after a trip to the US in November 2016.

'The inner circle is predominantly deal makers who lack familiarity with political customs and deep institutions, and they support Jared Kushner,' it reads. The Times said several Americans involved confirmed the conversation topics.

Playing off Kushner's lack of knowledge about the Middle East, Lebanese American real estate investor Tom Barrack is said to have had email communication in May 2016 with the Emirati ambassador in Washington, excitedly talking about how easily influenced he is.

'You will love him and he agrees with our agenda!' Mr. Barrack wrote to Youssef Otaiba. The response he later received was: 'Thanks to you, I am in constant contact with Jared and that has been extremely helpful.'

The United Arab Emirates is said to have also been pushing for Salman to become the top prince and carry out many of the duties reserved for his aging father King Salman.

Kushner ended up meeting Crown Prince Mohammed bin Zayed of Abu Dhabi, UAE during his unannounced visit to New York to discuss the Israel-Palestine conflict. According to the Times, Zayed had his ear and showed his keenness on Salman becoming the leader.

By March 2017 Salman was invited to attend a White House dinner when German Chancellor Angela Merkel pulled out due to a snowstorm, despite him not being head of his state.

Royal aides who met with Kushner on election month prepared for a May 2017 visit from the Trumps by noting earlier flaws in their communication with him.

Musaad al-Aiban, an economic planning and national security cabinet minister, and minister of energy and chairman of the state oil company, Khaled al-Falih, mentioned he happily accepted their answer to his questions about the foreign region:

'Kushner made clear his lack of familiarity with the history of Saudi-American relations and he asked about its support for terrorism. After the discussion, he expressed his satisfaction with what was explained about the Saudi role in fighting terrorism.

'Kushner wondered about Saudi Arabia's desire for partnership and whether it came from opportunity or worry, and he wondered as well if it was specific to this American administration or whether it was presented to Hillary Clinton (for example: women driving).'

According to American and Saudi insiders the pair have enjoyed private communication via telephone and text message

According to the Times, the Saudis managed to influence Kushner by getting him involved in issues such as lifting the ban on women driving in the country and presenting Salman as the most relaxed royal in regards to dealing with Israel-Palestinian conflict.

They also appeased by saying they would have 'high-level coordination' to help with Trump's plan for 'extreme vetting' from the Middle East and 'defeating extremist thought'.

Trump ended up inaugurating a KSA version of a 'joint center to fight the ideology of extremism and terrorism' during his trip to Riyadh in May 2017.

Some countries in the Gulf cut off ties with Qatar very soon after the Trumps' returned from their Saudi visit, with the region claiming the country is heavily linked to terrorism.

When Kushner took an unannounced trip to KSA in November 2017, Salman detained 200 people  including some of his royal relatives  in a move to show the world he was fighting corruption from the super wealthy.

Sources claim it is part of a plan to get Donald Trump on their side by wooing Kushner, who they claim is impressionable because he lacks knowledge about the region

Other ways the country wooed Trump's team through Kushner included proposing 'an Arab NATO' with tens of thousands of troops 'ready when the president-elect wishes to deploy them' and feeding $50billion into US defense, increasing investment in the country to $200billion and to team up with other countries in the Gulf region to put $100billion into American infrastructure.

They also promised a welcome celebration for Trump like no other leader had had before if he launched the initiatives.

Saudi Arabia reportedly positioned the relationship as one that would go down in history and solidify Trump's legend by finally coming to a peace deal in the region.

However sources said when Kushner relayed the idea to then-secretary of state Rex W. Tillerson, was worried about being seen to be too close with the rulers in Riyadh, and believed it would mean giving up leverage.

'There was a risk the Saudis were playing him,' a former White House official said.

The friendship has had some benefit from the US side however, as a source told the Times Kushner was asked to call Salman and persuade him to reopen ports in Yemen.

Salman had cut off the way in for critical humanitarian and medical supplies.
A 22-year-old Google software engineer has been found dead inside the companys New York City headquarters, authorities say.

Scott Krulcik was found unconscious at his work station on the sixth floor of the building in Chelsea by a janitor at around 9pm Friday.

First-responders attempted CPR but were not able to revive Krulcik. He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Google software engineer Scott Krulcik, 22,(pictured) was found dead of unknown causes in the tech giant's New York City headquarters by a janitor on Friday night

Police sources told the ABC7 there were no signs of trauma on Krulcik's body and officials don't suspect foul play.

The victim did not have any known history of medical conditions or substance abuse problems.

The city Medical Examiners office will perform an autopsy to determine the official cause of death.

Krulcik, who was from Saratoga Springs and lived in Manhattan's West Village, went to school at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh and began working at Google in August, according to his LinkedIn profile.

A janitor discovered Krulcik unconscious at his work station on the sixth floor of Google's office in Chelsea (pictured) around 9pm
A German woman who gave her lustful 73-year-old partner a lethal dose of sleeping pills to avoid his sex games and then kept his body in the bin has been jailed for seven years.

The former nurse, known as Silvia M., 62, left her lover's body in the trash for around three weeks after she gave him 'perhaps four sleeping pills.'

The court in Salzburg, Austria, ruled Silvia had accidentally killed Heinz P. with triazolam after he pestered her for sex.

Silvia M., 62, hides her face beneath a black shroud as she is escorted into court by Austrian police

Silvia M. hides her face from cameras as she is led into court by Austrian police at the court in Salzburg

She admitted giving the pensioner the pills in June 2017 so that he would 'be quiet and go to sleep,' but denied an intention to kill him.

She told the court the pensioner's sex games had become too much for her to bear.

According to the indictment, she failed to account for the quantity Viagra and the amount of alcohol consumed by Heinz, which enhanced the effects of the sleeping pills on the elderly man's body.

The next day, Silvia found Heinz dead in the bed.

Silvia has a lengthy criminal record in Germany and comes from Berlin.

As she was sought by German cops in connection with various fraud cases, she decided not to inform the police out of fear of being arrested and extradited to Germany.

Instead, she dragged Heinz's body to his garage, wrapped his body in plastic and put the corpse in a rubbish bin.

Silvia M. was jailed for seven years on charges of GBH after she provided her lover with a lethal dose of sleeping pills to curb his libido in June 2017

According to the indictment Silvia (pictured) failed to take into account the quantity Viagra and the amount of alcohol consumed by Heinz P.

But the body was discovered later that month and Silvia was arrested on suspicion of murder.

According to a pharmacological expert, the number of tablets Heinz was given was sufficient to be toxic.

However, the exact cause of death could not be established because the corpse was found to be in an advanced state of decomposition.

During the estimated three weeks in which the body was left to rot in the rubbish bin, Silvia sold Heinz's car and used his credit card.
Westminster city council is investigating a mansion block near Hyde Park after furious residents claimed that more than 100 flats there were being 'illegally rented' on Airbnb - to guests who throw parties and treat the place like a hotel.

The council said it has reason to believe that 106 of the 530 flats at Park West, a mansion block near Hyde Park in central London, were being used as Airbnb locations.

The apartments are supposed to be residential but with so many Airbnb sites has caused disruption to neighbours, who say that guests are not 'protective or careful' of the block.

Furious residents of Park West mansion block, near Hyde Park in central London, say their home is more like a hotel because of all the 'illegal' Airbnb rented apartments

Airbnb hosts in London are limited to renting their homes for just 90 days a year, but in practice it is difficult to enforce this rule.

This has prompted Westminster city council to call on the government to force Airbnb - and similar companies - to share rental information with local authorities.

The council is currently investigating 1,383 short-term lets in the borough, including 106 at Park West.

There are an estimated 4,703 Airbnb listings in Westminster, that are let out on average 116 days a year - above the 90 day legal limit.

The councils investigations have found multiple parties, music events and even sex work occurring within nightly lets in Westminster.

Ian Adams, the Conservative Westminster councillor in charge of public protection and licensing, said: 'There are nearly as many total rooms available to rent night-by-night in Edgware Road's Park West building as there are in the Ritz.

'When a hotel opens in Westminster there are a clear set of rules and requirements but when a short-term let is opened, the council is not informed. If it poses an issue in the local area, we must begin a long and complicated process just to identify it.'

This was one of the apartments listed on Airbnb at Park West - although it is unclear if it is still available to rent

This studio apartment is also based in Park West and appears to be available for renting

One resident, who has lived at Park West for more than 30 years, told FT: 'These people treat the place like a hotel because they have no interest, it's not their home.

'They don't care what damage they do. If they want to have a party, they'll have a party.'

A search for Park West on Airbnb's website finds around 40 results - although some may be at locations nearby.

Mark Jenner, company secretary of Highdorn, which manages Park West and other buildings, told FT: 'We fight these battles in many of our blocks. We fight it as hard as we can, but it's a losing battle.'

Westminster council believe that more than 100 flats are being rented out on websites like Airbnb - causing issues for neighbours

It's unclear which apartments are available for renting but a search on Airbnb finds around 40 in the same postcode as the mansion block

UK housing minister Heather Wheeler said the government want to support short-term lets because they were good for the economy.

'We do not want to stifle this by introducing further legislation,' she said. But she added that people 'must rent out accommodation responsibly' and it was up to local authorities to enforce the rules.

Airbnb has been approached for comment by Mail Online.
The DUP MP was very matter of fact in his description of the treachery.

'Oh, the Tory Remainers have been in constant touch. They've been encouraging us to keep going. They want us to help them vote down the deal.' All the evidence suggests they are about to get their wish.

'We've been arriving every morning for a 7.30 strategy meeting,' a Downing Street official tells me, 'and every day it's been the same. We've lost a few more MPs. At this point we're supposed to be peeling off the rebels. Instead they're peeling off our supporters.'

Prime Minister Theresa May held five days of debate over Brexit last week in Parliament, hoping to persuade MPs to vote for her deal. It could be voted down on Tuesday

Tuesday, the day the Commons votes on Theresa May's Brexit deal, is being framed as the moment of her downfall. It could well be.

But, much more significantly, it is also shaping up to be the moment of the Remainers' greatest triumph.

The instant the Commons formally begins the process of erasing the verdict of the British people, and calling a halt to Brexit.

That is not how committed Leavers see it, of course. They believe this is their finest hour. 'We can't give in to tyranny,' one anti-Chequers rebel told me, 'this is like 1939. We have to stand up to the EU. We can't surrender.'

The hardcore Tory Brexiteers may not be surrendering. But they are falling into a trap  a brilliantly planned and executed trap by those they have complacently dismissed as the Remoaners.

The former Labour leader Tony Blair said there is no point in just running head-on into a defeat and that he would pull the vote if he was still in No10

It was first laid before the celebratory champagne of June 23, 2016 had even grown warm.

Gina Miller, a hitherto anonymous investment-fund manager, walked into the offices of London law firm Mishcon de Reya and asked it to prepare a legal challenge to Article 50.

The House of Commons, not the Government, should have the final say on the course of Brexit, she argued.

Brexiteers decried her action as frivolous, attention-seeking. Then, incomprehensibly, they embraced her central argument.

As recently as June, Jacob Rees-Mogg wrote: 'Calls for MPs to have a 'meaningful vote' on Brexit are nothing to do with parliamentary scrutiny; they are about stopping Brexit.'

And yet on Tuesday he will march through the No lobby to derail a Brexit deal in that self-same 'meaningful' vote. Meanwhile, the advocates of the self-styled People's Vote are pinching themselves. 'When we launched our campaign we were told it was pie in the sky,' one MP told me.

Gina Miller argued that the Commons, not the Government, should have the final say on Brexit

'But we've had two major marches, a million signatures, and now we've got MPs from all parties saying, when her vote falls, they're going to back a new referendum.'

Crucially, they have also secured the unwitting support of their opponents.

The Remainers believed they would have to starve out the supporters of Brexit by delaying and frustrating the process until eventually the British people said: 'We give up, leave things as they are.'

But not only are hardcore Brexiteers joining them in these wrecking tactics, they have also become the most vocal critics of all they once passionately championed.

'Staying would be better than the Brexit deal.' 'The Brexit deal will leave the British people even worse off than the status quo.'

These aren't the arguments of Chuka Umunna and Anna Soubry, but Dominic Raab and Boris Johnson.

And their arguments are hitting home  if not in the way they intended. 'Next week we're going to reach the tipping point,' a Remainer MP predicted. 'When May loses, we're going from a second referendum being at best a 50:50 proposition to the most likely outcome.'

Theresa May speaks to the Commons in this week's Parliamentary Question Time, ahead of the 'meaningful vote'. On Tuesday the Commons will vote on her Brexit deal

Slowly and carefully the Remain chess pieces have been moved into place. Establishing the primacy of the parliamentarians over the people.

Creating and embedding a narrative in which the reversal of Brexit becomes possible, then probable. And on Tuesday they intend to remove their opponents queen, and position themselves for checkmate.

For the past few weeks May has been alive to this danger. 'It's my deal, no deal or no Brexit,' she has warned. And she is right. Because it is here the Brexiteers have made their most staggering blunder.

'Reject May's deal, and we can get a better one,' they argue  playing right into the EU's hands.

'They don't understand what they're doing,' a No 10 official raged. 'They actually think if they hammer the PM by 100 votes the EU will roll over and give them what they want. The opposite will happen. If they kill the deal, the EU will be licking their lips.'

Of course they will. As will their Remainer allies. They know that if May's deal is scuppered, they can rebuff any demand for a harder Brexit  leaving only two options on the table.

No Deal and No Brexit. And they know there is no way Parliament will countenance a No Deal Brexit.

That was demonstrated by arch-Remainer Dominic Grieve's amendment, which handed MPs a fresh meaningful vote on a Plan B if May's deal is rejected.

'That amendment was the Tory Party's moderate wing putting the Brexiteers on notice,' a Downing Street official explained to me.

'If the Brexiteers defeat the deal and bring the PM down, the moderates will go to war. They won't stop until Rees-Mogg and his chums are crying into their cornflakes.'

They might well end up weeping into their cereal. The problem is, the rest of the country could end up joining them. On this the hardcore Brexiteers are right.

As recently as June, Jacob Rees-Mogg wrote: 'Calls for MPs to have a 'meaningful vote' on Brexit are nothing to do with parliamentary scrutiny; they are about stopping Brexit'

If the will of the people as expressed in 2016 is reversed, the consequences are incalculable.

The repudiation of a popular vote, which was itself a repudiation of the arrogance and aloofness of the political class, could lead us to catastrophe.

On the streets of Paris the protesters have been expressing their disgust in all politicians, and calling for the appointment of the former head of the military, General Pierre de Villiers. It is not impossible to imagine the Gilets Jaunes movement being transposed across the channel into the Gilets Rouges, Blancs et Bleus.

In the opening of the Brexit debate last week, there was a significant moment. Boris Johnson rose, and with characteristic panache, began to set about the Government's deal.

'It has achieved an extraordinary thing,' he proclaimed. 'It has finally brought us together. Remainers and Leavers, myself and Tony Blair, we are united.'

They are indeed. Tony Blair is cheering Boris on. So is Gina Miller. And Peter Mandelson. And Alastair Campbell. Each and every Remainer is willing him to send Mrs May and her Government down to defeat.

Before Boris and his colleagues walk through those division lobbies next Tuesday, perhaps they should take a moment to pause and ask themselves why.

Now Sir Humphrey tries to kill Brexit

It's not just MPs rebelling against Mrs May's Brexit deal. I understand Civil Service communications chiefs have pushed back on demands from Ministers to help promote Chequers on the grounds it is too 'political'.

The backlash has become so intense that Alex Aiken, Executive Director for Government Communications, has been forced to send formal guidance to all departments confirming the deal is official Government policy, and urging them to step up efforts to promote it in the run-up to Tuesday's vote.

According to one frustrated Minister: 'Sir Humphrey is trying to kill off Brexit.' Where's Jim Hacker when you need him?

A Tory grandee tells me he and his wife were in bed on Thursday morning listening to Theresa May's Today programme interview.

"'She was terrible,' I said. At which point my wife turned to me and snapped, 'No, she wasn't, she was magnificent! You bloody politicians!''

Brexit really is dividing the Tory family.
George Conway, husband of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, shared a searing rebuke to President Donald Trump's erroneous claim that prosecutors' sentencing recommendation for Michael Cohen 'clears the President' of any amount of wrongdoing.

What Trump may have been referring to being 'cleared' of includes allegations being investigated by the Department of Justice's Special Agent Robert Mueller, which are separate from Cohen's criminal case.

The Mueller investigation is focused on Russian meddling in the 2016 president election and whether Trump's campaign colluded with the foreign government, to that end.

But federal prosecutors filed a sentencing recommendation memo for Cohen as part of his plea deal in his tax evasion and campaign finance violation criminal case.

Robert Khuzami, the acting US Attorney for the Southern District of New York, told a judge on Friday that Cohen should spend between 51 and 63 months in prison for his crimes related to trying to 'influence the election from the shadows,' including language that implicated Trump in the crimes under the moniker 'Individual-1.'

And yet, bizarrely, Trump tweeted an hour after the document was filed in New York that it '[t]otally clears the President. Thank you!'

Knowing all of this, Conway quoted Trump's tweet and wrote:

'Except for that little part where the US Attorneys Office says that you directed and coordinated with Cohen to commit two felonies. Other than that, totally scot-free.'

George Conway (right), husband of White House adviser Kellyanne Conway, shared a searing rebuke to President Donald Trump's (left) erroneous claim that prosecutors' sentencing recommendation for Michael Cohen 'clears the President' of any amount of wrongdoing

As part of his deal, Cohen admitted that he arranged payoffs to adult film star Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal to avoid October-surprise embarrassments for then-candidate Trump.

The women have said they had sexual encounters with Trump while he was married to Melania Trump, which he has denied.

Rather than 'clear' him of any alleged wrongdoing, the prosecutors' sentencing recommendation memo for Cohen actually singled out Trump as being directly involved in those domestic efforts to silence those women.

The memo from New York prosecutors identifies Cohen, Chairman 1 and Individual 1 - later identified in the document as Trump - attending an August 2014 meeting to figure out how to deal with potential negative press which could emerge from the women's stories.

The memo tells a story of Cohen working 'in coordination with and at the direction of' Donald Trump  by his own admission  to arrange for the National Enquirer to buy the rights to the two women's stories and 'kill' them, preventing media exposure of their claims.

Trump is actually directly implicated in two felonies in the sentencing memo, which says Cohen (pictured) acted 'at the direction' of Trump in arranging payoffs

Former Playboy model Karen McDougal (left) and adult film star Stormy Daniels (right) both claimed to have slept with Donald Trump in the past, but the government says Cohen coordinated with Trump to make sure the women were paid for their silence  in effect a pair of massive campaign contributions designed to save the election for Trump. These amounted to felonies for Cohen

And yet, bizarrely, Trump tweeted an hour after the sentencing recommendation document was filed in New York that it '[T]otally clears the President. Thank you!'

What Trump may have been referring to being 'cleared' of includes allegations being investigated by the Department of Justice's Special Agent Robert Mueller, which are separate from Cohen's criminal case. Picking up on this, Conway tweeted, 'Except for that little part where the US Attorneys Office says that you directed and coordinated with Cohen to commit two felonies. Other than that, totally scot-free'

Cohen 'coordinated his actions with one or more members of the campaign,' according to the memo, 'including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments.'

And as a result, 'neither woman spoke to the press prior to the election.'

Condemning Cohen's behind-the-scenes attempt to influence the 2016 election, Khuzami wrote in the memo that '[w]hile many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks, or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows.'

'He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs with Individual-1,' he added, referring to President Trump.

'Cohen, an attorney and businessman, committed four distinct federal crimes over a period of several years. He was motivated to do so by personal greed, and repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends,' he wrote.

Separately, Mueller's office filed documents saying that Cohen lied to investigators to protect Trump regarding Russian interference in the 2016 election.

Picking up on this, Conway wasn't alone in his mocking of the president, this time around, with many pointing out that he may have more to answer for he apparently thinks.

Conway wasn't alone in his mocking of the president, this time around, with many pointing out that he may have more to answer for he apparently thinks

George Conway's previous criticisms of the president prompted Eric Trump (pictured) to speak out against him, calling George's tweets a showing of 'disrespect' to his wife, Kellyanne Conway, who advises the presidens

'Of all the ugliness in politics, the utter disrespect George Conway shows toward his wife, her career, place of work, and everything she has fought SO hard to achieve, might top them all.' @KellyannePolls is great person and frankly his actions are horrible,' Eric Trump tweeted

Kellyanne Conway (pictured) has called her husband's posts 'disrespectful,' and made jokes about 'the tweeting men in her life,' in reference to both her spouse's and the president's unfiltered use of social media

Conway has grown more and more vocal with his criticisms of Trump over the life of his administration, prompting Eric Trump to speak out against him, calling his open criticism a showing of 'disrespect' to his wife, Kellyanne Conway, who advises the president.

'Of all the ugliness in politics, the utter disrespect George Conway shows toward his wife, her career, place of work, and everything she has fought SO hard to achieve, might top them all,' Eric Trump tweeted.

'@KellyannePolls is great person and frankly his actions are horrible.'

Kellyanne, herself, has called her husband's posts 'disrespectful,' and made jokes about 'the tweeting men in her life,' in reference to both her spouse's and the president's unfiltered use of social media, according to the New York Times.

The president has also already been labeled as a major subject of interest, complete with the code name: Individual 1 in separate investigations.
here has been a spate of knife attacks against police officers as violence spirals in Wild West Britain

It's the Christmas gift for police officers that is a disturbing sign of our times: anti-slash gloves that promise protection against knife attacks.

Sold for 42 a pair, the gloves  complete with the word Police on the cuff  are marketed as a very thoughtful present for relatives and friends to choose.

The gloves are made of military-grade Spectra fibre fabric that London-based firm Blade Runner, which is selling the gloves, says is pound for pound 15 times stronger than steel.

London-based firm Blade Runner is selling the gloves for 42 a pair. They are described as a 'very thoughtful' present for relatives and friends to choose

Blade Runners unsettling advert suggests: If you, or someone you love, works as a member of the British Police, theres a small but thoughtful gift that could make all the difference to the work that they do.

It adds: Using your hands to protect your body is both a natural and instinctive act. Protecting these hands is both a loving and useful act, that will keep giving long after the last Christmas light has been taken down.

But Ken Marsh, Chairman of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said: Its a crass stunt to market these gloves as the perfect present for your partner for Christmas in case they get slashed up.

He added: Police officers are facing a growing threat, but it is not up to individual companies to provide my colleagues with protective gear.

Last month, a policeman was stabbed at Ilford railway station in East London in what one police chief said was the latest example of an epidemic of senseless acts of violence against the emergency services [File photo]

Dismissing the gloves as a PR stunt, police sources said many forces already equip frontline officers with the protective clothing they need.

But Lee Marks, of Blade Runner, said: Choosing a present for someone you love is difficult at the best of times and this Christmas, more than any other, we are selling anti-slash gloves in large numbers.

'They are a really useful Christmas present, helping to keep your loved ones hands warm and safe.

There have been a series of recent knife attacks against police officers as violence spirals in Wild West Britain.

Last month, a policeman was stabbed at Ilford railway station in East London in what one police chief said was the latest example of an epidemic of senseless acts of violence against the emergency services.

In October, three Metropolitan Police officers were brutally attacked with a knife, all suffering wounds, after being called out to a fight in Islington, North London.
'That's not a question Im going to answer one way or the other. Sir Martin Sorrell  a beacon of British business, the grandest of City grandees, a man who has been knighted by the Queen  has just been asked whether hes ever visited a prostitute. And the tension in his boardroom in the heart of Mayfair is almost suffocating.

How does it feel to be asked such a question? We can move on. Is it humiliating? Move on. Has he been treated unfairly? Move on. Move on.

Eight months ago, this formidable 73-year-old  the epitome of one of novelist Tom Wolfes Masters of the Universe  had it all. He was the boss of WPP, a world-famous advertising firm he had built up from scratch into one of Britains biggest and most admired businesses. He had offices in all corners of the globe, with a workforce of 130,000. And he was a hero of British entrepreneurship, his views on the economy and markets sought after by investors and commentators worldwide.

A friend of the Royals, Sir Martin Sorrell was Britain's best-paid boss - until accused of using company money to pay a prostitute

How times change. Today, Sir Martin has left WPP, a company he led for 33 years and came to see as his own baby, and is now the boss of a comparative minnow, S4 Capital, with only a few employees at his beck and call.

And because none of them is working on a wintry Friday evening, it has been left to him  a man who has amassed personal wealth of 450 million and was a guest at Harry and Meghans wedding  to answer S4 Capitals doorbell, trudge down to the entrance of his townhouse office and escort his interviewer up to the firms one-floor headquarters in a tiny, juddering old lift.

So how has he ended up acting the bell-boy and facing questions about paying for prostitutes on company expenses?

Sir Martin traces his Shakespearean change in fortune back to Thursday, March 29, this year. He was looking forward to a family holiday on the continent for the long Easter weekend. But before jetting off he had been asked to attend an interview in WPPs London headquarters. The interview was conducted by WPPs lawyers, the US firm WilmerHale.

The tone of the interview had not been at all what he was expecting. He discovered he faced a major investigation into alleged misuse of company money and improper behaviour.

A few days later the allegations appeared in the US press. Sir Martin says it was then, late on a Tuesday evening while he was still abroad and before British newspapers picked up the story, that he decided to quit WPP. His resignation was formalised less than a fortnight later, late on a Saturday evening, following the conclusion of the mysterious probe.

With little information revealed by WPP  the allegations remained secret thanks to a non-disclosure agreement  the City rumour mill immediately went into overdrive.

Some people are good at starting businesses, some are good at running them... rarely do you find both sets of talent in one person

Reports surfaced that Sir Martin had paid for a prostitute on company expenses. Sorrell has strenuously denied the claim but until now has maintained a stony silence on how the ordeal has affected him.

Today, in an exclusive interview with The Mail on Sunday, Sir Martin pays tribute to his wife, Cristiana, and his family for the support they have given him over the past eight months and speaks of his sadness at leaving WPP. And he also vows to be remembered for his entrepreneurial achievements rather than the lurid allegations that have sullied his name.

Sorrells new workplace is in a narrow townhouse on an exclusive street in the shadow of Buckingham Palace and, more importantly for this consummate deal-maker, a stones-throw from a string of high-quality restaurants where he breakfasts, lunches and has dinner with contacts.

After Sir Martin answers the door, we ascend the building in its narrow lift, awkwardly standing face to sternum. Im reminded of some of the nicknames this diminutive tycoon  who claims to share Napoleons height, 5ft 6in  has earned in the business world: Titch  that was at school, he says.

The 21st of June (or the Shortest Knight, geddit?)  yeah, thats a variant of Titch.

Mad Dwarf  its a variant of Titch as well.

Odious Little Jerk  it wasnt Odious Little Jerk  it was Odious Little S***.

As we take our seats in S4 Capitals boardroom, Sorrell must know that a barrage of unwanted questions are coming his way. But he makes clear hes not going to make my job easy. There wont be any tough questions  I wont answer any tough questions, he says, fixing me with a steely glare.

Fighting on: Sir Martin Sorrell pictured with wife Cristiana at a gala in New York, 2009

Sir Martin, smartly dressed as ever in a suit and tie, initially sticks to his word, batting it all off with the words move on, move on.

He maintains a rigid posture behind his vast boardroom table, his hands clasped, reinforcing the message that nothing will break his resolve.

But eventually he starts to soften. Its not been easy, he finally admits. But Ive had a lot of support and counsel from all my family and friends  and people inside WPP.

His family include second wife Cristiana, who is 30 years his junior, and their two-year-old daughter, Bianca.

From his first marriage he has three adult sons, all of whom work in the City, and grandchildren. How did his family deal with the allegations, I ask. We talked about it, he says. But thats a private matter.

Sorrell rubbishes any suggestion of marital problems.

Thats not a question Im going to dignify with an answer, he says, adding: Anybody who really knows me, knows the allegation and surrounding innuendo were fabricated.

I'm reminded of his nicknames... Mad Dwarf and Odious Little S***

But he does admit that some people will believe whats been written about him.

Some people look at it and believe it, and some people dont, he says. I think you have to be philosophical about it.

Sorrell insists he has experienced tougher moments in his life. This may be hard to believe. But he has had a more colourful life than most of his peers in the business world.

Brought up as an only child (a brother died in childbirth) in a Jewish household in North London, Sorrell attended Cambridge and Harvard universities before entering the world of commerce.

He flew beneath the radar in his early years, but rose to prominence after being made finance boss of advertising firm Saatchi & Saatchi. As he helped build it into a global giant, Sorrell became known as the third Saatchi brother, after founders Maurice and Charles.

At 40, Sorrell broke off on his own. He bought an obscure basket maker called Wire And Plastic Products, renamed it WPP Group and  against all odds  built it up into the largest advertising company in the world, overtaking Saatchi & Saatchi. To get there, Sorrell bought up some of the best-known companies in the advertising world, making plenty of enemies along the way. His Odious Little S*** nickname came about when WPP bought Ogilvy Group. Its founder David Ogilvy, known as the Father of Advertising, bestowed the title upon Sorrell.

Sir Martin points out that this comment was made before the two had met, and that Ogilvy  whom he later made chairman of WPP  later apologised.

Sir Martin was knighted in 2000  when he earned his 21st June nickname from jealous industry peers  for his incredible rise in the business world. But all was not well in his personal life.

In 2005, his marriage of 33 years to Sandra, mother to his three sons, broke down and ended in a public divorce court. He was ordered to pay her a record 29 million, which included their 3.25 million Georgian townhouse in Central London.

Sorrell was back in court two years later. This time, he was suing two former colleagues who allegedly posted anonymous messages online about a short-lived relationship he had with WPPs chief operating officer in Italy at that time.

One message was said to have described Sir Martin and the woman as the mad dwarf and the nympho schizo.

Sorrell attended Cambridge and Harvard universities before entering the world of commerce

The case was settled out of court for a reported 120,000 but, controversially, WPP shareholders were left to pick up legal fees he had accrued up to that point totalling 800,000.

Sir Martin married his second wife Cristiana, an Italian economist, in 2008. He provoked rage among WPP investors a couple of years later when it emerged that the company was paying for her travel expenses.

The controversy led to one of many run-ins between WPPs chief executive and his shareholders.

My wife has made and continues to make a significant contribution to what I do, Sorrell argues. What she does is extremely significant. He later agreed to start paying her expenses personally.

Sir Martin has regularly been the FTSE 100s best-paid chief executive, taking home more than 200 million between 2012 and 2016 alone. Sorrell says he has no regrets. He points out that a large amount of his pay was actually in bonus form, meaning it was dependent on his performance. He also says contrasts between himself, a man who invested in his own company and built it up from scratch, and those brought in to manage big businesses, are not fair.

I was totally committed to the enterprise, he says. I fundamentally believe that people in companies like WPP should make an investment, which I did.

Despite animosity between himself and the board, after resigning from WPP on April 14 this year, Sorrell carried on working for the firm for a month and even secured some significant business.

Things had to be handled, he says. You cant just cut it off just like that. There were contractual negotiations going on with clients. I was involved in negotiating a major [advertising] contract.

The client said that the only person he was prepared to deal with in relation to the renewal was myself that was one of the last things I did for WPP.

Sorrell, notably relaxed now the conversation has moved on from prostitution, also grasps this opportunity to explain why he is both a good founder and a good manager. There are people who are good at starting businesses, and there are people who are good at running businesses, he says.

Rarely do you find both sets of talent in one person.

Yet around the time of the prostitution allegation, Sir Martin also faced accusations that he had been a brutal and inhuman boss. How does he reconcile that with his claim hes good at running businesses? Ive said before, I always like to have things done well, he shoots back. If at any point they werent done well, I was concerned about that. But if things were executed well, everything was fine.

Around the time of the prostitution allegation, Sir Martin also faced accusations that he had been a brutal and inhuman boss

It was also reported that staff had been upset when he sacked his chauffeur of 15 years after he refused to pick up Cristiana from a restaurant at 2am because he had another job five hours later.

Despite still owning a near- two per cent stake in WPP, Sir Martin has turned into the firms most vocal critic since leaving: he recently described it as being a car crash in slow motion.

Sir Martin turns 74 in February, he has a young daughter and grandchildren nearby, and money is no concern for him and his family. But after leaving WPP, he chose to launch himself straight into a new job without taking a break.

Having gone through what I went through, I decided in May to embark on a new enterprise, he says. A clean sheet of paper. Its obviously not easy  because the good news is you have a clean sheet of paper, the bad news is that I obviously miss the scale of WPP.

But were starting to build a good operation and I think it can actually be really exciting. I cant say how far well go or what well do [but] Im finding it very interesting and absorbing and challenging. There are lots of opportunities, so well see how it goes.

Sorrell says it would be foolish to speculate on how large S4 Capital can become. But in suggesting it could one day catch up with WPP, a firm worth 11 billion, he provides a clue to his own ambitions.

He refers to S4 as a speck in the rear view mirror of the car crash WPP. If youre in a car crash, and you stop, the speck catches up quite quickly, he chortles.

Whether its feasible or unthinkable, there is no doubt Sir Martin would love to witness the demise of his company and then sweep in to its rescue. He feels great sadness at having left the firm and reveals he has very personal feelings towards it. WPP is a great company and it was, and still is, my baby, he says. Thats founders mentality. Its as near as a man can come to having a baby. Not physically, but emotionally.

No matter what happens, Sir Martin is confident he will be remembered for the right reasons, rather than for a couple of months in 2018.

Ive had three lives, he says. Nine years at Saatchi, 33 years at WPP and, hopefully, five to ten years at S4 Capital. The records have, and will, speak for themselves.
Prime Minister Theresa May has been struck by another resignation after the Defence Secretary Gavin Williamson's aide quit over her proposed Brexit deal.

Colchester MP Will Quince urged the Prime Minister to return to Brussels and renegotiate the deal to remove the Northern Irish backstop.

Quince, 35, is the latest figure to resign over the Brexit deal.

Colchester MP Will Quince resigned as Defence Secretary Parliamentary Private Secretary over Theresa May's Brexit deal

PM Theresa May, pictured, is facing defeat in Parliament on Tuesday when MPs vote on whether to accept her Brexit deal which includes the Northern Irish backstop

Writing in the Sunday Telegraph, Qunice said: 'I wanted to support this Withdrawal Agreement, and I still want to support it, but unless the backstop is addressed to include either an end date or a unilateral exit mechanism, I cannot support it and so am resigning from the Government as a Parliamentary Private Secretary.

'I implore the Prime Minister to go back to the European Union and find another way, to make this Withdrawal Agreement something we can all support.'

The PM has insisted she will seek parliamentary support for her Brexit deal on Tuesday, despite the opposition of a large number of MPs including a considerable proportion of her own party.

Earlier this month, unversities and science minister Sam Gyimah resigned from government.

He was the seventh minister to quit since Theresa May published her withdrawal proposal last month.

Mrs May's position next week is incredibly perilous as she is apposed by both Leave and Remain wings of her party. Her proposals are also opposed by all other parties in Westminster - including the DUP who provide her with her tight majority.
A young girl who was kidnapped from her home, raped and murdered has been laid to rest following a massive funeral service.

Some 1,000 community members attended the bilingual service for 13-year-old Hania Noelia Aguilar on Saturday in Lumberton, North Carolina, where emotions ran high after word that her suspected killer was arrested.

The FBI said early Saturday that Michael Ray McLellan, 34, has been charged in connection with the kidnapping and murder of Hania.

At the service, held at Lumberton High School, a letter from Hania's father Noe Aguilar was read aloud after he was denied an expedited visa to attend the funeral. He lives in Guatemala.

Police say Aguilar was snatched from outside her home in Lumberton and forced into the back of an SUV on November 5. Her body was found last week

'You were and you are my treasure. Rest in peace daughter, my gorgeous princess,' the heartbroken father said. 'You left before me, my gorgeous princess. Now I know that I have an angel in heaven.'

'It hurts my soul because I cannot be with you. But I will always keep you in my heart.'

The two-hour ceremony also included a letter read aloud from North Carolina Governor Roy Cooper, eulogies from local officials, Bible readings and music.

Details from Hania's obituary offered details from her life. Her favorite subject school was science, and her career goal was to become an architect. Hania's favorite song was was 'A Thousand Years' by Christina Perri.

The burial took place in Meadowbrook Cemetery just a mile from the high school.

On November 5, police said Hania went outside to start a relative's SUV to prepare to leave for the bus stop when a man forced her into the vehicle and fled.

The map above shows the 10 miles between where Hania was abducted on November 5 and the stolen SUV was found three days later on November 8

Her disappearance sparked an intensive search. Drones, dogs, and scores of searchers on foot spent the following weeks combing the area.

Police found her body several weeks later, on November 28, in a body of water about 10 miles south of the mobile home park where she was kidnapped.

Michael Ray McLellan, 34, is charged withthe kidnapping, rape and murder of Hania

'This is the outcome that we all feared,' Lumberton Police Chief Michael McNeill told reporters after the body was found. 'We did not want to hear this. We wanted to bring Hania back home and bring her back home alive to our community. It hurts.'

McLellan, who was free on parole at the time of the murder, was already in police custody on other charges when he was arrested on suspicion of the murder.

He is charged with first-degree murder, first-degree forcible rape, statutory rape of a person under 15 years of age or younger, first-degree sexual offense, statutory sex offense with a person 15 years or younger, first-degree kidnapping, felony larceny, felony restraint, abduction of child and concealment of a death.

McLellan is being held in the Robeson County Detention Center without bail. He will have his first court appearance at the Robeson County Courthouse on Monday.
Nigel Farage is set to launch a new pro-Leave political party after last weeks dramatic implosion of Ukip and today vows to fight in the next EU elections if Brexit is delayed.

The Brexit champion led a walk-out of major figures from Ukip in protest at its new BNP stance, after dramatically warning the partys embattled leader Gerard Batten in this newspaper that Ukip must ditch its relationship with anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson.

Mr Farage took with him a slew of senior Ukip figures, including ex-boss Paul Nuttall and Scottish leader David Coburn, both fellow Members of the European Parliament with Farage.

Mr Farage (pictured) vowed to fight in next Mays European elections under the banner of his as yet unnamed party if the two-year Article 50 EU divorce process is extended beyond next March

Now Farage and his colleagues are plotting to set up a new party to defend Brexit at a possible second referendum or if a General Election is sparked by the deadlock in Westminster.

A source said: Nigel led one party from nothing to become the first to win a nationwide election since 1906 that was not Labour or Tory, in the 2014 European elections. He could do it again.

And they hope to drive a wedge between divided Conservatives, luring over hard Brexit MPs disillusioned by Theresa Mays deal.

Mr Farage vowed to fight in next Mays European elections under the banner of his as yet unnamed party if the two-year Article 50 EU divorce process is extended beyond next March.

He told The Mail on Sunday: My view is that, between now and Christmas, Article 50 will be extended. Is there a lot of conversation about what then happens? Yes. If the Brexit ball is dropped completely, it will have to happen.

He added: Look, I make this absolutely clear, if they suspend Article 50 and we fight in the next European elections, I will be there.

But Mr Farage insisted he did not want to have to be an MEP any longer than necessary, adding: I cant wait to leave. Ive been there 19 years and eight months on Brexit Day. That is a hell of a long time.

Gerard Batten appointed Mr Yaxley-Lennon as an adviser on rape gangs and prison reform. They are pictured in an undated photo

Mr Farage has insisted that Ukip must ditch its relationship with anti-Islam activist Tommy Robinson (pictured in September this year)

It is understood Mr Farage is looking to use the campaign group Leave Means Leave as a launchpad for his fledgling movement.

In another interview with the Sunday Telegraph, he said it is his 'destiny' to fight for Brexit.

He said: 'I sense within me that I may not have fought my biggest battle yet - that is how it feels. Whether it is happenstance, serendiopity, destiny.

I am not going to lie down and watch i go down the plughole.'

On Friday, Leave Means Leave boss Richard Tice said his group were already fundraising for a second referendum, telling the BBC: We think it is 50/50 that it will happen. He added that a rerun of the Brexit battle would be brutal, it would be ugly, it would be the most divisive thing this country has ever seen but I regret to say we are preparing for it.

Sources within the group said that its office space and funds could easily be transferred into a political party after registering with the Electoral Commission.

Meanwhile, in response to Mr Farages attack, Ukip leader and fellow MEP Gerard Batten quit the Europe of Freedom and Direct Democracy grouping led by Mr Farage in the European Parliament on Friday.

Mr Batten will today join Mr Robinson in a march down Whitehall, amid fears of clashes with anti-fascist protests.

Mr Farage warned his former party not to take part in the Betrayal Of Brexit rally, amid fears it would tarnish the anti-EU cause and descend into violence.

Last night, the Hope Not Hate anti-racism group blasted the event as a cynical attempt by some of the most extreme voices in Britain, united in hatred for Muslims and other minorities, to exploit Brexit tensions and sow discord and hatred.
Australians will automatically have their organs donated after they die under a new proposal.

The policy, which is being considered by MPs, assumes everyone is an organ donor unless they've filled out official documents to opt-out.

The proposed changes would help to close in on the illegal trade of organ donation, the Sunday Telegraph reported.

The policy, which is being considered by MPs, assumes people are organ donors unless they've filled out official documents to opt out (stock image)

Australians who receive an illegal transplant overseas would be criminalised when they return to Australia, as recommended by federal MPs proposing changes to the laws.

Doctors would also be required to report suspicions their patient accessed an illegal donation overseas.

In 2016, the Sunday Telegraph reported almost 100 Australians travelled overseas to acquire an organ transplant on the black market.

In some instances they paid up to $250,000 for a kidney transplant.

The illegal trade of organ transplants is driven by a shortage of donations.

A parliamentary inquiry wants Australia to consider implementing the opt-out system - in a bid to prevent illegal overseas trade.

Seven of the top 10 organ donating countries in the world have used the opt-out system for a number of years.

Two others have adopted the policy in the past year.

The proposed changes would help to close in on the illegal trade of organ donation (stock image)

The Human Organ Trafficking and Organ Transplant Tourism report, which was tabled in parliament on Monday December 3, revealed Australians turn to the illicit market as the demand for organs outweighs the number of donors.

There are almost 1500 on the Australian organ transplant waiting list with two thirds, 1003, requiring kidney transplants.

'Desperate people, often facing end-stage renal disease and other grave conditions, may travel to distant countries and pay tens of thousands of dollars and more, for an organ transplant where the donor is poor, exploited or unable to give free and informed consent to donation,' the report reads.

The report recommended the government work to engage Australian people as donors as only one in three are currently registered as donors - despite a majority claiming they would donate when they die.

While organ donation needs to increase, the report warns organ supply will struggle to meet demand in the near future suggesting the nation should focus on addressing illegal organ trafficking.
Miriam Kliers pictured with her husband Shlomo on their wedding day in 1995

From the outside at least, its an ordinary Victorian family home, part of an unassuming network of residential streets in a North London suburb.

It could do with a little TLC, perhaps. The white-painted cornicing is flaking and a plant seed has taken root, unchallenged, in the brickwork.

But there is no sign of anything else amiss  certainly no clue to the extraordinary drama played out on Kyverdale Road.

It was only when Miriam Kliers won a High Court dispute over the rights to the 1.4 million property last month that her disturbing story reached the wider world  and shone a spotlight into one of Britains most isolated communities.

Miriam, it emerged, had fled the home and the ultra-orthodox Hasidic Jewish community in Stamford Hill where she grew up, taking nothing but the clothes she was wearing. It was a rejection of the abuse, she says, that she and women like her suffer routinely.

Miriam said she often went hungry as her family lived in disturbing levels of poverty despite living in a valuable property

Following a three-year legal battle, Miriam, 46, who has four children with her ex- husband Shlomo, was awarded 75 per cent of the propertys worth  810,000 once debts are paid. But victory has come at a price.

Speaking to The Mail on Sunday, Miriam provides a troubling insight into the conservative sect. She reveals she often went hungry while living in distressing levels of poverty. She was effectively forced into marriage with a husband who, according to the tenets of their faith, had to devote himself to religious study rather than work while she provided for their family.

Miriam endured a rigidly controlled existence policed by influential rabbis peddling ideologies which, in her view, bordered on brainwashing. This was a world in which she had to ask for permission to sit GCSE exams, let alone use the internet.

She was even, she says, coerced into fraud. Deputy judge Murray Rosen QC heard that the couples home was bought in the name of Miriams brother, Mordechai Schmerler, so the family could claim housing benefit.

This led Rosen to conclude that tax evasion and housing benefit fraud were on the evidence, common practice within the community and a disgraceful illegality.

Fighting the case has cost Miriam everything: her family, her parents, and most devastatingly, the affection of her children, two boys, 23 and 21, and two girls, 19 and 11.

Miriam fled their home in Stamford Hill and then had to fight a High Court battle over the rights to the property

I was driven out and they took my family from me, she says. It was made clear to me at meetings and through abusive phone calls, that I was not going to be able to have a relationship with my kids, and they succeeded in turning them against me. Her life, she adds, was made a living hell.

The secretive, socially isolated sect, which maintains its devout traditions even in the most liberal cities in the world, is known for its distinctive clothing of black clothing and wide-brimmed tall hats.

Miriams story echoes the more shocking aspects of new film Disobedience, starring Rachel Weisz as New York-based photographer Ronit, who comes from an ultra-orthodox Jewish family in North London.

Ronit returns following the death of her rabbi father after being banished and disinherited as punishment for a lesbian relationship she pursued as a teenager. To Miriam, its a familiar tale: When you want to live outside the community, they make your life a misery. You lose your children because they are considered the property of the community, but you find yourself ostracised by your family and people you called friends.

It is an irony that Hasidic Judaism was designed as a joyful sect. The unusual clothing has its origins in 17th Century Polish-Lithuanian nobility, reflecting a determination to be part of a respectable, land-owning class but also to emphasise the importance of individual character.

The UK has the largest population of Hasidic Jews in Europe of about 50,000, concentrated mainly in London, Salford, Gateshead and Essexs Canvey Island. Miriam was born into the faith, the third of ten children, to a housewife mother and father who was a ritual slaughterer.

Her life was mapped out  she was expected to marry a fellow believer, or Haredi, and, because contraception was forbidden, to have lots of children. Rules governed her life from what to wear, eat and read to how to dress for sex with a spouse.

But Miriam wanted an education beyond the basic teachings permitted to women in the faith.

In 2008, Miriam met Peter Walters (left), who is Jewish but not Hasidic, when she worked for a local charity and told Shlomo she wanted an end to their marriage

Books were strictly policed  the chaste tales of Enid Blyton were allowed, while the romantic idealism of Louisa May Alcotts Little Women was not.

She managed to go to the local library after promising her mother to read only non-fiction.

Sometimes they would spring a snap search at school, when we were turned out into the playground while the adults inspected our bags, Miriam recalls. I was terrified once that I would be shamed because I had a book about Captain Cook in my bag and had not got permission to read it.

Home life was a constant battle  her father carried out searches for contraband. I felt under constant surveillance, she says. There was no privacy. Miriams most daring book was about beauty because such things were immodest. Young Hasidic girls wear their hair strictly short, with long skirts and thick tights, even in oppressive heat.

I was taught from an early age I was a danger to men because I could lead them into sin, so it was my responsibility to be modest, she says. I was told if I slipped it could have devastating ramifications for me, but especially the men, and it would be my fault.

Ambitions undaunted, she was furious when, having asked her parents permission to sit maths and English GCSEs, she was told she would have to pay for the exams herself  impossible because she was not then allowed to work.

My parents had no interest. I was destined to be a good wife and breeder, but I saw how my mother struggled, she says. We were so poor she made her own cheese and yogurt. Food was rationed out and I often went hungry. I didnt want that to be my future.

Such poverty within the large families, encouraged by the rabbis, was not unusual, and most rely on government benefits to survive.

The contrast between the teachings of their faith, and the reality of their lives, seemed obvious.

I was taught that there was a big bad world out there and we were safe within an enclave of Gods true followers, that we were on the true path and we were special, she says. So I didnt understand why we were so poor. The sect was so socially isolated that, at 17, Miriam was blown away by her first taste of the real world after going to work for a local Jewish company. There, for the first time, she met other, more relaxed Jewish people.

One woman even came from Golders Green which was like the Badlands to Hasidic people.

When Miriam was growing up books were strictly policed  the chaste tales of Enid Blyton were allowed, while the romantic idealism of Louisa May Alcotts Little Women was not

Golders Green has a strong and historic Jewish community, but while Orthodox, it is not Hasidic. Though expected to marry, the woman was dating which was impossible in the Hasidic community, and seemed like a good idea to me, Miriam says.

I had an understanding of romantic love and I was envious.

It meant she was dreading the plans being put in place for her arranged marriage.

This came when, aged 23 in 1995, a cousin arranged a match with Shlomo Kliers, an unemployed Talmudic student, from Israel. Like most men in the sect, he was not expected to work before marriage.

I wasnt attracted to him but I was lonely and he seemed OK, so I said yes, Miriam recalls. He couldnt even read English and knew very little about the world when we met.

After the wedding he told me that his father was in debt and he only married me because it meant he could move to London.

They settled in a rented flat in Stamford Hill, paid for by Miriams parents.

She was pregnant within six months, and had three children in three years.

She was also the main breadwinner.

It was hard because I was doing different jobs but my husband contributed little to the household expenses. When I complained to the rabbi, I was told it was my job to turn him into a man.

I paid all the bills with the help of benefits and took care of the children. I knew that I couldnt have another child so quickly. But I had to go to the rabbi to ask permission to take contraception.

In 2004, the couple bought the house in Kyverdale Road for 418,000, using 103,800 of Miriams savings, while Shlomo contributed 32,900. Miriam later told the court that the cash was disguised as a charitable donation  when it was from her wages  to avoid paying tax. The house was put in Miriams brothers name so the pair could claim housing benefit.

Miriam's life was mapped out  she was expected to marry a fellow believer, or Haredi, and, because contraception was forbidden, to have lots of children

The court later heard she had misgivings about this advice but agreed to the alleged fraud because of undue influence from a patriarchal body which she claimed included her close relatives, community leaders and rabbis.

Such was the influence of the rabbis that Miriam also had to seek special permission to use the internet. Her passion for learning un-dimmed, she began a degree in psychology through the Open University, hoping to get a job in healthcare. But as her exposure to the outside world increased, so it exposed the hypocrisy of her life.

I felt my life was a lie but I couldnt share my thoughts with anyone I knew, because when I tried to they just became angry, she says. I was struggling to cope in a loveless marriage.

Then, in 2008, Miriam met Peter, who is Jewish but not Hasidic, when she worked for a local charity. For the first time she felt the stirring of sexual attraction. It was so good to have someone with whom I could share my thoughts, she says. It was not a physical relationship then, but it spurred me to think about making changes in my life.

Miriam asked Shlomo for a divorce many times but he refused  according to Jewish law, only a man can divorce a woman. All he would agree to is counselling, so she made the decision to flee with her daughters, then aged 14 and five. All hell broke loose.

The community cut her off and began a campaign of intimidation.

My parents abandoned me and supported him, she says. My father said he was ashamed of me and told my siblings not to offer me help. My mother has not spoken to me and my sons cut me dead.

Miriam moved into a rented flat, and tried to hold on to her girls but both ended up returning to their father and the community.

Meanwhile, Peter found his car tyres slashed, and spyware was discovered on Miriams laptop. The couple often felt followed.

Horrifyingly, they were also visited by police following accusations they had sexually abused the girls  claims which came to nothing. It was a nightmare, she says. Even the school, part of the community, joined in by telling social services I was not a good mother. Everyone believed they had to punish me and harass Peter because in their eyes I had sinned.

Losing her children was, without doubt, the hardest part.

It hurts not having them in my life, she admits. Ive missed so many important moments.

Miriam was granted a Jewish divorce in 2013 and brought the case against Shlomo and her brother three years ago. Her husband still lives in the house with the children.

Judge Rosen found in Miriams favour in April, after concluding her brother had failed to provide evidence to prove the house had been bought with his own money.

The judges remarks about the proliferation of fraud have been denied by community leaders, who described them as offensive.

Despite her legal win, Miriam has lost too much to be content. But she is, however, hopeful. I have times when it gets very difficult  a bit like grieving  and I suffer from post-traumatic stress, she says. Its been a long process to try to deprogram myself from 40 years of brainwashing.

I want to raise awareness of what goes on. I know there are many other women trapped in that life looking for a way out. I hope I can show they can break free.
Thomas Markle admits to stupid mistakes, including posing for paparazzi pictures before the Royal Wedding, but says that being frozen out by Meghan and Harry is a punishment which does not fit the crime.

He has apologised repeatedly for the pictures, which included one of him being measured for a wedding suit.

I was a fool. I was convinced to do these pictures to change my image.

Prince Harry severely berated Mr Markle after he posed for photos before the royal wedding - contributing to their rift

'I was sick of seeing schlubby pictures of me buying beer which wasnt even for me, he says.

I apologised to Harry on the phone and all he said was, If youd listened to me, none of this would have happened. I did a few things wrong, said a few things I should not have said.

'But some of the Royals have done far worse things There are convicts in prisons who have murdered and committed all kinds of horrible crimes, and their daughters still visit them.
A young man is dead and three others are fighting for life after a dance party in Homebush, Sydney

A 19-year-old man is dead and three others are critically ill after a dance party in Homebush on Saturday night.

The teenager, from Baulkham Hills, was found in a 'distressed state' at the train station, and rushed to hospital just before 1.30am.

He died little more than three hours later at Concord Hospital, at 4.30am.

Two women, 19 and 25, and another man, who has not been identified, were taken to Westmead Hospital and are also believed to have overdosed. All three are in critical, but stable conditions.

A further 13 people were hospitalised following the event, while 130 people had to seek medical treatment during the 'Knockout Games of Destiny' party.

The event was marketed as the 'biggest indoor festival in the southern hemisphere', and was attended by 18,000 people.

A statement from NSW Police said 62 people were found in possession of drugs at the event, including an 18-year-old girl who allegedly had 390 MDMA capsules 'internally concealed' inside her body.

The teenage girl was charged with supply prohibited drug and will appear at Burwood Local Court on January 10.

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The party, attended by 18,000 on Saturday, ended in tragedy, with a 19-year-old man dying of a suspected overdose and three others, including two women aged 19 and 25, left in a critical condition for the same reason

Five were arrested and charged with drug offences, including an 18-year-old woman who was allegedly found carrying 390 MDMA capsules, and a 25-year-old man, who was allegedly found with 145. Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting those pictured at the event above are in any way related to the supply

A 25-year-old man was allegedly found carrying 145 MDMA capsules, and was also charged with supply prohibited drug and possess prohibited drug. He will face court on Sunday.

Three others were also charged with drug offences.

South West Metropolitan Region Commander, Assistant Commissioner Peter Thurtell said the devastating impact of drugs was acutely felt on Saturday night, with one dead and three others fighting to stay alive.

'Police and emergency services continue to send warning messages about illegal drugs, and many festival-goers are choosing to ignore them,' he said.

'There is no acceptable use for drugs  the message is clear. We will continue to have a strong presence at festivals and dance parties with the wellbeing and safety of attendees our number one priority'.

Police are asking anyone with information about the 19-year-old's death to come forward.

A report is being prepared for the coroner.

Daily Mail Australia is not suggesting those pictured at the event above are in any way related to the supply.
Dozens of senior business leaders and organisations have thrown their support behind Theresa Mays Brexit deal and called for an end to the political uncertainty.

In a survey by The Mail on Sunday, 35 companies, trade bodies and executives urged MPs to back the Prime Minister, saying the transitional deal presented the best route to avoiding a no-deal Brexit and would encourage firms to begin investing in Britain again.

Iain Conn, chief executive at British Gas owner Centrica, said he had read most of the 585-page draft agreement and added: Any negotiated withdrawal agreement to end the uncertainty and avoid unnecessary damage to the UK economy is significantly better than no deal. It is time to move forward.

Dozens of senior business leaders and organisations have thrown their support behind Theresa Mays Brexit deal and called for an end to the political uncertainty

Firms backing the Prime Minister generate 120billion for the British economy

RBS boss Ross McEwan said the economy needed more certainty.

Others backing the deal include the UK subsidiaries of Aston Martin, Ford, Honda, Toyota and Vauxhall owner PSA as well as Rolls-Royce, BAE Systems, Siemens, Airbus and Bombardier,

Some continue to voice their concerns. Tim Martin, founder and chairman of pub chain Wetherspoon, believes the deal sells Britain down the river.
The surprise arrest of Meng Wanzhou, already denounced by Beijing, raises doubts about whether the trade truce between the US and China will hold and whether the world's two biggest economies can resolve the complicated issues that divide them.

It came on the same day that presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed over dinner to a 90-day ceasefire in a trade dispute that threatens to disrupt global commerce.

'I think it will have a distinctively negative effect on the US-China talks,' said Philip Levy, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and an economic adviser in President George W Bush's White House.

'There's the humiliating way this happened right before the dinner, with Xi unaware. Very hard to save face on this one. And we may see (Chinese retaliation), which will embitter relations.'

Canadian prosecutor John Gibb-Carsley said in a court hearing that a warrant had been issued for Meng's arrest in New York on August 22.

The surprise arrest of Meng Wanzhou, already denounced by Beijing, raises doubts about whether the trade truce between the US and China will hold and whether the world's two biggest economies can resolve the complicated issues that divide them

He said Meng, arrested en route to Mexico from Hong Kong, was aware of the investigation and had been avoiding the United States for months, even though her teenage son goes to school in Boston.

Mr Gibb-Carsley alleged that Huawei had done business in Iran through a Hong Kong company called Skycom.

Meng, he said, had misled US banks into thinking that Huawei and Skycom were separate when, in fact, 'Skycom was Huawei'.

Meng has contended that Huawei sold Skycom in 2009.

In urging the court to reject Meng's bail request, Mr Gibb-Carsley said the Huawei executive had vast resources and a strong incentive to bolt: she is facing fraud charges in the United States that could put her in prison for 30 years.

Meng's lawyer, David Martin, argued that it would be unfair to deny her bail just because she 'has worked hard and has extraordinary resources'.

The US claims that China is using predatory tactics in its drive to overtake America's dominance in technology and global economic leadership. (Above, Donald Trump with China's president Xi Jinping in November)

He told the court that her personal integrity and respect for her father, Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, would prevent her violating a court order.

Meng, who owns two homes in Vancouver, was willing to wear an ankle bracelet and put the houses up as collateral, he said.

There was no bail decision by the judge on Friday so Meng will spend the weekend in jail and the hearing will resume on Monday.

Justice William Ehrcke said he would think about proposed bail conditions over the weekend.

Huawei, in a brief statement emailed to the AP, said that 'we have every confidence that the Canadian and US legal systems will reach the right conclusion'.

'What's getting lost in the initial frenzy here is that Huawei has been in the crosshairs of US regulators for some time,' said Gregory Jaeger, special counsel at the Stroock law firm and a former Justice Department trial lawyer.

'This is the culmination of what is likely to be a fairly lengthy investigation.'

Meng's arrest came as a jarring surprise after the Trump-Xi trade ceasefire in Argentina.

Exact details of the agreement are elusive but the White House said Mr Trump suspended for 90 days an import tax hike on $200billion in Chinese goods that was set to take effect on January 1.

In return, the White House said, the Chinese agreed to buy a 'very substantial amount of agricultural, energy, industrial' and other products from the United States.

The delay was meant to buy time for the two countries to resolve a trade conflict that has been raging for months.

The US claims that China is using predatory tactics in its drive to overtake America's dominance in technology and global economic leadership.

These allegedly include forcing American and other foreign companies to hand over trade secrets in exchange for access to the Chinese market and engaging in cyber theft.

Washington also regards Beijing's ambitious long-term development plan, Made in China 2025, as a scheme to dominate such fields as robotics and electric vehicles by unfairly subsidising Chinese companies and discriminating against foreign competitors.

The United States has imposed tariffs on $250billion in Chinese goods to pressure Beijing to change its ways.

Mr Trump has threatened to expand the tariffs to include just about everything China ships to the United States.

Beijing has hit back with tariffs on about $110billion in American exports.
Two giraffe subspecies have been classed as critically endangered for the first time.

Both the Kordofan giraffe, often found in Cameroon, and the Nubian giraffe, often found in Kenya, have been placed on a threatened species red list.

Researchers from The International Union for the Conservation of Nature's Species Survival Commission found the two subspecies were critically endangered, meaning they have an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild.

The Kordofan giraffe, pictured above, is now critically endangered. If their numbers continue to dwindle, they could go extinct in the wild, meaning they can only be found in zoos or in captivity [File photo]

The Kordofan giraffe is around 16 foot tall, which is relatively small for the giraffe, and has odd spots on the inside of its legs.

The Nubian giraffe can be up to 19 foot tall with sharp spots, and no spots on its underbelly.

If their numbers continue to dwindle, they could both go extinct in the wild, meaning they can only be found in zoos or in captivity.

The International Union for the Conservation of Nature publishes a nine stage extinction scale.

Dr Julian Fennessy, Director of the Giraffe Conservation Foundation, said giraffes were undergoing a silent extinction.

She said: 'While giraffe populations in southern Africa are doing just fine, the worlds tallest animal is under severe pressure in some of its core ranges across East, Central and West Africa.

'It may come as a shock that three of the currently recognised nine subspecies are now considered Critically Endangered or Endangered, but we have been sounding the alarm for a few years now'.

Two giraffe subspecies have been classed as critically endangered for the first time. Both the Kordofan giraffe, often found in Cameroon, and the Nubian giraffe, often found in Kenya, have been placed on an extinction red list [File photo]

However, researchers also found that the numbers of two separate giraffe subspecies have increased.

The Rothschild's giraffe, also found in Kenya, has gone from endangered in 2010 to 'vulnerable'.

The West African giraffe also went from endangered in 2008 to 'vulnerable'.

The researchers said the downlisting was due to the efforts of African governments and conservation organisations.
Fans of Jane Harper's critically acclaimed crime novel The Dry will soon get to see the book come to life on the big screen.

As reported by The Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, award-winning actor Eric Bana is set to play detective Aaron Falk in the feature film, about a murder-suicide in a small farming community.

The film will be directed by Robert Connolly, who co-wrote the script with Harry Cripps.

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'I can't get enough of it': Eric Bana (pictured) is set to star in the feature adaptation of Jane Harper's bestselling novel The Dry

Eric, 50, is clearly excited by the role, telling the publication: 'I'm still getting over the fact that I can actually wake up in my own bed and achieve something then go back to my own bed at night.'

Filming is expected to begin in February in Victoria, where Eric is based.

He added: 'It's unbelievable. It's an absolute novelty to me that I cannot get enough of it.'

Jane Harper is an Australian author and The Dry was a critically acclaimed hit when it was published in 2017.

New role: As reported by the Sydney Morning Herald on Saturday, award winning actor Eric is set to play detective Aaron Falk in the feature film, about a murder-suicide in a small farming community

The crime fiction book revolves around Federal Police officer Aaron Falk who is investigating a murder-suicide in a small farming community.

Falk's past comes back to haunt him, however, as he is forced to confront members of a community who rejected him two decades prior.

It's been a busy year for Eric - he is playing a sociopath conman in his upcoming Netflix series Dirty John.

Chuffed: Eric, 50, is clearly excited by the role, telling the publication: 'I'm still getting over the fact that I can actually wake up in my own bed and achieve something then go back to my own bed at night'

'There is a lot of stuff about him that I don't want to know,' the father-of-two told Saturday's Telegraph recently.

Based on the renowned podcast, the upcoming drama centres on the real-life love story between John Meehan and Debra Newell, played by actress Connie Britton.

The pair met on an over-50s dating website in 2014, and five weeks after their first date, they were living together in Newport, California, before tragedy struck.

And Eric went on to say that the appeal was not down to portraying the character, but rather delving into his sociopathic ways.
She's the PR powerhouse with a designer wardrobe.

And on Friday, Montarna McDonald wed lawyer Nick Pitt in an intimate ceremony at Redleaf Wollombi, just a short drive from the Hunter Valley in New South Wales.

The 28-year-old stunned in a plunging gown that also featured a dramatic train.

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A fashionable bride! PR queen Montarna McDonald, 28, stunned in a plunging gown with a dramatic train, as she wed lawyer Nick Pitt, at a private estate outside of the Hunter Valley on Friday

Montarna and Nick's friends posted a series of event day photos to Instagram with the hashtag #loveyoutopitts.

In one picture, the bridal party stood outside of a private estate at Redleaf Wollombi.

Montarna highlighted her slim figure in the statement gown that cinched in at the waist and revealed her toned back.

Beautiful bride: Montarna highlighted her slim figure in the statement gown that revealed her toned back

Glamorous: The blonde had her locks styled at the nape of the neck

The blonde's locks were styled at the nape of the neck and her striking facial features were enhanced with an elegant makeup palette.

Meanwhile, Nick cut a dapper figure in a crisp white shirt, a tailored black suit and dress shoes.

In another photo, the husband and wife locked lips at the reception, before cutting the wedding cake.

Montarna, the founder and managing director of The Audience Agency in Sydney, began dating Nick in 2014.

Bride and groom: The husband and wife are pictured walking hand-in-hand on the grounds of the estate

All smiles: Montarna beamed as she and Nick proceeded to cut the wedding cake

Affectionate: The couple locked lips at the reception, with the moment captured to Instagram

The couple do not have any children, but look after an adorable French bulldog Harper Pitt.

Montarna and Nick, who live in Sydney's Paddington, spent almost a year renovating parts of their abode.

'Our courtyard is my favourite space; it's the most completed space in the house and I've spent almost a year pulling it all together,' she recently told Sitchu.

'So worth the time and effort - we practically live out there in the warmer weather, it's such a social hub,' Montarna added.
Jasmine Yarbrough and Karl Stefanovic are currently in Cabo with their nearest and dearest for their Mexican wedding.

And during the pre-wedding festivities, Jasmine's secret nickname was revealed by her close girlfriends.

According to the Daily Telegraph, the 34-year-old's pals gave her the moniker 'Jassy Fizzle' while she was living in Los Angeles.

How unusual! The secret nickname of Karl Stefanovic's fiancee Jasmine Yarbrough revealed... and you'll never guess what it is

The nickname has been incorporated into the official wedding hashtag, #letsgetfizzykarl, which guests are encouraged to use on social media.

Jasmine was previously based in Los Angeles with her business partner Tamara Ingham, where the two of them ran their successful footwear brand Mara & Mine.

Karl and Jasmine are set to tie the knot on December 8, in what has been dubbed the Australian wedding of the year.

'Jassy Fizzle': The 34-year-old (R) was dubbed 'Jassy Fizzle' by her girlfriends while living in Los Angeles

In a surprise twist, it's been revealed that Karl's mother Jenny is set to walk the Today show host down the aisle.

Karl's sister Elisa will be the officiant at the ceremony, which will be held at the chapel of the One&Only Palmilla resort in Los Cabos.

The exchange of vows will take place at sunset, it's also been disclosed, with the stunning backdrop of the Los Cabos skyline.

According to the the Daily Telegraph, there will be 'a special Bundaberg Rum bar stocked with limited edition mix' available for guests to enjoy during the occasion.

Work: Jasmine was previously based in Los Angeles with her business partner Tamara Ingham, where the two of them ran their successful footwear brand Mara & Mine

Before the nuptials take place, Jasmine will get ready for the big day with her bridesmaids, largely comprising of her high school friends.

That list includes Sarah Johnson, Sophie Pentland, Jimilla Houghton, Stoj Bulic, and Georgie Fleming.

Also in the wedding party will be Jasmine's sister Jade Yarbrough and her business partner Tamara Ingham.

Karl will be getting ready with his groomsmen, including brothers Tom and Pete Stefanovic, as well as Josh Yarbrough, his close friends Ben Tilley, Mick Doohan, Steve Marshall and school friend Alan Rogina.
The Australian beauty entrepreneur's skincare brand Go-To made its U.S. debut at Sephora earlier this year.

But now Zoe Foster Blake is being accused of 'having a lack of respect for diversity' by American customers over her new tinted moisturiser.

According to Private Sydney, disgruntled consumers have taken to social media to slam the beauty guru, 38, for only offering the product in one shade.

'Not everyone is white!' Beauty guru Zoe Foster Blake slammed by US customers for 'having a lack of respect for diversity' as new tinted moisteriser in skincare range only comes in 'one shade'

One Reddit user wrote: 'Go-To Skincare just launched a Tinted Moisturiser in one shade. ONE SHADE. In a time when 40 shades are considered normal... what brand thinks that one shade is ok?'

While on Instagram another commented: 'One shade is pretty rubbish. Not everyone is white!'

According to the publication, the mother-of-two took to Instagram claiming the product was 'skin adjusting'.

Daily Mail Australia has reached out to Zoe Foster-Blake for comment.

In the firing line: One Reddit slammed the beauty guru, writing, 'Go-To Skincare just launched a Tinted Moisturiser in one shade. ONE SHADE. In a time when 40 shades are considered normal ... what brand thinks that one shade is ok?'

Married to comedian Hamish Blake, Zoe launched her skincare brand Go-To in 2014, with her products now stocked in beauty retailer Sephora across the United States.

The brunette briefly 'lived' in New York in order to keep an eye on the operations, accompanied by Hamish and their two children, Sonny, four, and one year-old Rudy Hazel.

Of the big business opportunity, she light-heartedly told Stellar in July: 'I don't think I've got anything to lose, but a lot to gain - if you do it right.'

Mogul: Zoe launched her skincare brand Go-To in 2014, and her products are stocked in beauty retailler, Sephora across the United States

'It's just a huge time for us. We're taking over the world. Well, maybe just Australia... or one Sephora store.'

Zoe is also the author of a number of bestselling books and the brains behind the app Break-Up Boss.

She told Stellar: 'It used to be people would run up to us and go 'I love (husband Hamish's show) Gap Year. Now they're like, 'Excuse me, I'd just like to get to Zoe and talk about her lip balm,' and I'm like, 'Yes!''
Karl and brother Peter Stefanovic once compared themselves to the Oasis bad boy siblings Noel and Liam Gallagher.

And Daily Mail Australia can reveal Today host Karl, 44, will marry Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, at their exclusive Mexican resort to the music of the English rockers.

Oasis songs, including the band's classic 1990s anthem Wonderwall, were heard being played during the couple's wedding rehearsal on Friday.

She's his Wonderwall! Karl Stefanovic will marry Jasmine Yarbrough (pictured) in Mexico to Oasis' hits... with his younger brother Peter in charge of music for the wedding

The pair - who are already legally married - will tie the knot in the chapel at the One&Only Palmilla resort in Cabo, Mexico, on December 8, in front of approximately 180 guests.

It's believed that Peter, 37, is in charge of the music for the event.

The TV reporter was seen wearing a black Oasis T-shirt as he traveled to Mexico from Sydney with wife Sylvia Jeffreys and Karl's youngest son, River, 12.

Family: Karl and brother Peter Stefanovic (pictured) once compared themselves to the Oasis bad boy siblings Noel and Liam Gallagher

Wedding bells: The pair - who are already legally married - will tie the knot in the chapel at the One&Only resort in Cabo, Mexico, on December 8

An insider at the resort said: 'It was unusual to hear Oasis being played at a wedding rehearsal, particularly an Aussie wedding, but the music will go down a storm. They're real sing-a-long, boozy anthems.'

Speaking to New Idea magazine earlier in the year, the brothers' Uber driver claimed: 'Pete wanted Karl to watch the doco Supersonic because of the similar estranged relationship they had with their father who tried to get in touch after they became rich and famous.'

Also at the rehearsal were Jasmine's parents Cheryl and Bob and Karl's mum, Jenny.

Siblings were also there, too, of course, including Peter, his wife Sylvia Jeffreys and Jasmine's sister, Jade.

Karl's father Alex, who has been estranged from his sons for many years, claimed he was invited to the wedding, but a medical condition prohibited him from flying.
She's the 800 Words star who relocated to Los Angeles last year.

And in Saturday's The Daily Telegraph, Brisbane-born Melina Vidler admitted that trying to crack into Hollywood is tough.

The 25-year-old also referenced Margot Robbie's career, recalling how in a past interview, the blonde said her success 'took years and lots of hard work.'

'At times I question myself': 800 Words star Melina Vidler, 25, admitted to The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, that trying to crack into Hollywood is tough

'It can be tough and I am not going to lie, I have had moments where I questioned myself,' Melina said of making a name for herself Stateside.

The blonde beauty went on to reference a past interview where Margot Robbie said that her success did not happen overnight.

'I remember Margot Robbie saying after (film) Wolf Of Wall Street came out that everyone thought her career had happened overnight, but it took years and lots of hard work,' Melina said.

Self-doubt: 'It can be tough and I am not going to lie, I have had moments where I questioned myself,' Melina said of making a name for herself Stateside

Melina returned to Australia earlier this week to attend the AACTA Awards in Sydney on Wednesday.

The Logie Award-winner stunned on the red carpet in a sheer black sequinned dress that left little to the imagination.

The frock featured a dramatic thigh split as well as a semi-sheer bodice with black boning that outlined parts of her chest.

Melina said of Margot Robbie (pictured), 28: 'I remember Margot Robbie saying after (film) Wolf Of Wall Street came out that everyone thought her career had happened overnight, but it took years and lots of hard work'

In September last year, Melina told Who magazine that she knew she wanted to be an actress back in primary school.

'I knew when I was in my last year of primary school and I was on the bus with my best friend and she told me that I should give up on wanting to be an actor because the chances of being successful were so thin,' she began to tell the publication.

'That made me go, 'You know what? I'm going to do this,' because when I am told I can't do something I really want to do it,' Melina continued.
Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough are set to wed on Saturday at the five-star One&Only Palmilla resort in Cabo, Mexico.

And on Friday, event staff were pictured lining up white chairs outside the chapel for an afternoon rehearsal.

A structure was also seen being erected on the beach close by.

Not long now! Event staff were seen lining up chairs outside the chapel for an afternoon rehearsal on Friday, as Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough prepare for their star-studded wedding in Cabo, Mexico

Six rows of six white chairs were lined up in a stunning courtyard, outside of the chapel at the One&Only Palmilla resort, ahead of the 4.30pm wedding rehearsal.

A steel structure was also erected on the beach by a team of staff.

It's unknown as to whether the beach structure is related to the wedding.

For the wedding? A steel structure was also erected on the beach by a team of staff

Scene: It's unknown as to whether the beach structure is related to the wedding

Karl, 43, is preparing to marry Jasmine, 34, in San Jose del Cabo, Mexico.

The couple will exchange vows at the five-star One&Only Palmilla resort.

The chapel where Karl and Jasmine will wed overlooks the Sea of Cortez, and the bride has reportedly requested fireworks for the occasion.

Venue: Karl, 43, and Jasmine, 34, will exchange vows at the five-star One&Only Palmilla resort

Views: The chapel where Karl and Jasmine will wed overlooks the Sea of Cortez, and the bride has reportedly requested fireworks for the occasion

Star wedding guests include politician Julie Bishop and her longtime partner David Panton, Richard Wilkins, Montana Cox and Jordan Barrett.

The Daily Telegraph reported that billionaire James Packer would not be attending.

The 51-year-old - who resigned as a director of Crown Resorts earlier this year citing mental health issues - has decided to help celebrate his mother Roslyn's birthday instead.
She's one of the highest paid actresses on television.

And Sofia Vergara looked like she didn't have a care in the world as she shared a giggle with Ty Burrell during a break in filming in Los Angeles on Friday.

The 46-year-old stunner doubled over in laughter leaning against a car as her co-star, 51, covered his face from giggling on set of Modern Family.

Fun times: Sofia Vergara, 46, looked like she didn't have a care in the world as she shared a giggle with Ty Burrell during a break in filming in Los Angeles on Friday

Sofia rocked an intricately designed plunging top as she paired the casual look with a set of denim pants.

Missing from her side was husband Joe Manganiello.

Vergara and the Magic Mike star celebrated their third wedding anniversary just last month.

The actors tied the knot on November 21, 2015 in Palm Beach, Florida.

Share a laugh: The stunner doubled over in laughter leaning against a car as her co-star, 51, covered his face from giggling on set of Modern Family

'Happy anniversary love of my life!!!!!!!' Sofia wrote on Instagram.

Joe responded: 'Thankful that three years ago today I made the best decision of my life...'

Sofia is currently filming the 10th and final season of Modern Family, which premiered on September 26.

She is one of the highest earning actress of television, with reported earnings in 2017 of $41.5 million, according to Forbes.

Congrats! Vergara and husband Joe Manganiello celebrated their third wedding anniversary just days ago. 'Thankful that three years ago today I made the best decision of my life,' the Magic Mike star wrote on Instagram

Half of her money comes from her role on the hit ABC sitcom, but her endorsement and licensing deals with Cover Girl, Pepsi and Head & Shoulders accounts for the rest.

Along with her final season of Modern Family, Vergara has also appeared in two movies this year.

She starred alongside Karl Urban and Andy Garcia in Bent and with Tim Roth, Alice Eve and Maggie Q in The Con Is On.

She will also star with her husband Manganiello in Stano, a true story adaptation in theaters next year.
Danny Dyer reportedly warned his daughter Dani to dump Jack Fincham weeks after leaving Love Island.

The EastEnders hard-man, 41, and his wife Jo, are said to be secretly overjoyed following the couples split, which Dani Dyer, 22, announced on Thursday.

An insider told the Sun Online: Her dad Danny and her family warned her early on that they didn't think sticking by Jack was the best idea.

'Get rid!' Danny Dyer reportedly warned his daughter Dani to dump Jack Fincham weeks after leaving Love Island

They thought she'd be stronger alone. Her dad tried to advise her as much as he could.

They added: She genuinely loved him and hoped it was forever. But it got to a point where it was clearly over and there was no turning back. Danis family are overjoyed. Of course they like Jack but this is Danis time to shine.

Jack, 27, who was spotted with the soap star several times after the ITV2 show ended, has not been pictured with Danis family since the reality stars In The Style launch party in October.

Happier times: Jack, 27, who was spotted with the soap star several times after the ITV2 show ended, has not been pictured with Danis family since October

Pleased as punch: The EastEnders hard-man, 41, and his wife Jo, are said to be secretly overjoyed following the couples split, which Dani Dyer, 22, announced on Thursday

And the Love Island winner has shared plenty of snaps with her family since then, but Jack has seemingly not appeared at any of the gatherings.

MailOnline has contacted representatives for both Danny and Dani Dyer.

The couple were both seen for the first time on Friday following their heartbreaking split - six months after leaving the villa.

Dani kept under wraps in a pink padded jacket as she stepped out in London amid claims she was the one who ended the relationship.

Downcast: Dani looked sombre in her first sighting since announcing she has split from Jack Fincham as she was spotted on a stroll in East London on Friday afternoon

The show's winner announced the news in an Instagram post, but hope was sparked in the duo's extensive fan base that they were back on when the post mysteriously disappeared after a matter of hours.

However, the star was not seen with her ex-boyfriend as she went for a stroll around the city, and looked decidedly more downcast than usual.

Meanwhile, Jack appeared on Fridays Loose Women during a recording in support of his fellow Love Island co-star Niall Aslam, 23, who was discussing his Aspergers Syndrome diagnosis.

Flying solo: Jack appeared on Fridays Loose Women during a recording in support of his fellow Love Island co-star Niall Aslam, 23, who was discussing his Aspergers Syndrome diagnosis

The reality star said: 'I want to say a massive well done to my friend Niall for speaking out about his Aspergers. Me and Niall obviously are really good friends and the fact hes going on TV to speak openly about Aspergers I think is wicked.

'I also think its fantastic hes raising awareness and using his platform to raise awareness for it. So well done Niall, fantastic, good work.'

After the video played, Niall discussed his pals' shock split and said he hopes 'they're happy'.

'Gutted for them,' he said. 'I thought they were a great couple but I just hope that they're happy. Just wish them the best.'

It's over: In a statement posted on Instagram, Dani wrote: Jack and I have sadly decided to part ways'

When asked if he thought they were the real deal, he answered: 'In my nine days, yeah, I thought they had a real connection.'

In a statement posted on Instagram, Dani wrote: Jack and I have sadly decided to part ways.

'It's been an incredible six months and we will always have a place in our hearts for each other, but sadly weve come to the realisation that its not meant to be long term.

'We both plan to stay friends. I hope you'll all understand. Love Dani.'
She is already one of the most successful models in the world.

And Gigi Hadid has added another impressive skill to her resume.

The 23-year-old stunner launched preorders for her Reebok capsule collection on Friday as she was featured in several scenic snaps to promote the release.

New frontiers: Gigi Hadid launched preorders for her Reebok capsule collection on Friday as she was featured in several scenic snaps to promote the release

From her mind: She donned a pair of her black and yellow Reebok Aztrek x Gigi Hadid low top trainers

Gigi looked absolutely stunning as she showed off her toned abs in a black cropped top and biker shorts combination.

She donned a pair of her black and yellow Reebok Aztrek x Gigi Hadid low top trainers.

Her blonde locks were worn down as she let her natural looks by wearing minimal make-up.

Fashion first: The 23-year-old model looked absolutely stunning as she showed off her toned abs in a black cropped top and biker shorts combination

Simply stunning: Her blonde locks were worn down as she let her natural looks by wearing minimal make-up

Gigi looked at one with nature as she laid across a huge boulder in a forest.

Her capsule collection features two different shoe silhouettes with two colorways each.

One is the aforementioned low-top which also comes in a white and red colorway.

The other sneaker also has a black and white edition in a high-top called the Reebok Fashion Hi Nova Ripple x Gigi Hadid.

In a statement the older sister of Bella Hadid opened up with her thoughts behind the collab as she said: 'This collection is about looking at the past and reinterpreting that creative boldness for today, for women who define their own style boundaries and arent afraid to challenge convention.

Vibes: One is the aforementioned low-top which also comes in a white and red colorway

Simple yet sophisticated: Her capsule collection features two different shoe silhouettes with two colorways each

Wonder in white: The other sneaker also has a black and white edition in a high-top called the Reebok Fashion Hi Nova Ripple x Gigi Hadid

Debut: The collection is currently up for pre-order on the Reebok site and will be officially launched in February 2019

'I wanted to take classic Reebok clothing patterns and shapes and incorporate new cuts [and] crops, fresh colorways and fabrics [and] fits that I knew would be comfortable to workout and sweat in.'

The collection is currently up for pre-order on the Reebok site and will be officially launched in February 2019.

Gigi has been busy as she she stunned as she arrived to the 2019 Pirelli Calendar launch gala at HangarBicocca in Milan, Italy on Wednesday.

The half Dutch-half Palestinian model, who stars in the calendar this year, oozed timeless glamour in a glamorous black satin dress.

Ravishing: Gigi Hadid, 23, absolutely stunned as she arrived to the 2019 Pirelli Calendar launch gala at HangarBicocca in Milan, Italy on Wednesday

Gigi commanded attention in the regal number which showcased her sensational figure, and flair for fashion, to perfection.

The dress featured a ruffled neckline, with the Victoria's Secret model having her blonde locks pulled up into a chic chignon.

Gigi's doll-like features were enhanced with a striking coat of make-up, which consisted of black eyeliner and a contoured base.

Gorgeous: The half Dutch-half Palestinian model, who stars in the calendar this year, oozed timeless glamour in a glamorous black satin dress

Breathtaking: Gigi commanded attention in the regal number which showcased her sensational figure, and flair for fashion, to perfection

Timeless: The dress featured a ruffled neckline, with the Victoria's Secret model having her blonde locks pulled up into a chic chignon

Adding to the opulent look, the blonde bombshell accessorised with a silver necklace, bracelets and ear cuffs.

Taking on board the 'Dreaming' theme, the beauty oozed effortless glamour in the breathtaking cinematic images taken by acclaimed photographer Albert Watson.

Photographer Albert Watson explained that the 2019 calendar tells a photographic tale of the aspirations of four women and their determination to achieve their goals, each one pursuing her own dreams and passions.

Gigi portrays a character who has recently separated from her partner, lives alone in a glass tower and has Alexander Wang as her only friend and confidant.

Babe: Gigi's doll-like features were enhanced with a striking coat of make-up, which consisted of black eyeliner and a contoured base

Silver lining: Adding to the opulent look, the blonde bombshell accessorised with a silver necklace, bracelets and ear cuffs

Wow: Taking on board the 'Dreaming' theme, the beauty oozed effortless glamour in the breathtaking cinematic images taken by acclaimed photographer Albert Watson

He said: 'I think there's a degree of angst in these images. With Gigi Hadid's character, I wanted to convey the sense of a woman thinking about her future, but also showing her in a situation of loneliness.

'We see her thinking about where she is going to go in life, what she will be doing tomorrow. I wanted it to be much more minimalistic than the other women and settings I photographed.'

In 2016, Pierelli broke the mould with their calendar, famously shunning supermodels in favour of 'women of achievement,' and in its 2017 edition, Pirelli once again opted for a similar theme, celebrating 'natural beauty and femininity' by showcasing some of Hollywood's most glamorous and mature stars.

Vision: Photographer Albert Watson (L) explained that the 2019 calendar tells a photographic tale of the aspirations of four women and their determination to achieve their goals, each one pursuing her own dreams and passions

Her role: Gigi portrays a character who has recently separated from her partner, lives alone in a glass tower and has Alexander Wang as her only friend and confidant

2018 saw the Italian tire company feature an all-black cast in its cult almanac for the first time since 1987, annd now, the 2019 calendar tells a photographic tale of the aspirations of four women and their determination to achieve their goals, each one pursuing her own dreams and passions.

The 2019 Pirelli 'Dreaming' Calendar, now in its forty-sixth edition, was shot by Albert Watson in April in Miami and New York and was unveiled on December 5th at Pirelli HangarBicocca in Milan.

The 10 images released by Pirelli give just a glimpse of the full sequence of forty shots, which tells the stories of characters portrayed by Gigi Hadid with Alexander Wang, Julia Garner, Misty Copeland with Calvin Royal III and Laetitia Casta with Sergei Polunin.
Karl Stefanovic has long been estranged from his father, with his dad previously claiming he and his brother Peter 'walked away' from him 25 years ago.

But ahead of Karl's second wedding to fiancee Jasmine Yarbrough in Mexico on Saturday, dad Alex Stefanovic, 71, has wished the couple well.

Speaking to Daily Mail Australia outside his Queensland home, Alex shared a special message to his eldest son: ''It'll be a game changer for [Karl]. He'll be very happy I'm sure... I just wish them all the very best for the rest of their lives.'

EXCLUSIVE 'I wish them the very best': Karl Stefanovic's estranged father Alex mows his lawn while the Today show host prepares to marry fiancee Jasmine Yarbrough in Mexico

'Our relationship is better than ever,' Alex said, adding the pair had 'let bygones be bygones'.

Claiming to have been invited to the wedding since the pair reconciled their relationship, Alex said Karl, 44, and Jasmine, 34, were disappointed he couldn't attend the lavish festivities abroad.

'Yes I was [invited],' he revealed. 'About three months ago. I was very hopeful of going, but unfortunately I've got a condition which stopped me from getting on a plane.'

Heartfelt: Seen here mowing the lawn, Alex shared a special message to his eldest son: 'It'll be a game changer for [Karl]. He'll be very happy I'm sure...'

'Yes I was [invited]': Alex claimed Karl (L) and Jasmine (R) were disappointed that he couldn't attend their nuptials, and said he had been invited to attend three months ago

Hard at work: Shielding his head from the rays with an akubra hat, Alex pushes the grass cutter in front of his house

Taking a break: Pausing, the Today Show host's father is seen massaging his left hand

Grass is greener: Wearing a grey t-shirt, shorts and welly boots, Alex exercised his green thumb after revealing his relationship with Karl is 'better than ever.'

Alex continued: 'Karl said he was very, very disappointed. He and Jasmine were very disappointed that I wasn't able to make it. That's the way life is.'

The Nine star's father expressed his delight that Karl's children from his 21-year marriage to Cassandra Thorburn have also flown in for the special event.

'I absolutely love my grandkids, and always will. I'm so pleased that they're all there to witness an event that is so important to Karl.'

'He was very disappointed!' Claiming to have been invited to the wedding since the pair had reconciled their relationship, Alex said Karl and Jasmine were sad that he couldn't attend

'I'm so pleased that they're all there to witness and event that is so important to Karl!' The Nine star's father expressed his delight that Karl's children from his 21 year marriage to Cassandra Thorburn have also flown in for the special event including eldest son Jackson 19, who had been rumoured to be missing their nuptials

Alex then offered words of wisdom for the happy couple, who will exchange vows at the luxurious resort in San Jose del Cabo this weekend.

'Treat every day like it's your last and love one another like there's no tomorrow.'

Karl's dad added that he and his famous son had 'sorted through their issues.'

'Treat every day like it's your last and love one another like there's no tomorrow!' Alex then offered words of wisdom for the happy couple who will exchange vows at the luxurious resort in San Jose del Cabo this weekend

'We have some issues to sort through and I'm happy to say we've sorted through those and our relationship is probably better than ever.'

In July last year, Karl said Alex had 'betrayed' him by speaking to a tabloid magazine about their troubled family situation two months earlier.

He told Stellar: 'I've had my own father talk to a magazine. I've had friends and family say things to magazines and stuff and it's like, "How many more betrayals do you want?'"

'I'm happy to say we've got through those!' Karl's dad added that he and his famous son had 'sorted through their issues.'

Rift: In July last year, Karl said Alex had 'betrayed' him by speaking to a tabloid magazine about their troubled family situation two months earlier

Karl was referencing Alex's tell-all interview with New Idea from May 2017.

In the interview he claimed Karl and ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn's marriage was in trouble for some time: 'From what I know, it was a strained marriage and had been for a long time.'

'Karl came to see me in the early 2000s and said, "Marriage is too hard, its all over"' he claimed.

Karl told Stellar earlier this year: 'I've had my own father talk to a magazine. I've had friends and family say things to magazines and stuff and it's like, "How many more betrayals do you want?' Looking exhausted, Alex is seen fetching a strimmer from his garage

Feud: In the past, Alex also accused his famous son of being 'embarrassed' by him and claimed they had 'barely spoken' in years

Speaking to the publication, Alex also accused his famous son of being 'embarrassed' by him and claimed they had 'barely spoken' in years.

'They [Karl and brother Peter] walked away from me 25 years ago following my divorce from their mother [Jenny],' Alex said.

'We've barely spoken since. That's the reality. He's embarrassed about me because I'm fat, I'm bald and I'm poor.'

Family ties: Alex (pictured with his sons in an undated photo) told New Idea in May 2017 he had 'barely spoken' to sons Karl and Peter since his divorce from their mother Jenny 25 years ago

Despite the claims of a rift between his sons, Alex did see them when he attended Peter's wedding to Today newsreader Sylvia Jeffreys in April 2017.

He apparently sat in the third row at the lavish Kangaroo Valley ceremony.

Karl and Jasmine are set to exchange vows in a picturesque chapel at the One & Only Palmilla Resort in San Jose del Cabo.

A series of high profile guests have already arrived ahead of the nuptials, including Today show host Richard Wilkins and girlfriend Virginia Burmeister, Jasmine's Mara and Mine partner Tamie Ingham and Karl's brother Peter and wife Sylvia Jeffreys
She's been partying with the likes of Susan Sarandon while in Dubai.

And Sarah Ferguson, 59, was the picture of elegance as she attended the Artists for Peace and Justice and Dubai Cares in the United Arab Emirates on Friday.

The Duchess of York donned a flowing white gown with gold embellishment on the shoulders and a matching belt for the glitzy event.

Glamour: Sarah Ferguson, 59, was the picture of elegance as she attended the Artists for Peace and Justice and Dubai Cares in the United Arab Emirates on Friday

Style: The Duchess of York donned a flowing white gown with gold embellishment on the shoulders and a matching belt for the glitzy event

Fergie added to the look with matching bracelets and styled her flame-haired locks in a loose updo.

She was joined by a host of stars for the bash including Hollywood actress Susan as well as Ben Stiller, former Revenge star Madeleine Stowe and reality TV star Caroline Stanbury.

Fergie spoke at the event and also signed a mural.

She also hung out with some of her fellow attendees earlier in the day.

Fashion: Fergie added to the look with matching bracelets and styled her flame-haired locks in a loose updo

Attendees: Fergie was joined by a host of stars for the bash including Hollywood actress Susan as well as Ben Stiller

Fergie shared a snap of herself posing with camels in the desert on posting: 'Thank you for having me in Dubai @artistsforpeace and @dubaicares'.

She added: 'Wonderful charities supporting important causes #uae #Dubai #brilliantisbeautiful @carolinestansbury @susansarandon @benstiller.'

It is not the first time that Fergie and Sarandon have been out partying together, with the pair previously enjoying a charity bash in Rome last year.

Fergie shared a photograph of herself arriving in Abu Dhabi on Thursday, wearing a green shawl.

Bash: Fergie spoke at the event and also signed a mural

Together: Fergie was also joined at the event by actor Ben Stiller and reality star Caroline Stanbury

The former royal has also not been shy when it comes to sharing details of her daughter Princess Eugenie's wedding to Jack Brookbanks, opening up about her pride during an interview with Good Morning Britain.

She said: 'I loved every moment of it, I was so proud. The love between them is enormous, its twin flames and they are meant to be together.
Just days after launching Magic Mike Live in London, Channing Tatum took to social media to reveal that he decided to shave his head.

The Kingsman: The Golden Circle star shared a split-screen snap on Twitter and Instagram, with the photo on the left from a 2003 Sean John runway show, and the photo on the right from Friday.

'So serious when tryin to get back to that 2003 P Diddy Sean John runway show look. Hahaha,' he said, with hashtags #bluesteele #calmdown and #timetohitthegym.

Bald Channing: Channing Tatum shows off his new (and old) shaved head look in a split-screen shot with photos from 2003 and today.

Many fans didn't take too kindly to the new look, with some comparing him to Mike Myers' Dr. Evil character from the Austin Powers movies.

Another Twitter user said Tatum, 38, looked like, 'Vin Diesel's love child,' while others added his five year old daughter Evie won't recognize him.

There was also an Instagram user who mentioned that the coat Tatum was wearing was reminiscent of Diesel's look from the 2002 movie xXx.

Tatum praise: Other fans, however, were more positive, including a number of women who asked Tatum to marry them

Other fans, however, were more positive, including a number of women who asked Tatum to marry them.

Another Instagram fan added, 'You haven't aged a bit,' commenting on the 15 years between the two photos.

The actor has over 17.2 million followers on Instagram, with the photo getting over 411,000 likes in just three hours.

Channing with hair: Another Instagram fan added, 'You haven't aged a bit,' commenting on the 15 years between the two photos

Tatum's new girlfriend Jessie J, 30, has yet to comment on his new look, and there is no word yet is the hair style, or lack there of, is for a new role or not.

Another fan mentioned that this new haircut likely means his highly-anticipated superhero movie Gambit won't be filming soon, since the card-throwing character is definitely not bald in the comics.

He has also been rumored to star as Van Helsing, but previous incarnations of that character haven't been bald either.

Stepping out: Tatum's new girlfriend Jessie J, 30, has yet to comment on his new look, and there is no word yet is the hair style, or lack there of, is for a new role or not

Tatum recently voiced Migo in the animated movie Smallfoot, and he also returns to voice Superman in The Lego Movie 2: The Second Part, in theaters February 8, 2019.

He is also attached to voice George Washington in America: The Movie and Wingman with Joseph Gordon-Levitt.

Wingman is described as an R-rated musical comedy about two pilots, which Gordon-Levitt is also directing.
Christopher Eccleston, 54, was travelling on a train from Newcastle to London but was ejected at Peterborough station at 11.20am

He effortlessly travelled through space and time as Doctor Who.

But Christopher Eccleston appears to have had rather more trouble after swapping the Tardis for a train.

The actor was escorted off by the British Transport Police after an altercation with a member of staff as he attempted to travel from Newcastle to London.

Eccleston, 54, became embroiled in a heated row on the LNER train when he was blocked from getting to his seat in first class by a female staff member pushing a drinks trolley.

Police then escorted him from the train when it stopped at Peterborough station.

Eccleston was allowed to go on his way after speaking to officers  but an investigation remains ongoing.

A passenger who witnessed the incident last month said: After pulling out of Doncaster around 11am I suddenly became aware of raised voices along the carriage, which sounded very angry.

'I looked along and saw a tall-ish well-dressed man arguing with a female employee who was pushing a food trolley along the aisle.

The man was trying to get past her but when he realised he couldnt get by and would have to wait he totally lost it.

Christopher Eccleston was 'making a complete idiot of himself' as he shouted at a female member of staff when the food trolley blocked his way in the first class carriage

He was making a complete idiot of himself but his behaviour was totally outrageous.

It was ridiculous and totally uncalled for but he became really angry and irate. He just had to wait for a few minutes but instead he was really in the womans face.

It seemed to be escalating a bit and a couple of people actually got up and had to intervene by telling the man to calm down. The man was totally out of order and the woman looked really upset and pretty shook up by the whole thing.

It all kind of calmed down but I could tell the woman had been really affected by his outburst.

A spokesman for the British Transport Police confirmed officers were called to Peterborough station at 11.20am on November 21 following a report of a passenger behaving in an anti-social manner on a train from Newcastle to London.

They added: A 54-year-old man was removed from the service and given some words of advice. Officers believe other passengers may have witnessed what happened, and would ask them to contact BTP.

Eccleston is currently playing Macbeth in a Royal Shakespeare Company production at the Barbican. The matinee performance of the play was cancelled the day after the incident, with a spokesman for the theatre blaming an unforeseen engineering issue.

Eccleston became the ninth incarnation of the BBCs Time Lord when Doctor Who was revived in 2005. He left the show after just one series.

He recently revealed that he once threatened the BBC with legal action following his departure, after a Corporation spokesman claimed that Eccleston left the show because he was tired  a quote mistakenly attributed to him.

Speaking on Simon Mayos BBC Radio 2 show, Eccleston said: I threatened legal action and I got an apology printed in all the newspapers.

The BBC had to make a statement apologising for attributing quotes to me. Nobody will go on record as saying this but my agent said you need to get out of town because youre not going to work.

A spokesman for London North Eastern Railways said: We can confirm that the BTP attended an LNER service on the morning in question, however our investigations continue and we are unable to comment any further.

Ecclestons spokesman did not respond to a request for comment last night.
On Wednesday she admitted that 'the internet scares me sometimes for real' after someone faked a photo of her boyfriend Travis Scott cheating with another woman.

And a rattled Kylie Jenner was spotted calming her nerves on Friday as the 21-year-old did some shopping with BFF Jordyn Woods.

The makeup mogul was decked out in head-to-toe black for the Calabasas outing.

Hell for leather: Kylie Jenner was spotted in leather pants on Friday as the 21-year-old did some shopping with BFF Jordyn Woods

The reality TV star clad her perfect pins in leather pants for the spot of retail therapy.

She paired the statement garment with a black turtleneck and leather boots.

Her dyed blonde tresses were pulled back tightly in a low bun and she shielded her eyes against the Californian glare with a pair of slim, dark shades.

Back in black! The makeup mogul was decked out in head-to-toe black for the Calabasas outing

The outing occurred just as the 21-year-old siren broke her silence on the photo hoax that showed an image of a man who looked just like her beau Travis Scott with a sexy woman.

The image went vital but was a hoax. On Wednesday, YouTuber Christian Adam - a 20-year-old who lives in the Bahamas - admitted that he was behind a mysterious blurry photo that surfaced on social media Monday.

On Wednesday the daughter of Kris Jenner took to Instagram stories to express her concern for such a mean spirited move.

'Idk if this is really a social experiment to some people but you're messing with real people, real relationships, real family,' she said in a post.

Future's so bright: Her dyed blonde tresses were pulled back tightly in a low bun and she shielded her eyes against the Californian glare with a pair of slim, dark shades

Then she quickly deleted it.

The message also said, 'I'm happy my relationship is strong because this is getting out of hand. The internet scares me sometimes for real.'

Her sisters Kim and Khloe Kardashian said they were disgusted with the prank.

'I hate that I am bringing attention to this but this is absolutely disgusting that you would find this funny to mess with Travis & Kylie who just started a family together,' Kim, 38, tweeted Wednesday.
She recently returned to Instagram after deleting all her pictures and starting afresh.

And Miley Cyrus isn't wasting anytime since back on the site, sharing a topless photo of herself on her Stories Friday.

The 26-year-old kept modest and adhered to the social media guidelines by covering up her breasts with her hands in a shot which held the caption: 'Nothing breaks like a heart,' her new track with Mark Ronson.

Bold! Miley Cyrus was seen posing topless on social media on Friday whilst on a promotional tour for her latest single

Miley merely wore a pair of black trousers for the candid shot.

Her blonde hair was slicked back into a bun and she accessorised with gold bangles and necklaces.

The former Disney star sported a matte complexion, complete with blushed cheeks and a bold red lip.

Close call: The 26-year-old kept modest and adhered to the social media guidelines by covering up her breasts with her hands

Miley's caption was a nod to her latest single, which released its video two weeks ago.

The beauty is currently in London alongside Mark Ronson to promote their new single.

The songstress was dressed in a PVC leather jumpsuit with a pair sock style heeled boots for her Graham Norton Show appearance on Thursday evening.

Talented! Her performance of Breaks Like A Heart on the Graham Norton Show saw her sing whilst on top of the roof of a car

Miley's blonde locks were tightly slicked back into a plait with white embellishments.

Her performance saw her sing whilst on top of the roof of a car.

Earlier in the day, she was seen in a black leather skirt with a skivvy of the same color.

The past few weeks have been dramatic for Miley, having lost her home in the Malibu fires.
Rebel Wilson will return to the big screen next year as the lead romantic interest in big budget comedy, Isn't It Romantic.

And while the movie doesn't hit theaters until Valentine's Day next year, the actress has already started doing press with her co-stars.

On Saturday, the Australian actress posted a sweet selfie with Liam Hemsworth and Adam DeVine from the set of a promotional shoot.

Smile! Liam Hemsworth (L), Rebel Wilson (center), and Adam DeVine (R) posed for a cute selfie while promoting their new film Isn't It Romantic

In the photo, both Rebel and Adam playfully stick their tongues out while Liam flashes a pearly white smile.

In the film, Rebel stars as Natalie, a woman who grew up idolising the 1990 film Pretty Woman, only to be told by her mother she is 'no Julia Roberts'.

After almost completely giving up on ever finding love, Natalie decides she needs to put herself out there more.

She's back! Rebel Wilson will return to the big screen next year in the big budget comedy, Isn't It Romantic

But when she's mugged on the NYC subway system, she runs into a pole while trying to escape her attacker, and knocks herself out.

When she finally comes to, she notices 'someone has put a beauty filter across New York City'.

Suddenly, Natalie finds herself living in one of the romantic comedies she grew up watching.

Unlikely heroine: Rebel stars as Natalie, a woman who grew up idolising the 1990 film Pretty Woman, only to be told by her mother she is 'no Julia Roberts'

Steamy: The film promises some steamy scenes between Rebel and Liam Hemsworth

And it isn't long before she attracts Liam Hemsworth, who plays the impossibly handsome Blake.

After waking up to a shirtless Blake strolling into her bedroom, Natalie hilariously tackles him to the floor.

The film also stars Priyanka Chopra, Adam DeVine and Betty Gilpin.
She vowed to stay off the internet 'for a while' after copping online criticism.

And Sarah Hyland was spotted out and about on Friday for the first time since making that pledge, as the actress strolled through Studio City, California.

The 28-year-old Modern Family star wore a yellow sweater with a plunging neckline for the stroll.

Rock and stroll: Sarah Hyland was spotted out and about on Friday for the first time since making her pledge to stay offline, as the actress strolled through Studio City, California

The TV star paired the colorful garment with a pair of black leggings, which she wore with fur-lined, leather boots.

Hyland was loaded up with various bags and jackets as she strolled.

Sarah announced she's staying off social media indefinitely after receiving flak for posting a GoFundMe page for the family of her 14-year-old cousin who was killed in a crash.

Taking the plunge! The 28-year-old Modern Family star wore a yellow sweater with a plunging neckline for the stroll

The actress is taking a step back for the internet after critics slammer her for posting a link to the crowdfunding campaign, citing the actress's own immense wealth.

The Geek Charming star's internet absence comes as the accused drunk driver Jeffrey Eggeling has been charged with three felonies, including homicide.

Eggeling crashed into another car containing Hyland's uncle and 14-year-old cousin Trevor Canaday Saturday in Omaha, Nebraska. Canaday was ejected from the vehicle and later died from his injuries.

Break: Sarah Hyland says she's staying off social media indefinitely after receiving flak for posting a GoFundMe page for the family of her 14-year-old cousin who was killed in a crash. The actress was snapped in LA in October

Suspect Jeffrey Eggeling was charged in Nebraska on Tuesday with three felonies: motor vehicle homicide with a DUI prior conviction, DUI causing serious bodily injury, and leaving the scene of a personal injury accident resulting in death, The Blast reported.

Eggeling, who was arrested in connection with DUI could face up to 50 years in custody for his actions in the incident, according to the outlet.

Authorities said that Eggeling, 36, careened his vehicle into the one containing Hyland's uncle Clifford Canaday and cousin Jeffrey, Omaha ABC affiliate KETV reported, adding that Clifford, 59, is in critical condition at Nebraska Medical Center, and expected to survive.

The Canadays set up a GoFundMe page aiming to raise $25,000 for his funeral and his father's ongoing medical expenses, and the 28-year-old Modern Family beauty - who donated $1,000 to the page - shared a link to it.

But a number of critics slammed her for asking fans to donate to the cause, citing her personal wealth, which caused Sarah to post a series of tweets expressing her outrage over the negativity.

Suspect: Jeffrey Eggeling, 36, was charged in Nebraska on Tuesday with three felonies in the incident

Speaking out: The actress relayed her frustration with critical trolls in a series of tweets

'I'd like to ask those who have negative thoughts or opinions about the tragedy that happened to my family, to keep them to themselves,' Hyland, who plays Haley Dunphy on the ABC series, wrote Monday. 'You don't know all the details. And how dare you attack when a beautiful life has been lost.'

In a separate post, Sarah said she was taking a break from social media amid the difficult time.

'You guys finally did it,' she wrote. 'Your horrible negative ignorant words have broken me. Happy? Staying offline for a while. I have a special announcement and video releasing on Wednesday I believe. So. There's that.'

Following the tragic accident, Sarah had taken to her Instagram Stories to encourage her six million followers to donate to Trevor's GoFundMe page.

'This is my 14 year old cousin Trevor. Yesterday, he was killed by a drunk driver. My uncle is still in the hospital in need of more surgeries,' she wrote.

Reaching out: Following the tragic accident, Sarah had taken to her Instagram Stories to encourage her six million followers to donate to Trevor's GoFundMe page

The page has raised more than $37,000 in donations, including a $2,500 donation from Sarah's Modern Family co-star Ariel Winter.

Some online users were critical of the TV star for reaching out to the public for donations instead of covering the tab herself.

One user wrote, 'It is strange of you to promote a crowdfunding page when you only donated $1000 yourself ... most of the people donating are working 9-5s, and it's weird that you're asking for money from them. If you want to keep it private, don't tweet about it.'

Another user said to Hyland: 'You only have yourself to blame for this backlash, unless there's some massive detail we're all missing. Asking complete strangers to contribute to the funeral expenses of your own family member which you could easily pay for yourself is low-class and unconscionable.'
Karl Stefanovic, 44, and Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, are currently celebrating their upcoming wedding in Los Cabos, Mexico.

And it turns out that they've planned a lot of fun activities to keep guests entertained over the weekend festivities, including a Studio 54-themed disco party.

According to news.com.au, the retro party will take place on Sunday night, the day after the happy couple officially tie the knot.

Disco! Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough will throw a Studio 54-themed disco party for guests at their Mexican wedding this weekend

Karl and Jasmine, along with many of their celebrity guests, are staying at the luxury One & Only Palmilla resort in Los Cabos.

According to a staff member at the resort, the couple's disco shindig could take place in the Palmilla's luxury nightclub, Club 96, which is only available to guests who rent out one of the pricey villas.

Karl and Jasmine booked two villas, one at US$8500 (approximately AU$11600) per night, and another for US$11000 (approximately $AU15000) per night.

Party: The party is rumoured to be held at Club 96, a luxury nightclub inside the One & Only Palmilla resort where Karl and Jasmine are staying

As loyal viewers of the Today show will know, Karl has always been eager to dance up a storm whenever the opportunity presents itself.

In a cringeworthy segment from 2014, the 44-year-old and his former co-host Lisa Wilkinson dressed up in retro '80s aerobic gear and danced to Olivia Newton-John's Let's Get Physical.

In another segment from last year, he showed off his daggy dad dance moves alongside pop icon Boy George while a young DJ played music.

Flashback: In a cringeworthy Today show segment from 2014, Karl and his former co-host Lisa Wilkinson dressed up in retro '80s aerobic gear and danced to Olivia Newton-John

Oh no: In another unforgettable segment from last year, the 44-year-old showed off his daggy dad dance moves alongside pop icon Boy George while a young DJ played music

After getting his groove on, Karl jumped behind the DJ decks to spin some records himself.

In an awkward twist of fate, Karl's ex-wife Cassandra Thorburn is currently one of the rumoured stars of Channel Ten's upcoming Dancing With The Stars reboot.

Karl and Jasmine will wed at the One & Only Chapel in Cabo on Sunday in what has been described as a sunset ceremony.
She recently said she isn't fussed about landing new acting roles since becoming a mother.

And Teresa Palmer was every bit the doting mum as she carried her two-year-old son Forest as they enjoyed an emotional reunion on Friday.

She held her son tightly as she walked through the terminal with him, being reunited with him in Adelaide after spending time in New York.

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Doting mother! Teresa Palmer cuddled her youngest son Forest as she walked through the airport after being reunited with him following a trip to New York

The Warm Bodies star cut a casual figure after stepping off of the plane, wearing a long-sleeved black t-shirt over her pregnancy bump.

She paired the look with blue jeans and silver brogues, toting a tan back pack with her.

The December Boys star had her blonde haired tied back in a black scrunchie, walking alongside her husband who wheeled her suitcase.

How does she do it? The Warm Bodies star cut a casual yet glamourous figure after stepping off of the plane, wearing a long-sleeved black t-shirt over her pregnancy bump

Earlier week, Teresa told OK! Australia that working in Hollywood has become an 'afterthought' since having children.

'It's not like what it was in my twenties. [Acting] is not the be-all and end-all for me now,' she told the magazine.

'I don't put my stock or happiness into how my career is progressing anymore - it's liberating.'

'It's not like what it was in my twenties': Earlier week, Teresa told OK! Australia that working in Hollywood has become an 'afterthought' since having children

Teresa is currently 21 weeks pregnant and expecting a daughter with her husband, American film director Mark Webber.

The couple - who have been married since 2013 - are already parents to two sons, four-year-old Bodhi and Forest.

Teresa is also a stepmother to Mark's 10-year-old son, Isaac, from his previous relationship with actress Frankie Shaw.
She's one of Hollywood's busiest young actresses.

And now Karen Gillan has moved behind the camera too, with the 31-year-old strutting the red carpet at a special screening for her directorial debut The Party's Just Beginning.

The Guardians Of The Galaxy star wore a skin baring dress with a bikini style top for her big night.

Double threat: Now Karen Gillan has moved behind the camera too, with the 31-year-old strutting the red carpet at a special screening for her directorial debut The Party's Just Beginning

The Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle actress' dress also boasted a sheer bottom section with mirrored elements fitted into the mesh.

On her feet, Karen wore a simple pair of black pumps.

The Scottish starlet's auburn tresses were worn swept back and with an off center part.

She completed her sultry look with a liberal amount of smokey eye makeup.

Barely there: The Guardians Of The Galaxy star wore a skin baring dress with a bikini style top for her big night

Sheer madness: The Jumanji: Welcome To The Jungle actress' dress also boasted a sheer bottom section with mirrored elements fitted into the mesh

The movie - which premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival - follows a young woman who turns to sex and alcohol to cope with her grief following the suicide of her best friend.

Karen also discussed moving back in with her parents in Scotland while making the film.

She said: 'My family spends most of their time in Los Angeles with me now which is really exciting but I shot my movie back in Scotland. So I went back to live at my parents while directing a movie.

Good hair day: The Scottish starlet's auburn tresses were worn swept back and with an off center part. Seen here with actress Pom Klementieff

Smiles: The movie - which premiered at the Glasgow Film Festival - follows a young woman who turns to sex and alcohol to cope with her grief following the suicide of her best friend. Karen seen here with Rachel Jackson

She continued: 'It was so funny because at work I would be calling all the shots and be the big boss and then when I came home my mum would shout things like "bring your laundry down right now". It was ridiculous, a double life.

'Suddenly everyone I have ever known was an actor, all my friends are in the movie in a scene where they are all drunkenly shoving chips into their mouth outside a chip shop.'

And despite being her directorial debut, she said it felt 'natural' to go behind the camera and direct.
The fashion pack are eagerly awaiting a glimpse of the wedding dress she'll wear for her nuptials with Today Show host, Karl Stefanovic.

But on Friday, Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, gave wedding-watchers a taste of what to expect when she donned an elegant slip dress for her rehearsal soiree.

The Mara & Mine shoe designer opted for a dress by luxury UK designer Galvan, with a similar one retailing at approximately $1,460.

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A $1400 satin dress, a Mexican-style feast and a courtyard ceremony: Inside Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough's plush wedding rehearsal ahead of their lavish nuptials

For the event at One & Only Palmilla in Los Cabos, Jasmine proved she wasn't afraid to flaunt her impressive figure in the slinky floor length gown.

The satin dress clung to her figure and featured a thigh-high slit up the side, which showed off Jasmine's trim pins.

The beauty enhanced her flawless complexion with a dewy make-up palette, offsetting the look with dark eye make-up.

Delicious: the gathered guests at the rehearsal were treated to Mexican style feast, including a variety of hard and soft cheese and deli meats

Jasmine opted to wear her blonde locks in an elegant up-swept style, adding to her overall high-glam look.

The beauty finished her outfit with a pair of glamorous pearl drop earrings.

Surprisingly, the shoe-designer opted to go bare feet for the practice nuptials, which reportedly occurred in front of 60 family and friends.

Setting up: Six rows of six white chairs were lined up in the chapel's courtyard, ahead of the 4.30pm wedding rehearsal on Friday

During the rehearsal, guests were able graze on a variety of hard and soft cheeses, along with a delectable array of thinly sliced deli meats.

Behind the smorgasbord of food, was the couple's Bundaberg Rum bar, stocked with a limited edition mix, for guests to enjoy during the afternoon.

'The rehearsal is just for close friends and family, with the main dinner held in their villa,' a source told Daily Mail Australia.

The scene: Aerial views showed seating being set up at the chapel, in front of a stone pathway leading-up to the doors of the venue

Daily Mail Australia revealed Karl and Jasmine will wed to the music of English rockers, Oasis.

During the couple's wedding rehearsal, the 90s anthem Wonderwall was also heard being played.

An insider at the resort said: 'It was unusual to hear Oasis being played at a wedding rehearsal, particularly an Aussie wedding, but the music will go down a storm. They're real sing-a-long, boozy anthems.'

Late in the afternoon, guests began to trickle into the courtyard at Mexico's One&Only Palmilla resort, ahead of the 4.30pm rehearsal.

Luxurious: Daily Mail Australia understands that Karl and Jasmine chose the resort due to its exclusivity and rich history

Attendees were pictured sitting on white fold-up chairs outside of the chapel, which had been lined up earlier on in the day.

Aerial views also showed the resort's lush surroundings, and a stone pathway leading out onto a courtyard from the chapel.

Earlier on in the day, six rows of six white chairs were lined up in the chapel's courtyard, ahead of the wedding rehearsal.

Wedding venue: Karl, Jasmine, and their guests are currently staying at the luxury resort ahead of the December 8 nuptials

The idyllic chapel fits up to 40 guests inside and up to 240 guests outdoors.

It's believed a total of 187 guests will attend the nuptials including a slew of famous faces.

On Thursday, Jasmine opted for a similar style slip dress for a welcome dinner for family and friends at one of the bars at the exclusive One&Only Palmilla resort.

Soon to be wed: Jasmine looked every inch the bride-to-be when she posed with her father during the couple's welcome dinner on Thursday night

The bride to be was absolutely glowing in a white slip dress which looked quite bridal ahead of her nuptials.

With a peek-a-boo slit down the side, the frock clung to her slender form and featured a modest v-neck and spaghetti straps.

With an arm around her father, gentle gold accessories on her neck and wrist, the shoe designer couldn't wipe the smile off her face.

Loved up: Jasmine looked bridal in a white slip dress at her welcome dinner on Thursday, putting on a very loved-up display with husband-to-be Karl Stefanovic (above)

Preparation: Karl and Jasmine looked every inch the lovebirds during their welcome with guests (above) on Thursday

Karl was in a rapture of happiness, literally sweeping his mother Jenny off her feet, giving her an emotional hug outside the luxurious venue.

The Today co-host looked dapper in a tan suit which he paired with a crisp white shirt and black casual shoes.

British TV Louise Roe also attended pre-wedding welcome drinks, looking gorgeous in a plunging bright pink silk dress, which featured a daring thigh-split.

Jasmine and Karl are set to wed in a sunset ceremony on Sunday, with Karl's sister Elisa officiating.
The Global Giving association launches a project for the disabled. New Sindh Unit for the protection of women. Save the Children reiterates its complete disassociation with the CIA in the operation that led to the capture of Osama Bin Laden.

Islamabad (AsiaNews) - In the last two days in Pakistan a series of projects have been launched in favor of women and children, including disabled people. Despite the recent decision to expel some foreign NGOs from the country, the work of international and local organizations does not stop in support of the weaker sectors of society.

Yesterday, the Global Giving association, with projects all over the world to support children, announced the launch of a new plan for disabled women and children. Muhammad Irfan, an NGO official, has specified that the project wants to assist people with physical and mental disabilities. The beneficiaries will be followed by rehabilitation specialists for movement and language as well as psychologists. The objective, explains the manager, is "to favor the inclusion of disabled people in society", eliminating the "stigma" that accompanies people suffering from mental and physical problems in the country and, at the same time, "help needy families" . The group will work with "charitable associations at the local level, academic institutions and government".

Today, the Women Protection Unit has been activated in Karachi, in the province of Sindh. The group is an initiative of UN Women Pakistan, in collaboration with the Department of Sindh for women's development and the legal association Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (Lhrla). The lawyer Zia Ahmed Awan explains that "it will offer 24-hour assistance to women and children who are victims of gender-based violence". Those who suffer violence can call 1098.

Even Save the Children has been operating for years in the service of the most destitute sections of the population. The NGO, states an official note, "has already categorically rejected any alleged involvement with the CIA or Dr. Shakeel Afridi in an attempt to locate Osama Bin Laden through a false campaign of vaccinations. These allegations are completely false and there is no supporting evidence ".

The note underlines that "Dr. Afridi has never worked for Save the Children and has never received compensation or reimbursement from the Organization. Save the Children has never carried out a vaccination program in Abbottabad ", in the province of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the place where in 2011 the head of al-Qaeda was captured.
They've been married since 2013.

And Kate Bosworth and husband Michael Polish looked like the perfect couple as they attended the NYC premiere of their new film Nona on Friday.

The 35-year-old actress dazzled in a patterned frock and white pumps, while Polish, 48, looked dapper in a black suit.

Date night: Kate Bosworth and husband Michael Polish attended the NYC premiere of their new film Nona

Nona, which opened at the Village East Theater, follows an immigrant from Honduras who attempts to reunite with her mother in America.

Kate's dress featured a floral-print bow and chain accents.

Her red locks, styled by Peter Gray, were pulled back in a chic updo, while her makeup included a bright red lip and a shimmery pink eyeshadow.

As for Michael, he paired his suit with leather boots and a grey scarf.

Dressed to impress: The 35-year-old actress dazzled in a printed frock and white pumps, while Polish, 48, looked dapper in a black suit

Showstopper: Kate's dress featured a floral-print bow and chain accents. Her red locks, styled by Peter Gray, were pulled back in a chic updo, while her makeup included a bright red lip and a shimmery pink eyeshadow

Nona, a story that delves into sex trafficking, was written and directed by Polish.

In an interview with AOL's Build, Bosworth, who stars in the movie, talked about why she was drawn to the project.

'Human trafficking is literally about holding human beings against their will and abusing them, but we kind of felt like humanity is lost when you talk about,' she said.

'It becomes faceless somehow. We thought if we could put a face narratively to human trafficking, then perhaps we could make a difference.'

Boss babe: Bosworth executive produced Nona, while Polish was the writer, director, and cinematographer on the project

Cash flow: Kate and Michael financed the film on their own

Kate when on to explain that she and Michael financed the film on their own.

'Producing it was an intense experience,' she said. 'We thought to tell this story the way we want to tell it and to tell it in the most authentic and the purest way was to not have to answer to anyone else except for ourselves.'

Nona was shot in some of the most dangerous countries in the world including Honduras, Guatemala, and Mexico. Bosworth was deemed 'too high-risk' to shoot in those places and was forced to remain stateside while her husband stood behind the camera.

'We sent an ex Navy Seal with them,' she explained. 'He had all the intel and was coordinating the armed guards and the armed cars and everything they needed to be safe. There were a lot of moving pieces.'
Karl Stefanovic, 44, and Jasmine Yarbrough, 34, are currently gearing up for their nuptials in Mexico on Sunday.

And while guests are already arriving for the big day, on Saturday Ben Fordham was out and about shopping with his son Freddie, preparing for the four-year-old's birthday bash back in Sydney.

The 42-year-old however was coy on the status of his invitation to Karl Stefanovic and Jasmine Yarbrough's wedding, saying that he wished the pair well despite missing the Mexican nuptials this weekend.

'I think it's a personal thing': Ben Fordham is coy when quizzed over why he's not attending Today co-star Karl Stefanovic's wedding with Jasmine Yarbrough ...as he skips the big day for birthday celebrations with his son. Ben is pictured with son Freddie on Saturday

Asked if he was able to confirm he did not receive a wedding invite from the couple, Ben was evasive.

'I don't think that's a very nice thing to be asking, when it comes to people's own weddings and their invitations and things like that,' the TV host said.

He added: 'I think it's a personal thing, and it's nicer to leave those decisions up to themselves'.

No comment? Asked if he was able to confirm he did not receive a wedding invite from the couple, Ben was evasive

He added: 'I think it's a personal thing, and it's nicer to leave those decisions up to themselves'

Well wishes: 'I hope they have a wonderful day, I've already exchanged happy messages and well wishes for the big day,' he said

'I think when it comes to peoples special occasions, people don't necessarily want strangers analysing who's going to their party and who's not, it's a personal thing' Ben continued.

The Today fill-in host then revealed he's already sent his well wishes to the happy couple for their big day, but has a big day celebrating his son's fourth birthday that same day.

'I hope they have a wonderful day, I've already exchanged happy messages and well wishes for the big day,' he said.

Cute! While guests are already preparing for the big day, Ben was busy preparing for his four-year-old son Freddie's birthday bash back in Sydney

Family time for dad: Ben's focus instead was on his son, Freddie, as the pair shopped for the tot's birthday party

Happy days: 'We've got a big day tomorrow, because we've got little Freddie's fourth birthday party, so we're going to have a big day too tomorrow' he said

Ben's focus instead was on his son, Freddie, as the pair shopped for the tot's birthday party.

'We've got a big day tomorrow, because we've got little Freddie's fourth birthday party, so we're going to have a big day too tomorrow.'

It has been reported that Ben would not be at Today Show host Karl's wedding to Jasmine as he has not invited.
She is an iconic supermodel who is known for her age-defying looks.

And Helena Christensen oozed elegance as she stepped out at 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami during Art Basel on Friday.

The star, 49, looked radiant as she arrived at the hotel for the Platinum House with Global Dining Collection Chef Michael Solomonov of Zahav event.

Leggy: Helena Christensen oozed elegance as she stepped out at 1 Hotel South Beach in Miami during Art Basel on Friday

The Vogue coverstar wore a cream and orange blouse with lace inserts, with a fuschia pink belt adorned with a gold heart cinching in at her waist.

She drew the eye to her toned legs with a pair of navy shorts and slipped on some sandals.

Her brunette locks were pulled back into a chic half updo while her pretty features were enhanced with fluttery lashes and a slick of red lipstick.

Helena is mother to 18-year-old son Mingus with her former boyfriend, actor Norman Reedus. He recently welcomed his first child with actress Diane Kruger.

Style queen: The star, 49, looked radiant as she arrived at the hotel for the Platinum House with Global Dining Collection Chef Michael Solomonov of Zahav event

She also previously dated the late INXS frontman Michael Hutchence, who tragically passed away in 1997, aged 37.

They dated and lived together on and off for five years across France and Denmark in the early 1990s.

In an extract from her new book, Michael's brother Tina, 70, recalled one particular 'magical' Christmas she spent with the couple in France in 1991.

'Their relationship was very loving, spirited and, at times, competitive,' Tina wrote in an extract published in Sunday Life. 'She challenged him.'

Describing the couple's lifestyle in France, Tina added: 'Michael enjoyed relaying how he and Helena had gone to the local market and bargained for the beautiful old furniture.'

Following Michael's split from Helena, he became romantically involved with Paula Yates in the mid-1990s.

The couple then went on to have daughter Heavenly Hiraani Tiger Lily Hutchence in 1996, one year before Michael died of an alleged suicide.

Helena's modelling career was launched when she won the Miss Universe Denmark title in 1986.

She went on to become one of the original 1990s supermodels alongside Linda Evangelista, Christy Turlington, Cindy Crawford, Naomi Campbell, Elle Macpherson and Claudia Schiffer.
She stormed the runway for the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show last month.

But on Friday, Shanina Shaik, 27, proved even angels get a day off when she attended Art Basel in Miami.

The raven-haired beauty looked every inch the off-duty fashion star as she flaunted her toned midriff at the modern art show.

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Off duty Angel! Victoria's Secret model Shanina Shaik, 27, (above) flaunted her toned midriff in a racy summer dress at Art Basel in Miami on Friday

In the racy Instagram snap, Shanina showed why she's such an in-demand model as she stood near a portable bar and sipped a coconut drink.

The Australian-born model showed off her toned arms and fit physique in a quirky maxi dress with edgy cut-outs.

Shanina looked rested as she shot the camera a sultry look, wearing her luscious locks to one side in the photograph.

Storming the runway: Shanina flaunted her sensational curves on the runway for Victoria's Secret's annual fashion show in New York last month

'Kicking off my Art Basel celebrations with my go-to cocktails,' Shanina captioned the snap, before going on to congratulate pals in the art show.

Shanina walked the runway for Victoria's Secret in November, in New York City.

Sizzling on the catwalk in a revealing pink lingerie set, Shanina flaunted her sensational physique in semi-sheer pink bra and matching underwear.

Makeup-free: Even without a full face of makeup, Shanina Shaik is still stunning. The 27-year-old Victoria's Secret model showed off her flawless skin on Instagram on Friday

True beauty: 'I've always had oily skin and I dealt with really bad acne when I was younger,' she confessed. 'Trying to find how to get perfect skin has became a passion of mine'\

This month, Shanina has been sharing a number of make-up free selfies.

Shanina flaunted her flawless complexion in a make-up free Instagram snap on Friday.

In the selfie, the gorgeous star appeared to have emerged fresh from the shower, with her long hair wet around her shoulders.

Chill: Shanina appeared to be just as comfortable without makeup on as she is with it, regularly sharing fresh-faced selfies on her Instagram

Shanina appeared to be just as comfortable without makeup on as she is with it, regularly sharing fresh-faced selfies on her Instagram, but she admits her skin hasn't always been so perfect.

In an interview with The Cut in September, the stunning star revealed she suffered from acne in her younger days.

'I've always had oily skin and I dealt with really bad acne when I was younger,' she confessed.
Building has begun on James Packer's $50million mega-mansion in the Mexican resort town of Cabo.

The 51-year-old is building his luxury home just a stones throw from the One & Only Palmilla resort where his good friend Karl Stefanovic is getting married on Saturday.

The billionaire already spends about three months a year at the exclusive resort after being introduced to the town by former fiance Maraiah Carey.

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Los compound! James Packer begins building his $50million Mexican mega-mansion near Karl Stefanovics wedding location ...after pulling out of attending the ceremony

Not attending: It's been announced that the casino mogul will skip pal Karl's nuptials

Images of the site show the construction crew has begun laying the foundations for the $50million super-compound.

The home will be a spacious haven for the reclusive billionaire and feature sweeping sea views and direct beach access.

Last year James purchased three blocks of land, each for around $9.7million to make room for the large project.

The mega-mansion is right next to the only public beach at One and Only Palmilla.

Exclusive resort: The 51-year-old is building his luxury home just a stones throw from the One & Only Palmilla resort where his good friend Karl Stefanovic is getting married on Saturday

A haven: The billionaire already spends about three months a year at the exclusive resort after being introduced to the town by former fiance Maraiah Carey

Great views: The home will be a spacious haven for the reclusive billionaire and feature sweeping sea views and direct beach access

Not so private: The house is next to a public toilet (right) which has views onto the land

Among local residents, the compound has become a controversial topic with local Mexicans concerned they could lose access to the public beach.

Some ex-pats have also been voicing concerns over the size of the project.

James was originally tipped to be the groomsman at Karl's wedding but has reportedly pulled out due to the large media attention the event is getting.

Expansive: Last year James purchased three blocks of land, each for around $9.7million

Controversial: Among residents the compound has become a controversial topic

Concerns? Some ex-pats have also been voicing concerns over the size of the project

According to the Sydney Morning Herald, James is reportedly concerned over the impact the media attention surrounding the wedding could have on his 'sense of calm'.

An insider reportedly told the publication: 'He needs to take this time out for himself, to heal and to find a sense of calmness.'

Karl is said to be 'disappointed' but understanding, the publication claims.
Sir Mick Jagger's youngest son Deveraux turned two-years-old on Saturday.

And his mother Melanie Hamrick, 31, shared a sweet snap of the cherubic tot to mark the occasion, as she gushed about her 'incredible beautiful Devi'.

It was impossible not to notice the similarities between the Rolling Stones rocker, 75, and his child who has clearly inherited his father's signature plump pout.

Seeing double: Mick Jagger's son Deveraux, 2, was the SPITTING IMAGE of the Rolling Stones rocker in sweet birthday snap posted by tot's mother Melanie Hamrick on Saturday

The cute child looked adorable as he sat poised while wearing a white shirt, as he looked off into the distance with a contemplative look on his face.

Devi's blonde locks were styled messily in tight curls on his head, but it was his pout and striking blue eyes that meant he bore a striking resemblance to his famous dad.

Sir Mick has eight children by five women, his first child, daughter Karis, 47, who he shares with Sixties siren Marsha Hunt is the eldest, while Devi is the youngest at two.

Similarities: Devi's blonde locks were styled messily in tight curls on his head, but it was his pout and striking blue eyes that meant he bore a striking resemblance to his famous dad

Like father, like son: Devi bears a striking resemblance to Mick, aged three in 1946 (left)

Large brood: Sir Mick has eight children by five women, his first child, daughter Karis, 48, (pictured right in 1994) who he shares with Sixties siren Marsha Hunt is the eldest

He shares daughter Jade, 46, with his then-wife Bianca, and has four children with Jerry Hall: daughters Elizabeth, 34, and Georgia, 26, and sons James, 33, and Gabriel, 20.

Mick and Jerry split after it was discovered that he had had an affair with Brazilian model Luciana Gimenez Morad, resulting in Jagger's seventh child, Lucas, 19.

Despite having five different mothers all his brood are mirror images of their Dad, from their piercing blue eyes to those trademark dimples, it's difficult not to see the resemblance between them.

Genes like Jagger: Sir Mick's brood are mirror images of their Dad, from their piercing blue eyes to those trademark dimples (pictured right, daughter Jade, now 47, in 2001)

Similar: Apart from the hair, there's little trace of Jerry in this 2012 shot of model Georgia May, 26, but the pout and jawline are identical to Mick in 1970

Dad's looks: Mick's son James, 33, also bears a striking resemblance to his dad in 1970 (L)

Melanie has been joining her musician beau across the world on his extensive tour, and the American Ballet Theatre star told W Magazine last November that her little one is likely to follow in his dad's footsteps.

The ballerina, who has been dating Sir Mick since 2014, said: He has gone to his dads concerts with the headphones on and he loves music. I think hes going to be a natural.

This comes after it was revealed that the rocker's much younger paramour, Noor Alfallah, seemed to have abandoned their three-year love affair in favour of a new suitor billionaire philanthropist Nicolas Berggruen, 57.

Rocker style: Mick's son Lucas, 19, with Brazilian TV host Luciana Morad rocks the same raffish charm as Mick at the start of his singing career
Actress Sandra Bullock has labelled herself an 'overly protective' of her two children, Louis, 8, and Laila, 6.

Speaking to The Daily Telegraph on Saturday, the Oscar-winner, 54, was candid herself and the challenges of motherhood.

'I'm overly protective of my kids,' The Blind Side actress confessed to the publication.

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'I'm overly protective of my kids': Actress Sandra Bullock has spoken candidly about the challenges of raising a multi-racial family during an interview. Pictured with son Louis

The actress went on to talk about her two adopted children, and the challenges of raising a multi-racial family.

Sandra's two children are both African-American, born in Louisiana.

'I have had to have conversations with them that millions of other parents do because of the colour of their skin,' she said.

'I have had to have conversations with them that millions of other parents do because of the colour of their skin": Sandra was candid in her comments. Pictured here on November 12

'So we have a lot of scary conversations. Sometimes I can be a little softer with them because of the added pressure.'

Elsewhere in the interview, Sandra talks about playing a pregnant mother with two small children in Netflix drama, Bird Box.

Sandra plays a woman with two small children, who instinctively goes to great lengths to protect them.

It's harder for me to leave them than I think it is for them when I leave': Sandra said of raising her two children on a US Today Show interview

Sandra is currently dating Bryan Randall, following the breakdown of her marriage to Jesse James in 2010.

This isn't the first time Sandra has gotten emotional when speaking about her adorable children.

Appearing on the US Today Show in June, Sandra became tearful while discussing the juggling act of motherhood and career,

'I need to be there for every single moment they have,' she begun, speaking to the show's co-host Hoda Kotb.

'So my priorities are my kids, my kids, my kids. My family. My family. That's it': Sandra said of her role as a mother of two young children

She continued: It's harder for me to leave them than I think it is for them when I leave. I don't leave that much and I don't work that much anymore either.'

'So my priorities are my kids, my kids, my kids. My family. My family. That's it.'

Sandra admitted in the interview she was grateful to be a mother, adding it was something she wasn't sure she could do.

'(Hurricane) Katrina happened,' she said.

'Katrina happened in New Orleans, and I knew. Like, just something told me that my child was there. It was weird. It was very, very weird,' she said.
Their romance has gone from strength-to-strength since they began dating in April.

And Annabelle Wallis and Chris Pine looked close as they stepped out at the Evening Standard Christmas party, hosted by owner Evgeny Lebedev in London on Friday.

The actress, 34, oozed sophistication in a gold satin kimono style gown, which featured a high neck and clung to her toned frame.

Coupley: Annabelle Wallis and Chris Pine looked close as they stepped out at the Evening Standard Christmas party, hosted by owner Evgeny Lebedev in London on Friday

Flashing her toned legs, the garment, which was dotted with silver motifs, featured a split skirt.

The Peaky Blinders star boosted her height with black stiletto sandals.

Her caramel tresses were styled sleek and straight while her pretty features were enhanced with a radiant dusting of make-up.

Outlaw King star Chris, 38, looked casually cool in a orange t-shirt paired with a brown leather jacket, jeans and white trainers.

Style: The actress, 34, oozed sophistication in a gold satin kimono style gown, which featured a high neck and clung to her toned frame

Adding a jaunty edge to his look, he donned a brown fedora.

The couple appeared happy and relaxed on their date night, which came eight months after they were first rumoured to be dating back in April.

A source told US Weekly magazine at the time: 'They kept it casual for the beginning. Chris was very attentive and wooed her.'

The couple were pictured together for the first time later that month when they attended a dinner party in Malibu, California, but have remained under the radar ever since.

A source divulged: 'Chris and Annabelle hardly separated throughout the evening and couldn't take their eyes off each other.'

Leggy: Flashing her toned legs, the garment, which was dotted with silver motifs, featured a split skirt

Annabelle was previously in a long-term relationship with Coldplay's Chris Martin, 41; the couple dated for two years before calling times on their romance in June 2017.

The Peaky Blinders actress has explained in the past that she prefers to keep her dating life private.

'It becomes hard when you know about someone's personal life - it's just distracting. It's a whole other job in itself if you go down that road,' she said in an interview with the Sydney Morning Herald in June 2017.

'I love the person I love, but it means so much to me that I like to keep it safe. I have nothing to hide.

'It's just that when you have people in your life that you care about, you get very protective of them, and it's not about you any more, it's about other people, and the ones you love are the ones you protect like a lioness.'

Chris was most recently linked to actress Sofia Boutella, 36, and in the past has dated model Dominique Piek, Big Little Lies star Zoe Kravitz and actress Olivia Munn.
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She has evaded trying the dreaded challenges on I'm A Celebrity due to her crippling fear of creepy crawlies.

But Holly Willoughby will take on her first Bushtucker Trial, Celebrity Cyclone, on ITV2's spin-off show Extra Camp on Saturday night's show.

In scenes set to air, the television presenter, 37, battles it out to retain her two stars as she competes against the clock with Extra Camp hosts, Scarlett Moffatt, Joe Swash and Joel Dommett.

Bring it on: Holly Willoughby will take on her first Bushtucker Trial Celebrity Cyclone, on ITV2's spin-off show Extra Camp on Saturday night's show

Despite being clad in pink superhero gear, Holly's valour didn't last long as the tempestuous wind began to deter her from reaching her goal.

Fighting through foam, balls and the menacing winds, the television presenter screams with determination as she desperately tries to keep a hold of that all-important star.

But after a deluge of water cascades down, Holly struggles to maintain her position, with her eventually sliding down the runway.

Challenging: The television presenter, 37, battles it out to retain her two stars as she competes against the clock with Extra Camp hosts, Joe Swash, Joel Dommett and Scarlett Moffatt (L-R)

Giving it her all: The ITV presenter has 'done a U-turn' on her decision to not get involved in any of the gruesome tasks due to her creepy crawlies phobia

Strenuous: Fighting through foam, balls and the menacing winds, the television presenter screams with determination as she desperately tries to keep a hold of that all important star

The struggle is real: But after a deluge of water cascades down, Holly can be see struggling to maintain her position, eventually sliding down the runway

Team effort: Holly hugged her star on her point while Joe and Joel set off to try and help a stranded Scarlett

Feeling dizzy: The presenters started on a spinning circle before leaping onto the giant water slide

Going, going, gone: Joe slipped and came tumbling down at one point in the trial after being hit with powerful jets of water

Leading the pack: Scarlett was first to kick off the trial, setting off with all four stars as she battled her way to the first marker

It comes after Vicky Pattison revealed on Friday's This Morning Holly has 'done a U-turn' on her decision to not get involved in any of the gruesome tasks due to her creepy crawlies phobia.

The TV star, who took over hosting duties from pal Ant McPartlin on this year's jungle instalment, is said to have been keen to take on the bug-free challenge.

During the physically-demanding challenge, Holly has to climb up a hill carrying a giant foam star to a certain point whilst being hit by high pressure water cannons, gail force winds and giant balls.

Holly will need to be in her correct position with her other three contestants on the hill throughout the trial to complete it. Joe had the hardest job as he had to travel the furthest, while Holly came second in the order and had to retrieve three stars from Scarlett.

Her time has come! The Gogglebox star, 28, gave Holly a helping hand as the presenter tried to pick up three of the fours stars to take them to the second marker

Trying her best: Holly gripped the floor and tried to protect her from the cascading balls with her hands

Don't let go! The Celebrity Juice co-host hugged her remaining star tightly to her chest and sat in a straddle position to help maintain her balance

Brave: It comes after Vicky Pattison revealed on Friday's This Morning Holly has 'done a U-turn' on her decision to not get involved in any of the gruesome tasks due to her creepy crawlies phobia

Tricky: The physically-demanding challenge will see her climbing up a hill carrying a giant foam star to a certain point whilst being hit by high pressure water cannons

Showing her support: Scarlett cheered Joel, 32, on as she watched him fight wind, rain and balls in the tricky challenge

Channeling their inner superhero: The team were brimming with confidence as they posed in a group photo ahead of Celebrity Cyclone in their superhero get-up

Unique opportunity: A show insider said: 'It's very unique as hosts don't normally do trials. The only other time was when Ant and Dec did Cyclone for Text Santa one year'

Speaking of her keenness to compete, a show insider also told the Mirror: 'It's very unique as hosts don't normally do trials. The only other time was when Ant and Dec did Cyclone for Text Santa one year.

'Holly was adamant that she would not be doing a trial either but since she has got out here things have gone so well and the ITV2 Extra Camp team managed to persuade her to take part. It is one of her favourite trials so she couldn't say no.

'It will be the perfect end to a brilliant stint hosting the show with Dec which has gone down better than anyone could have dreamed of.'

'Couldn't say no': They added: 'Holly was adamant that she would not be doing a trial either but since she has got out here things have gone so well and the ITV2 Extra Camp team managed to persuade her to take part. It is one of her favourite trials'

Relentless: Scarlett giggled as she watched the others try to complete the arduous task

Formidable: Determined to succeed, Joe shrieked as he used all of his strength to inch closer to the final point

The results will be screened on Saturday night on the ITV2 spin-off, where viewers will have to tune in to see if their time beats main camp.

Last month, Holly got an early taste of the jungle life as she took part in a dreaded Bushtucker trial on her last day hosting This Morning, before she jetted off to Australia.

Showing she would have to work on her steely nerve, the blonde beauty squealed and shrieked her way through the task, which saw her putting her arms into boxes and touching mystery objects.

She did it: Holly looked proud of herself, beaming upon completion of the task

But far from the usual creepy crawlies and fish guts, the star was confronted with furry kittens, a toy spider, and last year's I'm A Celeb champion Georgia Toffolo's head - all of which proved too much for Holly.

The segment started with a funny montage of Holly being scared by animals, including spiders, birds and a giant python which wrapped itself around her leg and up her skirt.

Holly, who donned an Aussie hat and shirt for the trial cried out as she approached the wooden boxes: 'I don't know how the celebrities do this! I think I'm gonna cry! I don't think I can do it!

I'm A Celebrity continues on Saturday on ITV at 9pm.
Madeleine Madden, 21, has praised her raunchy new series, Tidelands, in which she stars alongside Elsa Pataky.

Speaking to The Sunday Telegraph, the rising star hailed the sci-fi series as 'empowering' and 'liberating,' labelling it a female-driven drama.

'It's a matriarchal society, and that was quite liberating,' Madeleine said of the show, which premieres on December 14.

'It was good to do things a bit naked or intimate': Tidelands star Madeleine Madden, 21, (above) praised the raunchy new series

In the series Maureen plays a young revolutionary among the community of seductive half-human, half siren Tidelanders.

Explaining her racy scenes alongside Elsa, Maureen said it was never a problem filming for the two women.

'If we had to do things a bit naked or an intimate scene it was good, because it was very much the women are in control.'

Raunchy: 'it was very much the women are in control': Maureen said of the racy new series, that stars Spanish actress Elsa Pataky (above)

She continued: 'We had female directors, which really changes the vibe on set.

'No one came away thinking it was distasteful or vulgar, It's empowering.'

The series is currently getting a lot of buzz, with it the first Netflix Original series filmed in Australia.

The show stars Charlotte Best, Dustin Clare and Chloe De Los Santos.

'We had female directors, which really changes the vibe on set': Maureen also praised how female cast and crew members influenced the production

Earlier this month, blonde bombshell Elsa spoke about her sex scenes with co-star Marco Pigossi, to OK! magazine.

Elsa plays queen of the half-human, half-sirens Adrielle Cuthbert, and shares a number of steamy moments with her co-star.

'Part of the story is the sexuality of these Tidelanders,' she told the publication.

'It's their power. It's really important, and the fact that they don't care about their bodies, you have to show that.'

Siren: 'Part of the story is the sexuality of these Tidelanders': Elsa plays queen of the half-human, half-sirens Adrielle Cuthbert (above)

In an interview with Vogue in March, Elsa revealed how convenient it had been to film the series in Australia.

Elsa is married to Hollywood star Chris Hemsworth, with the couple sharing three children India, six, and twin boys Tristan and Sasha, four.

'For me it's great, I shoot in Brisbane which is close to my house, so I can take the kids to school, and then go to work, it's so convenient,' she said.
She's planning for her third Christmas with husband Joe in prison.

And despite having four daughters to enjoy the special day with, Teresa Giudice says she is not looking forward to December 25.

'I'm not all about the holidays since Joe is away and since my mom passed,' the Real Housewives Of New Jersey star told UsWeekly.

Teresa Giudice says 'it's not all about the holidays' as she admits she's not looking forward to another Christmas with Joe in prison; she spoke at the Jingle Bell Ball in New York on Friday

Daughters: Teresa was with her girls Milania and Gia on Friday

Flashback: The family in 2015, before Joe was jailed

The 46-year-old added of her plans: 'I think we're going to go to my brother's on Christmas Eve. That's what we did last year. We haven't talked about it yet.'

Joe is serving a 41-month sentence for bankruptcy fraud. He is set to be deported at the end of his sentence to his native Italy, which he left as a baby.

He shares four daughters with Teresa Gia, 17, Gabriella, 14, Milania, 13, and Audriana, nine.

Doing it alone: She's planning for her third Christmas with husband Joe in prison

Unhappy future: After his finishes his sentence, Joe is set to be deported

Teresa has called the planned deportation 'heartbreaking'.

But the family do plan to fight the deportation proceedings.

'The appeal has been filed and we remain optimistic that Joe will soon be home with his family where he belongs. We are extremely grateful for Joe's immigration attorneys Jerry Gonzales and Tom Moseley and are very confident in them,' Joe's lawyer, James Leonard Jr., said in a statement to Page Six last month.

Hard times: And Gorga added the TV star remains positive about the future. Joe and Teresa seen in 2013

Joe is fighting hard.

A spokesperson for the Department of Justice confirmed on November 10 that 'records show that its appellate component, the Board of Immigration Appeals, received an appeal today, Nov. 9, 2018, pertaining to Giuseppe Giudice's Oct. 10, 2018, removal order.'

Immigration Judge John Ellington handed down the deportation order, after he determined that his crimes were considered an 'aggravated felony.

Family time in 2013: They have 4 daughters: Gia, 17, Gabriella, 14, Milania, 13, and Audriana, 9

In 2014 Teresa and Joe pleaded guilty to 41 counts of fraud. There were also unpaid taxes that totaled $200,000. Teresa served 11 months in 2015, with Joe currently serving 41 months.

His sentence is up next year, and if this deportation order stands, he will be sent back to Italy.

'I get no joy in telling a family this news,' Judge Ellington said at the hearing last month. 'Mr. Giudice, no matter how this turns out, I wish you the best. I decided this case as a matter of law.'
She's living it up on the beaches of Barbados with her Made In Chelsea star Emily Blackwell, 21.

And Lottie Moss, 20, got into the holiday spirit as she hit the sands of the Caribbean island on Saturday while staying at Elegant Hotels for the launch of Virgin Holidays Departure Beach.

The model looked stunning, showcasing her lithe figure in a red bikini and matching sunglasses, with her locks tied up in an updo.

Party: Lottie Moss, 20, got into the holiday spirit as she hit the sands of Barbados on Saturday

Lottie went for a stroll along with the beach with her reality star pal, a day after the pair touched down in Barbados.

Kate Moss' younger sister looked in high spirits as she went frolicking in the sea, showing off her array of tattoos.

Emily also looked stunning for the day out, wearing an identical bikini to Lottie but in black.

The E4 star let her brunette tresses hang loosely down her back.

Pals: Lottie is living it up on the beaches of Barbados with her Made In Chelsea co-star Emily Blackwell, 21

Holiday: Lottie went for a stroll along with the beach with her reality star pal, a day after the pair touched down in Barbados

Style: Lottie looked stunning, showcasing her lithe figure in a red bikini and matching sunglasses, with her locks tied up in an updo

Lottie signed with Storm Model Management when she was just 13, the same agency who discovered her sister Kate, 44.

She told the Evening Standard: 'I went into Storm to talk to them. I was so young, I didnt really even know what was going on. I just thought, "This is really cool."'

'I know I was young but I feel like you only get one shot and you just have to take it.'

The brunette is following Kate's footsteps, having been modelling for several years.

Fashion: Emily also looked stunning for the day out, wearing an identical bikini to Lottie but in black with the E4 star letting her brunette tresses hang loosely down her back

Career: Lottie signed with Storm Model Management when she was just 13, the same agency who discovered her sister Kate Moss

Model: She told the Evening Standard : 'I went into Storm to talk to them. I was so young, I didnt really even know what was going on. I just thought, "This is really cool"@



Kate previously launched her own modelling agency, Kate Moss Agency, and revealed how she would love to mentor younger girls who are just starting out in the industry.

She told The Telegraph: I've got a maternal side and I'd like to take care of them and nurture them so they grow to their full capacity in anything they'd like to do, instead of being used up and tossed out, because I think that can happen a lot with things working so quickly.'

'Even now you're expected to do anything to get the picture, and that's a work ethic, but you also need a support system.'

Kate has been modelling since the late 1980s and became a household name after appearing in several Calvin Klein ads.

In 2013, she was honoured at the British Fashion Awards to acknowledge her contribution to the fashion industry over the course of 25 years.
She arranges her schedule to spend as much time as she can with her children.

And after a busy working week, including a flying visit to support a friend at an event in Shanghai, Alessandra Ambrosio was home to make dinner on Friday.

The model, who had earlier popped to her usual yoga class in Brentwood, Los Angeles, wearing a chic Heartloom sweater, turned her hand to waffles.

Alessandra Ambrosio heads to yoga class in Brentwood on Friday - looking chic in a Heartloom sweater - before feeding her kids 'breakfast for dinner'

Kitchen skills: The model, who had earlier popped to her usual yoga class in Brentwood, Los Angeles, turned her hand to waffles

Alessandra, 37, has said her children are her 'number-one priority', and she likes to spend as much time with her children - Noah, five, and Anja

And the results were spectacular, that's if you ask her daughter Anja, ten, which she did.

'Best waffles I've ever had in the world,' gushed Anja, as she shoved the 'breakfast for dinner' into her mouth.

Delighted, Alessandra replied: 'Best waffles? Made by?'

'Mom,' said Anja, giving a thumbs up as she ate in the family kitchen.

No rest: And following the sweet and syrup filled dinner, Alessandra was back at her Pilates class on Saturday morning

Gorgeous: She dressed in a black workout ensemble and stripped down to her sports bra whilst in the popular class

Working around her kids: Alessandra, 37, has said her children are her 'number-one priority', and she likes to spend as much time with her children - Noah, five, and Anja

And following the sweet and syrup filled dinner, Alessandra was back at her Pilates class on Saturday morning.

She dressed in a black workout ensemble and stripped down to her sports bra whilst in the popular class.

The former Victoria's Secret Angel was seen working out with her friend and fellow Brazillian model Ludi Delfino.

Alessandra, 37, has said her children are her 'number-one priority', and she likes to spend as much time with her children - Noah, five, and Anja.

She said: 'My children are always going to be my number-one priority, so I work hard on arranging my schedule to spend as much time as possible with them.'

And Alessandra said she would support her children if they wanted to follow in her footsteps and become models themselves.

The former Victoria's Secret model told Harper's Bazaar magazine: 'I want my children to do what they love, and if that's modeling, then I would be there every step of the way to support them. Right now they're enjoying being kids, learning about the world, and exploring.'

The results were spectacular, that's if you ask her daughter Anja, ten, which she did

Waffle queen: Anja was enjoying her mother's cooking




She has a beautiful figure.

And Mila Kunis makes sure it stays that way with regular workouts at the gym.

But the Ukraine-born 35-year-old didn't seem to be headed for an exercise session when she was spotted out in baggy Splendid athleisure wear in Los Angeles on Friday.

Looking relaxed: Mila Kunis went for comfy Splendid ahtleisure wear when she was seen out running errands in Los Angeles on Friday

Instead, The Spy Who Dumped Me star gave her plastic a workout, running errands.

And she returned to her car laden with bags.

Mila wore a grey sweatshirt, matching sweatpants and sneakers for her shopping trip.

The Bad Moms actress tied her brunette tresses back in a low pony tail and didn't seem to be wearing much in the way of make-up.

Hitting the stores: The 35-year-old, Ukraine-born actress returned to her car laden with bags

Mila is married to Aston Kutcher, 40, and they share two children daughter Wyatt, four, and son Dimitri, two.

Mila first met Ashton on the set of the sitcom That 70s Show on which they both starred from 1998 to 2006.

But it took years for them to get together in a romantic way.

Easy going: The beautiful brunette wore a baggy grey sweat shirt and matching pants

The actress was in a relationship with Home Alone star Macaulay Culkin from 2002 to 2011.

The actor, meanwhile, married Demi Moore and they were together from 2005 to their separation in late 2011. Their divorce was finalized in late 2013.

They started dating in 2012 and got engaged in February 2014 and married in July 2015 in Oak Glen, California.

Young love: Mila first met Ashton, seater center, on the set of the sitcom That 70s Show on which they both starred from 1998 to 2006.
She gave birth to her second child, Ariel Swanepoel Nicoli, just five months ago.

And Candice Swanepoel showed off her flawless post pregnancy figure as she was spotted at Miami Beach on Saturday.

The 30-year-old Victoria's Secret alum looked every inch the lingerie model as she sizzled in a skimpy bikini during her scintillating seaside frolic.

Flawless: Candice Swanepoel, 30, showed off her flawless post pregnancy figure as she was spotted at Miami Beach on Saturday

Daring to impress, the supermodel showcased her ample curves in the barely-there bright red swimsuit.

Her toned tummy and sculpted abs were thrust on center stage as she splashed in the clear blue waters.

She put her gorgeous gams on full display as the bikini cut high on her thigh.

Candice walked the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - which aired on Sunday - after welcoming her son in June.

Toned: Her toned tummy and sculpted abs were thrust on center stage as she splashed in the clear blue waters

Stunner: The Victoria's Secret alum looked every inch the lingerie model as she sizzled in a skimpy bikini during her scintillating seaside frolic

Leggy lady: She put her gorgeous gams on full display as the bikini cut high on her thigh

The model - who also has son Anaca, two - has revealed the secrets to her pre-show preparations, saying she combines a strict fitness regime with the everyday stresses of parenting.

Candice quipped: 'Taking care of two kids will get you in shape real quick.'

On top of looking after her children, the South African star also did about three to four workouts per week - which included training with ankle weights and doing squats - in preparation for this year's show.

Candice is now a veteran of the runway and even though deep breathing techniques have helped to calm some of her nerves, she still feels anxious before a big show.

She told E! News: 'I'm a ball of nerves before the show. I feel like each year I get more and more nervous - I don't know why.

Back to work: Candice walked the Victoria's Secret Fashion Show - which aired on Sunday - after welcoming her son in June

Mother of two: The model also has son Anaca, two

In shape: Candice quipped: 'Taking care of two kids will get you in shape real quick'

'But nerves are healthy. You need a little adrenaline to really kill it.'

Meanwhile, Candice previously admitted that raising two young children is 'pretty intense' - but it's also an experience she's relishing.

She said: 'It's pretty intense, but it's amazing. To see the love between them is amazing. It's a lot, I'm not gonna lie. The second one is a lot easier, but the situation of having two makes it harder.'

Rear view: On top of looking after her children, the South African star also did about three to four workouts per week in preparation for this year's show

Sun soaked: She soaked up the sun with her head tilted back

Party time: Candice surrounded herself with friends

Intense: Candice previously admitted that raising two young children is 'pretty intense' - but it's also an experience she's relishing

Despite the challenges, Candice insisted she dreams of one day having a 'bunch of kids'.

She said: 'I don't plan too much into the future.

'I believe a lot in destiny and that what happens - you can try to manifest certain things, but I definitely do want to continue having a great career and building my family as well because I'm really loving that. I definitely want to have a bunch of kids.'

Art shows: She's currently enjoying Art Basel while in Miami




Vicky Pattison has revealed she has checked herself into a retreat, admitting she is 'completely done both physically and mentally.'

The former Geordie Shore star, 31, announced she has gone to the Juice Master Retreats following her split from former fiance John Noble.

Taking to Instagram, Vicky wrote: 'I've put my all into keeping going these last few weeks and now I need to accept that I need to go somewhere that is good for my soul and rest.

Me time: Vicky Pattison, 31, announced she has gone to the Juice Master Retreats following her split from former fiance John Noble

'As they say at @juicemasterretreats, "sometimes the only way to move forward is to retreat."

'So off I go for some down time and self-care.

'Sending you all loads of love and thanks for all your continued kindness.'

The message was posted alongside text that read: 'She is strong but she is tired.'

Retreat: Vicky admitted she is 'completely done both physically and mentally'

Post: Taking to Instagram, Vicky wrote: 'I've put my all into keeping going these last few weeks and now I need to accept that I need to go somewhere that is good for my soul and rest'

Although she did not specify which retreat she was travelling to, Juice Master Retreats is active in both Portugal and Turkey.

Set up by author and motivational speaker Jason Vale, the retreat focuses on juice, yoga and fitness.

The reality TV star announced her split from John in November, following two years of dating.

It came after he was said to have been seen kissing two women while on holiday in Dubai.

Parting ways: The reality TV star announced her split from John in November, following two years of dating

The former flames were reported had been filming a reality show based on their upcoming wedding at the time of the split.

The fly-on-the-wall style show was said to be planning on covering all aspects of their nuptials, from food tasting to dress shopping and what would have been their stag and hen parties.

A source told the Daily Mail: 'She was excited to be starting wedding planning and looking at venues, but life has changed now.'

It hasn't been all bad for Vicky however as she was spotted out and about in Mayfair last Wednesday where she appeared to be in high spirits as she hit the town with a group of friends.
She is taking Hollywood by storm with her slew of acting credentials.

And Dakota Johnson turned up the glamour as she arrived to the Closing Ceremony of the 17th Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco on Saturday night.

The American actress, 29 - who is serving on the the jury for the festival - showed off her sensational figure in a deeply plunging silver dress.

Wow: Dakota Johnson turned up the glamour as she arrived to the Closing Ceremony of the 17th Marrakech International Film Festival in Morocco on Saturday night

All eyes were on Dakota in the low-cut number which showed off her incredible cleavage.

Dakota's trim midriff was cinched in with black satin belt detailing, before the rest of the garment fell in an eye-catching train.

Dakota proved primped and preened to perfection with a glamorously curled blowdry.

Her stunning features were enhanced with a heavily contoured make-up, and she toted her belongings in a chic clutch.

She's got front: The American actress - who is serving on the the jury for the festival - showed off her sensational figure in a deeply plunging silver dress

Incredible: Dakota's trim midriff was cinched in with black satin belt detailing, before the rest of the garment fell in an eye-catching train

Gorgeous: Dakota proved primped and preened to perfection with a glamorously curled blowdry

Dakota was serving on the jury for the film festival and honoured Robert De Niro and Robin Wright last week

Star: She is taking Hollywood by storm with her slew of acting credentials

Romance: The How To Be Single star was flying solo for the event as there was no sign of her beau, Coldplay's Chris Martin

Dakota was serving on the jury for the film festival and honoured Robert De Niro and Robin Wright last week.

The How To Be Single star was flying solo for the event as there was no sign of her beau, Coldplay's Chris Martin.

The pair have been dating since October 2017 and it was reported she would spend Thanksgiving with his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow and their two children.

Love: The pair have been dating since October 2017 and it was reported she would spend Thanksgiving with his ex-wife Gwyneth Paltrow and their two children

Red carpet: Dakota posed with James Gray (L) and Daniel Bruhl (R) for the event

Low-key: The actress daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson told Tatler recently that while she wouldn't talk publicly about her romantic life, she was 'very happy'

'I adore him!': While she's been tight-lipped, her famous actress mother hasn't hesitated to sing the UK hitmaker's praises

Busy: After her glamorous red carpet display, Dakota headed indoors where she got comfortable

'They're a total modern family and had a great time celebrating together,' a source told People magazine.

The actress daughter of Melanie Griffith and Don Johnson told Tatler recently that while she wouldn't talk publicly about her romantic life, she was 'very happy'.

While she's been tight-lipped, her famous actress mother hasn't hesitated to sing the UK hitmaker's praises.

'I adore him!' Griffith told PEOPLE. 'But she is very private about her life and I respect that.'

Spotlight: Dakota took centre stage at the closing ceremony

Acclaim: Dakota presented Nidhal Saadi for the award for the Best performance for an Actor

Together: Dakota was joined at the event by stunning Monica Bellucci, 54

Glam: The actress showed off her sensational age-defying figure in a pretty deep red dress which a stylish black underlay

Amazing: Monica looked incredible in the figure-flattering number which showed off her statistics to perfection
Former prime minister Tony Abbott has not ruled out a crack at getting back onto the frontbench and a push for party leader if he retains his seat of Warringah at the federal election next year.

Mr Abbott told The Australian newspaper he was aware of moves within Liberal ranks to use his role in the leadership chaos to oust him, and defended his record. "This idea I somehow let down the party is bollocks," he said.

On criticism about his approach to climate change, Mr Abbott said he believed it is significant but not a "first-rank" issue.
The last time Donald Trump met an Australian prime minister in 2018 he was named Malcolm.

On Friday afternoon local time in Buenos Aires, Scott Morrison met the United States president and took him through how he came to replace Mr Turnbull.

"They have their inquiries, and when you describe the parliamentary system, it's a foreign system to the presidential system," Mr Morrison told reporters after meeting with Mr Trump at the G20.

Mr Morrison said he took Mr Trump through the process of how Mr Turnbull was replaced and how he became prime minister in August.

"We just ran through what the events were," Mr Morrison said.

Mr Turnbull visited the White House in February, posing for smiling pictures with Mr Trump and successfully pressing him to exempt Australian steel from tariff hikes.
Australia's $50 billion deal with France to build new submarines will be personally dealt with between Scott Morrison and Emmanuel Macron in order to get it done quickly.

The prime minister met with the French president at the G20 in Buenos Aires on Friday afternoon local time and they discussed the submarine strategic partnership agreement.

"We made a lot of progress there, the SPA is progressing extremely well," Mr Morrison told reporters after the meeting in Argentina.

"We agreed that we can elevate that back up to leader-level to ensure it's finalised in the near term."

Mr Morrison praised the work of Defence Minister Christopher Pyne and his French counterpart Florence Parly in getting the deal ready.

"It's a huge project, it's important to both countries for the next 50 years," he said.

"So we're getting very close to finalising that arrangement."

The $50 billion contract to build 12 submarines was agreed to in 2016, but the coalition has planned to sign it before the 2019 election.
A man has been charged over the death of a dog, which was allegedly locked in a car on NSW's north coast earlier this week.

Emergency services were called to the Pacific Highway in Coffs Harbour about 2pm on Wednesday after members of the public spotted the dead German Shepherd in a Holden ute.

Police allege the owner of the one-year-old dog left him locked in the ute for hours without any water while he attended a nearby licensed premises.

The 45-year-old Queensland man was charged with committing an act of aggravated animal cruelty and ordered to face Coffs Harbour Local Court on February 4, 2019.
Australian leaders have paid tribute to former US President George Bush Senior, who has died at the age of 94, calling him a true friend to the country.

Mr Bush "fought for freedom and democracy not only as president and throughout his public life, but as a WWII veteran," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said in a tweet on Saturday night.

"Australians join with the American people to mourn the loss of President George HW Bush," he wrote.

"The president was a true and great friend of Australia."

Mr Morrison, who is in Argentina for the G20 Summit, said Australia's thoughts and prayers were with the president's family and American people.

He has joined a growing list of past and present Australian leaders honouring Mr Bush, who was a World War II hero and the 41st president of the United States.

Saddam Hussein's Iraqi army was defeated during his presidency between 1988 to 1993, but President Bush lost his chance for a second term.

He visited Australia in 1991 when Bob Hawke was prime minister.

Mr Hawke called the former president a good friend "whom I admired as a man of decency and charm, an outstanding president in a difficult era."

Opposition leader Bill Shorten described him as "a statesman to the end, who devoted his life to service."

"His example will live long in the hearts of his fellow Americans," Mr Shorten tweeted.

Former prime minister John Howard said Mr Bush "exemplified the best of his nation's values in both war and peace."

"He visited our country on a number of occasions. He was the first American president to address a joint sitting of our national parliament," he said.

"The late president possessed an endearing sense of humour and always exhibited immense public grace. He was the patriarch of a great American family."

Former deputy prime minister Tim Fischer praised the former president for his "outstanding overseas military service" and leadership in Gulf War one.

"All of this was in sharp contrast to three of his four presidential successors who all three avoided service in South Vietnam," he said.
The traditionally safe seat of Caulfield is back in Liberal hands - for now at least - as MP David Southwick is 338 votes ahead of Labor.

The contest in the blue-ribbon seat is so tight, however, that it seems Labor's Sorina Grasso could still end up on top, making history for her party.

Last weekend's state election has delivered a shocking margin for shadow treasurer John Pesutto in the equally safe Hawthorn electorate.

Mr Pesutto - who is a potential candidate to be opposition leader following Matthew Guy's departure - has been tracking just behind Labor's John Ormond Kennedy for days now.

The Greens appear to have made history in the seat of Brunswick with Tim Read claiming victory with a narrow lead of 514 votes on Saturday.

The result breaks Labor's 104-year hold on the seat but it doesn't change the Green's presence in the Victorian lower house in real terms.

The devastating loss of one-year MP Lidia Thorpe in Northcote dashed the party's hopes of seizing more overall seats.

While the party retained Melbourne and looks set to keep Prahran - Sam Hibbins is ahead by 5845 votes - it's looking like they will lose an upper house spot.

The long-held Liberal seats of Bayswater and Nepean are also under serious threat as Labor is in front in both.

Victorian Liberals will be looking for a new state president after the resignation of Michael Kroger, who copped incredible pressure to step down after his party's thrashing at the polls.
Scott Morrison has urged people in Queensland to look out for each other after bushfires claimed one life, with more extreme weather on the way.

The prime minister has been monitoring the fires from the G20 meeting in Argentina ahead of his return to Australia on Monday morning.

"Despite the very sad loss of one young man, a 21-year-old man who died while clearing a fire break west of Rockhampton, so far I think the efforts have been extraordinary," Mr Morrison told reporters in Buenos Aires on Saturday local time.

"People's lives have been very significantly disrupted by the evacuations and other actions that have had to be taken.

"We'd ask for your patience, not just while the fires are burning, but for the many, many, many days ahead, as there will be the clean up work and the restoration that will have to follow."

Severe to extreme heatwave conditions are forecast across central and north east Queensland on Sunday, and winds are predicted to increase.

"We're still expecting many more days of very difficult conditions in all of these areas," Mr Morrison said.

"Just remember to look out for each other, particularly in these heatwave conditions that may not result in fire directly.

"There is a need to ensure we're keeping an eye on each other."
People walk past a crack in the road after an earthquake near Northwoods on the Kenai Spur Highway in Kenai, Alaska on November 30, 2018

A powerful earthquake rocked Anchorage on Friday, violently shaking homes and businesses, sending scared residents into the streets and damaging buildings in Alaska's largest city.

The 7.0-magnitude quake struck at 8:29 am (1729 GMT), in the middle of the school run and as workers were heading out for the day.

Several people were wounded, mainly from broken glass and falling objects, but no deaths were reported, according to US media.

The epicenter of the quake was about eight miles (13 kilometers) north of Anchorage at a depth of 25 miles, according to the US Geological Survey.

Police in the city of around 300,000 said it had caused "major infrastructure damage."

"Many homes and buildings are damaged," the police department said in a statement. "Many roads and bridges are closed. Stay off the roads if you don't need to drive."

A tsunami warning was issued for the Cook Inlet and the Kenai Peninsula following the massive quake but was quickly lifted.

Residents posted pictures and videos to Twitter of damage to their homes and stores -- belongings knocked off of shelves, broken windows and pictures scattered on the floor.

Local CBS television affiliate KTVA posted a video of a room shaking back and forth with panels falling from the ceiling and lights flickering on and off as people hid under desks.

"Everyone just sprinted out of the coffee shop I was at in Anchorage in the middle of a huge earthquake," Nat Herz, a reporter with news portal Alaska's Energy Desk, posted on Twitter.

Books and ceiling tiles litter the floor at the The Mat-Su College library in Anchorage, Alaska, following an earthquake

"Car alarms going off, etc. But not seeing any serious damage here aside from random stuff falling over. People going back to computers, meetings."

Alaska Senator Lisa Murkowski said the authorities were worried about access to power following the quake.

"It's winter. It's cold. It's dark. And we're not sure what the power situation is," she said. "We're worried about breaks in gas lines."

- University, airport closed -

ENSTAR Natural Gas asked residents to beware of gas leaks while the main water company said there had been water main breaks.

Municipal Light & Power warned of possible downed power lines and said it was seeking to restore electricity to affected customers.

About two and a half hours after the quake, the utility said approximately 7,000-10,000 customers were still without power.

The company said there was no damage to electricity generation infrastructure.

The University of Alaska announced it was closing for the day. "All non-essential personnel should go home," it said in a tweet.

Anchorage airport temporarily halted inbound and outbound flights after the air control tower was evacuated.

The quake shook homes and businesses, damaging some buildings

In an audio recording posted online, an air traffic controller could be heard telling a FedEx cargo plane to go around -- abort its landing -- as the quake hit.

A video posted to Twitter showed a buckled road on a highway exit ramp leading to the airport and a stranded car.

The Anchorage School District told parents to come pick up their children "when you feel it is safe to do so."

The Trans Alaska Pipeline, one of the longest crude oil pipelines in the world, was shut down as a precautionary measure so crews could inspect the system, but returned to service after no damage was found.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said President Donald Trump had been briefed about the quake and was monitoring damage reports.

"To the Great people of Alaska. You have been hit hard by a 'big one,'" Trump tweeted. "Your Federal Government will spare no expense. God Bless you ALL!"

Trump declared a state of emergency in Alaska, releasing federal aid.

Alaska was hit by a 9.2-magnitude earthquake in March 1964, the strongest ever recorded in North America. It left 139 people dead.
Russia's President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman greet each other with an effusive handshake at the G20 Leaders' Summit in Buenos Aires, on November 30, 2018

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman showed himself to be no pariah Friday at the G20 summit, with a beaming Vladimir Putin welcoming him but European leaders warning him over the killing of a dissident journalist.

Less than two months after Saudi Arabia outraged allies when a hit team murdered Jamal Khashoggi in the kingdom's Istanbul consulate, Prince Mohammed flew into Buenos Aires to take his place among leaders of the top 20 global economies, a sign that he intends to remain firmly in charge.

In an image that quickly went viral online, Russian President Putin and the 33-year-old prince grinned broadly and gave each other an effusive handshake as if they were long-lost friends reunited at the G20.

Russia and Saudi Arabia are said to have reached a pact to cut oil production when the OPEC cartel meets in December

Their embrace comes amid reports that Russia and Saudi Arabia have reached a pact to cut oil production when the OPEC cartel meets on December 6 in Vienna, to help shore up collapsing crude prices.

Kirill Dmitriev, the chief of Russia's sovereign wealth fund, told reporters that Putin would meet the prince Saturday and discuss boosting Saudi Arabia's $2 billion investment in Russia.

But the prince appeared to receive a more critical reception from French President Emmanuel Macron, who was overheard on a microphone voicing concerns.

Mohammed appeared to receive a more critical reception at the G20 from French President Emmanuel Macron, who was overheard on a microphone voicing concerns

"Don't worry," Prince Mohammed is heard saying in English to the French leader, who responds, "I do worry. I am worried."

The clip was partially inaudible and the context of the exchange was not entirely clear.

But it received wide traction on social media, with Macron telling the prince, "You never listen to me," to which Prince Mohammed replies, "I will listen, of course."

The French presidency said that Macron spoke to the prince about the killing of Khashoggi and the Saudi-led offensive in Yemen, where millions are on the brink of starvation in what the United Nations calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis.

Macron told the prince that Europeans wanted international investigators to take part in the probe on Khashoggi's death and stressed "the necessity of a political solution in Yemen," the Elysee Palace said.

- Trump downplays encounter -

US President Donald Trump said he had not so far had a "discussion" with the Saudi crown prince

The prince was also seen chatting with President Donald Trump and his daughter Ivanka, although in a nod to US domestic outrage over Saudi Arabia, the White House downplayed the encounter.

"They exchanged pleasantries at the leaders' session as he did with nearly every leader in attendance," a senior White House official said.

Trump, meanwhile, said "we had no discussion. We might, but we had none."

Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, however, separately met with Saudi Foreign Minister Adel al-Jubeir, the State Department said.

Until Khashoggi's killing, Trump had been an unabashed fan of the prince as the young leader who portrays himself as a reformist consolidated power and detained prominent Saudis, with the heir apparent forging a particularly close relationship with Ivanka's husband Jared Kushner.

Trump has since voiced sadness over the killing of Khashoggi, who lived in the United States and wrote for The Washington Post.

But, in an exclamation point-heavy statement before the summit, Trump said it did not matter whether Prince Mohammed knew about Khashoggi's death because Saudi Arabia was important for US business and for its hostility to Iran.

Mohammed took his place among leaders of the top 20 global economies less than two months after Saudi Arabia outraged allies when a hit team murdered journalist Jamal Khashoggi

The US Senate nonetheless moved this week to end support for the Saudi-led war against rebels in Yemen amid outrage over attacks on civilian sites including a school bus and hospitals.

British Prime Minister Theresa May, speaking to Sky News before the summit, said she would press the crown prince both on Yemen and Khashoggi at the G20.

"The Saudi Arabians need to ensure that their investigation is a full investigation, that it's credible, that it's transparent, and that people can have confidence in the outcome of it, and that those responsible are held to account," May said.

The de facto Saudi ruler got a warmer audience in Buenos Aires with Chinese President Xi Jinping, who "firmly supports" Riyadh's reform drive, the Xinhua news agency reported.

China "will continue to stick together with the Arab country on issues involving their core interests," Xinhua quoted Xi as telling the prince.
French President Macron Japanese PM Abe have called for maintaining the stability of the Renault-Nissan-Mitsubishi alliance

The leaders of France and Japan on Friday stood by the Renault-Nissan auto alliance despite ructions from the arrest of its chief executive, officials said.

President Emmanuel Macron and Prime Minister Shinzo Abe met on the sidelines of the G20 summit in Argentina hours after a Tokyo court extended the detention of sacked Nissan chief Carlos Ghosn.

"The president for his part recalled his commitment that the alliance be preserved, as well as the stability of the group," a French official said.

The partnership also includes Mitsubishi Motors.

The Kyodo news agency quoted a senior Japanese official as saying Abe stressed the importance of all three companies "maintaining their stable relationship".

But the fate of the group should be decided by "private businesses", and that "governments should not commit to how the alliance should operate going forward", the Japanese premier said, according to the official quoted by Kyodo.

Macron is well versed in the sensitivities of the car-making partnership. As a young economy minister in 2015, he triggered a crisis in the alliance by increasing the French state's stake in Renault, which rattled Japan.

The move doubled the French state's voting rights, alarming the Nissan side, which saw itself at risk of coming under French control.

Paris subsequently reduced its stake in the alliance.

The rules of the partnership state that Renault chooses the alliance's CEO, who wields a tie-breaking vote in board decisions, while Nissan names the deputy.

Ghosn was arrested on November 19 amid allegations he under-reported his salary by millions of dollars over five years.

Ghosn denies any wrongdoing.
The Kingdom of Saudi Arabia's embassy in the United States

Local officials in a Washington neighborhood have voted to rename a street outside Saudi Arabia's embassy in honor of slain Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

If approved by the city council, the advisory commission's measure means a stretch of road going past the expansive embassy building in the upscale Foggy Bottom neighborhood would be ceremonially renamed "Jamal Khashoggi Way."

Khashoggi, a US resident, was murdered in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.

After initially denying the murder, Saudi Arabia has acknowledged Khashoggi was killed inside the consulate but blamed his death on a "rogue" operation.

Top officials from the administration of President Donald Trump have said they've seen no direct evidence linking the murder to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, but the CIA reportedly has found a connection.

According to CNN, the idea to change the street's name started about a month ago following an online petition.

Jamal Khashoggi in 2015

"We suggest renaming the street address of the Saudi Embassy into Jamal Khashoggi Way to be a daily reminder to Saudi officials" that such killings are "totally unacceptable and as an expression of Washington's unstinting support for freedom of the press," the petition states.

A similar action was taken outside the Russian embassy, where a street was this year renamed in honor of prominent Vladimir Putin critic Boris Nemtsov, who was assassinated in Moscow in 2015.
The mexican military burns tons of marijuana, heroin, cocaine and methamphetamine seized from traffickers at a base in Monterrey, on April 8, 2014

The former right hand man of notorious Mexican druglord Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was sentenced Friday to life in prison, judicial sources said.

Damaso Lopez Nunez, known as "The Lawyer" when he worked for the ultra-violent Sinaloa cartel, had been convicted of trafficking by a federal court in Alexandria, Virginia.

The 52-year-old was captured in Mexico in May last year and extradited to the United States two months later.

He was considered a potential witness against Guzman, who is currently on trial in New York.

According to the US Department of Justice, Lopez was the deputy head of a Mexican maximum security prison in 2001 when he helped Guzman escape. He then joined the cartel as Guzman's lieutenant.

In that role he took part in the production and shipment to the United States of tons of cocaine, heroin, methamphetamines and marijuana, according to the US Justice Department.

He also directed some of the killings and kidnappings associated with the Sinaloa gang.

And he was linked to the May 15, 2017 murder of Mexican journalist Javier Valdez, an AFP contributor.
The US won crucial backing from the EU for the draft resolution that condemns the firing by Hamas of rockets into Israel and demands an end to the violence, a measure championed by US Ambassador Nikki Haley (pictured November 26, 2018)

The UN General Assembly will vote Thursday on a US-drafted resolution that would condemn the Palestinian Hamas movement, a measure championed by US Ambassador Nikki Haley.

The United States won crucial backing from the European Union for the draft resolution that condemns the firing by Hamas of rockets into Israel and demands an end to the violence.

If adopted, it would mark the first time that the assembly has taken aim at Hamas, the Islamist militant group that has ruled the Gaza Strip since 2007.

All 28 EU countries agreed to support the measure after the United States included a mention of relevant UN resolutions in the text that does not however refer to the two-state solution.

In a statement, the US mission to the United Nations said it had hoped to put the draft resolution to a vote on Monday but that the Palestinians had pushed for a delay until Thursday.

"The issue before the United Nations on Thursday is not whether it supports one form or another of a Middle East peace plan," the US mission said.

"Each country will be asked to vote for or against the activities of Hamas, along with other militant groups like Palestinian Islamic Jihad."

"If the UN cannot bring itself to adopt this resolution, then it has no business being involved in peace discussions," it added.

The European Union, like the United States, considers Hamas a terror group, but the 28-nation bloc is divided over how to support peace efforts.

Haley, who will step down as UN ambassador in January, has steadfastly supported Israel in its confrontation with Hamas and chastised the United Nations for criticizing both sides.

The vote on Thursday will follow the adoption in the assembly of about a dozen resolutions on the Israeli-Palestinian conflict that condemn Israeli settlements and call for progress toward the two-state solution.

Resolutions adopted by the General Assembly are non-binding, but they carry political weight and are seen as a barometer of world opinion.

The United States put forward the resolution as it prepares to unveil new peace proposals that the Palestinians have already rejected.

The Palestinians have severed ties with the administration of President Donald Trump after the decision nearly a year ago to move the US embassy to Jerusalem and declare the city Israel's capital.

The US administration has also cut more than $500 million in Palestinian aid.

The Palestinians see the city as the capital of their future state. International consensus has been that Jerusalem's status must be negotiated between the two sides.
A trial for murder stemming from a white supremacist rally in Charlottesville, Virginia heard from witnesses who sawa neo-Nazi drive his car into a crowd of counter-protesters

Jeanne Peterson was fast on her feet till she was struck by a car last year in Charlottesville driven by a neo-Nazi accused of attacking her. Now, she finds it difficult to walk unassisted.

Wednesday Bowie almost bled to death when her pelvis was crushed in six places by the same Dodge Challenger and has been left with a "permanent gait" after it healed diagonally.

Both women took the witness stand Friday -- Peterson with the help of a bailiff -- on the second day of court proceedings against James Alex Fields Jr.

Fields, 21, is accused of first degree murder over the killing of 32-year-old paralegal Heather Heyer, as well as hit-and-run charges and eight counts of causing serious injury when he plowed into a crowd of counter-protesters at a white supremacist rally.

Peterson, whose right leg was crushed by the impact, recounted attending the Unite the Right rally to protest against the presence of hundreds of white supremacists in her beloved Virginia hometown.

Confrontations broke out, which led city authorities to declare the rally an "unlawful gathering," and the far-right protesters began to disperse.

James Fields, 21, is on trial for the murder of 32-year-old Heather Heyer

The previously charged atmosphere became "joyful, it was celebratory and convivial," said Peterson, with counter-protesters happy because "the alt-right hadn't been able to make any of their hateful speeches."

She didn't see Fields' car coming.

"I just heard three bumps," Peterson said -- realizing only later that two were his vehicle running over her right leg, and one reversing back over it.

"I saw Heather Heyer up in the air and remember thinking to myself 'That's what someone's eyes look like when they are dead.'"

- Permanent injuries -

A man walks past a memorial to victims of the Charlottesville hit-and-run

Peterson, who said she used to be fast on her feet but only recently learned to be able to walk again without a wheelchair, and just for short distances, has had five surgeries and is scheduled for a sixth next year.

Like Peterson, Bowie was among a group of counter-protesters. Upon seeing the carnage left by the car-ramming, she rushed to help victims -- but ended up being struck when the vehicle began to reverse back up the road.

Her pelvis was broken in six places, resulting in the tearing of a femoral artery and massive internal bleeding.

Her right eye socket was fractured and the bottom three vertebrae of her back bone and tail bone were all shattered.

"I am not able to walk long distances or sit long periods of time without pain," she told the court, adding that her gait had been "permanently affected."

"My pelvis healed on a diagonal so my steps are not even, which causes muscle pain and pain in my back."

- 'Thuds, screams and cries' -

The Charlottesville violence capped two days of confrontations over the removal of a Confederate statue that shook the country and became a symbol of the growing audacity of the far right under President Donald Trump.

A statue of Confederate General Robert Edward Lee is seen in Market Street Park in Charlottesville

Earlier, the court heard from Ryan Kelly, a photojournalist who was on his last day at work for local newspaper The Daily Progress and won a Pulitzer Prize for a picture showing one of the counter-protesters launched flailing into the air.

Kelly had been following a group of counter-protesters who "were chanting and singing" after the right-wing protesters had started leaving.

He started to make his way up 4th Street, a hilly road leading to a downtown pedestrian area.

At that point, he said: "I heard a car, screeching tires, the rev of an engine and it sped right past me.

"People went flying, you heard thuds and screams and cries."

The car was going "faster than anything I've ever seen on that street. It was going fast and directly at the crowd."

Kelly had set his camera to burst-mode, capturing dozens of shots.

During her cross-examination, defense attorney Denise Lunsford pointed out to the jury that in some of the frames, the Challenger's brake lights were on, indicating the vehicle had been slowing.

Responding for the prosecution, Nina Antony drew attention to many more frames in which the brake lights were not on.

The Dodge Charger allegedly driven by James Alex Fields Jr. passes near the Market Street Parking Garage moments after driving into a crowd of counter-protesters in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017

The two sides have also offered differing narratives of the atmosphere at the time Fields struck protesters.

The defense has described it as chaotic and violent, while the prosecution cited numerous witnesses saying that it had become peaceful by the afternoon.

Tadrint Washington, a young African American woman who was in her Toyota Camry in the downtown area, said she was caught in the middle of counter-protesters when she was rear-ended by Fields.

"They were chanting 'Whose town? Our town!'" she recalled.

"I never seen so many white people standing up for black people. It was amazing. It was a 'wow factor.'"

She banged her head as Fields drove into the rear of her car, and blacked out.
Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, pictured in July 2013, announced their separation after two years of marriage and 11 years together

Hollywood superstars Angelina Jolie and Brad Pitt have reached an amicable agreement on the custody of their six children, avoiding a potentially messy public trial, US media reported on Friday.

Pitt and Jolie announced their separation in September 2016 after two years of marriage and 11 years together.

Three of their children are their biological children, and the other three are adopted.

"A custody arrangement was agreed two weeks ago, and has been signed by both parties and the judge," Jolie's lawyer, Samantha Bley DeJean, said in a statement carried by several US celebrity news outlets including TMZ.

"The agreement, which is based on the recommendations of the child custody evaluator, eliminates the need for a trial," she said.

The couple had been set for a trial on December 4 -- the deal means they will not battle in court.

Jolie originally wanted to have sole custody of the children, while Pitt asked for shared custody.

The terms of the agreement are confidential, DeJean said.

The couple is still working out the details of their divorce, with the distribution of assets reportedly proving especially thorny. Jolie and Pitt did not have a prenuptial agreement.
The archdiocese of Santa Fe has paid compensation to numerous victims of sexual abuse, and says it still has 35 to 40 claims to process

The Archdiocese of Santa Fe, which is facing a litany of lawsuits in New Mexico over claims of sexual abuse committed by priests, has announced it will file for bankruptcy protection.

The archdiocese will proceed with a so-called "Chapter 11" filing, which allows an entity to keep functioning as it undergoes reorganization, while paying its creditors over time.

Santa Fe Archbishop John Wester said that the archdiocese had already paid millions of dollars to settle claims of child sex abuse committed over the years. The terms of most of those deals are confidential.

Another 35 to 40 claims are outstanding, he told reporters on Thursday.

"We could see where this was all leading and the trajectory wasn't changing. We just don't have the money. If we're not here, we can't help anybody," Wester said.

"It's not a wealthy archdiocese. The churches, the parishes, the schools are going forward in their own way. The cases we've mediated and compensated have come from our reserves."

Wester insisted that his "first and foremost concern" was abuse victims, and making sure they received "just compensation."

The archdiocese said in a statement that the Chapter 11 reorganization would allow for "full financial transparency" about its operations and properties.

Several American dioceses and archdioceses have filed for bankruptcy protection in recent years as they confront their own claims of clergy sex abuse, local media reported.

The Catholic Church is battling an ongoing abuse scandal in numerous countries around the world, with new victims coming forward and church leaders accused of being slow in delivering an adequate response.
Defections along the closely guarded inter-Korean border are rare

A North Korean soldier defected to South Korea on Saturday across their heavily fortified land border, which the two sides have begun to demilitarise as relations between the Cold War-era foes warm, the South's military said.

The rare defection came as the two Koreas push ahead with a process of reconciliation in an effort to ease tensions, despite talks between Pyongyang and Washington on the North's nuclear weapons programme stalling.

The incident did not trigger any gunfire, unlike last year when a North Korean soldier ran across under a hail of bullets from his own side.

"A North Korean soldier was detected crossing the military demarcation line" by South Korean troops using surveillance equipment, the military Joint Chiefs of Staff (JCS) said in a statement.

"Related agencies plan to investigate him regarding the details of how he came to the South," it said.

The JCS gave no further details, such as the exact location of the defection, the soldier's name, rank or unit or whether he was carrying a weapon.

"The soldier is safely in our custody", the JCS said.

The last defection involving North Koreans occurred in May when two civilians aboard a small boat fled to the South across the Yellow Sea.

In November last year, a North Korean soldier drove to the heavily guarded border at speed and ran across under fire from his own comrades.

He was hit multiple times in the dramatic defection at Panmunjom truce village, a major tourist attraction and the only place on the frontier where forces from the two sides come face-to-face.

Three other soldiers reportedly crossed the land border last year in separate incidents.

In 2012 a North Korean soldier walked unchecked through rows of electrified fencing and surveillance cameras, prompting Seoul to sack three field commanders for a security lapse.

- 'Momentum' -

More than 30,000 North Korean civilians have fled their homeland since the peninsula was divided at the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Most flee across the porous frontier with neighbouring China and it is very rare for them to cross the closely guarded inter-Korean border, which is fortified with minefields and barbed wire.

In recent months, however, the two sides have begun to remove landmines and destroy military bunkers at parts of the border as part of efforts to improve long-strained relations.

They have also begun work to reconnect a train line and repair another rail link across the border.

Despite the warming ties, it remains unclear whether the North's leader Kim Jong Un will make his first-ever visit to the South this year, as Seoul is hoping.

Kim agreed to travel to Seoul after hosting his South Korean counterpart Moon Jae-in in Pyongyang in September for their third summit but prospects of a fourth Moon-Kim meeting have recently dimmed, with negotiations on denuclearizing the North grinding to a halt.

In an apparent bid to encourage a hesitating Kim to commit to a trip, Moon elicited an expression of support for such a visit from US President Donald Trump at a summit in Buenos Aires on Friday.

"The two leaders agreed Chairman Kim Jong Un's visit to Seoul would provide additional momentum to their joint efforts to establish peace on the Korean Peninsula," Moon's chief press secretary Yoon Young-chan said.
Former US president George Bush -- seen here in 2008 -- served one term as president but lost in 1992 to Democrat Bill Clinton

Former US president George H.W. Bush, who helped steer America through the end of the Cold War, died Friday at age 94, his family announced.

"Jeb, Neil, Marvin, Doro and I are saddened to announce that after 94 remarkable years, our dear Dad has died," his son, former president George W. Bush, said in a statement released on Twitter by a family spokesman.

"George H.W. Bush was a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for."

Bush's passing comes just months after the death in April of his wife and revered first lady Barbara Bush -- his "most beloved woman in the world" -- to whom he was married for 73 years.

He is survived by his five children and 17 grandchildren.

Funeral arrangements will be announced in due course, a family spokesman said.

The US leader was a foreign policy stalwart who declared a "new world order" in 1990 and drove Iraq from Kuwait but saw his military intervention in the Middle East serve as a harbinger of chaos to come.

The decorated war pilot and former CIA chief suffered the ignominy of being a one-term president, denied a second term over a weak economy when he lost the 1992 election to upstart Democrat Bill Clinton.
Former US president George Bush -- seen here in 2008 -- served one term as president but lost in 1992 to Democrat Bill Clinton

George H.W. Bush -- the upper-crust war hero-turned-oilman and diplomat who steered America through the end of the Cold War as president and led a political dynasty that saw his son win the White House -- died at his Texas home on Friday. He was 94.

The 41st American president was a foreign policy realist who navigated the turbulent end of the Cold War, from the revolutions against communist rule in eastern Europe in 1989 through the largely peaceful fall of the Soviet Union, which broke up in 1991.

He assembled an unprecedented coalition to defeat Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein two years later.

But the decorated war pilot and former CIA chief suffered the ignominy of being a one-term president, denied a second term over a weak economy when he lost the 1992 election to upstart Democrat Bill Clinton.

His favoring of stability and international consensus stands in sharp contrast to the provocative bluster of fellow Republican and current White House occupant Donald Trump, a man whom Bush did not vote for in 2016.

Bush presided over economic malaise at home, and infuriated his fellow Republicans during a budget battle with rival Democrats by famously breaking his vow: "Read my Lips: No new taxes."

George W. Bush (L) spent eight years in the White House, after his father (R) served one term

But he was the respected patriarch of a blue-blood political dynasty -- son George spent eight years in the White House, and son Jeb served as governor of Florida.

George W. Bush called his father a "man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for," in a statement announcing his death.

Bush's passing comes just months after the death in April of his wife and revered first lady Barbara Bush -- his "most beloved woman in the world" -- to whom he was married for 73 years.

At the time of his death, Bush was the American president to have lived the longest. Jimmy Carter was born a few months later, so he could quickly reset the record.

- War, oil, politics -

George and Barbara Bush -- shown here in 2006 at a ceremony for the aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush at Newport News, Virginia -- were married for 73 years

George Herbert Walker Bush was born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts into a wealthy New England political dynasty -- the son of Prescott Bush, a successful banker and US senator for Connecticut.

Bush had a pampered upbringing and attended the prestigious Phillips Academy in Andover, but delayed his acceptance to Yale University in order to enlist in the US Navy on his 18th birthday and head off to war.

He flew 58 combat missions during World War II. Shot down over the Pacific by Japanese anti-aircraft fire, he parachuted out and was rescued by a submarine after huddling in a life raft for four hours while enemy forces circled.

The presidency of George H.W. Bush -- shown here with wife Barbara at his 1989 inaugural ball -- was seen as a foreign policy success but a disappointment on the domestic front, and Americans voted him out of the Oval Office after one term

Bush married Barbara Pierce in January 1945, shortly before the war ended, and the couple went on to have six children, including one, Robin, who died as a child.

Instead of joining his father in banking upon graduation from Yale, Bush headed to bleak west Texas to break into the rough-and-tumble oil business.

He surprised many with his success, and by 1958 had settled in Houston as president of an offshore drilling company.

In the 1960s, Bush, now independently wealthy, turned to politics.

He was a local Republican Party chairman, and in 1966 won a seat in the US House of Representatives. He served there until 1970, when he lost a bid for the Senate.

Former US president Ronald Reagan (R) and his then vice president George Bush -- shown here in 1987 -- served two terms before Bush won the White House in 1988

Over the next decade, he held several high-level posts that took him and Barbara around the world: head of the Republican National Committee, US ambassador to the United Nations, envoy to China and director of the Central Intelligence Agency, where he was praised for restoring morale after revelations of widespread illegal activity.

He served as vice president to Ronald Reagan after losing to him in the 1980 Republican primary, an eight-year period of hands-on training for the top post he would go on to win by a solid margin in 1988, as the Cold War was coming to an end.

- 'This will not stand' -

George Bush assembled a large coalition of 32 nations to drive Iraq out of Kuwait in the early 1990s

In a major test of the post-Cold War order, Saddam's million-man army invaded Kuwait in 1990 and looked set to roll into Saudi Arabia, which would have given the Iraqi strongman more than 40 percent of the world's oil reserves.

Bush famously vowed: "This will not stand, this aggression against Kuwait."

He assembled a coalition of 32 nations to drive Iraqi forces out in a matter of weeks with a lightning air and ground assault.

Some 425,000 US troops backed by 118,000 allied soldiers took part in Operation Desert Storm, decimating Saddam's military machine without ousting him from power -- a task that would be accomplished 12 years later by Bush's son.

Buoyed by his victory in the Gulf, Bush and his hard-nosed and widely respected secretary of state James Baker cobbled together the 1991 Madrid Conference to launch the Arab-Israeli peace process.

The conference was mainly symbolic, but it set the stage for the Oslo Accords two years later.

In late 1989, Bush sent US troops to Panama to oust strongman Manuel Noriega. He also set the groundwork for the North American Free Trade Agreement.

Domestically, however, the economy stalled and Bush broke his pledge not to raise taxes in order to reach a budget deal with Democrats -- a cardinal sin in the eyes of Republicans.

In 1992, Bush lost his re-election bid to Clinton -- whose aide coined the now famous slogan "It's the economy, stupid" -- as eccentric third-party candidate Ross Perot syphoned off conservative votes.

The elder Bush's cautious realpolitik would later be contrasted to his son's far more costly ambition to transform the Middle East, but "Bush 41" refused to weigh in on the debate, insisting he was proud of the presidency of "Bush 43."

- Active post-presidency -

After retiring from public life, Bush fulfilled a wartime pledge to one day jump out of a plane for fun and famously went skydiving on his 75th, 80th, 85th and 90th birthdays.

He joined Clinton to raise funds for victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake. In 2011, Obama awarded Bush the highest US civilian honor, the Medal of Freedom.

(L-R) Former US presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, Barack Obama, George W. Bush and Bill Clinton attend a hurricane relief concert in Texas in October 2017

He worked with Carter, Clinton, Obama and son George to raise money for hurricane victims in Texas in 2017.

In 2001, Bush became just the second US president after John Adams to see his son become president.

Son Jeb made his own presidential run in 2016, but fell short in the Republican primaries against Trump.
US President Donald Trump Trump, who has already slapped $250 billion in tariffs on China, sounded upbeat about making progress with his counterpart Xi Jinping at the G20 summit

US President Donald Trump, ahead of a tariffs showdown with China, diverged with G20 partners at summit talks Saturday in refusing to back global action on climate change and by watering down past pledges to fight trade protectionism.

A final communique adopted after all-night haggling in the summit in Argentina said all other G20 members agreed to implement the "irreversible" Paris Agreement on climate change, while respecting different paces of economic development.

But it said the "United States reiterates its decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement," mirroring the divergence seen last year when Trump shocked the global community by bucking the consensus at his first G20.

The statement also omitted pledges by the G20 to fight protectionism and uphold multilateral trading rules, which used to be a mainstay of the world's leading economies pre-Trump.

Instead, it merely recognized the "contribution" of the "multilateral trading system," and added that it was "falling short" in goals of growth and job creation.

Trump's determination to plow on with his "America First" agenda stands in contrast to the alliance-building presidency of George Bush, whose death Friday triggered a rare show of unity from G20 leaders.

Trump said his predecessor's passing would prevent him holding a post-summit news conference scheduled for later Saturday, "out of respect" for the Bush family.

It was Trump's second cancellation of the summit after he snubbed Russian President Vladimir Putin in Buenos Aires, citing Russia's recent naval skirmish with Ukraine, and he has also downgraded meetings with other G20 leaders to make them less formal.

The cancellation means Trump will no longer face press questions over new developments this week stemming from a US investigation into whether his presidential campaign colluded with Russia, which has now spread to cover his past business dealings.

Other hotspots such as Ukraine also flared up at the two-day summit, although Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman received an effusive welcome from Putin, showing the de facto ruler still has friends despite the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist.

Financial markets, while hoping for a ceasefire to Trump's trade war with China, were also watching Putin and the prince for any sign that the world's two top exporters of crude might cut output to shore up collapsing oil prices.

- Tale of two presidents -

Putin meanwhile has been forced to defend Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian vessels off Crimea in meetings with counterparts such as German Chancellor Angela Merkel and French President Emmanuel Macron.

"The chancellor reiterated her concern about the escalation of the Kerch Strait and her commitment to the freedom of shipping into the Sea of Azov," Merkel's spokesman Steffen Seibert said after she met Putin on Saturday.

In Buenos Aires, Merkel also paid tribute to Bush as a "true friend" of the German people who helped bring about Germany's reunification after the Berlin Wall came down.

Macron, pausing from his attempts to build a G20 front on climate change and from the challenge of violent protests back home, said Bush "was a world leader, who strongly supported the alliance with Europe."

British Prime Minister Theresa May echoed Merkel in lauding the late Bush as "a great statesman and a true friend of our country."

Trump himself said Bush had "inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service."

But the current president's isolationist rampage is the polar opposite of the West's post-war consensus on trade and diplomacy built by Bush and his predecessors in the White House.

The G20 leaders -- whose nations represent four-fifths of the global economy -- heard warnings from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) of worldwide upheaval if Trump continues on his tariff-strewn path.

IMF chief Christine Lagarde warned the leaders that "the global economy faces a critical juncture" and that erecting trade barriers was "self-defeating."

The threat of Britain crashing out of the European Union without a negotiated deal is another potential headwind, the IMF said, as May uses the G20 to sell her vision of a "global Britain" after Brexit.

- Dinner diplomacy -

The release of the G20 communique meant that the meeting at least avoided the fate of two other recent summits -- those of the Group of Seven democracies and the Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation forum -- that ended without any collective statement owing to US objections.

But for financial markets, the weekend's main course comes after the summit when Trump is due to sit down to dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping in Buenos Aires.

Trump, who has already slapped $250 billion in tariffs on China and threatened more to come next month, sounded upbeat about making progress with Xi.

"We're working very hard. If we could make a deal, that would be good," he said on Friday.

Trump has thrown out the traditional US playbook on free trade since his shock 2016 election, vowing to protect forgotten workers and demanding a renegotiation of the North American Free Trade Agreement with Canada and Mexico.

The three countries signed a new trade deal on Friday, on the G20 margins.

G20 summit in Argentina

The leader of communist China has in turn cast himself as a defender of stable global capitalism.

But in a rhetorical olive branch to Trump, Xi pledged at the G20 to do more to open up China's economy.
Aung San Suu Kyi has faced international criticism for refusing to speak out over the Rohingya crisis, and has been stripped of various honours by European countries

Myanmar's civilian leader Aung San Suu Kyi, who is facing international criticism over her country's crackdown on Rohingya Muslims, called Saturday for "a culture of peace" to end conflict between communities.

The Nobel Peace prize winner did not mention the Rohingya crisis -- which has led the United Nations to call for a genocide investigation -- in her keynote address to an international meeting organised by a group linked to the Unification Church.

"At the basis of conflict is ill-will which seeks to hurt and to destroy and thus to open the way to conflict, which in turn spews out an ever-renewing cycle of hate and fear, snuffing out the light of peace," Suu Kyi said.

Suu Kyi called for cooperation between nations to seek peace and mutual prosperity.

"Only by promoting a culture of peace in this world of interdependence will it be possible to create harmony between diverse countries and societies," she said.

Suu Kyi, whose position of state counsellor in Myanmar is considered the equivalent of a prime minister, has faced a wave of condemnation since Myanmar launched its military crackdown on the Rohingya in August 2017.

More than 700,000 have fled Myanmar's Rakhine state to camps in neighbouring Bangladesh. Many told horrific stories of widespread killings, rapes and villages razed to the ground.

Myanmar's military insists it only targeted Rohingya militants and Suu Kyi has deflected all criticism.

Other top officials at the meeting, which was accompanied by boosted security in the Nepali capital to head off protests, did not mention the conflict which has overshadowed many of Suu Kyi's international appearances.

Her speech at the Kathmandu meeting, backed by the Universal Peace Foundation, came a day after Paris announced will it will strip her of her honorary freedom of the French capital over her failure to speak out against the Rohingya crackdown.

The British cities of Glasgow, Edinburgh and Oxford have taken similar action against Suu Kyi over her refusal to condemn the military violence.

A UN rights team found evidence of widespread murder, rape, torture and arson, and called for top generals to be prosecuted for genocide, war crimes and crimes against humanity.

About 300 Rohingya live in Nepal and one of the refugee community based in Kathmandu, who requested anonymity, called for Nepal to raise their issue with Suu Kyi.

"We are suffering. I think if she wants to help us, she can," he said.
Outsiders are banned from going within five kilometres of the island to protect the tribe from diseases

Indian police believe two American missionaries encouraged John Allen Chau to go to a forbidden island where he was killed by an isolated tribe he was trying to convert, a top investigator said Saturday.

Dependra Pathak, head of police in the Andaman and Nicobar islands, told AFP the suspects had left India, and that there was still no sign of the body of Chau -- who was killed last month in a hail of arrows fired by the Sentinelese tribe.

"We are investigating the role of at least two Americans, a man and a woman, who met with the man who went to the island," Pathak said.

"These other two, who have since left the country, were reportedly into evangelical activities and encouraged him to visit the island."

The police chief did not name the couple nor give details of the organisation they belonged to.

Pathak said investigators had traced the two Americans through calls made to Chau's telephone phone. The Americans had "local mobile numbers", he added.

Chau, 26, was killed on November 17 on North Sentinel island in the Andamans in an incident that has cast a new spotlight on efforts to protect one of the world's last "uncontacted" tribes whose language and customs remain a mystery to outsiders.

Outsiders are banned from going within five kilometers (three miles) of the Indian Ocean island to protect the tribe from outside diseases.

Police have so far arrested seven people, including six fishermen who helped Chau get to the island. The fishermen reported Chau's death, and have since been helping to pinpoint the beach where the American missionary-adventurer was killed.

"So far, we have already done three reconnaissance trips near the island. We may yet go there again if needed to get a clearer picture of the sequence of events leading to the incident," said Pathak.

Police have also been looking out to see if the Sentinelese may have exhumed Chau's body at the beach where he was killed.

Two Indian fishermen were killed on the island in 2006 after their boat drifted onto North Sentinel. One week after their deaths, the bodies were put on stakes facing out to sea on the beach.

"One of the reasons we went there was to try to spot the man's body, especially if the Islanders exhumed it," Pathak said.

"Now it is about two weeks since the incident and it doesn't look likely that the American's body will be exhumed, wherever the islanders may have buried it."

Anthropologists and activists for isolated tribal communities have called on Indian authorities not to try to retrieve the body, saying such an operation would threaten the Sentinelese.
Protests in November paralysed large parts of the country and lead to thousands of arrests

A hardline cleric has been charged with terrorism and sedition offences by the Pakistani government, after he led violent protests to oppose the acquittal of a Christian woman from blasphemy charges, a minister said Saturday.

Firebrand cleric Khadim Hussain Rizvi and his party Tehreek-Labaik Pakistan (TLP) held furious protests after the Supreme Court overturned the death penalty for Asia Bibi in October.

Demonstrators blocked major roads in protest, burning cars and buses, and leaving large swathes of the country paralysed as they called for her execution to be carried out.

Rizvi was detained on November 24 after police launched a crackdown on hundreds of his supporters in Punjab province and the port city of Karachi.

Fawad Chaudhry, federal minister for information and broadcasting told reporters in Islamabad that sedition and terrorism charges had been made against Khadim Rizvi and other TLP leaders.

During the violent protests, one leader of TLP called for mutiny against the military chief, the murder of the judges who acquitted Asia Bibi, and branded Prime Minister Imran Khan as a "son of Jews."

Chaudhry said these charges can carry a life term in prison.

"Other people who were directly involved in destruction of properties, insulting women and snatching their purses, burning buses, have been charged in terrorism cases," he said, saying more than 3,000 people had been arrested in connection with the TLP protests.

The government signed an agreement with the protesters at that time to bring about a quick end to protests -- but launched a crackdown a few weeks later when the TLP threatened to launch another protest.

Blasphemy is a hugely inflammatory issue in Muslim-majority Pakistan, where even unproven allegations of insulting Islam and Prophet Mohammed can lead to lynchings and murders.

Bibi's conviction stemmed from a 2009 incident when she was asked to fetch water while out working in the fields.

Muslim women labourers objected to her touching the water bowl as a non-Muslim, and a fight reportedly erupted. A local imam then claimed Bibi insulted the Prophet Mohammed.

Bibi has consistently denied the charges, and her prosecution rallied international rights groups, politicians and religious figures.

She spent eight years on death row before the Supreme Court decision to free her.
In this April 25, 2013 former US Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush attend the George W. Bush Presidential Center dedication ceremony in Dallas, Texas

The death of former US president George H.W. Bush stirred bitter memories for Iraqis Saturday of "Mr Embargo" -- the man behind crushing sanctions they blame for ravaging their country.

Under Bush's command, US soldiers in 1991 drove invading Iraqi troops from Kuwait, which strongman Saddam Hussein had infamously dubbed his nation's 19th province.

Iraq was slammed with crippling global sanctions and an oil embargo that left many relying on ration cards and slim salaries for over a decade -- a period not easily forgotten by those who lived through it.

"For Iraqis, Bush has no honourable reputation. Not a shred of respectability," said Shamel Abdulqader, a 60-year-old writer in a cafe on Baghdad's famed Mutanabbi Street.

Iraqi women gather underneath a poster of Iraqi President Saddam Hussein as they watch a military parade 28 April 1993

He called the former US leader "a criminal and an aggressor" -- blaming him for the breakdown of ties with Iraq that the West pinned squarely on Saddam.

Starting in 1990, the United Nations Security Council imposed sanctions on Iraq that were seen as the toughest in UN history, with a near-total trade and financial embargo.

The sanctions were lifted in the years following the 2003 invasion of Iraq, led by Bush's son, but the shortages they brought are still fresh in the minds of Iraqis.

"Bush was Mr. Embargo -- he hit the Iraqi people hard," said Abdulqader, who sported a dark moustache and walked with a cane.

"In the end, it was the Iraqi people who paid the price."

- 'Destiny' -

Baghdad saw a period of relative prosperity during the 1970s, but the embargo laid waste to the economy that had emerged from eight years of brutal war with Iran in the 1980s.

"Iraq was on the fast-track to becoming a developed nation, with gross domestic product (GDP) tripling and high foreign currency reserves," said economic analyst Ahmad Subeih.

"When the embargo was imposed in 1990, it drained everything. GDP dropped from $33 billion to $16 billion because of it and 193 major firms closed," Subeih added.

Salaries plummeted by some 90 percent, he said.

Iraqi women queue up to for medicine at a pharmacy in Baghdad in 1998

To eke out a living, Iraqis sold their personal belongings and took up multiple jobs. Government employees moonlighted as taxi drivers and university professors would polish shoes in the streets for extra cash.

Even after sanctions were lifted, the economic impact of the conflict lived on.

Baghdad still has to pay reparations to Kuwait, so far doling out $47.9 billion to an estimated 1.5 million claimants.

Many Iraqis see a direct connection between Bush's 1991 intervention, the US-led invasion overseen by his son 12 years later, and the country's poor state today.

"It's Iraq's bitter destiny that the country's ruin and the destruction of its infrastructure was all tied to the Bush family," said Jamal al-Itabi, 70, tears welling up in his eyes.

- 'Nothing left' -

"We only remember him for death, pain, sadness, starvation, the destruction of infrastructure. Iraqis under siege ate dirt because of him," said Itabi.

"Then he sent us his son to occupy the country and sow the chaos that we still see today."

An Iraqi worker cleans a mosaic portrait of former US president George H. W. Bush at the entrance of Baghdad's Rasheed hotel on 20 January 2001

After the 1991 defeat, a mosaic of Bush was installed at the entrance to the landmark Rasheed Hotel in Baghdad, reportedly on Saddam's orders so that guests could insult the US leader by stepping on his face.

It was removed shortly after the 2003 invasion.

Mohammad al-Sheikh, 52, was himself a soldier during the first Gulf war and said Bush had "hurt" Iraq.

"He imposed an unjust siege on the children, youth, and elderly of Iraq," said Sheikh.

"We ate hay. We buried our dead far away from their hometowns. He bombed our schools and hospitals, even our power stations. We had nothing left."

Another Iraqi officer who took part in the fighting, but spoke on condition of anonymity, said Bush was remembered as a "criminal".

"It goes without saying that you won't find an Iraqi mourning him today," he told AFP.
Mourners place candles at the foot of a statue of George Bush at his presidential library in College Station, Texas, where he will be laid to rest next week

Flags flew at half-staff across the United States on Saturday as Americans prepared for a week of solemn tributes to George H.W. Bush, in his home state of Texas and in the US Capitol, a day after the former president died at age 94.

Tributes poured in from world leaders in memory of the 41st US president, who guided America through the end of the Cold War and launched the international campaign to drive Iraqi strongman Saddam Hussein's forces from Kuwait.

Many of those same leaders are expected to attend Bush's state funeral next week, alongside President Donald Trump and his wife Melania. Trump was notably absent from the funerals of the statesman's late wife Barbara, and of veteran fellow Republican John McCain.

Bush -- seen here in 1992 -- served one term as head of state before being defeated by Democrat Bill Clinton

Although the two Republican presidents were in many ways polar opposites -- the soft-spoken, patrician Bush reportedly once dismissed the blustering New Yorker as a "blowhard" and even voted for his rival Hillary Clinton -- Trump paid the late leader a gracious tribute, saying he had "inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service."

"His accomplishments were great from beginning to end," Trump tweeted.

Declaring a national day of mourning for December 5 -- when the federal government and New York Stock Exchange will close in Bush's honor -- Trump also signaled his respect by calling off a press conference planned at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires.

The days-long national farewell to Bush will begin Monday with a commemoration in Houston, where the Bushes lived for years and where he died on Friday surrounded by friends and family.

The US flag flies at half-staff at the World War II Memorial in Washington in tribute to former US president George H.W. Bush

From there, Bush's casket will travel to Washington on board Trump's presidential aircraft -- in what the US leader called "a special tribute that he deserves very much."

The former president will lie in state in the US Capitol between Monday and Wednesday ahead of a state funeral at the towering National Cathedral, expected to draw dozens of dignitaries from around the world.

Bush's remains will travel back to Texas on Wednesday, where he will lie in repose at St Martin's Episcopal Church in Houston with a funeral service the next day preceding his interment at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station. He will make his final journey aboard a funeral train.

Mourners attend a candlelight vigil organized by the Bush School of Government and Public Service at the George Bush Presidential Library in College Station, Texas

At the presidential library on Saturday, people came to sign the memorial book in Bush's honor, or lay flowers at the feet of his statue.

Chris Griffin, a student at the Bush School of Government and Public Service at Texas A&M University who helped organize a candlelight vigil Saturday, said: "I think his legacy is really what inspires all of us."

- 'Grace, civility and social conscience' -

George Bush led the US as the Soviet Union broke up -- here, he is seen in May 2005 with former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev in Moscow

Bush was a decorated World War II pilot, diplomat and onetime CIA chief who saw his son George follow in his footsteps to the Oval Office -- making them only the second father-son duo in American presidential history, after John and John Quincy Adams.

From former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev to current heads of state, leaders praised Bush both for his strength and his moderation, as well as the commitment to internationalism typified by his assembling of a global coalition to oust Iraqi invaders from Kuwait in 1991.

Jimmy Carter, now the oldest surviving former US president, said Bush's administration "was marked by grace, civility and social conscience."

Britain took the rare step of lowering flags in government buildings.

Gorbachev called him "a true partner" in winding down the Cold War, and French President Emmanuel Macron mourned the loss of a leader who "strongly supported the alliance with Europe."

Suffering from Parkinson's disease, Bush had been wheelchair-bound and in failing health. He is survived by his five living children and 17 grandchildren.

Former secretary of state James Baker recounted anecdotes from his longtime friend's final days to The New York Times.

He said Bush's last words were to the younger George, who was put on the speaker phone to say goodbye, saying he had been a "wonderful dad" and that he loved him.

"I love you, too," Bush replied.

- 'New world order' -

Flags were lowered at the White House in Bush's honor

Born on June 12, 1924 in Milton, Massachusetts into a wealthy political dynasty, Bush left school to join the US Navy during World War II. He was rescued at sea after being shot down over the Pacific.

After graduating from Yale University, he briefly worked in the Texas oil industry.

But the world of politics was calling this son of a US senator.

He served in the US House of Representatives, as Washington's envoy to China and as chief of the Central Intelligence Agency before becoming Ronald Reagan's vice president.

Eight years later, in accepting his party's nomination for president in 1988, Bush pleaded for a "kinder, and gentler nation."

Bush was a foreign policy pragmatist who led the United States through the turbulent end of the Cold War and the fall of the Soviet Union.

He declared a "new world order" in 1990 and -- backed by a 32-nation coalition -- drove Iraq from Kuwait with a lightning air and ground assault.

The crushing sanctions he imposed on Iraq, however, were blamed by Iraqis for thousands of deaths, drawing him the bitter nickname of "Mr Embargo."

And Panamanians said his invasion of their country in 1989 claimed hundreds of civilian lives.

But it was primarily a weak economy at home that cost him the 1992 election, won by upstart Democrat Bill Clinton.

In his later years, Bush turned to philanthropy, joining forces with Clinton to raise funds for victims of the 2004 Asian tsunami and the 2010 Haiti earthquake, and with ex-presidents Clinton, Carter, Barack Obama and son George to raise money for hurricane victims in Texas last year.
Many Russians resent Bush for the loss of Moscow's superpower status

Many Russians praised the late US president George H.W. Bush on Saturday for helping end the Cold War but some argued he helped trigger the collapse of the USSR and misled Moscow on NATO's expansion plans.

The last Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev was among those saluting the 41st US president for ending the arms race but Moscow's simultaneous fall from superpower status remains a source of festering resentment in Russia.

Bush and Gorbachev declared the end of the Cold War at a historic summit in December, 1989, only weeks after the fall of the Berlin Wall.

Following decades of post-war rivalry and a costly arms race between Washington and Moscow, Bush expressed his support for Gorbachev's "perestroika" reforms.

In 1991, the Soviet Union was gone and the new Russia plunged into economic chaos. Two years later Bush confidently declared that "we are the only remaining superpower", a remark that still rankles in Moscow.

President Vladimir Putin on Saturday called Bush "an outstanding man" and stressed his good personal ties with him.

"George Bush senior has done a lot to strengthen Russian-American cooperation on issues of international security," he said in a telegram to his son George W. Bush.

But Putin conspicuously avoided any mention of the Cold War or the Soviet Union whose collapse the Russian president once called the "greatest geopolitical catastrophe" of the 20th century.

- 'Cannot forgive him' -

"Many Russians cannot forgive him for the collapse of the Soviet Union," Konstantin Kalachev, head of the Political Expert Group think tank in Moscow, told AFP.

Kalachev said the Bush administration promised the Soviet leadership that NATO would not be allowed to expand eastward.

Gorbachev called Bush 'a true partner'

The fact that those promises would later be broken "have become the main reason of the current crisis in ties between Russia and the West", said Konstantin Kosachev, head of the Senate's international relations committee.

At the same time Bush's name was still associated with the "peak of trust" between Moscow and Washington, said Kosachev.

"I believe Bush was very sincere in his desire to establish good relations with the USSR and then with Russia," Kosachev said on Facebook.

Gorbachev -- himself much-criticised for the break-up of the Soviet Union -- called Bush a "true partner" in ending the Cold War.

- 'Dramatic time' -

"We had the chance to work together during the time of enormous changes," the 87-year-old said in comments carried by the Interfax news agency.

"And this was a dramatic time which called for huge responsibility from everyone. The result was the end of the Cold War and the arms race," he said, praising Bush for his contribution "to this historic achievement".

In 1991, Gorbachev and Bush signed the Strategic Arms Reductions Treaty, START I, committing the two superpowers to cut their stockpiles of long-range nuclear weapons.

The 'peak of trust'

It was the first agreement to call for deep reductions of US and Russian strategic nuclear weapons. Further reductions were spelled out in the START II treaty signed by Bush and the first Russian president Boris Yeltsin in 1993.

- 'Far from Bush era' -

But the start in 1991 of what would be called Operation Desert Storm to expel occupying Iraqi forces from Kuwait is also seen by many in Russia as contributing to the breakdown in trust between Moscow and Washington, Kalachev said.

Nearly three decades later, Russia and the US are in the throes of a new East-West drama, after ties rapidly deteriorated under Yeltsin's successor Putin amid crises including Ukraine and Syria.

Moscow and the West accuse each other of dismantling a global arms control system and the fate of the New START -- a successor to the START I - is unclear.

'Far from the Bush era'

Tensions have recently reached a new peak, with US President Donald Trump cancelling a summit with Putin in Argentina over Moscow's seizure of three Ukrainian ships.

Some said Bush's death served as a fresh reminder that the Russia-US thaw was short-lived and a new arms race was looming.

Today, said Kosachev, we are far "from the Bush era."
Donald Trump paid a gracious tribute to the late George H.W. Bush, but the contrast between the 41st and 45th US presidents is stark

One US president talked softly, the other harangues. One built international coalitions, the other tears them up. One was a war hero, the other avoided battle.

One was called George H.W. Bush and the other, Donald Trump, is in the White House today.

Trump was among the first of present and past world leaders to praise the life of the 41st president, who died Friday in Houston at 94.

But even Trump's gracious overnight statement highlighted an undeniable -- and uncomfortable -- contrast between the man being remembered and the man doing the eulogizing.

"Hope," "humble," "quiet," "unflappable," "inspired." Words like these dotted the five paragraphs sent from Buenos Aires, where Trump was attending the G20 summit.

They sounded foreign in Washington's current, brutal political landscape -- still more so in the White House.

Bush, who married his teenaged sweetheart, certainly lived a life far removed from the scandals that have dogged Trump, who notably stands accused of paying off a porn star to keep a lid on their secret tryst.

Bush was soft-spoken, steeped in etiquette and diplomatic niceties.

Trump is a zero-sum competitor, a self-described dealmaker whose transactions -- from his New York real estate beginnings to the China trade war -- depend on brinksmanship and often well-timed insults.

Where Bush, an experienced diplomat, was famous for putting together the enormous Desert Storm alliance to push Iraq out of Kuwait in 1991, Trump openly scorns multilateralism.

Even the 45th president himself would never claim to share Bush's old-school manners, perhaps epitomized by the hand-written note that Bush left his election vanquisher Bill Clinton on inauguration day in 1993, wishing him "great happiness."

So Bush's passing immediately left some in Washington in a wistful mood.

"Today boasting & insults are viewed as strong leadership while humility & dignity are viewed as weakness," tweeted Senator Marco Rubio, a man who felt the full force of Trump's competitive instincts when they clashed in the 2016 race for the Republican presidential nomination.

"The passing of our 41st President," Rubio wrote, "reminds us of what true leadership looks like."

- 'Kinder, gentler' -

Bush's biographical details alone stand in stark opposition to those of Trump.

He was a decorated US Navy pilot in World War II, narrowly escaping death at just 20.

He not only worked up through the ranks of elected office, but served as CIA director, UN ambassador and vice president, making him supremely qualified by the time he won the highest office, where he would help to ensure a peaceful end to the Cold War.

Trump certainly has a colorful past in the cutthroat Manhattan business world. His insurgent 2016 election, requiring him to overcome both the Republican establishment and then his Democratic opponent Hillary Clinton, stunned friend and foe alike.

But where Bush rushed to join up for war, the young Trump secured no less than five deferments to avoid being drafted to his generation's big conflict, Vietnam.

Where Bush proved his lifelong dedication to US traditions and political institutions, Trump came in with a self-declared mission to turn them upside down.

And where Bush famously called for a "kinder and gentler nation," Trump revels in his image as a tough talker.

"Horseface," "weak," crooked," "slimeball," "loser" are just some of the insults he has thrown out, as president, against those crossing his path.

The top Senate Democrat, Chuck Schumer -- whom Trump loves to label "Cryin' Chuck Schumer" -- said Bush's ability to talk to opponents was what he really misses.

"His yearning for a kinder and gentler nation seems more needed now than when he first called for it," Schumer said.
Mohammed bin Salman told associates that if he couldn't convince Khashoggi to return home, "we could possibly lure him outside Saudi Arabia and make arrangements"

In the hours leading up to journalist Jamal Khashoggi's brutal killing, Saudi Arabia's crown prince sent at least 11 messages to his closest advisor who was charged with overseeing the murder, the Wall Street Journal said Saturday quoting a CIA assessment.

Mohammed bin Salman also told associates in August last year that if he failed to persuade Khashoggi to return to Saudi Arabia, "we could possibly lure him outside Saudi Arabia and make arrangements" -- a communication the Central Intelligence Agency said "seems to foreshadow the Saudi operation launched against Khashoggi."

The Journal said it had reviewed excerpts of the highly classified intelligence document, which relied on electronic intercepts and other clandestine information.

Khashoggi, a trenchant critic of the crown prince who relocated to Virginia and wrote op-eds for the Washington Post, was killed by Saudi operatives inside the kingdom's Istanbul consulate on October 2, triggering global condemnation.

After initially denying the murder, Saudi Arabia acknowledged some liability but blamed his death on a "rogue" operation.

The Journal reported in November that the CIA had concluded Prince Mohammed had likely personally ordered the killing.

President Donald Trump, who has been accused of covering for the Saudi leadership, appeared to challenge that assessment about the prince, saying "maybe he did, maybe he didn't."

The newspaper said that excerpts of the assessment it had not previously reported state that the CIA has "medium-to-high confidence" that Prince Mohammed "personally targeted" Khashoggi and "probably ordered his death" -- but added: "To be clear, we lack direct reporting of the Crown Prince issuing a kill order."

The electronic messages were said to have been sent by Prince Mohammed to Saud al-Qahtani, who supervised the 15-man team that killed Khashoggi, the paper said.

The contents of the messages weren't known, it added, citing the assessment, which also did not reveal the format of electronic communication.
Speaking of a 2003 agreement assuring Russian and Ukrainian ships free passage through the waterway between the Azov Sea and Black Sea, Defense Secretary Jim Mattis said Moscow had shown "brazen contempt and dismissal" for the deal

US Defense Secretary Jim Mattis on Saturday blasted Moscow following the Russian navy's "brazen" violation of a waterway treaty with Kiev and the seizure of three Ukrainian vessels.

Speaking of a 2003 agreement governing the Kerch Strait between the Azov Sea and Black Sea, Mattis said Moscow had shown "brazen contempt and dismissal" for the deal "that allowed both Russian and Ukrainian ships free passage."

Mattis was speaking before an audience at a defense forum in California, a day after President Donald Trump went out of his way to dodge Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, citing the capture of the Ukrainian ships.

The defense chief's remarks represent some of the strongest reaction to date by the US over the incident.

Last week, US Ambassador Nikki Haley to the UN accused Russia of "outlaw actions" and an "outrageous violation of sovereign Ukrainian territory" while addressing an emergency meeting of the Security Council.

Tensions between Ukraine and Russia spiked on November 25 when Russian forces opened fire on and seized three Ukrainian navy vessels, detaining the 24 crew members.

It was the first open military confrontation between the rivals since 2014, when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimea peninsula and pro-Russian separatists in the east entered into conflict with Ukrainian forces.

Mattis also blamed Russian President Vladimir Putin for President Donald Trump's decision in October to withdraw from the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty (INF).

"We are dealing with Putin's duplicitous violation of the INF treaty," he said, noting that while the US remains in compliance, Russia does not.

"We will re-energize our arms control efforts, but the onus is on Russia," he said.
Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman is set to spend two days in Algeria

Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will arrive in Algiers on Sunday, Algerian state media said, for a visit that has been roundly criticised due to the killing of a dissident journalist.

His two day visit comes as part of "the close brotherly relations between the two countries", Algeria's presidency said on Saturday, in a statement quoted by the official APS news agency.

The trip is meant to give "new impetus to biliteral cooperation (and) the realisation of partnerships and investment projects", the statement said.

The crown prince set off last week on his first foreign tour since the grisly murder of Washington Post columnist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul consulate on October 2.

Khashoggi's killing has put mounting pressure on Riyadh and Prince Mohammed, who Turkish officials -- and reportedly the CIA -- have concluded was behind the critic's death.

Saudi authorities have vehemently denied the crown prince was involved in the murder, although Riyadh has admitted he was killed at the Istanbul consulate.

In Algeria, his planned visit has sparked an outcry from journalists, politicians and intellectuals.

Secretary General of the leftist Workers' Party Louisa Hanoun called Prince Mohammed's visit a "provocation".

Abderrazak Makri, head of the Islamist Movement of Society for Peace, told reporters the Crown Prince's visit "does not serve Algeria's image nor its reputation".

"He is responsible for the death of a large number of children and civilians in Yemen, the jailing of many Saudi citizens who did not commit a crime, and lastly, the crime against Jamal Khashoggi," he said.

In a statement obtained by AFP, 17 prominent journalists and intellectuals sharply criticised the Saudi leader.

"The world is certain that he ordered a terrible crime against the journalist Jamal Khashoggi," they wrote.

Among the signatories were writer and journalist Kamel Daoud and prominent novelist Rachid Boudjedra.

Prince Mohammed has in recent days travelled to the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Egypt and Tunisia, before heading to Buenos Aires on Wednesday for the G20 summit.

His visit to Tunis was greeted by demonstrations against Khashoggi's murder and the war in Yemen.
The airport in Aden will become Yemen's main airport, the country's foreign minister has said.

Yemen's foreign minister on Saturday said that the government-controlled city of Aden will be home to the country's main airport, in the midst of talks to reopen the rebel-held international airport in the capital Sanaa.

"We are ready to reopen Sanaa international airport today... but we have a vision that Aden will be the sovereign airport of Yemen," Khaled al-Yamani told AFP in his first interview since the talks opened in Sweden on Thursday.

Yemen's capital has been held by Huthi rebels since 2014, when the insurgents drove the government out and seized a string of ports across the country's coastline.

The government of Abedrabbo Mansour Hadi has since fought to drive the Iran-backed rebels back, supported since 2015 by a behemoth military coalition led by Saudi Arabia -- Tehran's regional archrival.

The conflict has triggered what the UN calls the world's worst humanitarian crisis, with 14 million people now at the brink of famine. Nearly 10,000 people have been killed in under four years, according to conservative estimates.

The warring parties convened in the rural Swedish village of Rimbo on Thursday for UN-brokered talks which will not, officials say, find a political solution to the conflict.

Sanaa international airport has been defunct for years, severely damaged in air raids by the Saudi-led coalition, which controls Yemeni airspace.

A government proposal to allow flights to and from Sanaa was categorically rejected by the rebels Friday.

Among the conditions set by the government are mandatory transit points in Aden and Sayoun, another government-held city, for plane inspections.

The Saudi-backed coalition accuses the Huthis of smuggling arms from Iran through Sanaa as well as Hodeida, the rebel-held Red Sea city home to Yemen's most valuable port. Iran denies the charge.

Foreign Minister Yamani said a government demand for a full rebel withdrawal from the city and port of Hodeida were non-negotiable.

"As concerns the port... We accept that it works under the administration that ran the port in 2014, and we are ready to coordinate with the UN on supervision and the reinforcement of port operations," said Yamani.

"But the port must remain sovereign, part of the work of the Yemeni transport ministry which is in charge of Yemeni borders and ports."
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Divisions among the world leading economies emerged from the moment their leaders gathered Friday in Argentina: Donald Trump struck his own deals and angered allies, and the leaders of Russia and Saudi Arabia bonded amid criticism from European powers.

U.S. negotiators blocked progress at the Group of 20 summit on managing migration, slowing climate change, and streamlining how world trade is governed, according to European officials involved in the discussions.

Security concerns also weighed on the two-day talks in Buenos Aires. Argentina's security minister said eight gasoline bombs were discovered in an area of the capital several miles from the summit venue where a protest in the afternoon drew thousands of demonstrators who held up banners with slogans like "Go away G-20" and "Go away Trump."

The whole point of the G-20 - formed in the wake of the global financial crisis a decade ago - is finding ways to solve global problems together, but diplomats in Buenos Aires struggled to find enough things all the leaders agree on.

Trump sought to use the summit to make his own trade deals, and angered the Argentine hosts by misconstruing their position on China's trade practices.

Meanwhile, two men under heavy criticism from the West lately - Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman - appeared to seek refuge in each other, bonding with a tough-guy hand grab as the leaders sat down around a huge round table for talks.

President Donald Trump and other heads of state react to Mexico's President Enrique Pena Neto, throwing his hands up, being the last one to arrive for the family photo at the G20 summit, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Argentine President Mauricio Macri kicked off the summit by acknowledging divisions within the G-20 while urging world leaders to have a "sense of urgency" and take actions "based on shared interests."

Diplomats from the Group of 20 countries were haggling hard over a final summit statement, with deep divisions over what language to use on the Paris climate accord and the World Trade Organization.

Two European officials involved in the discussions said the U.S. was stymieing progress on both.

So an unorthodox solution emerged: An official in the French president's office said the statement may have language that sets the U.S. apart. For example, a draft says 19 of the participants agree on the importance of upholding the Paris climate accord, but the U.S. doesn't.

Asked about the European concerns, a U.S. official said progress was being made on the joint statement and the White House was "optimistic" about the document as a whole.

Later the Argentine official shepherding the G-20 finance talks, treasury official Laura Jaitman, said Trump was "very active and committed" in the dialogue and said progress was made in Friday's talks on finance and trade.

"There's a very positive message of how trade has been an engine of growth for the next decades and how it will continue in the future providing benefits for all citizens," Jaitman said.

Argentine Foreign Minister Jorge Faurie said trade talks were moving forward and nations were continuing to work on climate change wording.

Despite Trump's dismissal of concerns about global warming, China, France and the United Nations came together Friday to pledge their support for the Paris climate accord. Their declaration was meant to encourage other G-20 members to do the same, and to provide a boost for an upcoming U.N. climate summit.

Overall the G-20 summit is meant to focus on issues such as labor, infrastructure, development, financial stability, climate sustainability and international commerce.

But as the gathering got underway, those themes seemed like afterthoughts, overshadowed by contentious matters from the U.S.-China trade dispute to the Russia-Ukraine conflict.

Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over the weekend seizure of Ukrainian ships and their crew - which Trump cited in canceling a much-awaited meeting with Putin at the G-20. Russia's foreign minister regretted the cancellation, but said "love can't be forced."

Also looming large amid dozens of bilateral meetings in Buenos Aires: The gruesome slaying of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabia's Istanbul Consulate and how the Saudi crown prince, who is alleged to have ordered the killing, is received by world leaders.

As soon as he arrived, the crown prince was confronted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who pressed him on the Khashoggi investigation and the Saudi-backed war in Yemen.

Bin Salman told Macron not to worry, but Macron countered, "I am worried."

Saudi Arabia has denied that bin Salman played a role, but some leaders were concerned about seeming to legitimize a man who U.S. intelligence agencies concluded ordered the killing. Trump's administration, however, has made clear it does not want to torpedo the longstanding U.S. relationship with Riyadh.

It is the prince's first significant appearance overseas since the killing. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, who has been sharply critical of Saudi Arabia over the incident, is also in attendance.

Leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico, meanwhile, met in the morning to sign a trade deal replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement that was struck following months of tough negotiations that analysts say left a bitter taste among the partners.

It must still be ratified by lawmakers in all three countries, and passage in the U.S. could face a tough road in the House of Representatives after Democrats won a majority in November midterm elections.

While Trump canceled his meeting with Putin, the U.S. president was still scheduled to meet with Chinese President Xi Jinping, but analysts were not optimistic about prospects for a major breakthrough on the two countries' trade disputes a month before U.S. tariffs on Chinese goods are set to ramp up.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel arrived late after her plane suffered a technical problem.

British Prime Minister Theresa May's attendance at the summit marked the first time a U.K. prime minister has visited Argentina's capital. The only other prime minister to visit the country was Tony Blair, who went to Puerto Iguazu in 2001. The two countries have long been at odds over the South Atlantic islands known as the Falklands in Britain and the Malvinas in Argentina.

Faurie, the Argentine foreign minister, said the recent establishment of more flights to the disputed islands was a positive development.

"We are not withdrawing our historic claim," he added. "The focus of this opportunity is in the reestablishment of trust."

In downtown Buenos Aires, meanwhile, thousands of demonstrators flooded the 9 de Julio Avenue waving flags and holding up banners. Several marched topless with colorful national flags of summit countries painted on their chests."

About 22,000 police officers and other security forces are guarding the leaders during the summit.

Argentina is the first South American country to host the G-20, and officials have the added challenge of ensuring that chaos is better contained than it was at last year's meeting in Hamburg, Germany, where clashes broke out between police and protesters.

Argentine authorities have said they will not tolerate violence or allow the gathering to be disrupted.

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Associated Press writers Almudena Calatrava and Debora Rey in Buenos Aires and Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

Protesters carry a banner with a face of President Donald Trump during a march against the G20 summit being held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized nations are meeting in Buenos Aires for two days starting today. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Leaders attending the G20 Summit pose for the family photo at the Costa Salguero Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, left, and Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, right, wait for other heads of state for the group photo at the start of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized nations are meeting in Buenos Aires for two days starting today.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump, center, reaches out to Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto, left, and Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as they prepare to sign a new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that is replacing the NAFTA trade deal, during a ceremony at a hotel before the start of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. The USMCA, as Trump refers to it, must still be approved by lawmakers in all three countries. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Riot police block an avenue as protesters march against the G20 summit being held in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized nations are meeting in Buenos Aires for two days starting today. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

From the left, President of Brazil Michel Temer, President of Russia Vladimir Putin, President of South Africa Cyril Ramaphosa, President of China Xi Jinping, and Prime Minister of India Narendra Modi pose for a photo at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized nations are meeting in Buenos Aires for two days starting today. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - President Donald Trump signed a revised North American trade pact with the leaders of Canada and Mexico on Friday, declaring the deal a major victory for workers. But tensions over tariffs, looming GM layoffs and questions about the pact's prospects in Congress clouded the celebratory moment.

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement is meant to replace the 24-year-old North American Free Trade Agreement, which Trump has long denigrated as a "disaster." The leaders signed the new deal on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires after two years of frequently blistering negotiations. Each country's legislature still must approve.

"This has been a battle, and battles sometimes make great friendships, so it's really terrific," Trump said, before lining up next to Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to sign three copies of the deal - Trump using a black marker for his signature scrawl.

The signing came at the beginning of a packed two days of diplomacy for the American president that will conclude with high-stakes talks Saturday with Chinese President Xi Jinping on ways to ease an escalating trade war between the two countries.

"There's some good signs," Trump said. "We'll see what happens."

For the new North American trade deal, legislative approval is the next step. That could prove a difficult task in the United States, especially now that Democrats - instead of Trump's Republicans - will control the House come January. Democrats and their allies in the labor movement are already demanding changes.

President Donald Trump, center, shakes hands with Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau as Mexico's President Enrique Pena Nieto looks on after they signed a new United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement that is replacing the NAFTA trade deal, during a ceremony at a hotel before the start of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. The USMCA, as Trump refers to it, must still be approved by lawmakers in all three countries. (AP Photo/Martin Mejia)

Within hours of the signing, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said the deal must have stronger labor and environmental protections in order to get majority support in Congress and "must prove to be a net benefit to middle-class families and working people."

Democratic House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi - who is seeking to become House speaker in the new year - quipped, "The trade agreement formerly known as Prince - no, I mean, formerly known as NAFTA, is a work in progress."

Still, Trump projected confidence, saying: "It's been so well reviewed I don't expect to have very much of a problem."

Trump is describing USMCA as a landmark trade agreement. But most companies are just relieved that it largely preserves the status quo established by NAFTA: a regional trade bloc that allows most products to travel between the United States, Canada and Mexico duty free. During the negotiations, Trump repeatedly threatened to pull out, a move that would have disrupted businesses that have built complicated supply chains that straddle the borders of the three countries.

The new agreement does make some changes to the way business is done in North America. It updates the trade pact to reflect the rise of the digital economy since the original NAFTA took effect nearly a quarter century ago. It gives U.S. dairy farmers a bit more access to the protected Canadian market.

The biggest changes target the auto industry. The new deal encourages auto companies to invest or expand in the United States and Canada, not low-wage Mexico, by requiring that 40 percent of a car's content be made where auto workers earn at least $16 an hour; otherwise, the cars won't qualify for USMCA's duty-free treatment.

Trudeau said the deal "lifts the risk of serious economic uncertainty" and said Canada worked hard for a "new, modernized agreement." But he also used the ceremony to call on Trump to remove steel and aluminum tariffs the U.S. slapped on Canada and Mexico. Trudeau also referenced recent downsizing moves by GM in North America as a "heavy blow."

Pena Nieto, who will hand off to his successor Saturday, said he was honored to be at the signing on the final day of his administration, calling it the culmination of a long process "that allow us to overcome differences and to conciliate our visions."

Before Trump arrived in Argentina he injected additional drama into the proceedings by canceling a planned meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Also of interest was whether Trump would have an encounter with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who was attending amid global dismay over the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Trump gathered with the leaders for a traditional group photo, but did not appear to acknowledge Putin or the crown prince as he walked by. A senior White House official said Trump and bin Salman exchanged pleasantries during a subsequent leaders' session. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the crown prince's situation.

Trump told reporters later: "We had no discussion. We might, but we had none."

The president insisted he canceled his meeting with Putin because of Russia's actions in Ukraine and not because of the federal investigation into Russian interference in his own election.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders made the same point: "On the basis of what took place with respect to the ships and the sailors, that was the sole reason."

Trump announced via Twitter Thursday that he was canceling the planned meeting with Putin over Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels. The abrupt announcement came not long after his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, admitted lying to Congress to cover up that he was negotiating a real estate deal in Moscow on Trump's behalf during the Republican presidential primary in 2016. The news ensured any meeting with Putin would have put a spotlight on the U.S. special counsel's investigation into whether the Trump campaign colluded with Moscow during the election. Trump has denied any wrongdoing.

Russia's foreign minister Sergey Lavrov called the cancellation a missed opportunity, saying in remarks from Buenos Aires that were carried by Russian state television that he doubted "this move would help settling a number of important international problems." He added: "Love can't be forced."

Trump opened Friday with a cordial meeting at the Casa Rosada with Argentine President Mauricio Macri, a longtime business acquaintance. Posing for photos in the gilded Salon Blanco, Trump said they would discuss trade, military purchases and other issues.

The U.S. businessman-turned-politician noted he had worked with Macri's father on real estate developments and joked that when he and Macri first met they'd never have imagined their future roles on the world stage.

Trump and First Lady Melania Trump concluded the evening with the other leaders at a formal dinner and cultural performance at Teatro Colon.

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Associated Press writers Rob Gillies in Toronto and Deb Riechmann, Darlene Superville and Paul Wiseman in Washington contributed to this report.

President Donald Trump, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Mexico's President Enrique Pena Neto, left, participate in the USMCA signing ceremony, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Argentina's President Mauricio Macri and his wife Juliana Awada greet President Donald Trump and first lady Melania Trump at the Teatro Colon for the G20 leaders dinner, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - Ukraine toughened its stance in its increasingly tense confrontation with Russia on Friday, banning entry to all Russian men of fighting age in what Ukraine's president said was an effort to prevent the Kremlin from destabilizing the country.

The ban will last 30 days - as long as the martial law introduced this week in much of Ukraine after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews.

The naval incident further escalated the tug-of-war that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine. It also has prompted global concern and renewed Western criticism of Russia, with the U.S. and its allies expressing support for Ukraine.

Yet, both sides could gain from this. By opening fire on the Ukrainian vessels, Moscow reinforced its message that Crimea is Russian for good. In Ukraine, President Petro Poroshenko is likely to benefit from the martial law he imposed. His approval ratings have been plummeting ahead of March's presidential election, and playing up the Russian threat could help him get re-elected.

In a meeting with security officials, Poroshenko said the ban targeting men between the ages of 16 and 60 should prevent Russian servicemen disguised as civilians from sneaking into the country as they did in Ukraine's east, where Moscow backed the separatist insurgency with troops and weapons in a conflict that has left more than 10,000 people dead.

Ukraine long has imposed entry restrictions on Russian men and the latest move will further tighten them, hurting bilateral trade and other exchanges across the nearly 2,300-kilometer (1,425-mile) border.

A Ukrainian border guard checks documents of a man who is going to cross the border to Russia at the checkpoint at the border with Russia in Hoptivka, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukrainian officials announced earlier on Friday that all Russian men aged between 16 and 60 will be barred from entering Ukraine for the duration of the 30-day-long martial law. (AP Photo/Pavlo Pakhomenko)

Residents of towns and villages on both sides of the frontier make regular cross-border trips to see relatives and shop at local markets, but they won't be able to do so for the duration of the ban.

Cultural exchanges were also caught in cross-fire. Bolshoi Theater's soloist Andrei Merkuriev said he was denied entry to Ukraine to attend a ballet show that he staged in the southern port city of Odessa.

In Russia, officials and lawmakers reacted with dismay but said that they wouldn't retaliate to avoid hurting ordinary Ukrainians.

Poroshenko's move follows Thursday's decision by U.S. President Donald Trump to scrap his much-anticipated meeting with Russian leader Vladimir Putin at the G-20 summit in Buenos Aires. Trump said it wasn't appropriate for him to meet with Putin since Russia hasn't released the Ukrainian ships and their crews.

The latest confrontation began last weekend as the three small vessels tried to pass through the narrow Kerch Strait separating Russia's mainland from Crimea. The Russian coast guard refused to let them pass from the Black Sea into the Sea of Azov, and after many tense hours of maneuvering fired on the Ukrainian boats and seized them along with 24 crewmen. Ukraine charged that its ships were in international waters, while Russia claimed the boats were violating its border.

A Crimean court ruled this week that the Ukrainian seamen will remain behind bars for two months pending Russia's investigation into the clash. Activists said they have been taken to a jail in Moscow.

Russia's Foreign Ministry spokeswoman, Maria Zakharova, claimed Friday that Moscow had demonstrated an exemplary patience, trying to prevent the Ukrainian ships from coming through for most of the weekend.

"Not a single country in the world except us would spend the entire day running after those madmen in its territorial waters, calling them, asking who they were and trying to stop them," she said.

There were signs tensions wouldn't be letting up any time soon. Russian RT television on Friday broadcast footage of a convoy of massive vehicles carrying long-range Bal anti-ship missiles moving toward Kerch, near the area where the naval incident occurred.

Meanwhile, a separate fight has been brewing between Kiev and Moscow over the Orthodox Church.

For centuries, the Ukrainian church has been part of the Russian Orthodox Church. Now, it's moving close to forming an independent church, a momentous step pushed by Poroshenko that would split the world's largest Orthodox denomination. The Russian Orthodox Church and Russian authorities have strongly condemned the move, warning it could trigger sectarian violence.

Ukrainian authorities have sought to portray the Russian Orthodox in Ukraine as supporting Russian-backed separatists in eastern Ukraine - claims that have been rejected by its clerics.

Ukraine's domestic security agency SBU said Friday it had searched the home of Father Pavlo, who leads the ancient Pechersk Monastery in Kiev, for supposedly "inciting hatred," accusations he vehemently denied. The Pechersk Monastery, the main spiritual center of Ukraine, is under the jurisdiction of the Russian Orthodox Church.

"I'm feeling the pressure from all sides. But I would like to assure you that I am part of the holy church and I do not recognize any other church," Father Pavlo said, speaking by the ornate gilded altar at one of the monastery's cathedrals.

The search of the cleric's home came a day after Poroshenko announced that the Constantinople patriarchy had approved a decree granting the Ukrainian Orthodox Church independence from the Russian Orthodox Church, a major boost to the president's approval ratings as he runs for re-election.

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Vasilyeva reported from Moscow. Vladimir Isachenkov in Moscow contributed to this report.

A woman walks to cross the checkpoint at the border with Russia in Hoptivka, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukrainian officials announced earlier on Friday that all Russian men aged between 16 and 60 will be barred from entering Ukraine for the duration of the 30-day-long martial law. (AP Photo/Pavlo Pakhomenko)

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko, left, leads the National Security and Defence Council meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukraine's president says that the country has barred Russian men between 16 and 60 from traveling to the country. The move comes as the long-simmering conflict between the two nations escalated in the Black Sea on Sunday. President Petro Poroshenko has tweeted that the restrictions on Russian travelers have been taken in order to prevent the Russians from forming "private armies" fighting on Ukrainian soil. (Mykhailo Markiv, Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko leads the National Security and Defence Council meeting in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukraine's president says that the country has barred Russian men between 16 and 60 from traveling to the country. The move comes as the long-simmering conflict between the two nations escalated in the Black Sea on Sunday. President Petro Poroshenko has tweeted that the restrictions on Russian travelers have been taken in order to prevent the Russians from forming "private armies" fighting on Ukrainian soil. (Mykhailo Markiv, Presidential Press Service via AP, Pool)

Bolshoi Theater soloist Andrei Merkuriev speaks during an interview with The Associated Press with the Bolshoi Teather in the background, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Merkuriev said he was barred from entering Ukraine as part of martial law restrictions barring entry to all Russian men aged between 16 and 60. He was expected at the ballet Scream choreographed in Odessa. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

Bolshoi Theater soloist Andrei Merkuriev speaks during an interview with The Associated Press in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Merkuriev said he was barred from entering Ukraine as part of martial law restrictions barring entry to all Russian men aged between 16 and 60. He was expected at the ballet Scream choreographed in Odessa. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)

A view of the 1000-year old Monastery of Caves in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. The Ukrainian intelligence agency is searching the home of the father superior of Kiev's biggest and oldest monastery which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

A view of the 1000-year old Monastery of Caves in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. The Ukrainian intelligence agency is searching the home of the father superior of Kiev's biggest and oldest monastery which is part of the Russian Orthodox Church. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Father Pavlo, who leads the Pechersk Monastery under the Moscow Patriarchate speaks during a briefing in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukraine's intelligence agency announced it was investigating a senior cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church and its agents on Friday searched the home of Father Pavlo, who leads the Pechersk Monastery in Kiev. The agency said he was suspected of "inciting hatred," accusations that he vehemently denied. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

Father Pavlo, who leads the Pechersk Monastery under the Moscow Patriarchate speaks during a briefing in Kiev, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukraine's intelligence agency announced it was investigating a senior cleric of the Russian Orthodox Church and its agents on Friday searched the home of Father Pavlo, who leads the Pechersk Monastery in Kiev. The agency said he was suspected of "inciting hatred," accusations that he vehemently denied. (AP Photo/Efrem Lukatsky)

An entrance of the Lefortovo prison, in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Kogershyn Sagiyeva, a member of the Moscow oversight council, told the television station Dozhd that 21 seamen are already at the Moscow Lefortovo jail while three other seamen are in a hospital in another jail. She said she met with some of the seamen and they appeared to be in good shape. (AP Photo/Vladimir Kondrashov)

Stray dogs run past the checkpoint at the border with Russia in Hoptivka, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukrainian officials announced earlier on Friday that all Russian men aged between 16 and 60 will be barred from entering Ukraine for the duration of the 30-day-long martial law. (AP Photo/Pavlo Pakhomenko)

Passengers leave a train after traveling from Odessa, Ukraine, at Kievsky (Kiev) railway station in Moscow, Russia, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukrainian officials announced earlier on Friday that all Russian men aged between 16 and 60 will be barred from entering Ukraine for the duration of the 30-day-long martial law. (AP Photo/Alexander Zemlianichenko)
LONDON (AP) - British Prime Minister Theresa May accused the opposition Labour Party of betraying the British people by trying to stop Brexit as she went on the offensive Friday in her battle to win approval of the widely criticized divorce agreement she negotiated with the European Union.

With less than two weeks to go before a vote in the House of Commons, May is trying to win support from lawmakers of all parties who have balked at the deal. She declined to entertain questions about what alternative she might offer if the current agreement is rejected Dec. 11.

"I've got a plan, I've got a proposal, I've got the deal that I've negotiated," she said ahead of the G-20 summit in Argentina. "We don't see any alternative coming forward from the Labour Party. ... Instead, what I see from Labour is an attempt to frustrate what the government is doing to deliver Brexit for the British people. That is actually a betrayal of the British people."

The agreement ratified by EU leaders last weekend came more than two years after a U.K. referendum in which 52 percent of those who cast ballots voted to leave the bloc. Some opponents are calling for a second referendum now that the costs of leaving the EU have become clear, but May says that would violate the trust of the 17.4 million people who voted for Brexit in 2016.

The prime minister has been highlighting the risks of leaving the EU without a deal in a bid to persuade skeptical lawmakers - including many of her fellow Conservatives - to back the agreement.

Her efforts suffered a blow Friday when Universities Minister Sam Gyimah quit the government, saying accepting the deal would mean surrendering "our voice, our vote and our veto" in the EU.

Prime Minister Theresa May gives evidence before the Liaison Committee on matters relating to Brexit at Portcullis House in London, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018. The governor of the Bank of England Mark Carney says most British businesses aren't ready for a no-deal departure from the European Union as lawmakers from all parties are criticising the agreement Prime Minister May negotiated with the EU, increasing the likelihood of a no-deal Brexit. (PA via AP)

"Britain will end up worse off, transformed from rule makers into rule takers," Gyimah wrote in the Daily Telegraph.

Several other ministers have quit the government in the past two weeks, saying they cannot support the agreement. Some, like Gyimah, supported remaining in the bloc in Britain's 2016 EU referendum, while others back a definitive break with the EU.

Many members of Parliament on both sides of the Brexit debate oppose the deal - Brexiteers because it keeps Britain bound closely to the EU, pro-EU politicians because it erects barriers between the U.K. and the EU, its biggest trading partner.

Leaving the EU without a deal would end more than 40 years of free trade and disrupt the flow of goods and services between Britain and the EU. The Bank of England warned this week that a no-deal Brexit would plunge Britain into a severe recession.

May's comments came after lawmakers proposed an amendment that could stop Brexit if Parliament rejects her agreement. The amendment says Parliament must be able to express its view on how the government should proceed if the prime minister's plan is defeated.

Conservative MP Jacob Rees-Mogg, a staunch Brexiteer who is one of the most vocal critics of the deal, said Friday the government was trying to frighten people into accepting it with dire forecasts about the impact of leaving the EU without an agreement.

Some lawmakers urged May to return to the EU for better terms. But European Council President Donald Tusk, who is also at the G-20 meeting in Buenos Aires, warned that the agreement ratified by the EU last weekend is "the only possible one."

"If this deal is rejected in the House of Commons, we are left with an alternative: no deal, or no Brexit it all," Tusk said. "The European Union is prepared for every scenario."

May urged British lawmakers to remember that the country voted for Brexit, and insisted that the public wanted government to get on with it.

"This is about what is in the national interest," she said. "It's about delivering the vote to leave the EU and doing it in a way that protects people's jobs and livelihoods and protects our security and our United Kingdom."
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump at the Group of 20 summit (all times local):

8 p.m.

South Korea's presidential office says U.S. President Donald Trump has reaffirmed a willingness to hold his second summit with North Korean leader Kim Jong Un early next year.

Spokesman Yoon Young-chan says Trump made the comments in a meeting Friday with South Korean President Moon Jae-in on the sidelines of the Group of 20 meeting in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Yoon says Trump also said a planned visit by Kim to Seoul for his fourth summit with Moon would create momentum for efforts to stabilize peace in the Korean Peninsula.

Kim met Trump in June in Singapore, where they issued a vague statement on a nuclear-free peninsula without describing how and when it would occur. Post-summit talks settled into a stalemate.

President Donald Trump meets with India's Prime Minister Narendra Modi, right, and Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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5 p.m.

President Donald Trump will meet Saturday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, after a travel snag thwarted their plans to meet Friday.

Technical issues with Merkel's aircraft delayed by a day her arrival in Argentina for the Group of 20 summit.

The new plan to meet on Saturday was announced by White House press secretary Sarah Sanders.

Trump has already held several bilateral meetings throughout the day Friday, and is set to meet Saturday over dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

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3:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he might have a discussion with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a summit they're both attending in Argentina, but so far they've haven't.

Relations between Washington and Riyadh are tense in the wake of the brutal killing of Jamal Khashoggi, a columnist for The Washington Post. Khashoggi, who had been critical of the royal family, was killed by the Saudis at the nation's consulate in Istanbul.

A White House official says that so far, Trump has only exchanged pleasantries with the crown prince at the leaders' opening session just as he did with nearly every leader in attendance.

Trump spoke after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe where Trump hopes to visit next year.

Trump also met with Australia's Prime Minister Scott Morrison.

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2:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he hopes the U.S. and Japan can balance their trade deficit "very quickly."

Trump says the U.S. is doing a lot of trade and other business with Japan, but that he wants faster progress on reducing the trade imbalance.

Trump took office criticizing U.S. trade deficits with other countries. He has vowed to turn around those relationships, including by imposing tariffs.

Trump commented as he sat down with Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe in Argentina where they are attending a summit of rich and developing nations.

Abe congratulated Trump on a "historic victory" in the November congressional elections. Trump's Republican Party lost control of the House but slightly expanded its Senate majority.

Abe also said the U.S.-Japan alliance "has become more robust than ever" under Trump.

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1:25 p.m.

President Donald Trump chatted with the leaders of Canada, Japan and France during a group photo session at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

But he walked by - without appearing to acknowledge - Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Trump canceled a formal sit-down with Putin at the summit over Moscow's seizure of Ukrainian vessels.

Trump also is not meeting privately in Buenos Aires with the crown prince, who is trying to rebuild his image after the killing of Washington Post columnist and royal family critic inside the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

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1:10 p.m.

White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders is insisting that President Donald Trump canceled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin because of Russia's actions in Ukraine and not the federal investigation into Russian interference in Trump's election.

While Sanders says the inquiry has damaged U.S.-Russia relations, she reiterates that "the reason for our canceled meeting is Ukraine." She says hopefully the situation will be resolved "soon so that productive conversations can begin."

Trump tweeted Thursday that he canceled the meeting over Russia's seizure of Ukrainian ships and sailors. He announced the cancellation shortly after his former lawyer pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about a Trump real estate project in Moscow.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the cancellation a missed opportunity, saying "love can't be forced."

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10:50 a.m.

President Donald Trump is praising Mexico's outgoing President Enrique Pena Nieto, whose government has been a target of Trump's ire over trade, migration and Trump's proposed wall on the U.S. southern border.

Trump has railed about factory jobs lost to Mexico and the U.S. trade deficit with its southern neighbor - two hot-button issues that vexed relations with Nieto.

But on Friday, Trump lauded Pena Nieto as a "special man."

Trump congratulated Pena Nieto on ending his presidency by signing the new agreement governing trade relations among the United States, Mexico and Canada.

Trump said it's "an incredible way to end a presidency. You don't see that happen very often."

Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador is to be sworn into office Saturday as Mexico's president.

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10:30 a.m.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau is calling on President Donald Trump to remove tariffs on steel and aluminum.

Trudeau issued his plea as he joined Trump and Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto to sign the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, successor to the North American Free Trade Agreement.

There was talk Trudeau would skip the signing over the tariffs. But he attended and used his remarks to declare the tariffs a major obstacle to their economies. He says the U.S. and Canada need to keep working toward lifting the levies.

Trump enraged Canada and other U.S. allies by declaring imported steel and aluminum a threat to America's national security and therefore a legitimate target for U.S. tariffs.

Trudeau says the new trade deal is a major step for Canada's economy.

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9:50 a.m.

President Donald Trump has joined the leaders of Mexico and Canada to sign a revised North American trade deal.

Trump gathered with Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and outgoing Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto on the sidelines of Friday's meeting of the Group of 20 nations in Buenos Aires.

The revamped deal, which Trump calls the U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, will replace the North American Free Trade Agreement. Trump has long raged against NAFTA. He says the new agreement "changes the trade landscape forever."

Lawmakers in each country must now ratify the agreement.

That could prove to be a difficult task in the United States, especially now that Democrats will control the House of Representatives come January. Already Democrats and their allies in the labor movement are demanding changes.

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9:45 a.m.

President Donald Trump says a new trade pact being signed by the United States, Mexico and Canada is a "model agreement that changes the trade landscape forever."

Trump spent more than a year pushing the leaders of Canada and Mexico into agreeing to a rewrite of North American trade rules. Trump, Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and Mexico's outgoing President Enrique Pena Nieto are signing the new pact Friday at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Trump now faces what could prove a more formidable foe: The U.S. Congress, which must ratify the agreement. He says the parties have "taken a lot of barbs and a little abuse" during the renegotiation.

He turned to Trudeau, saying "It's been a battle," but battles sometimes make "great friendships."

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9:10 a.m.

The Mexican government has presented President Donald Trump's son-in-law and White House adviser Jared Kushner with the Order of the Aztec Eagle. It's the highest honor America's southern neighbor gives to foreigners.

Mexico's Foreign Relations Department says Kushner earned the honor for his work on renegotiating a new trade agreement being signed Friday by Mexico, the United States and Canada on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

It replaces the North American Free Trade Agreement, or NAFTA.

Kushner, who has been working on U.S.-Mexico issues, says relations have improved because the countries decided not to work across the table, but on the same side to craft "win-win" solutions to migration, drug trafficking and abuse, and other issues plaguing relations.

Kushner says there's a "strong level of trust" between the U.S. and Mexico, despite news reports citing clashes between the neighbors.

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7:55 a.m.

President Donald Trump is meeting Argentine President Mauricio Macri as he kicks off two days of diplomacy at the G-20 meeting.

The leaders greeted each other warmly Friday as the annual meeting of leaders from rich and developing nations opened in Buenos Aires. Trump spoke about his longtime personal friendship with Macri and said they would discuss trade, military purchases and other issues.

Macri is hosting his counterparts as he struggles with a raft of domestic issues, including trying to halt economic turmoil that has caused the steep depreciation of the Argentine peso.

Trump and Macri enjoy a personal relationship dating back to their days as businessman.

Macri visited the White House soon after Trump took office in 2017.

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7:25 a.m.

President Donald Trump is blasting the investigation in which his former lawyer pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about a Moscow real estate deal he pursued for Trump during the 2016 presidential campaign.

Michael Cohen says he lied to be consistent with Trump's "political messaging." Trump says Cohen is lying now.

In a tweet Friday from Argentina, Trump recalled "happily living" his life as a developer before running for president after seeing the "Country going in the wrong direction."

Trump says "Against all odds" he decided to run for president and continue to run his business, which he calls "very legal & very cool." He says he "talked about it on the campaign trail."

Trump tweets he "Lightly looked at doing a building somewhere in Russia. Put up zero money, zero guarantees and didn't do the project. Witch Hunt!"

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3:25 a.m.

President Trump kicks off two days of diplomacy at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina on Friday after his abrupt decision to cancel a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin overshadowed the proceedings before they even started.

Trump barreled into the two-day meeting by announcing via Twitter that he was canceling on Putin over Russia's seizure of Ukrainian vessels. His agenda Friday is expected to include meetings with world leaders, the signing of a revamped trade deal with Canada and Mexico, as well as a number of group activities for the gathering of rich and developing nations.

Coming into this G-20, Trump faces a series of diplomatic challenges - most notably whether he can strike an agreement with Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) to ease trade tensions.

President Donald Trump meets with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison at the G20, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump, left, listens to Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe as they wait for the family photo of the G20 Leader's Summit at the Costa Salguero Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

President Donald Trump arrives and joins other heads of state for a family photo at the G20 summit, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From left in the front row are Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazil President Michel Temer. From left on the top row are Rwanda President Paul Kagame and Saudi Arabia's crown Mohammed bin Salman. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
NEW YORK (AP) - Did Albert Einstein believe in God? The famous physicist was constantly questioned about his religious beliefs during his lifetime.

Two Einstein artifacts up for auction in New York contained clues to the spiritual beliefs of the 20th century's best-known thinker.

Sotheby's offered a Bible for sale Friday in which Einstein inscribed in 1932: "This book is an inexhaustible source of living wisdom and consolation." But divine providence did not favor the auction house. The Bible failed to sell.

Christie's, meanwhile, is planning to auction a 1954 letter Tuesday in which Einstein declared, "The word God is for me nothing more than the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of honorable but still primitive legends."

The leatherette-bound Bible was a gift from Einstein and his wife, Elsa, to Harriet Hamilton, an employee of the couple. The auction house had estimated that it would sell for $200,000 to $300,000 at Friday's sale of rare books and manuscripts.

Cassandra Hatton, a specialist in books and manuscripts at Sotheby's, said in an interview before the auction that it was hard to reconcile the description of the Bible as a source of "living wisdom" with the harsher view of religion that Einstein expressed elsewhere.

FILE - This June, 1954, file photo shows physicist Albert Einstein in Princeton, N.J. Two Einstein artifacts being auctioned in New York could contain clues to the spiritual beliefs of the 20th century's best-known thinker. Sotheby's is auctioning a Bible Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in which Einstein inscribed in 1932: "This book is an inexhaustible source of living wisdom and consolation." (AP Photo, File)

"It's possible that this gift was given to someone who was quite religious," Hatton said. She speculated that Einstein might have penned the inscription "out of respect for her religion."

The letter Christie's is selling was written the year before Einstein's 1955 death and was addressed to Eric Gutkind, a philosopher who had written a book about Jewish spirituality and the pursuit of science.

Einstein wrote in German that while he "gladly" belonged to the Jewish people, he believed that the Jewish religion "like all other religions is an incarnation of the most childish superstitions."

Christie's books and manuscripts specialist Peter Klarnet said the letter, which carries a presale estimate of $1 million to $1.5 million, is notable for its bluntness.

"Here he is actually quite blunt in what he says," Klarnet said. "The word 'God' is a product of human weakness."

Both items have come up for auction before. The Bible sold for $68,500 at Bonham's in New York in 2013 and the letter to Gutkind sold for $404,000 at Bloomsbury Auctions in London in 2008.

Walter Isaacson, the author of the 2007 biography "Einstein: His Life and Universe," said the great man's views on religion are hard to pin down.

"Einstein generally avoided giving simple answers, and like most human beings his feelings about spirituality varied over time," Isaacson said. "Sometimes he expressed himself in more spiritual terms and sometimes he was more of a debunker of religion."

As Isaacson recounts in the book, everyone from clerics to schoolchildren quizzed Einstein about his religious views. A New York rabbi sent a telegram demanding, "Do you believe in God? Stop. Answer paid. 50 words." Einstein answered, "I believe in Spinoza's God, who reveals himself in the lawful harmony of all that exists, but not in a God who concerns himself with the fate and the doings of mankind."

Isaacson said it's not surprising that Einstein's faith or lack thereof sparked so much interest.

"There was a delightful belief that a genius who could fathom the laws of the universe could give us the answer to timeless questions such as about the existence of God," Isaacson said. "And many people were hungering for a way to reconcile science and religion. They were hoping that he would say, 'Yes, there is a God. You can quit worrying about it now.' But his beliefs were not that simple."

This undated photo provided by Christie's shows the first page of Albert Einstein's "God Letter," dated January 3, 1954.in which he offers his candid and unvarnished opinion that: "The word God is for me nothing but the expression and product of human weaknesses, the Bible a collection of venerable but still rather primitive legends." It is being auctioned by Christie's on Dec. 4, 2018. (Christie's via AP)

This undated photo provided by Sotheby's shows a bible that was given as a gift to Harriet Hamilton by Albert Einstein and his wife, Elsa, in February of 1932. It is being auctioned by Sotheby's on Nov. 30, 2018. (Sotheby's via AP)
BISMARCK, N.D. (AP) - An air ambulance that crashed in western North Dakota this month and killed all three people on board did not send out a distress call before it apparently broke apart in midair.

What caused the breakup is still a mystery, but there's no indication that the Cessna 441 turboprop airplane was struck by anything and there was no fire on board. Weather also is not believed to have been a factor, Morton County Sheriff Kyle Kirchmeier told The Bismarck Tribune.

"It's in NTSB's ballpark to find out how and why and what caused that," Kirchmeier said of the National Transportation Safety Board, which handles such investigations. They typically take months to complete.

The Nov. 18 Bismarck Air Medical crash northwest of Bismarck killed 48-year-old pilot Todd Lasky and 63-year-old nurse Bonnie Cook, both of Bismarck, and 47-year-old paramedic Chris Iverson, of Mandan. They were on their way to Williston to pick up a patient. There were no survivors.

"There was no indication of any issues on the plane or a distress call made before the plane went missing," Kirchmeier said.

The NTSB's preliminary report on the crash , released Thursday, said radar indicated the airplane climbed to 14,000 feet, then entered a steep right bank and disappeared from radar.

This Monday, Nov. 19, 2018, photo provided by the Morton County Sheriff's Office shows the wreckage of a twin-engine Bismarck Air Medical airplane that crashed late Sunday, Nov. 18 about 20 miles northwest of Bismarck, N.D., killing all three on board. (Morton County Sheriff's Office via AP)

Preliminary reports from the state medical examiner indicate the crew members died from blunt force trauma injuries.

The Civil Air Patrol said an initial analysis by an Air Force rescue center showed the plane might have broken up in midair. Authorities said the scattered debris field backs up that theory.

Wreckage was scattered over an area 1 mile (1.61 kilometers) long and 600 feet (182.88 meters) wide, according to the NTSB report. The cockpit, cabin, engines, propellers, tail area and wings were recovered.

NTSB spokesman Keith Holloway said he doesn't think the plane had a flight data recorder.

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Information from: Bismarck Tribune, http://www.bismarcktribune.com

The funeral procession for pilot Todd Lasky, nurse Bonnie Cook and paramedic Chris Iverson followed by family members and a long line of ambulances, fire trucks and law enforcement with light bars flashing are shown on Seventh Street as they approach the Bismarck Event Center on Monday, Nov. 26, 2018. (Tom Stromme/The Bismarck Tribune via AP)
UNITED NATIONS (AP) - South Sudan is beset by "alarming levels" of sexual and gender-based violence and a desperate humanitarian situation, including severe food shortages, as it attempts to implement the latest peace agreement in a climate of "deep distrust," U.N. experts said.

The panel of experts said in a report to the Security Council that the world's newest nation must deal with the fragmentation of armed groups "and grave human rights abuses, including against children," in addition to the "profound deficit of trust" among almost all signatories to the September peace deal.

But most important, they said, is whether implementing the peace agreement improves the lives of the civilians, many of whom expressed to the experts "profound distrust of a high-level political process that appears increasingly removed from their suffering."

The report, which was circulated Thursday and covers a 45-day period in September and October, stressed that competition for South Sudan's natural resources including oil, gold, teak wood and charcoal remains "central to the conflict" both locally and nationally.

The panel report details cases where armed opposition groups profited from the teak trade in Western and Central Equatoria through taxation and protection payments. It said illicit exploitation and trade in gold continue to benefit both government forces and armed groups.

The experts said they are aware of a number of agreements for advanced payment and direct payment for oil, which accounts for almost 90 percent of the government's revenue. They warned that these agreements significantly reduce oversight and "increase the risk of misappropriation or diversion" of fund and potentially undermine the fragile September peace deal.

In this photo taken Thursday, Nov. 22, 2018, a South Sudan armed opposition commander Ashab Khamis, far-left, and a government army Gen. Keer Kiir Keer, far-right, attend high level talks where both sides exchanged accusations of violating the peace agreement, in Wau, South Sudan. The Associated Press witnessed the first meeting between the Wau region leaders of South Sudan's army and armed opposition since a groundbreaking peace deal, and the country's peace rests on whether the opposing sides can put a vicious past behind. (AP Photo/Sam Mednick)

There were high hopes that South Sudan would have peace and stability after its independence from neighboring Sudan in 2011. But it plunged into ethnic violence in December 2013 when forces loyal to President Salva Kiir, a Dinka, started battling those loyal to Riek Machar, his former vice president who is a Nuer.

A peace deal signed in August 2015 didn't stop the fighting, and neither did cessation of hostilities agreement in December 2017 and a declaration on June 27. The Sept. 12 power-sharing agreement signed in neighboring Sudan has so far been fraught with delays, missed deadlines and continued fighting in parts of the country. The government and opposition have said they are committed to implementing it but both sides blame each other for abuses and for violating the deal.

The conflict has killed tens of thousands of people and forced over 4 million to flee their homes - more than 1.8 million of them leaving the country in what has become one of the world's fastest-growing refugee crisis.

In July, the Security Council narrowly approved a U.S.-sponsored resolution imposing an arms embargo on the entire territory of South Sudan. It has also imposed sanctions on key figures in the conflict.

The experts said that while it's too early to adequately assess the impact and enforcement of the arms embargo, "a number of violations have been noted by the panel."

They noted that Sudanese armed forces have been in Unity State since June when Sudan and South Sudan agreed to deploy Sudanese troops to protect oil fields and oil production. The panel said it also verified the presence of members of Uganda's army inside South Sudan.

The experts said they are examining activities of foreign private security companies in South Sudan's capital of Juba that are providing training to police and military forces. They are also trying to verify allegations of weapons being transported into the country.

The panel said it also noted "repeated violations of the travel ban" against some South Sudanese on the sanctions blacklist.

The experts reported that South Sudan Gen. Gabriel Jok Riak, who was put on the sanctions blacklist in May 2015 and was appointed by president Kiir as new head of the army in May, has traveled to China, Uganda and Sudan since July in violation of a travel ban.

The panel said it remains "extremely concerned" about the levels of conflict-related sexual violence and sexual and gender-based violence "despite the peace processes and the commitments made by the parties."

The U.N. peacekeeping mission in South Sudan and U.N. human rights experts recently reported "corroborated accounts by victims and witnesses of women and girls as young as 12 years having been abducted by opposition forces and paraded for commanders to choose as 'wives'," the experts said.

Three of Machar's commanders in charge of forces committing the offenses have been identified, the panel said. They were not named.

___

Associated Press writer Sam Mednick in Juba, South Sudan, contributed to this report.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - Republican Bart LeBon has won an Alaska state House race by one vote after a ballot recount, officials said.

Before Friday's recount, LeBon and Democrat Kathryn Dodge were tied with 2,661 votes apiece.

Recount results showed LeBon with 2,663 votes while Dodge had 2,662 votes, after LeBon picked up two votes and Dodge picked up one, according to the Alaska Division of Elections.

A much talked about mystery ballot found weeks ago on a table in a voting precinct ended up playing no role in the race outcome. The ballot was tossed Friday after officials said it was determined to be a spoiled ballot from a voter who had made a mistake on it, told officials and then filled out a new ballot.

If LeBon's win holds up, the GOP will control the House, Senate and governor's office.

Dodge has five days to decide whether to appeal the outcome to the state Supreme Court. She didn't make a definitive comment after the recount, saying she and her team would "think on things," the Juneau Empire reported .

Alaska House District 1 candidate Democrat Kathryn Dodge, right, watches the election recount at the Department of Elections' Juneau office on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. A single mystery ballot found on a precinct table on Election Day but not counted then could decide a tied Alaska state House race and thwart Republican efforts to control the chamber and all of state government. The ballot arrived in Juneau last Friday in a secrecy sleeve in a bin with other ballot materials. Officials were investigating its origins and handling before deciding whether to tally it. (Michael Penn/The Juneau Empire via AP)

"People kept calling it close," Dodge previously said of the race. "I just didn't know it was going to be squeaky."

For the candidates, it's been a three-week rollercoaster ride marked by lead changes before the tie was declared and by the appearance of the mystery ballot.

Elections director Josie Bahnke had said she had wanted to ensure that every vote cast by an eligible voter was counted.

LeBon, a retired banker, said previously he expected a legal challenge from whoever loses the recount. He said Friday that he didn't think the race was over.

"I'm pretty sure this has got another layer to it," he said. "I would be thrilled if it was over, but is this over? I just don't think so."

If a legal challenge resulted in another tie, the winner would to be determined by a coin toss.

The current House speaker, Democrat Bryce Edgmon, won the 2006 primary through a coin toss on his way to being elected to the chamber later that year.

Remembering the coin toss is exciting, he said, but the experience is "not something I would wish for anybody to go through."

___

Baumann reported from Seattle.

Alaska House District 1 candidate Republican Bart LeBon points to a vote tally board with his campaign manager Brittany Hartmann during a election recount at the Department of Elections' Juneau office on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. A single mystery ballot found on a precinct table on Election Day but not counted then could decide a tied Alaska state House race and thwart Republican efforts to control the chamber and all of state government. The ballot arrived in Juneau last Friday in a secrecy sleeve in a bin with other ballot materials. Officials were investigating its origins and handling before deciding whether to tally it. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire via AP)

Alaska Assistant Attorney General Margaret Paton-Walsh, third from left, and Josie Bahnke, Director of Elections, center, explain their decision on questioned ballots during the recount of Alaska House District 1 at the Department of Elections' Juneau office on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. A single mystery ballot found on a precinct table on Election Day but not counted then could decide a tied Alaska state House race and thwart Republican efforts to control the chamber and all of state government. The ballot arrived in Juneau last Friday in a secrecy sleeve in a bin with other ballot materials. Officials were investigating its origins and handling before deciding whether to tally it. (Michael Penn/Juneau Empire via AP)

This Nov. 23, 2018 photo shows Alaska State Review Board ballot examiner Stuart Sliter reacting when a loose ballot from a tied state House race is found without an envelope in Juneau, Alaska. Officials are investigating the origin of the ballot and will decide by Friday, Nov. 30, whether to count it during a recount of the Fairbanks House District 1 race. (James Brooks/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

ADDS CLARIFICATION ON A MYSTERY BALLOT IN ALASKA STATE HOUSE RACE FILE - This Sept. 13, 2012, file photo shows Kathryn Dodge, a candidate for the Alaska House District 1 seat in Fairbanks, Alaska. Dodge, a Democrat, is tied with Republican Bart LeBon, and the race could go to a recount on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, if officials decide to tally a single mystery ballot found on a precinct table on Election Day but not counted. Officials were investigating its origins and handling before deciding whether to tally it. (Sam Harrel/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP, File)
RALEIGH, N.C. (AP) - Although a mere 900 votes separated two North Carolina congressional candidates, the trailing Democrat conceded the race weeks ago. But as the Republican prepared to go to Capitol Hill, election investigators are worried something fishy went on with absentee ballots.

Now, North Carolina election officials have agreed to hold a public hearing into alleged "numerous irregularities" and "concerted fraudulent activities" involving traditional mail-in absentee ballots in the 9th Congressional District, apparently in two rural counties.

The state elections board voted 7-2 on Friday to hear evidence by Dec. 21 before deciding whether to certify the result. Republican Mark Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes from nearly 283,000 cast in eight south-central counties reaching from Charlotte to near Fayetteville.

The hearing will ensure "the election is determined without taint of fraud or corruption and without irregularities that may have changed the result of an election," board member Joshua Malcolm, a Democrat, said in his motion.

If board members find enough problems that could have altered the outcome or cast doubts on the election's fairness, they could order a new election, which could not take place until after the new session of Congress convenes Jan. 3, likely creating a temporary vacancy.

Also on Friday, The Associated Press retracted its call of a winner in the 9th District. The AP, which had called the race for Harris on Nov. 9, said it is treating the board's action as if the race has proceeded to a recount. AP does not call winners in any election that is subject to a recount.

FILE- In this Nov. 7, 2018, file photo Mark Harris speaks to the media during a news conference in Matthews, N.C. North Carolina election officials agreed Friday, Nov. 30, to hold a public hearing into alleged "numerous irregularities" and "concerted fraudulent activities" involving traditional mail-in absentee ballots in the 9th Congressional District, apparently in two rural counties. Republican Harris leads Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes from nearly 283,000 cast in all or parts of eight south-central counties reaching from Charlotte to near Fayetteville. (AP Photo/Chuck Burton, File)

Democrats already won enough House seats nationwide in November to take back the chamber. But a Democratic victory in the 9th District would flip a seat that has been held continuously by Republicans since 1963.

The board's public vote came after a three-hour closed door meeting, with two Republican members joining all Democrats and the lone unaffiliated member in voting to hold the hearing. The state Republican Party had vowed to go to court if the board didn't certify Harris' victory Friday. The board finalized nearly all other Nov. 6 election results earlier this week.

McCready conceded the race the day after Election Day, when Harris led by less than 1,900 votes. McCready reaffirmed his decision a week later when more counted ballots cut the margin by half. But just ahead of Friday's hearing, McCready said it's critical to determine now whether wrongdoing occurred.

"We must do everything we can to protect the integrity of our ballots and the sanctity of our elections because our democracy depends on it," McCready said in a statement.

Board members have said little publicly about what they're examining. But the focus appears to be on Bladen County, located partially in the district, and adjoining Robeson County, which is entirely in the district. The board confirmed it seized some Bladen absentee ballot applications and ballot envelopes the day after the election.

In separate sworn affidavits released Thursday by the state Democratic Party, two county residents said an unidentified woman came to their homes, telling each of them she was supposed to collect absentee ballots in the area. The residents said the woman took their ballots, which weren't sealed in their envelopes as required by law.

"Because of the way she presented herself, I thought she was legitimate," Emma Shipman, one of the residents, wrote in an affidavit.

Harris said late Friday that the board should certify the race results now while continuing their investigation.

"I support any efforts to investigate allegations of irregularities and/or voter fraud, as long as it is fair and focuses on all political parties," Harris said in a release. "But to date, there is absolutely no public evidence that there are enough ballots in question to affect the outcome of this race."

Harris, a minister and former Baptist State Convention president, received 61 percent of the 684 Bladen County mail-in absentee ballots turned in for the race, or 162 votes more than McCready, according to unofficial results. It's the only county where Harris won more mail-in absentee ballots than McCready.

Bladen and Robeson counties had the highest percentages among 9th District counties of requested mail-in absentee ballots that weren't returned, according to Michael Bitzer, a Catawba College political science professor analyzing race data. The total of nearly 1,700 unreturned ballots in the two counties is greater than Harris' lead. Robeson and Bladen counties were among the hardest hit by Hurricane Florence in mid-September.

Harris upset GOP Rep. Robert Pittenger in the May primary, thanks in large part to a strong showing in Bladen County. Among mail-in ballots, Harris won an overwhelming 96 percent of those votes cast, election data show. Harris supporters attributed his Bladen County primary performance to strong connections with local religious leaders.
SAN DIEGO (AP) - Authorities were searching Friday for whoever killed two San Diego teenagers and a Mexican youth at an apartment complex in Tijuana last weekend.

The San Diego victims were 17-year-old Christopher Alexis Gomez and 18-year-old Juan Suarez-Ojeda, the Union-Tribune newspaper reported. The Mexican youth was 17-year-old Angel Said Robles.

Relatives said the trio headed to a barbecue Nov. 23 in Ensenada, south of Tijuana, and were supposed to return that night. They were found shot Sunday outside a Tijuana apartment complex.

Jorge Alvarez, head of the Baja California Attorney General's Office in Tijuana, said Thursday that preliminary information indicated the San Diego residents were familiar with the neighborhood where they were killed, the newspaper reported.

That was disputed by a relative of Gomez. Katheryn Garcia said her cousin had never been to Tijuana or Ensenada.

A Tijuana police detective told Gomez's family the three teens were tortured before they were shot Sunday, Garcia said.

There was no initial indication of what might have led to the brutal killings.

"We're all in disbelief that this happened," Garcia said through tears in a phone interview with the Union-Tribune.

The incident happened in Lomas Verdes, a high-crime area in central Tijuana with high rates of homicide, neighborhood drug dealing and domestic violence, the newspaper said.

The semi-clothed bodies of the three victims were found early in the morning in a complex of apartments. The bodies were found outside one of the buildings, and initial police reports stated they had been shot in the head.

Mexican officials said they are collaborating with U.S. authorities on the investigation.

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Information from: The San Diego Union-Tribune, http://www.utsandiego.com
DES MOINES, Iowa (AP) - Democrats beginning to think about the type of person they'd like to see take on President Donald Trump face an early conundrum: whether a pragmatist has a better chance to take the White House than someone with a more inspirational personal story.

This heart-versus-head balancing act is coming into focus as potential White House hopefuls begin making trips to Iowa, home to the first presidential caucus in 2020, ahead of formally announcing their candidacies.

Sen. Amy Klobuchar of Minnesota will be in the state on Saturday, representing the case for pragmatism. Far from flashy, Klobuchar won a commanding re-election victory this year in a Midwestern state, potentially boosting the argument that she could win in a region that helped send Trump to the White House. Other prospects in this camp include Sens. Sherrod Brown of Ohio and Bob Casey of Pennsylvania, each of whom cruised to re-election in states that Trump carried in 2016.

But this isn't an easy argument to make to activists in early voting states who are not just hungry to beat Trump, but also long for inspiration reminiscent of Barack Obama's early campaign, when thousands in Iowa were drawn to his distinctive oratory and biography. That could help prospects such as Sens. Kamala Harris of California and Cory Booker of New Jersey along with Beto O'Rourke, whose narrow loss in the 2018 Senate race in Republican-heavy Texas has fueled speculation about his national prospects.

"The electability argument is less emotional," said John Norris, a veteran Iowa Democratic operative who led John Kerry's successful 2004 caucus campaign. "And this will be an emotional election, I think."

Still, the pragmatics point to the math a Democrat will need to get to 270 electoral votes.

FILE - In this Nov. 6, 2018, file photo, Sen. Amy Klobuchar waves to supporters after winning re-election during the Democratic election night party in St. Paul, Minn. Klobuchar will be in Iowa on Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. As potential Democratic White House hopefuls begin making trips to Iowa, the party will have to decide whether a pragmatist has a better chance to take the White House than someone with a more inspirational personal story. (AP Photo/Hannah Foslien, File)

A Democrat could conceivably return to the White House by holding Minnesota and winning back any of a number of combinations of Ohio, Pennsylvania, Michigan or Wisconsin, typically Democratic presidential states Trump narrowly carried. Klobuchar, Brown and Casey could be well suited for this role.

Klobuchar won a third term this month, getting 60 percent of the vote and carrying vast stretches of rural western and northern Minnesota that Trump won two years ago.

Brown won a third term by six percentage points in Ohio, where Trump won by 8, on a day Republicans also held the state's governorship, all of its U.S. House seats and majorities in the legislature.

Casey won by nearly 13 percentage points in Pennsylvania, a state Trump carried by less than a percentage point.

And yet the road to the White House is paved with failed candidates who made their dominance of a particular state a central selling point.

In 2003, Democratic Sen. Bob Graham campaigned as one of the most successful candidates in Florida, where the contested 2000 election was decided. But Graham dropped out of the race before the Iowa caucuses, crowded out by Kerry, North Carolina Sen. John Edwards and Vermont Gov. Howard Dean, who campaigned individually as inspirational figures on national security, economic populism and opposition to the war in Iraq.

In 2008, the historic potential surrounding Obama and Hillary Clinton pushed out other Democrats early such as Indiana Sen. Evan Bayh, who saw their home state success as a strategic advantage.

Republicans have faced the same challenge. Former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty bet heavily on being a Republican in Democrat-leaning Minnesota as a chief argument in his bid for the 2012 nomination, but was nudged out by a combination of emerging stars Michele Bachmann and Rick Perry.

Likewise, Gov. Scott Walker approached the 2016 campaign having won, and beat back a recall effort, in swing state Wisconsin, only to be quickly eclipsed in the race to be the alternative to Trump.

But Klobuchar's play could be as much about style as it is electoral strategy. In the era of Trump, where boisterous, public insults are the rule, Klobuchar pushed her persona of competence. In effect, the self-effacing Klobuchar known for her neighborly demeanor and penchant for bowling alleys could be the stylistic anti-Trump.

"She seems very down to earth and common, like we can relate to her," said Bryce Smith, Democratic chairman in Dallas County, Iowa, where Klobuchar is scheduled to visit Saturday. "I think she falls closer to the inspirational side than many think."

Brown could pose a challenge to Klobuchar for that mantle. More devoutly liberal than Klobuchar on issues such as health care, Brown carries the torch of an ardently pro-labor populist, which could resonate in those pro-Trump pockets.

So could Montana's Democratic Gov. Steve Bullock, who, as he weighs a 2020 campaign, is touting not just being re-elected in a state Trump carried by 20 percentage points, but testing a message of unity as he works with a Republican legislature.

"Judging whether a candidate can win the general election will be part of the calculus voters consider," said former Obama and Clinton adviser Jennifer Palmieri. "But it's a mistake to think that a candidate can't be both inspiring and electable."

FILE - In this Oct. 28, 2018, file photo, New Jersey Sen. Cory Booker speaks at a get out the vote event hosted by the New Hampshire Young Democrats in Durham, N.H. As Democrats begin to think about the 2020 presidential race, they face a choice between pragmatists who may be able to flip states that President Trump won in 2016 and those such as Booker, Sen. Kamala Harris of California, or Beto O'Rourke of Texas, whose inspirational personal stories may connect with voters on a more emotional level. (AP Photo/Cheryl Senter, File)

FILE - In this June 30, 2018, file photo, U.S. Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., speaks at the "Families Belong Together: Freedom for Immigrants" March in Los Angeles. As Democrats begin to think about the 2020 presidential race, they face a choice between pragmatists who may be able to flip states that President Trump won in 2016 and those such as Harris, Sen. Cory Booker of New Jersey, or Beto O'Rourke of Texas, whose inspirational personal stories may connect with voters on a more emotional level. (Photo by Willy Sanjuan/Invision/AP, File)
LORDSTOWN, Ohio (AP) - Since General Motors announced its decision this week to shut down its hulking Lordstown plant - the anchor of this northeast Ohio town - workers on the line have had nothing but questions. Will they have jobs come spring? Should they put in for transfers and move their families to Texas or Tennessee? How much should they spend on Christmas?

One they haven't yet answered: Who is to blame?

It was working-class voters like these who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing jobs. Whether they stick with him after the GM news and other signs that the economy may be cooling could determine Trump's political future.

For now, many people here are still behind the man who won them over with his sky-high promises. But they took those pledges seriously, and still expect him to fulfill them.

"Do I feel like there's still time to put down Twitter and stop doing what he's doing and focus on us? Yeah," said Tommy Wolikow, who followed in his father's footsteps to work at GM Lordstown before he was laid off on the same day as Trump's inauguration.

The 36-year-old father of three was in the crowd at a 2017 rally in Youngstown when Trump boasted he would bring jobs back.

In this Nov. 28, 2018 photo, Tom Wolikow, right, holds his daughter Annabella alongside his father John, left, at their home in Warren, Ohio. It was working-class voters who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing and steel jobs. Whether they stick with him after this week's GM news and other signs that the economy could be cooling will determine Trump's political future.(AP Photo/John Minchillo)

"Don't sell your house," the president said - and Wolikow took him at his word. But things only got worse. He's since started traveling to Trump rallies to draw attention to the troubles in Lordstown and elsewhere where he says promises haven't been kept. But he says he will support Trump again if he sees action, not just words.

"If you help get jobs back here in our community ... you'll have my vote," he said.

GM said Monday it would cut up to 14,000 workers in North America and marked five plants for possible closure, including the Lordstown plant, which previous rounds of layoffs already had left operating with just one shift. Once-full parking lots around the plant now sit largely empty. Assembly plants in Detroit and Ontario and transmission plants near Baltimore and in Warren, Michigan, also could be shuttered.

Michigan, like Ohio, was among the states with large numbers of once-reliably Democratic union workers who backed Trump two years ago. But Michigan seemed to be swinging back to the left in the November midterm election, when Democrats won the governor's office and other statewide races and picked up two congressional seats.

Ohio seemed to be holding firm for the GOP. Democratic Sen. Sherrod Brown - a possible 2020 presidential candidate - won re-election, but Republicans won the governor's race and four other statewide offices for the third straight time, an outcome Ohio Democratic Party Chairman David Pepper attributed partly to Ohioans' loyalty to the president. "The Trump factor," he said.

In northeast Ohio, where Democrats for decades took 60 percent or more of the vote, the GOP picked up steam. While statewide Democratic candidates won in Mahoning County, where Youngstown is located, it was by much smaller margins than four years ago. County GOP Chairman Mark Munroe credits Trump and a "newfound sense of optimism."

"If anything, support for the president has gotten stronger," he said. "People have an appreciation for what the president has done. I think he'll do even better in 2020."

The Trump presidency has coincided with factory job gains, although not in some of the traditional manufacturing centers that he promised to revive. The number of people working in factories has not passed the totals of a decade ago, right before the 2008 financial crisis forced a crushing wave of layoffs.

Ohio has shed auto-making jobs on Trump's watch, while Michigan, California and Kentucky have seen growth.

Trump does appear to be getting credit for the economy, even from those who aren't personally benefiting.

With low unemployment and a largely strong stock market until relatively recently, nearly two-thirds of midterm voters nationwide considered the economy to be good, according to VoteCast, the Associated Press' survey of the electorate. And while just 44 percent of voters said they approved of his job performance overall, 55 percent gave him high marks on the economy.

In rural and small-town America, the heart of Trump's support, a solid majority - 58 percent - of voters making less than $50,000 said they approve of his handling of the economy. That's only a slightly smaller share than rural voters overall.

In Ohio, backing for Trump and his handling of the economy was strong. Even as voters nearly split evenly on their opinion of Trump overall, 57 percent gave him good marks on the economy.

"I don't think he can perform miracles," said Lordstown Mayor Arno Hill, a Trump supporter who, like others in this community near Youngstown, is hopeful GM will assign the plant another product to replace the Chevy Cruze, a model workers here produce but the company is abandoning. He blames market forces, not Trump or GM, and says the community is otherwise doing well.

"If we were giving out grades, I'd give (Trump) a B right now," Hill said. "If Lordstown gets another product, I'll give him an A."

Trump criticized GM and the company's chief executive officer, Mary Barra, after the shutdown announcement, noting on Twitter that the company isn't closing plants in China or Mexico.

"The U.S. saved General Motors, and this is the THANKS we get!" he wrote. The president also said this week he wants to cut federal subsidies for the company, and signaled he may place tariffs on car imports.

The White House has not clarified those comments, and there are questions about whether the president has the authority to act without congressional approval.

Union leaders and Democratic officials say Trump should have done more, and sooner. After the latest round of layoffs in July, Union President Dave Green sent a letter to Trump asking him to get involved and noting a large number of union members voted for him. Trump's silence on the situation, Green wrote, was "disturbing."

Trump this week pinned blame on others, including Brown, telling The Wall Street Journal the senator "didn't get the point across" to GM. Brown said the president should stop "pointing fingers" and called on him to sit down and discuss ways to save the plant.

News like the GM announcement could sway opinion and create a line of attack for a Democratic candidate. And there are other indications of U.S. economic trouble: Sales of new U.S. homes dropped in October by almost 9 percent, and the number of unsold, newly built homes on the market reached its highest level since 2009.

Tim O'Hara, vice president of United Auto Workers 1112, says whether support for Trump continues is a matter of "wait and see, like everything else." He said he believes a Democrat still has a chance to win in Ohio if that candidate talks about issues people care about, like jobs and trade.

O'Hara, who backed Hillary Clinton in 2016, retired from the plant earlier this year after 41 years, though his wife still works there. He said a lot of people in the area "seemed to buy in to Trump" two years ago, and he agreed most are still with the president.

"But worst-case scenario - let's say the plant closes for good - I don't know what their opinion is going to be at that point," he said.

___

Associated Press writers Hannah Fingerhut and Josh Boak contributed from Washington.

In this March 14, 2016 photo, Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump address the crowd at a plane-side rally at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, Ohio. It was working-class voters who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing and steel jobs. Whether they stick with him after this week's GM news and other signs that the economy could be cooling will determine Trump's political future. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

In this Nov. 28, 2018 photo, Tom Wolikow, a General Motors employee who is currently laid-off, left, takes a phone call at home alongside his fiance Rochelle Carlisle, right, in Warren, Ohio. It was working-class voters who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing and steel jobs. Whether they stick with him after this week's GM news and other signs that the economy could be cooling will determine Trump's political future. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

In this Nov. 27, 2018 photo, David Green, president of Local UAW 1112, speaks in his office near the General Motors' Lordstown plant, in Warren, Ohio. It was working-class voters who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing and steel jobs. Whether they stick with him after this week's GM news and other signs that the economy could be cooling will determine Trump's political future. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

In this March 14, 2016 photo, a supporter of Republican presidential candidate Donald Trump holds a sign during a plane-side rally at Youngstown-Warren Regional Airport in Vienna, Ohio. It was working-class voters who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing and steel jobs. Whether they stick with him after this week's GM news and other signs that the economy could be cooling will determine Trump's political future. (AP Photo/Gene J. Puskar)

In this Nov. 27, 2018 photo, signs hang from windows at the UAW Local 1112 union hall, in Lordstown, Ohio. It was working-class voters who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing and steel jobs. Whether they stick with him after this week's GM news and other signs that the economy could be cooling will determine Trump's political future. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

In this Nov. 28, 2018 photo, snow blankets the front yards of homes as a flag is flown from a mailbox along Lyntz Townline Rd, in Warren, Ohio. It was working-class voters who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing and steel jobs. Whether they stick with him after this week's GM news and other signs that the economy could be cooling will determine Trump's political future. (AP Photo/John Minchillo)

In this Nov. 27, 2018 photo, a sign is displayed at General Motors Lordstown West plant in Lordstown, Ohio. It was working-class voters who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing and steel jobs. Whether they stick with him after this week's GM news and other signs that the economy could be cooling will determine Trump's political future. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)

In this Nov. 28, 2018 photo, final inspector Mary Skinner inspects the rear end of a General Motors Chevrolet Cruze at Jamestown Industries, in Youngstown, Ohio. It was working-class voters who bucked the area's history as a Democratic stronghold and backed Donald Trump in 2016, helping him win the White House with promises to put American workers first and bring back disappearing manufacturing and steel jobs. Whether they stick with him after this week's GM news and other signs that the economy could be cooling will determine Trump's political future. (AP Photo/Tony Dejak)
COLUMBIA, S.C. (AP) - U.S. Sen. Tim Scott's opposition to one of President Donald Trump's nominees bucked GOP leadership this week, but it wasn't necessarily out of character.

Scott's decision denied Thomas Farr the chance of becoming the next Trump appointment to the federal judiciary. Farr, a nominee criticized by civil rights groups for defending laws ruled by courts to have been discriminatory, was dependent on Scott's support in a closely divided Senate.

Scott's ultimate conclusion came a day after he weathered criticism from the left when he cast the deciding vote Wednesday to move Farr's nomination to a floor vote. South Carolina's Democratic Party blasted out an email asking voters to call on Scott to oppose Farr's nomination, calling it "unfortunate, but not surprising, that Senator Tim Scott needs help with this decision."

Civil rights leader William Barber called Scott's decision to simply allow for a vote on Farr "what internalized racism and political delusion look(s) like." A day later, he simply said Scott had "done the right thing" in ultimately deciding that he wouldn't support Farr if that vote were taken.

Scott's decision pitted him against top Republicans who defended Farr's qualifications, but there are several reasons for which Scott could feel politically safe making it. A fiscal conservative, Scott has been a strong supporter of Trump's policies and almost always votes with his party.

Not up for re-election until 2022, Scott remains highly popular at home. This fall, a Winthrop University poll found Scott with a 76 percent approval rating among Republicans, with 55 percent approval among the general public.

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2017, file photo, Sen. Tim Scott, R-S.C. talks to reporters about his plan to meet with President Donald Trump to discuss race at the Capitol in Washington. Scott's opposition Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018 to President Donald Trump's nominee to serve as a North Carolina district judge likely doomed the chances of Thomas Farr, criticized by civil rights groups for defending state laws found to have discriminated against African-Americans. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

"Tim Scott has been smart in picking which of the things to speak out on," said College of Charleston political scientist Gibbs Knotts. "He strikes me as the kind of person who certainly has political skill but also has a sense of right and wrong, and I suspect he just felt this was too far."

Friends say the decision by Scott - the first black Republican elected to the Senate from the South since Reconstruction - is representative of the South Carolina senator's commitment to oppose intolerance and equalize the playing field of opportunity for all people.

"Tim is big on living out his values in the way we treat others," says Matt Moore, a former South Carolina Republican Party chairman who served as Scott's first U.S. Senate statewide director and considers him a close friend. "When you combine that with his concern about race in America, it's no surprise he opposed Farr."

It's an ethos with origins in the hardscrabble beginnings that Scott, 53, shared with his mother, brother and grandparents in North Charleston. Struggling through high school, Scott ultimately found his footing after stumbling into a mentorship with business owner John Moniz, whom he has credited with motivating him to succeed.

Scott's unique position in the Senate has given him a platform to address race in ways others in his party can't.

"I have felt the anger, the frustration, the sadness and the humiliation that comes with feeling like you're being targeted for nothing more than being just yourself," Scott said in a 2016 floor speech, adding he'd been stopped by a U.S. Capitol Police officer who questioned Scott's credentials despite the fact that he was wearing a pin that identified him as a U.S. senator.

Scott has also directly addressed criticism fielded from liberals who've accused him of betraying his race in decisions like supporting Jeff Sessions' nomination as U.S. attorney general, reading Twitter messages accusing him of being an "Uncle Tom" or a "House negro."

"I left out all the ones that use the n-word," Scott said. "I just felt like that would be not appropriate."

But Scott sees his role in the Senate as about far more than race and more about authenticity, according to Moore.

"Tim Scott is hesitant to be seen as the 'black Republican,'" Moore said. "He's much more interested in attacking issues that affect all Americans."

That includes ideas like Scott's "Opportunity Zones," which allow investors who direct money into distressed communities to defer capital gains taxes for up to 10 years.

Rob Godfrey, who's known Scott for years and was part of South Carolina Gov. Nikki Haley's senior staff when she appointed him to the Senate in 2013, said Scott can make moves like this one without being worried about upsetting his base, or without the feel of needing to try to win over black voters, a base that overwhelmingly supports Democrats in South Carolina.

"What you have here is a calculation not of politics but instead of principles," Godfrey said. "When Tim Scott has seen things that were unjust or weren't right, he's led on those things, and he's done so regardless of any of the consequences that could come along with it because he's been concerned with lifting everyone up."

That mentality, said Matt Moore, made Scott's decision Thursday to join Arizona Republican Jeff Flake and 49 Democratic lawmakers in opposing Farr's nomination to a North Carolina federal judgeship unsurprising, especially in light of the unearthing of a Department of Justice memo concerning Farr's activities while a campaign lawyer for North Carolina GOP Sen. Jesse Helms.

According to the Justice Department under President George H.W. Bush, about 120,000 postcards sent mostly to black voters were intended to intimidate them from voting.

Farr, heavily criticized by civil rights groups, told senators he wasn't consulted about the postcards and "was appalled" by their content.

Godfrey said Scott's view on working toward progress sometimes supersedes politics altogether.

"He's avoided the potholes of partisan politics, and he's also avoided divisive labels of identity politics," Godfrey said. "What he's been able to do is actually take on some important issues that lift everybody up."

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This story has been corrected to show that Scott is the first black Republican elected to the Senate from the South since Reconstruction.

Meg Kinnard can be reached on Twitter at http://twitter.com/MegKinnardAP .
DALLAS (AP) - A white former Dallas police officer was indicted on a murder charge Friday, nearly three months after she fatally shot an unarmed black neighbor whose apartment she said she entered by mistake, believing it to be her own.

Amber Guyger told fellow officers that she opened fire when Botham Jean appeared in the darkness.

Jean's relatives joined the district attorney for the announcement of the charge. Jean, a 26-year-old native of the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia, attended college in Arkansas and had been working in Dallas for accounting and consulting firm PwC.

"I truly believe that she inflicted tremendous evil on my son," Jean's mother, Allison said after the announcement. "He didn't deserve it. He was seated in his own apartment."

Guyger was arrested on a manslaughter charge three days after the Sept. 6 shooting, prompting criticism that the original charge was too lenient. But Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said at the time that the grand jury could upgrade the charge, which it did Friday.

"When you look at the facts of this case, we thought that it was murder all along," Johnson said.

This photo provided by the Mesquite Police Department shows Amber Guyger, taken Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Former Dallas police officer Guyger was indicted on murder charges Friday, nearly three months after she fatally shot an unarmed black neighbor whose apartment she said she entered by mistake, believing it to be her own. (Mesquite Police Department via AP)

After finishing her shift, Guyger told investigators , she returned home in uniform and parked on the fourth floor of her apartment complex's garage, rather than the third floor, where her unit was located, according to an affidavit prepared by the Texas Rangers.

She said she got to what she thought was her apartment - Jean's was directly above hers - and found the door ajar. She opened it to find a figure standing in the darkness. She said she pulled her gun and fired twice after the person ignored her commands.

Guyger, 30, has since been fired from the department, and Jean's family has filed a lawsuit against Guyger and the city of Dallas. The federal suit argues that Guyger used excessive force in the shooting and contends the department did not give her adequate training.

The circumstances of the shooting sparked outrage and led many to question Guyger's account. Critics, including Jean's family, also wondered why it took three days for Guyger to be charged, why she was not taken into custody immediately after the shooting and whether race played a factor in her decision to use deadly force.

After the indictment was issued, Guyger turned herself in and posted bond a second time. She had been free on bond since her arrest.

With the murder charge, she faces up to life in prison if convicted. A manslaughter charge would have brought a sentence of up to 20 years.

Her attorney, Robert Rogers, said he was not surprised by the indictment, citing the political pressure surrounding the case and a wave of "vindictive emotion" targeting his client. He said Jean's mother testified before the grand jury, which he described as highly unusual.

During a news conference Friday, Jean family attorney Lee Merritt thanked the grand jury and said murder was the appropriate charge.

"This is groundbreaking, but it is also just a start," Merritt said. "We are focused on seeing this case through (to) a proper conviction and through an appropriate sentencing."

Dallas Police Chief Renee Hall said her department continues "to feel anguish" over the shooting. She described it as a "tragic event" and asked people to pray for Jean's family.

Jean's killing thrust Dallas into the national conversation about the intersection of race and law enforcement, a dialogue revived by the high-profile trials of officers charged with murder in police shootings.

In October, white Chicago officer Jason Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2014 on-duty shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald. Van Dyke shot McDonald 16 times.

And in August, white former Dallas-area officer Roy Oliver was convicted of murder for firing into a car filled with black teenagers leaving a house party in 2017. Fifteen-year-old Jordan Edwards was fatally shot.

FILE - This Sept. 21, 2017, file photo provided by Harding University in Search, Ark., shows Botham Jean leading worship at a university presidential reception in Dallas. Jean was shot and killed by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in his apartment in Dallas. The former Dallas police officer has been indicted on a murder charge announced Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Guyger was arrested days after the Sept. 6 shooting that killed 26-year-old Jean, who was from the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia. (Jeff Montgomery/Harding University via AP, File)

FILE - In this Sept. 13, 2018, file photo, mourners console one another during the public viewing before the funeral of Botham Shem Jean at the Greenville Avenue Church of Christ in Richardson, Texas. Jean was shot and killed by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in his apartment in Dallas. The former Dallas police officer has been indicted on a murder charge announced Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Guyger was arrested days after the Sept. 6 shooting that killed 26-year-old Jean, who was from the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia. (Shaban Athuman/The Dallas Morning News via AP, File)

Allison Jean, left, Botham Shem Jean's mother, listens along with Bertrum Jean, Botham Jean's father, and Allisa Findley, right, Botham Jean's sister as district attorney Faith Johnson give remarks at a news conference Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, in Dallas. Amber Guyger, a former Dallas police officer, was indicted Friday, on a murder charge in the killing of her unarmed neighbor Botham Jean in his own apartment, after she said she mistook his apartment for her own. (Shaban Athuman/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Allison Jean, left, Botham Shem Jean's mother, listens along with Bertrum Jean, center, Botham Jean's father, Allisa Findley, Botham Jean's sister, and the family's lawyer Lee Merritt, right, right listen as district attorney Faith Johnson give remarks at a news conference Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, in Dallas. Amber Guyger, a former Dallas police officer, was indicted Friday, on a murder charge in the killing of her unarmed neighbor Botham Jean in his own apartment, after she said she mistook his apartment for her own. (Shaban Athuman/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Allison Jean, left, Botham Shem Jean's mother, listens along with Allisa Findley, Botham Jean's sister, as District Attorney Faith Johnson give remarks at a news conference Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, in Dallas. Amber Guyger, a former Dallas police officer, was indicted Friday, on a murder charge in the killing of her unarmed neighbor Botham Jean in his own apartment, after she said she mistook his apartment for her own. (Shaban Athuman/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Allison Jean, center, Botham Shem Jean's mother, speaks at a news conference Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, in Dallas. Amber Guyger, a former Dallas police officer, was indicted Friday, on a murder charge in the killing of her unarmed neighbor Botham Jean in his own apartment, after she said she mistook his apartment for her own. (Shaban Athuman/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

Allison Jean, Botham Shem Jean's mother, speaks at a news conference Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, in Dallas. Amber Guyger, a former Dallas police officer, was indicted Friday, on a murder charge in the killing of her unarmed neighbor Botham Jean in his own apartment, after she said she mistook his apartment for her own. (Shaban Athuman/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
DALLAS (AP) - The Latest on a former Dallas police officer indicted for fatally shooting an unarmed black man in his apartment (all times local):

6:05 p.m.

An attorney for a former Dallas police officer says he isn't surprised by the murder indictment of his client given the political pressure surrounding the case.

Robert Rogers says there has been a wave of "vindictive emotion" from people looking to indict Amber Guyger, who fatally shot her unarmed neighbor Botham Jean in his own apartment.

Rogers argued that emotion was injected into the grand jury process, particularly because Jean's mother testified.

Rogers says having a family member give testimony during a grand jury process is highly unusual. He says "it's time to work towards getting her a fair trial."

Allison Jean, left, Botham Shem Jean's mother, listens along with Allisa Findley, Botham Jean's sister, as District Attorney Faith Johnson give remarks at a news conference Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, in Dallas. Amber Guyger, a former Dallas police officer, was indicted Friday, on a murder charge in the killing of her unarmed neighbor Botham Jean in his own apartment, after she said she mistook his apartment for her own. (Shaban Athuman/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

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4:40 p.m.

Dallas' police chief says all personnel in her department continue to feel "anguish" over the fatal shooting of a 26-year-old black man inside his own apartment by a white off-duty officer.

Police Chief Renee Hall described the shooting of Botham Jean as a "tragic event" and asked for people to continue to pray for his family. Amber Guyger, the officer who killed Jean, was fired by Hall following the shooting.

Hall says her department has developed a framework for "policy change," and has supported the restructuring of a citizen review board.

She says the agency remains "committed to improving our relationships throughout the city."

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4:35 p.m.

The Dallas County District Attorney says her office spoke with more than 300 witnesses in preparation for a grand jury presentation in the criminal case against a former Dallas officer who fatally shot her neighbor in his own apartment.

District Attorney Faith Johnson says her office gave a full and complete presentation to the grand jury, which indicted Amber Guyger on a murder charge in the killing of 26-year-old Botham Jean.

Johnson said her office thought the shooting constituted murder all along. She says a murder charge is intentionally and knowingly killing a person, while a manslaughter offense is recklessly killing a person.

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4:15 p.m.

The mother of an unarmed black man fatally shot by a former Dallas police officer says she's satisfied with the murder indictment brought by a grand jury.

Allison Jean said Friday that she had not been satisfied with the earlier charge of manslaughter against Amber Guyger, who said she mistook Botham Jean's apartment for her own.

Guyger, who is white, was arrested on a manslaughter charge three days after the Sept. 6 shooting. Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said the grand jury could decide on the more serious charge of murder, which it did on Friday.

Speaking at a news conference Friday, Allison Jean said she believed Guyger "inflicted tremendous evil on my son."

Guyger was fired from the police department after the shooting.

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3:30 p.m.

A prosecutor says a former Dallas police officer indicted on a murder charge for fatally shooting a black man after mistaking his apartment for her own has turned herself in.

Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson said Friday that Amber Guyger had turned herself in and posted bond.

Guyger had been out on bond after being arrested on a manslaughter charge three days after the Sept. 6 shooting of 26-year-old Botham Jean. Johnson said at the time that the grand jury could upgrade the charges, which it did Friday.

Guyger has since been fired from the department.

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3 p.m.

The family of a black man fatally shot by a former Dallas police officer who said she mistook his apartment for her own attended a news conference announcing that the former officer has been indicted on a murder charge.

Botham Jean's family stood beside Dallas County District Attorney Faith Johnson as she announced the grand jury's decision on Friday afternoon.

Amber Guyger, who is white, told investigators that she mistook Jean's apartment for her own on Sept. 6 and thought she'd encountered an intruder.

Guyger has since been fired from the department and Jean's family has filed a lawsuit against Guyger and the city of Dallas.

Jean was a native of the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia. He attended college in Arkansas and had been working in Dallas for accounting and consulting firm PwC.

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2:20 p.m.

Court records show a white former Dallas police officer has been indicted on a murder charge for fatally shooting her black unarmed neighbor after she said she mistakenly went to his apartment instead of her own.

The Dallas County court records were posted Friday before authorities were set to announce a grand jury's decision on the fate of Amber Guyger. She was arrested days after the Sept. 6 shooting that killed her 26-year-old neighbor Botham Jean. He was from the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia.

Guyger told investigators she mistook Jean's apartment for her own and thought she'd encountered an intruder. She was later fired from the Dallas Police Department, and Jean's family has filed a lawsuit against Guyger and the city.

The shooting thrust Dallas into the national conversation on the intersection of race and law enforcement.

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2 p.m.

Dallas County court records show that a white former Dallas police officer has been indicted on a murder charge for the killing of her black unarmed neighbor when she said she mistakenly went to his apartment instead of her own and shot him.

The court records were posted Friday before authorities were set to announce the decision of a grand jury on the fate of Amber Guyger. She was arrested days after the Sept. 6 shooting that killed her 26-year-old neighbor Botham Jean, who was from the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia.

Guyger told investigators she mistook Jean's apartment for her own and thought she'd encountered an intruder. She has since been fired from the department and Jean's family has filed a lawsuit against Guyger and the city of Dallas.

The shooting thrust Dallas into the national conversation on the intersection of race and law enforcement.

FILE - This Sept. 21, 2017, file photo provided by Harding University in Search, Ark., shows Botham Jean leading worship at a university presidential reception in Dallas. Jean was shot and killed by Dallas police officer Amber Guyger in his apartment in Dallas. The former Dallas police officer has been indicted on a murder charge announced Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Guyger was arrested days after the Sept. 6 shooting that killed 26-year-old Jean, who was from the Caribbean island nation of St. Lucia. (Jeff Montgomery/Harding University via AP, File)
HOUSTON (AP) - Texas' attorney general sued the San Antonio police chief Friday for what he said are violations of the state's immigration law targeting "sanctuary cities" and sought millions of dollars in sanctions.

The lawsuit Ken Paxton filed in state court was a rare enforcement action of Senate Bill 4, passed last year by the Texas Legislature and mostly upheld by a federal appeals court.

SB4 is one of the toughest state laws targeting illegal immigration. It prohibited law enforcement agencies from refusing "detainer" requests from U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, doing anything to stop an officer from asking about a suspect's immigration status, or stopping them from cooperating with immigration authorities.

Several big-city police chiefs staunchly opposed SB4, including William McManus, San Antonio's police chief. They said the law would discourage immigrants from helping the police and make it harder to prosecute crimes. The Pew Research Center has estimated 1.6 million people without legal authorization live in Texas.

Paxton's lawsuit accused McManus of improperly handling a human smuggling case in December 2017 in which 12 immigrants were found inside a tractor-trailer.

ICE typically prosecutes major cases of human smuggling, which occur frequently in South Texas due to the proximity of the U.S.-Mexico border. But in this case, McManus repeatedly declined the help of an ICE officer, instead having the driver charged with a state crime and releasing the migrants to Catholic Charities.

He also contacted the legal group RAICES, which worked with the migrants to obtain visas for witnesses of crimes who cooperate with law enforcement.

That infuriated top Texas Republicans who supported SB4. Paxton, who is himself under indictment for securities fraud, accused San Antonio of having "put the safety of police officers and the public at risk by defying state law."

The city responded Friday with a statement accusing Paxton of "furthering a political agenda."

San Antonio changed how it deals with human smuggling cases after a July 2017 incident in which 10 people died after riding inside a packed trailer that made it through a U.S. Customs and Border Protection checkpoint. More than 20 migrants were detained as material witnesses. Some were ultimately deported.

Police policy now says that officers "will not refer" migrants to ICE unless the person has a federal deportation warrant, and that the department along with other groups will assist victims and witnesses with getting visas.

Paxton's lawsuit asks a judge to prohibit San Antonio from enforcing that policy of committing "future violations of SB4." It also demands civil penalties of at least $25,500 a day for every day after Sept. 1, 2017, when the city policy took effect. That alone would surpass $11.5 million, and the lawsuit also demands other civil penalties.

City spokesman Jeff Coyle said federal officials had been consulted on its process for handling human smuggling cases.

"The City has a long history of cooperating with federal authorities and we will continue to do so," Coyle said.

The Mexican American Legal Defense and Educational Fund, which opposes SB4, said Paxton's lawsuit "overstates the requirements" of the law.

"No one - neither immigrant nor local official - should be intimidated by today's filing," MALDEF said in a statement.

An ICE spokeswoman declined comment Friday.
PHOENIX (AP) - Arizona says it's one step closer to figuring out how to divvy up water cuts as the supply from the Colorado River becomes more limited.

Several Western states that rely on the river are working on drought plans. The federal government wants them done by the end of the year.

While Arizona hasn't said it would meet that deadline, a committee meeting on the issue announced Thursday it is making progress. The plan isn't final, including how to fund it.

"I think we are very close," Ted Cooke, general manager of the Central Arizona Project, said after the committee met. "There are a finite number of remaining issues to sort out. There's lots of work to do on detail."

Arizona - long seen as the holdout among the river's lower basin states - has been at a stalemate as it wrestled with how to compensate water users that are expected to face the deepest cuts when Lake Mead falls to a certain level or find water to replace those cuts. The committee includes tribes, cities, farming and ranching interests, developers and the state.

Lake Mead has a more than 50 percent chance of not being able deliver all the water allocated to the lower basin states in 2020. The drought plan would commit Arizona, Nevada and, eventually, California to deeper cuts so Lake Mead doesn't dip to a level at which no water could be released downstream. Mexico also has agreed to cutbacks.

FILE - In this July 16, 2014 file photo, what was once a marina sits high and dry due to Lake Mead receding in the Lake Mead National Recreation Area near Las Vegas. Arizona says it's one step closer to figuring out how to divvy up water cuts as the supply from the Colorado River becomes more limited. Several Western states that rely on the river are working on drought plans. The federal government wants them done by the end of 2018. (AP Photo/John Locher, File)

In the latest proposal from Arizona, the state would lose about 500,000 acre-feet of water, about one-third of its annual supply that flows to its most populous areas, if a water shortage is declared in 2020.

The proposal would help lessen the blow for Pinal County farmers, cities and tribes. The farmers would be switched to groundwater before the drought plan expires in 2026. That's when water users are scheduled to renegotiate the 2007 guidelines they're operating under now.

Paul Orme, who represents four agricultural irrigation districts, said he's concerned the proposal doesn't identify a specific federal funding source for new wells and other infrastructure to pump groundwater.

"We think the plan is very creative and probably meets the needs of many, but it can be improved upon," he said.

Homebuilders also are concerned they won't have enough water under the proposal. The Gila River Indian Community, which is entitled to a fourth of the Colorado River water that flows through the Central Arizona Project canals, said it won't support any plan that undermines a water settlement it reached with the federal government in 2004.

The cost to fund the proposal is expected to top $100 million.

Gov. Doug Ducey said he would recommend $30 million in the upcoming state budget to pay people to leave water in Lake Mead. Other drought proposals have been criticized for wanting to take water stored from Lake Mead to soften the blow of losing water around the state.

The Walton Family Foundation and other funders say they can help fill a gap up to $8 million, if needed. Funding also is available from the federal government.

Cooke and Tom Buschatzke, director of the Arizona Department of Water Resources, said the committee will meet until members reach consensus. They've said they want to present a plan to the Legislature in January.
SAN DIEGO (AP) - An attempt to smuggle immigrants into the country illegally ended with three people dead and eight seriously injured in a crash in a remote, rugged area of California near the Mexico border, authorities said.

The incident began Thursday afternoon when U.S. Border Patrol agents discovered tire tracks for several cars that ran from the international border north into the U.S. The agency calls such incidents "drive-throughs" - instances in which cars illegally enter the U.S., often through remote areas.

They found a piece of a vehicle that they recognized as likely being from a pickup truck spotted nearby 10 minutes later. Agents tried to stop the pickup, but it fled, entering and exiting Interstate 8 twice and weaving through traffic at speeds up to 100 mph, according to witnesses.

Agents then deployed a tire deflation device, and the truck lost control within a minute, crashing and rolling over.

California authorities say one woman and two men were killed in the crash on westbound I-8 about 60 miles (96 kilometers) east of San Diego.

California Highway Patrol spokesman Officer Travis Garrow says a male driver and a female passenger were believed to be seated in the cab of the truck, and nine men were in the bed.

In this Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018 photo provided by Cal Fire San Diego, Cal Fire San Diego firefighters work at the scene of a crash along westbound Interstate 8 in Campo, Calif. Authorities say three people have been killed and eight injured when a pickup fleeing Border Patrol agents rolled over near the Mexican border. (Cal Fire via AP)

Authorities haven't identified anyone involved in the crash but said the driver could face vehicular manslaughter charges.

It's believed the illegal crossing happened near Campo, California. The Border Patrol released photos of steel fencing cut to allow enough space for a vehicle to pass through.

The crash occurred in a sparsely populated area of rugged oak- and chaparral-covered mountains on the main highway between San Diego and Arizona. Migrants typically walk across the border several miles south and hide in the boulders and brush for hours, even days, for smugglers to pick them up on the side of a paved rural road.

It is one of the busiest corridors for illegal crossings on California's border with Mexico. The Border Patrol uses motion and ground sensors as well as cameras, but it is still viewed by smugglers and migrants as a route with better chances of success than San Diego.

It wasn't immediately clear if any of the immigrants in the truck were involved in the migrant caravan from Central America, although the Border Patrol says that the ones who survived are all Mexicans.

Agency spokeswoman Takae Michael said the pickup was traveling with another car before agents spotted it. Agents later found that car abandoned in the driveway of a home, and they arrested 12 people who also were believed to be involved in smuggling.

The Border Patrol has been involved in several fatal pursuit crashes, including one in Texas this June in which five of 12 passengers in a car being chased by agents died. In March 2016, two people were killed while in a car that was fleeing Border Patrol agents on I-8 near Yuma.

Border Patrol policy states agents can only chase vehicles when the benefit outweighs any immediate danger of such pursuits. It also states that agents can use tire-deflating devices if a vehicle they're trying to stop fails to do so, but that agents should consider how safe it is to do so, like whether there are other cars around and what the area's topography is.

The agency's vehicle pursuit policy was overhauled in the 1990s after a Border Patrol chase in California's Riverside County ended in a deadly crash near a high school. Four students and a father who was driving his son to school were killed.

Josiah Heyman, the director of the Center for Inter-American and Border Studies at the University of Texas at El Paso, said the Border Patrol's use of vehicle pursuits has been problematic.

He says agents aren't usually involved in chasing high-level criminals, but rather immigrants who, if they crossed illegally, would face a misdemeanor count of illegal entry or a felony one if they'd done so before.

Large numbers of immigrants are usually packed in cars when they're being smuggled and can't wear seatbelts, making a crash even more dangerous, Heyman said.

"It amplifies the dangerousness of this," Heyman said. "I think in all cases, vehicular pursuit is still a risky choice because the risk is not just to innocent bystanders, the risk is to the officer and the risk is to the people in the vehicle."

U.S. Customs and Border Protection says its Office of Personal Responsibility is investigating the agent's response.

The driver of the car, a U.S. citizen, is in police custody.

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Elliot Spagat in San Diego contributed to this report
FALLS CHURCH, Va. (AP) - A top lieutenant to drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman was sentenced in a Virginia courtroom Friday to life in prison.

Damaso Lopez, a leader in Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, pleaded guilty in September in an Alexandria federal court to drug trafficking charges after being extradited from Mexico earlier this year.

The life sentence was expected after both sides agreed to a life term as part of a plea bargain.

In court papers, Lopez admitted he was a senior leader in the Sinaloa cartel and controlled a faction with hundreds of men. He admitted using "sicarios," or hitmen, to conduct murders to further the cartel's interest and move tons of cocaine and other drugs throughout the Americas.

Lopez's sentencing comes as Guzman is facing his own trial in New York.

It is unclear whether Lopez, Guzman's right-hand man, would be called to testify at Guzman's trial. The publicly available court documents from the plea agreement do not include a requirement for cooperation, as they usually would. But several documents in the case remain under seal.

FILE - In this May 2, 2017, file photo, Damaso Lopez, a leader in Mexico's Sinaloa drug cartel, is escorted by police after his capture at an upscale apartment building in Mexico City. Lopez, a top lieutenant to drug kingpin Joaquin "El Chapo" Guzman, was sentenced to life in prison in a Virginia courtroom on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. (AP Photo/Jorge Barrera, File)

Also, while Lopez has been sentenced to life, it is a relatively common practice at the federal courthouse in Alexandria for prosecutors to file a post-sentence motion seeking reduction of a sentence for defendants who provide substantial cooperation on other cases.

In court papers, prosecutors said the cartel generated billions of dollars in illegal profits.

"Simply put, the defendant had a leadership role in the Sinaloa Cartel, the largest and most violent drug trafficking organization in the world," prosecutors wrote. "It would be hard to imagine a more egregious drug offense."

Mexican authorities arrested Lopez - known as "El Licenciado," which is a title for college graduates - at an apartment in Mexico City last year. Authorities say that arrest led to the collapse of his faction within the cartel.

Defense attorneys did not return calls and emails seeking comment.

Lopez was also ordered to forfeit $25 million.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort may face additional charges after lawyers in the special counsel's Russia investigation said he lied to them and broke his plea agreement, prosecutors said Friday.

The latest development in Manafort's case comes at a time of public activity in special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation. Prosecutors obtained a guilty plea from President Donald Trump's longtime legal fixer on Thursday and appear to be lining up charges against another Trump supporter.

The prospect of new charges adds to the legal peril of Manafort, the onetime political consultant who already faces years in prison after being convicted of financial fraud crimes in Virginia and pleading guilty to conspiracy counts in Washington.

U.S. District Judge Amy Berman Jackson set a tentative sentencing date of March 5 as prosecutors plan to disclose next week what they believe are the lies Manafort told since pleading guilty in September and agreeing to cooperate with the investigation.

Manafort's lawyers, who deny that Manafort lied, will have an opportunity to respond and a judge is expected to hear arguments before deciding whether he breached his plea deal.

Prosecutor Andrew Weissmann told the judge that prosecutors had not yet decided whether to file new charges against Manafort for the alleged lies, saying, "That determination has not been made yet."

Attorneys Kevin Downing and Thomas Zehnle, right, with the defense team for Paul Manafort, walk from federal court in Washington, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, after a scheduling conference. (AP Photo/Carolyn Kaster)

The same is true of whether they'll pursue the 10 felony counts they dismissed in Virginia or others they planned to drop in Washington as part of the plea deal, Weissmann said. Jurors deadlocked on those Virginia counts and convicted Manafort on eight others.

Trump is facing continued questions about whether he might pardon Manafort. At the same time, he is playing down the significance of the guilty plea of his former lawyer, Michael Cohen, for lying to Congress.

None of the recent moves by Mueller has definitively answered the question of whether Trump or his associates coordinated with Russian interference in the 2016 presidential campaign. And they don't directly accuse the president of any criminal wrongdoing or indicate that the president faces legal jeopardy.

But Trump has continually surfaced in Mueller's investigation, with references to him in Cohen's plea on Thursday and in a draft plea offer extended to conservative writer and conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi and made public this week.

Trump has expressed sympathy for Manafort, Corsi and his longtime confidant Roger Stone, telling The New York Post this week that they were "very brave" for resisting the Mueller investigation. He said a pardon for Manafort, who has denied lying to investigators, wasn't "off the table."

That prospect of a pardon has drawn criticism, including from Mark Warner, the top Democrat on the Senate intelligence committee who said it would be a "complete abuse of power" and could prompt congressional action against the president.

Manafort faces up to five years in prison on each charge in his plea agreement. He is also set to be sentenced in Virginia in February.

Trump has spent recent weeks casting Mueller's team as hell-bent on destroying the lives of those in the president's orbit. Armed with information passed along by Manafort's attorneys to the president's legal team, Trump has accused prosecutors of dirty tactics and pressuring witnesses to lie.

Trump's lawyers' arrangement with Manafort's lawyers was unusual because it continued after he pleaded guilty to two felony charges and agreed to cooperate with the prosecutors. Trump's legal team also has received help from Corsi. He told The Associated Press that while in contact with Mueller's team, he directed his lawyer to informally share information with Trump's attorneys, including Jay Sekulow.

Sekulow also received the draft plea documents a couple of weeks ago. The legal team alerted the Justice Department but privately was put off by a reference to Trump in the document.

Corsi, who rejected the plea deal, has said he expects to be charged by Mueller with lying to investigators as part of the probe's scrutiny of WikiLeaks and whether he or Stone had advance knowledge of the group's release of thousands of hacked emails stolen from Clinton campaign chairman John Podesta. Mueller and U.S. intelligence agencies have said Russia was the source of the material provided to WikiLeaks.

Both Corsi and Stone have denied having any contact with WikiLeaks or having any foreknowledge of its plans. Corsi also denies making false statements to investigators.

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Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.

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Follow Chad Day and Eric Tucker on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadSDay and https://twitter.com/etuckerAP

FILE - In this May 23, 2018, file photo, Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, leaves the Federal District Court after a hearing, in Washington. Manafort's attorneys are heading to court Friday at a time of frenetic activity in the special counsel's Russia investigation. Prosecutors this week obtained a guilty plea from President Donald Trump's longtime fixer Michael Cohen and appear to be lining up charges against another Trump supporter. (AP Photo/Jose Luis Magana, File)
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - Two Minneapolis police officers were placed on paid leave Friday after their apparent involvement in Christmas tree decorations that the city's mayor called "despicable."

The Christmas tree at a precinct station on the city's North Side was decorated with items such as Newport cigarettes, police crime tape, a can of malt liquor, a Popeyes Louisiana Kitchen cup, and other things that Mayor Jacob Frey said amounted to a "racist display." A picture of the tree circulated online before the items were removed.

Frey initially called for the officer involved to be fired by day's end, but later recognized that a process has to be followed. Instead, two officers were placed on paid leave while the department investigates.

"This behavior is racist, despicable, and is well beneath the standards of any person who serves the city of Minneapolis," Frey said in a statement early Friday. "Shifting the culture of the police department requires swift and decisive action. Termination is necessary - both to discipline the officer and to send a clear message: Chief (Medaria) Arradondo and I will not tolerate conduct that departs from our values."

Arradondo called the display "racially insensitive" and said it was removed. He said he has started a full investigation into the incident.

"I am ashamed and appalled by the behavior of those who would feel comfortable to act in such a manner that goes against our core department values of trust, accountability and professional service," Arradondo said in a statement.

The head of the police officer's union did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

The tree is in the police station on the city's North Side, which has a fractured relationship with police. The precinct was the site of more than two weeks of protests after the 2015 fatal police shooting of Jamar Clark, a black man. While Arradondo said the police department has made positive changes, "this recent incident shows we still have much work ahead."

Longtime civil rights activist Ron Edwards told the Star Tribune , that the items on the tree were a "wink wink" to racial stereotypes against black people.

"It's a modern day version of a dog whistle, tainted with racism, specifically against the African-American community," he said.

The Twin Cities Coalition 4 Justice 4 Jamar, a group formed after Clark's shooting, sent out a statement saying they were "outraged and disgusted" by the display. The group also called for the immediate termination of those involved.

Also Friday, the Minneapolis City Council voted to reduce the mayor's proposed police budget for 2019 by more than $1 million.
WASHINGTON (AP) - Justice Department lawyers appeared on Friday to be challenging a Maryland federal judge's decision to allow a case accusing President Donald Trump of violating the U.S. Constitution to move forward to legal discovery.

But the late afternoon filing was only a notice to the court that it could petition the appeals court in Richmond, Virginia. The "response of the president" came as U.S. District Court Judge Peter J. Messitte is poised to potentially allow the subpoenas to begin flowing on Monday. Such information would likely provide the first clear picture of the finances of Trump's Washington, D.C. hotel.

Trump has been fighting multiple lawsuits that argue foreign representatives' spending money at the Trump International Hotel are violations of the Constitution's emoluments clause, which bans federal officials from accepting benefits from foreign or state governments without congressional approval.

The attorneys general of Maryland and the District of Columbia allege that Trump, who hasn't divested himself of his business holdings, is profiting off the presidency.

The president's notice that he may seek a writ of mandamus - to have the appeal heard by a higher court - is considered an "extraordinary remedy," according to the Justice Department's website, which "should only be used in exceptional circumstances of peculiar emergency or public importance."

It's also a move with a demanding standard for petitioners that would partly rest on showing Messitte's decisions to be clearly wrong.

FILE - In this Dec. 21, 2016, file photo, the Trump International Hotel at 1100 Pennsylvania Avenue NW, is seen in Washington. Justice Department's lawyers appeared to be challenging a Maryland federal judge's decision to allow a case against President Donald Trump to move forward. The Nov. 30, 2018, filing, however, was merely a notice to the court. It comes as U.S. District Court Judge Peter J. Messitte is poised to allow the subpoenas to begin flowing on Monday. Such information would likely provide the first clear picture of Trump's Washington, D.C. hotel's finances. (AP Photo/Alex Brandon, File)

This was the second effort by the president's legal team to delay proceedings. Messitte responded earlier this month to Justice Department efforts for a mid-case appeal with a somewhat blistering opinion that said merely disagreeing with the court doesn't constitute a required "substantial" reason for the appeal. He also said he was unwilling to entertain delaying methods that might be used by the Justice Department lawyers.

"The court has already rejected this type of dilatory behavior on the part of the president and we believe that it's unfounded," said Norman Eisen, chairman of the nonprofit Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington, which is co-counsel with the two jurisdictions. "We believe that discovery should proceed and we're prepared to commence should the court so order."

Friday's filing in the Maryland court noted that "the president does not believe that discovery should commence now but should await the court of appeals' resolutions of the mandamus petition and stay application. If this court nevertheless finds that discovery should proceed now, then the president does not object to the discovery schedule proposed by plaintiffs."

The Justice Department declined to comment beyond the filing.

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Follow Tami Abdollah on Twitter at https://twitter.com/latams
LAPORTE, Ind. (AP) - Family and friends of an emergency room doctor killed in a shooting at a Chicago hospital gathered at an Indiana church Friday to remember the woman as a caring, loving and thoughtful person.

Funeral services for Dr. Tamara O'Neal were held at the First Church of God in LaPorte. O'Neal was shot to death by her former fiance after he confronted her outside Mercy Hospital on Nov. 19.

"I'm going to miss her enthusiasm. I'm going to miss her spirit," said Dr. Adele Cobbs, a Mercy Hospital colleague. "She was a very happy person. She enjoyed life to the fullest, and we're going to all miss that."

O'Neal's attacker was killed during a shootout with police that left Officer Samuel Jimenez dead. Also killed was pharmacy technician Dayna Less.

After graduating from Purdue University, O'Neal enrolled in medical school at the University of Illinois-Chicago, from which she graduated in 2014. A year before she joined the Mercy Hospital staff, O'Neal was as an emergency room physician at Franciscan Health in Michigan City, Indiana.

Members of O'Neal's family said she was determined to be a doctor to serve others.

"She always wanted to help people," said Paul Pryor, O'Neal's cousin. "It wasn't about the money. It was just about people, poor people, less fortunate people, that's all she did was just care."

Alexandria Holliday went to medical school with O'Neal and during the service recalled the challenges they faced.

"We struggled together, we shared our stories together of how difficult it was and we motivated each other each step of the way," said Holliday.

O'Neal's funeral was the last for the Mercy Hospital shooting victims. Funerals for Less and Jimenez were held on Monday.
DALLAS (AP) - The indictment of Dallas police officer Amber Guyger on a murder charge in the killing of an unarmed black neighbor marks the latest development in a national conversation on issues of law enforcement and race.

A look at that case and others in recent years in which law enforcement officers faced charges for the shooting deaths of black people:

AMBER GUYGER

A Dallas County grand jury indicted Guyger Friday on a charge of murder in the Sept. 6 killing of her unarmed black neighbor, 26-year-old Botham Jean. Guyger originally was arrested on a manslaughter charge but the grand jury decided on the more serious charge of murder. The white police officer told investigators she had just ended a shift when she returned in uniform to her apartment complex and mistook Jean's apartment for her own after parking on the wrong floor of the complex parking garage.

JASON VAN DYKE

In October, Van Dyke was found guilty of second-degree murder in the 2014 fatal shooting of black teenager Laquan McDonald. The white Chicago police officer shot McDonald 16 times. The shooting drew international attention when a judge forced the city to release squad car video of the shooting. The video sparked massive protests, cost the Chicago police superintendent his job, and prompted federal and local investigations. Van Dyke was suspended without pay.

ROBERT BATES

Bates, a white Tulsa County, Oklahoma, volunteer sheriff's deputy, was sentenced in 2016 to four years in prison for second-degree manslaughter in the April 2015 death of Eric Harris, 44, who was unarmed and restrained. Bates, 74, has said he confused his stun gun with his handgun.

JAMES BURNS

Burns is charged with felony murder in the June 2016 death of Deravis Caine Rogers, 22. Prosecutors say Burns was responding to a suspicious person call when the white Atlanta police officer fired shots into a car driven by Rogers, killing him. The Atlanta police chief fired Burns soon after the shooting, following an internal investigation that determined Burns used unnecessary and excessive force.

DOMINIQUE HEAGGAN-BROWN

Heaggan-Brown, a black Milwaukee police officer, was acquitted in June 2017 of first-degree reckless homicide after shooting 23-year-old Sylville Smith during a foot chase in August 2016. Heaggan-Brown was fired after unrelated sexual-assault allegations surfaced. He later pleaded guilty to soliciting prostitution.

PETER LIANG

Liang, a rookie police officer in New York City, was convicted of manslaughter in 2016 in the November 2014 death of 28-year-old Akai Gurley. Liang, an American of Chinese descent, said he was patrolling a public housing high-rise with his gun drawn when a sound startled him and he fired accidentally. A bullet ricocheted off a wall, hitting Gurley. A judge reduced the conviction to negligent homicide and sentenced Liang to five years' probation and 800 hours of community service.

ROY OLIVER

Oliver was convicted of murder in the August 2017 death of 15-year-old Jordan Edwards and sentenced to 15 years in prison. Oliver, a white police officer in the Dallas suburb of Balch Springs, fired into a car packed with black teenagers who were leaving a house party. Edwards was fatally shot. Oliver said he thought his partner was in danger as the car drove by. But his partner told jurors he didn't fear for his life.

RYAN POWNALL

Pownall was charged with criminal homicide in September for the 2017 death of 30-year-old David Jones, who was shot in the back as he fled. A judge in October reduced the charges from first-degree to third-degree murder, which will not require prosecutors to prove the killing was premediated. Pownall, who is white, was fired from the Philadelphia police force last year after a grand jury's recommendation said that Jones was not a threat at the time and that Pownall violated several policies including firing his weapon toward cars waiting at a traffic light.

MICHAEL ROSFELD

Rosfeld, an officer with the East Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, is charged with criminal homicide in the June 19 shooting death of 17-year-old Antwon Rose Jr. after the teen fled from a traffic stop. The white officer was charged after investigators said his story about whether he saw or believed he saw a gun in Rose's hand changed during his interview. His trial is scheduled for Feb. 26.

BETTY SHELBY

Shelby, a white Tulsa officer, was acquitted of manslaughter after shooting 40-year-old Terence Crutcher in September 2016. Crutcher was unarmed. Shelby resigned from the Tulsa Police Department and later went to work for a neighboring sheriff's office.

MICHAEL SLAGER

Slager pleaded guilty to federal civil rights charges after killing 50-year-old Walter Scott in 2015. The white North Charleston, South Carolina, police officer fired at Scott's back from 17 feet (5 meters) away. Five of eight bullets hit him. Attorneys for Slager said he shot Scott in self-defense after the two fought and Scott grabbed Slager's stun gun. Slager was sentenced to 20 years in prison in December 2017. An appeal is pending.

JASON STOCKLEY

Stockley, a white St. Louis police officer, was acquitted of murder on Sept. 15, 2017, in the 2011 shooting death of 24-year-old Anthony Lamar Smith. Stockley insisted he saw Smith, a drug suspect, holding a gun and felt he was in imminent danger. Prosecutors said the officer planted a gun in Smith's car after the shooting.

RAYMOND TENSING

Tensing, a white University of Cincinnati police officer, was tried twice for murder after killing Samuel DuBose, whom he pulled over for driving without a front license plate in 2015. DuBose was unarmed. The jury was hung both times, and the charges were dismissed. Tensing received $350,000 from the university when he agreed to resign.

JERONIMO YANEZ

Yanez, a Falcon Heights, Minnesota, police officer was charged with second-degree manslaughter and other counts after shooting 32-year-old Philando Castile in 2016. Yanez, who is Latino, was acquitted in June 2017.

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For the AP's complete coverage of the Jason Van Dyke case: https://apnews.com/tag/LaquanMcDonald
NEW YORK (AP) - Pioneering lawmaker Shirley Chisholm will be honored with a statue in the New York City borough she served as the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress.

City officials announced Friday that a monument to Chisholm will be installed at the entrance to Brooklyn's Prospect Park.

The Brooklyn-born Chisholm served in Congress from 1969 to 1983. In 1972 she became the first woman to seek the Democratic presidential nomination. She died in 2005 at age 80.

The statue's artist will be announced in early 2019, and city officials say it will be installed by the end of 2020.

The decision to honor Chisholm grew out of an initiative to erect more monuments to women in New York City's public spaces. There are now just five statues of historical women.

FILE- In this 1971 file photo, Congresswoman Shirley Chisholm, D-N.Y., is shown. The pioneering lawmaker will be honored with a statue in the New York City borough she served as the first black woman elected to the U.S. Congress. New York City officials announced Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, that a monument to Chisholm will be installed at the entrance to Brooklyn's Prospect Park. (AP Photo)
WASHINGTON (AP) - The Latest on former FBI Director James Comey (all times local):

5:30 p.m.

Lawyers for Congress and James Comey are arguing over whether a judge should block a subpoena seeking a private interview.

A judge didn't immediately rule.

A lawyer for Comey, David Kelley, says Republican House lawmakers want to take shots at Comey in a "dark alley."

He says Comey has no problem appearing before the House Judiciary Committee as long as it happens in public. Kelley says Comey is concerned statements from a private interview would be selectively leaked.

But a lawyer for Congress says committees are free to conduct investigations as they please and says Comey has no right to refuse a subpoena and demand a public hearing.

Attorney Thomas Hungar says no judge had granted a request like Comey's before.

Lawmakers want to ask Comey about FBI decisions during the 2016 presidential race.

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10:15 a.m.

A federal judge has scheduled a hearing for Friday to address former FBI Director James Comey's challenge of a subpoena from the House of Representatives.

Comey was subpoenaed to appear before the Republican led-House Judiciary Committee to discuss decisions made by the FBI in 2016, including a call not to recommend criminal charges against Democrat Hillary Clinton for her use of a private email server and the FBI's investigation into potential coordination between Russia and Republican Donald Trump's campaign.

Comey, who has testified about the matters several times, has said he would appear in a public hearing but he is seeking to block the subpoena because it would require him to appear in a private, closed-door interview on Monday.
PHOENIX (AP) - Latinos who were illegally detained when then-Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio defied a court order face a Monday deadline to apply for taxpayer-funded compensation for the harm they suffered from his acknowledged disobedience.

Fewer people than expected applied for compensation from a $500,000 court-ordered fund created after Arpaio defied a 2011 order barring his traffic patrols that targeted immigrants. The violation was made in a racial profiling case centering on Arpaio's immigration patrols and eventually led to a criminal contempt of court conviction for Arpaio, who was later pardoned by President Donald Trump.

When the application period began nearly a year ago, immigrant rights advocates said at least 190 people were illegally detained. But so far only one claim totaling $1,095 has been paid among the 114 claims filed, according to the latest figures. The advocates say 13 other claims totaling $150,000 are considered payable but are awaiting a rebuttal from the sheriff's office.

Even though Monday is the deadline for applying for the money, the total amount of compensation paid could rise as applications are evaluated and processed.

Kathy Brody, one of the American Civil Liberties Union attorneys leading the profiling case against the sheriff's office, pointed out the victims are difficult to locate and that she believes a number of factors, including a fear of deportation, kept victims from applying for the money.

A judge rejected a request to extend the one-year application period by six months after a lawyer representing Maricopa County argued that Arpaio foes were trying to rewrite the terms of the compensation plan. Arpaio's successor, Sheriff Paul Penzone, didn't take a position on extending the application period.

FILE - In this Jan. 10, 2018, file photo, former Maricopa County Sheriff Joe Arpaio speaks at his office in Fountain Hills, Arizona. Latinos who were illegally detained when Arpaio defied a 2011 court order face a Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, deadline to apply for taxpayer-funded compensation for the harm they suffered from his acknowledged disobedience. (AP Photo/Matt York, File)

"Where is everybody coming forward? Where are they?" Arpaio asked.

Arpaio, whose defiance of the 2011 order is believed to have contributed to his crushing 2016 defeat in the sheriff's race, said he doesn't regret his actions that led to creation of the compensation fund. He conceded that the fear of deportation may have contributed to fewer applicants coming forward.

"If that's the reason they didn't come forward, that's great," Arpaio said. "They are saving the taxpayer money. They can go back from where they came."

Brody said she said hasn't been surprised by Arpaio's statements about the compensation effort. "He terrorized the community," Brody said. "The fact that he seemed to be taking pleasure in this is just par for the course for Arpaio."

Lawyers involved in the profiling case and a firm running the claims process have worked with community organizations and foreign consulates in hopes of finding victims. A group in Mexico has reached out to news organizations to publicize the compensation efforts.

The attorneys did interviews with news organizations, watched traffic-stop videos and pored over arrest and other police records in search of victims. The lawyers who filed the profiling case also organized three clinics with volunteer attorneys to assist people with submitting claims.

While Trump's pardon led to the dismissal of Arpaio's criminal case, taxpayers in metro Phoenix are still on the hook for compensating those who were illegally detained in the patrols between December 2011 and May 2013.

Under the compensation system, Maricopa County will pay $500 for the first hour of a person's illegal detention and $35 for each additional 20-minute increment. A $10,000 cap was imposed on such compensation, but the judge said the victims can also seek money for other injuries resulting from the illegal detentions, such as lost wages and emotional distress.

The judge presiding over the profiling case denied a request from Arpaio's foes to require the lawman to personally pay $300,000 to help compensate the victims. The judge had ruled the lawyers opposing the sheriff hadn't cited a legal authority for making Arpaio pay for conduct carried out in his official capacity.

The compensation costs are a small piece of the overall taxpayer cost of the racial profiling case, which so far have totaled $90 million.

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Follow Jacques Billeaud at www.twitter.com/jacquesbilleaud.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Russia is putting on a brave face after U.S. President Donald Trump abruptly junked a summit with Russian President Vladimir Putin. It's all about internal U.S. politics and "anti-Russian hysteria," Russian officials shrug.

But Trump's snub was a clear kick to Putin just as he arrived at a Group of 20 summit where Western leaders banded together to denounce Russia's actions in Ukraine.

So Putin turned elsewhere for attention.

He subbed Turkey's president for the time slot he had reserved for Trump, and sought to strengthen his alliance with China and other non-Western economies. And he cozied up at Friday's round-table talks to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, somewhat of a fellow outcast at the G-20 over his suspected role in the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist.

Putin and Trump "said hi to each other," according to the Russian leader's spokesman - but didn't shake hands or otherwise interchange, even during the "family photo" when leaders rub elbows as they get into place and usually exchange small talk.

Putin himself hasn't publicly addressed Trump's rejection, but hinted at the potential fallout if the leaders of the world's two biggest nuclear powers can't talk to each other: Putin said in Buenos Aires that the U.S. intention to opt out of a Cold War-ear nuclear pact "creates risks of an uncontrollable arms race."

Russia's President Vladimir Putin, left, watches President Donald Trump, right, walk past him as they gather for the group photo at the start of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized nations are meeting in Buenos Aires for two days starting today.(AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

As the summit opened, European leaders lined up to criticize what one called Russia's "aggression" on Ukraine - the weekend seizure of Ukrainian ships and crew members near Crimea. The Group of 7 foreign ministers issued a statement demanding the seamen's release.

The standoff was the official reason that Trump cancelled his meeting with Putin, calling what's happening in Ukraine "very bad."

The Russian interpretation of the cancellation, however, echoed that of some of Trump's critics at home, who noted the move came amid new challenges for Trump in the probe into Russia's alleged role in his 2016 election campaign.

"If the domestic situation and the pressure from Russophobes like Ukraine and its sponsors prevents the U.S. president from developing normal ties with the Russian president ... we will wait for another chance," Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov said, adding "love can't be forced."

Prominent Russian lawmaker Leonid Slutsky called Trump's cancellation - announced unexpectedly on Twitter just hours before the G-20 kicked off - "a show." He said Trump probably fears that if he meets with Putin, his domestic rivals "will call him a Russian agent."

Isolated by Western democracies, Putin pushed instead to inject new strength into the so-called BRICS grouping of Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa.

"The five can, for a good reason, play a more significant role in the global financial system, strive to continue the reform of the IMF and strengthen our influence in the Fund," Putin said at a BRICS meeting.

He wasn't avoiding Western critics, though. Putin met France's president Friday - carefully drawing a map of Ukraine's coastline to explain Russia's claims that its seizures of the Ukrainian ships was justified - and will see Germany's chancellor Saturday.

Still, what Putin really wants is to make a deal with Trump.

The Russian leader, who views global politics as a cynical power play, sees himself as a consummate negotiator who can advance Moscow's interests through strong personal contacts with foreign leaders.

He repeatedly voiced a belief that Trump sincerely wants to improve ties with Russia but has been prevented from doing so by his political foes.

"Playing the Russian card has become a convenient tool for solving internal political problems," Putin said recently. "I hope it will end someday. Maybe it will happen in 2020 when the next U.S. presidential election is held and he will no longer have to constantly look back at those who engage in anti-Russian rhetoric."

Putin's wish list is topped by a desire to see an end to crippling anti-Russian sanctions imposed by the U.S. and its allies for Russia's annexation of Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula, its support for separatist insurgents in eastern Ukraine and other actions by Moscow.

Putin also wants to talk to Trump about his intention to opt out of the 1987 Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces Treaty over alleged Russian violations. Putin strongly denied any Russian breaches of the pact.

The Russian leader has warned that if the United States deploys intermediate-range missiles that are currently banned under the treaty to Europe, Russia will have to target the nations that would host them.

Such weapons are seen as extremely destabilizing as they take just a few minutes to reach targets, leaving virtually no time for decision-makers and dramatically increasing the possibility of a nuclear conflict over a false attack warning or technical glitch.

There was a risk that the Trump-Putin meeting could have worked out badly for both of them.

After the summit with Putin in July, Trump was 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. More anti-Russian sanctions followed and relations soured further.

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Isachenkov reported from Moscow.

Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, left, and Russia's President Vladimir Putin speak at the start of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. The two leaders are controversial figures at the summit. In Putin's case, other world leaders have expressed concern over Russia's recent seizure of Ukrainian ships and their crews near Crimea. For the prince, it's about the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist in the country's Istanbul consulate. Saudi Arabia denies that bin Salman ordered the killing, but U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded the opposite. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

Russia's President Vladimir Putin waits for the start of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018.(AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)
FRANKFORT, Ky. (AP) - A staffer for the House Republican Caucus in Kentucky has lost her job nearly one year after she sued the state saying she was punished for reporting sexual harassment involving GOP lawmakers.

Daisy Olivo was let go on Friday, according to her attorney, Shane Sidebottom. She was fired one day after House Republicans elected new leaders for the upcoming 2019 legislative session.

"Any time a whistleblower files a suit they put their job in play, unfortunately," Sidebottom said. "Under statute, we could consider it another act of retaliation in violation of the law."

Acting House speaker David Osborne declined to comment.

Last year, the Courier Journal reported four Republican lawmakers had signed a secret sexual harassment settlement with a woman who once worked for the GOP caucus. The settlement included Jeff Hoover, the House speaker at the time, and three other GOP lawmakers. Hoover denied sexual harassment, but said he did send the woman inappropriate but consensual text messages.

Hoover later resigned as speaker but kept his seat in the legislature. He was eventually fined $1,000 by the Legislative Ethics Commission and issued a public apology. He was re-elected to his House seat earlier this month without opposition.

FILE - In this April 10, 2018 file photo, former Kentucky House Speaker Jeff Hoover speaks with reporters in Frankfort, Ky. A staffer for the House Republican Caucus in Kentucky has lost her job Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, nearly one year after she sued the state saying she was punished for reporting sexual harassment involving GOP lawmakers. Last year, the Courier Journal reported four Republican lawmakers had signed a secret sexual harassment settlement with a woman who once worked for the GOP caucus. The settlement included Hoover, the House speaker at the time, and three other GOP lawmakers. Hoover denied sexual harassment, but said he did send the woman inappropriate but consensual text messages. (AP Photo/Adam Beam, File)

Olivo filed her lawsuit a few weeks after the settlement became public. She said Hoover had "physical, sexual encounters" with the woman "both during work hours, and outside of work hours." She said she confronted Hoover about this and reported it to the human resources department. They responded, she said, by taking away her job responsibilities.

At the time, an attorney for the woman who made the allegations said Olivo's claim that Hoover and the woman had "sexual relations" was "absolutely not true." But in October, the woman gave a deposition in the lawsuit. Sidebottom said her testimony described "disturbing facts regarding sexual harassment and sexual assault," including "conduct in the parking lot of a local restaurant."

An attorney for Hoover and two of the other lawmakers who signed the settlement has asked for portions of the woman's testimony to be sealed, arguing her comments violated the confidential settlement agreement she signed. A judge temporarily granted that request, ruling Hoover's attorney should have the right to ask the woman questions before the testimony is made public.

Olivo's lawyers have opposed that ruling. A hearing on the issue is scheduled for next month.
DALLAS (AP) - Dallas police have arrested a 15-year-old boy suspected in a series of sexual assaults in Texas and Louisiana, and are investigating him in the fatal attack of a woman this week in Texas, investigators said Friday.

The teen was charged as a juvenile Thursday with three counts of aggravated sexual assault in Texas, and additional charges are pending in Louisiana, Dallas Deputy Chief Thomas Castro said. Investigators said the teen is suspected of assaulting five women since March who reported similar attacks: a suspect knocking on their door and asking for money or work, and then forcing his way inside while brandishing a weapon.

"We confirmed him as a suspect through DNA and other evidence," Castro said.

Castro said the teen also is a suspect in the recent death of a woman because of the proximity of her apartment to where the three other Dallas attacks occurred. Castro said the 23-year-old woman was texting with a friend Tuesday when someone approached her door asking to use her phone. The person was let inside, and the friend soon lost contact with the woman. Investigators believe she was sexually assaulted before she was killed.

The teen, whose name hasn't been released by police because of his age, is currently being held in a juvenile facility. But police will seek to have him charged as an adult, Dallas Police Senior Cpl. Melinda Gutierrez said.

According to investigators, three women living in the same area of Dallas were attacked in separate incidents in September and October. Two other women were attacked in Bossier City, Louisiana - one in March and the other in April. Each woman gave investigators a similar description of a suspect whose actions were the same from one scene to the other.

The teen was living in Dallas at the time of his arrest and was living in Bossier City when the attacks occurred there, Castro said.

Bossier City is about 170 miles (273 kilometers) east of Dallas.
RIVERSIDE, Calif. (AP) - A trial date has been set for a Southern California couple charged with the torture and abuse of most of their 13 children.

A judge on Friday ordered that jury selection begin Sept. 3 in the case against David and Louise Turpin.

The couple has pleaded not guilty to charges that could carry a life sentence. They were arrested in January when a daughter escaped from the family's Perris home and called 911.

Investigators said some of the children had stunted growth and wasted muscles and described being beaten, starved and put in cages.

The Riverside Press-Enterprise reports motions will be heard starting Aug. 12. One of the motions will be a request by the Turpins' lawyer to move the trial out of Riverside County because of the publicity the case has received.
TALLAHASSEE, Fla. (AP) - An embattled county elections official at the center of Florida's recall has been suspended.

Gov. Rick Scott issued an executive order Friday immediately suspending Broward County Supervisor of Elections Brenda Snipes from office for misfeasance, incompetence and neglect of duty.

Snipes has been the top elections official in the south Florida county since 2003 when then-Gov. Jeb Bush appointed her. She came under withering criticism for her handling of this year's elections, as well as its legally required recount in close races for governor and U.S. Senate.

Snipes previously indicated she planned to step down in January. Scott said in a statement that taxpayers shouldn't have to pay an official who has already announced her resignation.

Scott appointed Enterprise Florida President and CEO Peter Antonacci to replace Snipes. Voters will have a chance to elect a new supervisor in 2020.
LOS ANGELES (AP) - Officials say criminal proceedings against a Seattle man accused of trying to run over two Jewish men outside a Los Angeles synagogue have been suspended amid questions about his mental competency.

The Los Angeles Times on Friday cites records that show Mohamed Abdi Mohamed was diagnosed with schizophrenia in 2015. The newspaper says the 32-year-old has been treated at mental health facilities in Washington state twice in recent years.

Prosecutors say a mental competency hearing is scheduled Dec. 14.

Mohamed is charged with assault with a deadly weapon.

Police say he yelled anti-Semitic remarks at the pair on Nov. 23, made a U-turn and drove at the men, who were on a sidewalk. Nobody was hurt.

He was arrested after crashing into another car in the largely Jewish Wilshire-area.
OTTAWA, Ontario (AP) - The Supreme Court of Canada ruled Friday a Vice Media reporter must give Canada's national police force material he gathered for stories about an accused terrorist in a case that pitted press freedoms against the investigative powers of police.

The high court said in a 9-0 decision Friday the state's interest in prosecuting crimes outweighed the media's right to privacy in gathering the news.

Vice Media said the ruling made it a "dark day for press freedom."

Organizations representing Canadian journalists also decried the decision as setback that imperils their work.

In 2014, reporter Ben Makuch wrote three articles about the involvement of Farah Mohamed Shirdon, formerly of Calgary, with the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant.

Shirdon had left Canada for Turkey in March of that year. A month later, he appeared in an ISIL propaganda video that turned up on the internet. He tore up his Canadian passport, threw it into a fire and said, "With help from Allah, we are coming to slaughter you."

Their exchanges in text-messaging service were crucial to the articles.

The Royal Canadian Mounted Police in 2015 directed Vice Media and Makuch to provide documents and data relating to communications with Shirdon.

Makuch tweeted: "I am profoundly disappointed in today's ruling, not just as an appellant in this case or a reporter, but as a citizen of Canada."

The Canadian Association of Journalists and Canadian Journalists for Free Expression also called the ruling deeply disappointing.

"It creates a chill for anyone who wants to speak truth to power or expose government wrongdoing," said CAJ president and CJFE board member Karyn Pugliese. "The country's highest court erred significantly in today's decision."
NEW YORK (AP) - The Mets failed to offer a 2019 contract to Wilmer Flores, allowing the infielder to become a free agent.

Flores hit .267 with 11 homers and 51 RBIs in 126 games this year, when he made $3.4 million. He endeared himself to Mets fans when he got emotional during a game against San Diego on July 29, 2015, believing media reports he had been traded to Milwaukee. The proposed swap for Carlos Gomez fell through, and two days later Flores hit a game-ending 12th-inning homer to beat Washington.

New York did offer a contract to catcher Travis d'Arnaud, who was limited to four early season games this year by a torn ulnar collateral ligament in his right elbow that required Tommy John surgery. D'Arnaud, on the disabled list for the fifth straight season, had a $3,475,000 salary.

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More AP MLB: https://apnews.com/MLB and https://twitter.com/AP_Sports
WASHINGTON (AP) - Robert Mueller is back.

After a quiet few months in the run-up to the midterm elections, the special counsel's Russia investigation is heating up again with a string of tantalizing new details emerging this week.

None of it answers the central question: Did Donald Trump and his campaign coordinate with Russia to help him win America's 2016 presidential election. But the new evidence does make clear that some in Trump's orbit recognized his Russia connections were a problem - so they lied about them.

Mueller has indicated there are more criminal charges to come.

Here's a look at the key lines of inquiry, what we know and what we don't.

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FILE - In this June 21, 2017, file photo, special counsel Robert Mueller departs after a meeting on Capitol Hill in Washington. Mueller is back. After a quiet few months in the run-up to the midterm elections, the special counsel's Russia investigation is heating up again with a string of tantalizing new details emerging this week.(AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite, File)

WHAT'S THE LATEST?

It's been a busy week.

On Thursday, Michael Cohen, the longtime Trump lawyer and legal fixer, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about his efforts during the 2016 campaign to line up a Trump Tower Moscow project. The plea was significant because it prominently featured Trump and conversations he and his family had with Cohen about the project.

Prosecutors did not accuse Trump or his grown children of any wrongdoing. But Cohen said he lied to be consistent with Trump's "political messaging."

The surprise plea came just days after prosecutors revealed that former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort's separate plea deal fell apart over allegations that he lied to investigators, a development that could lead to new charges .

Draft court documents made public this week also revealed that Mueller made a plea offer to Jerome Corsi, a conservative writer and conspiracy theorist. The documents accused Corsi of lying about his discussions with Trump confidant Roger Stone about WikiLeaks during the 2016 campaign.

American intelligence agencies and Mueller have said Russia was the source of hacked material released by WikiLeaks during the campaign that damaged Hillary Clinton's presidential effort. Mueller's office is trying to determine whether Corsi and Stone had advance knowledge of WikiLeaks' plans.

Corsi has denied lying and rejected the plea offer. Stone has also denied having any contact with WikiLeaks or knowledge of its plans.

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WHAT DO WE KNOW FOR SURE?

There were a lot of contacts between Russia and people close to Trump. And the Kremlin mounted a large-scale operation that sought to hurt Hillary Clinton and help Trump, according to Mueller and U.S intelligence agencies .

In public court filings, Mueller has woven a narrative of events that he believes are significant. They include contacts between a little-known campaign foreign policy adviser and Russian intermediaries, conversations the president and his family had with Cohen about a proposed Trump Tower Moscow and contacts between senior advisers in Trump's incoming administration and Russian officials during the transition period.

Much of that has become public because key participants - Cohen, ex-National Security Adviser Michael Flynn and ex-Trump campaign foreign policy adviser George Papadopoulos- lied to federal agents about it.

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WHAT REMAINS UNKNOWN?

Mueller has yet to answer definitively the central questions in the Russia probe.

Did any Trump associates coordinate with Russia in an attempt to sway the 2016 presidential election? And did the president cross the line and obstruct justice in his efforts to stymie the Russia investigation?

Mueller's team is also intently focused on WikiLeaks and whether anyone close to Trump or his campaign knew in advance about the group's plans to release the material hacked by Russia.

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WHO HAS BEEN ACCUSED OF CRIMES?

Thirty-three people and three companies.

Since Mueller's appointment in May 2017, he's obtained guilty pleas from seven people including five involved in the Trump campaign. Flynn and Papadopoulos both admitted to lying about their contacts with Russians or Russian intermediaries.

Mueller also brought a series of charges against Manafort over undisclosed foreign lobbying on behalf of Ukraine and millions of dollars that were never reported to the IRS. Manafort was convicted by a jury of eight felony counts. His right-hand man, Rick Gates, took a plea deal , and Mueller brought obstruction charges against Konstantin Kilimnik, a Manafort associate who prosecutors say has ties to Russian intelligence.

In addition, Mueller has brought sweeping indictments against Russians. That includes charging 13 Russians and three companies with orchestrating a covert effort to flood American social media with disinformation to sow discord during the U.S. election campaign. One company is fighting the charges. Twelve Russian intelligence officers were also accused of hacking Democratic organizations during the 2016 campaign.

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WHAT ABOUT TRUMP?

The president is angry to the point of boiling about the Mueller probe - and he's hinted he may do something about it.

Trump has heightened his attacks in recent weeks, blasting the special counsel as corrupt and unethical. He's even accused Mueller of pressuring people to lie.

In a tweet, Trump floated the idea of giving those caught up in the investigation some "relief ." And this week, he said he hasn't ruled out a pardon for Manafort.

All of this came as his attorneys turned over Trump's written answers to Mueller's questions about his knowledge of any ties between his campaign and Russia.

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WHEN WILL WE FIND OUT MORE?

It's not clear.

Mueller's indictments and guilty pleas are not announced ahead of time. The special counsel also hasn't said when he will complete any report of his findings.

But there are several deadlines coming up where Mueller will have to disclose at least some new details about his investigation.

Next week, prosecutors will have to disclose what lies they say Manafort told them after he agreed to cooperate. Prosecutors will also have lay out the nature of the cooperation by Cohen and Flynn in the next few weeks.

All of those filings will be closely watched to see what they say about where Mueller is going.

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Follow Chad Day on Twitter: https://twitter.com/ChadSDay
SAN FRANCISCO (AP) - A U.S. judge on Friday refused to immediately allow the Trump administration to enforce a ban on asylum for any immigrants who illegally cross the U.S.-Mexico border.

Judge Jon Tigar rejected the Justice Department's request to suspend his earlier order temporarily blocking the ban. The administration had still not shown that the ban was legal, or that any harm would come from continuing to implement existing immigration laws, Tigar said in his order.

"Nor have Defendants rebutted the significant harms that will be suffered by asylum seekers with legitimate claims and the organizations that assist them," he said.

An email to a spokesman for the Justice Department was not immediately returned.

At issue is President Donald Trump's Nov. 9 proclamation that barred anyone who crossed the U.S.-Mexico border between official ports of entry from seeking asylum. Trump issued the proclamation in response to caravans of migrants approaching the border.

Tigar on Nov. 19 sided with legal groups who argued that federal law is clear that immigrants in the U.S. can request asylum regardless of whether they entered legally.

The president "may not rewrite the immigration laws to impose a condition that Congress has expressly forbidden," the judge said in his order.

The ruling led to an unusual public dispute between Trump and Chief Justice John Roberts after Trump dismissed Tigar - an appointee of Trump's predecessor - as an "Obama judge."

Roberts responded with a statement that the federal judiciary doesn't have "Obama judges or Trump judges, Bush judges or Clinton judges."

The administration has indicated it will appeal Tigar's ruling, but it still wanted the judge to halt the restraining order. Tigar's order undermined the White House's efforts to "encourage the large number of aliens transiting Mexico ... to simply follow our laws," the Justice Department said in its request for a stay.

The request came after U.S. authorities on Sunday fired tear gas at hundreds of migrants after some of them tried to get through a fence separating the two countries. In its request for a stay, Justice Department lawyers said the president's asylum move was well within his authority to "address a major crisis," and they cited "recent events" as evidence the migrants were endangering themselves, any children traveling with them and U.S. law enforcement authorities.

The American Civil Liberties Union and other groups challenging the asylum ban shot back in a court filing that Tigar's decision to issue the temporary restraining order was correct and the government offered "no legitimate new reason to revisit it."

"We are pleased the district court continues to recognize the harm that will occur if this illegal policy goes into effect," Lee Gelernt, an attorney for the ACLU, said in a statement on Friday.
PHOENIX (AP) - A Republican Arizona lawmaker who faced a backlash in June after saying "there aren't enough white kids to go around" when discussing school integration faced new criticism Friday about his views on race and was booted from a committee chairmanship.

The developments came after the Phoenix New Times published comments Rep. David Stringer of Prescott made to Arizona State University students following a recent lecture. Stringer told the students African-Americans "don't blend in" and said Somali immigrants don't look like "every other kid" as previous European immigrants do.

He also called Spanish-speaking students a burden on society because he said educating them costs more.

Incoming Republican House Speaker Rusty Bowers called the comments "vile" and "unacceptable" and told Stringer to resign from a plum committee chair assignment. Some Democrats called the comments racist, but Bowers declined to go that far.

"I don't want to do there," Bowers said in an interview with The Associated Press. "I think they're just reprehensible. Racist is so hot it can go beyond."

Stringer didn't immediately return a call seeking comment.

FILE - In this June 27, 2018, file photo, U.S. Rep. David Stringer, R-Prescott, speaks at a community forum at a local restaurant in Phoenix, to explain his recent immigration remarks. The Arizona lawmaker, who faced a backlash in June after saying "there aren't enough white kids to go around" when discussing integration, is facing new criticism about his views on race and has been booted from a committee chairmanship. (AP Photo/Ross D. Franklin, file)

Democratic Rep. Reginald Bolding, who is black, called the comments insensitive.

"Whether or not Rep. Stringer is racist or not is something that he has to answer for himself," Bolding told the AP. "I think the words that he uses, the things that he says, absolutely it sounds like that they are racist comments. But whether or not they are that's something he has to answer for."

Stringer faced calls to resign from Republican Gov. Doug Ducey and the state Republican Party chairman in June after he said that immigration had made integrating schools impossible. He refused, saying his comments were cherry-picked and that the immigration question "cries out for honest and open public discussion."

"Sixty percent of public school children in the state of Arizona today are minorities," he said in a video clip from a political event made public. "That complicates racial integration because there aren't enough white kids to go around."

He also said immigration is "politically destabilizing" and "represents an existential threat to the United States."

Stringer was handily re-elected Nov. 6 to represent his heavily-Republican Prescott-area district.

In the New Times story , backed up by audio recordings, Stringer is questioned by students about his views on immigration and race. He tells the students that "diversity in our country is relatively new," but was then asked about immigrants from eastern Europe who assimilated well in the 20th century.

"They were all European," Stringer said. "So after their second or third generation, everybody looks the same. Everybody talks the same. That's not the case with African-American and other racial groups because they don't melt in. They don't blend in. They always look different."

Asked why that matters, Stringer said he didn't know. He went on to discuss inner cities, white flight, and how Latino voters will never support Republicans who back tighter immigration controls.

Representative-elect Raquel Teran, a Democrat, had no trouble calling out Stringer.

"I am beyond appalled by Mr. Stringer's racist comments (AGAIN)," she said in a Twitter post. "This is unacceptable and we should be hearing a loud and clear ask for his resignation from all parties and leaders."

Bowers said he told Stringer to resign from his newly-assigned post as chair of a committee looking at sentencing and recidivism reform.

"This isn't David Stringer, this is Representative Stringer. This isn't Rusty Bowers, it is Speaker-elect Bowers," he said. "And it's in those contexts that I have to operate. And it's unacceptable speech, and he accepted it and apologized, but he was still released" from his committee chair post.
MINNEAPOLIS (AP) - The Latest on inappropriate items placed on a Christmas tree at a Minneapolis police precinct (all times local):

6:10 p.m.

Two Minneapolis police officers have been placed on paid leave after their apparent involvement in Christmas tree decorations that the city's mayor called "despicable."

A tree at a precinct on the city's North Side was decorated with items such as Newport cigarettes, police crime tape, a can of malt liquor and other things that Mayor Jacob Frey and others viewed as racist.

Frey called for the officer involved to be fired by day's end, but later recognized that a process has to be followed. Two officers were instead put on paid leave.

Chief Medaria Arradondo said the incident was being investigated. He said the display was racially insensitive and said he would not tolerate conduct that departs from department values.

The head of the police officer's union did not immediately return a message from The Associated Press seeking comment.

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12:45 p.m.

Minneapolis Mayor Jacob Frey says a police officer accused of decorating a precinct Christmas tree with items such as a cigarette pack and police tape will be fired.

Frey called the officer's behavior "racist, despicable" and says the unidentified officer's termination is necessary.

The tree is in the precinct on the city's North Side, which has a fractured relationship with police.

A picture of the tree circulated online before the items were removed. They apparently included a pack of Newport cigarettes, a cup from Popeye's Louisiana Chicken, a bag of Takis and a can of Steel Reserve beer.

The Star Tribune reports that City Council Member Phillipe Cunningham wrote on Facebook that an officer hung the inappropriate items as a prank after the tree was decorated.
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - The lack of space at the federal government's only underground nuclear waste repository is among several challenges identified Friday by a group of scientists and other experts who are looking at the viability of disposing tons of weapons-grade plutonium at the desert location.

The National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine released a preliminary report on the U.S. government's plan, which calls for diluting 34 metric tons of plutonium and shipping it to the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant in southern New Mexico.

The purpose of the work would be to satisfy a nonproliferation agreement with Russia.

Another challenge, the scientists say, would be getting officials in that country to approve of the dilution of the materials.

The pact between the two countries was initially based on a proposal for turning the surplus plutonium into fuel that could be used for commercial nuclear reactors. That project, beset by years of delays and cost overruns, was cancelled earlier this year.

The review of the plan that calls for shipping the plutonium to New Mexico was requested by Congress. A final report from the National Academies is expected next summer.

The U.S. Energy Department's Office of Environmental Management has demonstrated that diluting the plutonium is possible by working with a separate batch of material. However, citing a lack of information, the scientists did not study the agency's ability to scale up that process to handle the 34 metric tons that are part of the nonproliferation agreement.

If the plan were to be approved, the Energy Department has estimated that it would take 31 years to dilute and dispose of all 34 metric tons. The work would involve four sites around the U.S. - the Pantex Plant in West Texas, the Savannah River Site in South Carolina, Los Alamos National Laboratory in northern New Mexico and the Waste Isolation Pilot Plant.

The panel of scientists found that the agency doesn't have a well-developed plan for reaching out to those host sites and stressed that public trust would have to be developed and maintained over the life of the project.
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Thugs broke up an attempt to certify a new, more independent union at a Finnish-owned automotive wiring plant a day before leaders of the U.S., Mexico and Canada signed a new trade pact requiring Mexico to better protect workers' rights, a union charged Friday.

The National Miners Union is trying to wrest the contract for the PKC Group plant in Ciudad Acuna from the Mexican Workers Confederation. The confederation often acted as a wing of Mexico's outgoing ruling Institutional Revolutionary Party and frequently signs contracts without consulting workers.

People allied with the confederation broke up Thursday's vote and "later beat up the representatives of the Miners Union" at the plant in the northern border state of Coahuila, the Miners Union said.

A person who answered the phone at the confederation's headquarters said nobody was available to comment on the situation.

Outgoing Labor Secretary Roberto Campa told The Associated Press the vote was cancelled after authorities "determined that the conditions did not ensure a free, secret and personal vote by the workers."

Campa would not say which union was responsible for the violations. He said only that "there were people present who were not on the rolls (of employees at the plant), and there were also people who were carrying out acts of violence against the workers."

He said it will be up to Mexico's new administration "to order that a new vote be carried out."

Leftist politician Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, who will be sworn in as president Saturday, has pledged to ensure union elections are free and fair.

The U.S.-Mexico-Canada Agreement, signed at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina on Friday, includes requirements that Mexico enforce a guarantee already in the Constitution that union votes will be free, fair and by secret ballot. However, Mexico's congress has not yet passed enforcement legislation.

For decades the Mexican government has allowed unions to keep wages low by permitting them to sign contracts before plants even open and workers are hired. Many employees have never seen or voted on their contracts and some don't even know a union exists at their plant.

U.S. Rep. Bill Pascrell Jr. of New Jersey and Rep. Sander Levin of Michigan wrote in an open letter that the Ciudad Acuna case "is emblematic of Mexico's longstanding failure to afford workers the democratic right to choose their representatives."
SEOUL, South Korea (AP) - A North Korean soldier fled across a heavily fortified border to defect to South Korea early Saturday, the military in Seoul said, just as the rivals began taking steps to reduce military tensions.

South Korean soldiers escorted the defector to safety after finding him moving south of the eastern side of the military demarcation line that bisects the Koreas, South Korea's Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

South Korean authorities plan to question the defector over the details of his escape. The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had not observed any unusual activity from North Korean troops in the area where the defection happened.

It comes as the North and South Korea have pushed to implement a wide-ranging military agreement reached in September to reduce tensions across their border.

The North's official media hasn't reported about Saturday's case. Pyongyang has frequently accused Seoul of kidnapping or enticing its citizens to defect. About 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea, mostly traveling via China, since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Last November, a North Korean soldier was critically wounded in a jointly controlled area after he fled to the South amid a hail of bullets fired by his former comrades. The soldier, Oh Chong Song, survived and told a Japanese newspaper last month that he had been drinking after getting into unspecified trouble with his friends. He said he kept going after breaking through a checkpoint in a military jeep because he became fearful of being executed.

FILE - In this Nov. 15, 2018, file photo, smoke from an explosion rises as part of the dismantling of a South Korean guard post in the Demilitarized Zone dividing the two Koreas in Cheorwon, as a North Korean guard post sits high in the upper left. A North Korean soldier fled across a heavily fortified border to defect to South Korea early Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, the military in Seoul said, just as the rivals began taking steps to reduce military tensions. (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP, File)

South Korea says the military agreement, which also included creating buffer zones along the Koreas' land and sea boundaries and a no-fly zone above the border, is an important trust-building step that would help stabilize peace and advance reconciliation between the rivals. But critics say the South risks conceding some of its conventional military strength before North Korea takes any meaningful steps on denuclearization, as the larger nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang seemingly drift into a stalemate.

South Korea's Defense Ministry said Friday that the Korean militaries completed removing 20 front-line guard posts and land mines from a border area where they plan to start their first-ever joint search for remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Koreas and the U.S.-led U.N. Command recently finished removing firearms and troops from the jointly controlled area at the border village of Panmunjom, and eventually plan to allow tourists to freely move around there.
JUNEAU, Alaska (AP) - The Latest on a tied Alaska House race that could decide control of Alaska state government (all times local):

5:52 p.m.

Republican Bart LeBon has won an Alaskan state House race after a recount showed him winning by one vote.

State of Alaska election officials said a Friday recount in Juneau showed LeBon beat Democrat Kathryn Dodge.

Before Friday's recount, both candidates were tied with 2,661 votes apiece.

A mystery ballot found on a table in a voting precinct was tossed Friday after officials said it was determined to be a spoiled ballot from a voter who had made a mistake on it, told officials and then filled out a new ballot.

This Nov. 23, 2018 photo shows Alaska State Review Board ballot examiner Stuart Sliter reacting when a loose ballot from a tied state House race is found without an envelope in Juneau, Alaska. Officials are investigating the origin of the ballot and will decide by Friday, Nov. 30, whether to count it during a recount of the Fairbanks House District 1 race. (James Brooks/Anchorage Daily News via AP)

Dodge has five days to decide whether she will appeal the outcome.

If LeBon's win holds, the GOP would control the House, Senate and governor's office.

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10:38 p.m.

Control of Alaska state government, at least for the next two years, could hinge on a mystery ballot that an election worker found on a table in a voting precinct on Election Day.

The uncounted ballot could break a tie in an Alaska House race. A decision on whether to count it is expected Friday. The elections office said the ballot appeared to be marked for Democrat Kathryn Dodge.

If Republican Bart LeBon wins, the GOP would control the House, Senate and governor's office. If Dodge wins, it would set off a mad dash between the parties to build a caucus of at least 21 members needed for a majority in the House.

Officials were investigating the ballot before deciding whether to count it. A recount is scheduled for Friday.

ADDS CLARIFICATION ON A MYSTERY BALLOT IN ALASKA STATE HOUSE RACE FILE - This Sept. 13, 2012, file photo shows Kathryn Dodge, a candidate for the Alaska House District 1 seat in Fairbanks, Alaska. Dodge, a Democrat, is tied with Republican Bart LeBon, and the race could go to a recount on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, if officials decide to tally a single mystery ballot found on a precinct table on Election Day but not counted. Officials were investigating its origins and handling before deciding whether to tally it. (Sam Harrel/Fairbanks Daily News-Miner via AP, File)
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - The family of a woman who authorities say was killed by her boyfriend's ex-wife while decorating a Christmas tree is sounding a warning about the devastating impact of domestic violence that goes beyond two people.

Lisa Vilate Williams, 26, was making homemade ornaments with her boyfriend's twin 3-year-olds at his apartment on Sunday when his ex-wife, Chelsea Watrous Cook, 32, burst in and shot her to death in front of the children, police said.

The slaying came after Cook targeted Williams with online bullying, in-person confrontations and harassment for months, her sister and mother told The Associated Press.

"I worried for her safety every day," said her mother, Tawny Williams.

Chelsea Cook's lawyer did not return calls seeking comment, and family members reached by phone declined to comment or did not return messages. She was arrested on suspicion of aggravated murder after her ex-husband took the gun away and pinned her to the wall until police arrived, authorities said.

Lisa Williams died at a hospital.

This undated photo provided by the Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office shows Chelsea Watrous Cook. Police say Cook, a Utah high school teacher, shot and killed her ex-husband's girlfriend while the former couple's children looked on. (Salt Lake County Sheriff's Office via AP)

She had loved reading books and buying dying plants to nurse back to health. On her 16th birthday, she saved money to buy gifts for everyone in her family, said her sister Bekah Williams. She loved children and was so eager to begin Christmas decorating with her boyfriend's twins that she left early from her own family's Thanksgiving celebration in Centennial Park, Arizona, with a popcorn popper strapped into the back seat of her car.

"I spoke to her an hour or so before it all happened, and she was so excited ... to give those kids something happy," Bekah Williams said.

But during the six months she dated Travis Cook, a colleague at the bank where she was a teller, she had allegedly been targeted by his ex-wife. The harassment started in June and included confrontations at the bank, bullying on Instagram and phone calls made from the high school where Chelsea Cook was a health teacher, Bekah Williams said.

Court records show the couple's divorce was finalized in January, but Chelsea Cook had been charged with domestic violence in the presence of a child the month before the slaying. She pleaded not guilty.

Chelsea Cook's lawyer in that case did not return calls seeking comment, and family members reached by phone declined to comment or did not return messages.

Bekah Williams said she reported the behavior and use of school phones to the principal at Skyridge High School in Lehi in August, but "it seems to me that nothing was done," she said.

Alpine School District did not return messages seeking comment on Friday, but Ben Rasmussen, director of law and professional practices with the Utah State School Board, said teacher behavior outside the classroom can be difficult for schools to address.

School officials also weren't aware that Chelsea Cook had been arrested Oct. 16 on suspicion of domestic violence. While teachers are required to self-report such arrests to their superintendents within 48 hours, she hadn't done so, Rasmussen said. The state also flags arrested teachers though a fingerprint database, but it was a misdemeanor case and her prints weren't flagged for more than a month. The notification came through after her murder arrest.

"It took a lot longer than we would hope," Rasmussen said.

At school, meanwhile, Chelsea Cook was an engaging teacher whose class students looked forward to attending, KUTV in Salt Lake City reported.

Details of the domestic violence arrest haven't been made public, but Bekah Williams said it didn't involve her sister.

Lisa Williams was reluctant to report Chelsea Cook's behavior to police, worried that involving authorities could make the situation harder on the children, her sister said. Looking back now, she wondered if that was a mistake.

"In hindsight, I think the best thing for the kids would have been to call the police every time," Bekah Williams said.

She's at a loss to explain exactly what led to it. The last conversation between the two women had been encouraging, with Chelsea Cook thanking Lisa Williams for picking up the twins at day care. They hadn't had contact in the days before, since she was with her family for the Thanksgiving holiday.

Lisa Williams had moved to American Fork, south of Salt Lake City, a few years ago to care for her sister, who was hospitalized with a potentially life-threatening lung ailment. She'd stayed after the recovery, living with two of her sisters.

In the end, it's that kind of caring for others that Lisa Williams' family hopes she is remembered for.

"She had a wise soul," Bekah Williams said. "I feel lucky to have had her in our lives."

In this undated photo provided by Tawny Williams shows Lisa Vilate Williams. The family of a woman killed by her boyfriend's ex-wife while decorating a Christmas tree is sounding a warning about the devastating consequences of domestic violence that goes beyond two people. Police say 26-year-old Lisa Vilate Williams was making homemade ornaments with her boyfriend's twin 3-year-olds when his ex-wife, 32-year-old Chelsea Watrous Cook, burst in and shot her to death in front of the children. (Tawny Williams via AP)
MEXICO CITY (AP) - Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador took the oath of office Saturday as Mexico's first leftist president in over 70 years, marking a turning point in one of the world's most radical experiments in opening markets and privatization.

In his first speech to Congress, Lopez Obrador pledged "a peaceful and orderly transition, but one that is deep and radical ... because we will end the corruption and impunity that prevent Mexico's rebirth."

Mexico long had a closed, state-dominated economy, but since entering the General Agreement on Trade and Tariffs in 1986, it has signed more free trade agreements than almost any other country, and privatized almost every corner of the economy except oil and electricity.

Now, though, Lopez Obrador talks a talk not heard in Mexico since the 1960s: He wants to build more state-owned oil refineries and encourages Mexicans to "not to buy abroad, but to produce in Mexico what we consume."

Even so, Lopez Obrador has tried to send conciliatory financial markets, which have been roiled in the weeks before he took office.

"I promise, and I'm a man of my word, that the investments of foreign and international investors will be safe, and we will even create conditions that will allow them to get good returns," he said, "because in Mexico there will be honesty, rule of law, clear rules, economic growth and confidence."

Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador and outgoing President Enrique Pena Nieto embrace at the end of the swearing-in ceremony in the lower house chambers of the National Congress, in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Lopez Obrador took the oath of office Saturday as Mexico's first leftist president in over 70 years, marking a turning point in one of the world's most radical experiments in opening markets and privatization. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)

But he also harkened back to his hero, ex-president Lazaro Cardenas, who nationalized the oil industry and redistributed land during his 1934-40 administration.

"We are going to govern for everyone, but we are going to give preference to the most impoverished and vulnerable," Lopez Obrador said. "For the good of all, the poor come first.'"

The first foreign dignitaries that Lopez Obrador greeted were U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and Ivanka Trump.

"I want to say that since July 1, the day I was elected, I have received respectful treatment from President Donald Trump", Lopez Obrador said.

But he faces a challenge with a caravan of thousands of Central American migrants camped out on the border, which Trump had threatened to close to keep them out.

Lopez Obrador said he wanted to reach an agreement with the governments and companies in the U.S. and Canada to develop Central America and southern Mexico, so people wouldn't have to migrate - "to address in that way, and not with coercive measures, the migration phenomenon."

That appeared to be an acknowledgment that Mexico is prepared to house migrants waiting to make asylum claims in the United States in exchange for U.S. development aid.

"The only person he (Lopez Obrador) can't afford to get in a fight with is Trump, because he knows he could derail his plan," said author and columnist Raymundo Riva Palacio. "He is willing to do the dirty work for them."

Lopez Obrador was clear in blaming extreme market-oriented policies he calls neoliberalism for Mexico's problems.

"Mexico's crisis originated not only with the failure of the neoliberal policies applied over the last 36 years," he said in his inaugural speech, "but also in the prevalence of the filthiest corruption."

Mexico's richest man, telecom magnate Carlos Slim, appeared to welcome the new president's pledge to rein in wasteful spending and fight corruption, saying: "Everybody wants spending to be efficiently managed."

The rowdiest response from Congress came when Lopez Obrador pledged "not to persecute officials of past administrations," saying "revenge is not my strong suit."

Legislators responded by counting loudly to 43 - the number of students kidnapped and disappeared in September 2014 - to remind Lopez Obrador of his promise to establish a truth commission to find out what happened to the students - a pledge he repeated Saturday.

Prosecutors have said they were kidnapped by corrupt police and turned over to a drug gang that killed them and burned their bodies.

Combined with a deep sense of nationalism and his own place in history, Lopez Obrador's inauguration is the most home-grown, populist handover of power in decades.

As to underscore the transition, British Labour Party leaders Jeremy Corbyn showed up for inauguration after visiting Lopez Obrador a day earlier at his house in southern Mexico.

"At a time when the fake populists of the far right are gaining ground internationally - including in Latin America," according to a Labour Party statement issued in London, Lopez Obrador "has shown that a progressive agenda for change can win power and take on the status quo."

Lopez Obrador pledged to personally oversee daily 6:00 a.m. security briefings to confront the rising tide of violence in Mexico, and pledged to ban both oil and gas fracking and genetically modified crops.

Lopez Obrador will hold another ceremony later in the day on Mexico City's main square, where a leader of Mexico's indigenous communities will bestow a traditional symbol of authority - a ceremonial wooden staff. A grand celebration featuring traditional music will be held in the square.

The country's 65-year-old new leader is moving the presidential office fully back to the centuries-old National Palace that lines one side of the square, while refusing to live at the luxurious, heavily guard presidential residence 6 miles (9 kilometers) to the west. He will reside instead at his private home.

Closed to the public since the first parts were built in the 1930s, the compound will now be used for public events and it was thrown open to the public on Saturday.

Gabriela Barrientos, 71, a retired secretary and Jesus Basilio, a market vendor, 55, were among the first to line up at the gate to enter what Basilio called "the house of the people, an emblematic place we will be able to enter for the first time."

Yaneth Fierro, 42, a housewife from Acapulco, expressed amazement at the luxury of the compound - there was a small cinema in the basement of one building - but disappointment at completely emptied rooms. "We wanted to see the furniture, but the "Gaviota" (the nickname of former first lady Angelica Rivera) took them all."

The handover of power began at midnight when new cabinet secretaries were sworn in for key security posts - a tradition meant to ensure there's always someone at the helm of the Army, Navy and Interior Department, the country's top domestic security agency.

New Interior Secretary Olga Sanchez Cordero said in a post-midnight ceremony that the new government will "listen to everybody, the majority and the minorities, because in a democracy all opinions can be expressed."

Lopez Obrador gained prominence as a leftist politician leading protests against oil pollution in his swampy native state of Tabasco, though he hasn't given any indication that he will cancel private oil exploration contracts or pull out of Mexico's free trade agreements with 44 countries.

Lopez Obrador won a crushing victory in the July 1 elections after two previous, unsuccessful runs for the presidency and he is the country's first president since the Mexican Revolution to rise to prominence as a protest leader. He sees his inauguration as a historic "fourth transformation" of Mexico, following independence from Spain, the liberal reforms that broke the church's dominance in the 1850s and the 1910-1917 revolution.

Lopez Obrador's predecessor, Enrique Pena Nieto, leaves office with a historically low approval rating, which in several polls ranged from 20 percent to 24 percent. Pena Nieto failed to rein in Mexico's rising homicide rate or deal with thousands of Central American migrants camped out on the border, leaving both intractable issues as the biggest immediate challenges facing Lopez Obrador.

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Associated Press writers Mark Stevenson and Amy Guthrie contributed to this report.

Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador receives the presidential sash from Porfirio Munoz Ledo, president of the Congress, during the inaugural ceremony at the National Congress in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador sings the national anthem at the end of his inaugural ceremony at the National Congress in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador, left, receives the presidential sash as Porfirio Munoz Ledo, president of the Congress, looks on during the inaugural ceremony at the National Congress in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

U.S. Vice President Mike Pence and his wife Karen deplane at the Benito Juarez International Airport in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. A U.S delegation arrived in Mexico City Saturday morning to attend the inauguration of President-elect Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador who will mark a turning point in one of the world's most radical experiments in opening markets and privatization. (AP Photo/Anthony Vazquez)

FILE - In this Monday, April 23, 2018 file photo, Britain's opposition Labour party leader Jeremy Corbyn arrives to attend a Memorial Service to commemorate the 25th anniversary of the murder of black teenager Stephen Lawrence at St Martin-in-the-Fields church in London. Corbyn is getting an especially warm welcome at the inauguration of Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador on Dec. 1. He was among a few people hosted by Lopez Obrador at his home in the southern Mexican state of Chiapas the day before the inauguration.(AP Photo/Matt Dunham, file)

A man wearing a mask depicting Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador flashes "vee for victory" hand signs as he arrives at the Zocalo where celebrants are gathering for the presidential inaugural festivities, in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Mexicans are getting more than just a new president Saturday. The inauguration of Lopez Obrador will mark a turning point in one of the world's most radical experiments in opening markets and privatization. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

A man holds a doll of Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador as he arrives to the Zocalo square in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Moises Castillo)

Opposition lawmakers hold signs that read in Spanish "False promises no, Jobs yes," during the inauguration of Mexico's new President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador at the National Congress in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. (AP Photo/Eduardo Verdugo)

Legislators hold up protest signs with a message that reads in Spanish: "Bring down the price of gasoline" after Mexico's incoming President Andres Manuel Lopez Obrador was sworn in at the National Congress, in Mexico City, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Lopez Obrador took the oath of office Saturday as Mexico's first leftist president in over 70 years, marking a turning point in one of the world's most radical experiments in opening markets and privatization. (AP Photo/Marco Ugarte)
NEW YORK (AP) - The data stolen from the Marriott hotel empire in a massive breach is so rich and specific it could be used for espionage, identity theft, reputational attacks and even home burglaries, security experts say.

Hackers stole data on as many as 500 million guests of former Starwood chain properties over four years including credit card and passport numbers, birthdates, phone numbers and hotel arrival and departure dates.

It is one of the biggest data breaches on record. By comparison, last year's Equifax hack affected more than 145 million people. A Target breach in 2013 affected more than 41 million payment card accounts and exposed contact information for more than 60 million customers.

But the target here - hotels where high-stakes business deals, romantic trysts and espionage are daily currency - makes the data gathered especially sensitive.

The affected reservation system could be extremely enticing to nation-state spies interested in the travels of military and senior government officials, said Jesse Varsalone, a University of Maryland cybersecurity expert.

"There are just so many things you can extrapolate from people staying at hotels," he said.

FILE - In this Tuesday, April 30, 2013, file photo, a man works on a new Marriott sign in front of the former Peabody Hotel in Little Rock, Ark. Marriott says the information of up to 500 million guests at its Starwood hotels has been compromised. It said Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, that there was a breach of its database in September, but also found out through an investigation that there has been unauthorized access to the Starwood network since 2014. (AP Photo/Danny Johnston, File)

And because the data included reservations for future stays, along with home addresses, burglars could learn when someone wouldn't be home, said Scott Grissom of LegalShield, a provider of legal services.

The affected hotel brands were operated by Starwood before it was acquired by Marriott in 2016. They include W Hotels, St. Regis, Sheraton, Westin, Element, Aloft, The Luxury Collection, Le Meridien and Four Points. Starwood-branded timeshare properties were also affected. None of the Marriott-branded chains were threatened.

Email notifications for those who may have been affected begin rolling out Friday and the full scope of the breach was not immediately clear.

Marriott was trying to determine if the purloined records included duplicates, such as a single person staying multiple times.

Security analysts were especially alarmed to learn of the breach's undetected longevity. Marriott said it first detected until Sept. 8 but was unable to determine until last week what data had possibly been exposed - because the thieves used encryption to remove it in order to avoid detection.

Marriott said it did not yet know how many credit card numbers might have been stolen. A spokeswoman said Saturday that it was not yet able to respond to questions such as whether the intrusion and data theft was committed by a single or multiple groups.

Cybersecurity expert Andrei Barysevich of Recorded Future said Saturday he believed the breach was financially motivated.

A cybercrime gang expert in credit card theft such as the eastern European group known as Fin7 could be a suspect, he said, noting that a dark web credit card vendor recently announced that 2.6 million cards stolen from an unnamed hotel chain would soon be available to the online criminal underworld.

"We will have to wait until an official forensic report, although, Marriott may never share their findings openly," he said.

Marriott said the stolen credit card information was encrypted but the hackers may have obtained the "two components needed to decrypt the payment card numbers." It said it cannot "rule out the possibility that both were taken."

For as many as two-thirds of those affected, the exposed data could include mailing addresses, phone numbers, email addresses and passport numbers. Also dates of birth, gender, reservation dates, arrival and departure times and Starwood Preferred Guest account information.

The breach of personal information could put Marriott in violation of new European privacy laws, as guests included European travelers.

Marriott set up a website and call center for customers who believe they are at risk.

The FBI would not say whether it is investigating, but said in a statement that anyone contacted by Marriott should "take steps to monitor and safeguard their personally identifiable information and report any suspected instances of identity theft to the FBI's Internet Crime Complaint Center at www.ic3.gov."

Passport numbers have previously been part of a hack, though it's not common. They were among records on 9.4 million passengers of Hong Kong-based airline Cathay Pacific obtained in a breach announced in October.

Combined with names, addresses and other personal information, passport numbers are a greater concern than stolen credit card numbers because thieves could use them to open fraudulent accounts, said analyst Ted Rossman of CreditCards.com.

The data purloining highlights just how dangerous hotels can be for people worried about their privacy.

"Hotels have long been important government sources of local information for tracking foreigners: reservation systems and loyalty programs took the surveillance global and made it easier for us to give up our privacy," said Colin Bastable, CEO of Lucy Security.

Intelligence agencies including the U.S. National Security are well plugged into the global travel industry "by fair means or foul," he said, non-government cybercriminals now have the same hacking tools.

"Consumers have become collateral damage," he said. "And we are all consumers." He advises providing hotels with as little information as possible when making reservations and checking in.

Last year, the cybersecurity firm FireEye highlighted an effort in which Russian state agents allegedly tried to infiltrate the reservation systems of hotels in Europe and the Middle East.

When its acquisition by Marriot was first announced in 2015, Starwood had 21 million people in its loyalty program. The company manages more than 6,700 properties across the globe, most in North America.

Marriott, based in Bethesda, Maryland, said in a regulatory filing that it was too early to say what financial impact the breach might have on the company. It said it has cyber insurance and is working with its carriers to assess coverage.

Elected officials were quick to call for action.

The New York attorney general opened an investigation.

Virginia Sen. Mark Warner said the U.S. needs laws that limit the data companies can collect on customers and ensure that companies account for security costs rather than making consumers "shoulder the burden and harms resulting from these lapses."

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Chapman reported from Newark, New Jersey and Bajak from Boston.

FILE - In this July 31, 2013, file photo, the logo for the W Hotel, owned by Starwood Hotels & Resorts Worldwide, is seen in New York's Times Square. The information of as many as 500 million guests at Starwood hotels has been compromised and Marriott said that it's discovered that unauthorized access to data within its Starwood network has been taking place since 2014. The company said Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, that credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken. (AP Photo/Mark Lennihan, File)

FILE - This Feb. 1, 2010, file photo, shows the Westin Philadelphia hotel in Philadelphia. The information of as many as 500 million guests at Starwood hotels has been compromised and Marriott said that it's discovered that unauthorized access to data within its Starwood network has been taking place since 2014. The company said Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, that credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken. (AP Photo/Matt Rourke, File)

FILE- This March 25, 2016, photo shows the dining area at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Richmond, Va. The information of as many as 500 million guests at Starwood hotels has been compromised and Marriott said that it's discovered that unauthorized access to data within its Starwood network has been taking place since 2014. The company said Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, that credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)

FILE- This May 19, 2014, file photo shows the master bedroom in the Abu Dhabi Suite at the St. Regis in Abu Dhabi, United Arab Emirates. The information of as many as 500 million guests at Starwood hotels has been compromised and Marriott said that it's discovered that unauthorized access to data within its Starwood network has been taking place since 2014. The company said Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, that credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken. (AP Photo/Kamran Jebreili, File)

FILE- This March 25, 2016, file photo shows the sign at the Four Points Sheraton Hotel in Richmond, Va. The information of as many as 500 million guests at Starwood hotels has been compromised and Marriott said that it's discovered that unauthorized access to data within its Starwood network has been taking place since 2014. The company said Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, that credit card numbers and expiration dates of some guests may have been taken. (AP Photo/Steve Helber, File)
NEW YORK (AP) - Lawyers for President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, say he should be spared prison for crimes he committed in an abundance of enthusiasm for his ex-boss, and they portrayed him to a judge as a hero for cooperating in a probe Trump has "regularly questioned publicly and stridently."

The lawyers said in court papers filed in New York late Friday that Cohen, 52, has cooperated extensively with special counsel Robert Mueller and New York state investigators who brought a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization and individuals, including Trump.

They cited the fact he met with Mueller's team in "seven voluntary interview meetings" that began even before he pleaded guilty on Aug. 21 to campaign finance and bank frauds, among other charges, and continued through late November.

He pleaded guilty Thursday to lying to Congress, a charge that his lawyers said resulted in part from information he voluntarily provided Mueller's team in meetings governed by a limited-use immunity agreement.

"Michael's decision to cooperate and take full responsibility for his own conduct well reflects his personal resolve, notwithstanding past errors, to re-point his internal compass true north toward a productive, ethical and thoroughly law abiding life," his lawyers wrote.

They say he'll continue to cooperate, though he wants to be sentenced as scheduled on Dec. 12 so he can return to providing for his family.

Michael Cohen, left, walks out of federal court with his attorney Guy Petrillo, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, in New York, after pleading guilty to lying to Congress about work he did on an aborted project to build a Trump Tower in Russia. Cohen, President Donald Trumps former lawyer, told the judge he lied about the timing of the negotiations and other details to be consistent with Trump's "political message." (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Besides his cooperation with Mueller, Cohen has also provided the New York state attorney general's office with documents "concerning a separate open inquiry," the lawyers wrote. They said he also has provided information to the New York State Department of Taxation and Finance.

Cohen's lawyers sought to address speculation over why their client has not entered into a formal cooperation agreement with prosecutors, saying Cohen was concerned that such a deal would delay his sentencing.

"This personal decision does not signal any intention on Michael's part to withhold information or his availability to respond to additional inquiry. To the contrary, he expects to cooperate further," the lawyers wrote. "But, following the execution of search warrants in this case, nearly every professional and commercial relationship that he enjoyed, and a number of long-standing friendships, have vanished."

The lawyers portrayed Cohen as courageous for cooperating in Mueller's probe while the "investigation - and the rationale for its very existence - is regularly questioned publicly and stridently by the President of the United States."

"In the context of this raw, full-bore attack by the most powerful person in the United States, Michael, formerly a confidante and adviser to Mr. Trump, resolved to cooperate, and voluntarily took the first steps toward doing so even before he was charged," the lawyers wrote. "He took these steps, moreover, despite regular public reports referring to the President's consideration of pardons and pre-pardons in the SCO's investigation."

They said Cohen viewed Mueller's investigation to be "thoroughly legitimate and vital" and added that he "could have fought the government and continued to hold to the party line, positioning himself perhaps for a pardon or clemency." They said he cooperated for "himself, his family and his country." Cohen has been married for 24 years. He has two children, ages 23 and 19.

Cohen's lawyers - Guy Petrillo and Amy Lester - said Cohen and his family have faced threats of physical harm, which have been referred to authorities.

The lawyers, in a document that sometimes referred to Trump as "Client-1," said Cohen committed campaign finance fraud and made false statements out of a "fierce loyalty" to Trump and at his direction.

"Michael regrets that his vigor in Client-1's interests in the heat of political battle led him to abandon good judgment and cross legal lines," they said.

In his guilty plea, Cohen confessed that he lied to Congress last year about a Moscow real estate deal he pursued on Trump's behalf well into the 2016 presidential campaign and at a time when investigators believe Russians were meddling in the election to help his candidacy.

On Saturday, Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman, Dmitry Peskov, displayed what he said were two emails from Cohen asking for help getting the Trump Tower Moscow project off the ground.

Cohen last year acknowledged to Congress that he sent the emails to Peskov in January 2016. He then spoke by phone with one of Peskov's assistants.

"We told them that the presidential administration isn't involved in construction projects, and if they are interested in making investments we will be glad to see them at St. Petersburg's economic forum," Peskov, who was with Putin at an international summit in Argentina, said Saturday. He flashed the emails on his phone to reporters, in an exchange broadcast on Russian state television.

Cohen told Congress that he killed the proposal after talking to Peskov's office, which was a lie.

Cohen's lawyers said prison would be inappropriate given hardships Cohen faces, including loss of his law license, Internal Revenue Service civil penalties and restitution, his likely inclusion as a defendant in a tax case by New York State, the loss of his consulting firm's business and the cancellation of numerous banking credit card and insurance agreements.

Included in the defense submission were over three dozen letters from Cohen's friends and family.

In one, former New York Giants punter Steve Weatherford said he thought so highly of Cohen that he gave him the special teams game ball after the Giants won Super Bowl XLVI over the New England Patriots in 2012.

In another, a woman wrote that her husband, who is Syrian, had been friends with Cohen since 1984. She said that when Trump made derogatory statements about Muslims during the 2016 presidential campaign, Cohen asked the couple out to dinner "to apologize for his hurtful comments, distancing himself from the public position, and even expressing his shame and his children's embarrassment at his association with such a view."

Prosecutors have not yet filed a pre-sentence submission but have agreed to note Cohen cooperation to the sentencing judge.
Quotes from President George H.W. Bush:

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"It is my considered judgment that you should now resign. I expect in your lonely, embattled position this would seem to you as an act of disloyalty from one you have supported and helped in so many ways. My own view is that I would now ill serve a president, whose massive accomplishments I will always respect and whose family I love, if I did not now give you my judgment." - August 1974, speaking to President Richard Nixon shortly before he resigned, when Bush was Republican national chairman.

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"And my opponent won't rule out raising taxes. But I will. And the Congress will push me to raise taxes, and I'll say no, and they'll push, and I'll say no, and they'll push again. And I'll say to them: Read my lips. No new taxes." - Aug. 18, 1988, during his acceptance speech at the Republican National Convention.

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FILE - In this Jan. 31, 1990, file photo, President George H.W. Bush receives applause from Vice President Dan Quayle, left, and House Speaker Thomas Foley prior to delivering his first State of the Union address on Capitol Hill in Washington. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/Bob Daugherty, File)

"We know what works: Freedom works. We know what's right: Freedom is right. We know how to secure a more just and prosperous life for man on Earth: through free markets, free speech, free elections and the exercise of free will unhampered by the state." - Jan. 20, 1989, during his inaugural address.

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"Look to the very heart of Europe, to Berlin, and you will see a great truth shining brighter with each passing day: The quest for freedom is stronger than steel, more permanent than concrete." - November 1989, as the Berlin Wall was crumbling.

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"I do not like broccoli, and I haven't liked it since I was a little kid and my mother made me eat it. And I'm president of the United States, and I'm not going to eat any more broccoli." - March 22, 1990.

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"Five months ago, Saddam Hussein started this cruel war against Kuwait. Tonight, the battle has been joined. ... Our goal is not the conquest of Iraq. It is the liberation of Kuwait." - Jan. 17, 1991, when the first Gulf War began.

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"The fact that he is black, a minority, has nothing to do with this. He is the best qualified." - July 1991, on announcing he had selected federal appeals court judge Clarence Thomas for the U.S. Supreme Court.

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"I plan to put something back into society, and not at the head table, not always in the glamour, certainly not with a lot of news attention." - January 1993, days before leaving office.

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"To those who say we no longer need a CIA, I say you're nuts. To those who want to dismantle CIA or put it under some other department ... you're nuts, too. And to those who feel the right to know takes precedence over legitimate classification of documents or over protecting our most precious asset, our people, the same to you. You're nuts, and so's the horse you came in on." - Sept. 17, 1997, at ceremony marking the 50th birthday of the CIA.

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"Though I might be tempted to utter a few words of encouragement to anyone who is considering my boy, I will heed the immortal words of Dana Carvey: 'Not gonna do it. Wouldn't be prudent.'" - early 2000, citing a line from the "Saturday Night Live" comedian while attending a nonpartisan event as his son sought the GOP nomination.

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"I learned more from Ronald Reagan than from anyone I encountered in all my years of public life." - June 11, 2004, at the funeral for former President Ronald Reagan.

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"Who would have thought that I would be working with Bill Clinton, of all people? ... It's been an eye-opening and enjoyable experience for me to work with him on something truly apolitical." - Oct. 25, 2005, discussing his work with former rival on tsunami and hurricane relief.

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See AP's complete coverage of George H.W. Bush here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/GeorgeHWBush

FILE - In this Nov. 7, 1984 file photo, flag-wavers greet Vice President George Bush after he was re-elected to the post of vice president, in Houston, Texas. The vice president's wife Barbara Bush is seen second from right. Others are unidentified. Bush has died at age 94. Family spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/F. Carter Smith, File)

FILE - In this 1968 file photo provided by the Texas National Guard, George H.W. Bush, right, is about to pin a lieutenant bar on his son, George W. Bush, after the younger Bush was made an officer in the Texas Air National Guard in Ellington Field, Texas. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 9, 1970 file photo, Rep. George H.W. Bush, R-Texas, talks with a group of young people at a rally in Houston, Texas. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - In this March 6, 1968 file photo, George H.W. Bush, R-Texas, appears in Washington. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/Charles Tasnadi, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 15, 1992, file photo, President George H.W. Bush, left, talks with independent candidate Ross Perot as Democratic candidate Bill Clinton stands aside at the end of their second presidential debate in Richmond, Va. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/Marcy Nighswander, File)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Donald Trump, the disruptive, anti-establishment president who spent years deriding much of what George H.W. Bush stood for, set aside differences in politics and temperament Saturday to honor the iconic American and former president a day after his death.

Trump declared a period of national mourning and ordered American flags to be flown at half-staff for 30 days to honor a man of "sound judgment, common sense and unflappable leadership." The president and first lady Melania Trump added that Bush had "inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service."

Bush, who was president from 1989 to 1993, was 94.

The quarter-century since Bush left office featured his Republican Party's steady march away from his steely pragmatism and international partnership, culminating in the dramatic break from long-held GOP principles ushered by Trump's election. It coincided with a swing in the nation as a whole toward more tribal politics.

While Trump spoke graciously, he has not always been so kind to Bush or his family. He ran against one of Bush's sons, Jeb Bush, in the GOP presidential primaries in 2016, and was sharply critical of the two-term presidency of another, George W. Bush. He shattered the unwritten norms of the small fraternity of Oval Office occupants by keeping up criticism of the Bushes from the West Wing.

The White House announced Saturday that the Trumps would attend a state funeral for the former president at Washington's National Cathedral.

President Donald Trump listens to questions from members of the media during his meeting with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The announcement marked a reversal from earlier this year, when the president was pointedly not invited to the funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush, the family matriarch and the late president's wife of 73 years. Melania Trump attended instead.

The Trumps were informed of Bush's death late Friday while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the Group of 20 summit of rich and developing nations.

Trump said he spoke with former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush to express his sympathies. He praised the elder Bush, who died Friday, as "a high-quality man who truly loved his family."

Sitting alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel, he refused to answer whether he had any regrets over his past criticism of the Bushes. He did say that Bush's death "really puts a damper" on his participation at the summit.

In South America, Trump canceled a planned news conference, tweeting that "out of respect for the Bush Family and former President George H.W. Bush we will wait until after the funeral" to hold one.

Trump also designated Wednesday as a national day of mourning. He encouraged Americans to gather in places of worship "to pay homage" to Bush's memory, adding, "I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance."

The proclamation hails Bush as "one of America's greatest points of light," a reference to one of the former leader's signature phrases about the impact of American civic culture.

Trump mocked the "points of light" phrase at some of his campaign rallies this year. He contrasted it with his own campaign slogan, saying "Putting America first, we understand. Thousand points of light, I never quite got that one."

In August 2015, Trump tweeted a dig at the presidency of George H.W. Bush, writing: "The last thing we need is another Bush in the White House. Would be the same old thing (remember "read my lips, no more taxes"). GREATNESS!" As a candidate, Bush promised "no new taxes" but reversed himself in office.

Those harsh assessments were set aside in the Trumps' comments Saturday.

"President Bush guided our nation and the world to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the Cold War," the Trumps wrote. "As President, he set the stage for the decades of prosperity that have followed."

"And through all that he accomplished, he remained humble, following the quiet call to service that gave him a clear sense of direction."

They wrote that those whom Bush had inspired to public service were "illuminating the greatness, hope and opportunity of America to the world."

Trump, the 45th president, paid tribute to "the life and legacy of 41."

President Donald Trump, right, speaks during his meeting with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel, left, at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel shake hands during their meeting at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
PONIKLA, Czech Republic (AP) - A small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic says it's the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations from blown glass beads are made.

Fewer than two dozen glass workers working from their homes keep alive the tradition, which dates to the mid-19th century in the village of Ponikla.

The beads are all blown and painted by hand, with help from simple machines. They're a product of the thriving glass industry in the region, and were originally mostly used to decorate folk costumes in Germany, Austria and elsewhere.

After a Japanese competitor copied the production process in the early 20th century, local bead makers found a new use for them in Christmas decorations.

The delicate bead decorations from the Rautis company are today exported to several European countries and the United States.

The Czech Republic has nominated the tradition for inclusion in the UNESCO's List of the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity.

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, Marek Kulhavy blows small glass beads in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. A small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place where traditional Christmas decorations from blown glass beads are made. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, traditional glass Christmas decorations are displayed in a shop window in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. The small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations are all made from glass beads blown and painted by hand. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, a worker adjusts the shop display of traditional blown glass Christmas decorations in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. The small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations are made from glass beads blown and painted by hand. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, Marek Kulhavy blows small glass beads in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. A small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place where traditional Christmas decorations from blown glass beads are made. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, a worker makes small glass blown beads for Christmas decorations in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. The small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations are made from glass beads blown and painted by hand. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, a traditional worker makes small blown glass beads for Christmas decorations in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. The small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations are made from glass beads blown and painted by hand. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, hundreds of small blown glass beads are placed in a box, as part of the manufacturing process for Christmas decorations, in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. The small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations are made from glass beads blown and painted by hand. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, a traditional worker makes Christmas decorations from small blown glass beads in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. The small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations are made from glass beads blown and painted by hand. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, a worker colours small blown glass beads in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. The small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations are made from glass beads blown and painted by hand. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, a traditional worker colours small blown glass beads for Christmas decorations in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. The small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations are made from glass beads blown and painted by hand. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)

In this picture taken on Wednesday, Nov. 28, 2018, a traditional worker hand paints small blown glass beads for Christmas decorations in the village of Ponikla, Czech Republic. The small family business in a mountainous village in northern Czech Republic is the last place in the world where traditional Christmas decorations are made from glass beads blown and painted by hand. (AP Photo/Petr David Josek)
WASHINGTON (AP) - One lied about his knowledge of Russian-hacked emails, another about a Russian real estate deal, a third about dialogue over sanctions with a Russian ambassador.

A pattern of deception by advisers to President Donald Trump, aimed at covering up Russia-related contacts during the 2016 campaign and transition period, has unraveled bit by bit in criminal cases brought by special counsel Robert Mueller.

The lies to the FBI and to Congress, including by Trump's former fixer and his national security adviser, have raised new questions about Trump's connections to Russia, revealed key details about the special counsel's findings and painted a portrait of aides eager to protect the president and the administration by concealing communications they presumably recognized as problematic.

The false statements cut to the heart of Mueller's mission to untangle ties between the Trump campaign and Russia and to establish whether they colluded to sway the election. They concern some of the central questions of the investigation, including why the incoming Trump administration discouraged Russia from retaliating over sanctions imposed for election hacking; who knew what when about illegally obtained Democratic emails; and how plans for a Trump Tower in Moscow came together and fell apart.

"I think you can draw a conclusion that these false statements generally relate to an effort to protect the president of the United States in connection with his dealings with Russia," said Washington lawyer Daniel Petalas, a former Justice Department prosecutor. "That's what makes them material to the investigation that Mueller is pursuing, which is a necessary element of a false statement claim - that it has to be material."

The most recent example came Thursday, when Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about negotiations he had on Trump's behalf for a real estate deal in Moscow.

In this Nov. 29, 2018, photo, Michael Cohen walks out of federal court in New York. A pattern of deception by advisers to President Donald Trump, aimed at covering up Russia-related contacts during the 2016 campaign and transition, has unspooled bit by bit in criminal cases from special counsel Robert Mueller. (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Though he told lawmakers the talks were done by January 2016, he admitted they actually lasted as late as June - after Trump had secured the Republican nomination and after Russians had penetrated Democratic email accounts for communications later released through WikiLeaks. He also said he had briefed Trump about the project's progress and members of his family.

Cohen said he lied out of loyalty to Trump, who insisted throughout the campaign that he had no business dealings in Russia, and to be consistent with his political messaging.

Though the Cohen plea didn't directly connect to Trump's campaign, other cases have.

George Papadopoulos, a former Trump campaign adviser, pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about April 2016 conversations with a Maltese professor who told him Russians had "dirt" on Hillary Clinton in the form of "thousands of emails." Papadopoulos told the FBI he wasn't part of the campaign when he encountered the professor, Joseph Mifsud, even though he had joined weeks earlier.

His lawyers said Papadopoulos, now serving a 14-day prison sentence, "lied to save his professional aspirations and preserve a perhaps misguided loyalty to his master."

Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, is being sentenced later this month after admitting lying to the FBI by saying he didn't discuss sanctions against Russia during the transition with Sergey Kislyak, the Russian ambassador to the U.S. at the time.

That deception was flagged for the White House in January 2017 by Obama administration holdover Sally Yates, who as acting attorney general told White House counsel Don McGahn that officials were misleading the public by falsely declaring Flynn hadn't discussed sanctions.

Flynn's guilty plea was especially significant in that it made clear other transition officials were aware of his Kislyak conversations and discussed with him what he would say. And while Flynn was fired in February 2017, his importance to Trump became evident when ex-FBI Director James Comey said Trump had encouraged him during a private meeting that same month to end an investigation into Flynn.

More lies followed as prosecutors this week accused former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort of lying even after his guilty plea, though they have not said about what.

And a draft plea agreement against another Trump supporter, conspiracy theorist Jerome Corsi, accused him of misrepresenting a conversation with Trump confidant Roger Stone about WikiLeaks, which published thousands of stolen emails ahead of the election to harm the Clinton campaign.

A false statement charge can be a powerful cudgel for prosecutors, especially in investigations like this one where witnesses are recalcitrant and openly defiant. In the Mueller investigation, perhaps emboldened by Trump's antagonist stance, witnesses have increasingly lashed out against the government's authority. Trump and Stone have publicly attacked Mueller's investigation, while Corsi rejected a plea offer and accused prosecutors of trying to bully him into saying what they want to hear.

"You've got a system where you're trying to take evidence from people, get their testimony under penalty of prosecution if you lie," said Duke University law professor Sam Buell. "And that's what you do when you have uncooperative people (who are) trying to conceal something that you're trying to get to the bottom of."

More false statement charges could be coming. Sen. Richard Burr, chairman of the Senate intelligence committee, said the panel has made referrals to prosecutors and cited Cohen as an example.

"It's a loud message to everybody that is interviewed by our committee, regardless of where that prosecution comes from, if you lie to us, we're going to go after you," Burr said.

Though Trump regularly complains about Mueller's style, there's nothing unusual about prosecutors pursuing false statement charges to send a message and using their lies for cases against higher-level targets.

"This is what happened to the mob, this is what happened to the drug cartels," Buell said.

Not to mention, he noted, past Washington investigations like Watergate.

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Associated Press writer Mary Claire Jalonick in Washington contributed to this report.
by Vladimir Rozanskij

Local people protest the annexation of the region to the Federal District of the Far East with means losing the advantages of the Siberian energy tariffs. Fears for the facilities for Chinese refugees who are also assigned a hectare of land and now can also settle on the shores of Lake Baikal, easily acquiring citizenship and property rights.

Moscow (AsiaNews) - Some hundreds of inhabitants of Buryatia, an autonomous republic located in the Far East of the Russian Federation, have been protesting for days with spontaneous demonstrations in the building of the regional parliament of the capital Ulan-Ude (pictured). The Buriahs protest against the annexation of the region to the Federal District of the Far East, but also against the decision to clear the shores of Lake Baikal and against the reception in the region of Chinese immigrants.

These decisions were made official in early November by President Vladimir Putin, detaching Buryatia from the Siberian District to add it to the more eastern regions. This has sparked the dissatisfaction of many inhabitants of the area, which also includes the other region of the Upper Bajkal (in Russia there are 89 federal subjects, including large cities, regions and republics, divided into some macro-districts). Over 10,000 signatures were collected on the change.org website for the return of the two regions to the Siberian administration.

The petition also states that the inhabitants of Buryatia, due to the decision of Moscow, would lose the advantages of the Siberian energy tariffs, going from a price of 2.75 to 3.5 rubles per kWh. In addition, the protesters express their opposition to accepting the simplification of practices to give citizenship to refugees and immigrants from the People's Republic of China, who are also assigned a hectare of land in the Eastern Far East District, and now can also settle on the shores of Lake Baikal, easily acquiring citizenship and property rights.

Protest slogans repeat "native Bajkal lands must stay with native citizens not sold off to the Chinese". Aleksej Fishev, a press officer of the president of Buryatia Aleksej Tsydenov, met the crowd, but failed to give satisfactory answers. Tsydenov had previously explained that the union with the Eastern District "gives great impetus to the development of the territory".

Buryatia is an ancient region, inhabited by nomadic populations of Protomongolic origin, famous for the culture of "granite tombs" dating back to the Bronze Age. It was part of the medieval Mongol Empire, from which it was separated in 1729 with the definition of the borders between Russia and China. Since then the Buryiati group was formed, about 200 thousand Buddhist people, who under the Soviets constituted the autonomous Burano-Mongolian socialist Republic. The local population has always been very jealous of its historical traditions (in which there are feelings of hostility towards the Chinese) and the integrity of the natural environment, very special and rich in exclusive flora and fauna, especially around the great Lake Baikal, Unesco heritage and one of the "seven wonders" of Russia.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - Broken dates. Coy suggestions. Missed encounters. Private opportunities.

Amid weighty issues of state, another fascination at the Group of 20 summit has been President Donald Trump's will-he, won't-he dance with two fellow leaders who are something of international outcasts these days. Would Trump, who has an affinity for strongmen and a distaste for business as usual, stay away from Russian President Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman?

On Day One of the summit in Argentina - fittingly, the land of the tango - the diplomatic quick-stepping was everywhere Friday.

Trump has not been shy in his praise of the crown prince and Putin in the past. But Prince Mohammed has been under global pressure lately over the murder of a Saudi journalist, and Putin has drawn fresh criticism for his country's mounting aggression against Ukraine.

So Trump canceled his plans to meet with Putin and left bin Salman off his public agenda. But even then, Trump said he looked forward to meeting Putin soon. And he never fully ruled out seeing bin Salman, saying Thursday, "I would have met with him but we didn't set that one up."

There were still plenty of opportunities for casual encounters among the leaders as they shuttled between one-on-one sessions, group meetings, meals, a cultural performance, a formal dinner and what is known as the "family photo," a type of class picture where all the leaders pose stiffly for the cameras.

President Donald Trump arrives and joins other heads of state for a family photo at the G20 summit, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. From left in the front row are Singapore Prime Minister Lee Hsien Loong, Russian President Vladimir Putin and Brazil President Michel Temer. From left on the top row are Rwanda President Paul Kagame and Saudi Arabia's crown Mohammed bin Salman. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

The first real opportunity for public interaction came in the photo session. Trump chatted warmly with the leaders of Canada, Japan and France but walked past bin Salman and Putin, giving the former at most a casual glance. Another photo session with leaders and their spouses in the evening did not reveal any substantive interaction.

All the while, Trump powered through meetings with any number of leaders. He began the day with the Argentine president, then signed a trade deal with Mexico and Canada before separate, more casual meetings with the leaders of South Korea and Australia and a formal "trilateral" meeting with Japan and India.

Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov called the canceled Trump-Putin meeting a missed opportunity, saying it didn't "help settling a number of important international problems." He added, with resignation, "Love can't be forced."

But did Trump interact with bin Salman or Putin behind the scenes, away from prying eyes? A senior White House official said Trump and bin Salman had exchanged pleasantries during a leaders' session, as he had with nearly all the other leaders. The official spoke on condition of anonymity due to the sensitive nature of the crown prince's situation.

Trump told reporters later: "We had no discussion. We might, but we had none."

With Putin, Trump did have some interaction, though the details on how extensive it may have been remained murky. White House spokeswoman Sarah Huckabee Sanders said Trump "exchanged pleasantries" with Putin before the photo, as he did with other leaders.

Sanders on Saturday confirmed additional contact between Trump and Putin at Friday's dinner. "As is typical at multilateral events, President Trump and the First Lady had a number of informal conversations with world leaders at the dinner last night, including President Putin."

The Russian leader's spokesman had said Putin and Trump "said hi to each other" earlier in the day.

In relative isolation, Putin and bin Salman, each in relative isolation, at least made nice with each other. At a leaders' session Friday, they beamed widely at one another while sharing extended, enthusiastic handshake.

For Trump and his complicated friends, the first day ended with a group excursion to Teatro Colon, the city's opera house, for a show that included - wait for it - a whole lot of dance numbers.

And with another day to go, the diplomatic footwork was sure to continue.
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - The United States and China reached a 90-day ceasefire in a trade dispute that has rattled financial markets and threatened world economic growth. The breakthrough came after a dinner meeting Saturday between President Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires.

Trump agreed to hold off on plans to raise tariffs Jan. 1 on $200 billion in Chinese goods. The Chinese agreed to buy a "not yet agreed upon, but very substantial amount of agricultural, energy, industrial" and other products from the United States to reduce America's huge trade deficit with China, the White House said.

The truce, reached after a dinner of more than two hours, buys time for the two countries to work out their differences in a dispute over Beijing's aggressive drive to supplant U.S. technological dominance.

"It's an incredible deal," Trump told reporters aboard Air Force One. "What I'll be doing is holding back on tariffs. China will be opening up, China will be getting rid of tariffs. China will be buying massive amounts of products from us."

In a long-sought concession to the U.S., China agreed to label fentanyl, the deadly synthetic opioid responsible for tens of thousands of American drug deaths annually, as a controlled substance. And Beijing agreed to reconsider a takeover by U.S. chipmaker Qualcomm that it had previously blocked.

The White House announcement framed a victory for Trump and his unflinching negotiating tactics, securing a commitment from China to engage in talks on key U.S. economic priorities, with little obvious concession by the U.S. Notably, however, the White House appears to be reversing course on its previous threats to tie trade discussions to security concerns, like China's attempted territorial expansion in the South China Sea.

President Donald Trump, center, and Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin, second from the right, listen to remarks by China's President Xi Jinping during a bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

"It's great the two sides took advantage of this opportunity to call a truce," said Andy Rothman, investment strategist at Matthews Asia. "The two sides appear to have had a major change of heart to move away from confrontation toward engagement. This changes the tone and direction of the bilateral conversation."

The Trump-Xi meeting was the marquee event of Trump's whirlwind two-day trip to Argentina for the G-20 summit after the president canceled a sit-down with Russian President Vladimir Putin over mounting tensions between Russia and Ukraine. Trump also canceled a Saturday news conference, citing respect for the Bush family following the death of former President George H.W. Bush.

Trump said Bush's death put a "damper" on what he described as a "very important meeting" with Xi.

The United States and China are locked in a dispute over their trade imbalance and Beijing's tech policies. Washington accuses China of deploying predatory tactics in its tech drive, including stealing trade secrets and forcing American firms to hand over technology in exchange for access to the Chinese market.

Trump has imposed import taxes on $250 billion in Chinese products - 25 percent on $50 billion worth and 10 percent on the other $200 billion. Trump had planned to raise the tariffs on the $200 billion to 25 percent if he couldn't get a deal with Xi.

China has already slapped tariffs on $110 billion in U.S. goods.

Under the agreement reached in Buenos Aires, the two countries have 90 days to resolve their differences over Beijing's tech policies. If they can't, the higher U.S. tariffs will go into effect on the $200 billion in Chinese imports.

U.S. officials insist that the American economy is more resilient to the tumult than China's, but they remain anxious of the economic effects of a prolonged showdown - as Trump has made economic growth the benchmark by which he wants his administration judged.

A full-blown resolution was not expected to be reached in Buenos Aires; the issues that divide them are just too difficult.

Growing concerns that the trade war will increasingly hurt corporate earnings and the U.S. economy are a key reason why U.S. stock prices have been sinking this fall.

Joining other forecasters, economists at the Organization for Economic Co-operation and Development last week downgraded their outlook for global economic growth next year to 3.5 percent from a previous 3.7 percent. In doing so, they cited the trade conflict as well as political uncertainty.

The U.S. and China also made progress on the regulation of fentanyl, which is 50 times more powerful than heroin. U.S. officials for years have been pressing the Chinese government to take a tougher stance against fentanyl, and most U.S. supply of the drug is manufactured in China.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says China's decision to label the drug as a controlled substance means that "people selling Fentanyl to the United States will be subject to China's maximum penalty under the law."

The White House also said that China's government is "open to approving" the purchase of Dutch semiconductor manufacturer NXP by American chipmaker Qualcomm.

China nixed the proposed takeover earlier this year, citing antitrust concerns, after U.S. and European regulators approved the deal.

China's decision earlier this year came amid a period of heightening tensions between the U.S. and China over trade and intellectual property issues.

Qualcomm announced it was dropping plans to proceed with the deal after it failed to receive Chinese government approval. It is unclear whether the transaction could be revived even with China's acquiescence.

In other developments, Trump announced aboard Air Force One on his return to Washington from Buenos Aires that his next meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un would likely happen in January or February. He said there were three sites under consideration, but he declined to name them.

Trump also said he would shortly be providing formal notice to Congress that he will terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement, giving lawmakers six months to approve the replacement he signed Friday. He said lawmakers can choose between the replacement, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement, or nothing.

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Wiseman reported from Washington.

President Donald Trump with China's President Xi Jinping and members of their official delegations during their bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

China's President Xi Jinping, center, and members of his official delegation, listen to President Donald Trump speak during their bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump listens to China's President Xi Jinping speak during their bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump with China's President Xi Jinping during their bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping meet Saturday for some dinner diplomacy on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Argentina. The US-China trade war tops their agenda, but the two leaders also have other topics they hope to tackle, including Taiwan, the South China Sea and Americans being detained in China.

A look at what each side wants:

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WHAT TRUMP WANTS

The United States and China have both raised tariffs on hundreds of billions of dollars of each other's goods in what is quickly becoming a perilous trade war.

The Trump administration says its demands of China are clear: Stop stealing trade secrets. Stop coercing technology transfers. Stop favoring Chinese companies over U.S. and other foreign competitors.

China's President Xi Jinping attends the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Heads of state from the world's leading economies were invited to the Group of 20 summit to discuss issues like development, infrastructure and investment, but those themes seem like afterthoughts, overshadowed by contentious matters from the U.S.-China trade dispute to the conflict over Ukraine. (AP Photo/Natacha Pisarenko)

The president, who expects concessions from Xi, has repeatedly lamented America's gaping trade deficit with China, which amounted to $336 billion last year. To retaliate, Trump hiked tariffs over complaints that Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology in violation of its market-opening obligations.

The bottom line, according to Trump: "China has to treat us fairly. They haven't been. They have to treat us fairly."

The president, who celebrates U.S. economic gains as a positive benchmark of his own performance, can ill afford a slowdown or recession heading into his re-election effort in 2020. At the same time, the self-professed expert dealmaker can hardly be seen caving to Chinese intransigence.

"I think we're very close to doing something with China, but I don't know that I want to do it, because what we have right now is billions and billions of dollars coming into the United States in the form of tariffs or taxes," Trump told reporters before he left Thursday for the summit.

Adding to the tensions is a new report from the U.S. trade representative that accused Beijing of stepping up efforts to steal technology. China rejected the charges as "new unwarranted accusations." Trump also has threatened that an even larger set of U.S. duties affecting China will go into effect in the New Year.

Besides trade, tensions between the two nations have been high regarding China's claim to sovereignty over virtually the entire South China Sea. The U.S. challenges that claim and has vowed to maintain a presence in the waters to promote freedom of navigation and overflight.

On another issue, Trump said Thursday he will bring up with Xi the case of an American woman and her two grown children who are suspected of being held in China to force their estranged father to return to China to face fraud charges. John Bolton, national security adviser, tweeted a story in The New York Times about the plight of Victor and Cynthia Liu and their mother, Sandra Han, writing: "These Americans need to be allowed to return home."

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WHAT XI WANTS

Xi will be hoping for progress toward a cease fire in the bitter trade war with the U.S. But while Xi portrays China as force for peace and free trade, he also needs to appear tough against the U.S. to maintain his standing among nationalists at home.

The U.S. has imposed punitive tariffs on $250 billion in Chinese exports and has threatened to double that unless China offers concessions on trade and investment policies the U.S. regards as unfair.

China has responded with tariffs on $110 billion in U.S. goods, but Chinese officials say they still aren't clear what exactly the U.S. wants from it and Xi will likely attempt to gain more clarity and possibly put forward new proposals.

While Beijing has offered to purchase more U.S. products to narrow the massive trade deficit, Trump's administration rejected that outright. The U.S. wants China to abandon demands that American and other foreign companies hand over key technologies in exchange for access to the Chinese market.

China denies making unreasonable demands and remains committed to becoming a global competitor in cutting-edge technologies such as robotics, artificial intelligence and biotechnology by 2025.

At the very least, the talks could serve as a stalling tactic to buy China more time and delay additional tariffs. Xi's administration also hopes talks will exclude or sideline key trade hawks, such as Trump adviser Peter Navarro.

On Taiwan, Xi wants to make Trump understand how seriously China feels about the self-governing island and that closer engagement between Taipei and Washington threatens to destabilize the region - and possibly even spark a conflict.

In talks earlier this month setting the stage for the Xi-Trump meeting, a top Chinese foreign policy adviser had sharp words for the U.S. side over Washington's increased support for the island, which China claims as its own territory.

China demands the U.S. cancel a $330 million sale of spare parts and related support for Taiwan's U.S.-made F-16 fighter jets and other military aircraft. While Washington has no official relations with Taiwan, it is legally obligated to ensure it has the means to defend itself.

Trump's administration has also approved official contacts with Taiwan at higher levels than before and recently opened a gleaming new representative office in Taipei.

Xi also is expected to stand firm on issues related to the South China Sea. China demands the United States stop sending ships and military aircraft close to islands Beijing claims in the South China Sea.

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Bodeen reported from Beijing.
KATOWICE, Poland (AP) - Negotiators are gathering in Katowice, Poland, for the annual U.N. climate summit, known informally as COP 24. It is the most important international meeting for countries to discuss and coordinate the fight against global warming.

Here is a look at some of the key issues and terms that will come up at the event, which starts Sunday and ends on Dec. 14:

COP

The acronym stands for Conference of the Parties to the U.N. Framework Convention on Climate Change.

Held for the first time in 1995, the COP also acts at the meeting of parties to the 1992 Kyoto Protocol that first committed countries to reducing greenhouse gas emissions and the 2015 Paris Agreement.

The term "Paris" is often used to refer to the accord's headline goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) compared with pre-industrial times, and if possible to limit the increase to 1.5 C (2.7 F).

Smoke rising from a factory as a truck loaded with cars crosses a bridge in Paris, France, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. The COP24 summit on climate change will take place in Poland's southern city of Katowice from December 2 to 14, 2018. (AP Photo/Michel Euler)

PARIS RULEBOOK

When leaders approved the 2015 accord, they put aside a lot of questions about the finer details of how the agreement would work.

The meeting in Katowice is meant to finalize those details, including how countries will collect and transparently report their greenhouse gas emissions, and keep track of efforts to reduce them.

NDCs

Rather than set a global target for emissions cuts, the Paris Agreement allowed countries to submit their own goals, known as Nationally Determined Contributions.

It was recognized that all the initial national targets together wouldn't be enough to keep global warming below 2 degrees C, so the Paris accord requires countries to keep raising their goals over time.

The next set of NDCs for the period after 2020 needs to be submitted within the next two years. An overview of submissions so far can be found here .

TALANOA DIALOGUE

To encourage countries to keep raising their NDCs, regular discussions are held among all parties to the Paris Agreement.

These review what's been achieved so far and what needs to be done next. As part of its presidency of last year's climate meeting, Fiji introduced the notion of "talanoa," a form of open conversation rooted in the Pacific island's culture that's intended to allow participants to share their stories and learn from each other.

It's hoped that the so-called Talanoa Dialogue will allow countries to discuss sensitive issues without resorting to blaming others.

GLOBAL STOCK-TAKE

Once every five years, countries are meant to summarize the world's overall progress toward achieving the Paris goal of keeping global warming below 2 degrees C - if not 1.5 C.

The first such global stock-take was meant to happen in 2023. But because the Paris accord was ratified so quickly, this year's meeting is regarded as the first, albeit unofficial global stock-take.

CLIMATE FINANCE

Curbing global warming is expected to require a vast overhaul of the world's economy, as countries shift from using fossil fuels to using clean sources of energy to heat homes, manufacture goods and power all manner of devices from cars to computers.

Rich countries have the resources to pay for this transition but many poor countries don't. To ensure that they, too, reduce their greenhouse gas emissions large sums of money will need to flow from rich to poor countries.

Aside from using the money to "green" their economies, developing nations will also need funds to adapt to the inevitable consequences of climate change, such as sea level rise, which are predicted to hit poor countries hardest.

In this photo taken Wednesday, Oct. 3, 2018, smoke rises from the chimneys of Serbia's main coal-fired power station near Kostolac, Serbia. The Kostolac power plant complex in eastern Serbia is currently being expanded with a $715 million loan from a Chinese state bank and constructed by one of China's largest companies. (AP Photo/Darko Vojinovic)
BUCHAREST, Romania (AP) - Despite freezing temperatures, tens of thousands of Romanians turned out Saturday to celebrate 100 years since their nation became a modern-day state, with some noting concerns now about the rule of law and the state of democracy in the Balkan nation.

Romanians waving the country's flag attended huge military parades in Bucharest and Alba Iulia, the Transylvanian city that symbolizes Romania's 1918 reunification. Crowds braved temperatures of -5 degrees Centigrade (23 degrees Fahrenheit) to watch tanks and military vehicles drive under the Triumphal Arch built after World War I.

While most considered the event a national celebration, some booed anti-riot police who participated in Saturday's parade. That anger comes after police clashed in August with anti-corruption protesters, leaving 450 people injured.

Members of the ruling Social Democratic Party were booed at a ceremony in Alba Iulia, where President Klaus Iohannis, a political rival, called for Romanians to build a "dignified and powerful country, integrated through education, culture and creativity into a Europe of values, prosperity and freedom."

More than 1,000 Romanians gathered Saturday evening outside government offices in Bucharest to protest high-level corruption, yelling "Resign!"

Electrician Gabriel Ene said he was glad that Romanians had "a free voice" but said the laws that the Social Democrat government wanted to pass "will support liars and thieves."

A woman holds a red paper as people display Romania's red-yellow-blue flag during an anti-government protest in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as Romanians celebrate 100-years since the country became a modern-day state. Hundreds joined the protest braving freezing temperatures. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Other Romanians celebrated the day with the traditional dish of cabbage rolls stuffed with minced meat and rice and polenta.

The U.S. and the European Union are among those criticizing a judicial overhaul in Romania by the Social Democrats that they claim will undermine the fight against government corruption.

U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo thanked Romania for contributing to global and Black Sea security as a NATO member and participating in missions in Afghanistan and Iraq. His statement said Washington stands with Romania "in its efforts to uphold democratic values and the rule of law...which are ... the foundation of economic growth and prosperity."

Romania entered World War I siding with Britain, France and other allies in 1916 but capitulated to the Central powers led by Germany. It re-entered World War I in 1918, and doubled its territory after the end of the war.

That was partly thanks to Romanian Queen Marie, the granddaughter of Britain's Queen Victoria and of Russia's czar, who warned the Allied victors there could be an uprising if Romania didn't reunite with Transylvania, which until the war had been part of the Austro-Hungarian empire.

The end of World War I brought about the end of the sprawling Austro-Hungarian empire.

People hold coloured papers to display Romania's red-yellow-blue flag during an anti-government protest in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as Romanians celebrate 100-years since the country became a modern-day state. Hundreds joined the protest braving freezing temperatures. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A woman holding a baby walks by troops wait to take part the military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as thousands turned out Saturday to celebrate 100-years since Romania became a modern-day state, amid concerns about rule of law and the state of democracy. Large crowds braved temperatures of minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) to watch the military parade of troops, tanks and other military vehicles. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man clings to a tree trying to get a glimpse of the military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as thousands turned out Saturday to celebrate 100 years since Romania became a modern-day state, amid concerns about rule of law and the state of democracy. Crowds braved temperatures of minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) to watch troops tanks and military vehicles. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A man clings to a tree trying to get a glimpse of the military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as thousands turned out Saturday to celebrate 100 years since Romania became a modern-day state, amid concerns about rule of law and the state of democracy. Crowds braved temperatures of minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) to watch troops tanks and military vehicles. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Members of a historical association wear vintage military uniforms before taking part the military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as thousands turned out Saturday to celebrate 100 years since Romania became a modern-day state, amid concerns about rule of law and the state of democracy. Crowds braved temperatures of minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) to watch troops, tanks and military vehicles. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

Members of a historical association wear vintage military uniforms before taking part the military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, Thousands turned out on Saturday to celebrate 100 years since Romania became a modern-day state, amid concerns about rule of law and the state of democracy. Crowds braved temperatures of minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) to watch troops, tanks and military vehicles. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A military cadet gets help from a colleague to adjust her hair before taking part the military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as thousands turned out Saturday to celebrate 100-years since Romania became a modern-day state, amid concerns about rule of law and the state of democracy. Large crowds braved temperatures of minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) to watch the military parade of troops, tanks and other military vehicles. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A military cadet wipes the steamy windows of a bus while waiting to take part in the military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as thousands turned out Saturday to celebrate 100-years since Romania became a modern-day state, amid concerns about rule of law and the state of democracy. Crowds braved temperatures of minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) to watch the military parade of troops, tanks and military vehicles. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A member of the special operation forces is reflected in the rearview mirror of a vehicle before taking part the military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as thousands turned out Saturday to celebrate 100-years since Romania became a modern-day state. Large crowds braved temperatures of minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) to watch the parade of troops, tanks and military vehicles. (AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)

A serviceman cleans a tank before taking part the military parade in Bucharest, Romania, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as thousands turned out Saturday to celebrate 100-years since Romania became a modern-day state. Large crowds braved temperatures of minus 5 Celsius (23 Fahrenheit) to watch the parade of troops, tanks and military vehicles.(AP Photo/Vadim Ghirda)
WASHINGTON (AP) - President Donald Trump is hailing a revised North American trade deal as if nothing existed before it.

The pact with Mexico and Canada stands as a "model agreement that changes the trade landscape forever," he said at a signing ceremony with the other leaders Friday in Buenos Aires, Argentina. But fundamental change happened under the deal's predecessor, the North American Free Trade Agreement.

The new one brings largely incremental change, with a few significant advances for the auto industry, and it has a new name, the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau was truer to the nature of the deal in his remarks at the signing, saying it "maintains stability," ''lifts the risk of serious economic uncertainty" and secures the duty-free access to markets achieved under NAFTA.

Likewise, Mexican President Enrique Pena Nieto said NAFTA "transformed" Mexico a quarter century ago so that 70 percent of its economy comes from trade. "Revamping the new trade agreement was aimed to preserve the view of an integrated North America," he said.

Said TRUMP: "The USMCA is the largest, most significant, modern and balanced trade agreement in history. All of our countries will benefit greatly. It is probably the largest trade deal ever made, also. "

President Donald Trump, Canada's Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, right, and Mexico's President Enrique Pena Neto, left, participate in the USMCA signing ceremony, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

THE FACTS: It's not the largest trade deal ever made. It covers the same three countries as before. In contrast, the Uruguay Round of trade negotiations concluded in 1994 created the World Trade Organization and was signed by 123 countries. The Federal Reserve Bank of Boston found the following year that the WTO's initial membership accounted for more than 90 percent of global economic output.

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TRUMP: "I look forward to working with members of Congress and the USMCA partners - and I have to say, it's been so well reviewed, I don't expect to have very much of a problem - to ensure the complete implementation of our agreement."

THE FACTS: That may be too optimistic a read on the chances for congressional ratification of the deal.

It's true that when the deal was reached, the Senate Democratic leader, Chuck Schumer, praised Trump for making progress. But on Friday he put out a statement saying labor and environmental protections in the agreement "are too weak" and Congress will work to strengthen them. The deal will also need approval of the House, which transfers to Democratic control in January.

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TRUMP: "These new provisions will benefit labor, technology and development in each of our nations, leading to much greater growth and opportunity throughout our countries and across North America. In short, this is a model agreement that changes the trade landscape forever."

He also referred to the pact as a "landmark agreement."

THE FACTS: Actually, the pact preserves the structure and substance of NAFTA, which was unquestionably a landmark, whether for better or worse.

In one new feature, it requires that 40 percent of cars' contents eventually be made in countries that pay autoworkers at least $16 an hour - that is, in the United States and Canada and not in Mexico - to qualify for duty-free treatment. It also requires Mexico to pursue an overhaul of labor law to encourage independent unions that will bargain for higher wages and better working conditions for Mexicans.

But Philip Levy, senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs and a trade official in Republican President George W. Bush's White House, says: "President Trump has seriously overhyped this agreement."

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JOHANNESBURG (AP) - Amid the fanfare marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, little has been said about crucial participants in the conflict: Africans.

More than 1 million African soldiers, laborers and porters were vital actors in the war in Europe and especially in battles on the African continent, yet little commemorates their role.

This is slowly changing as historians and artists highlight contributions made by Africans in the war from 1914 to 1918.

"African troops played a vital role fighting for the French on the Western Front in Europe because French troops suffered very heavy casualties early in the war," said Alan Wakefield, head of First World War and Early 20th Century Conflicts at the Imperial War Museums in London.

"Britain relied heavily on Africans for labor on the Western Front and during the Egypt and Palestine campaign. Their role was to carry supplies and ammunition, construct camps and dig trenches. The campaigns in Africa could not have been fought without the contributions of Africans on both sides. This is not well known, but that story is starting to be told."

As part of the move toward honoring Africans' role, Britain's Prince Harry last week met with military veterans in Zambia, where some say World War I truly ended with German troops laying down arms on Nov. 25, 1918. Marking that anniversary last week, Germany's ambassador said he was deeply moved to lay a wreath with his British counterpart "at the commemoration of the real end" of the war.

FILE - In this Nov. 27, 2018 file photo, Britain's Prince Harry arrives at the Burma Barracks for a meeting with war veterans and widows in Lusaka. Amid the fanfare marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, little has been said about some crucial participants in the conflict: Africans. More than 1 million African soldiers, laborers and porters were vital actors in the war in Europe and especially in battles on the African continent, yet little commemorates their role. (AP Photo/Tsvangirayi Mukwazhi, File)

With "Mimesis: African Soldier" artist John Akomfrah created an installation highlighting the role of Africans and honoring their sacrifices. The work, at the Imperial War Museums until March 31, is projected on three screens and blends archival material with new footage filmed by Akomfrah around the world.

"The most important thing for me, the takeaway, is that African soldiers fought in this war, that they played a variety of roles in the war as foot soldiers, as carriers," Akomfrah said on the museums' website. "Every facet, every avenue, every job in the war, if you look long enough, you will see someone of either Asian or African origin/heritage in that role."

More than 25,000 black South Africans served in the South African Native Labour Corps, shoring up Britain's acute labor shortage during the war. South Africa's white minority colonial rulers refused to allow blacks to carry arms or serve on an equal basis with whites, but they agreed to allow them to work as porters to deliver supplies and weapons to the front line.

The black South Africans were praised for their productivity and efficiency, but they were kept in conditions similar to prisoner of war camps, according to contemporary observers.

With "Kaboom!" and the film installation "The Head & The Load" South African artist William Kentridge also pays homage to Africans' service and asks why Africans served in the war of their colonial oppressors.

In charcoal drawings Kentridge depicts haunted African landscapes with bits of text such as "The poems are not our own" and "They hope we will die and not return." The film installation explores "the contradictions and paradoxes of colonialism that were heated and compressed by the circumstances of the war," Kentridge wrote in a program for the exhibit at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg.

"The Head & The Load" was shown earlier this year at the Tate Modern in London and will be shown in New York at the Park Avenue Armory in December.

One of the most tragic WWI events involving Africans was the sinking of the SS Mendi. The ship was carrying black South Africans from England to France, where they were to deliver supplies to the front line. On a foggy night in February 1917, a much larger British mail ship struck the Mendi, which quickly sank, killing 607 men. It was the largest single loss of life for black South African non-combatants in the war.

The deaths of those on the Mendi brought South Africa's all-white House of Assembly to stand in silence in March 1917, as a mark of respect.

More than 100 years later, the Africans who died on the Mendi were honored again when visiting British Prime Minister Theresa May gave South African President Cyril Ramaphosa the ship's bell that had been recovered from the wreck.

"The gift of this bell is like returning their souls to the land of their birth," Ramaphosa said of the South Africans whose bodies were never recovered from the English Channel. "May their souls rest in peace."

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In this photo taken Aug. 28 2018, British Prime Minister, Theresa May, left, hands over the brass bell of the SS Mendi to South African President Cyril Ramaphosa, right in Cape Town, South Africa. Amid the fanfare marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, little has been said about some crucial participants in the conflict: Africans. More than 1 million African soldiers, laborers and porters were vital actors in the war in Europe and especially in battles on the African continent, yet little commemorates their role. The SS Mendi was carrying black South Africans from England to France on a foggy night in Feb 1017 when it was struck by a British mail ship causing it to sink, killing 607 African men on board. (AP Photo).

In this photo taken on Saturday, Nov, 10, 2018, a visitor looks at charcoal drawings by artist William Kentridge paying homage to Africans' service in World War 1, at the Goodman Gallery in Johannesburg. Amid the fanfare marking the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I, little has been said about some crucial participants in the conflict: Africans. More than 1 million African soldiers, laborers and porters were vital actors in the war in Europe and especially in battles on the African continent, yet little commemorates their role. (AP Photo/Andrew Meldrum)
MOSCOW (AP) - Former Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev on Saturday expressed his "deep condolences" to the family of former U.S. President George H.W. Bush and all Americans following his death.

Gorbachev worked closely with Bush to bring an end to the Cold War in the late 1980s and 1990s, and lauded the former president for his abilities as a politician and his personal character.

"It was a time of great change," he told the Interfax news agency, "demanding great responsibility from everyone. The result was the end of the Cold War and nuclear arms race."

Gorbachev said that he and his wife, Raisa, "deeply appreciated the attention, kindness and simplicity typical of George and Barbara Bush, as well as the rest of their large, friendly family."

Pavel Palazhchenko, who worked as Gorbachev's translator during those years, said that a tireless search for common ground and mutual understanding paved the way for some of the greatest achievements in the history of U.S.-Russia relations.

"Bush always took a balanced approach to things," Palazhchenko told The Associated Press on Saturday. "He was not one to rush and took everything into account. He was always very well briefed. Gorbachev was too, and together they just looked for common ground."

FILE - In this Oct. 29, 1991, file photo, President George H.W. Bush gestures during a joint news conference with Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev, at the Soviet Embassy in Madrid. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/Jerome Delay, File)

One thing that Palazhchenko said distinguished Bush from other U.S. presidents was his understanding of Gorbachev's political situation, and a professed desire not to put Gorbachev in a corner at a time when others in the Soviet leadership were not thrilled with rapprochement.

"He was, in many respects, very different from Ronald Reagan," Palazhchenko said. "Reagan was an intuitive politician, while Bush was analytical and in some ways more political. He understood that developments in Eastern Europe were not easy for Gorbachev."

"He never put Gorbachev on the spot," he said.

This relationship allowed Bush and Gorbachev to push through some of the most significant U.S.-Russia arms control agreements in history, including the Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty. They found that mutual arms reduction was the cornerstone of stability between their nations.

This lesson is a salient one at a time when relations between the U.S. and Russia have hit their lowest point since the Cold War and Presidents Donald Trump and Vladimir Putin have called for substantial investments in new nuclear weapons, risking a return to an arms race.

"Gorbachev and Bush showed that cooperation on arms reduction can have a very stabilizing effect on the situation and the relationship," Palazhchenko said. "The centrality of nuclear arms control specifically is something they understood well."

With this in mind, perhaps their greatest achievement is one Palazhchenko says is widely overlooked today: the Presidential Nuclear Initiatives of 1991. In a series of letters and unilateral decrees, both leaders eliminated their tactical nuclear weapons with the stroke of a pen.

"It is something that seems almost forgotten now, but they eliminated thousands of tactical nuclear weapons on both sides," he said. "It was very significant."

Russia's current leadership expressed condolences later Saturday.

"A distinguished man has passed away," Putin said in a telegram sent to former President George W. Bush, posted on the Kremlin website. "One who served his country for his entire life, with a weapon in his hands during wartime and in high office during peacetime."

Putin praised George H.W. Bush for pursuing constructive dialogue between the two nuclear powers and credited him with doing much for strengthening U.S.-Russian cooperation on issues of international security.

He also recalled meeting Bush several times.

"It is with great warmth that I recall how he organized a meeting at his wonderful estate in Kennebunkport," Maine, Putin wrote. "The fond memory of George H.W. Bush will forever remain in my heart and in the hearts of my countrymen."

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See AP's complete coverage of George H.W. Bush here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/GeorgeHWBush

FILE - In this file photo taken on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1991, U.S. President George H. Bush, left, and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev sit together at the Soviet Embassy after meeting in Madrid, Spain. Former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his "deep condolences" Saturday Dec. 1, 2018, to the family of former U.S President George Bush and all Americans following his death, aged 94. (AP Photo/Liu Heung Shing, File)
DERA ISMAIL KHAN, Pakistan (AP) - Pakistani security forces say they have killed a local Taliban commander who had taken six people hostage in the country's northwest.

A military statement Saturday said security forces rescued all the hostages safely in an operation in the Daraban area of Dera Ismail Khan overnight.

It said four security men were wounded in a shootout that continued till morning.

The military said the Taliban commander, Hakim Khan, was in possession of an assault rifle, ammunition and grenades.

Senior police officer Zahoor Afridi said police surrounded the house after receiving information that a wanted man was holed up there.

Dera Ismail Khan is near the South Waziristan tribal region.
JUBA, South Sudan (AP) - One hundred and twenty-five women and girls have been raped, whipped and clubbed in attacks so shocking that some aid workers in South Sudan say they are left speechless.

Doctors Without Borders on Saturday said the "dramatic increase" in sexual violence occurred over 10 days, between Nov. 19 and Thursday, as the women and girls walked to a food distribution site in Bentiu in Unity state. By contrast, the medical charity's Bentiu clinic treated 104 survivors of sexual assault in the first 10 months of this year.

Sexual violence has been widespread in South Sudan's civil war, and even under a recent peace deal humanitarians have warned of higher rates of sexual assault as growing numbers of desperate people try to reach aid.

A midwife with Doctors Without Borders who treated some of the survivors said those targeted include pregnant and elderly women and girls as young as 10.

"What is happening since last week is indescribable. I haven't got words for it," Ruth Okello told The Associated Press. The women were robbed of clothing and shoes, and even their ration cards for food distribution were seized and destroyed, the aid group said.

The United Nations mission chief, David Shearer, said the "abhorrent" attacks were carried out by young men in military uniforms and civilian clothing. The U.N. has increased patrols in the area and launched an investigation while urging local authorities to hold the attackers accountable.

South Sudan's government was not immediately available to comment.

The international body charged with monitoring the peace deal's implementation said Saturday it has opened an investigation into the reports.

The U.N.'s World Food Program said that while there was a distribution underway in Bentiu for displaced people, the women and girls weren't due to receive food assistance until the following week. WFP said it was looking into whether it can move distribution sites closer to communities in the area.

A new report by the United Nations panel of experts monitoring sanctions on South Sudan says it remains "extremely concerned" about the continued high level of conflict-related sexual violence, despite the peace deal signed in September.

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NAIROBI, Kenya (AP) - Burundi's attorney general has issued 17 international arrest warrants for former senior military and civilian officials suspected of involvement in the assassination of the country's first democratically elected president.

At the top of the list is former president Pierre Buyoya, now the high representative of the African Union. He has not reacted publicly.

Attorney General Sylvestre Nyandwi said the suspects allegedly were involved in the planning and execution of the killing of Melchior Ndadaye in 1993. It sparked a civil war between the East African nation's two dominant ethnic groups, the Hutu and Tutsi, in which an estimated 300,000 people died.

Regarded by many in Burundi as the hero of democracy and the country's first elected Hutu leader, Ndadaye was killed in an attempted coup by hard-line Tutsi soldiers four months after Buyoya, a Tutsi, stepped down.

Buyoya, who ruled Burundi from 1987 to 1993 and from 1996 to 2005, has denied any role in the killing.

In events marking 25 years since the assassination in October, Burundi's justice minister told lawmakers that those suspected had held powerful positions for many years, delaying efforts at accountability.

FILE - In this Tuesday, Feb. 5, 2013 file photo, African Union Commissioner for Peace and Security Ramtane Lamamra, right, talks with United Nations High Representative for Mali Pierre Buyoya during a ministerial meeting of the support and follow-up group on the situation in Mali, at the European Council building in Brussels, Belgium. Burundi's attorney general late Friday, Nov. 30, 2018 issued 17 international arrest warrants for people suspected of involvement in the assassination of the country's first democratically elected president, naming Pierre Buyoya, now the high representative of the African Union. (AP Photo/Geert Vanden Wijngaert, File)

The lawyer defending Ndadaye's family, Fabien Segatwa, called the announcement "a great step towards justice."

Burundi remains in political turmoil around President Pierre Nkurunziza's decision in 2015 to seek another term.

Isidore Rufyikiri, former chairman of the Burundian lawyers' association, told The Associated Press that the fight against impunity is good but "we should wait to deal with those cases until Burundi retrieves peace and security."

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Ssuuna reported from Kigali, Rwanda.

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BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - The Latest on the Group of 20 summit (all times local):

6 p.m.

British Prime Minister Theresa May is welcoming the agreement between Argentina and Britain for a new flight that will connect the disputed Falkland Islands with South America.

The service to the Brazilian city of Sao Paulo via the Argentine city of Cordoba is being promoted as part of a thawing of tensions. The two countries went to war over the South Atlantic archipelago in 1982.

May is the second prime minister to visit Argentina and the first to visit Buenos Aires since the brief but bloody war. Argentina still claims the islands, which it calls the Malvinas.

May also said that she spoke to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman about the murder of Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi. May said she told the crown prince about "the importance of a full, credible, transparent investigation that identifies those who are involved and that ensures that those involved are held to account."

Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during a press conference after the G20 Leader's Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized nations met for two days in Buenos Aires. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

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4:50 p.m.

French President Emmanuel Macron says he pressed Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman to allow international involvement in the investigation into the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi.

Macron confronted the crown prince at a Group of 20 summit in Argentina. Macron said Saturday that in the exchange, he also pushed bin Salman to help find a political solution to the Saudi-backed war in Yemen, and to help stabilize world oil prices.

Macron said the crown prince only "took note" of his demands. Macron expressed hope that bin Salman would respond soon.

U.S. intelligence agencies concluded that the Saudi prince ordered the journalist's killing, which Saudi Arabia denies. Khashoggi was killed in the Saudi Embassy in Istanbul Oct. 2, a death that shocked many world leaders sitting around the table with bin Salman at the G-20.

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4:00 p.m.

The head of the International Monetary Fund is warning that trade tensions threaten global economic growth.

IMF Managing Director Christine Lagarde said Saturday that while "global growth remains strong," it is "moderating and becoming more uneven."

She said, "Pressures on emerging markets have been rising and trade tensions have begun to have a negative impact."

Lagarde said that tariffs already in place or announced would reduce global economic growth by 0.75 percentage points by 2020.

The IMF currently expects the world economy to grow 3.7 percent each year from 2018 to 2020.

She issued the statement at the end of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires.

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2:30 p.m.

Leaders of the Group of 20 have agreed to fix the world trading system - but only 19 of them agreed to support the Paris accord on fighting climate change.

Applause rose up in the hall Saturday as the leaders, including U.S. President Donald Trump, signed off on a final statement at the end of a two-day summit.

The statement acknowledges flaws in the world trading system and calls for reforming the World Trade Organization. It doesn't mention protectionism however, because negotiators said the U.S. had resisted that.

The statement says 19 of the members reiterated their commitment to the Paris climate accord but the U.S. reiterates its decision to withdraw.

The non-binding agreement was reached after difficult all-night talks by diplomats.

A copy was obtained by The Associated Press.

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1:20 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says she hopes a meeting between the U.S. and Chinese leaders will help resolve trade tensions between the two countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to meet later Saturday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires. Merkel told reporters it's important that the talks "hopefully bring solutions, because all of us see that we are affected indirectly when Chinese-American economic relations are not as frictionless as a world order requires."

Merkel said she expects the G-20 summit's communique to include a reference to "multilaterism" - "it has to be fought for, but we are doing that."

She added that the participants agree reform of the World Trade Organization is needed, and says: "We will send a clear signal - in any case, most of us" for the success of global climate talks starting in Poland on Sunday.

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11:40 a.m.

Chancellor Angela Merkel's spokesman says the German leader has voiced her concern about rising tensions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea and pushed for "freedom of shipping into the Sea of Azov" at a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Merkel met Putin early Saturday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires. Spokesman Steffen Seibert says their talks centered on Syria and the current tensions between Russia and Ukraine.

Last weekend, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in an incident escalating a tug-of-war that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Germany and France have sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine.

Seibert said Merkel and Putin agreed that the four countries should hold further talks at "adviser level."

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9:40 a.m.

European diplomats say all-night talks at the Group of 20 summit have resulted in a possible "breakthrough" on fixing the global trading system.

Despite deep divisions going into the summit and resistance from the U.S., European Union officials said Saturday that countries also are making progress on a final statement that will acknowledge problems with the World Trade Organization but commit to reforming it.

President Donald Trump has criticized the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU.

One EU official told reporters that the G-20 summit's final statement is likely to show 19 members supporting the Paris climate accord, with the U.S. stating its opposition to it.

The official said the U.S. delegation also held up discussion of how to manage refugees and migrants, but that the final statement is expected to mention the need to manage migration on a global level.

The officials spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the ongoing closed-door discussions.

- Associated Press writer Angela Charlton

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4 a.m.

The Group of 20 summit is entering its crucial second and final day with hours left for diplomats to bridge divisions on major issues including world trade, climate change and tackling migration.

The day will also see a highly anticipated meeting between U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping, whose nations have been embroiled in an escalating trade war with new U.S. tariffs on China goods set to take effect a month from now.

The divisions among the world's leading economies have been evident from the moment Argentina's president opened the summit Friday with a call for international cooperation to solve the planet's problems.

France's President Emmanuel Macron gestures during a press conference after the G20 Leader's Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized nations met for two days in Buenos Aires. (AP Photo/Gustavo Garello)

In this photo released by the press office of the G20 Summit, leaders and their partners pose for a group photo prior to a gala dinner at the Colon Theater in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Leaders from the Group of 20 industrialized nations are meeting in Buenos Aires for two days starting today. (G20 Press Office via AP)

International Monetary Fund Managing Director Christine Lagarde, left, is welcomed by Argentina's President Mauricio Macri as she arrives for the G20 Leader's Summit inside the Costa Salguero Center in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Nov. 30, 2018. (Andres Martinez Casares/Pool via AP)
NEW YORK (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer Michael Cohen (all times local):

8:45 a.m.

Russian President Vladimir Putin's spokesman has displayed what he says are two emails from President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer asking for help getting the Trump Tower Moscow project off the ground.

Michael Cohen pleaded guilty on Thursday to lying to Congress about the real estate deal.

Cohen last year acknowledged sending the emails to Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov in January 2016, but said he killed the proposal after talking to Peskov's office. This week he confessed that he continued to pursue the deal on Trump's behalf during the heat of the campaign.

Peskov, who is with Putin at an international summit in Argentina, said Saturday, "We told them that the presidential administration isn't involved in construction projects, and if they are interested in making investments we will be glad to see them at St. Petersburg's economic forum."

Michael Cohen, left, walks out of federal court with his attorney Guy Petrillo, Thursday, Nov. 29, 2018, in New York, after pleading guilty to lying to Congress about work he did on an aborted project to build a Trump Tower in Russia. Cohen, President Donald Trumps former lawyer, told the judge he lied about the timing of the negotiations and other details to be consistent with Trump's "political message." (AP Photo/Julie Jacobson)

Peskov said they never heard from Cohen again.

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1 a.m.

Lawyers for President Donald Trump's former personal lawyer say Michael Cohen deserves no prison time for crimes he committed in an abundance of enthusiasm for his ex-boss.

The lawyers said in court papers filed in New York Friday that Cohen cooperated extensively with Special Counsel Robert Mueller and New York state investigators who brought a civil lawsuit against the Trump Organization and individuals, including Trump.

They say he'll continue to do so. The 52-year-old Cohen faces sentencing Dec. 12 after pleading guilty to crimes in August and on Thursday. Prosecutors have not yet filed a pre-sentence submission but have agreed to note Cohen cooperation to the sentencing judge.

On Thursday, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress. In August, he pleaded guilty to charges including campaign finance and bank fraud.
BERLIN (AP) - Thousands of people marched Saturday in Berlin to demand that Germany speed up its exit from coal-fired power plants, a day before the opening of a U.N. climate summit in neighboring Poland.

The protest in the German capital and a simultaneous march in the western city of Cologne were organized by environmental groups. Many demonstrators carried flags with slogans like "Stop Coal!" and "The future is coal-free." Some were dressed as burning trees or storm clouds to highlight the more frequent forest fires and fierce storms generated by a warmer climate.

German news agency dpa quoted police estimating the number of protesters in Berlin at about 5,000 and about double that in Cologne.

The summit opening Sunday in Katowice, Poland, seeks to build on the landmark 2015 Paris accord, when countries agreed to try to limit global warming to 1.5 degrees Celsius (2.7 degrees Fahrenheit) by the century's end.

German officials had hoped to present a blueprint for phasing out the country's use of coal over the coming decades, demonstrating the government's commitment to cutting Germany's greenhouse gas emissions, which have stalled in recent years.

But an expert committee postponed issuing its recommendations to the German government until after the U.N. conference. It has been under pressure from coal-producing states to consider in greater detail what can be done to create new jobs in coal mining regions.

Demonstrators take part in a climate demonstration in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Thousands of people are marching in Berlin and Cologne to demand that Germany make a quick exit from coal-fired energy, a day before a U.N. climate summit opens in neighboring Poland. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)

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Read more stories on climate issues by The Associated Press at https://www.apnews.com/Climate

Demonstrators take part in a climate demonstration in Berlin, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Thousands of people are marching in Berlin and Cologne to demand that Germany make a quick exit from coal-fired energy, a day before a U.N. climate summit opens in neighboring Poland. (Christoph Soeder/dpa via AP)

Demonstrators take part in a climate demonstration in Cologne, Germany, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. Thousands of people are marching in Berlin and Cologne to demand that Germany make a quick exit from coal-fired energy, a day before a U.N. climate summit opens in neighboring Poland. (Henning Kaiser/dpa via AP)
ISLAMABAD (AP) - A Pakistani minister says the detained Islamic clerics who disrupted daily life with rallies across Pakistan following the acquittal of a Christian woman in a blasphemy case will face treason and terrorism charges.

Information Minister Fawad Chaudhry said on Saturday that Tehreek-e-Labbaik party chief Khadim Hussain Rizvi and two other leaders have been booked under treason and terrorism charges.

They were initially arrested under pre-emptive laws last week.

Chaudhry said police arrested Rizvi's and more than 3000 of his supporters who held violent rallies following the Oct. 31 acquittal of Asia Bibi by the Supreme Court.

Bibi had been on death row since 2010 on charges of insulting Islam's Prophet Muhammad.

Rizvi and other clerics are accused of inciting supporters and making incendiary remarks against the judiciary and military chief.
JOHANNESBURG (AP) - The U.S. military says it has killed nine members of the al-Shabab extremist group with a new airstrike in southern Somalia.

The U.S. Africa Command statement says the airstrike occurred on Friday near Lebede, a community in the Bay region west of the capital, Mogadishu.

The statement gives no details on those killed and says no civilians were involved.

The U.S. military has carried out at least 37 airstrikes this year against the al-Qaida-linked al-Shabab, one of Africa's deadliest Islamic extremist groups, which continues to stage deadly attacks in Somalia's capital, Mogadishu, and other cities.
NEW ORLEANS (AP) - Weeks after an election that boosted its membership, the Democratic Governors Association selected Rhode Island Gov. Gina Raimondo as its new chairwoman on Saturday.

She was elected by her peers during the group's annual meeting in New Orleans, taking over for Washington Gov. Jay Inslee. New Jersey Gov. Phil Murphy was elected vice-chair, putting him in line to lead the group in 2020, the next presidential election year.

In November's midterm elections, Democrats flipped seven seats to their control without losing any governor's offices currently held by the party. Raimondo said it was the biggest Democratic gain in governor's seats since 1982.

When the new governors are sworn in, there will be 23 Democratic state executives and 27 Republicans. The balance was 33 Republicans, 16 Democrats and one independent before the Nov. 6 election.

A key campaign issue for Democrats was expanding Medicaid to make more lower-income adults eligible for coverage in states that have not already done so.

To promote that, Louisiana Gov. John Bel Edwards was scheduled to tour a New Orleans health center later in the day with a handful of incoming Democratic governors who support expanding Medicaid in their states - Laura Kelly in Kansas, Janet Mills in Maine, Michelle Lujan Grisham in New Mexico and Tony Evers in Wisconsin.

Expanding Medicaid to cover more low-income adults, including those with no children at home, is one of the cornerstones of the health care overhaul signed by former President Barack Obama.

About 12 million Americans have gained coverage under the expansion in the 33 states that have already implemented it, including about 480,000 in Louisiana. Louisiana's expansion program began in 2016 has cut the state's uninsured rate in half.

Raimondo, who was elected last month to a second term, said having more Democrats in office can be a factor in keeping Obama's health insurance overhaul in place. President Donald Trump and congressional Republicans have tried unsuccessfully to repeal the legislation.

"The number one thing is America deserves governors who are going to stand up to the president when he tries to undo the Affordable Care Act," Raimondo said in a telephone interview.

She also noted that the group now has six women - up from two before the election.

The Republican governors group met this week in Arizona, where Nebraska Gov. Pete Ricketts was elected chairman.

Ricketts and Raimondo will oversee fundraising efforts for 2019, when Kentucky, Louisiana and Mississippi elect governors. Eleven states elect governors in 2020.

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Associated Press writer Geoff Mulvihill in Cherry Hill, New Jersey, contributed to this report.
Significant dates in the life of former President George H.W. Bush:

- June 12, 1924: George Herbert Walker Bush is born in Milton, Massachusetts.

- June 12, 1942: Enlists in Navy on 18th birthday.

- Sept. 2, 1944: Plane is shot down in Pacific Ocean and two crewmates killed. Bush is rescued by a submarine and receives the Distinguished Flying Cross.

- Jan. 6, 1945: Marries Barbara Pierce, daughter of the publisher of McCall's magazine. The Bushes eventually have six children: George W., future president; Jeb, future governor of Florida; Neil; Marvin; Dorothy; and Robin, who died of leukemia at age 3 in 1953.

- 1948: The family moves to Texas, where Bush prospers in oil business.

FILE - In this Feb. 6, 2007, file photo, former President George H.W. Bush arrives at the 2007 Ronald Reagan Freedom Award gala dinner held in his honor in Beverly Hills, Calif. Bush has died at age 94. Family spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/Matt Sayles, File)

- November 1964: Loses bid for Senate to incumbent Sen. Ralph Yarborough.

- November 1966: Wins seat in House of Representatives.

- November 1970: Loses second try for Senate to Lloyd Bentsen.

- 1971: Appointed U.N. ambassador by President Richard Nixon.

- 1973: Named Republican National Committee chairman.

- 1974: Named head of U.S. Liaison Office in Beijing by President Gerald R. Ford.

- 1975: Named chief of CIA, which was beset by allegations of assassination plots and domestic spying.

- Winter 1980: Makes unsuccessful bid for Republican presidential nomination.

- Summer 1980: Chosen by Ronald Reagan as his running mate.

- November 1980: Reagan-Bush ticket defeats President Jimmy Carter and Vice President Walter Mondale.

- March 30, 1981: Reagan seriously wounded in assassination attempt.

- Nov. 8, 1988: Defeats Massachusetts Gov. Michael Dukakis, becoming first sitting vice president to win presidency since 1836.

- Dec. 7, 1988: Joins Reagan and Soviet President Mikhail S. Gorbachev to discuss Gorbachev's announcement that Soviet Union will reduce its armed forces.

- Jan. 20, 1989: Sworn in as nation's 41st president.

- Dec. 2 and 3, 1989: Meets with Gorbachev in Malta, where they agree it is time to end the Cold War.

- Dec. 20, 1989: U.S. troops invade Panama. Dictator Manuel Noriega is eventually captured, flown to Miami and convicted on drug charges.

- May 30 to June 3, 1990: Meets with Gorbachev in Washington, sealing agreements to slash long-range nuclear weapons, halt production of chemical weapons and lift trade barriers.

- July 26, 1990: Signs landmark Americans With Disabilities Act.

- Aug. 2, 1990: Iraq's army invades Kuwait . U.S. imposes economic sanctions on Iraq.

- Aug. 7, 1990: Orders deployment of U.S. troops to Persian Gulf.

- Nov. 19 to 21, 1990: Meets with Gorbachev in Paris. Leaders of NATO, Warsaw Pact nations sign conventional arms control agreement.

- Jan. 17, 1991: Air war against Iraq begins.

- Feb. 25, 1991: Iraqi leader Saddam Hussein orders forces to withdraw from Kuwait.

- Feb. 27, 1991: White House suspends offensive combat operations. Four days later, Iraqi military accepts U.N. Security Council's strict terms for formal cease-fire.

- May 4, 1991: Suffers irregular heartbeat during jog, diagnosed with thyroid condition called Graves disease.

- July 19, 1991: Joins Gorbachev in Moscow to sign Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty.

- Jan. 8, 1992: Collapses and vomits during a state dinner in Tokyo. Illness is described as stomach flu.

- Nov. 3, 1992: Loses bid for re-election to Bill Clinton.

- Dec. 24, 1992: Pardons six men involved in the Reagan-era Iran-Contra arms-for-hostages deal that sparked a lengthy investigation by a special prosecutor.

- June 27, 1993: American warships fire cruise missiles at intelligence headquarters in Baghdad in retaliation for what U.S. calls an Iraqi plot to assassinate Bush.

- Nov. 1, 1994: Son George W. Bush elected Texas governor; son Jeb narrowly loses bid to be governor of Florida.

- March 25, 1997: Completes parachute jump at age 73, fulfilling wartime promise to himself to skydive someday just for fun. The jump began a tradition: Bush repeats the feat on his 75th, 80th, 85th and 90th birthdays.

- Nov. 6, 1997: The George Bush Presidential Library and Museum is dedicated at Texas A&M University.

- September 1998: Publishes with former national security aide Brent Scowcroft "A World Transformed," on foreign policy crises during the Bush presidency.

- Nov. 3, 1998: Son Jeb, in second try, is elected governor of Florida; in Texas, George W. wins second term.

- March 2000: Son George W. wraps up nomination for GOP presidential race in 2000.

- November-December 2000: George W. Bush wins the presidency in a historic duel that takes weeks to resolve because of tight race in Florida.

- Jan. 20, 2001: Sees son George W. sworn in as president, becoming the only former president in U.S. history to see his son sworn in to the same office. (John Adams, then nearly 90, did not attend inauguration when his son John Quincy Adams became president in 1825.)

- Jan. 20, 2005: George W. sworn in for second term as president.

- February 2005: Travels with former President Clinton to areas devastated by December 2004 Asian tsunami. They team up again to raise funds for Hurricane Katrina relief.

- Oct. 7, 2006: Attends christening in Newport News, Virginia, of nuclear-powered aircraft carrier USS George H.W. Bush.

- Jan. 7, 2009: Attends historic luncheon at White House with fellow former presidents Clinton and Carter, his son the outgoing president and President-elect Barack Obama.

- Feb. 15, 2011: Receives the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the nation's highest civilian honor for contributions to society.

- March 29, 2012: Endorses 2012 Republican presidential candidate, former Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney.

- April 17, 2018: Barbara Bush dies at their home in Houston. She was 92.

- Nov. 30, 2018: George H.W. Bush dies at his Houston home. He was 94.

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See AP's complete coverage of George H.W. Bush here: https://www.apnews.com/tag/GeorgeHWBush

FILE - In this Dec. 18, 1970, file photo, newly appointed United Nations Ambassador George H. Bush smiles. Bush has died at age 94. Family spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/John Duricka, File)

FILE - In this Oct. 18, 1971, file photo, U.S. Ambassador George H.W. Bush gestures as he addresses the United Nations General Assembly during the China debate. He denied the U.S. formula was either a "Two Chinas" or a "One China and one Taiwan" plan. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/File)

FILE - In this March 4, 1980 file photo, George H.W. Bush and an unidentified woman peek around a partition with a poster of Ronald Reagan, one of his opponents for the Republican party presidential nomination, before he speaks in Columbia, S.C. Bush has died at age 94. Family spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this Feb. 24, 1991 file photo, Kuwaiti troops wear gas masks and protective suits as they roll through southern Kuwait in an armed motor convoy, the first full day of ground conflict in Operation Desert Storm. The inverted "V" painted on vehicles is the allied recognition symbol. In February 1991, after months of building an international coalition, U.S. forces entered Kuwait to end the Iraqi occupation of its smaller, oil-rich neighbor. (AP Photo/Laurent Rebours, File)

FILE - In this file photo taken on Tuesday, Oct. 29, 1991, U.S. President George H. Bush, left, and Soviet President Mikhail Gorbachev sit together at the Soviet Embassy after meeting in Madrid, Spain. Former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his "deep condolences" Saturday Dec. 1, 2018, to the family of former U.S President George Bush and all Americans following his death, aged 94. (AP Photo/Liu Heung Shing, File)

FILE - In this Aug. 24, 1992, file photo, President George H.W. Bush and first lady Barbara Bush walk with their dog Millie across the South Lawn as they return to the White House. Bush has died at age 94. Family spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/Scott Applewhite, File)
BOWLING GREEN, Ohio (AP) - A set of ancient mosaics that were part of an Ohio university's art collection will be returned to Turkey.

The Blade reports that Bowling Green State University administrators were joined by Turkish representatives Tuesday during a news conference concerning the decision. Bowling Green bought the 12 mosaics from a New York gallery in 1965. They had been on display in the Wolfe Center for the Arts.

The university decided to return the pieces after faculty members questioned their origin. Officials had originally thought the pieces were from Antioch but researchers determined they probably came from the city of Zeugma. In the 1960s, looters stole the mosaics from ruins and smuggled them out of Turkey.

The mosaics will be exhibited at the Zeugma Mosaic Museum in Gaziantep.

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Information from: The Blade, http://www.toledoblade.com/
ALBUQUERQUE, N.M. (AP) - A New Mexico man who killed five family members as a teen is set to return to court Monday for a weeklong hearing to determine whether he has been rehabilitated while in state custody.

It is the second such hearing for 21-year-old Nehemiah Griego, who three years ago pleaded guilty to second-degree murder and child abuse resulting in death in the shootings of his parents and three siblings at the family's home south of Albuquerque.

The details of the 2013 shootings stunned New Mexico's largest city, in part because of the number of fatalities, the chilling details of the crime and the ages of Griego - then 15 - and his youngest victims. His sisters Jael and Angelina were 5 and 2, and his brother Zephaniah was 9 years old.

Griego's attorney Stephen Taylor said Griego has received continuous treatment since 2013, but he declined to comment further on it ahead of the hearing, citing his client's privacy rights. In the past, Griego's lawyers have presented testimony indicating he endured abuse and malnourishment so severe as a child that he suffered brain damage.

The case has resulted in hours of hearings and appeals over Griego's progress and mental health treatment while in custody, and arguments over whether he should be sentenced as a juvenile or an adult.

Here's a look at the case and the upcoming hearing:

This recent but undated photo released by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office shows Nehemiah Griego. The New Mexico man who killed five family members in Albuquerque, N.M., as a 15-year-old is set to return to court Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, for a weeklong hearing to determine whether he has been rehabilitated while in the state's juvenile detention system. (Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office via AP)

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KEY QUESTION

For Albuquerque Children's Court Judge John Romero, the central question will be whether Griego - who was diagnosed with schizoaffective disorder and post-traumatic stress disorder while in state custody - has proven receptive to treatment and is prepared to re-enter society.

The answer will help determine whether he's sentenced as a juvenile or adult.

In New Mexico, the maximum sentence for a crime committed by someone the court considers a juvenile cannot extend beyond the person's 21st birthday.

That means Griego would be released if the judge decides he should be sentenced as a juvenile. If Griego is sentenced as an adult, the judge could have considerably broad discretion over his sentence, with the maximum penalty being 120 years in prison.

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CASE HISTORY

In 2016, Romero found after a similar hearing that Griego showed he was treatable, placing him on track for release on his 21st birthday after he received two more years of therapy.

But the state appeals court overturned that decision earlier this year. The judges sent the case back to Romero, saying they didn't believe he considered certain testimony presented by the prosecution.

Griego, who was under the custody of the state's Children Youth and Family's Department, was transferred to the Metropolitan Detention Center in Albuquerque in March.

Romero's decision this time is expected to be based on whether Griego has, in fact, made the progress needed in treatment to be released.

Last time, the focus was more forward-looking and centered on his potential to complete treatment and be prepared to re-enter society by age 21, said Diana Garcia, who became a prosecutor on the case this year.

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THE CRIME

Prosecutors in the past have focused on chilling details of the killing in arguing Griego should serve time as an adult.

Bernalillo County sheriff's deputies said Griego began his January 2013 rampage in his parents' bedroom, where he shot his mother as she slept. He then shot his brother and two sisters.

Griego's father, a reformed gang member and pastor at an Albuquerque megachurch, was the last to die, with Griego ambushing him as he returned home, authorities said.

Griego's lawyers have spotlighted descriptions of Griego's isolating and abusive home life. He was homeschooled and rarely had the opportunity to socialize outside church functions, his attorney said. His father trained the teen to use his guns and tasked him with patrolling their property.

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WITNESSES

Attorneys have presented a long list of witnesses they could call during the hearing, including two older sisters. They did not testify at the 2016 hearing but have since become more vocal about the case.

The sisters supported the appeal and the judges' decision to send the case back to Children's Court, saying they have forgiven their brother but want to see him sentenced as an adult to ensure justice for their family.

Other witnesses include an aunt who has closely tracked Griego's therapy and believes he's prepared for release.

Attorneys also plan to call mental health experts, juvenile corrections officers, a state psychologist and other therapists. The backgrounds of those witnesses are similar to many who testified in 2016.

FILE - This undated photo released by the Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office shows Nehemiah Griego, around the time of his arrest as a 15-year-old for the 2013 murders of five members of his family in Albuquerque, N.M. Griego who killed five family members as a 15-year-old is set to return to court Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, for a weeklong hearing to determine whether he has been rehabilitated while in the state's juvenile detention system. (Bernalillo County Sheriff's Office via AP, File)

FILE - In this Jan. 23, 2013 file photo. a crowd gathers in Albuquerque, N.M. for a prayer vigil in honor of a couple and their three young children who were shot to death in their home. Nehemiah Griego who killed five family members as a 15-year-old is set to return to court Monday, Dec. 3, 2018, for a weeklong hearing to determine whether he has been rehabilitated while in the state's juvenile detention system. (AP Photo/Susan Montoya Bryan, File)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump at the Group of 20 summit (all times local):

1:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump has ordered American flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days to honor former President George H.W. Bush.

In a proclamation signed Saturday, hours after Bush died, Trump has also designated Wednesday as a national day of mourning. Trump encourages Americans to gather in places of worship "to pay homage" to Bush's memory.

He adds: "I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance."

Trump hails Bush as "one of America's greatest points of light," a reference to one of Bush's signature phrases about American civic culture.

China's President Xi Jinping, left, enters for the start of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Heads of state from the world's leading economies were invited to the Group of 20 summit to discuss issues like development, infrastructure and investment, but those themes seem like afterthoughts, overshadowed by contentious matters from the U.S.-China trade dispute to the conflict over Ukraine. (AP Photo/Ricardo Mazalan)

Trump has mocked the "points of light" phrase, saying at campaign rallies that "I never quite got that one."

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12:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump is cancelling a planned news conference at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina Saturday, "out of respect for the Bush Family" after death of former President George H.W. Bush.

In a tweet, Trump says he was "very much looking forward" to speaking with the news media before leaving the summit in Buenos Aires "because we have had such great success in our dealing with various countries and their leaders at the G20."

He adds: "However, out of respect for the Bush Family and former President George H.W. Bush we will wait until after the funeral to have a press conference."

Trump is scheduled to meet down Saturday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chinese President Xi Jinping before returning to Washington.

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4:45 a.m.

When President Donald Trump sits down for dinner Saturday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, their table talk will undoubtedly have a global impact.

Trump and Xi will be seeking a way out of a trade war between the world's two biggest economies, while also saving face for their domestic audiences at home. Trump says: "There's some good signs. We'll see what happens."

The Trump-Xi meeting is the marquee event of Trump's whirlwind two-day trip to Argentina for the Group of 20 Summit.

Trade analysts and administration officials acknowledge it won't be easy. The United States and China are locked in a dispute over their trade imbalance and Beijing's push to challenge American technological dominance.
KIEV, Ukraine (AP) - The Latest on the current dispute between Russia and Ukraine (all times local):

8:30 p.m.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel says Russia must allow ships access to Ukrainian ports on the Sea of Azov through the Kerch Strait, which separates the Russian mainland from the annexed Crimean Peninsula.

Merkel spoke to reporters Saturday on the sidelines of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires after holding a bilateral meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin.

Last weekend, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in the narrow strait that separates the Black Sea from the Sea of Azov.

Ukraine says Russia has imposed a de facto blockade on its Sea of Azov ports by only allowing Russian ships through the Kerch Strait.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko addresses the Armed Forces of Ukraine at the military airfield in Vasylkiv region, Ukraine, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, as Poroshenko transferred new aircraft and military equipment to the Ukrainian Armed Forces as part of his working visit. Russia and Ukraine traded blame as tensions between the neighbouring countries have escalated over recent days. (Mykola Lazarenko, Presidential Press Service via AP)

Merkel said "free shipping into the Sea of Azov to the Ukrainian coast and harbors must be ensured." She added this is enshrined in a 2003 treaty and Russia must stick to that.

Germany and France have sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine in recent years.

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6:25 p.m.

Ukraine's president says Russia is building up land forces and weapons along its border with Ukraine as tensions between the two countries flares in the wake of a recent naval clash in the Black Sea.

President Petro Poroshenko says Russia has deployed "more than 80,000 troops, 1,400 artillery and multiple rocket launch systems, 900 tanks, 2,300 armored combat vehicles, 500 aircraft and 300 helicopters" along their border. He spoke Saturday said at an Ukrainian military event.

These numbers, which have not been verified, would account for the vast majority of men and hardware assigned to Russia's Western Military District.

Poroshenko's comments come after a week of escalating tensions. The Russian coast guard fired upon and seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and 24 seamen in the Black Sea on Nov. 25 as they sailed to the Kerch Strait, the only waterway leading to the Sea of Azov.

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2 p.m.

Ukraine's border service says around 100 Russian citizens have been denied entry into the country since an entry ban for adult Russian males was announced.

Border guards' spokesman Andrei Demchenko has told Ukrainian television Saturday that "the vast majority of (them) couldn't confirm the purpose of their trip to Ukraine."

He said that "some of them didn't have the necessary documents to enter Ukraine and others had exceeded the period of stay in our country."

President Petro Poroshenko announced Friday that all Russian males aged 16 to 60 would be banned from entering Ukraine during a 30-day period of martial law approved Monday.

Poroshenko said the move was intended to prevent undercover Russian military units from entering the country after Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews.

A Ukrainian border guard speaks to a driver of a car from Russia at the checkpoint at the border with Russia in Hoptivka, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukrainian officials announced earlier on Friday that all Russian men aged between 16 and 60 will be barred from entering Ukraine for the duration of the 30-day-long martial law. (AP Photo/Pavlo Pakhomenko)

A Ukrainian border guard checks documents of a man who is going to cross the border to Russia at the checkpoint at the border with Russia in Hoptivka, Ukraine, Friday, Nov. 30, 2018. Ukrainian officials announced earlier on Friday that all Russian men aged between 16 and 60 will be barred from entering Ukraine for the duration of the 30-day-long martial law. (AP Photo/Pavlo Pakhomenko)
DETROIT (AP) - For generations, the career path for smart kids around Detroit was to get an engineering or business degree and get hired by an automaker or parts supplier. If you worked hard and didn't screw up, you had a job for life with enough money to raise a family, take vacations and buy a weekend cottage in northern Michigan.

Now that once-reliable route to prosperity appears to be vanishing, as evidenced by General Motors' announcement this week that it plans to shed 8,000 white-collar jobs on top of 6,000 blue-collar ones.

It was a humbling warning that in this era of rapid and disruptive technological change, those with a college education are not necessarily insulated from the kind of layoffs factory workers know all too well.

The cutbacks reflect a transformation underway in both the auto industry and the broader U.S. economy, with nearly every type of business becoming oriented toward computers, software and automation.

"This is a big mega-trend pervading the whole economy," said Mark Muro, a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution who has researched changes being caused by the digital age.

Cities that suffered manufacturing job losses decades ago are now grappling with the problem of fewer opportunities for white-collar employees such as managers, lawyers, bankers and accountants. Since 2008, The Associated Press found, roughly a third of major U.S. metro areas have lost a greater percentage of white-collar jobs than blue-collar jobs. It's a phenomenon seen in such places as Wichita, Kansas, with its downsized aircraft industry, and towns in Wisconsin that have lost auto, industrial machinery or furniture-making jobs.

FILE- In this Aug. 27, 2018, file photo buildings and officer workers are reflected on windows in downtown Los Angeles. General Motors' plans to cut more than 8,000 white-collar workers are a warning that few jobs are safe. Experts say technology is changing so fast that most workers will have to train for several careers during their lifetimes. (AP Photo/Richard Vogel, File)

In GM's case, the jobs that will be shed through buyouts and layoffs are held largely by people who are experts in the internal combustion engine - mechanical engineers and others who spent their careers working on fuel injectors, transmissions, exhaust systems and other components that won't be needed for the electric cars that eventually will drive themselves. GM, the nation's largest automaker, says those vehicles are its future.

"We're talking about high-skilled people who have made a substantial investment in their education," said Marina Whitman, a retired professor of business and public policy at the University of Michigan and a former GM chief economist. "The transitions can be extremely painful for a subset of people."

GM is still hiring white-collar employees, but the new jobs are for those who can write software code, design laser sensors or develop batteries and other devices for future vehicles.

Those who are being thrown out of work might have to learn new skills if they hope to find new jobs, underscoring what Whitman said is another truism about the new economy: "You've got to regard education as a lifetime process. You probably are going to have multiple jobs in your lifetime. You've got to stay flexible."

Whitman said mechanical engineers are smart people who could transfer their skills to software or batteries, but they'll need training, and that takes time and money.

"In the past with these kinds of changes, eventually new jobs have been created," she said. "Will it happen this time, or is the change taking place too fast for everybody to be absorbed? I don't know."

Although the job cuts took him and co-workers by surprise, Tracy Lucas, 54, a GM engine quality manager, decided to take the buyout and change careers. His children are grown and on their own, and with 33 years in at GM, he will get a pension and health care.

The buyout will also give him about eight months of pay, enough time to take his newly earned master's degree in business administration and look for different work. He said he will be glad to leave some tedious management tasks behind but will miss seeing through a lot of work to reduce engine warranty claims.

He is leaving in part, he said, to save a job for younger co-workers. GM got 2,250 white-collar workers to take buyouts, and will have to complete the cutbacks by way of layoffs.

"I really hate that we have to go into the whole process of tapping people on the shoulder," Lucas said. "I don't think the second wave is going to be pretty at all. It's going to be brutal."

The white-collar cutbacks - combined with more to come at Ford, which is likewise making the transition from personal ownership of gasoline-burning vehicles to ride-sharing and self-driving electric cars - could hamper the renaissance underway in Detroit, which is emerging from bankruptcy and a long population decline.

Many of these automotive industry engineers and managers are pulling down six-figure salaries, and some may have to move out of the Detroit metro area for new jobs.

The Brookings Institution's Muro wonders whether auto companies will bring more electrical engineers and software developers to Michigan or put them in places where such jobs are already clustered, such as San Francisco, Seattle, Boston or near major research universities.

"This is how regions change and labor markets change," Muro said.

GM says it will hire in the Detroit area, but its autonomous-vehicle workforce has grown to over 1,000 at offices in San Francisco and Seattle.

Nearly all of the 8,000 white-collar cutbacks will be in metropolitan Detroit, largely at GM's technical center in Warren, a suburb north of the city. That's equal to about 4 percent of the managerial and engineering jobs in the Detroit-Warren area, according to the Labor Department. Managerial salaries in the area average $124,000.

Ford, which is just beginning its salaried workforce downsizing, hasn't said how many will go. But even if it's half of GM's total, the white-collar losses around Detroit will approach those during the financial crisis of a decade ago, when the metro areas shed 14,450 managerial and engineering jobs. That was 8.9 percent of those types of jobs in the metro areas.

Layoffs are also likely to spread to auto parts suppliers, which won't need to design and build as many parts for gas-powered cars.

While GM says cutting these positions is necessary to save money to invest in the new technology, there are possible long-term costs to shedding so many experienced workers in one swoop, especially if the switch to electric vehicles stalls, said Joel Cutcher-Gershenfeld, a management professor at Brandeis University. If that were to happen, the cutbacks could leave GM without the vital expertise it needs.

Even the most skilled white-collar workers need to spend less and be prepared to change jobs or locations to stay employed, said Rick Knoth, a retired GM industrial engineer who survived a 2008 downsizing by taking an early retirement package after 37 years with the company.

Knoth said he is confident most engineers are smart enough to turn their skills into a new career. But all white-collar employees need to be ready for change because it comes fast, he said.

"The world isn't like it used to be, that's for sure," he said. "You can't count on anything."

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Corey Williams contributed to this report from Warren, Michigan. Boak reported from Washington. Follow Tom Krisher on Twitter at https://twitter.com/tkrisher .

FILE - In this Dec. 15, 2016, file photo, General Motors Chairman and CEO Mary Barra speaks next to a autonomous Chevrolet Bolt electric car in Detroit. The jobs that GM will shed through buyouts and layoffs are now held by people who are experts in the internal combustion engine, mechanical engineers and managers who work on complex components that won't be needed on the much simpler electric vehicles that the largest U.S. automaker says are its future. GM said cutting these jobs is necessary to invest self-driving and other new technologies. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)

FILE - This May 5, 2011 file photo shows the General Motors headquarters in Detroit. GM announced plans to shed 8,000 white-collar jobs, erasing the long-held notion that if you have an education, you're immune from cyclical layoffs that used to be reserved for factory workers. (AP Photo/Paul Sancya, File)
BUENOS AIRES, Argentina (AP) - The Latest on President Donald Trump at the Group of 20 summit (all times local):

12:45 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he'd be willing to sign a two-week government funding extension to allow for ceremonies honoring the life of former President George H.W. Bush.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump says lawmakers have asked him for an extension after Bush's death late Friday. The 41st president is set to be honored with a state funeral, including plans to lie in state in the Capitol this week, a ceremony at the National Cathedral and a national day of mourning Wednesday.

Trump says: "I would absolutely consider it and probably get it."

Trump had been gearing up for a showdown at the end of the week as he's sought billions for the construction of a wall along the U.S.-Mexico border.

President Donald Trump listens to China's President Xi Jinping speak during their bilateral meeting at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

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12:35 a.m.

President Donald Trump says his next meeting with North Korea's Kim Jong Un is likely to happen in January or February.

The president tells reporters that there are three sites under consideration, but he's not identifying them.

Trump, speaking aboard Air Force One on his return from Argentina, tells reporters that he and Kim are "getting along very well" and have a "good relationship."

He adds that at some point he'd like to invite Kim to the United States.

Negotiations between the U.S. and North Korea on ending its nuclear program have appeared to stall in the months since Trump and Kim held a historic summit in Singapore in June.

The two leaders made a vague commitment on "denuclearization" of the Korean Peninsula during the summit, but glossed over how to make it happen.

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12:30 a.m.

President Donald Trump says he will shortly be providing formal notice to Congress that he will terminate the North American Free Trade Agreement, giving lawmakers six months to approve the replacement he recently signed.

Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One while returning to Washington from Argentina, Trump says: "I will be formally terminating NAFTA shortly."

Seeking to gain leverage with skeptical lawmakers to approve the revised trade pact, Trump says Congress "will have a choice" as it considers the agreement he signed with the leaders of Mexico and Canada on Friday during the Group of 20 summit.

He says they can choose between the United States-Mexico-Canada Agreement or "pre-NAFTA, which works very well."

Trump has made renegotiating NAFTA a centerpiece of his presidency.

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11:55 p.m.

The White House says China's government is "open to approving" the purchase of Dutch semiconductor manufacturer NXP by American chipmaker Qualcomm should it be revived.

China nixed the proposed takeover earlier this year, citing antitrust concerns, after U.S. and European regulators approved the deal. The new openness to the transaction Saturday comes hours after President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping (shee jihn-peeng) met in Argentina in a bid to cool a flaring trade war.

China's decision earlier this year came amid a period of heightening tensions between the U.S. and China over trade and intellectual property issues.

Qualcomm announced it was dropping plans to proceed with the deal after it failed to receive Chinese government approval. It is unclear whether the transaction could be revived.

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11:30 p.m.

China has agreed to label fentanyl a controlled substance after a meeting between President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping. The deadly synthetic opioid is responsible for tens of thousands of U.S. drug deaths annually.

The White House says Xi agreed to the move, long sought by the U.S., during a dinner Saturday between the two leaders on the margins of the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

U.S. officials for years have been pressing the Chinese government to take a tougher stance against fentanyl, which is 50 times more powerful than heroin. Most U.S. supply of the drug is manufactured in China.

White House press secretary Sarah Sanders says the decision means that "people selling fentanyl to the United States will be subject to China's maximum penalty under the law."

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11:25 p.m.

The White House says President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping have reached a 90-day ceasefire agreement on new economic tariffs to allow for continuing trade negotiations.

The two met for dinner in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Saturday as they sought to de-escalate a trade war.

Press secretary Sarah Sanders says Trump has agreed not to raise U.S. tariffs on Chinese imports as scheduled on Jan. 1. She added that the two countries will "immediately begin negotiations on structural changes" around intellectual property protections, cybertheft and other U.S. priorities.

Tariffs on $200 billion in Chinese goods were set to rise from 10 percent to 25 percent in the new year, and Trump was considering duties on even more Chinese goods.

The White House says if the two sides don't reach agreement within 90 days, then Trump will impose the tariffs.

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9:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump has wrapped up his time at a summit for world leaders with more than two hours of talks with Chinese President Xi Jinping.

The two are trying to tamp down tensions surrounding a U.S.-China trade war.

Top economic adviser Larry Kudlow told reporters after the meeting that it went "very well," but no other details have been released.

During two days at the Group of 20 summit of rich and developing nations held in Argentina, Trump met one on one with the leaders of Germany, Turkey, South Korea, Australia, Japan and the host country of Argentina.

He canceled a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin over Moscow's seizure of Ukrainian ships. He also canceled a wrap-up news conference out of respect to former President George H. W. Bush, who died Friday.

Trump boarded Air Force One late Saturday en route to Washington.

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6:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump is meeting with Chinese President Xi Jinping as the countries look for ways to ease an escalating trade war.

Trump suggested to reporters just before the sit-down that at "some point" it could yield "something that will be good for China and good for the United States." He didn't elaborate.

Trump and Xi were set to talk over dinner Saturday at a summit of world leaders in Argentina.

The two are trying to negotiate the end to a trade conflict that is rattling financial markets and threatening the world economy. Both sides have raised tariffs on billions of dollars of each country's goods.

Trump said they would also discuss the opioid crisis. He said he hopes China will criminalize fentanyl, the synthetic form of opioids largely shipped from China.

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3:50 p.m.

A senior White House official says a joint G-20 statement meets many U.S. objectives, most importantly reforming the World Trade Organization.

President Donald Trump and the other leaders signed the document at the end of a two-day summit of rich and developing nations held in Argentina.

The U.S. supported the language on the WTO but did not sign on to a commitment to support the Paris Climate Accord, which Trump is exiting.

All the other countries agreed to support the statement.

The White House official, who was not authorized to speak publicly, also noted language on workforce development and women's economic development and said China committed to doing infrastructure financing on "transparent terms."

-By Catherine Lucey

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3:20 p.m.

President Donald Trump is meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan amid a global outcry over the death of a U.S.-based columnist who was killed at the Saudi Consulate in Istanbul.

Erdogan has sought to keep international pressure on Saudi Arabia over the slaying in October of Jamal Khashoggi. Trump has said there is no definitive evidence that Saudi Arabia's crown prince is complicit in the killing. He says the kingdom is an important ally that has helped keep oil prices low.

U.S. intelligence agencies have concluded that the crown prince must have at least known about the plot to kill Khashoggi.

The two leaders are meeting at the Group of 20 rich and developing nations in Buenos Aires, Argentina. The meeting is closed to reporters.

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2:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump held an "informal conversation" with Russian President Vladimir Putin Friday.

That's according to White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders, who says the chat occurred during the dinner program at the Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Sanders says that as is typical at multilateral events, the president and first lady had several informal conversations with world leaders at the dinner, including Putin.

Trump and Putin were supposed to have a formal bilateral meeting Saturday at the summit, but Trump called it off Thursday amid spiking tensions over Russia's seizure of three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews last weekend.

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2:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump is talking trade and other hot-button international issues with German Chancellor Angela Merkel - a leader he says is "highly respected by everybody, including me."

They are meeting during the Group of 20 summit of rich and developing nations being held in Argentina.

Trump and Merkel will discuss trade, the conflict between Ukraine and Russia, and Moscow's violations of a landmark nuclear arms treaty that Trump plans to exit.

Many in Europe have looked to Merkel as Trump has called into question traditional trans-Atlantic ties with his announcements of trade tariffs, repeated criticism of European contributions to NATO and other issues. Merkel has walked a fine line, criticizing some of Trump's decisions while emphasizing that a good relationship with Washington is central to her government.

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2:10 p.m.

President Donald Trump says he expressed his "best wishes" to the Bush family after the death of former President George H.W. Bush.

Trump says he spoke with former President George W. Bush and former Florida Gov. Jeb Bush on Saturday. He praised the elder Bush, who died Friday, as "a high-quality man who truly loved his family."

He added that Bush's death "really puts a damper" on his participation at the international Group of 20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Earlier Saturday, Trump cancelled a scheduled summit news conference out of respect for the Bush family. Trump has publicly sparred with the political dynasty, clashing on style and substance.

Trump commented while meeting with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, who praised the late Bush one of the fathers of German reunification.

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1:15 p.m.

President Donald Trump has ordered American flags to fly at half-staff for 30 days to honor former President George H.W. Bush.

In a proclamation signed Saturday, hours after Bush died, Trump has also designated Wednesday as a national day of mourning. Trump encourages Americans to gather in places of worship "to pay homage" to Bush's memory.

He adds: "I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance."

Trump hails Bush as "one of America's greatest points of light," a reference to one of Bush's signature phrases about American civic culture.

Trump has mocked the "points of light" phrase, saying at campaign rallies that "I never quite got that one."

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12:40 p.m.

President Donald Trump is cancelling a planned news conference at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina Saturday, "out of respect for the Bush Family" after death of former President George H.W. Bush.

In a tweet, Trump says he was "very much looking forward" to speaking with the news media before leaving the summit in Buenos Aires "because we have had such great success in our dealing with various countries and their leaders at the G20."

He adds: "However, out of respect for the Bush Family and former President George H.W. Bush we will wait until after the funeral to have a press conference."

Trump is scheduled to meet down Saturday with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chinese President Xi Jinping before returning to Washington.

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4:45 a.m.

When President Donald Trump sits down for dinner Saturday with Chinese leader Xi Jinping, their table talk will undoubtedly have a global impact.

Trump and Xi will be seeking a way out of a trade war between the world's two biggest economies, while also saving face for their domestic audiences at home. Trump says: "There's some good signs. We'll see what happens."

The Trump-Xi meeting is the marquee event of Trump's whirlwind two-day trip to Argentina for the Group of 20 Summit.

Trade analysts and administration officials acknowledge it won't be easy. The United States and China are locked in a dispute over their trade imbalance and Beijing's push to challenge American technological dominance.

President Donald Trump talks during his bilateral meeting with China's President Xi Jinping, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

Russian President Vladimir Putin, right, and Turkey's President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attend talks at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018. (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

President Donald Trump and Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel shake hands during their meeting at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)

President Donald Trump listens to questions from members of the media during his meeting with Germany's Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G20 Summit, Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (AP Photo/Pablo Martinez Monsivais)
BOSTON (AP) - The U.S. Navy on Saturday commissioned its newest guided-missile destroyer, named for a Navy pilot from Massachusetts who received the Medal of Honor for his actions during the Korean War.

Much of the commissioning ceremony for the USS Thomas Hudner, held in Boston, paid tribute to the late Thomas Hudner. He was a Fall River native and longtime Concord resident who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman for crash-landing his plane to try to save the life of Ensign Jesse Brown, who was trapped behind enemy lines during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950.

Brown was shot down and trapped in his burning plane. Hudner intentionally crash-landed in freezing temperatures, packed the fuselage with snow using his bare hands to keep the flames away from Brown, and tried unsuccessfully to pull his squadron-mate free.

U.S. Navy Cmdr. Brett Litchfield said at Saturday's ceremony that the destroyer's crew will strive to exemplify Hudner's selfless devotion to his shipmate.

"In that same spirit, this ship will sail the oceans, often alone. It will stand vigilant against those who would threaten democracy and freedom," he told the crowd. "This crew is honored to serve on a ship that bears his name."

Hudner died last November at age 93. However, he lived to personally attend the April 2017 christening ceremony at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine for the massive Arleigh Burke-class destroyer that bears his name.

Vice Chief of Naval Operations, Admiral William Moran describes the function of the USS Thomas Hudner prior to its commissioning ceremony Saturday Dec. 1, 2018, in Boston. The Maine-built Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named in honor of Thomas Hudner, a Fall River native and longtime Concord resident who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman for crash-landing his plane to try to save the life of Ensign Jesse Brown during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950. (Paul Connors/The Boston Herald via AP)

On Saturday, Hudner's widow Georgea and Barbara Miller, wife of retired Vice Adm. Michael Miller, had the honors of ordering the crew to "man our ship and bring her to life." Within seconds, the crew members rushed aboard, taking their positions along the decks of the ship as the U.S. Navy's march song "Anchors Aweigh" was performed.

The destroyer will be homeported at Naval Station Mayport, Florida. The Navy said the USS Thomas Hudner is capable of engaging in air, surface and subsurface battles simultaneously. It also has integrated air and missile defense capabilities.

Thomas Hudner III, son of Medal of Honor recipient Thomas Hudner, walks past a sign bearing the named in memory of his father, the USS Thomas Hudner as he arrives for its commissioning ceremony Saturday Dec. 1, 2018, in Boston. The Maine-built Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named in honor of Thomas Hudner, a Fall River native and longtime Concord resident who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman for crash-landing his plane to try to save the life of Ensign Jesse Brown during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950. (Paul Connors/The Boston Herald via AP)

Crew members line the rails of the USS Thomas Hudner and bow their heads in prayer during an invocation following a commissioning ceremony Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018, in Boston. The Maine-built Arleigh Burke-class destroyer is named in honor of Thomas Hudner, a Fall River native and longtime Concord resident who was awarded the Medal of Honor by President Harry Truman for crash-landing his plane to try to save the life of Ensign Jesse Brown during the Battle of Chosin Reservoir in December 1950. (Paul Connors/The Boston Herald via AP)

FILE - In this April 1, 2017 file photo, Korean War veteran Thomas Hudner looks on during the christening ceremony for the future USS Thomas Hudner, a U.S. Navy destroyer named in his honor, at Bath Iron Works in Bath, Maine. The ship will be commissioned Saturday, Dec. 1, 2018 in Boston. (AP Photo/Mary Schwalm, File)
BIRMINGHAM, Ala. (AP) - Funeral services are being held for an African-American man shot to death by a police officer.

The Rev. Jesse Jackson will deliver the eulogy for 21-year-old Emantic "EJ" Fitzgerald Bradford, Jr. on Saturday in Birmingham.

A police officer in nearby Hoover shot and killed Bradford on Thanksgiving night while responding to a shooting at a crowded shopping mall.

Authorities initially identified Bradford as the shooter, but later said they were wrong and evidence indicated he likely did not fire the rounds that wounded two people that night.

Bradford's death sparked a week of protests in Hoover.

Minister Mike McClure Jr., who describes himself as the Bradford family's pastor, says he wants the funeral to provide a comfort to the young man's family, particularly his parents.
CARY, N.C. (AP) - A North Carolina teenager who strangled his mother after a disagreement over pizza has been sentenced to serve more than a decade in prison.

News outlets report that Arnav Uppalapati was sentenced Friday to spend between 12 years and 15 years in prison after pleading guilty to murdering his mother in 2015.

Prosecutors said Uppalapati angered his mother, Nalini Tellaprolu, after ordering a pizza. She slapped him and then he choked her to death.

He then put her body in the house's garage and put a bag over her head. He later called 911 and told a dispatcher that he found his mother's body when he got home from school.

Uppalapati is 19. He was 16 at the time of the murder.
WASHINGTON (AP) - George Herbert Walker Bush and George W. Bush had only so much in common as presidents. They shared one big thing besides name, family and party, though. They were both conservatives for their time.

Very different times.

Bush the father was a Republican who could carve a moderate path here and there without a crushing response from the right - think immigration liberalization, for example. "I'm a conservative," he once said. "But I'm not a nut about it."

His was an era of stepping back from the prospect of doomsday, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and a far more limited threat emerging with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait - soon reversed. Not at all like the searing crucible of 9/11 that came early to his son.

The elder Bush died Friday at age 94. A look at the father and son presidencies through the prism of policy, crisis and family:

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FILE - In this Dec. 26, 2008 file photo, President George W. Bush walks with his father, former President George H.W. Bush, at Andrews Air Force Base, Md. Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush were both conservatives, but during very different times. The elder Bush was a Republican who could carve an occasional moderate path without a crushing response from the right. His was an era of stepping back from the prospect of doomsday, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and a far more limited threat emerging with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. But that was not at all like the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that came early to his son. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci, File)

AT HOME

"Read my lips," the elder Bush notoriously said, promising no new taxes. That turned out to be mere lip service to the right when he broke that pledge and paid a political price.

Bush the father - the former ambassador, vice president and patrician Republican - may have been largely in step with the tempered conservatism of his era in other respects, but that tax increase was a stretch even then. A striking compromise with Democrats, it's an approach out of step with today's GOP, where holding hard and tight to conservative ideology has been valued above all else.

He also signed the Americans with Disabilities Act, an expansion of civil rights and the government's power in the private and public workplace. In doing so, he sided with liberal Democrats as well as centrist Republicans, resisted stiff pressure from business and declared: "Let the shameful wall of exclusion finally come tumbling down."

Bush the son had his own way, more to the right than his father if more to the center than where the Republican mainstream went afterward - with all those tea parties and with so many of those old-time GOP centrists gone from Congress.

On the domestic front, the son's was a time of sweeping tax cuts and just a taste, really, of what he meant by compassionate conservatism.

The country saw a big federal effort to improve education - the No Child Left Behind law that rose with bipartisan support and fell out of favor with both parties in later years. He pushed and won a prescription-drug expansion of Medicare. But it was the package of Bush tax cuts, deep and across the board, that defined his agenda at home and shaped the direction of government well beyond his two terms in office.

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WARS

No one will ever know what the full measure of the younger Bush's presidency would have been absent the terrorist attacks of 2001, because they overshadowed everything.

But it would not have been just another Bush in charge.

Steeped in Washington's institutions and shaped by his own new-world-order thinking, the father put together a Gulf War with international support, a plain-as-day provocation and distinct aims.

All to the point where he flabbergasted hawks by letting Iraq and its shattered army, once driven from Kuwait, go on with Saddam Hussein in control.

Contrast that with the son's Iraq invasion - a war of choice, framed by a world view of good versus evil with nothing in between. And, this time, all the way to Baghdad.

The father's Gulf War lasted six weeks, after four-plus months of diplomacy and preparation. The son's wars in Afghanistan and Iraq outlasted his presidency and became President Barack Obama's to manage. President Donald Trump still has thousands of troops in both countries.

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FAMILY

"During my presidency, Dad and I didn't talk much about policy," George W. Bush writes in "41: A Portrait of My Father," about the 41st president.

He liked to joke that when he entered presidential politics, he got half his father's friends and all of his enemies. The most influential friend by far was Dick Cheney, the elder Bush's defense secretary who became the younger Bush's vice president and a prime force in driving government to the right.

The 43rd president said he consulted with his dad about his team of advisers, getting his father's hearty approval to make Cheney his running mate and Colin Powell his secretary of state. But talk about business did not go much farther than that, as he tells it.

Instead, the father would pass on corny jokes from afar to White House aides to pass on to his son, who says he never used email.

After the devastating 2004 tsunami, Bush asked his father and the Democrat who defeated him in 1992, Bill Clinton, to lead a private fund-raising mission to the stricken region. Thus began an unlikely friendship between the two old rivals, and a partnership that continued when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

These intersections were far rarer than true family time, and the younger Bush has plenty of stories about that.

One concerned the elder Bush's failing health, in 2012, when he was in the hospital for pneumonia with his family around him and granddaughter Jenna, pregnant, rubbed his head. He rubbed her swollen belly. "There's death," said the 41st president, "and there's new life."

"We all left the room sobbing," said the 43rd.

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See AP's complete coverage of George H.W. Bush here: https://www.apnews.com/GeorgeHWBush

FILE - In this Nov. 8, 1988 file photo, President-elect George H. W. Bush, right, hugs his son George W. Bush, center left, during his victory rally, in Houston, Texas. Other Bush family members are from left: Columba Bush, Jeb Bush, and Laura Bush. Presidents George H.W. Bush and George W. Bush were both conservatives, but during very different times. The elder Bush was a Republican who could carve an occasional moderate path without a crushing response from the right. His was an era of stepping back from the prospect of doomsday, with the collapse of the Soviet Union, and a far more limited threat emerging with Iraq's invasion of Kuwait. But that was not at all like the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks that came early to his son. (AP Photo, File)

FILE - In this April 21, 2018 file photo, former Presidents George W. Bush, left, and George H.W. Bush arrive at St. Martin's Episcopal Church for a funeral service for former first lady Barbara Bush, in Houston. Bush has died at age 94. Family spokesman Jim McGrath says Bush died shortly after 10 p.m. Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo/David J. Phillip, File)

FILE - In this 1968 file photo provided by the Texas National Guard, George H.W. Bush, right, is about to pin a lieutenant bar on his son, George W. Bush, after the younger Bush was made an officer in the Texas Air National Guard in Ellington Field, Texas. Bush died at the age of 94 on Friday, Nov. 30, 2018, about eight months after the death of his wife, Barbara Bush. (AP Photo, File)
WASHINGTON (AP) - George W. Bush said that during his two terms in office, he rarely called on his father's counsel. But there were exceptions over the years, intersections where the personal drifted into the presidential .

A look at some of those times as cited by Bush in his 2014 book "A Portrait of My Father," about George H.W. Bush. The elder Bush died late Friday at age 94.

- The younger Bush asked his dad what he thought about making Dick Cheney his vice presidential choice, and his father approved. Cheney was the elder Bush's defense chief and the most influential of the people who served the 41st president to work for the 43rd.

- The elder Bush confessed to "uncontrollable sobs" that wracked his body when he watched on TV as his son reacted to the Supreme Court decision settling the 2000 election in his favor.

- The new and former presidents stood together in the Oval Office on the younger Bush's first day in office, when he invited his parents to come stay at the White House anytime.

- On Sept. 11, 2001, a day after his parents stayed at the White House, the closing of air space to commercial traffic after the terrorist attacks stranded his parents in a Brookfield, Wisconsin, motel on their way to Minnesota for an engagement. Barbara Bush joked about the indignity in a chat with her son, in what he remembers as a bit of levity that painful day.

- The younger Bush says he did not use email during his presidency; his dad would send corny jokes to presidential aides, who passed them on.

- The younger Bush also sought his father's opinions about making Colin Powell secretary of state and Bob Gates his defense chief. The elder Bush liked the choice of both men, who had also served with him.

- After the devastating 2004 tsunami, Bush asked his father and the Democrat who defeated him in 1992, Bill Clinton, to lead a private fund-raising mission to the stricken region. Thus began an unlikely friendship between the two old rivals, and a partnership that continued when Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.

- Bush asked his dad in 2007 if he thought it would be a good idea to invite Russian President Vladimir Putin to the Bush family's summer home in coastal Maine. The father heartily approved and joined them. The dad, then 83, took them on a speedboat at top speed. "Putin loved the ride," said Bush the son. The next day, they went fishing; only Putin caught a fish.

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See AP's complete coverage of George H.W. Bush here: https://www.apnews.com/GeorgeHWBush
SALT LAKE CITY (AP) - Utah leaders are resigned to the fact that they are likely to never be repaid the nearly $1 million the state spent in 2013 to keep its popular national parks open during a government shutdown.

It would take an act of Congress to get repaid, and Republican U.S. Rep. Rob Bishop acknowledges other priorities have largely overtaken the issue that was once the subject of serious consternation, The Salt Lake Tribune reported .

"But it's still unfair," Bishop said, adding he might try to revive the issue before his tenure as House Natural Resources Committee chairman ends when Democrats take control of the U.S. House next year.

Utah wasn't the only state to reopen the parks on their own dime during the 16-day shutdown. Others that sent the federal government money to keep the lights on included Colorado, Arizona and New York. None was reimbursed.

The 2013 closure was largely blamed on Utah's GOP Sen. Mike Lee of Utah and Ted Cruz of Texas, who were determined to block funding for President Barack Obama's signature health care law.

Along with furloughing hundreds of thousands of federal workers and shuttering offices, the Obama administration closed national parks, saying it would be unsafe for visitors without park rangers on hand.

But with the large role Utah's parks play in the state's tourism economy, leaders didn't want to let them go dark. Gov. Gary Herbert said he'd do it all over again if he had to.

"While we would love to be reimbursed for those funds, it was money well-spent," Herbert said. The state has a total budget of about $17 million.

The state wired nearly $1.7 million to the federal government to keep the parks open. Of that, $600,000 wasn't spent and was returned to the state.

The agreements with Utah and other states did not require reimbursement, but U.S. Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke said he would be glad to pay it back if Congress passed legislation.

Zinke worked to keep most parks open during a two-day government shutdown in January, and Interior spokeswoman Heather Swift says he has been critical of the decision allowing the parks to close in 2013.
PARIS (AP) - Algeria's presidency says Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman will start a two-day visit to Algeria Sunday with a focus on economic ties between the two countries.

The visit aims to consolidate boosting bilateral cooperation, the statement said.

A diplomatic official told The Associated Press that the Saudi prince, known as MBS, will meet Algerian Prime Minister Ahmed Ouayhia. The official, speaking anonymously, was not allowed to disclose details.

It is not yet known whether MBS will also meet with ailing President Abdelaziz Bouteflika, who is rarely seen in public.

Controversy has surrounded the Saudi prince after the killing of a dissident Saudi journalist in the country's Istanbul consulate. Saudi Arabia denies that bin Salman ordered the killing, despite U.S. intelligence agencies concluding the opposite.
DALLAS (AP) - Busloads of visitors still flock to Dallas homes where Lee Harvey Oswald lived before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963, but historic preservation concerns are growing as the area gentrifies.

One spot includes a rooming house where Oswald was a tenant, with the current owner leading visitors on a $40-per-person tour of the small room where Oswald slept, The Dallas Morning News reported .

Patricia Puckett Hall owns the home and has restored the bedroom, which features his same narrow bed and an upright armoire that held his clothing and his handgun. The 66-year-old said she's not sure how long she can work to preserve that bit of history and will likely have to sell the home soon.

That house and a nearby duplex that Oswald occupied with his wife are both in Dallas' Oak Cliff neighborhood, which has seen a lot of redevelopment in recent years.

David Spence, whose company Good Space has been involved in redevelopment and preservation in the neighborhood, said the duplex could be turned into a single-family residence. But zoning rules would prevent it from becoming something commercial. The other house, however, could be converted into something else entirely, he said.

Dallas Mayor Mike Rawlings said he advocates for historic preservation and would be happy to work on the issue.

This Nov. 20, 2009 photo shows the exterior of home that has served as a rooming house where Lee Harvey Oswald lived before President John F. Kennedy was assassinated on Nov. 22, 1963. (Jen Friedberg/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

"That said, we have not heard from the owners and I'm not aware of any taxpayer funds allocated for programming or preservation related to those properties," he said.

The city of Irving in 2009 bought the home that Oswald stayed in the day before he assassinated Kennedy. That building has since been turned into a museum.

In this Aug.l 8, 2018, photo, an image of Lee Harvey Oswald holding a rifle is projected onto the back of the house where the image was taken St. in Dallas, where Oswald lived in 1963. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via AP)

This Aug. 8, 2018 photo, shows the exterior of a home at 214 West Neely St. in Dallas, where Lee Harvey Oswald lived in 1963. (Tom Fox/The Dallas Morning News via AP)
ROME (AP) - Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections.

Interior Minister Matteo Salvini has denied speculation that he is "about to kick out pregnant women, children and elderly people on Christmas Eve" from state-run reception centers. Rather, he stressed last week, the new law eliminates the category of "humanitarian protection" for migrants in the future, not retroactively.

But aid groups say eventually the law could affect as many as 20,000 people as their humanitarian permits expire. It was passed at the same time that Italy's populist, anti-migrant government announced it wouldn't attend the signing ceremony in Morocco next week of the U.N. Global Compact on migration.

"This government felt that Italy is offering humanitarian protection to too many people, so it changed the rules on who will receive it," Matteo Villa, an expert on migration with Italy's Institute for the Study of International Politics, told The Associated Press this week.

The law, dubbed the "Salvini Decree," is the latest measure taken by Italy's government to crack down on the more than 640,000 migrants who have arrived in Italy since 2014, most fleeing Libya aboard smugglers' boats.

Many have applied for refugee status. But others have obtained a lesser status granting them special humanitarian protections given the possible risks they might face if returned home. The two-year humanitarian permits enable migrants to live in state-run reception centers and access training and educational programs and find work.

In this photo taken on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, Elizabeth, from Nigeria, works at her sewing machine in the "Well(c)home" shelter residence for migrants where she lives, in Rome. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Ultimately, Salvini aims to repatriate those who don't qualify. But sending migrants home is a costly and time-consuming process that requires negotiations with their home countries. According to Eurostat, Italy sent home only 7,045 "irregular" migrants in 2017.

The new law, approved Nov. 28, does still allow for certain migrants to obtain "special" residency permits if they have serious health conditions, are victims of domestic violence, work exploitation or sex trafficking, and those who have escaped from a natural calamity in their home countries or those who have carried out heroic acts in Italy.

But migrants are worried. Barry Tierno, a 19-year-old from Conakry, Guinea, is trying to convert his humanitarian visa into a different status before it expires next October. "I can't stay here without papers," he said.

Emanuela Adeboga, a 21-year-old who arrived from Lagos, Nigeria, with her mother and two sisters in 2016, has similar fears. Her humanitarian permit expires at the end of the month. The family lives in a shared apartment with other humanitarian beneficiaries; the younger girls are in school and mother Elizabeth was given a sewing machine for her tailoring training course.

"I have heard that those who don't have a work contract for at least one year cannot have their visas renewed," Emanuela Adeboga said. "Where should we go?"

There have been sporadic cases of centers kicking people out already, fueling fears that as their residency permits expire, migrants will be out on the street.

Filippo Miraglia, deputy president of ARCI, a prominent Italian non-profit working with migrants, said the law clearly has political aims: to increase the number of "illegal" migrants in Italy while reducing the number of integrated foreigners who can work legally and pay taxes.

"Obviously the more illegal migrants we have on our territory, the more our minister of interior will be able to tell a distorted narrative about migration," he said.

Salvini says he merely wants only legitimate, deserving refugees and migrants to access public housing and benefits.

In addition to removing humanitarian protection, the new law makes it more difficult to acquire Italian citizenship, increases the funds allocated for repatriation, and lengthens the list of crimes that will allow the revocation of protection status.

Deputy-Premier and leader of the League party Matteo Salvini addresses a rally in Rome's Piazza del Popolo, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

In this photo taken on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, Barry Tierno, 19, from Burkina Faso smiles during an interview with The Associated Press, in Rome. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In this photo taken on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, Barry Tierno, 19, from Burkina Faso poses during an interview with The Associated Press, in Rome. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In this photo taken on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, Emanuela, 21, right and her sister Mercy, 16, both from Nigeria, have lunch in the "Well(c)home" shelter residence for migrants where they live, in Rome. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In this photo taken on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, Barry Tierno, 19, from Burkina Faso arrives for an interview with The Associated Press, in Rome. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In this photo taken on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, Barry Tierno, 19, from Burkina Faso poses for a photo during an interview with The Associated Press, in Rome. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

Emanuela, 21, right and her sister Mercy, 16, both from Nigeria, watch Tv as they have lunch in the "Well(c)home" shelter residence for migrants where they live, in Rome. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Andrew Medichini)

In this photo taken on Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, a man enters the Political Asylum migration office of an Italian police headquarters in Rome, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

In this photo taken on Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, people queue at the political asylum migration office at the Italian police headquarters, in Rome. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)

In this photo taken on Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, people queue at the political asylum migration office at the Italian police headquarters, in Rome. Thousands of migrants in Italy are anxiously waiting to see if they will lose their housing and benefits following approval of a government-backed law that aims to reduce the number of migrants granted humanitarian protections. (AP Photo/Gregorio Borgia)
Britain has given up efforts to gain access to the EUs Galileo satellite navigation system for defence and critical national infrastructure purposes, after being frozen out by Brussels because of Brexit.

It is unclear whether the UK will get back the 1.2 billion it sunk into the project, a rival to the US GPS system that will not only support mobile phones and satnavs but also provide vital location information for the military and businesses.

Prime Minister Theresa May confirmed the UK will instead aim to build its own Global Navigation Satellite System, at a cost estimated by independent experts at 3-5 billion.

The UK is expected to work with the US and other Five Eyes partners, and Mrs May said any new system must be compatible with GPS so the two systems can cover for each other if one is subject to attack.

UK contractors were told they would be locked out of work on the highly sensitive Galileo project following the 2016 vote for Brexit, when the European Commission decided that only businesses from EU countries can take part.

But Britain has been pushing for its military to be granted access to high-security encrypted parts of the system, due to be launched in 2020 and much of which was developed by UK scientists and engineers.

Mrs May sought to increase pressure on Brussels in August by committing 92 million to a scoping exercise on a possible home-grown alternative, arguing it was not acceptable for the UK simply to be an end user of the EU system, shut out from security discussions and contracts.

Speaking during her visit to the G20 summit in Argentina, Mrs May said: I have been clear from the outset that the UK will remain firmly committed to Europes collective security after Brexit.

But given the Commissions decision to bar the UK from being fully involved in developing all aspects of Galileo, it is only right that we find alternatives.

I cannot let our armed services depend on a system we cannot be sure of. That would not be in our national interest. And as a global player with world-class engineers and steadfast allies around the world, we are not short of options.

Decisions are yet to be taken on whether it will represent good value for money for the UK to make use of the commercial side of the Galileo project.

Recent studies suggest more than 11% of UK GDP is directly supported by satellite navigation systems, and a report warned any failure of the service could cost the economy 1 billion a day.

Galileo, Europes biggest ever space endeavour, will consist of a global network of orbiting satellites (European Space Agency/PA)

The UK Space Agency is currently leading work, backed by the Ministry of Defence, on a planned British system to provide both open and encrypted signals with the same range of commercial and security applications as GPS and Galileo.

More than 50 UK companies have expressed interest in the project and a series of contracts are being tendered.

British Overseas Territories and Crown Dependencies around the globe would be used to provide the necessary ground-based infrastructure to deliver worldwide coverage.

Mrs May said: What is in our national interest is to say No, you havent allowed us full access, so we will develop an alternative, we will look at alternative options, we are doing that work but we will work with other international partners to do so as well.

Sources said negotiations continue on whether any of the UKs financial contribution to Galileo will be returned.
Pep Guardiola claims Manchester City would quickly fall into line if told to slash the number of players they loan out.

The Premier League Champions currently have 28 players out on temporary deals elsewhere.

According to reports, world governing body FIFA are poised to cap the number of outgoing loans allowed per club to a maximum of between six and eight at any one time for the start of the 2020-21 season.

It is thought this would limit clubs abilities to stockpile players that could later be sold for profit but still allow the loan system to be used for player development.

City would probably have to cut drastically the number of players on their books should this be introduced but Guardiola claims that would not be an issue.

The City boss said: We are going to adapt to the rules. The new rules are coming. Were going to see the situation about loan players and see what we can do.

Pep Guardiola does not think Manchester City would struggle to adapt to changes in loan rules (Martin Rickett/PA)

If we cannot loan them they are going to come back here. If we dont believe they are going to play, if we cannot loan them, we are going to sell them. Its simple.

Were going to see before they take the players where they are going to play and if it is not possible to loan them we are not going to buy them.

Guardiola feels the loan system is important because he does not think the Under-23 competition in England is of a sufficient standard to prepare players for the Premier League.

Its not good for me, said the Spaniard, speaking at a press conference to preview his sides clash with Bournemouth on Saturday.

Loan players are in good leagues. To then come here to play in front of 10 people is not good for their development.

City have been forced to loan out 10million signing Douglas Luiz, the Brazilian midfielder, for the past two seasons due to work permit issues.

In this case, City are pleased to have had the option of loaning the 20-year-old out.

Guardiola said: Theres no way Luiz comes back here to the second team. He would have been with us to make an alternative for Fernandinho but we couldnt get a work permit.

Now hes playing for Girona and playing in the Camp Nou, in the Bernabeu. It would make no sense to come here to the second team. It would not help the young players in that way.
Jose Mourinho believes the Premier League landscape has changed to such an extent that Manchester United are no longer able to entice their rivals with big-money offers for players.

United were once the financial powerhouses in the English top-flight but the proliferation of billionaire owners and the lucrative broadcast deals means other clubs no longer feel obliged to sell their prize assets.

Mourinho pointed to the example of United paying large sums to Tottenham for Michael Carrick and Dimitar Berbatov and asserted that a similar swoop for Harry Kane or Dele Alli, for example, would be nigh-on impossible.

The Portuguese therefore accepts that any additions to his squad may have to be below the elite level  although he expects minimal movement at United in the January transfer window.

He said: Its more difficult to buy players of a high, high, high level. The clubs are more powerful. The clubs dont want to sell, and to sell is to go to absolutely incredible levels.

Before the smaller clubs were almost begging the big clubs, Get my best players. I need to sell. Please, you are powerful. Buy my best player. At this moment, they dont want to sell.

Jose Mourinho admitted: "Its more difficult to buy players of a high, high, high level" (Martin Rickett/PA)

A few years ago, who was Tottenhams best player? Michael Carrick. And a few years later, who was the best player? Berbatov. Can we go there now and bring Harry Kane? Dele Alli, (Christian) Eriksen, Son (Heung-min)? Can we go there and bring those players here? No.

The transfer market is very difficult unless the clubs want to go to what I call crazy numbers.

You have no chance in the market unless you go to crazy numbers, or instead you go to what you call the second level players and still have crazy numbers, but that second level is the level people say, and I agree, thats not what Manchester United is.

Honestly, I dont think we are going to sign (anyone in January). If we do, I would say one player. I dont see us going more than that.

United visit Southampton at teatime on Saturday as they head into a month where Mourinho is eyeing a concerted push up the table as they look to close the gap on the top four.

He anticipates being without Alexis Sanchez for the hectic festive schedule, with the Chilean forward set for around six weeks on the sidelines after injuring his hamstring in training on Thursday.

Sanchez has endured a disappointing few months since leaving Arsenal for United in January and was left out of the squad altogether for the midweek Champions League win over Young Boys.

Mourinho rejected speculation of a falling out with Sanchez, and empathised with the 29-year-olds fortunes, as he expressed his exasperation that other managers are not similarly scrutinised for how they treat their big names.

He added: When we speak about Alexis, I think you should ask why every time a player is not playing in Manchester United, there is always a rumour. There is always a problem. Its only here.

In Chelsea when Willian doesnt play there is no problem with Willian and (Maurizio) Sarri. In Man City, when Gabriel Jesus is not playing for weeks, there is never a problem. It is just a normal decision.

Here is the only club where every day the manager has problems with the players. You make me feel very, very special because I am the one who is different from everybody else.

But speaking about Alexis  a frustrating season. Its a season where he is not playing a lot, where he had small injuries, where he now has a big injury.

I dont like and dont believe in the word curse but I have to admit it was probably a very unlucky six months, and we expect the new year brings better things for him.
A primary school teacher has asked her pupils not to buy her any Christmas presents this year, but to help her donate to a local foodbank instead.

Kate McLaughlan, from Newark Primary School in Port Glasgow, Scotland, explained in a letter to parents and carers that the donations to Inverclyde Foodbank will teach the children the spirit of giving and kindness.

She will send blank envelopes home with the pupils into which donations can be placed, before the students will gather together on December 17 to count the money and write a shopping list for the foodbank.

Please do not feel you have to donate and if you do choose to, then 1 is plenty, wrote Mrs McLaughlan.

This is about teaching the children about the spirit of giving and kindness, not about raising record breaking amounts.

Parent to seven-year-old pupil Sofia, Linsey Milloy posted the letter to Facebook where it has been shared thousands of times.

I was really touched by the generosity of Mrs McLaughlan, the 37-year-old told the Press Association.

I think this shows everyone the true spirit of Christmas and am proud that my daughters class will be part of this.

Doing all of this gives them great experience in social learning and its an excellent example to set to our children.

Mrs McLaughlan said in the letter she had been overwhelmed by the kind and thoughtful gifts given to her by her pupils last year, which included chocolates, jewellery, and bath products.

Kate McLaughlan (back row right) with her pupils at the school in Port Glasgow. The teacher has asked her pupils not to buy her any Christmas presents this year, but to help her donate to a local foodbank instead - (Photo courtesy of Newark Primary School)

The staff at Newark Primary are incredibly nurturing and work hard to support the local community, Mrs McLaughlan told the Press Association.

This year we are not swapping Secret Santa gifts or cards, but sharing the money between three different charities: Rosies Rascals, Inverclyde Foodbank and Compassionate Inverclyde, and we are asking for a food donation for the food bank on entrance to our Christmas fair.

I work in a fantastic community with many unsung heroes. I would love the result of this to be that lots of charities benefit, the true spirit of Christmas is shared, and teacher presents become a thing of the past.

There are teachers in my school who donate to the foodbank with every weekly shop and also volunteer. They really are the people who need the recognition.

The i58 Project, who run Inverclyde Foodbank, recently shared a video to social media explaining it had been unable to open due to a shortage of food on its shelves, an issue they explained is now a weekly occurrence.

The video called for help with the incoming high demand of winter and Christmas.

URGENT APPEAL Can you help The i58 Project this Christmas! Please watch the following video message. See below for the links to sign up for supermarket collections either Greenock, Port Glasgow or both! Greenock Collection Sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0848AAA92AA6FD0-inverclyde Port Glasgow Collection Sign up: https://www.signupgenius.com/go/70A0848AAA92AA6FD0-inverclyde1 Crowdfunder Link for donations https://www.crowdfunder.co.uk/the-i58-project-at-christmas Posted by The i58 Project- Inverclyde Foodbank on Wednesday, November 28, 2018

My daughter and the rest of her class are really keen to help with this, said Mrs Milloy.

To me if other people followed suit with Mrs McLaughlan this would help greatly.

Not only does it help those in need of assistance from the food bank, it also take financial pressure of if parents.

I guess youll see it in every schools where some of the presents given to teachers are just taken too far and may make other pupils feel that their gifts are inadequate.

By gifting a couple of pounds in an anonymous envelope or even handing an empty envelope there is no judgment either way.
Theresa Mays hopes of winning backing for her Brexit deal have suffered a fresh blow as universities and science minister Sam Gyimah announced he was quitting.

In an article for The Daily Telegraph, Mr Gyimah said he could not support the naive agreement with Brussels which was not in the national interest.

Mr Gyimah, who campaigned for Remain in the referendum, is the seventh minister to resign from the Government since Mrs May unveiled the draft Withdrawal Agreement.

His departure underlines the uphill task the Prime Minister faces if she is to win the crunch vote in the Commons on the deal on December 11.

In his article, Mr Gyimah said that if MPs were to support the agreement it would set ourselves up for failure by surrendering our voice, our vote and our veto.

Departing universities minister Sam Gyimah (Conservative Party/PA)

Britain will end up worse off, transformed from rule makers into rule takers.

It is a democratic deficit and a loss of sovereignty the public will rightly never accept, he said.

Earlier, Mrs May, in Argentina for the G20 summit, brushed off questions over whether she would resign if she was defeated in the Commons.

I have been asked these sorts of questions before, she told reporters.

Im tempted to think the price of coming on one of these trips is asking questions about my future, because they come up every time and my answers arent going to change.

However the latest ministerial resignation by an MP who was among her early supporters for the leadership leaves her looking increasingly exposed.

After careful reflection, I will not be supporting the Government on the EU Withdrawal Agreement. As such, I have tended my resignation as Universities & Science Minister  read more on my Facebook page: https://t.co/EFQrBjkJZG  Sam Gyimah (@SamGyimah) November 30, 2018

Mr Gyimah said that her compromise agreement would not bring the country back together as she hoped and he urged her not to dismiss out of hand the option of a second referendum.

What is being presented to the public as a sensible compromise Brexit deal, a 52/48 Brexit as some call it, will not bring closure or heal the divisions of Brexit, he said.

In the fullness of time, the public will wake up to what this so-called deal entails; neither leave nor remain voters will be pleased with a deal that leaves us poorer, less secure and weaker in the pursuit of our national interests.

The Prime Minister received welcome support from Environment Secretary Michael Gove  one of the leaders of the Leave campaign  who urged Tory Brexiteers to get behind the agreement.

In an article for the Daily Mail, he warned that Brexit could be in peril if the agreement was voted down.

Does the deal deliver 100% of what I wanted? No, he wrote.

But then we didnt win 100% of the vote  you cant always get everything that you want.
Theresa Mays hopes of winning the backing of MPs for her Brexit deal have been dealt another huge blow as universities and science minister Sam Gyimah announced he was quitting.

In an article for The Daily Telegraph, Mr Gyimah said he could not support an agreement which would hand sovereignty to Brussels, leaving Britain poorer, less secure and weaker in the pursuit of our national interests.

He becomes the seventh minister to resign from the Government since Mrs May unveiled the draft Withdrawal Agreement two weeks ago.

A list of ministerial resignations since 2017 (PA Graphics)

With scores of Tory MPs now publicly opposed to the deal, his departure highlighted the scale of the task the Prime Minister faces if she is to win the crunch vote in the Commons on December 11.

Like Jo Johnson, who quit as transport minister, Mr Gyimah backed Remain in the referendum, underlining the fact that opposition to the deal comes from both the Leave and Remain wings of the party.

In his article, Mr Gyimah said that if MPs were to support the agreement it would set ourselves up for failure by surrendering our voice, our vote and our veto.

Britain will end up worse off, transformed from rule makers into rule takers. It is a democratic deficit and a loss of sovereignty the public will rightly never accept, he said.

It has become increasingly clear to me that the proposed deal is not in the British national interest, and that to vote for this deal is to set ourselves up for failure. We will be losing, not taking control of our national destiny.

Downing Street confirmed that his letter had been received and said there would be a response in due course.

Mr Gyimah has been an MP since 2010 (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament)

Earlier, Mrs May, in Argentina for the G20 summit, brushed off questions over whether she would resign if she was defeated in the Commons.

I have been asked these sorts of questions before, she told reporters.

Im tempted to think the price of coming on one of these trips is asking questions about my future, because they come up every time and my answers arent going to change.

However, the latest ministerial resignation by an MP who was among her early supporters for the leadership leaves her looking increasingly exposed.

Mr Gyimahs announcement came as Mrs May disclosed she had given up efforts to gain access to the EUs Galileo satellite navigation system for defence and critical national infrastructure purposes, after being frozen out by Brussels because of Brexit.

She confirmed the UK would instead aim to build its own Global Navigation Satellite System, at a cost estimated by independent experts at 3-5 billion.

Given the Commissions decision to bar the UK from being fully involved in developing all aspects of Galileo, it is only right that we find alternatives, she said.

I cannot let our armed services depend on a system we cannot be sure of. That would not be in our national interest.

Mr Gyimah said the Prime Minister had been right to call time on a negotiation which had been stacked against us for the start and offered a foretaste of what was to come under the terms of her agreement.

He said her compromise Brexit plan would not bring the country back together as she hoped and he urged her not to dismiss out of hand the option of a second referendum.

What is being presented to the public as a sensible compromise Brexit deal, a 52/48 Brexit as some call it, will not bring closure or heal the divisions of Brexit, he said.

In the fullness of time, the public will wake up to what this so-called deal entails; neither leave nor remain voters will be pleased with a deal that leaves us poorer, less secure and weaker in the pursuit of our national interests.

There was some welcome support for the Prime Minister from Environment Secretary Michael Gove  one of the leaders of the Leave campaign  who urged Tory Brexiteers to get behind the agreement.

In an article for the Daily Mail, he warned that Brexit could be in peril if the agreement was voted down.

Does the deal deliver 100% of what I wanted? No. But then we didnt win 100% of the vote  you cant always get everything that you want, he wrote.

However, former education secretary Justine Greening, a prominent supporter of the Peoples Vote campaign for a second referendum, said Mr Gyimahs resignation offered further proof that Mrs Mays deal was not the right solution.

Like many MPs he has recognised the huge shortcomings of the Prime Ministers deal and the need to find an alternative path forward for Britain, she said.

His comments on the second referendum simply reflect the real choice confronting many MPs. He recognises trusting the people may be, in the end, the only way to break the gridlock in Parliament.
Theresa May is holding talks with leaders of some of Britains top targets for trade deals after Brexit.

The Prime Minister was using the opportunity of the G20 summit of major economies in Argentina to hold face-to-face talks with her counterparts from Australia, Canada, Japan, Chile and Turkey.

Trade has topped Mrs Mays agenda for the two-day gathering, as she sought to push her global Britain message of new opportunities, which she believes will be opened by the UKs withdrawal from the EU.

The exception has been a bilateral meeting with Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, where the PM delivered a robust message over the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi and the need for Riyadh to engage in talks in Stockholm next week on ending the war in Yemen.

British officials said trade was not on the agenda in the talks with the Saudi heir apparent, known as MBS.

Theresa May speaks during a plenary session at the G20 summit (G20 Argentina/PA)

Following the meeting, a Downing Street spokesman said: The Prime Minister stressed the importance of ensuring that those responsible for the appalling murder of Jamal Khashoggi are held to account, and that Saudi Arabia takes action to build confidence that such a deplorable incident could not happen again.

Noting the steps taken by the Saudi investigation since the Foreign Secretary had met with the crown prince and King Salman on November 12, she encouraged the crown prince to ensure that Saudi Arabia co-operated fully with the Turkish authorities and worked to bring both investigations to an acceptable close.

To ensure full accountability, there needed to be full transparency about exactly what had happened and who was responsible, in line with the commitments made by King Salman when she spoke to him on October 24.

On Yemen, the spokesman said that Mrs May set out the urgent need to bring an end to the conflict and bring relief to millions threatened by famine.

The Prime Minister stressed that the humanitarian situation remained dire and reaffirmed UK commitment to making progress on improving the situation, including through a UN Security Council Resolution, the spokesman said.

The Prime Minister reiterated UK support for Saudi Arabias security, including the very real threats posed by Iranian interference in Yemen.

Meetings on Saturday with Australian PM Scott Morrison, Japans Shinzo Abe, Chilean President Sebastian Pinera and Canadas PM Justin Trudeau will focus on opportunities for trade after Brexit.

In a later meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Mrs May will also discuss the progress of Turkeys investigation into the Khashoggi killing in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul in October.
Universities minister Sam Gyimah became the seventh minster to resign from the Government since Theresa May unveiled her Brexit blueprint a fortnight ago.

The East Surrey MPs departure is a blow to Mrs Mays hopes of getting the deal through the House of Commons.

It follows the resignation of Brexit minister Dominic Raab earlier this month, after his predecessor David Davis left to rally against the Chequers agreement.

Here, the Press Association runs through the resignations since the Chequers meeting:

 David Davis, Brexit secretary

David Davis and Boris Johnson both left Cabinet roles (PA)

Mr Davis left his role on July 8, two days after the Chequers plan was agreed. In his resignation letter, he said the role should be filled by someone who was an enthusiastic believer in your approach, and not merely a reluctant conscript.

Key quote: The general direction of policy will leave us in at best a weak negotiating position, and possibly an inescapable one.

 Steve Baker, Brexit minister

Mr Baker followed Mr Davis a day later in resigning over Government strategy on Brexit.

Key quote: I cannot support this policy with the sincerity and resolve which will be necessary.

 Boris Johnson, foreign secretary

Mr Johnson became the third departure in two days, saying the Chequers agreement was leaving the UK was heading towards the status of colony and the Brexit dream was dying, suffocated by needless self-doubt.

Key quote: 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.

I am proud to have served as Foreign Secretary. It is with sadness that I step down: here is my letter explaining why. pic.twitter.com/NZXzUZCjdF  Boris Johnson (@BorisJohnson) July 9, 2018

 Chris Green, parliamentary private secretary (PPS) to the transport secretary

Mr Green also left following the Chequers deal on July 8, saying he feared Mrs Mays proposals would mean we would not really leave the EU.

Key quote: I recognise that delivering Brexit is challenging, however I had hoped at tonights meeting that there would be some certainty that my fears were unfounded but, instead, they have been confirmed.

 Conor Burns, PPS to the foreign secretary

Mr Burns followed Mr Johnson out the door on July 9, saying he wanted to see the referendum result respected.

Key quote: Ive decided its time to have greater freedom.

 Robert Courts, PPS to the Foreign and Commonwealth Office

I have taken very difficult decision to resign position as PPS to express discontent with #Chequers 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.  Robert Courts MP (@robertcourts) July 15, 2018

David Camerons replacement in the Witney constituency left his role on July 15 over Chequers, saying that he could not tell people in his constituency that he supported the proposals in their current form.

Key quote: I had to think who I wanted to see in the mirror for the rest of my life.

 Ben Bradley, Conservative party vice-chairman

The Mansfield MP also left over Chequers on July 10, saying he owed it to his constituents to raise concerns and speak freely over the policy.

Conservative vice-chairs Ben Bradley and Maria Caulfield left their roles (Stefan Rousseau/PA)

Key quote: If we do not deliver Brexit in spirit as well as in name, then we are handing Jeremy Corbyn the keys to Number 10.

 Maria Caulfield, Conservative party vice-chairman

Mrs Caulfield also left on July 10, saying Chequers will be bad for our country and bad for the party.

Key quote: I cannot support the direction of travel in the Brexit negotiations which, in my view, do not fully embrace the opportunities that Brexit can provide.

 Scott Mann, PPS to the Treasury

Mr Mann, MP for North Cornwall, left his role on July 16 as he felt aspects of the Brexit white paper would put him in direct conflict with views of his constituents.

Key quote: I am not prepared to compromise their wishes to deliver a watered-down Brexit.

 Guto Bebb, defence minister

Mr Bebb voted against the Government on changes to customs legislation relating to Brexit, effectively quitting his frontbench role on July 16.

Key quote: I felt duty bound to try and vote to highlight the fact that the Conservative Party should be led by the prime minister not by the leadership of the ERG (European Research Group) group.

 Jo Johnson, transport minister

With great regret, I'm resigning from the Government - I have set out my reasons in this article and the video below. https://t.co/hzimcS8uiR pic.twitter.com/hUN9RLzDfq  Jo Johnson (@JoJohnsonUK) November 9, 2018

The brother of Boris became the second Johnson to leave when he resigned on November 9 to vote against the Brexit deal, saying the choice being offered to the British people was no choice at all.

Key quote: To present the nation with a choice between two deeply unattractive outcomes, vassalage and chaos, is a failure of British statecraft on a scale unseen since the Suez crisis.

 Dominic Raab, Brexit secretary

Mr Raab left his role on November 15 following the publication of the draft Withdrawal Agreement citing a number of concerns, saying the backstop arrangement to prevent a border with Northern Ireland was a very real threat to the integrity of the United Kingdom.

Key quote: Ultimately, you deserve a Brexit Secretary who can make the case for the deal you are pursuing with conviction. I am only sorry, in good conscience, that I cannot.

Dominic Raabs resignation letter (@DominicRaab)

 Esther McVey, work and pensions secretary

Mrs McVey followed Mr Raabs resignation, saying it was obvious Mrs Mays plans failed to honour the result of the referendum.

Key quote: We have gone from no deal is better than a bad deal, to any deal is better than no deal. I cannot defend this, and I cannot vote for this deal.

 Suella Braverman, Brexit minister

Ms Braverman left her role  which she called a dream job  over the Withdrawal Agreement, saying she had concerns about the backstop.

Key quote: I have reached a point where I feel that these concessions do not respect the will of the people  the people who put us here and whom we humbly serve. We must not let them down.

Shailesh Vara, Northern Ireland minister

With much sadness and regret I have submitted my letter of resignation as a Northern Ireland Minister to the Prime Minister. A copy of my letter is attached.

It has been a joy and privilege to serve in the Northern Ireland Office and I will always cherish the fondest memories. pic.twitter.com/SN8j4OwhYD  Shailesh Vara MP (@ShaileshVara) November 15, 2018

Mr Vara said the result of the referendum was decisive and that the Government must deliver, and that he could not support the Withdrawal Agreement.

Key quote: It leaves the UK in a half-way house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation.

 Rehman Chishti, Conservative party vice-chairman

Mr Chishti cited the Withdrawal Agreement and a lack of leadership on the Asia Bibi case as reasons for leaving.

Key quote: The UK in effect will be part of a system where it will be a rule taker without any say on the rules.

 Ranil Jayawardena, PPS at Ministry of Justice

Mr Jayawardena said the draft Withdrawal Agreement would not allow the country to take back control of laws, adding: I entered public service not to be defined by the European question, but to deliver for my constituents and for our country.

Key quote: I cannot agree, in the cold light of day, that the deal in front of us today is right for our country. It does not deliver a good and fair Brexit.

 Anne-Marie Trevelyan, PPS to Department of Education

It is with sadness that I have submitted my letter of resignation as PPS to the Education Ministers to the Prime Minister. It has been a joy and a privilege to have served in defence and education. pic.twitter.com/AWlMXNxtT0  Anne-Marie Trevelyan (@annietrev) November 15, 2018

The Berwick-upon-Tweed MP said she had struggled for months to continue to support Mrs May on Brexit as she battled through negotiations but that she could not back the Withdrawal Agreement.

Key quote: I believe we must protect the Brexit mandate by trying to secure a deal which understands the spirit of the referendum.

 Sam Gyimah, universities minister

Mr Gyimah said he could not support Mrs May as he felt the deal would leave Britain poorer, less secure and weaker in the pursuit of our national interests, thus leaving his role on November 30.

Key quote: It has become increasingly clear to me that the proposed deal is not in the British national interest, and that to vote for this deal is to set ourselves up for failure. We will be losing, not taking control of our national destiny.
A North Korean soldier fled across a heavily fortified border to defect to South Korea early on Saturday, the military in Seoul said, just as the rivals began taking steps to reduce military tensions.

South Korean soldiers escorted the defector to safety after finding him moving south of the eastern side of the military demarcation line that bisects the Koreas, South Koreas Joint Chiefs of Staff said in a statement.

South Korean authorities plan to question the defector over the details of his escape.

The Joint Chiefs of Staff said it had not observed any unusual activity from North Korean troops in the area where the defection happened.

It comes as North and South Korea have pushed to implement a wide-ranging military agreement reached in September to reduce tensions across their border.

The Norths official media has not reported about Saturdays case.

Pyongyang has frequently accused Seoul of kidnapping or enticing its citizens to defect.

Construction equipment destroys a South Korean guard post in the Demilitarised Zone dividing the two Koreas in Cheorwon (Jung Yeon-je/Pool Photo via AP, File)

About 30,000 North Koreans have fled to South Korea, mostly travelling via China, since the end of the 1950-53 Korean War.

Last November, a North Korean soldier was critically wounded in a jointly controlled area after he fled to the South amid a hail of bullets fired by his former comrades.

The soldier, Oh Chong Song, survived and told a Japanese newspaper last month that he had been drinking after getting into unspecified trouble with his friends.

He said he kept going after breaking through a checkpoint in a military jeep because he became fearful of being executed.

South Korea says the military agreement, which also included creating buffer zones along the Koreas land and sea boundaries and a no-fly zone above the border, is an important trust-building step that would help stabilise peace and advance reconciliation between the rivals.

But critics say the South risks conceding some of its conventional military strength before North Korea takes any meaningful steps on denuclearisation, as the larger nuclear negotiations between Washington and Pyongyang seemingly drift into a stalemate.

South Koreas Defence Ministry said on Friday that the Korean militaries completed removing 20 front-line guard posts and land mines from a border area where they plan to start their first-ever joint search for remains of soldiers killed during the 1950-53 Korean War.

The Koreas and the US-led UN Command recently finished removing firearms and troops from the jointly controlled area at the border village of Panmunjom, and eventually plan to allow tourists to freely move around there.
The 41st president of the United States, George HW Bush, has died at the age of 94.

The Second World War hero, who also presided during the collapse of the Soviet Union and the final months of the Cold War, died shortly after 10pm on Friday, family spokesman Jim McGrath said.

His wife of more than 70 years, Barbara Bush, died in April.

Mr Bushs son, George W Bush, described his father as a man of the highest character and the best dad a son or daughter could ask for.

In a statement, he added: The entire Bush family is deeply grateful for 41s life and love, for the compassion of those who have cared and prayed for Dad, and for the condolences of our friends and fellow citizens.

The former president served from 1989 to 1993, and eight years later watched his son George W became the 43rd president  only the second father-and-son chief executives, following John Adams and John Quincy Adams.

The elder Mr Bush, the son of a senator, rose through the political ranks: from congressman to UN ambassador, Republican Party chairman to envoy to China, CIA director to two-term vice president under the hugely popular Ronald Reagan.

He entered the White House in 1989 with a reputation as a man of indecision and indeterminate views.

The Iraq crisis of 1990-91 brought out all the skills he had honed in a quarter-century of politics and public service.

George HW Bush talks with a group of young people at a rally in Houston, Texas, in 1970 (AP Photo/File)

After Iraq invaded Kuwait in August 1990, Mr Bush quickly began building an international military coalition that included other Arab states.

After winning United Nations support and a green light from a reluctant Congress, he unleashed a punishing air war against Iraq and a five-day ground juggernaut that sent Iraqi forces reeling in disarray back to Baghdad.

He basked in the biggest outpouring of patriotism and pride in Americas military since the Second World War, and his approval ratings soared to nearly 90%.

After freeing Kuwait, he rejected suggestions that the US carry the offensive to Baghdad, choosing to end the hostilities a mere 100 hours after the start of the ground offensive.

The decisive military defeat did not lead to the regimes downfall, as many in the administration had hoped.

His legacy was dogged for years by doubts about the decision not to remove Saddam Hussein. The Iraqi leader was eventually ousted in 2003, in the war led by Mr Bushs son that was followed by a long, bloody insurgency.

George HW Bush during a news conference at the White House in Washington in 1989 (AP Photo/Marcy Nighswander, File)

The elder Mr Bushs prime interest was foreign policy. Under his watch, the Berlin Wall came down, the Warsaw Pact disintegrated and the Soviet satellites fell out of orbit.

The other battles he fought as president, including a war on drugs and a crusade to make American children the best educated in the world, were not so decisively won.

He rode into office pledging to make the United States a kinder, gentler nation and calling on Americans to volunteer for good causes, to create a thousand points of light.

Mr Bush lost his bid for re-election to Bill Clinton in a campaign in which businessman H Ross Perot took almost 19% of the vote as an independent candidate.

Paying tribute to Mr Bush, current US president Donald Trump praised his sound judgment, common sense and unflappable leadership.

In a joint statement with wife Melania, he added: Through his essential authenticity, disarming wit, and unwavering commitment to faith, family and country, President Bush inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service  to be, in his words, a thousand points of light illuminating the greatness, hope and opportunity of America to the world.

President Bush always found a way to set the bar higher.

He said: Along with his full life of service to country, we will remember President Bush for his devotion to family  especially the love of his life, Barbara.

His example lives on, and will continue to stir future Americans to pursue a greater cause.

Barack Obama, the 44th president of the US, said America had lost a patriot and humble servant.

He said: While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude.

America has lost a patriot and humble servant in George Herbert Walker Bush. While our hearts are heavy today, they are also filled with gratitude. Our thoughts are with the entire Bush family tonight  and all who were inspired by George and Barbaras example. pic.twitter.com/g9OUPu2pjY  Barack Obama (@BarackObama) December 1, 2018

George HW Bushs life is a testament to the notion that public service is a noble, joyous calling. And he did tremendous good along the journey Its a legacy of service that may never be matched, even though hed want all of us to try.

Former US president Bill Clinton remembered Mr Bush for his great long life of service, love and friendship.

He said he would be forever grateful for the friendship he formed with the man he turned out of the White House after one term.

Hillary and I mourn the passing of President George H. W. Bush, and give thanks for his great long life of service, love and friendship. I am grateful for every minute I spent with him and will always hold our friendship as one of my lifes greatest gifts. https://t.co/1CYdrIeKmz  Bill Clinton (@BillClinton) December 1, 2018

Mr Clinton said he was always struck by Mr Bushs innate and genuine decency and by his devotion to his wife Barbara and his family.

He added that Mr Bushs extensive record of public service was rare, with his years in the military, in US congress, the United Nations, China, the CIA and as vice president and president.

And Mr Clinton noted that Mr Bush never stopped serving even after leaving office, working on tsunami relief in Asia and within the US after Hurricane Katrina.

Former Soviet premier Mikhail Gorbachev expressed his deep condolences to Mr Bushs family.

George HW Bush and Mikhail Gorbachev, pictured in 1991 (AP)

Mr Gorbachev worked closely with Mr Bush to bring an end to the Cold War in the late 1980s and 1990s, and lauded the former president for his abilities as a politician as well as his personal character.

It was a time of great change, he told the Interfax news agency, demanding great responsibility from everyone. The result was the end of the Cold War and nuclear arms race.

Mr Gorbachev said that he and his wife, Raisa, deeply appreciated the attention, kindness and simplicity typical of George and Barbara Bush, as well as the rest of their large, friendly family.
George HW Bush, who has died aged 94, will go down in history as the president in charge at the end of the Cold War who took the United States into the first Gulf conflict.

He was elected as the 41st President in 1988 and served a single term before losing his 1992 re-election bid to Democrat Bill Clinton.

Months into his presidency he was faced with the dissolution of the Soviet Union and he oversaw the removal of Panamanian dictator Manuel Noriega.

In August 1990 he responded to Saddam Husseins invasion of Kuwait, creating a national coalition led by the US that liberated the oil-rich yet tiny nation but stopped short of toppling the Iraqi dictator.

It was during the presidency of his son, George W Bush, that Saddams rule would eventually end.

Bush Snr, a Second World War veteran, was born George Herbert Walker Bush in Milton, Massachusetts, on June 12 1924.

George HW Bush was married to Barbara in 1945 (PA Archive)

He enlisted on his 18th birthday and was the youngest pilot in the US Navy when he received his wings and went on to fly 58 combat missions.

One saw him shot down by Japanese anti-aircraft fire over the Pacific, leaving him to be rescued by a US submarine.

He was later awarded the Distinguished Flying Cross for bravery in action.

In January 1945 he married Barbara Pierce, with whom he went on to have six children  George, Robin (who died as a child), John (also known as Jeb), Neil, Marvin, and Dorothy.

George Bush Jr followed his father in becoming US president (Carl De Souza/WPA)

His political career saw him occupy a number of positions including congressman, CIA director and Ronald Reagans vice president for the Republican Party before becoming the first member of the Bush political family to reach the nations top office.

George W Bush would go on to be elected president in 2000 after Mr Clinton and served two terms.

Another son, Jeb  a former Florida governor  made an unsuccessful bid for the Republican nomination in 2016.

President George H.W. Bush is greeted by King Fahd as he arrives in Saudi Arabia (J. Scott Applewhite/AP)

Only one other US president, John Adams, had a son who also became president.

In 2011, Bush was honoured with the Presidential Medal of Freedom by President Barack Obama.

In his later years he developed a form of Parkinsons disease and used a motorised scooter or a wheelchair for mobility.

Mr Bush died eight months after his wife (AP)

Bush was admitted to hospital in Maine in 2015 after falling at his summer home and breaking a bone in his neck.

He was taken to hospital the previous December because of shortness of breath and spent Christmas 2012 in intensive care for a bronchitis-related cough and other issues.

Despite the loss of mobility, Bush celebrated his 90th birthday by taking part in a tandem parachute jump in Kennebunkport, Maine.

Two years on and Bush led a group of 40 injured veterans on a fishing trip at the helm of his speedboat, three days after his 92nd birthday celebration.

In January 2017, his office announced that he and his wife would not attend President-elect Donald Trumps inauguration due to the former presidents age and health.
The G20 summit has entered its crucial second and final day with hours left for diplomats to bridge divisions on major issues including world trade, climate change and tackling migration.

The day will also see a highly anticipated meeting between US president Donald Trump and Chinese leader Xi Jinping, whose nations have been embroiled in an escalating trade war with new US tariffs on Chinese goods set to take effect a month from now.

The divisions among the worlds leading economies were evident from the moment Argentinas president Mauricio Macri opened the summit on Friday with a call for international co-operation to solve the planets problems.

Mr Trump sought to use the gathering to make his own trade deals.

Here's a summary of the first day of the #G20Summit! pic.twitter.com/cLi33eUJyi  G20 Italy (@g20org) December 1, 2018

Meanwhile, two men under heavy criticism from the West lately  Russian president Vladimir Putin and Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman  appeared to seek refuge in each other, bonding with a tough-guy hand grab as the leaders sat down for talks.

Security concerns also weighed on the two-day summit in Buenos Aires.

Argentinas security minister said eight petrol bombs were discovered in an area of the capital several miles from the summit venue where a protest drew thousands of demonstrators, who held up banners with slogans like Go away G20 and Go away Trump.

Diplomats from the G20 countries are haggling hard over a final joint statement, with disagreement over what language to use on the Paris climate accord and the World Trade Organisation.

World leaders take part in a meeting at the G20 summit in Buenos Aires (G20 Argentina/PA)

Two European officials involved in the discussions said the US is hampering progress on both matters.

An unorthodox solution has emerged: because of resistance from the Trump administration, an official in the French presidents office said the statement may use language which sets the US apart.

A draft said 19 of the participants agreed upon the importance of upholding the Paris climate accord, but the US does not.

The officials said the US was also blocking any mention of migration in the final statement.

Asked about the European concerns, a US official said progress was being made on the joint statement and the White House was optimistic about the document as a whole.

Laura Jaitman, the Argentine treasury official shepherding the G20s financing talks, said leaders have made progress on finance and trade and was hopeful a joint statement would be possible.

Ms Jaitman said: Theres a very positive message of how trade has been an engine of growth for the next decades and how it will continue in the future providing benefits for all citizens.

Chinese president Xi Jinping and Russian counterpart Vladimir Putin (AP)

Argentine foreign minister Jorge Faurie said trade talks were moving forward and nations are continuing to work on climate change wording.

All issues being discussed at the summit have the same relevance, he told reporters. We are debating (trade and climate change) more closely because we want to reach the consensus of all the countries involved.

Mr Faurie said the final communique does not require the signature of presidents.

Argentine president Mauricio Macri kicked off the summit by acknowledging divisions within the G20 while urging world leaders to have a sense of urgency and take actions based on shared interests.

European Council president Donald Tusk urged G20 leaders to discuss trade wars, the tragic situation in Syria and Yemen, and Russian aggression in Ukraine.

US president Donald Trump (AP)

He said the European Union is expected to extend sanctions on Moscow over its totally unacceptable seizure of Ukrainian ships and their crews near the Crimean Peninsula.

Russia and Ukraine have traded blame over the weekend ship incident  which Mr Trump cited as a reason for cancelling a much-anticipated meeting with Mr Putin at the G20. Russias foreign minister regretted the move, but said love cant be forced.

Also looming large amid dozens of bilateral meetings in Buenos Aires was the gruesome killing of dissident Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi Arabias Istanbul consulate, and the participation at the summit of Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, who is alleged to have ordered the murder.

As soon as he arrived, Prince Mohammed was confronted by French President Emmanuel Macron, who pressed him on the Khashoggi investigation and the Saudi-backed war in Yemen.

Prince Mohamed told Mr Macron not to worry, but the French president countered: I am worried.

Saudi Arabia has denied that the prince played a role, but US intelligence agencies concluded he ordered the killing.

Meanwhile, leaders of the United States, Canada and Mexico, met on Friday morning to sign a trade deal replacing the North American Free Trade Agreement that was struck following months of tough negotiations which analysts say left a bitter taste among the partners.

Mr Trump called the pact a model agreement that changes the trade landscape forever.
Sam Gyimah, the latest minister to quit the Government over Theresa Mays Brexit plan, has dismissed her agreement with Brussels as a deal in name only.

Mr Gyimah, who resigned as Universities and Science Minister, said Britain was giving up our voice, our veto and our vote in Europe and would get hammered in the next stage of the talks on future relations with the EU.

He urged the Prime Minister not to rule out a second referendum if  as many at Westminster expect  she is defeated in the crucial Commons vote on the Withdrawal Agreement on December 11.

After careful reflection, I will not be supporting the Government on the EU Withdrawal Agreement. As such, I have tended my resignation as Universities & Science Minister  read more on my Facebook page: https://t.co/EFQrBjkJZG  Sam Gyimah (@SamGyimah) November 30, 2018

Senior ministers continued to argue that while the agreement was not perfect, it was the best that could be achieved.

However, with scores of Tory MPs now publicly opposed to the deal, Mr Gyimahs departure highlights the scale of the task facing Mrs May if she is to avoid a potentially crippling defeat in the Commons.

He is the seventh minister and ministerial aide to resign from the Government since Mrs May unveiled the draft Withdrawal Agreement less than three weeks ago.

Like Jo Johnson, who quit as transport minister, Mr Gyimah backed Remain in the referendum, underlining the fact that opposition to the deal comes from both the Leave and Remain wings of the party.

Speaking on the BBC Radio 4 Today programme, Mr Gyimah said: Looking at the deal in detail, we dont actually have deal. We have a deal in name only.

We have given up our voice, our veto and our vote. Our interests will be hammered because we will have no leverage.

My worry is the British public will be sleepwalking into a situation where we will wake up and find out that we are no longer equal partners with the countries in Europe.

We are pure supplicants and rule takers. The democratic deficit and the loss of sovereignty that will result in that situation is one the British public, rightly, will never accept.

After Mrs May, in Argentina for the G20 summit, announced she was finally giving up on efforts to secure access to the EUs Galileo satellite navigation system, Mr Gyimah said the EUs uncompromising stance foreshadowed the way it would approach the rest of the negotiations.

What has happened with Galileo is a foretaste of the brutal negotiations we will go through that will weaken our national interest, make us poorer, less secure, he said.

Sam Gyimah has resigned as universities minister in protest at the Governments Brexit deal (Conservative Party/PA)

He said that if Parliament does vote down the deal, Mrs Mays only realistic option may be to put the decision to the country in a second referendum, even though he acknowledged Leave could win again.

There is a blocking minority in the House of Commons for almost every possible option which means that letting the people decide, now that we know more, might be the most sensible path for both Leavers and Remainers, he said.

The Prime Minister has already taken one step in that direction by appealing to the country to put pressure on MPs to vote for her deal.

If you are going to appeal to the country to put pressure on MPs to vote for a deal then by all means you can give the decision to the country in terms of which direction we go in.

If we want to avoid to avoid chaos and we want to make sure we are dealing with a decision that is irreversible I would rather go down that path than a go down a path that would cripple our interests for generations to come.

(PA Graphics)

Culture Secretary Jeremy Wright said that as MPs and ministers decided which way to vote, they would have to compare the deal with the realistically available alternatives.

All of my colleagues are going to have to make their own judgment about what they think about this deal, he told the 4 Today programme.

Either we leave with we no deal, which would have serious economic consequences, or we say to the British public Im sorry you have got it wrong, you are going to have to do it again which I think would have serious democratic consequences

This isnt a perfect deal but I think it is the best one available.

Earlier, there was some welcome support for the Prime Minister from Environment Secretary Michael Gove  one of the leaders of the Leave campaign  who urged Tory Brexiteers to get behind the agreement.

In an article for the Daily Mail, he warned that Brexit could be in peril if the agreement was voted down.

Does the deal deliver 100% of what I wanted? No. But then we didnt win 100% of the vote  you cant always get everything that you want, he wrote.

Responding to Mr Gyimahs resignation, Labour Party chairman Ian Lavery said: Theresa Mays Government continues to fall apart in front of our eyes.

Mays botched deal is failing because it would be bad for Britain and people are waking up to that. We want to end this chaos with a sensible, Jobs First Brexit.
Scuffles have broken out between police and some French protesters angry over rising taxes for a third straight weekend, after small pockets of demonstrators built barricades in the streets of central Paris and lit fires.

Thousands of police were deployed to try to contain the protests on and around the famed Champs-Elysees avenue.

Most of the protesters, called yellow jackets after the fluorescent vests they wear, were peaceful.

But others mixed in with them wore black hoodies and piled up construction materials, including large plywood planks, in the middle of a street near the Arc de Triomphe, and set the debris on fire.

This is the third straight weekend of the protests (AP)

Police responded by firing bursts from a water cannon with back-up from riot officers, who used tear gas on the protesters.

In addition to rising taxes, demonstrators are furious about President Emmanuel Macrons leadership.

A demonstration last weekend in Paris also turned violent.

Earlier on Saturday, hundreds of people gathered at the top of the Champs-Elysees. Access to the avenue was closed to cars and strictly monitored by police with identity checks and bag inspections.

Police used tear gas to disperse the crowds as some tried to force their way through.

Hundreds of people are demonstrating across France over the rising cost of living (AP)

The protests, which began with motorists demonstrating against a fuel tax hike, now involve a broad range of demands related to the countrys high cost of living.

Shopkeepers on the Champs-Elysees prepared for possible new violence, bringing in workers to barricade boutique windows with boards. Decorative iron grates, used last week in barricades, were removed from around trees and outdoor terraces were dismantled.

All subway stations in and around the famous avenue were closed for security reasons, Paris public transport company RATP said.

Last week, French authorities said 8,000 people demonstrated on the Champs-Elysees avenue. Some of the protesters torched barriers and plywood boards. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to push back angry demonstrators.

Since the protests kicked off on November 17, two people were killed and hundreds have been injured in accidents stemming from the protests, and hundreds of protesters and police have also been injured.

Meanwhile, hundreds of road blockades were also held across the country.
Search teams looking for a couple whose car was found washed up on a beach in bad weather have found two bodies.

Susan and James Kenneavys Ford Kuga was found empty on Drummore beach near Stranraer in south-west Scotland on Thursday morning, sparking a major search operation.

Heavy rain had led to flooding on the Drummore coastal road the previous day.

Police Scotland said the body of a woman was found at the edge of the water in Port William, Newton Stewart, at around 8.15am on Saturday.

Update on Susan and James Kenneavy who were missing from Drummore. Our thoughts are with their family at this time.https://t.co/SToAixxFcK pic.twitter.com/fN9HVoD77b  DumfriesGPolice (@DumfriesGPolice) December 1, 2018

The body of a man was found nearby around half an hour later.

In a statement, the force said: Although formal identification has still to take place, it is believed to be the missing couple and their next of kin has been informed.

Police searching for Mr and Mrs Kenneavy have found the bodies of a man and a woman (Police Scotland/PA)

A full report will be sent to the Procurator Fiscal.

Our thoughts are with their family at this time.

Following the discovery of the vehicle, search teams worked into the night on Thursday looking for the couple  and air, sea and land searches took place on Friday.

The efforts had involved local lifeboats, Galloway Mountain Rescue Team and the Coastguard and Rescue 936 search helicopter.
Dozens of people have been arrested after protesters angry about rising taxes clashed with French police for a third straight weekend.

Pockets of demonstrators built barricades in the middle of streets in central Paris, lit fires and threw rocks at officers on Saturday.

Protesters, including some wearing black hoodies, piled up large plywood planks and other material in the middle of a street near the Arc de Triomphe, before setting the debris on fire.

Police fired tear gas and used water cannon to try to push back the protesters who gathered around the Arc. Some demonstrators responded by throwing large rocks.

This is the third straight weekend of the protests (AP)

Others removed the barriers protecting the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier from the First World War, under the monument, to pose near its eternal flame and sing the national anthem. They were then dispersed by police.

French deputy interior minister Laurent Nunez said that 3,000 troublemakers were around the Champs-Elysees avenue, outside a perimeter secured by police.

Paris police said at least 81 people have been arrested. Mr Nunez said 5,000 officers were deployed in Paris to try to contain the protests.

French prime minister Edouard Philippe said some protesters have attacked police officers.

He said some determined, equipped individuals had gathered to provoke clashes with police. At least 10 officers were slightly injured.

Mr Philippe added that he was shocked by violence near the Arc de Triomphe, with graffiti sprayed onto the monument.

He said that authorities are determined to allow peaceful protests, but will give no excuse to those coming to make trouble.

Several hundred peaceful protesters, called yellow jackets on account of the fluorescent vests they wear, passed through police checkpoints to reach the Champs-Elysees.

They marched on the famed avenue behind a big banner which read: Macron, stop taking us for stupid people.

In addition to rising taxes, demonstrators are furious about President Emmanuel Macrons leadership. A demonstration last weekend in Paris also turned violent.

Hundreds of people are demonstrating across France over the rising cost of living (AP)

Access to the Champs-Elysee was closed to cars and strictly monitored by police with identity checks and bag inspections.

The clashes in Paris contrasted with protests in other French regions, where demonstrations and road blockades were largely peaceful.

The protests, which began with motorists demonstrating against a fuel tax hike, now involve a broad range of demands related to the countrys high cost of living.

Shopkeepers on the Champs-Elysees have prepared for possible new violence, bringing in workers to barricade boutique windows with boards.

Decorative iron grates, used last week in barricades, were removed from around trees and outdoor terraces dismantled.

All subway stations in and around the famous avenue were closed for security reasons, Paris public transport company RATP said.

Last week, French authorities said 8,000 people demonstrated on the Champs-Elysees. Some of the protesters torched barriers and plywood boards. Police fired tear gas and water cannon to push back angry demonstrators.

Since the protests kicked off on November 17, two people have been killed and hundreds injured in accidents stemming from the protests, and hundreds of protesters and police have been injured.
Lucas Torreira has been praised for reigniting Arsenals dirty streak on the eve of Sundays north London derby.

Torreira has played a starring role for Arsenal as they head into a mouth-watering fixture against Tottenham off the back of an 18-match unbeaten run.

The Uruguay international, 22, has added some much-needed bite to Arsenals midfield following his summer arrival from Sampdoria.

And Emmanuel Petit, the former Gunners midfielder whose combative partnership with Patrick Vieira spearheaded Arsenal to the league and FA Cup double in Arsene Wengers first full season in charge 20 years ago, believes Torreira has been Arsenals missing link in recent seasons.

In terms of fighting spirit, Arsenal have needed a player like Torreira, Petit told Press Association Sport.

With the old back four that I played with and during the Invincibles era, we had players with anger who would fight for every ball.

Lucas Torreira has provided some bite to Arsenals midfield (Mike Egerton/PA)

Arsenal have been too glamorous in the past few years, and not dirty enough, but with Torreira, the dirt is coming back into the team.

He is not the most talented player, but he is like a dog on the pitch, he is a leader and sets an example.

He doesnt impress you physically, but you can feel his breath on your neck, and his foot in your calf because he is there all the time, and that is the kind of player you need in a team.

Unai Emery will get his first taste of the north London derby when Spurs travel to the Emirates Stadium. The Spaniard endured a testing start to his tenure following successive league defeats against Manchester City and Chelsea.

But since those early setbacks, Emery has overseen Arsenals most resilient run in recent years, overseeing progression to the latter stages of the Europa League, while also being on the brink of the top four.

A win for Arsenal on Sunday would take them above Tottenham ahead of a visit to Manchester United on Wednesday.

There was a routine in the dressing room under Arsene, but routine is the worst thing a player and manager can expect, added Petit.

Unai Emery has arrived and changed every detail and that has helped. Its refreshing for the players to have that new energy and we have seen the results straight away.

This game is a big test for Arsenal, and although they can forget about winning the Premier League title because collectively and individually Manchester City and Liverpool have better sides, there is no doubt they can qualify for the Champions League.

::Emmanuel Petit is a Paddy Power ambassador. Read more of his thoughts at news.paddypower.com
Former prime minister Gordon Brown has called for an independent review into the long-term future of the NHS in Scotland as he accused the Scottish Government of having shortchanged the service over the past decade.

Mr Brown claimed the SNP administration at Holyrood is more concerned about Scottish independence than with worrying about our NHS, and said ministers are offering health funding growth that is half that seen in England.

He made the call ahead of the Scottish Governments Budget on December 12, which he described as an opportunity to undo some of the damage.

The SNP hit out at what it described as hypocrisy from the former PM and chancellor.

The former Labour prime minister said: Twenty years ago, as chancellor, I set up a review into NHS funding We brought in people on a non-partisan basis to help us draw up a national plan based on the best use of new investment.

Now we need a similar independent review into the long-term future of the Scottish NHS and, for the sake of five million patients and their long-suffering nursing and medical staff, we need it urgently.

Former prime minister Gordon Brown is calling for more funding for the NHS (Nick Ansell/PA)

Mr Brown said the NHS takes up around 40% of the Scottish Governments budget, but added: No one will tell you that the NHS merits 40% of the Scottish Governments attention.

He said: SNP ministers are far more likely to wake up in the morning planning for independence than worrying about our NHS.



And the effects of this are now coming into sharp focus: for the past 10 years the SNP has shortchanged the Scottish NHS to the point that every winter, from now on, Scotland is likely to face a staffing and waiting list crisis.

The former prime minister said Scotlands health care spending, per person, has had to be higher than that south of the border because of issues such as remote practices and poor health in parts of the country.

Thats why, in 2007  the year the SNP took power  Scottish health care spend was 16% higher per head than in England, he said.



But after 10 years of SNP government it was, by last year only 7% more  which represents a cut in the real value of what was spent last year of nearly 1 billion.

Mr Brown pointed to figures showing that more than 3,000 nursing and midwifery posts, and hundreds of GP and consultant posts, remain unfilled and he highlighted what the Mental Health Foundation has called a growing child mental health crisis.

He claimed Scottish ministers are denying the NHS the money it needs.

In all, they are offering the NHS a cash growth half as much as that of England  3.5% cash growth per year as against 7% down south, he said.

An SNP spokeswoman said: This is utter hypocrisy from Gordon Brown who, as chancellor, imposed a legacy of toxic PFI contracts on our public services, including the NHS, at a cost of over 32 billion.

We will take no lessons from a party which at the last Scottish election, proposed spending plans which would have seen our NHS 360 million worse off this year  the equivalent of losing around 9,000 nurses.

In contrast under the SNP, NHS staffing is up by over 12,000 and health funding is at record levels  4 billion higher than it was under Labour.
Protests have been held across the country in support of Post Offices and against plans to franchise scores of branches to retailer WH Smith.

The Communication Workers Union (CWU) said it was campaigning to save a great British institution.

Demonstrations were held at almost 50 locations, supported by Labour politicians and local campaigners.

The union is also gathering names for a petition it hopes will lead to the future of Post Offices being debated in Parliament.

The union says that when Crown offices  larger branches usually sited on high streets  close, many staff leave the service, and jobs advertised by firms such as WH Smith are paid lower than those at the Post Office.

CWU general secretary Dave Ward said: The day of action is an ambitious one. We are holding dozens of events from Truro to Aberdeen, in every region of the United Kingdom, to engage with members of the public about this latest shameful round of planned closures.

(PA)

People are sick and tired of the broken privatisation agenda that is behind this latest move. We hope many will join our campaign to save our Post Offices.

Deputy general secretary Terry Pullinger added that the Post Office should never have been separated from the privatised Royal Mail.

A WH Smith spokesman said: We have successfully operated Post Offices in our stores since 2006 and are pleased to support a sustainable Post Office network.

We work hard to ensure that customer service and accessibility is not just maintained, but improved.

Post Offices are a vital hub providing essential services to the community and we take the social responsibilities associated with this very seriously.

Roger Gale, the Post Offices Network sales director, said: The Post Office has over 11,500 branches across the UK. It will be business as usual in all our branches and we hope the CWU will ensure that there is no impact on customer service.

The Post Office is committed to keeping its vital services on high streets and at the heart of communities across the UK. However, we are not immune to the challenges facing retailers in local high streets, and we must adapt to changing customer needs by making our services more accessible to customers, for instance through longer opening hours.

That is why we are proposing to franchise a further 74 directly managed Branches to WH Smith.

The plan enables us to maintain branches in town and city centres in a way thats financially sustainable, not just for todays customers but tomorrows too. 98% of the Post Office network is run in this way, on an agency or franchise basis. Its a model that works through delivering the benefits of shared overheads and footfall.
Japans prime minister has issued an appeal to Theresa May to prevent a no-deal Brexit.

Shinzo Abes plea, delivered as the pair met at the G20 summit in Argentina, follows warnings from Japanese companies with operations in the UK of the additional costs and bureaucracy they would face if Britain withdraws from the EU without a deal.

Honda has warned a no-deal Brexit would cost it tens of millions of pounds in additional tariffs and would damage the competitiveness of its Swindon plant.

And Nissan, which employs 7,000 at Britains biggest car factory in Sunderland, has said that a sudden change to World Trade Organisation rules would have serious implications for British industry.

Car manufacturers are particularly exposed to any disruption to trade because of their just-in-time supply chains constantly moving parts around Europe.

G20 leaders including Theresa May attended a performance of dance and music at the Colon Theatre in Buenos Aires on Friday evening (G20 Argentina/PA Images)

Speaking ahead of bilateral talks on the margin of the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, Mr Abe told Mrs May: I would like to take this opportunity to express my tribute to your leadership in realising the Withdrawal Agreement as well as the EUs agreement on the Political Declaration.

Also I would like to once again ask for your support to avoid no deal, as well as to ensure transparency, predictability as well as legal stability in the Brexit process.

Mrs May assured him that the agreement she sealed in Brussels a week ago was a good deal for businesses in the UK, including the many Japanese companies who have made significant investment into the UK and who will be able to continue on the basis of our deal to trade well with the European Union from the UK.

The pair reaffirmed their commitment to work quickly to establish a new economic partnership based on the free trade deal recently completed between the EU and Japan.

Mrs May said she was looking forward to being able to discuss UK entry into the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) trade grouping of which Japan is a part.

"As our relationship with Argentina is developing and growing, Im particularly pleased to be the first serving British Prime Minister to visit Buenos Aires." - PM @Theresa_May at #G20Argentina pic.twitter.com/213gJYmBrC  UK Prime Minister (@10DowningStreet) December 1, 2018

Trade was top of the agenda for the Prime Ministers talks on the second day of the annual summit of major economies, as she met leaders of some of the countries with which the UK hopes to strike deals following Brexit.

Meeting with Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison, she welcomed work which is under way to lay the foundations for what Downing Street described as an ambitious post-Brexit free trade agreement.

Mr Morrison, who took office in August following the resignation of Mrs Mays university friend Malcolm Turnbull, said that the Prime Minister had shown great resilience and great determination on one of the most vexed issues I think there is.

He praised her determination to do that in typical British fashion with clear sight of the end goal and to bring some stability on what is a very difficult issue for you and your colleagues, adding: I think you know you have our strong support in continuing to bring it to a good resolution.

Mrs May was also meeting Canadian PM Justin Trudeau and Chilean president Sebastian Pinera.

A later meeting with Turkish president Recep Tayyip Erdogan is expected to focus on Ankaras investigation into the death of journalist Jamal Khashoggi at Saudi Arabias consulate in Istanbul in October.

On Friday, Mrs May delivered a robust message to Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman that the UK expected his country to co-operate fully with the Turkish probe and to conduct its own investigation in a credible and transparent way.

British officials said trade was not on the agenda for the talks with the Saudi heir apparent, known as MBS.

Mrs May shook hands with the Saudi prince, who was also berated by French president Emmanuel Macron in a terse conversation captured on video.

In the brief clip, shared widely on social media, the crown prince was seen telling the French president not to worry.

Mr Macron responded: I am worried You never listen to me, with Mr bin Salman replying: I will listen, of course. It concluded with Mr Macron saying: I am a man of my word.

Theresa May speaks during a plenary session at the G20 summit (G20 Argentina/PA)

Following Mrs Mays meeting with the Crown Prince, a Downing Street spokesman said: The Prime Minister stressed the importance of ensuring that those responsible for the appalling murder of Jamal Khashoggi are held to account, and that Saudi Arabia takes action to build confidence that such a deplorable incident could not happen again.

The spokesman said that Mrs May also set out the urgent need to bring an end to the conflict in Yemen and bring relief to millions threatened by famine, urging Saudi Arabia to engage in international talks next week in Stockholm.

On Friday evening, the leaders enjoyed a cultural event featuring 84 dancers and 75 musicians at Buenos Aires historic Colon Theatre.

They dined on Fuegian spider crab, avocado and almond brittle roll, followed by Argentine tenderloin beef, artichoke, morels and smoked creme fraiche with a dessert of berries from southern Argentina.
A Second World War veteran who was seriously injured in a violent robbery in his home has died.

Peter Gouldstone had been left badly hurt following the attack in north London last month.

The 98-year-old, who suffered severe injuries including two bleeds to the brain and extensive bruising on his body, died in hospital in the early hours of Friday.

No arrests have been made, but Scotland Yard said a number of active enquiries are in hand.

A 26in Panasonic TV and other personal possessions belonging to Mr Gouldstone were stolen from the house in Enfield during the robbery on November 6.

Detective Inspector Paul Ridley said: We are all shocked and saddened by the news of Peters death. It is the worst news for his family and for all those who cared for and knew him.

He said: I urge anyone who has information, no matter how small a detail, to search their conscience and contact police without delay.

I particularly want to hear from people that may have been offered the Panasonic television that was stolen, or who saw either people or vehicles in the vicinity of Evesham Road, Enfield, N11 that may have appeared out of place.

Police issued a picture of Mr Gouldstone when he was in hospital (Met Police/PA)

He asked that Mr Gouldstones family be left alone to grieve.

A 10,000 reward offered by Crimestoppers for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible for the attack remains in place.

Mr Gouldstone had lived in his terraced house for more than 60 years.

His son, former civil servant Simon Gouldstone, 67, said following the attack and before his fathers death that he had been left shocked.

He said: As a member of the family Im shocked, as a member of the human race Im lost for words at mans inhumanity to man, Im afraid.

He told reporters his father had worked on phone lines in Italy during the Second World War before going on to a career at the Post Office and retiring around 1980.

Neighbours in the quiet residential street expressed their shock.

One man, who did not want to be named, said the crime was unforgivable.

He said: Why? Why would someone do that to a 98-year-old? It doesnt make sense. This is unforgivable.

The 65-year-old, who has lived in the area for nearly 40 years, said he had not seen Mr Gouldstone in recent times but would remember him as a nice, friendly gentleman.

Patrick Stokes, who has lived on the street in Enfield for a year, said it was terrible news.

The 26-year-old carpenter said: I think its really safe round here, quiet and residential.

He said whoever is responsible must be caught soon, adding: They need to be brought to justice.

Former Conservative Party treasurer Lord Ashcroft, the founder of Crimestoppers, last month personally put up a reward of 10,000  matched by The Sun  for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.

On Saturday he tweeted that the veteran had died having never left hospital, and noted: The reward is still open.
Theresa May marked the 30th anniversary of World Aids Day by pledging the UKs continued support for tackling the disease globally.

Speaking from the G20 summit in Buenos Aires, she said: The UK is helping millions of people access antiretroviral therapy and supporting HIV prevention in some of the worlds poorest countries.

By working together we can end the stigma of HIV and eliminate HIV completely.

She added that December 1 was a day for remembering those who have lost their lives to Aids-related illnesses, as well as remembering to support those currently living with HIV.

The UK is helping millions of people access antiretroviral therapy and supporting HIV prevention in some of the worlds poorest countries. By working together we can end the stigma of HIV and eliminate HIV completely. #WorldAIDSDay  pic.twitter.com/bIt8UI2AUI  Theresa May (@theresa_may) December 1, 2018

Im proud that the UK has become one of the first countries in the world to honour the United Nations 90/90/90 target that is in relation to HIV diagnosis, treatment and viral suppression, she said.

The 90/90/90 target aims for 90% of people living with HIV to know their status, 90% of those diagnosed with HIV to receive antiretroviral therapy and 90% of all people receiving the therapy to have viral suppression.

Mayor of London Sadiq Khan marked the day by expressing his pride at the capital being the first world city to exceed UN targets for detecting, preventing and treating the disease.

His tweet added Our work doesnt stop there, announcing that London had been chosen for the first international gathering of the Fast Track Cities, an initiative to eliminate new cases by 2030.

Im proud London is the first city to exceed @UNAIDS targets in the fight against HIV.



Our work doesnt stop there - our citys been chosen for the first international gathering of the Fast Track Cities initiative to eliminate new cases by 2030. #WorldAidsDay https://t.co/McXjcx7lxp  Sadiq Khan (@SadiqKhan) December 1, 2018

Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said in a tweeted video: A future with no HIV infections is a real possibility.

The PrEP [Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis] drug trials have been a real breakthrough, he said, referring to a new drug that can be taken by HIV-negative people before having sex to prevent them contracting the virus.

On World AIDs Day we wear our red ribbons to remember those we have lost.



And in their memory we recommit to ending HIV infections once and for all.#WorldAIDSDay #RockTheRibbon pic.twitter.com/TQ4SQ05eTZ  Jeremy Corbyn (@jeremycorbyn) December 1, 2018

The statements of commitment come as sexual health charity the Terrance Higgins Trust (THT) called for an end to the stigma faced by people living with the virus.

A new survey of 1,350 people with HIV conducted by the charity, released to mark the 30th World Aids Day, found 50% of people said they had experienced discrimination because of their HIV status.

It also found fear of discrimination made 59% of those polled feel unable to talk openly at work about living with HIV and that many people with the virus said they had faced stigma across a number of settings.

THT said this is despite the medical progress over the last 30 years which means that people with the virus can live a long and healthy life.

Labour MP @lloyd_rm has told the House of Commons he is HIV positive. The MP for Brighton Kemptown said he had a duty as an MP to speak publicly about living with HIV. pic.twitter.com/92fZ3XQgQm  PA Media (@PA) November 29, 2018

And effective treatment means that the amount of virus in the body can be shrunk to undetectable levels  which stops the damage the virus can cause to the body and means the virus cannot be passed on to anyone else.

The charity said that misinformation around HIV still causes stigma, which impacts many people living with HIV.

It comes after Labour MP Lloyd Russell-Moyle announced that he is HIV positive during an emotional speech in the House of Commons.

The Brighton Kemptown MP is only the second MP to disclose he is living with the virus. He told the Press Association there were low level elements of stigma [surrounding HIV] in every day life.

Lloyd Russell-Moyle said there is still stigma surrounding HIV (Yui Mok/PA)

The new survey found that many people with the virus said they had faced stigma across a number of settings.

THT said that this is despite the medical progress over the last 30 years which means that people with the virus can live a long and healthy life.

And effective treatment means that the amount of virus in the body can be shrunk to undetectable levels  which stops the damage the virus can cause to the body and means the virus cannot be passed on to anyone else.

The charity said that misinformation around HIV still causes stigma, which impacts many people living with HIV.

The charity has launched its Zero HIV campaign to mark World Aids day, with the aim of ending new cases of HIV and eliminating stigma surrounding the illness.

Next year I'll be marking an anniversary of my own: 10 years since I became HIV positive, says @lloyd_rm MP.



Lloyd, from all the Terrence Higgins Trust family, we are so proud to call you a friend. Your leadership and openness today will help transform attitudes about HIV. pic.twitter.com/4qD7DlEJad  Terrence Higgins Trust (@THTorguk) November 29, 2018

We will celebrate the progress weve made in their memory, and we will stand shoulder to shoulder and continue to work together with one another to hit zero HIV transmissions and zero HIV stigma for good.
President Donald Trump has cancelled a planned news conference at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina.

He said he made the decision out of respect for the Bush Family after death of former President George HW Bush.

In a tweet, President Trump said he was very much looking forward to speaking with the news media before leaving the summit in Buenos Aires because we have had such great success in our dealing with various countries and their leaders at the G20.

He added: However, out of respect for the Bush Family and former President George HW Bush we will wait until after the funeral to have a press conference.

President Trump is scheduled to meet with German Chancellor Angela Merkel, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and Chinese President Xi Jinping before returning to Washington.
Shadow international development secretary Kate Osamor has resigned from the Labour front bench.

In a statement posted on her Twitter feed, Ms Osamor said was stepping down to concentrate on supporting my family at this difficult time.

The announcement follows a report that the Edmonton MP verbally abused a journalist from The Times who sought to question her about a court case involving her son.

Party leader Jeremy Corbyn said: I have accepted Kate Osamors resignation and would like to thank her for her work as our shadow secretary of state for international development.

She brought a new dimension to the role by committing Labour to tackling global inequality as well as poverty as part of building a world for the many not the few.

I know Kate will take this time to support her family, work for her constituents and support our partys efforts to rebuild Britain from the backbenches.

Edmonton Labour Party tweeted: Kate we know you will continue to be a fantastic MP, sticking up for the people of Edmonton.

The announcement comes after The Times reported that one of its journalists had approached Ms Osamor at her home to ask her about her son Ishmael after he was sentenced on drugs charges.

She is said to have told the reporter that she should have come down here with a bat and smashed your face in.

Kate Osamor sits next to Jeremy Corbyn in a shadow cabinet meeting (PA)

She was then said to have told him to f*** off, thrown a bucket of water over him and called the police after accusing him of stalking her.

In her statement Ms Osamor said: I am resigning my position as shadow international development secretary to concentrate on supporting my family through the difficult time we have been experiencing.

I remain fully committed to our programme for creating a society that works for the many, not the privileged few, and will continue to campaign for this from the backbenches.

Ishamel Osamor pleaded guilty at Bournemouth Crown Court to four counts of possession with intent to supply cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and cannabis.

On October 19 he was sentenced to a two-year community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and up to 20 rehabilitation activity days and ordered to pay 400 prosecution costs.

The Times reported that the prosecution accepted that he was looking after the drugs for friends and not selling them.
A police officer stabbed on duty has said he thought Im not going home tonight while being attacked.

Constables Kenneth MacKenzie and Laura Sayer were stabbed after going to a house in Greenock, Inverclyde, in June to assist a mental health nurse and doctor during an assessment.

William Taylor lashed out and stabbed Mr MacKenzie several times in the neck and body as he tried to disarm him.

He then cornered Ms Sayer and stabbed her in the neck and arm, before turning again on Mr MacKenzie who was going to the aid of his colleague.

Now, the officers have spoken out about their ordeal.

Mr MacKenzie told STV: He was frantically stabbing at me and I remember the thought going through my head was Im not going home tonight.

Taylor lunged after being told by the doctor he was to be sectioned under the Mental Health Act.

Mr MacKenzie said: I was on my back on the worktop and he was frantically stabbing at my body armour, at my neck, at my head.

I couldnt get any equipment out at that time to defend myself.

I was using my hands to push the knife away and my hands were all cut from the knife.

It was fear, panic, dread.

Ms Sayer, who started with the force just 12 weeks before the attack on June 1, told the broadcaster: He managed to back me up against a wall and was stabbing at my chest.

I was down on the floor and he was stabbing in at my head and at my arm.

She added: Its been extremely toughbut were both still here and the mental health nurse and the doctor are still alive and thats the main thing.

Taylor, who appeared in court charged with stabbing the two officers, has been detained for mental health treatment.

The officers with their bravery awards (Andrew Milligan/PA)

The two officers received further recognition for their bravery at the Scottish Police Federation awards earlier this week, along with Constable Finlay Dobson.

Constable Dobson raced to the scene and subdued Taylor until other officers arrived.

The three officers were also honoured at the Police Scotland Bravery and Meritorious Conduct Awards earlier this month.
Shadow international development secretary Kate Osamor has quit the Labour front bench following a row about her sons conviction for possessing drugs.

The MP was reportedly involved in an altercation with a journalist from The Times after he approached at her north London home for a comment about the case.

According to the paper, the 50-year-old told the reporter she should have come down here with a bat and smashed your face in.

She was then said to have told him to f*** off, thrown a bucket of water over him and then called the police after accusing him of stalking her.

In a statement posted on her Twitter feed, Ms Osamor said she was standing down to concentrate on supporting my family through the difficult time we have been experiencing.

She added: I remain fully committed to our programme for creating a society that works for the many, not the privileged few, and will continue to campaign for this from the backbenches.

The MP was reportedly involved in an altercation with a journalist from The Times (Chris McAndrew/UK Parliament/PA)

Party leader Jeremy Corbyn confirmed he had accepted her resignation and thanked her for her work on the international development portfolio.

I know Kate will take this time to support her family, work for her constituents and support our partys efforts to rebuild Britain from the backbenches, he said.

The Times said the journalist concerned had been seeking to ask her about previous comments made in relation to the conviction of her son, Ishmael Osamor.

Mr Osamor pleaded guilty at Bournemouth Crown Court to four counts of possession with intent to supply cocaine, MDMA, ketamine and cannabis.

On October 19 he was sentenced to a two-year community order with 200 hours of unpaid work and up to 20 rehabilitation activity days and ordered to pay 400 prosecution costs.

According to The Times, the prosecution in the case accepted Mr Osamor, who had been attending the Bestival music festival in Dorset, was looking after the drugs for friends and was not selling them.

Following his conviction, he stood down as a Labour councillor in the London borough of Haringey.

However Ms Osamor has faced questions as to why she continues to employ him in her parliamentary office in the House of Commons.

According to the Register of Interests of Members Secretaries and Research Assistants, he is listed as one of five staff members working for her at Westminster.

Ms Osamor was first elected as MP for Edmonton in the 2015 general election and was one of 36 Labour members to nominate Mr Corbyn in the leadership contest following Ed Milibands resignation.

In January 2016 she was made shadow women and equalities minister and the following June was promoted to shadow international development secretary after dozens of frontbenchers resigned in protest at Mr Corbyns leadership.

Earlier in the day, before her altercation with The Times reporter, she tweeted she had been out speaking to residents in her constituency about recent violent incidents.

In his statement, Mr Corbyn paid tribute to her work covering the international development brief.

She brought a new dimension to the role by committing Labour to tackling global inequality as well as poverty as part of building a world for the many not the few, he said.

Labour said shadow international development minister Dan Carden would be acting shadow secretary of state on a temporary basis.
Leaders of the Group of 20 have agreed to fix the world trading system  but only 19 of them will support the Paris accord on fighting climate change.

Applause rose up in the hall on Saturday as the leaders signed off on a final statement at the end of a two-day summit.

The statement acknowledges flaws in the world trading system and calls for reforming the World Trade Organisation (WTO)  but does not mention protectionism because negotiators said the US had resisted that.

The statement says 19 of the members reiterated their commitment to the Paris climate accord but the US reiterates its decision to withdraw.

The non-binding agreement was reached after difficult all-night talks by diplomats.

The US had been the main holdout on nearly every issue, officials previously said, as US President Donald Trump has criticised the WTO and taken aggressive trade policies targeting China and the EU.

"As members of the #G20, we have tried to push for a global governance that is fairer, more prosperous and more inclusive" Pedro Sanchez, Spanish Prime Minister.  G20 Italy (@g20org) December 1, 2018

China also pushed back in talks on steel, South Africa objected to language on trade, Australia did not want the statement to be too soft on migration and Turkey worried it would push too far on climate change, according to the officials.

According to European officials, the US negotiator said too much talk about migration would have been a deal-breaker for Mr Trump.

This led to them coming up with minimalist language that acknowledges growing migrant flows and the importance of shared efforts to support refugees and solve the problems that drive them to flee.

The statement also shows a commitment to a rules-based international order, despite Mr Trumps rejection of many of those rules.

There were moments when we thought all was lost, one European official said, moments when we spent two hours on one sentence.

Perhaps surprisingly, one country seen as particularly constructive was Russia, the officials added.

Despite tensions over its military actions on Ukraine and political interference abroad, Russia supports international efforts on trade and climate.

Turkeys President Recep Tayyip Erdogan with Russian President Vladimir Putin (Mikhail Klimentyev, Sputnik, Kremlin Pool Photo via AP)

While a statement is not legally enforceable, the Europeans see it as proof the G20 is still relevant and multilateralism still works.

German Chancellor Angela Merkel said: Everyone agrees that the WTO should be reformed. This is an important agreement.

We will send a clear signal  in any case, most of us  for the success of global climate talks starting in Poland on Sunday, Ms Merkel added.

Her spokesman said that during a meeting with Russian President Vladimir Putin, she also voiced concern about rising tensions in the Kerch Strait off Crimea and pushed for freedom of shipping into the Sea of Azov.

Last weekend, Russia seized three Ukrainian naval vessels and their crews in an incident escalating a tug-of-war that began in 2014 when Russia annexed Ukraines Crimean Peninsula and supported separatist rebels in eastern Ukraine.

Germany and France have sought to mediate between Russia and Ukraine, and spokesman Steffen Seibert said Ms Merkel and Mr Putin agreed the four countries should hold further talks at the adviser level.

US President Donald Trump listens to Germanys Chancellor Angela Merkel (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Ms Merkel also said she hopes a meeting between the US and Chinese leaders will help resolve trade tensions between the two countries.

Mr Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping are due to meet on the sidelines of the summit in Buenos Aires.

Ms Merkel told reporters it is important the talks hopefully bring solutions, because all of us see that we are affected indirectly when Chinese-American economic relations are not as frictionless as a world order requires.

The divisions among the worlds leading economies were evident from the moment Argentinas president opened the summit Friday with a call for international cooperation to solve the planets problems.

In closing remarks, summit host and Argentine President Mauricio Macri said the countries had overcome a number of challenges to reach the agreement.

He said: We have agreed on a statement that reflects the necessity of revitalising trade, of revitalising the WTO.

We ratify the concern of everyone over climate change.

The next G20 summit is to be held in Osaka, Japan, in June 2019.
Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde said the upcoming match against Villarreal at the Nou Camp is fundamental as his side look to retake top spot in LaLiga.

Barcelona, who are without a league win in two games, are currently second in the table, one point behind leaders Sevilla, despite having scored more goals and lost fewer games than the top-placed team.

Valverde told the clubs website: We expect Villarreal to put pressure on us. They will battle for possession. They will want to leave Camp Nou with some points. This match is fundamental for us.

He added: Last season they created problems for us in circulating the ball, and now they have forwards who could complicate things in transition.

In terms of injuries, the boss gave little away on the current situation of Arthur Melo, saying: If hes on the squad list hes there to play, otherwise he wont be there.

We think well continue getting players back. The injuries were having is something that happens throughout a season and which we have to overcome.

Barcelona manager Ernesto Valverde (Adam Davy/PA)

Barcelonas opponents on Saturday are currently battling relegation, sitting just one place above the bottom three, and with only three more points than the sides in the relegation places.
Donald Trump will attend the state funeral for George HW Bush, despite being vocal in the past of his criticism of much of what his presidential predecessor had stood for.

Mr Trump declared a period of national mourning and ordered American flags to be flown at half-mast for 30 days to honour a man of sound judgment, common sense and unflappable leadership.

Congressional leaders announced Mr Bush will lie in state in the Capitol Rotunda from Monday evening until Wednesday morning.

While Mr Trump spoke graciously, he has not always been so kind to Mr Bush or his family.

Mr Bush with his wife Barbara (Charles Krupa/AP)

He ran against one of Mr Bushs sons, Jeb, in the Republican presidential primaries in 2016, and was sharply critical of the two-term presidency of another son George W Bush.

Mr Trump shattered the unwritten norms of the small fraternity of Oval Office occupants by keeping up criticism of the Bushes from the West Wing.

The White House announced Saturday that the Trumps would attend the funeral at Washingtons National Cathedral.

The announcement marked a reversal from earlier this year, when the president was pointedly not invited to the funeral of former first lady Barbara Bush, the family matriarch and the late presidents wife of 73 years. Melania Trump attended instead.

Special visit today with a great friend -- and now, a best-selling author. Luckily I had a freshly laundered pair of @BillClinton socks to mark the occasion. pic.twitter.com/v9jb4sRexh  George Bush (@GeorgeHWBush) June 25, 2018

Mr and Mrs Trump said Mr Bush had inspired generations of his fellow Americans to public service.

The 25 years since Mr Bush left office featured his Republican Partys steady march away from his steely pragmatism and international partnership, culminating in the dramatic break from long-held Republican principles ushered in by Mr Trumps election. It coincided with a swing in the nation as a whole toward more tribal politics.

The Trumps were informed of Mr Bushs death at the age 94 late on Friday while in Buenos Aires, Argentina, for the Group of 20 summit of rich and developing nations.

I already miss the greatest human being that I will ever know. Love you Dad!  Jeb Bush (@JebBush) December 1, 2018

Statement by President George W. Bush on the death of his father, President George H.W. Bush https://t.co/wDD0vnlN8U pic.twitter.com/t7UsDYSKY8  George W. Bush Presidential Center (@TheBushCenter) December 1, 2018

Mr Trump said he spoke with former President George W Bush and former Florida Gov Jeb Bush to express his sympathies.

Sitting alongside German Chancellor Angela Merkel at the G20, he refused to answer whether he had any regrets over his past criticism of the Bushes. He did say that Mr Bushs death really puts a damper on his participation at the summit.

Mr Trump cancelled a planned news conference, tweeting that out of respect for the Bush Family and former President George H.W. Bush we will wait until after the funeral to hold one.

Trump also designated Wednesday as a national day of mourning. He encouraged Americans to gather in places of worship to pay homage to Mr Bushs memory, adding: I invite the people of the world who share our grief to join us in this solemn observance.

In August 2015, Mr Trump tweeted a dig at the Bush presidency writing: The last thing we need is another Bush in the White House. Would be the same old thing (remember read my lips, no more taxes). GREATNESS!

As a candidate, Mr Bush senior promised no new taxes but reversed himself in office.

Those harsh assessments were set aside in the Trumps comments Saturday.

President Bush guided our nation and the world to a peaceful and victorious conclusion of the Cold War, the Trumps wrote. As president, he set the stage for the decades of prosperity that have followed.

And through all that he accomplished, he remained humble, following the quiet call to service that gave him a clear sense of direction.

They wrote that those whom Bush had inspired to public service were illuminating the greatness, hope and opportunity of America to the world.
The Lancet studys finding that every eighth Indian dies due to air pollution better snap us out of our denial mode

Considering that most Delhiites heave a sigh of relief when the air quality index dips from the severe to very poor, it can be safely concluded that pollution has almost made them comatose about wanting to better their lives. Further confirming our moribund state, a recent research by Lancet has said that every eighth death in India is a result of air pollution, that about 80 per cent Indians are exposed to floating toxic matter and that Indians account for 26 per cent premature deaths and bear the heaviest disease burden of the world population. Still neither the Government, nor policy makers are able to enforce corrective measures despite trying desperately to get the momentum going. Clearly, we have reached a stage when we need to re-imagine our lives and mindsets completely in terms of environmental compliance though the revision of conveniences, as we know it, is not something that makes for either political or economic capital at the moment. There is no fear of penalty or fines, too, simply because carbon credits allow the polluting perpetrator to get away by providing for compensation while doing massive damage to the environment. The money might help in arresting the negative impact somewhat but cannot undo it completely. Besides, we have reached a dangerous tipping point where banning violative practices, no matter how draconian, is the only solution.

Of course, theres the other question of whether the compensation, assuming it is even paid, is actually used for restorative purposes. A classic case in Delhi is the National Green Tribunals imposition of a Rs 25 crore fine on the Delhi Government for not implementing the plastic-burning ban, and another Rs 25 crore as security deposit until it is enforced. Not only that, the administration is required to pay an additional fine of Rs 10 crore per month if the ban isnt imposed. But it has also armed the Government with an exit clause, allowing it the liberty to extract the money either from the perpetrators or officials who failed to perform their duty. This means the Delhi chief secretary will have to identify parties responsible for execution of orders and supervise the action taken, in this case a multiplicity of agencies like the environment department, civic bodies and DSIIDC. Recovery is a tall order in this long-winded system of redressal and the black fumes would have spewed more poison into the atmosphere by then. Despite being the most polluted city in the world, fires continue to rage in and around Delhi. Plastic burning, like that of stubble, continues unabated in NCR, sending up black plumes of smoke along roadsides. Waste segregation is still confined to residential rather than industrial areas. Illegal units in skirting villages continue to burn plastic, leather and motor engine oil despite the ban.

Although stubble burning, the main culprit of the pollutant overload, is on the wane now and some industries have been reined in, construction activities calibrated and commercial diesel vehicles regulated, there has not been a significant dip in air quality indices. This means that we urgently need to address the elephant in the room called vehicular pollution. According to EPCA, vehicles contribute 40 per cent of the total emission load in Delhi and around 30 per cent of emissions in the NCR. Whats even more worrisome is that unregulated private vehicles have led to a sharp spike in nitrous oxides and particulate matter, which directly impact our respiratory health. Given Delhis woeful lack of viable public transport infrastructure, any restriction overburdens the daily commuter, both in terms of cost and productivity. We need alternate transit and encircling routes like some world cities have done, and besides targetting diesel, must rein in two-wheelers. Further, the rollout of electric and hybrid cars has to be incentivised and backed up with allied infrastructure if it is to appeal to buyers. Conscientious green living is the only rescue pod if we are to add years to our lifespan. Those dying of pollution had not even made it to 70!
India and the US are global partners in defence and regional security, a top US commander has said, as Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman toured the headquarters of the strategic Indo-Pacific command in Hawaii before concluding her maiden visit to America.

Sitharaman described her US visit as part of her endeavour to "take forward the bilateral defence cooperation".

Noting that the India-US relationship in defence has acquired the dimensions of a strategic partnership over the last decade, she said that the two countries have made considerable progress.

Sitharaman capped off her trip with a visit to Hawaii  the headquarters of what early this year was rechristened as US Indo-Pacific Command.

The US calls Asia Pacific as Indo-Pacific. It has renamed Pacific Command as Indo-Pacific Command or INDOPACOM.

"Our two democratic nations are committed to upholding a rules-based international order which has brought decades of peace, stability and prosperity. We are global partners on defence and security, and this exemplifies our mutual cooperation to assure a free and open Indo-Pacific," said US INDOPACOM Commander Admiral Phil Davidson.

US INDOPACOM, at the conclusion of Sitharaman's visit, said that this partnership was a reflection of the increasing strategic importance of the US-India security relationship and the progress both countries have made in advancing their defence cooperation.

The scope for mutual coordination and collaboration in the Indo-Pacific region continues to grow. Air forces of India and the US are currently conducting a 12-day military exercise in Kalaikunda and Panagarh air bases in West Bengal, with an aim to enhance operational coordination, Indian officials said.

The 'Ex Cope India-18' will be the fourth edition to the series of bilateral drills between the Indian Air Force and the US Air Force.

Meeting her American counterpart at the Pentagon on Monday, Sitharaman said the recent high-level meetings are an indication of the depth and quality of "our bilateral partnership, as well as our mutual desire" to work closely on a range of bilateral and global issues.

While no announcements were made with regard to shifting of F-16 production base to India or deals in armed drones, officials privy to the high-level talks said: "US is leaning a way forward" in meeting India's needs and aspirations in the defence sector and is taking steps that would help it achieve its strategic goals.

There is a "mutual desire to move positively and quickly" in defence relationship, Sitharaman told reporters at the Pentagon on Monday, which was also her only media interaction during the visit.

In one month, Prime Minister Narendra Modi met Vice President Mike Pence and then US President Donald Trump and Japanese Prime Minister Shinjo Abe in a trilateral meeting wherein Indo-Pacific and regional peace was a discussed.

Early this summer, Mattis met Modi.

Sitharaman, India's first woman defence minister, was accorded a red-carpet welcome during her maiden visit to the US in this capacity wherein she was given a rare look-in and briefing into the various aspects of US armed forces, defence industry and the ecosystem that the US has developed over the last few decades involving the military, strategic thinking community, research and industrial base.

In San Francisco  the hub of innovation and starts-ups  Sitharaman and her delegation was given an insight into the American defence research set-up and the best defence practices that can be adopted by India.

The current situation in the Indo-Pacific region was the topic of focus during Sitharaman's meetings with US leaders, besides which a wide range of issues was covered, including the situation in Afghanistan, Pakistan, recent developments in Sri Lanka, Maldives and quick co-ordination between the two powerful armies for peace purposes, officials said.

Issues like CAATSA and purchase of major defence equipment from Russia including S-400 did crop up during the meeting, but the Americans gave an impression that the Trump administration is "eager than ever" to enhance its defence trade and strategic ties with India.

While making it clear that India can buy weapons from any country it sees fit, the American leadership suggested the Asian nation to select the US over other countries.

Some of the existing rules, regulations and legislations have slowed the process of defence acquisition from the US, the Indian delegation said.

This was said despite major changes like India being accorded a 'major defence partner' status in 2016, placed in the STA-1 category this year and signing the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement in September.

Given India's geographical location, its representatives said they were willing to place orders for the latest military hardware and technology and not for anything else.

The officials said India does not want simple defence trade as co-development and co-production need to be essential in the India-US defence relationship.

The US appeared on the same page, but expressed their sense of frustration over India's defence procurement process.

China claims almost all of the resource-rich South China Sea and has also laid claims on the Senkaku islands under the control of Japan in the East China Sea.

Vietnam, the Philippines, Malaysia, Brunei and Taiwan have counter claims over the South China Sea.

The US is periodically deploying its naval ships and fighter planes to assert freedom of navigation.
The Uttar Pradesh Government on Saturday transferred Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Krishna Bahadur Singh to the DGP office in Lucknow, five days after two people, including police inspector, were killed in violence in Syana police station area in Bulandshahr over the alleged cow slaughter.

On Friday night, the UP Government had transferred the Circle Officer of Syana, Satya Prakash Sharma, and Chingravati police outpost in-charge Suresh Kumar.

Meanwhile, Armyman Jitendra Malik, known as Jitu Fauji, who is alleged to be behind the killing of inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, was arrested by the Armys 22 Rashtriya Rifles (RR) from north Kashmirs Sopore, where he is posted, on Saturday. Malik has been shifted to Srinagar.

The accused soldier will be handed over to UP Polices Special Task Force for further investigation, said police.

UP Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar on Saturday said that the Bulandshahr SSP will be replaced by Sitapur SP Prabhakar Chaudhary.

Additional Director General (ADG) Intelligence SB Shiradkar had on Friday submitted a report on the Bulandshahr violence. The transfers are understood to be in line with the findings of the report on police handling of the situation.

On December 3, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a local youth, Sumit, were killed in violence over the alleged cow slaughter incident in Bulandshahr. The inspector and his team had gone to the village to tackle the violence when they came under attack.

The UP Police has arrested nine accused in the Bulandshahr case but the main conspirator, Yogesh Raj, the district convener of the Bajrang Dal, is on the run.
Armoured vehicles rolled through central Paris on Saturday as riot police clashed with and arrested yellow vest protesters, who set fire to barricades and hurled rocks in the latest demonstrations against President Emmanuel Macron.

Shouts of Macron, resign mingled with tear gas on the Champs-Elysees avenue, which was the scene of the worst rioting in Paris in decades last week. Thick plumes of black smoke from fires could be seen rising high into the sky over the city.

Meanwhile, around 70 people were arrested on Saturday in the Belgian capital Brussels during copycat yellow vest demonstrations rocking neighbouring France, Belgian police said.

The area housing European institutions including the offices of the European Commission and the European Parliament was sealed off as a precautionary measure.
Liquor, drugs use during elections worrying factor

Besides the failure of demonetisation to check the rampant use of black money in the just-concluded Assembly elections in the five States, the alarming haul of drugs and narcotics has been the most worrying factor. From heroin to brown sugar to anti-depressants, the `17-crore haul indicated how deep the problem is. As for the cash recoveries by the Election Commission (EC), barring Chhattisgarh, the seizures  besides gold and silver  almost doubled since the last Assembly polls in the other four States this time.

Of the seizures of over `300 crore, `170 crore was cash, with Telangana leading the way accounting for `115 crore. The Assembly polls in Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram was thus one heady mix of cash, jewellery, liquor and drugs/narcotics.

Interestingly, Chhattisgarh is the only State where overall seizure of cash, jewellery, drugs and liquor is lower this year as compared to the last Assembly polls in 2013.

As per the ECs data, apart from the recovery of unaccounted `300 crore cash from the five States during the election campaign, jewellery, gold, silver and platinum accounted for `25.39 crore.

Booze flowed freely in the States as the recoveries were whopping 17.29 lakh litres worth `53.51 crore. The value of other items, including vehicles and illegal arms, stood at `31.35 crore.

But then, besides liquor, the new and the most disturbing trend that was observed this Assembly election was the use of drugs and narcotics in the five States during polls. The haul included brown sugar, smack, opium, ganja, cocaine, denatonium benzoate, methamphetamine, heroin, tablets of antidepressants Alprazolam and Tramadol. All this worth `16.85 crore.

In Telangana, the ECs seizure stood at `137 crore which included `115.16 crore in cash and 689 gram diamond, 147 gram platinum, 18 kg gold,106 kg silver worth `6.70 crore. As much as 3,754 kg drugs (ganja, denatonium benzoate, cocaine, brown sugar, opium, afeem doodh) were seized since the announcement of election schedule in the first week of October.

Former Chief Election Commissioner OP Rawat has pointed out that demonetisation didnt reduce the use of misuse of black money in elections. Apart from cash, over 10 lakh litres of liquor worth `15 crore was seized across Telangana over the last one month.

The amount of money seized this year is nearly `50 crore more than the amount seized during the 2014 Assembly elections held for the combined Andhra Pradesh.

According to the Commission, it has made seizures worth `72.29 crore unaccounted money in MP during polls. This included `30.93 crore in cash; 5.98 lakh litre of liquor worth `14.27 crore and 341 kg of drug worth `5.80 crore. Apart from that, 27 kg gold jewellery, 1,024 kg silver jewellery and 153 moti worth `10.47 crore apparently meant for luring voters has been seized during MP polls campaign this year.

During the last year, the total seized money in cash was `257.61crore here. As per data, 652 actions were taken by Income Tax Department which led to surrender of `50 crore in the State.

In Rajasthan, the Commission made seizures of nearly `86. 46 crore which included `15.04 crore in cash; 6.04 lakh litre of liquor worth `39.49 crore; 38,572 kg drugs/narcotics including 5 lakh tablets of anti-depressants Alprazolam and Tramadol, 668 kg ganja, 21 kg opium, 23413 kg doda posth, 200 gram brown sugar and 8 kg smack. Apart from that 18 kg gold ornaments, 700 kg silver worth `7 crore was also seized in Rajasthan. There is rise of 40 per cent of seizure money and valuables since 2013 polls.

Interestingly, as per data, number of total amount of money seized in Chhattisgarh is lower this year as compared to last Assembly polls in 2013. Nearly `14.28 crore was seized in the State including `5.38 crore in cash besides 1.37 lakh litre of liquor worth `2 crore; 22.16 kg ganja; 37 kg silver and 500 gram fold items and other items worth `6.64 crore. During the last Assembly polls, seizures worth `16.8 crore including cash, liquor and drugs was seized in Chhattisgarh.

As far as Mizoram is concerned, seizures worth `5.50 crore were made which include `43 lakh in cash; 20 kg drugs/narcotics including 998 gram heroine and 10.08 kg of methamphetamine.
The formidable Indian Army has got a fillip on Saturday when living up to its reputation of being a production line of officers, the Indian Military Academy (IMA), Dehradun provided 347 young officers to it after a spectacular Passing out Parade (PoP). Apart from them, 80 Foreign Gentlemen Cadets (FGC) belonging to some friendly countries also passed out from the portals of the esteemed academy. These officers were part of 143 Regular and 126 Technical Graduate Courses of IMA.

Against the backdrop of the rising sun, the parade led by the Gurvir Singh Talwar marched to the drill square of the historic Chetwode Hall.

The parade marched in perfect harmony to the tunes of Col Bogey and Sare Jahan Se Acha. The synergy and enthusiasm of the cadets during the parade was regularly applauded by the audience which consisted of military officers, their families, Government officers and the family members of the newly commissioned officers.

A ceremonial Guard of Honour was presented to the Chief Guest and Reviewing Officer (RO), the Vice Chief of Army Staff, Lieutenant General, D Anbu, the IMA Commandant Lt Gen S K Jha and the Deputy Commandant IMA, Major General J S Nehra.

In a departure from norms, retired officers like Col Rakesh Nayar, Major Gen Rajendra Singh, Lt General K K Khanna and Lt Gen G S Negi were also provided ceremonial welcome in recognition for their services to the academy.

After the parade, the RO presented awards to the GCs. The prestigious Sword of Honour and Gold medal for standing first in the order of merit in Regular Course were presented to Arjun Thakur who also commanded the parade.

The Silver medal for clinching the second slot in the overall merit in Regular Course was handed over to Gurvir Singh Talwar while the Bronze medal for GC standing second in order of merit from the Regular Course was presented to Guruvansh Singh Gosal.

In Technical Graduate Course, Harsh Bansiwal was presented with the Silver medal for emerging first in the overall merit.

Bishal Chandra Wajee of Bhutan was bestowed with the Silver medal for being the best Foreign Gentlemen Cadet (FGC) of the PoP. The Chief of Army Staff banner was handed over to the Sangro Company for standing first among 16 companies of academy in the autumn term-2018.

Audience were thrilled when three Cheetah helicopters flew past the drill square, throwing petals over the marching contingent when it entered the Chetwode building for the ceremonial Antim Pag (last step). This step marks their metamorphosis into officers of the Indian Army from the cadet of the academy.

After the PoP, the contingent headed to sprawling Somnath stadium for pipping ceremony where proud parents put epaulets of officers on the shoulders of the young officers. After this ceremony was over, the young officers took oath to serve the nation while the stadium erupted in celebration as the young officers celebrated their new status as officers of the India Army following an arduous training.
The South East Central Railway (SECR) has put the Bilaspur-Jharsuguda fourth railway line project on fast track .

The Central Government has offered a budget grant of Rs2202 crores for laying new railway tracks in the South East Central Railway (SECR) zone during financial year 2018-19, officials informed.

As many as five new railway line and six track doubling projects are in different stages of execution which fall partly or fully in the State of Chhattisgarh, the Union Railway Ministry has informed.

Therefore, 19 projects of new lines and double tracks having a total cost of Rs23,710 crore are in different stages of execution which fall partly or fully in the State of Chhattisgarh. The aggregate length of these projects is around Rs2,742 Km.

The project of new railway line with electrification from Katghora- Mungeli-Kawardha-Khairagarh-Dongargarh Corridor (255 km) besides Katghora to Kartala (22 km) will be implemented at a total cost of Rs4821 crore which is being developed by Chhattisgarh Railway Corporation Limited (CRCL), a Joint Venture Company of Ministry of Railways and Government of Chhattisgarh.

On the other hand, the Chhattisgarh East Railway Ltd (CERL) and Chhattisgarh East West Railway Ltd (CEWRL) have sought forest land diversion of 26.52 hectares in Raigarh district for laying railway track in the East Rail Corridor from Kharsia to Gurda and Ghargoda to Gare Pelma in Raigarh district to be used for freight and passenger service, officials informed.

The Proposed rail corridor is being planned in view of very high increase in coal movement and anticipated increase due to construction of thermal power plants in north-west and central India and to facilitate movement of passengers resulting in development of area.

An Addendum and Corrigendum to the Concession Agreement between South East Central Railway (SECR) and Chhattisgarh East Railway Limited (CERL) for Phase-I of East Rail Corridor project has been signed on March 21, 2017, officials informed.

The concession agreement between SECR and CERL was signed on June 12, 2015. However, due to better operational issues, the project now includes feeder lines to ensure end to end connectivity from coal mines to end users premises.

This is considered to be a significant milestone in ensuring faster implementation of the East Rail Corridor Phase-I project which will also ensure availability of Rail system to the remote villages of Raigarh district of Chhattisgarh.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday finally shifted Bulandshahrs Senior Superintendent of Police Krishna Bahadur Singh, five days after the violence in Syana police station area over alleged cow slaughter that left two, including an inspector, dead.

Singh was attached to the DGP office on Saturday morning.

On Friday night, the government had transferred Circle Officer of Syana, Satya Prakash Sharma, and Chingravati police outpost in-charge Suresh Kumar.

All these officers were shifted on the basis of ADG (Intelligence) SB Shirodkars report which reportedly mentioned that had the cops acted promptly, the untoward incident could be averted.

However, what surprised many officers was that the government spared the District Magistrate and local administrative officers and took no action against them.

Not only this, the government posted controversial IPS officer Prabhakar Chaudhary as the new SSP of Bulandshahr even when the said officer not only failed to control sensational crimes in Sitapur, from where he was shifted to Bulandshahr, but also remained a mute spectator when his own staff was assaulted by some lawyers in Sitapur in his presence.

In another incident, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had served a notice on the government regarding inaction of Sitapur police in taking action against the accused involved in a rape attempt which led to an attack on the life of the victim.

Sources said that Chaudhary was given the charge of Bulandshahr as the government was under pressure of the lawyers, who were on strike demanding his removal from Sitapur.

The government decided to hit two birds with one stone by posting Chaudhary as SSP Bulandshahr and replacing him with LR Kumar, thus silencing the advocates and also sending a message that action had been taken against officials in the Bulandshahr incident.

The ADG (Intelligence) had submitted his report on the violence to the Chief Minister on Friday night after he returned from New Delhi.

Meanwhile, the sleuths of Special Investigation Team as well as Special Task Force (STF) failed to make any further arrest in connection with violence or the cow slaughter case.

The police have arrested nine accused in the Bulandshahr case but the main conspirator, Yogesh Raj, who is district convener of Bajrang Dal, is on the run, the police spokesman confirmed on Saturday evening.

Meanwhile, tension prevailed in Jalaun after recovery of cattle carcasses in the district on Saturday.

Superintendent of Police in Jalaun, Arvind Chaturvedi, claimed that the carcasses were of cows kept in a gaushala (shelter home).

He further said that the cattle in the gaushala, which houses 500 cows, were either suffering from diseases or injuries sustained during road accidents. He ruled out the incident as that of cow slaughter.

A total of seven cow and calf carcasses were found in the area on Friday evening and they were buried soon after, Chaturvedi said, adding that the carcasses appeared to be about 15 days old.

The district police chief said the cattle had died in the gaushala run by Rajendra Gaudas, a local villager.

He said that Gaudas had been instructed to ensure proper disposal of dead cows and calves in future or stern action would be taken against him.

Security has been beefed up in and around the village to avert any violence, the SP added.
Defence experts on Saturday called for development of more indigenous equipment of Information Warfare in the country to build an edge against adversaries in the battlefield.

Participating in a discussion on Information Warfare- the new face of war, Lt General (Retd.) Vijay Oberoi said despite major advancements in the field, India was still banking on Information Warfare Techniques imported from other countries, which could be very fatal. He said that at a time when all forms of weapons, whether nuclear, conventional or sub conventional, were being managed by computers it was not good that we were still banking on equipment made by others.

In his address, Lt General (Retd.) RS Panwar said that while countries like US, China and Russia had already taken concrete steps to strengthen their Information Warfare techniques, India was still to take an appropriate call on it. He said that like Army, Navy, Air force, Space and Cyber Domain, it was also a part of the modern warfare.

Addressing the gathering, Lieutenant General (Retd.) SP Kochar said that Information Warfare must be seen as an enabler to support the Commander during the war operations. He also advocated that every Jawan who enters the training centre be IT qualified.

Meanwhile, the major factors which triggered the 1962-Indo-China war were discussed at length during a panel discussion - Over Hang Of The Sino-India War Of 1962 And Today--by former top army officials, film-makers and military authors.

The panelists included Major General (retd) G.G. Dwivedi who retired as Assistant Chief Integrated Defense Staff (strategic), Major General P.J.S Sandhu (retd) veteran of 1971 Indo-Pak war, Lieutenant General J. S. Cheema (retd), film-maker and military historian Shiv Kumar Verma and Claude Arpi, author of The Fate of Tibet.

Another session saw experts advocate a level playing field for private entrepreneurs for boosting Defence production in the country in order to make the country self reliant in military hardware.

Taking part in a discussion on Military Industrial Base and Make in India, former Chief of Indian Army General (Retd.) VP Malik said that India was importing 14% of the total arms and ammunition globally, which was more than what China and Pakistan import collectively. He said that in 1992, the Defence Reseasrch and Development Organisation had chalked out a 10-year plan under which the then trend of 80% import of weapons and 20% export was to be reversed within ten years. However, General Malik said that in 2005 it was found that exports had increased to just 30% and imports had decreased to 70%.

In his address, Lt General (Retd.) KJ Singh also laid stress on status check and formulating future strategies on producing weapons under Make in India.

Vice Admiral (Retd.) HS Malhi called for a paradigm shift in Defence Production.

During a discussion on Armour Operations of the 1965 War, Lt Gen TS Shergill (Retd) said a mix of cohesive strategy and aggression paid dividends for India during the 1965 war with Pakistan.

DEFENCE EXPERTS BAT FOR DIRECT & OPEN CONNECT BETWEEN PUBLIC & ARMED FORCES

To ensure better interface between public and the armed forces, defence experts on Saturday emphasised the need to bring far more openness in defence matters to mobilise public opinion in the larger interest of national security.

They were also of the opinion that there should no politicisation of the defence forces, which was gradually creeping into the system.

This came out during an interactive session on RsValour, History, Politics and Media with columnist Vir Sanghvi on the second day of Military Literature Festival-2018 here at the Lake Club.

The panalists included Lt. Gen (Retd) N S Brar, Lt. General (Retd) T S Shergill, UK based Brig. Justin Maciejewski, NDTV Channel Head Arati Singh, besides Actors Sonu Sood and Gurmeet Chaudhary.

The defence experts also underscored the need to have direct connect between common masses and armed forces to realise the hardships faced by the army personal and their 24X7 arduous nature of duty to safeguard our borders from internal as well as external aggression.

Lt Gen. (Retd) N S Brar underlined the need for general debates in the public domain on matters related to National Security and defence forces. Thus, intimate interface was required more frequently between the Government and defence forces on issues of higher defence management, he added.

The panelists felt that regular media interaction should be held to dispel misconceptions while reporting military affairs far more accurately to ensure its credibility on the one hand and achieve the ultimate objective of national security on the other.

ACTORS HIGHLIGHT ROLE OF CINEMA IN PROMOTING PATRIOTISM

Dwelling on the role of cinema in portraying valour of the armed forces, the panalists and audience largely appreciated the contribution of Bollywood in producing films like Haqiqat, Border, Lakshay and the recently launched Paltan to showcase the gallantry deeds of our brave soldiers.

Participating in the discussions, actor Sonu Sood and co-star Gurmeet Chaudhary of Hindi movie Paltan, directed by JP Dutta, gave a brief account about an action-war drama based on incident of 1967 Indo-China. Sonu said the film vividly presented the real-time war account, thus portraying the patriotic spirit of Indian soldiers with the objective of imbibing the spirit of nationalism amongst the countrymen, especially the youngsters.

Several serving and retired military personnel, historians, foreign military delegates, academicians and students actively participated in the session.
Ahead of counting of votes scheduled for Assembly polls on December 11, Mahasamund District Electoral Officer (DEO) and Collector Him Shikhar Gupta on Saturday briefed the representatives of political parties and their agents on different aspects of counting of votes.

Listing out the directives of Election Commission of India for counting of votes, DEO Him Shikhar Gupta and Superintendent of Police Santosh Singh, urged the leaders of political parties to cooperate in peaceful and smooth conduct of counting.

The candidates, their representatives and agents assured for extending all cooperation to the administration. The officials also replied to the queries raised by representatives of political parties.Gupta spoke in detail about the series of processes adopted mainly for counting starting from opening of strong room to declaration of result and sealing of EVM after it. The whole process will be completed in presence of candidates.

Counting agents should not take pen, calculator, mobile, electronic device inside the counting room. They will be allowed the tabulation sheet and ballot account, Gupta said.

It was informed that first postal ballot will be counted at 8.00 am and then from 8.30 am counting from EVMs will be held.

Similarly, addressing a press conference here, Gupta said those having accredited by the Returning Officer will be allowed to enter the premises.

No static video-recording of counting of votes will be allowed, he said.

Meanwhile Bemetara District Electoral Officer and Collector Mahadeo Kawre also briefed the media on the preparations made for counting of votes.

He said that Bemetara district has three assembly constituencies having total of 850 polling centres.

The Saja constituency has 285 polling centres where 99 polling centres fall under Damdha assembly constituency of Durg while in Bemetara constituency there are total of 267 polling centres out of which 22 polling centres fall in Durg district. Navagarh constituency has 298 polling centres, he said.
The Raipur Municipal Corporation under the Smart City project will be outsourcing work for dispatch and delivery of e-Challans generated by the City Traffic System .

The Raipur Smart City Ltd is developing a Smart Parking System under Smart City Mission on Public Private Partnership (PPP) model, officials informed.One of the primary objectives of RSCL is to develop Smart Parking. Smart parking can be defined broadly as the use of advanced technologies to help motorists locate, reserve, and pay for parking.

The project includes implementation of Smart Parking technology solutions, to provide information on the availability of parking slots in real time, Monitoring of entry and exit, Card based and other payment options, Mobile App based parking guidance system.

Notably, Raipur city was selected among 100 cities to be developed as smart city in India due to various achievements, initiatives and all-inclusive approach.

Accordingly, Raipur city had submitted Smart City Proposal (SCP) for Raipur City to Ministry of Urban Development, Government of India with required consent of Government of Chhattisgarh and statutory authority of Raipur Smart City.

The city of Raipur has been selected to be developed into a smart city under the fast track mode of first phase of the Smart Cities Mission.

The Smart City Proposal of Raipur includes the smart city solutions which involve the use of technology, information and data to improve infrastructure and services with in the city of Raipur (The Smart Solutions Projects).

Raipur City is also promoting Non-Motorised Transport (NMT) with dedicated pedestrianised corridors and enhanced walk ability options.

This was stated in the Smart City Proposal for Raipur submitted during Stage II of the Smart City Challenge of India Smart City Mission of the Union Ministry of Urban Development.

The NMT mode had been focussed to bring pollution levels further down in the city, officials informed.

The citizens of Raipur foresee themselves living in environmentally clean, socially cohesive, sustainable, using renewable energy sources, utilizing scientific water and waste management, employing smart transportation and a safe city with a responsive Smart Governance Framework.
Haryana Government on Saturday said it has accorded administrative approval to three projects of widening with hard shouldering, construction and strengthening of roads in three districts-- Jind, Ambala and Kurukshetra.

Proposals to this effect have been approved by the Chief Minister Manohar Lal, an official spokesman said, adding that the government has also accorded administrative approval to Rs 112.04 lakh for widening with hard shouldering and construction of road from Dalamwala Hotel to HUDA Sector 7 and 8 up to Western Yamuna Canal at Jind in district Jind. The total length of proposed road is 1.01 km.

The government has also accorded administrative approval to Rs 116.38 lakh for widening with hard shouldering and strengthening of link road from State Highway-01 to Meerpur via Barauli in district Ambala. The total length of this road is 3.31 km.

The spokesman said that the government has also accorded administrative approval to Rs 15.16 lakh for widening with hard shouldering of Thanesar Jhansa road to Ajrana Khurd in district Kurukshetra. The total length of this road is 0.750 km.

Similarly, the Government has accorded administrative approval of Rs 104.76 lakh for providing paver block of link road from NH-73 to PHC Pathereri in district Ambala.
One-day workshop concludes

Indore: A one day workshop of first year BSc (Agriculture) students was successfully conducted on Flat Bed Composting: An Advanced Technique for Organic Farming. Expert Dinesh Gurnani (Organic Consultant and CEO of Krishi Vatika) explained the basic concepts and the benefits of organic farming and flat bed composting.

Students of BSc (Agriculture) have got the practical experience of flat bed composting with proper steps on agriculture field under the guidance of Gurnani.

SBPS among top 20 schools in india

Bhopal: Sagar Public School, Gandhi Nagar has featured amongst top 20 CBSE schools of India. The same was announced in Education Today  India School Merit Awards 2018-19 in Bengaluru on Saturday.

The school has also been ranked as No 1 School of Madhya Pradesh and No 1 in Bhopal for its exemplary contributions to education field. The award and certification was presented by Anil Sharma, Managing Director, VAK Education Today Pvt Ltd and Dharani Upadhyay, Co-CEO Furtados School of Music in a ceremonial function to Jaishree Kanwar, Principal and Manish Chandra, Manager Administration, Sagar Public School, Gandhi Nagar. Speaking on the occasion, Kanwar said, We are honored to receive the award and certification for featuring amongst Top 20 CBSE schools of India and dedicate the award to students, teachers, parents, staff members and to everyone who has joined and supported us in our endeavors. Sudhir Kumar Agrawal, Chairman, Sagar Group has congratulated the Sagar Public School Team for the achievement.

guv opens super speciality care at hospital

Bhopal: Governor Anandiben Patel inaugurated Super Speciality Care Unit at Peoples Hospital today. Mementos and citation letters were presented to 19 students of 9 colleges run by the Peoples group on securing secured first positions during the annual function organized on this occasion.

Patel said that trained person in various skills of the medical education can only treat diseases correctly. She further mentioned that mostly women come across with the problem of anemia and TB. Hence, everyone should spread awareness also by paying special attention to this problem.

While presenting a report, the Vice Chancellor of the Peoples University informed about the achievements of the university. He informed that 1,100 people have been selected till date under the Ayushman Yojana of the Prime Minister and medical treatment will be given to them at the Super Specialty Care Unit. Along with this, the university has conducted sanitation and health programme by adopting Ratwa village and special activities are being carried out in the field of TB and Anemia. Besides, the Vice Chancellor has told that free medical treatment has been given by his institute to 32.35 lakh people in the past. Research work is going on constantly in connection to various diseases in his institute, he added.

counting of votes to begin from 8 am

Bhopal: As per the directives of the Election Commission of India, the counting of votes will begin from 8 am in all 51 counting centers in the Legislative Assembly Elections 2018. During the counting process, at the end of the every round of counting from the EVM machines, the results will signed and then announced by the observer and concerned returning officer. Along with this the announced results will be displayed on the display board put up at the counting room. The round-wise counting results will be announced through public address system.

The round-wise result sheet will also be given to the candidate and his agent and to give information to the media, the counting of the results of each round will be given to the media room created in the premises. Information about the round-wise counting results will also be uploaded by the Returning Officer on the Commission's counting software.

It has been directed by the Commission that the counting of the next round will not start till the counting of the first round ends and its results are displayed. All the above procedures shall be enforced by returning officer.

Min expresses grief over litterateurs demise

Bhopal: Public Relations Minister Narottam Mishra has expressed deep condolences over the passing away of veteran litterateur, journalist and Padmashree Shyamlal Chaturvedi, resident of Bilaspur. Mishra said that Chaturvedi succeeded in creating a distinct identity in the field of writing throughout the country along with undivided Madhya Pradesh. He said that Chaturvedi, who was Chairman of Chhattisgarh Rajbhasha Aayog, made significant contribution in the promotion of regional dialects.

PR Minister Mishra prayed to the Almighty to grant peace to the departed soul and strength to the sorrowing family to bear the loss.
Comedy is a form of art and everyone loves a good dose of laughter. It was a laughing riot when Sorabh Pant performed at the Jharkhand Literary Meet on Saturday at Audrey House in the States Capital.

The audience had a difficult time keeping a straight face as he managed to crack them up after each sentence. Taking a dig from the right wing to the left wing, he covered them all. In between he also managed to scandalise the listeners with his sexual overdose. For once demonetisation was not disheartening but had one and all rolling on the floor.

Performing first time in Ranchi, Pant was greeted with a lot of cheer and enthusiasm. The young and energetic stand- up comedian had the crowd in splits for a good 60 minutes. In a one to one interactive session with the audience, apart from the youngsters, the elderly also spoke aloud about the changes comedy has been through over the years. The industry of stand- up comedians though still in its early stages is already facing defamation.

Sorabh Pant is an Indian stand- up comedian and writer. This 37 year old has been rated amongst the top-10 comedians in the country. His first comedy special Pant on Fire has been staged in various cities across India. Travelling Pants- another comedy special debuted at Indias premier comedy venue- The Comedy Store. Pant is also the founder of The East India Comedy which is the countrys busiest comedy company. Sorabh has also authored three books- The Wednesday Soul. Under Delhi and Pawan: The Flying Accountant.
An under-trial prisoner (UTP), who had been arrested in connection with a rape case, escaped while undergoing treatment at the PRM Medical College Hospital here in the wee hours on Saturday.

The UTP, identified as Kanhu Charan Marandi of Badasahi block in Mayurbhanj district, had been lodged at the Baripada Circle Jail.

Sources said Marandi had been admitted to the hospital due to illness two days back. He absconded from the hospital on the pretext of going to toilet at around 4 am on Saturday.

Taking action in connection with the incident, the jail authorities suspended two warders, Satyabrata Behera and Manas Ranjan Rout, for dereliction in duty as they were in charge of security for the UTP.

Meanwhile, police launched an operation to nab the absconding accused.
Following the hue and cry over the alleged sexual harassment of inmates in a shelter home in Dhenkanal district, the Central Government on Saturday ordered a probe into the allegation.

Union Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi asked the district administration and the National Commission for Protection of Child Rights (NCPCR) to inspect all such shelter homes in Odisha.

In a letter to Chief Minister Naveen Patnaik, Gandhi stated, I have asked Secretary, Ministry of Women and Child Development, Government of India, to get an inquiry conducted in the case.

Stating that she was profusely aggrieved, Gandhi said, It is shocking that such horrors were being carried out in a location which is situated only 10 km from the Dhenkanal district Collectorate and SP office.

She further stated, wondering, How Good News India was running these homes for past two years without registration under Juvenile Justice (Care and Protection of Children) Act, 2015.

Odisha Women and Child Development Minister and district Child Protection Officer have confirmed that the licence for this shelter home had expired last month. This is a gross violation of the Integrated Child Protection Scheme (ICPS) and highlights lack of oversight by the State Government authorities on statutory compliance for running a shelter home, she further wrote in her letter.

Gandhi stated she got horrified to learn that the NGO in question is currently operating more than 25 shelter homes in Odisha.
Industries in Odisha are facing serious shortage of coal which affects the operations of many captive power plants (CPPs). Unless the issue is addressed forthwith, it would hit the future of many major stakeholders, ultimately affecting the overall industrial growth under the long-term vision of Make in Odisha.

This concern was highlighted by industry leaders at a workshop on Dialogue for Coal Security for Odisha-Based Industries organised by the Utkal Chamber of Commerce and Industry (UCCI) here on Friday.

UCCI president Ramesh Mahapatra set the context of the event by deliberating on the demand-supply gap in coal. He said, Odisha is one of the largest coal-producing States. However, it is unfortunate that our own coal-based industries are not getting priority in our own land. It is a serious concern for all of us; and we should take up the issue at appropriate forums at the State and national levels with the help of the key stakeholders.

We have already taken up the issue with the State Chief Secretary and requested the Government to intervene. For the larger benefit of our own industries, if required, the Utkal Chamber shall represent the issue with the Union Coal Minister, he added.

Vedanta Limited CEO Abhijit Pati appreciated the UCCIs initiative for giving the industries such a platform to deliberate on the issue. He said the vision of Make in India and Make in Odisha can be stellar successes when the industries, producers, manufacturers and MSMEs operate at their fullest potentials as they contribute largely to the exchequer as well as to the socioeconomic development of the State. Due to coal scarcity, power plants are operating at 60-70% of their installed capacity which is ultimately hampering the interests of the State and the nation.

SS Upadhyaya from JSL raised the issue linked with transportation of coal to the designated plants. Non-materialisation of rakes is worsening the coal crisis. Imported coal often lies stagnant at Paradip, Dhamra and other ports as there are no rakes to transport it. Industries are operating with coal inventory of as low as three-four days, which is extremely stressing for their operation, he said.

If bigger industries are facing huge losses because of this, one can imagine the situation of MSMEs. Coal security of industries needs to be the priority for the State, he said.

A significant chunk of the companies participating in the workshop were captive power producers and major coal users across diverse industry sectors like primary aluminium, iron, steel, cement, paper, fertilisers, etc. Senior management executives and top brass of more than 20 of the States biggest business houses, producers and manufacturers like Vedanta, Nalco, JSL, Hindalco, Tata Sponge, JK Paper, Facor Power participated in the dialogue.

In fact, Odishas coal scenario today is quite paradoxical. Although the State is endowed with 24.52% of coal reserves and 15% of coal production in the country, the local industries have been striving for sustainability due to acute shortage in coal supplies.

The States total need is 80 million tonnes of coal, of which captive power producers need only nearly 40 MT for their consumption.

The Mahanadi Coalfields Ltd (MCL) produces about 140 MT, which can cater to the needs of the local industries. But the reality is that the entire industrial fraternity requiring coal suffers due to the acute shortage of the key raw material as the supplies to the CPPs by the Coal India is only 12-13 MT, which is 30% of the requirement.
The Special Task Force claimed to have busted a gang of paper solvers with the arrest of 10 persons for allegedly facilitating copying in the Group D exam conducted by the Railways Recruitment Board (RRB).

The arrests, including that of gang leader Rahul Kumar, were made from Kalyanpur area of Kanpur on Friday night, the STF officials confirmed.

Giving details of the breakthrough made by the Special Task Force sleuths, IG (STF) Amitabh Yash said that they were getting information that proxy candidates were being used for the recruitment examination conducted by RRB.

The STF team worked on the inputs and learnt that the gang provided proxy candidates who solved the papers for the original candidates. It was also confirmed that the gang used to take huge sum for providing the solvers.

The gang was also making huge money by leaking examination papers to candidates.

Yash said that on Friday night, the STF team conducted raids on some hideouts of the gang in Kalyanpur area of Kanpur and managed to arrest 10 members of the gang.

He said the team recovered eleven mobile phones, 21 admit cards, five blank cheques of SBI and HDFC banks and some other things from the possession of the arrested gang members.

Those arrested revealed their identities as Rahul Kumar (gang leader) hailing from Prayagraj district, Mahesh Kumar Yadav, Pravesh Yadav, Sunil Kumar, Lalit Kumar Yadav, all residents of Sopoul in Bihar, Ajay Kumar Tati, Vijay Kumar Malakar, both hailing from Nalanda district of Bihar.

Three candidates who were arrested are identified as Ajay Kumar Yadav, Ram Babu Pal, both hailing from Prayagraj, and Mukesh Kumar Singh of Gopalganj in Bihar.

Yash said that during interrogation, the gang members disclosed that Rs 5-6 lakh was charged from each candidate for taking the help of the gang.

Further investigations are on.
Tiny Tots from primary sections of the Campion School Arera Colony, Bhopal celebrated Cubbing Day Camp here on Saturday in the school campus.

The cubs at Campion Primary wing have a day camp where the cubs-young ones learn to be disciplined, trained to be more responsible. It was a day especially designed for scouts students. The Scout students participated in different games like dances, skit, advertisement with moral values, various competitions etc and upheld the spirit of brotherhood and love.

Cubbing Day Camp is a programme for fun and activity. Cubbing offers boys in their own community the opportunity to, work and play with others; develop responsibility, increase skills in hobbies and handicraft. Students make some promises on this day. This promise will assist them to develop a sense of Self-reliance, Religion equality, loyalty, obedience, unselfishness and of services to other.

The day began with the Lighting of the Lamp by the chief guest, principal father Fr Athnas Lakra SJ, along with Headmistress Sr Lily DSouza AC, Sr Cresentiya, Sr Chitra, Primary Staff secretary Lovina and Primary Scout in-charge teacher Miss Saba Begum. The programme was started through Prayer Session done by tiny tots of the primary section under the guidance of Prabha Mathew. A short Prayer Service organised for spiritual upliftment and to invoke Gods blessings.

Cubs Grand Howl was inspected by the Chief Guest. Baal Geet and Jhanda Geet were sung by the entire scout Cubs of the primary. The Grand Howl signifies to be ready to enter the world of responsibilities filled with challenges.
Two years after the surgical strikes carried out by the Army across the Line of Control, Lt Gen (retd) DS Hooda on Friday said it was natural to have an initial euphoria over the success but the constant hype around the operation was unwarranted.

Gen Hooda was the Northern Army commander when the surgical strikes were carried out on September 29, 2016 across the LoC as a response to a terrorist attack in Uri earlier that month.

The Army had said its special forces inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists waiting there to cross into Indian territory.

Gen Hooda was speaking during a panel discussion on the topic, 'Role of Cross-Border Operations and Surgical Strikes,' on the first day of Military Literature Festival 2018 here.

The discussion was attended by Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore amongst a battery of former Generals and Army Commanders. Many war veterans cautioned against "politicisation" of the military operations.

Responding to a question from the audience, General Hooda said in hindsight, it would have been better had we done it (surgical strikes) secretly. The aim of any such offensive had to be not only tactical but strategic too, which substantially hampers enemy morale, he said.

Citing the example of the 1981 Israeli air strikes on Iraqi nuclear sites, which had caused considerable damage, Lt General (retd) N S Brar underscored the need to ensure long-term impact on the enemy before undertaking any such operation in the future.

Cautioning the political masters against being adventurists, General Brar asked if the political masters would have taken responsibility had there been any causalities in the strikes.

Defence commentator Colonel (Retd.) Ajai Shukla cautioned against the recent trend to colour military achievements with political motives. He also underlined the need to maintain operational decency and sanctity of the operations undertaken by the defence forces.

The excessive publicity of the September 2016 strikes, which had in fact been a reactionary strike conducted after the Pathankot and Uri attacks on the Indian Army, had set a dangerous benchmark for the Indian political dispensation, which they would find difficult to maintain in the eventuality of future terror attacks.

Earlier, a two minute silence was observed in the memory of the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the service of the nation.

MLF, which is into its second edition this year, is organised to raise awareness among people about the legacy of the armed forces, and rekindle among youth the motivating spirit to join the Indian Army.

PUNJAB GOVERNOR INAUGURATES MLF

Earlier, Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore inaugurated the Military Literature Festival 2018 at the Lake Club Chandigarh and dedicated it to the valour of the over 74000 Indians who had laid their lives in the First World War.

Recalling the sacrifice of the Indian soldiers in the World War-1 and II, the Governor said, "This year also marks the centenary of the Great War of 1914-1918, a time for remembrance of the 74, 000 Indians who fell and 67, 000 others who were severely wounded, many of whom never recovered, and they lie in, or their ashes are interred in foreign fields".

Describing Punjab as the Sword Arm of the nation and the Tricity of Chandigarh as the retirement hub of military stalwarts, the governor said that on assuming charge of Administrator UT, he found that approximately 90 Lieutenant Generals and 133 Major Generals were living in the City Beautiful after retirement.

MARTIAL ARTS DISPLAY AND WEAPONRY EXHIBITION

The Military Literature Festival had Martial Arts display, weaponry exhibition of Operation Vijay, Military Art and Photography exhibition which were attractions for the visitors.

People thronged the Food Court, Martial Arts display, weaponry exhibition of Operation Vijay and Clarion call theatre during the sidelines of the festival.

The martial arts performed by the various regiments of the Indian Army viz. 22 Punjab, Gatka Group from Meerut Cantt, 18 Sikh, First Para Special Force regaled the audiences.

Performances of Gatka, Philippine Martial Dance, Khukhri Dance and other martial arts attracted visitors. The traditional Bhangra of Punjab made everyone tap their feet during the event.

Clarion Call Theatre recalled the capture of Tiger Hill and Raja Picket by the Indian Army during the Kargil war. It also showcased the heroic deeds of the Indian Air Force during the same war.

People were also attracted towards the weaponry exhibition in the festival, which highlighted the valiant deeds of 8 Sikh regiment during the conquest of Tiger Hill in Kargil War. The visitors evinced keen interest in the weapons, especially mortars, MMG, laser range radar, dragnov sniper rifle and others used by the Indian Army to defeat the enemy during the war.

Similarly, Military Art and Photography exhibition at the festival also attracted people during the event. People evinced a lot of interest in the rare pictures that were displayed during the exhibition.

HEROIC TRADITION IN HINDI LITERATURE

The session on Hindi Poetry on the theme of Hindi - the heroic tradition ( Vir Ras) in Hindi poetry saw a different flavour of patriotism added to the Festival by eminent TV personality and author Mrinal Pande, who threw light on the genesis of Vir Ras in Hindi Poetry and its importance in evoking a feeling of valour and bravery.

Chairing the session, she introduced the other participants, who included noted Hindi author and poet Ashok Chakradhar, who gave a dazzling illustration of the contribution of Hindi Poetry and literature in ancient, medieval and modern periods. He gave beautiful descriptions on various wars and battles fought, and narrated how the warriors inspired from the Vir Ras Poetry sacrificed their lives to the cause of the motherland. He amused the children present at the session with the recitation of various Hindi couplets ingrained with heroic fervour.

WRITERS, POETS & HISTORIANS DISCUSS DEVELOPMENT OF PUNJABI LITERATURE

The development of Punjabi literature and poetry during the period corresponding First World War was largely based on the stories, songs and folklores of the sufferings of the families of those Punjabi youth who were pushed into war by the prevailing circumstances. This came out at the MLF where writers and poets had converged to discuss the topic Punjabi Poetry, Literature and Folk Songs Fostered by the first world war.

At the very outset, the Editor of the Punjabi Tribune Swaraj B Singh said that Kissa Wadda Jung Europe by Hawaldar Nand Singh was probably the first recorded literature on the war. Likewise, he said that years later the eminent writer Mulk Raj Anand also threw light on the war in his novel The Sword and Sickle.
Tamil Nadu is infamous for vanished temple lands across the length and breadth of the State. But the situation in the State has deteriorated to such an extent that a former police officer has approached the Madras High Court with a complaint that a famous temple itself has been sold off by its hereditary trustees. The temple is situated at Nungambakkam, a posh residential locality in Chennai city and right close to the Hindu Religious Charitable Endowment Department, the government agency in charge of temples in the State. .

The Madras High Court early this year has directed the HRCE Department to furnish the whereabouts of 50,000 acres of prime temple lands which have been mysteriously disappeared from the documents and records.

The Agastheewarar Temple, a 400-year-old shrine has been sold off by the temple trustees without the concurrence and authorisation of the HR&CE Department, alleges Jebamani Mohanraj, the petitioner.

Mohanraj, a police officer who took voluntary retirement from Government service told The Pioneer that though he had filed a petition in the Madras High Court in 2014, the HRCE Department was deliberately delaying the case by not filing its response in spite of the directive by the court.

Mohanraj said that as per a Government order , no one could sell off temple properties. But this rule has been violated with impunity by the Dravidian parties ruling the State since 1967. About 300 grounds of land owned by the temple has been sold off with the connivance of the HRCE staff, he charged..

Land records available with the government state that the property belongs to the temple. As per market value, the land is worth Rs 1800 crore, said Mohanraj, who had also served the CBI as an investigator.

Mohanraj said though he took up the matter with the HRCE Department, it ignored his petition and that was why he approached the High Court. The HR&CE Department has been packed with atheists by the DMK as well as the AIADMK and the officials are continuing robbing temples across the State.

The modus operandi has been planned very intelligently by the trustees and the officials. The government survey records confirm that the land is registered with the temple. But in reality, the land is now owned by private citizens, he said.

The Madras High Court has adjourned the petition to January 11 since the HRCE officials failed to file the response in the past. I do not think they would file the affidavit this time too, said an exasperated Mohanraj. The report about the temple being sold off comes at a time when Madras High Court is hearing a series of petitions filed by Temple Worshippers Society highlighting the disappearance of temple lands, idols and antique statues and stone pillars from temples. The Madras High Court has extended the services of A G Pon Manickavel, Inspector General of Police (Temple Idol Theft Wing) who retired from Government service on November 30 for a period of one year to complete the investigation into the missing idols cases.
The fictionalised biography of Kasturba Gandhi shows how the transformation of Mohandas Karamchand Gandhi into Mahatma Gandhi happened with the support of a woman who was a silent partner in the struggle. It also offers a glimpse into how a strong woman can empower herself while staying within the folds of tradition. An edited excerpt:

In 1912, senior Congress leader and a prominent member of the Viceroy Council, Gopal Krishna Gokhale, was coming to South Africa for a month. Mohandas considered him his political guru. Actually, it was on his insistence that Gokhale was coming to South Africa to see the condition of the Indians there. He should see how the Government was applying anti-Girmitiya laws and making life very difficult for the Indians. Gandhi Bhai would update him regularly about whatever was happening in South Africa, so he knew quite a lot. Being a distinguished member of the Viceroy Council, he was given an official red carpet welcome in Cape Town.

British and Indians, both were present in the welcome ceremony. The way the Government had publicised his arrival led to a surge of hope among the Indians that their demands would be approved. But Kasturba was not among the optimists. She knew that after Gokhale leaves, Indians would be victims of official neglect once again.

The Government had put a railway car at his disposal. Mohandas and Kallenbach were on call for him. Gokhale had travelled extensively by railway car. Meeting almost all sections of society, he had taken detailed information and notes personally. He had two meetings with the highest officials of the South African Government. After the meeting, he told Mohandas that all matters had been settled. The Black Law will be abolished, racial discrimination will end and the three pound tax will be removed. Mohandas was not reassured by the promises given by the Government to Gokhale. He said, I know the Government here very well. I understand the mindset of the Ministers. Have they given anything in writing?

Gokhale said with complete assurance, Whatever I have said will definitely happen. General Botha has promised me. He gave Mohandas further personal assurance, Brother, you see after one year... you will have seen everything go right and you will come to India, no excuses then... Mohandas said with polite firmness, Forgive me, but I am not as hopeful as you are. Before I return, many Indians would have gone to jail. It is hard to know whether Gokhale took Mohandass words amiss or not, but he held his peace.

One day, very politely Gokhale ji criticised Mohandass hard stance and domineering nature, You always do things your own way. Based on his experience at Tolstoy Farm, he warned his disciple and friend that his personality, with its inexorable discipline and ruthless self sacrifice, becomes autocratic for everybody else. He said this like a brother citing his own example. But upon his return to India, when he heard that the Government of South Africa had gone back on its word, he saw light in Mohandass strong convictions and his moral leadership. He accepted before the public of Bombay, that Gandhi had an amazing spiritual energy to make even his ordinary functionary a sacrificing leader.

In 1913, Mohandas announced that he was moving the centre of the Satyagraha movement from Tolstoy Ashram to Phoenix. This made Kasturba happier than she had been in months. She was not in the least bothered that it meant moving her household again. This was a return home.

One day, Mohandas said to Kasturba, Do you know that very soon I will not be your husband or you, my wife? This conversation was taking place in the kitchen and Kasturba was making preparations for dinner and Mohandas was cutting vegetables. She was taken aback. She thought that perhaps she had not heard him properly. What are you saying?

I was telling you that very soon you will not be my duly married spouse. You will be considered my mistress. Kasturba thought he was teasing her. What an inauspicious thing to say... sometimes the things you say have no head or tail.

I am not saying this, said Mohandas very calmly, General Smuts says that our marriage is not legal. He is mad. He does not know what nonsense he is spouting. Where does he get his weird ideas from? She was not willing to talk about the Generals foolish pronouncements. Up to you, said Mohandas, But he and the Government are quite serious about this.

A Muslim woman had come from India to join her husband. She was stopped at the port. She had challenged this in court. The Supreme Court judge, Mr Surley, had given a judgment that a marriage that had not been conducted in the Christian tradition and if there was no certificate of marriage, it cannot be considered legal. In one fell swoop, ten thousand Muslims, Hindus, and Parsi marriages had been declared illegal and the children illegitimate. The children could not be legal heirs to the property of their parents. Wives would be banished from the country. Any soldier can come and sleep with any woman in the household.

Mohandas had written to General Smuts that the marriages in India, as per their religion, should be considered legal as they have all been conducted according to religious customs and tradition. South Africa is a colony of the British empire and the British officialdom recognises them. Therefore, the courts judgment should be rejected. His request was not accepted.

Kasturba was deeply troubled by this whole episode. What will we do now? she asked. Women will have to raise their voices against this humiliation. They will have to oppose it. He paused, You should go to jail, like the men. Kasturba thought he was joking. The idea of women going to jail was laughable, so she recovered her poise, You will send your wife to jail?

Shouldnt women be partners to the men in whatever happens? Sita took part in Rams struggles. Taramati took equal part in Harishchandras troubles. They bore incredible pain for their self respect and to protect what was good and true.

They were divine beings, we are ordinary mortals, countered Kasturba. They are still worshipped today. Would that be so, if they hadnt sacrificed so much for the truth? Mohandas was enjoying this discussion, We are the descendants of Ram and Sita. If we do the same, we will be known in the same way.

How will I live on jail food? That is not a big problem, said he in a neutral manner. Ask for fruits and manage. After all that I have heard from you about the officials in jail, how can I believe that they will make fruits available to me when I ask for them?

Perhaps not, said Mohandas looking hopeless, There is only one way  hunger strike.

First you will send me to jail and then you want me to die in a hunger strike. What sort of husband are you? If you die, I will worship you like a Goddess.

If that is the case, I will go to jail so that you get a chance to worship me. Both of them laughed like friends do.

Mohandas had mentioned the possibility of her being called his mistress in jest, as the final judgment had not come until then. But now it was permeating the environment. There was wrath among the public. Kasturba was agitated. Mohandas had brought up childhood memories with the mention of Sita and Taramati. Even then, she used to wonder if girls could be like these heroic women? An image of Rani Laxmibai would come up. She remembered how her mother used to say that Rani Laxmibai was a modern heroine born a little before our times. She had proved that all those who loved her were under her protection. She was as brave as any man can be. Kasturba had accepted that the battle that Mohandas was fighting was necessary. Her responsibility was equal to her husbands.

Excerpted with permission from Niyogi Books
An Indian Navy ship, deployed on anti- piracy operation in the Gulf of Aden, has seized arms and ammunition off the coast of Somalia in a quick operation, officials said Saturday.

The ship INS Sunayna carried out the operation on Friday in which four high caliber AK-47 rifles and one Light Machine Gun, along with ammunition for these weapons were seized from a vessel, Navy officials said.

INS Sunayna carried out a similar operation off the coast of Somalia last month as well. The ship detected a suspicious fishing vessel, approximately 25 nautical mile off the coast of Somalia, in the vicinity of Socotra island, following which the operation was launched, they said. "The vessel was thoroughly searched and allowed to proceed, after confiscation of the arms and ammunition, to prevent their illegal use later by the crew for piracy-related activities," said a Navy official.
I had heard several tales about the love and respect that Lahoris had for Indians, but it was only when I found myself in their presence  perhaps the only Indian to have got the visa after 2015  did I realise the truth of that claim

If someone had forecasted four years ago that I would celebrate my PhD submission in English Literature at Cambridge with an extraordinary trip to Pakistan, I would have laughed at the strangeness of the idea. But the idea is now a reality, and the trip is done and dusted and firmly imprinted on my mind as one of the most beautiful experiences of my life. In the middle of this year, I was selected to present a paper at a conference on the theme of Art, Democracy and Tolerance organised by the Trust for Heritage, Art and Architecture of Pakistan (THAAP) in the city of Lahore. I was to speak on the politics of aesthetics in Sanjay Leela Bhansalis most controversial film Padmaavat, on which I had already articulated some ideas in this very newspaper way back in April. At the time of my selection, I found myself in a frenzy of writing, since my PhD on British fantasy fiction was just a few months away from the October deadline. Nonetheless, the opportunity from the city of Lahore came with a sense of excitement and wonder, paving way for a dramatic turn of events that would keep me on my toes and eventually usher in a new sense of vitality and being. For as the old Punjabi saying goes: Jinhan Lahore nahi waikhaya o jammia hi nahi (One who hasnt seen Lahore has not been born yet).

The notion and process of acquiring a visa for Pakistan as an Indian citizen has developed an incredulous appeal about itself in popular consciousness. More than one person believed that, Indians were not allowed to travel to Pakistan, a near de-facto utterance that popped up when I told them that I might soon be travelling to our neighbouring country. Other more knowledgeable folks averred: How would I get the visa? Visa was mostly what I heard when I mentioned Pakistan to any South Asian around me. Of course, the reason for such reactions was well-known, given the history of relations between the two countries. But it was still somewhat off-putting to experience the negativity inherent in that questioning, even though, on the other hand, I knew equally well that this querying was principally an expression of concern and genuine interest. Just a month before receiving my own invitation in July, media across the world was splashed with reports on India banning several Pakistani origin academics from attending a seminar in the country. I, therefore, had reasons enough to think the same way as my interrogators (how would I get the visa), but I still hoped that it all might just work out. There were five other Indians as well whose names appeared in the preliminary conference list, but unlike me, they would all be travelling from India to Lahore. Since I would be flying from and returning to the UK, some sympathetic souls imagined that I could be especially lucky. And so, luck did dawn, albeit with some additional drama.

On the day I received the visa from one of the private outlets of the Pakistani High Commission in London, I discovered that my passport booklet had got loosened from the spine of the cover, possibly in response to some unsophisticated handling during its checks and scans. At the moment of receiving the document, however, I was too elated by the fact that I had finally, really won a visa after so much paperwork and coordination, which seemed nothing short of a challenging victory, given the countless tales that surrounded its procurement and the mounting pressure of the PhD. The receptionists at the collection centre for their part didnt consider the physical deformation of my passport a big an issue either, when I made them aware of its condition. It was only later that I confirmed from relevant authorities that the passport had indeed been damaged. Annoyance and irritation entered me while another part of myself tried to keep the wildness of my imagination at bay as to why and how had the visa booklet got loosened. After all, I had a doctoral dissertation to submit within a months time, and that required its own mental energy. Applying for a new tatkaal passport further took its time and expenses, but despite the persistent advice of well-wishers to altogether drop the idea of going, I couldnt quite settle with their proposition, for this still seemed too precious an opportunity to lose. The greatest assurance and decisive factor, however, came from my conference organisers themselves, who not only apologised for all the unnecessary and unforeseen trouble I had to undergo, but also promised to refund me for the new passport in addition to paying for the entirety of the conference travel and accommodation. It is easy to let annoyance and irritation transform into anger, and to let that anger mutate into paranoia (to be honest, such metamorphosis is often subconscious). But here I was, having the choice to forgive the drama of damage and control, and accept the incredible generosity of my hosts, that sowed the seeds of reorienting my perspective. And in retrospect, I am only too glad that better sense prevailed and warmth won over worry.

I like to believe that the beginnings of my musical sensibilities as an amateur pianist lie in Pakistan. More than 25 years ago, my father had bought me a small toy keyboard from his first and only trip to Lahore, that I taught myself to play over the years following the age of five. That was a small Casio model, and like so many people around me, Casio always (and only) denoted a keyboard and nothing else, although it essentially referred to a full-fledged electronics company. Years later, the association of my neighbouring country with a refined sense of music would only intensify, and there is hardly a day now when I dont listen to one or two numbers from the extraordinary productions of Coke Studio Pakistan (as I write this piece, the transcendental compositions of Ustad Farid Ayaz and Ustad Abu Muhammad play in the background for the umpteenth time, whom I first got to know through Coke Studio).

In the early days of television, my parents would enthusiastically record musical shows aired from Pakistan via PTV, and I still remember the countless times they viewed those programmes in the grainy, pixelated format that was then the order of the day. But if those shows, along with Coke Studio productions, demonstrated a palpably sophisticated and liberating sensibility of music entrenched in Pakistans cultural ethos, then Shoaib Mansoors exquisitely crafted 2007 Pakistani drama film, Khuda Ke Liye (In the Name of God), also showed another facet of the country, where some circles were extremely conservative about the place of music and musical joy in society. It was this duality of dispositions that eventually greeted me as I landed in Lahore within the wee hours of the beginning of November.

An hour before taking off from Heathrow in London, I learned from the conference organisers about the historic judgment on the Asia Bibi blasphemy case, that had thrown the country in turmoil and forced the cancellation of the conference inauguration on the first day, since the venue lay in a high risk area. Meanwhile, my accommodation had also been changed, and mobile networks had been completely shut down for two days. I could sense that the drama that had begun with my passport had no plans of abating, and so I entered the country to find it in a storm of anger and violence. Islamist hardliners raged across different parts of Lahore, protesting against the acquittal of the Christian woman over a nine-year-old alleged profanity, and with this, I received a slice of fundamentalism that typically characterises much popular opinion about Pakistan the world over. But after the cancellation of the inauguration, the conference nonetheless began on the second day, and along with it evolved a completely different image of the nation and its citizens, one that was rooted in congeniality, kindness, and a hospitality that simply has no parallel.

As extremists took over the streets outside, not very far from our venue, a motley group of speakers predominantly from Pakistan and handful from other countries (Austria, Australia, Indonesia, and India) discussed a wide array of ideas and practices under the selected theme of art, democracy, and tolerance, in what has to be the most intimate of all conferences I have ever attended. It took some time to adjust to the fact that the event was being held in the beautiful drawing room of my hosts, Professor Pervaiz Vandal and his wife Professor Sajida Haider Vandal, for I was used to the rather impersonal settings that typically define academic assemblages. Not so here. The papers ranged from topics concentrating on the beginnings of liberal and secular thought in both the West and East, to commentaries on Sufi saints, Mughal emperors secular practices, contemporary conservation strategies in architecture and heritage management, and creative methods of engaging common audiences in developing artistic and democratic consciousness in a variety of contexts. Throughout the event, I couldnt help but think of the irony springing from the imbalance between what we were all collectively engaged in versus what was happening outside. After every two presentations, a sprawling layout of food and beverages greeted us in the leafy backyard of the Vandal home, where I was greeted with a warmth that is hard to define. I learned that I was the only Indian to have got the visa after 2015, even though THAAP (the organisation) had been selecting numerous Indians every year. It was then that I truly realised how lucky I was to be present there. But this sense of good fortune increased many times over once I mingled with the sundry Pakistanis present at the event (which was open to the public), from students to lecturers and other professionals. Before leaving for the conference, I had heard several tales almost bordering on the legendary about the love and respect that Lahoris had for Indians, but it was only when I found myself in their presence did I realise the truth of that claim.

As Pervaiz saab introduced me to the gathering as the sole Indian present (who had managed to get a visa, for the word visa was still circulating), a number of people from all ages stood up to welcome me individually, shaking hands and hugging me like a long lost friend now returning home. I heard several other visa-related stories too from this side of the border, even as the Pakistanis expressed heartfelt concern and genuine sympathy for what had transpired with regard to my passport. During lunches and teas, some students conveyed their desire to share food from the same plate as mine as a mark of respect and love, while another, after my presentation, became visibly emotional and offered his watch as a gift of brotherhood in addition to apologising for not having anything proper to give me.

Then, owing to the theme of my paper, yet another group of students happily approached me to guide them on a film assignment, and I had a rather joyful time holding an impromptu session there and then. While making such connections, every second person intoned his or her sadness regarding the political enmity between the two nations, a visceral emotion that also seemed to erupt as a desire to prove that their country had another side to it that had nothing to do with the largely negative, terrorist image that still floated so freely. At such moments, I was reminded of many similar testimonies from Pakistani youth whose writings I was privileged to examine as a final panel jury member of the Queens Commonwealth Essay Writing Competition in 2016 and 2017, the worlds largest literary contest for school children (incidentally, this years senior winner from a total of 12,000 young people across 53 countries hails from Lahore). With this enormously profound culture of warmth and bonhomie that never ceased to move me, all my apprehensions regarding my own paper also got dispelled, for I was to argue against the interpretations that rendered Bhansalis Padmaavat and the director himself as Islamophobic and misogynist  a position I had already chalked out in a concise form in this newspaper. This is not to say that there werent people who disagreed with my analysis, but rather to point out that the setting I found myself in was as liberal and conducive to my ideas as any other. Even though I had read articles earlier this year on how a number of Pakistanis were deeply offended by the filmmakers portrayals of Islamic culture, my own experiences at the conference proved otherwise, for with its diversity of people, the event demonstrated that there simply was no one Pakistani identity that informed an opinion, and that fresh analytical standpoints always held the power to initiate newer ways of thinking (notwithstanding the disagreements) if provided a safe and peaceful environment (like the conference itself).

I had been drawn to Bhansalis cinema for a long time before Padmaavat, not because of its grandiosity but because of its eclecticism that I could trace in every film of his oeuvre. My favourite was and still remains the box-office flop Saawariya, and I continue to get enchanted by its marvellous juxtaposition of multi-faith imagery, with Buddhist statues sitting comfortably in the presence of Islamic calligraphy and Christian architecture. It was precisely this microcosm of inter-religious aesthetic that I experienced when I visited Coocos Den, one of the most famous restaurants of Lahore that is located in the citys famous Food Street, which I randomly chanced upon with a newly made conference friend Adnan, who was extremely excited to show me around the city and introduce me to other Lahoris. Reaching the restaurants terrace left me speechless for a while as I soaked in the grandness of the 17th Century Badshahi Mosque sitting majestically at a distance, while the architecture and decor of the eatery itself paid homage to Buddhism, Christianity, and Hinduism. As we walked through the Food Street, the connections with Saawariya became even more apparent as I learned that the area historically served as Lahores red light district where erstwhile princes and aristocrats would come to learn tehzeeb (mannerisms) from courtesans, a point well illustrated in several early Hindi films and then memorialised by Bhansalis venture. Returning to the hotel, I was further thrilled to read the news that the director might be eyeing the Heera Mandi area for his next film, for that was the other name of the place I had visited only a few hours earlier. In retrospect, it feels nothing short of magical that I had come to Pakistan to deliver a paper on Padmaavat and would leave it having taken a slice of the inspirational context for my favourite directors next venture.

It was in the setting of Coocos Den that I had a long conversation with Adnan and another friend of his on religious identity. This other friend was a Hindu, who had recently shifted to Lahore from Sindh, and it was instructive to learn the disturbing stories of discrimination he had been facing in the new city. He told me about the times that he had to hide behind his religion-neutral surname to avert discrimination on the basis of his first, Hindu-sounding name. But after speaking poignantly about his plight, it was equally moving to hear him narrate a number of other stories as well which shed light on some extraordinary moments when his close Muslim friends and teachers had come to his defence in order to combat bigotry from other Muslims. One such friend was sitting in our midst itself (Adnan), patiently and sympathetically listening to his friends experiences, and his demeanour was a living testimony to the idea of tolerance that we had been debating in the conference. In this short, one-week visit then, I had got the rare opportunity to interact with the minority communities of Pakistan as well, which included the conference driver who was ferrying me back and forth from the event, who had similarly expressed fear as a Christian, particularly in light of the recent judgments aftermath. But like the Hindu mans bonding with Adnan, this driver too shared a wonderfully convivial relationship with other members of THAAP, all mostly Muslim, and that friendship again gave me hope and happiness.

In the days that followed, it was this practice of friendship that continuously got intensified with all the people I met. After the conference, I shifted to another beautiful location where I was being hosted by my wonderful friends, Sahar and Fazal Khan, whom I had first met in Cambridge three years ago. Like the people at the conference, Sahar and Fazals hospitality too moved me to tears as they left no stone unturned to make my stay a most comfortable one. It was with them that I formally celebrated my PhD submission dinner, which they grandly organised at the Lahore Gymkhana, as well as the Diwali meal. When Fazal drove me across the lanes of Lahore in his car, just like Adnan had driven me on his bike, there were countless moments when I couldnt quite pinpoint whether I was in Pakistan or India: It was all so like home. Connections continued to mushroom as my walk outside the Lahore Museum brought back the introductory pages from Rudyard Kiplings Kim that I had first read in Class V, and the gorgeous murals and stonework at the Lahore Fort and Jahangirs Tomb evoked the fine craftsmanship of the Mughals and Sikhs in India. I was also fortunate to meet Ryan, a young British whom I had known only cursorily in Cambridge, who had decided to devote two years of his life teaching in a local school here, for he had fallen in love with Lahore when he first visited it. Like him, I too had assimilated myself in the people around me, and by the middle of my week-long stay, I was comfortable doing a gesture that oddly combined Namaste with As-Salaam-Alaikum (Peace be unto you). As I got ready for my farewell in the early hours of November 8, Sahar and Fazal prepared a delicious Diwali dinner, and I happily WhatsApped a photograph of the Badshahi Masjid to my friends and family in the manner of a festival card.

After my father had returned from Lahore a quarter of a century ago, he often used to say: Unhone humein palkon par hi bitha kar nahi rakha, unhone palkein jhapkaai tak nahi, something which I find difficult to translate, but which loosely means that not only did the Lahoris treat us with exquisite care, their treatment also never wavered for a bit. Years later, I can safely say that the saying holds incredibly true, and that my visit does feel like a rebirth of sorts (Jinhan Lahore nahi waikhaya o jammia hi nahi). I am privileged to have travelled to the Land of the Pure, and in the hope of peace and friendship, heres to Lahore, with love.

The writer submitted his PhD in English and Materiality Studies at Cambridge before setting off for Lahore, and will join the Ludwig Maximilian University of Munich, Germany, as a Research Scholar in Global History during the summer of 2019
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Agilent Technologies, Inc. engages in the provision of application focused solutions for life sciences, diagnostics, and applied chemical markets. It operates through the following segments: Life Sciences and Applied Markets; Diagnostics and Genomics; and Agilent CrossLab. The Life Sciences and Applied Markets segment offers application-focused solutions that include instruments and software that enable to identify, quantify, and analyze the physical and biological properties of substances and products, as well as the clinical and life sciences research areas to interrogate samples at the molecular and cellular level. The Diagnostics and Genomics segment consists of activity providing active pharmaceutical ingredients for oligo-based therapeutics, as well as solutions that include reagents, instruments, software and consumables. The Agilent CrossLab segment includes startup, operational, training and compliance support, software as a service, and asset management and consultative services. The company was founded in May 1999 and is headquartered in Santa Clara, CA.

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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

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Bangkok (AsiaNews/Agencies)  Thailand has overtaken Russia and India as the most unequal country in the world, this according to the Credit Suisse Global Wealth Databook 2018 of 40 countries. Thailands government dismissed the findings, claiming that the gap between rich and poor actually narrowed.

Two years ago, Thailand ranked third in the Credit Suisse report. In 2016, 1 per cent (500,000 people) of the population owned 58 per cent of the country's wealth. This year, it controls 66.9 per cent, more than in Russia, where the share of wealth held by the top 1 per cent dropped from 78 per cent to 57.1 per cent.

Meanwhile, Meanwhile, 50 per cent of the poorest Thais (25 million people) owned 1.7 per cent of the countrys wealth whilst 70 per cent (35 million) controlled 5 per cent.

By comparison, the richest people in Turkey control 54.1 per cent of that nations wealth despite the economic crisis that recently hit the country.

India has dropped to fourth place, with its wealthiest share go from 58.4 per cent to 51.5 per cent.

In no other nation does the top 1 per cent control more than half of the countrys wealth.

Reacting to the Credit Suisse report, the Thai government rejected its findings, claiming that it is based on "outdated information",

Government spokesman Buddhipongse Punnakanta said today that the study was based on data from 2006 and had insufficient information about the present situation. Hence, the information was incomplete and unreliable.

The report used data from the Bank of Thailand and the International Monetary Fund, but this data did not show any assets possessed by the one-per cent richest Thai people.

In fact, inequality in Thailand was gradually being reduced. The income gap between the richest and the poorest groups narrowed from 29.92 times in 2006 to 19.29 in 2017, Mr Buddhipongse said.
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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.
The following companies are subsidiares of Lennar: 360 Developers LLC, Alliance Financial Services Inc., Ann Arundel Farms Ltd., Aquaterra Utilities Inc., Arbor Mill Veteran Project 2018 LLC, Asbury Woods L.L.C., Astoria Options LLC, Autumn Creek Development Ltd., Aylon LLC, Azusa Associates LLC, B2 Milpitas LLC, BB Investment Holdings LLC, BCI Properties LLC, BMR Communities LLC, BMR Construction Inc., BMTD LLC, BPH I LLC, Bainebridge 249 LLC, Bay Colony Expansion 369 Ltd., Bellagio Lennar LLC, Belle Meade LEN Holdings LLC, Belle Meade Partners LLC, Black Mountain Ranch LLC, Blue Horizons Estates LLC, Bonterra Lennar LLC, Bramalea California Inc., Bressi Gardenlane LLC, Breton Park Lennar LLC, CAP IL 1 LLC, CL Ventures LLC, CML INACTIVE LLC, CML-MO HAF LLC, CML-MO HAF PARKING LLC, CP Block 6aS LLC, CP Block 8aS LLC, CP Block 9aS LLC, CP Center Apartments LLC, CP Center Garage LLC, CP Red Oak Partners Ltd., CP Vertical Development Co. 1 LLC, CP/HPS Development Co. GP LLC, CP/HPS Development Co.-C LLC, CPFE LLC, CPHP Development LLC, CalAtlantic Financial Services Inc., CalAtlantic Group, CalAtlantic Group Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Arizona Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Georgia Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Texas Inc., CalAtlantic Homes of Washington Inc., CalAtlantic Mortgage Inc., CalAtlantic National Title Solutions LLC, CalAtlantic Title Agency LLC, CalAtlantic Title Group LLC, CalAtlantic Title Inc., CalAtlantic Title LLC, CalAtlantic Title of Maryland Inc., Camarillo Village Park LLC, Cambria L.L.C., Candlestick Retail Member LLC, Cardiovascular Medical Specialists LLC, Carolina Blue LLC, Carson 175 LLC, Cary Woods LLC, Casa Marina Development LLC, Central Park West Holdings LLC, Cherrytree II LLC, Club Bonterra Lennar LLC, Coco Palm 82 LLC, Colonial Heritage LLC, Columbia National Risk Retention Group Inc., Commonwealth Incentive Fee LLC, Concord Station LLP, Coventry L.L.C., Creekside Crossing L.L.C., Crest at Fondren Investor LLC, DBJ Holdings LLC, DCA Financial LLC, DTC Holdings of Florida LLC, Darcy-Joliet L.L.C., Durrell 33 LLC, EL Ventures LLC, EV LLC, Eagle Bend Commercial LLC, Eagle Home Mortgage LLC, Estates Seven LLC, Evergreen Village LLC, F&R QVI Home Investments USA LLC, FLORDADE LLC, Faria Preserve LLC, Fidelity Guaranty and Acceptance Corp., Fidelity Land LLC, Fox-Maple Associates LLC, Friendswood Development Company LLC, GDI MANAGER LLC, Garco Investments LLC, Greystone Construction Inc., Greystone Homes of Nevada Inc., Greystone Nevada Holdings LLC, Greystone Nevada LLC, Greywall Club L.L.C., HCC Investors LLC, HPS Development Co. LP, HPS Vertical Development Co. LLC, HPS Vertical Development Co.-B LP, HPS Vertical Development Co.-D/E LLC, HPS1 Block 1 LLC, HPS1 Block 48-1A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-1B LLC, HPS1 Block 48-2A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-2B LLC, HPS1 Block 48-3A LLC, HPS1 Block 48-3B LLC, HPS1 Block 50 LLC, HPS1 Block 51 LLC, HPS1 Block 52 LLC, HPS1 Block 53 LLC, HPS1 Block 54 LLC, HPS1 Block 55 LLC, HPS1 Block 56/57 LLC, HSP Arizona Inc., HTC Golf Club LLC, Hammocks Lennar LLC, Harbor Highlands Group LLC, Harveston LLC, Haverton L.L.C., Heathcote Commons LLC, Heritage Pkwy East Holdings LLC, Heritage of Auburn Hills L.L.C., Hewitts Landing Trustee LLC, Hingham Properties LLC, Huntley Venture L.L.C., Inactive Companies LLC, Independence L.L.C., Independence Orlando LLC, Isles at Bayshore Club LLC, KMC Real Estate Investors LLC, Kendall Hammocks Commercial LLC, Kentuckiana Medical Center LLC, Kingman Lennar LLC, LB/L  Duc III Antioch 330 LLC, LCD Asante LLC, LCI Downtown Doral Investor LLC, LCI North DeKalb Investor GP LLC, LCI North DeKalb Investor LP LLC, LEN - Belle Meade LLC, LEN - OBS Windemere LLC, LEN - Palm Vista LLC, LEN BPT Investor LLC, LEN Mirada Investor LLC, LEN Notarize Investor LLC, LEN OT Holdings LLC, LEN Paradise Cable LLC, LEN Paradise Operating LLC, LEN-CG South LLC, LEN-Cypress Mill LLC, LEN-Ryan 1 LLC, LEN-Touchstone LLC, LENH I LLC, LENNAR HOMES OF TENNESSEE LLC, LFS Holding Company LLC, LH Eastwind LLC, LHI Renaissance LLC, LMC 10th & Acoma Holdings LP, LMC 144th and Grant Investor LLC, LMC 2401 Blake Street Holdings LLC, LMC 2401 Blake Street Investor LLC, LMC 360 Acoma Holdings LP, LMC 410 S Wabash Holdings LLC, LMC 808 Gateway Holdings LLC, LMC 808 Gateway Investor LLC, LMC 8th Avenue Apartment Investor LLC, LMC 990 Bannock Holdings LLC, LMC Axis Westminster Holdings LLC, LMC Axis Westminster Investor LLC, LMC Berry Hill Lofts Holdings LLC, LMC Berry Hill Lofts Investor LLC, LMC Block 42 Holdings LLC, LMC Build to Core III Investor LLC, LMC Build to Core III LLC, LMC Burnside Holdings LLC, LMC Burnside Investor LLC, LMC Chandler and McClintock Holdings LLC, LMC Charlestowne Holdings LLC, LMC Charlotte Ballpark Developer LLC, LMC Cityville Oak Park Holdings LLC, LMC Cityville Oak Park Investor LLC, LMC Cobalt Holdings LLC, LMC Costa Mesa Holdings LP, LMC Crest at Park West Holdings LP, LMC Denver Gateway I Investor LLC, LMC Denver Gateway II Holdings LLC, LMC Development LLC, LMC Downtown Doral South Holdings LLC, LMC Durham Gateway Holdings LP, LMC Evans School Holdings LLC, LMC Gateway Investor LLC, LMC Gateway Venture LLC, LMC Gilman Square Investor LLC, LMC Horton Street Holdings LLC, LMC Huntington Crossing Holdings LLC, LMC Inactive Companies LLC, LMC Lakeside Holdings LP, LMC Leya Holdings LLC, LMC Living Illinois LLC, LMC Living Inc., LMC Living LLC, LMC Living TRS LP, LMC Millenia Investor II LLC, LMC NE Minneapolis Lot 2 Holdings LLC, LMC New Bern Investor LLC, LMC North Park Holdings LP, LMC Parkfield Holdings LLC, LMC Parkfield Investor LLC, LMC Righters Ferry Holdings LLC, LMC River North Holdings LLC, LMC Spring Street Investor LLC, LMC Stonewall Station Investor LLC, LMC Triangle Square Investor LLC, LMC Venture Developer LLC, LMC Verbena Holdings LLC, LMC West Loop Investor LLC, LMCFX Investor LLC, LMCPNW Marymoor Holdings LLC, LMI - Jacksonville Investor LLC, LMI - South Kings Development Investor LLC, LMI - West Seattle Holdings LLC, LMI - West Seattle Investor LLC, LMI - West Seattle LLC, LMI Cell Tower Investors LLC, LMI City Walk Investor LLC, LMI Collegedale Investor LLC, LMI Collegedale LLC, LMI Contractors LLC, LMI Glencoe Dallas Investor LLC, LMI Lakes West Covina Investor LLC, LMI Largo Park Investor LLC, LMI Las Colinas Station LLC, LMI Naperville Investor LLC, LMI Pacific Tower LLC, LMI Park Central Two LLC, LMI Peachtree Corners Investor LLC, LMI Peachtree Corners LLC, LMI-JC Developer LLC, LMI-JC LLC, LMV 1640 Broadway REIT-DC LP, LMV 1701 Ballard REIT-DC LP, LMV 19H REIT-DC LP, LMV 2026 Madison REIT-DC LP, LMV 85 South Union REIT-DC LP, LMV ATown REIT-DC LP, LMV Annapolis REIT-DC LP, LMV Apache Terrace REIT-DC LP, LMV Block 42 REIT-DC LP, LMV Bloomington REIT-DC LP, LMV Bolingbrook REIT-DC LP (DE), LMV Central at McDowell REIT-DC LP, LMV East Village I REIT-DC LP, LMV Edina REIT-DC LP, LMV Fremont WS I REIT-DC LP, LMV Glisan REIT-DC LP, LMV Grand Bay REIT-DC LP, LMV II Grand Bay Pod V Holdings LP, LMV II Kierland Holdings LP, LMV II NoMo Holdings LP, LMV II Venture Developer LLC, LMV II Wynwood Holdings LP, LMV Kirkland REIT-DC LP, LMV Little Italy REIT-DC LP, LMV M Tower REIT-DC LP, LMV Millenia II REIT-DC LP, LMV Milpitas REIT-DC LP, LMV NE Minneapolis REIT-DC LP, LMV Oak Park REIT-DC LP, LMV One20Fourth REIT-DC LP, LMV QR Build to Core Manager LLC, LMV Rio Bravo REIT-DC LP, LMV Scottsdale Quarter REIT-DC LP, LMV Tysons REIT-DC LP, LMV Vallagio III REIT-DC LP, LMV Victory Block G REIT-DC LP, LMV Warren Street REIT-DC LP, LNC Communities II LLC, LNC Communities IV LLC, LNC Communities V LLC, LNC Communities VI LLC, LNC Communities VII LLC, LNC Communities VIII LLC, LNC Pennsylvania Realty Inc., LNC at Meadowbrook LLC, LNC at Ravenna LLC, LS College Park LLC, LS Terracina LLC, LV Opendoor Investor LLC, LV Opendoor JV LLC, LW D'Andrea LLC, Lagoon Valley Residential LLC, Lakelands at Easton L.L.C., Legends Club LLC, Legends Golf Club LLC, Len - Little Harbor LLC, Len FW Investor LLC, Len Paradise LLC, Len-Angeline LLC, Len-Hawks Point LLC, Len-Land LLC, Len-Land West LLC, Len-MN LLC, Len-Verandahs LLP, LenCom LLC, LenFive LLC, LenFive Opco GP LLC, LenFive Sub III LLC, LenFive Sub LLC, LenFive Sub Opco GP LLC, Lenalto CMBS LLC, Lencraft LLC, Lennar Aircraft I LLC, Lennar Arizona Construction Inc., Lennar Arizona Inc., Lennar Associates Management Holding Company, Lennar Associates Management LLC, Lennar Avenue One LLC, Lennar Berkeley LLC, Lennar Bevard LLC, Lennar Bridges LLC, Lennar Buffington Colorado Crossing L.P., Lennar Buffington Zachary Scott L.P., Lennar Carolinas LLC, Lennar Central Park LLC, Lennar Central Region Sweep Inc., Lennar Chicago Inc., Lennar Cobra LLC, Lennar Colgate Urban Renewal Development LLC, Lennar Colorado LLC, Lennar Colorado Minerals LLC, Lennar Commercial LLC, Lennar Communities Development Inc., Lennar Communities Inc., Lennar Communities Nevada LLC, Lennar Communities of Chicago L.L.C., Lennar Concord LLC, Lennar Construction Inc., Lennar Cory Road LLC, Lennar Courts LLC, Lennar Developers Inc., Lennar Ewing LLC, Lennar Financial Services LLC, Lennar Flamingo LLC, Lennar Fresno Inc., Lennar Gardens LLC, Lennar Georgia Inc., Lennar Greer Ranch Venture LLC, Lennar Heritage Fields LLC, Lennar Hingham Holdings LLC, Lennar Hingham JV LLC, Lennar Homes Holding LLC, Lennar Homes LLC, Lennar Homes NJ LLC, Lennar Homes of Arizona Inc., Lennar Homes of California Inc., Lennar Homes of Indiana Inc., Lennar Homes of Texas Land and Construction Ltd., Lennar Homes of Texas Sales and Marketing Ltd., Lennar Homes of Utah Inc., Lennar International Holding LLC, Lennar International LLC, Lennar Lakeside Investor LLC, Lennar Layton LLC, Lennar Living LLC, Lennar Lytle LLC, Lennar MF Holdings LLC, Lennar MPA LLC, Lennar MPA WIP LLC, Lennar Mare Island LLC, Lennar Marina A Funding LLC, Lennar Massachusetts Properties Inc., Lennar Middletown LLC, Lennar Monmouth Redevelopers LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP Subsidiary LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture GP Victory Block G Mezz LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II GP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II GP Subsidiary LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II LP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture II Manager LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture LP LLC, Lennar Multifamily BTC Venture Manager LLC, Lennar Multifamily Builders LLC, Lennar Multifamily Communities LLC, Lennar Multifamily Venture DC LP, Lennar New Jersey Holdings LLC, Lennar New Jersey Properties Inc., Lennar New York LLC, Lennar Northeast Properties LLC, Lennar Northwest Inc., Lennar OHB LLC, Lennar PI Acquisition LLC, Lennar PI Property Acquisition LLC, Lennar PIS Management Company LLC, Lennar Pacific Inc., Lennar Pacific Properties Inc., Lennar Pacific Properties Management Inc., Lennar Plumsted Urban Renewal LLC, Lennar Point LLC, Lennar QR Build to Core GP LLC, Lennar QR Build to Core LP LLC, Lennar Realty Inc., Lennar Reno LLC, Lennar Riverwalk LLC, Lennar Sacramento Inc., Lennar Sales Corp., Lennar Sierra Sunrise LLC, Lennar Spencer's Crossing LLC, Lennar Sun Ridge LLC, Lennar Texas Holding LLC, Lennar Ventures LLC, Lennar West Valley LLC, Lennar Winncrest LLC, Lennar at Franklin LLC, Lennar at Jackson LLC, Lennar at Marlboro 79 LLC, Lennar at Monroe LLC, Lennar.com Inc., Longleaf Acquisition LLC, Lori Gardens Associates II LLC, Lori Gardens Associates III LLC, Lori Gardens Associates L.L.C., Lorton Station LLC, Lyons Lennar Farms LLC, Madrona Ridge L.L.C., Madrona Village L.L.C., Madrona Village Mews L.L.C., Majestic Woods LLC, Maple and Broadway Holdings LLC, Menifee Development LLC, Mid-County Utilities Inc., Miralago West Lennar LLC, Mission Viejo 12S Venture LP, Mission Viejo Holdings Inc., Motomic Diagnostics LLC, Multibank 2009-1 CML-ADC Venture LLC, Multibank 2009-1 RES-ADC Venture LLC, NC Properties I LLC, NC Properties II LLC, North American Asset Development LLC, Northbridge L.L.C., OHC/Ascot Belle Meade LLC, One SR L.P., PD-Len Boca Raton LLC, PG Properties Holding LLC, POMAC LLC, PT Metro LLC, Pace Drive Holdings LLC, Palm Gardens At Doral Clubhouse LLC, Palm Gardens at Doral LLC, Palm Springs Classic LLC, Palm Vista Preserve LLC, Patuxent Infrastructure Inc., Pioneer Meadows Development LLC, Pioneer Meadows Investments LLC, Plaza Condominium Ventures LLC, Portside Marina Developers L.L.C., Portside SM Associates L.L.C., Portside SM Holdings L.L.C., Portside Shipyard Developers L.L.C., Prestonfield L.L.C., Quail Roost Lennar LLC, RCCF GP II LLC, RCCF GP III LLC, RCCF GP IV LLC, RCCF GP LLC, RES-FL EIGHT LLC, RES-FL SEVEN LLC, RES-FL VISION ONE LLC, RES-FL VISION TWO LLC, RES-GA CASCADE LLC, RES-GA DIAMOND MEADOWS LLC, RES-GA KAP LLC, RES-GA SOUTHERN PLANTATION LLC, RES-GA THIRTEEN LLC, RES-GA TWELVE LLC, RES-GA WEST LLC, RES-IL ONE LLC, RES-NC ONE LLC, RES-PA LSJ LLC, RES-PA POM LLC, RES-TX BOULEVARD LLC, RH Insurance Company Inc., RH MOA BBCMS 2017-C1 LLC, RH MOA CF 2017-C8 LLC, RH MOA LLC, RH MOA U 2017-C4 LLC, RH MOA U 2017-C6 LLC, RIAL 2014-LT5 CLASS B LLC, RIAL 2014-LT5 LLC, RL BB FINANCIAL LLC, RL BB INACTIVE LLC, RL BB-AL LLC, RL BB-FL ALHI LLC, RL BB-GA LLC, RL BB-GA RMH LLC, RL BB-IL LLC, RL BB-IN AA LLC, RL BB-IN KRE LLC, RL BB-IN KRE OP LLC, RL BB-IN KRE RE LLC, RL BB-MS LLC, RL BB-NC LLC, RL BB-OH LLC, RL BB-SC BROOKSA LLC, RL BB-SC CLR II LLC, RL BB-SC CLR III LLC, RL BB-SC CLR IV LLC, RL BB-SC CLR LLC, RL BB-SC CRRC LLC, RL BB-SC RACEDAY LLC, RL BB-TN BRISTOL LLC, RL BB-TN LLC, RL BB-TN RACEDAY TOWER LLC, RL BB-TX LLC, RL BB-WV LLC, RL CMBS Holdings LLC, RL CML 2009-1 Investments LLC, RL REGI ARKANSAS LLC, RL REGI Alabama LLC, RL REGI FINANCIAL LLC, RL REGI Florida LLC, RL REGI GEORGIA LLC, RL REGI INACTIVE LLC, RL REGI KANSAS LLC, RL REGI MISSISSIPPI LLC, RL REGI MISSOURI LLC, RL REGI NORTH CAROLINA LLC, RL REGI SOUTH CAROLINA LLC, RL REGI TENNESSEE LLC, RL REGI VIRGINIA LLC, RL REGI-AL HP LLC, RL REGI-AL VRC LLC, RL REGI-FL CRC LLC, RL REGI-FL ESH LLC, RL REGI-FL FT. PIERCE LLC, RL REGI-FL GDL LLC, RL REGI-FL ITALIA LLC, RL REGI-FL MRED LLC, RL REGI-FL RDI LLC, RL REGI-FL SARASOTA LLC, RL REGI-FL TPL LLC, RL REGI-FL VARC LLC, RL REGI-GA DRAD LLC, RL REGI-GA HAY DB LLC, RL REGI-GA MHU LLC, RL REGI-GA MPD LLC, RL REGI-GA RLR LLC, RL REGI-MO GMB LLC, RL REGI-MO MOSCOW MILLS LLC, RL REGI-MS Double H LLC, RL REGI-MS OCEAN SPRINGS LLC, RL REGI-NC CIL LLC, RL REGI-NC LITTLE WING LLC, RL REGI-NC MLD LLC, RL REGI-NC Mland LLC, RL REGI-NC RALEIGH LLC, RL REGI-NC SUGARM LLC, RL REGI-NM LLC, RL REGI-SC CTL LLC, RL REGI-SC LAKE E LLC, RL REGI-SC TDG LLC, RL REGI-SC TIG LLC, RL REGI-TN OAK LLC, RL REGI-TN SEVIERVILLE LLC, RL RES 2009-1 Investments LLC, RMF Alliance LLC, RMF Commercial LLC, RMF PR New York LLC, RMF Partner LLC, RMF SUB 1 LLC, RMF SUB 2 LLC, RMF SUB 3 LLC, RMF SUB 4 LLC, RMF SUB 5 LLC, RMV LLC, Raintree Village II L.L.C., Raintree Village L.L.C., Ral-Len BM LLC, Ral-Len LLC, Rannel Capital WeWork Series D LLC, Rannel Holdings LLC, Rannel Interests LLC, Rannel Investments LLC, Rannel Mortgage Investments LLC, Rannel Proprietary Investments LLC, Renaissance Joint Venture, Reserve @ Pleasant Grove II LLC, Reserve @ Pleasant Grove LLC, Reserve at River Park LLC, Reserve at South Harrison LLC, Rialto Commercial Mortgage Securities LLC, Rialto Credit Partnership GP LLC, Rialto Mezz Partners GP LLC, Rialto Mortgage Finance LLC, Rialto Partners GP II LLC, Rialto Partners GP III - Debt LLC, Rialto Partners GP III - Property LLC, Rialto Partners GP LLC, Rialto RSSF GP LLC, Riverwalk at Lago Mar LLC, Rocking Horse Minerals LLC, Rutenberg Homes Inc. (Florida), Rutenberg Homes of Texas Inc., Rye Hill Company LLC, Ryland Homes Nevada Holdings LLC, Ryland Homes Nevada LLC, Ryland Homes of California Inc., S. Florida Construction II LLC, S. Florida Construction III LLC, S. Florida Construction LLC, SC 521 Indian Land Reserve LLC, SC 521 Indian Land Reserve South LLC, SPIC CPCO Inc., SPIC CPDB Inc., SPIC CPRB Inc., SPIC Del Sur LLC, SPIC Dublin LLC, SPIC Mesa LLC, SPIC NC Fremont LLC, SPIC Otay LLC, SPIC Springs LLC, San Felipe Indemnity Co. Ltd., San Lucia LLC, San Simeon Lennar LLC, Schulz Ranch Developers LLC, Seminole/70th LLC, Siena at Old Orchard L.L.C., Sierra Vista Communities LLC, Silver Springs Lennar LLC, South Development LLC, Southbank Holding LLC, Spanish Springs Development LLC, St. Charles Active Adult Community LLC, St. Charles Community LLC, Standard Pacific 1 Inc., Standard Pacific Investment Corp., Standard Pacific of Colorado Inc., Standard Pacific of Florida, Standard Pacific of Florida GP Inc., Standard Pacific of Las Vegas Inc., Standard Pacific of Orange County Inc., Standard Pacific of Tampa GP, Standard Pacific of Tampa GP Inc., Standard Pacific of Tonner Hills LLC, Standard Pacific of Walnut Hills Inc., Standard Pacific of the Carolinas LLC, Stoney Holdings LLC, Storey Lake Club LLC, Storey Park Club LLC, Strategic Holdings Inc., Strategic Technologies LLC, Summerfield Venture L.L.C., SunStreet Energy Group LLC, SunStreet Manager LLC, TCO QVI LLC, TICD Hold Co. LLC, TIH Hold Co. LLC, Talega Associates LLC, Temecula Valley LLC, Terra Division LLC, Terra/Winding Creek LLC, The Baywinds Land Trust, The Bridges Club at Rancho Santa Fe Inc., The Bridges at Rancho Santa Fe Sales Company Inc., The LNC Northeast Group Inc., The Oasis Club at LEN-CG South LLC, The Preserve at Coconut Creek LLC, The Vistas Club at LEN-CG South LLC, Titlezoom Company, Treasure Island Holdings LLC, Treasure Island Member LLC, Treviso Holding LLC, Two Lakes Lennar LLC, U.S. Home Corporation, U.S. Home Realty Inc., U.S. Home of Arizona Construction Co., U.S. Insurors Inc., U.S.H. Realty Inc., UAMC Holding Company LLC, UB 2018C14 MOA LLC, USH - Flag LLC, USH Equity Corporation, USH LEE LLC, USH Leasing II LLC, USH Leasing LLC, UST Lennar HW Scala SF Joint Venture, VII Crown Farm Investor LLC, Venetian Lennar LLC, Vineyard Land LLC, Vineyard Point 2009 LLC, Vista Palms Clubhouse LLC, WCI Communities, WCI Communities Inc., WCI Communities LLC, WCI Towers Northeast USA Inc., WCI Westshore LLC, WCP LLC, WIP Lennar OHB LLC, Waterview at Hanover LLC, West Lake Village LLC, West Seattle Project X LLC, West Van Buren L.L.C., Westchase Inc., Westchase Ltd., Westfield Homes USA Inc., White Course Lennar LLC, Wild Plum JV LLC, Willowbrook Investors LLC, Winncrest Natomas LLC, Woodbridge Multifamily Developer I LLC, Wright Farm L.L.C., and YLRichards4Acres 2015 LLC.
Helix Energy Solutions Group, Inc. is an international offshore energy company. It focuses on subsea construction, maintenance and salvage services to the offshore natural gas and oil industry. The firm also provides specialty services to the offshore energy industry, with a focus on well intervention and robotics operations. The company operates through three segments: Well Intervention, Robotics and Production Facilities. The Well Intervention segment offers vessels and related equipment that are used to perform well intervention services primarily in the Gulf of Mexico and North Sea regions. The Robotics segment involves four chartered vessels and also includes ROVs, trenchers and ROVDrills designed to complement offshore construction and well intervention services. The Production Facilities segment includes its investment in the Helix Producer I and Kommandor LLC. Helix Energy Solutions Group was founded in 1979 and is headquartered in Houston, TX.

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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.
iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF shares split on the morning of Monday, October 19th 2020. The 4-1 split was announced on Friday, September 18th 2020. The newly created shares were issued to shareholders after the closing bell on Friday, October 16th 2020. An investor that had 100 shares of iShares S&P 500 Growth ETF stock prior to the split would have 400 shares after the split.
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.

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iShares 0-5 Year High Yield Corporate Bond ETF's stock was trading at $42.91 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, SHYG stock has increased by 4.7% and is now trading at $44.91.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
The following companies are subsidiares of Becton, Dickinson and: (Bard Istanbul Healthcare Limited Company), Accuri Cytometers, Accuri Cytometers Inc., Adaptec Manufacturing Singapore, Alverix, Alverix Inc., Atto Bioscience, BD Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., BD Infection Prevention BV, BD Kiestra BV, BD Kiestra Total Lab Automation, BD Rapid Diagnostic (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., BD San Luis Potosi S.A. de C.V., BD Switzerland Sarl, BD Ventures LLC, BD West Africa Limited, BDX INO LLC, Bard (Thailand) Limited, Bard ASDI Inc., Bard Access Systems Inc., Bard Acquisition Sub Inc., Bard Australia Pty. Limited, Bard Benelux N.V., Bard Brachytherapy Inc., Bard Brasil Industria e Comercio de Produtos Para a Saude Ltda., Bard Canada Inc., Bard Chile S.p.A., Bard Colombia S.A.S., Bard Czech Republic s.r.o., Bard Devices Inc., Bard Dublin ITC Limited, Bard EMEA Finance Center Sp.z o.o., Bard European Distribution Center N.V., Bard Finance B.V. & Co. KG., Bard Financial Services Ltd., Bard Finland OY, Bard France S.A.S., Bard Global Holdings I LLC, Bard Global Holdings II LLC, Bard Global Holdings III LLC, Bard Healthcare Inc., Bard Healthcare Science (Shanghai) Limited, Bard Hellas S.A., Bard Holding SAS, Bard Holdings Limited, Bard Holdings Netherlands B.V., Bard Hong Kong Limited, Bard IP Holdings Inc., Bard India Healthcare Pvt. Ltd., Bard International Holdings B.V., Bard International Inc., Bard Korea Ltd., Bard Limited, Bard MRL Acquisition Corp., Bard Malaysia Healthcare Sdn. Bhd., Bard Medica SA, Bard Medical Devices (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Bard Medical R&D (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Bard Medical SA (Proprietary) Limited, Bard Mexico Realty S. de R.L. de C.V., Bard Norden AB, Bard Norway AS, Bard Pacific Health Care Company Ltd., Bard Peripheral Vascular Inc., Bard Poland Sp. z.o.o., Bard Productos Plasticos e Medicos Ltda., Bard Reynosa S.A. de C.V., Bard S.r.l., Bard Sdn. Bhd., Bard Shannon Limited, Bard Singapore Private Limited, Bard Sourcing Office Singapore Pte. Ltd., Bard Sweden AB, Bard UK Newco Limited, Bard de Espana S.A., Becton Dickinson (Gibraltar) Holdings Ltd., Becton Dickinson (Gibraltar) Limited, Becton Dickinson (Gibraltar) Management Limited, Becton Dickinson (Mauritius) Limited, Becton Dickinson (Pty) Ltd., Becton Dickinson (Thailand) Limited, Becton Dickinson A.G., Becton Dickinson A/S, Becton Dickinson Argentina S.R.L., Becton Dickinson Asia Holdings Ltd., Becton Dickinson Asia Limited, Becton Dickinson Austria GmbH, Becton Dickinson Austria Holdings GmbH, Becton Dickinson B.V., Becton Dickinson B.V. Saudi Limited Company, Becton Dickinson Benelux N.V., Becton Dickinson Biosciences Systems and Reagents Inc., Becton Dickinson Canada Inc., Becton Dickinson Caribe Ltd., Becton Dickinson Croatia d.o.o., Becton Dickinson Czechia s.r.o., Becton Dickinson Dispensing Belgium BVBA, Becton Dickinson Dispensing Denmark A/S, Becton Dickinson Dispensing France SAS, Becton Dickinson Dispensing Ireland Limited, Becton Dickinson Dispensing Norway, Becton Dickinson Dispensing Spain S.L.U., Becton Dickinson Dispensing UK Ltd., Becton Dickinson Distribution Center N.V., Becton Dickinson East Africa Ltd., Becton Dickinson Euro Finance Sarl, Becton Dickinson Europe Holdings S.A.S., Becton Dickinson France S.A.S., Becton Dickinson GSA Beteilgungs GmbH, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings I Inc., Becton Dickinson Global Holdings II LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings IV LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings V LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings VI LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Holdings VII LLC, Becton Dickinson Global Services Centre Sdn. Bdn., Becton Dickinson GmbH, Becton Dickinson Guatemala S.A., Becton Dickinson Hellas S.A., Becton Dickinson Holdings Limited, Becton Dickinson Holdings Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson Hungary Kft., Becton Dickinson India Private Limited, Becton Dickinson Industrias Cirurgicas Ltda., Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy AB, Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy Holdings UK Limited, Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy Systems Inc., Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy Systems Inc. S.A. de C.V., Becton Dickinson Infusion Therapy UK, Becton Dickinson Insulin Syringe Ltd., Becton Dickinson International Holdings II Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson International Holdings III Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson International Holdings Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson Israel Ltd., Becton Dickinson Italia S.p.A., Becton Dickinson Ithalat Ihracat Limited Sirketi, Becton Dickinson Korea Holding Inc., Becton Dickinson Korea Ltd., Becton Dickinson Ltd., Becton Dickinson Luxembourg Finance S.a.r.L., Becton Dickinson Luxembourg Global Holdings Sarl, Becton Dickinson Luxembourg Holdings II S.a.r.L, Becton Dickinson Luxembourg Holdings III S.a.r.L, Becton Dickinson Malaysia Inc., Becton Dickinson Management GmbH & Co. KG, Becton Dickinson Matrex Holdings Inc., Becton Dickinson Medical (S) Pte Ltd., Becton Dickinson Medical Devices (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Medical Devices (Suzhou) Co. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Medical Products Pte. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Medical Technology (Jiangsu) Co. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Netherlands Global Holdings II C.V., Becton Dickinson Netherlands Holdings B.V., Becton Dickinson Netherlands Holdings II B.V., Becton Dickinson Norway AS, Becton Dickinson O.Y., Becton Dickinson Overseas Services Ltd., Becton Dickinson Pakistan (Pvt) Ltd., Becton Dickinson Penel Limited, Becton Dickinson Philippines Inc., Becton Dickinson Polska Sp.z.o.o., Becton Dickinson Portugal Unipessoal Lda., Becton Dickinson Pty. Ltd., Becton Dickinson Research Centre Ireland Limited, Becton Dickinson Rowa Germany GmbH, Becton Dickinson Rowa Italy Srl, Becton Dickinson S.A., Becton Dickinson Sample Collection GmbH, Becton Dickinson Scot Financing L.L.P., Becton Dickinson Scot Financing L.P., Becton Dickinson Sdn. Bhd., Becton Dickinson Slovakia s.r.o., Becton Dickinson Sweden AB, Becton Dickinson Sweden Holdings AB, Becton Dickinson Switzerland Global Holdings SarL, Becton Dickinson Technology Campus India, Becton Dickinson U.K. Limited, Becton Dickinson UK Financing I Ltd., Becton Dickinson UK Financing II Ltd., Becton Dickinson Venezuela C.A., Becton Dickinson Venture LLC, Becton Dickinson Verwaltungs GmbH, Becton Dickinson Vostok LLC, Becton Dickinson Worldwide Investments Sa.r.L., Becton Dickinson Zambia Limited, Becton Dickinson and Company Ltd., Becton Dickinson de Colombia Ltda., Becton Dickinson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Becton Dickinson del Uruguay S.A., Benex Ltd., Biometric Imaging, Bridger Biomed Inc., C. R. Bard, C. R. Bard (Portugal)-Produtos e Artigos Medicos e Farmaceuticos, C. R. Bard Do Brazil Productos Medicos Ltds., C. R. Bard GmbH, C. R. Bard Inc., C. R. Bard Netherlands Sales B.V., CME America LLC, CME Ltd., CME Medical (UK) Limited, CME UK (Holdings) Limited, CRISI Medical Systems, CRISI Medical Systems Inc., Caesarea Medical Electronics, Cardal II LLC, Care Fusion Development Private Limited, CareFusion, CareFusion (Barbados) SrL, CareFusion (Shanghai) Commercial and Trading Co. Limited, CareFusion 213 LLC, CareFusion 2200 Inc., CareFusion 2201 Inc., CareFusion 302 LLC, CareFusion 303 Inc., CareFusion Asia (HK) Limited, CareFusion BH 335 d.o.o. Cazin, CareFusion Corporation, CareFusion D.R. 203 Ltd., CareFusion France 309 S.A.S., CareFusion Germany 318 GmbH, CareFusion Iberia 308 S.L., CareFusion Israel 330 Ltd., CareFusion Italy 312 S.p.A., CareFusion Manufacturing LLC, CareFusion Mexico 215 S.A. de C.V., CareFusion Netherlands 328 B.V., CareFusion Netherlands 503 B.V., CareFusion Netherlands 504 B.V., CareFusion Netherlands Financing 283 C.V., CareFusion Resources LLC, CareFusion S.A. 319 (Proprietary) Limited, CareFusion Solutions LLC, CareFusion U.K. 244 Limited, CareFusion U.K. 305 Limited, CareFusion U.K. 306 Limited, Carmel Pharma AB, Carmel Pharma Inc, Cato Software Solutions, Cell Analysis Systems Inc, Cellular Research, Cellular Research Inc., Clearstream Technologies Group Limited, Clearstream Technologies Limited, Clontech Laboratories Inc, Corporativo BD de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Cubex, Cytopeia, DLD (Bermuda) Ltd., DVL Acquisition Sub Inc., Davol Inc., Davol International Limited, Davol Surgical Innovations S.A. de C.V., Difco Laboratories Incorporated, Distribuidora BD Mexico S.A. de C.V., Dutch American Manufacturers (D.A.M.) B.V., Dymax Corporation, Embo Medical Limited, Enturia de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Enturican Inc., FJ International Inc., FlowCardia Inc., FlowCardia LLC, FlowJo LLC, Franklin Lakes Enterprises L.L.C., GSL Solutions, Gamer Lasertechnik GmbH, GenCell Biosystems, GenCell Biosystems Ltd., GeneOhm Sciences, GeneOhm Sciences Canada Inc., Gentest Corporation, Gesco International Inc., Gesco International LLC, HandyLab Inc, HandyLab Inc., IBD Holdings LLC, Ionotophoretics Corporation, JoHome LLC, Kabushiki Kaisha Medicon (Medicon Inc.), Liberator Health and Education Services Inc., Liberator Health and Wellness Inc., Liberator Medical Holdings Inc., Liberator Medical Supply Inc., LifeBond, Limited Liability Company Bard Rus, Loma Vista Medical Inc., Loma Vista Medical LLC, Lutonix Inc., Med-Design Corporation, Med-Design Investment Holdings Inc., Med-Safe Systems Inc., MedChem Products Inc., Medafor Inc., Medegen LLC, Medinservice.com Inc., Medivance Inc., NAT Diagnostics, NAT Diagnostics Inc., NOW Medical Distribution Inc., NOW Medical Distribution LLC, Navarre Biomedical LLC, Navarre Biomedical Ltd., Neomend Inc., Nippon Becton Dickinson Company Ltd., Omega Biosystems Incorporated, P.R.C.(Isialys)Societe a responsabilitie limitee(Societe a associe unique), PT Becton Dickinson Indonesia, PharMingen, PreAnalytiX GmbH, Pristine Access Technologies Inc., ProSeed Inc., Procesos para Esterilizacion S.A. de C.V., Productos Bard de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Productos Para el Cuidado de la Salud S.A. de C.V., Puls Medical Devices AS LC, PureWick Corporation, Roberts Laboratories Inc., Rochester Medical Corporation, Rochester Medical Ltd., Saf-T-Med, Safety Syringes, Safety Syringes Inc., Sendal S.L.U., SenoRx Inc., SenoRx LLC, Shield Healthcare Centers Inc., Sirigen, Sirigen II Limited, Sirigen Inc., Sistemas Medicos ALARIS S.A. de C.V., Specialized Cooperative Corporation, Specialized Health Products Inc., Specialized Health Products International Inc., Specialized Health Products International LLC, Staged Diabetes Management LLC, Straub Medical, Straub Medical, Straub Medical (US) LLC, Straub Medical (United Kingdom) Ltd., Straub Medical France, Surgical Site Solutions Inc., TVA Medical, TVA Medical GmbH, TVA Medical Inc., Tepha, Touchstone Medical Limited, Tri-County Medical & Ostomy Supplies Inc., TriPath Imaging, TriPath Imaging Inc., Vas-Cath Incorporated, Vascular Pathways Inc., Velano Vascular, Venetec International Inc., Venetec International LLC, Y-Med Inc., and Y-Med LLC.
KB Financial Group, Inc. engages in providing financial services through its subsidiaries. It operates through the following segments: Corporate Banking, Retail Banking, Other Banking Services, Credit Card, Life Insurance, Investment and Securities business. The Corporate Banking business segment provides services such as loans, overdrafts, deposits, credit facilities and other foreign currency activities. The Retail Banking business segment offers services such as private customer current accounts, savings, deposits, consumer loans and mortgage loans. The Other Banking business segment provides services relating to banking business besides corporate banking and retail banking services. The Credit Card business segment offers services such as domestic as well as overseas credit and debit card operations. The Investment and Securities business segment provides services such as investment banking and brokerage. The Life Insurance business segment provides products such as life insurance and wealth management. The company was founded on September 29, 2008 and is headquartered in Seoul, South Korea.

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4.5 Community Rank

Outperform Votes NovAccess Global has received 94 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes NovAccess Global has received 43 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment NovAccess Global has received 68.61% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about NovAccess Global and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe XSNX will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe XSNX will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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The following companies are subsidiares of MetLife: 1001 PROPERTIES LLC, 10700 WILSHIRE LLC, 1201 TAB MANAGER LLC, 150 NORTH RIVERSIDE PE MEMBER LLC, 1925 WJC OWNER LLC, 23RD STREET INVESTMENTS INC., 500 GRANT STREET ASSOCIATES LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, 500 GRANT STREET GP LLC, 60 11TH STREET LLC, 6104 HOLLYWOOD LLC, AFP GENESIS ADMINISTRADORA DE FONDOS Y FIDECOMISOS S.A., AFP PROVIDA S.A., AGENVITA S.R.L., ALICO EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LIMITED, ALICO HELLAS SINGLE MEMBER LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, ALICO OPERATIONS LLC, ALICO PROPERTIES INC., AMMETLIFE INSURANCE BERHAD, AMMETLIFE TAKAFUL BERHAD, American Life Insurance Company, BEST MARKET S.A., BIDV METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE LIMITED LIABILITY COMPANY, BLOCK VISION HOLDINGS CORPORATION, BLOCK VISION OF TEXAS INC., BORDERLAND INVESTMENTS LIMITED, BOULEVARD RESIDENTIAL LLC, BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER LLC, CC HOLDCO MANAGER LLC, CHESTNUT FLATS WIND LLC, CLOSED JOINT-STOCK COMPANY MASTER D, COMPANIA INVERSORA METLIFE S.A., CORPORATE REAL ESTATE HOLDINGS LLC, COVA LIFE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, DAVIS VISION INC., DAVISVISION IPA INC., DELAWARE AMERICAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, DES MOINES CREEK BUSINESS PARK PHASE II LLC, ECONOMY FIRE & CASUALTY COMPANY, ECONOMY PREFERRED INSURANCE COMPANY, ECONOMY PREMIER ASSURANCE COMPANY, EURO CL INVESTMENTS LLC, EXCELENCIA OPERATIVA Y TECNOLOGICA S.A de C.V., FEDERAL FLOOD CERTIFICATION LLC, FORTISSIMO CO. LTD, FUNDACION METLIFE MEXICO A.C., GLOBAL PROPERTIES INC., General American Life Insurance Company, Grand Bank N.A., HASKELL EAST VILLAGE LLC, HIGH STREET SEVENTH AND OSBORN APARTMENTS LLC, HOUSING FUND MANAGER LLC, INTERNATIONAL TECHNICAL AND ADVISORY SERVICES LIMITED, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO DOS LIMITADA, INVERSIONES METLIFE HOLDCO TRES LIMITADA, JOINT-STOCK COMPANY METLIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, LHC HOLDINGS, LHCW HOLDINGS, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING, LHCW HOTEL HOLDING LLC, LHCW HOTEL OPERATING COMPANY, LONG ISLAND SOLAR FARM LLC, LUMENLAB MALAYSIA SDN. BHD., Logan Circle Partners, MARKETPLACE RESIDENCES LLC, MAXIS GBN S.A.S., MC PORTFOLIO JV MEMBER LLC, MCJV LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO I LLC, MCMIF HOLDCO II LLC, MCP - WELLINGTON LLC, MCP 100 CONGRESS MEMBER LLC, MCP 1500 MICHAEL LLC, MCP 1900 MCKINNEY LLC, MCP 2 AMES LLC, MCP 2 AMES ONE LLC, MCP 2 AMES OWNER LLC, MCP 2 AMES TWO LLC, MCP 220 YORK LLC, MCP 22745 & 22755 RELOCATION DRIVE LLC, MCP 249 INDUSTRIAL BUSINESS PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP 3040 POST OAK LLC, MCP 350 ROHLWING LLC, MCP 4600 SOUTH SYRACUSE LLC, MCP 550 WEST WASHINGTON LLC, MCP 60 11TH STREET MEMBER LLC, MCP 7 RIVERWAY LLC, MCP 9020 MURPHY ROAD LLC, MCP 93 RED RIVER MEMBER LLC, MCP ALLEY 24 EAST LLC, MCP ASHTON SOUTH END LLC, MCP BLOCK 23 MEMBER LLC, MCP BRADFORD LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER 2 MEMBER LLC, MCP BUFORD LOGISTICS CENTER BLDG B LLC, MCP BURNSIDE MEMBER LLC, MCP CENTER AVENUE INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, MCP CLAWITER INNOVATION MEMBER LLC, MCP COMMON DESK TRS LLC, MCP DENVER PAVILIONS MEMBER LLC, MCP DILLON LLC, MCP DILLON RESIDENTIAL LLC, MCP ENV CHICAGO LLC, MCP FIFE ENTERPRISE CENTER LLC, MCP FRISCO OFFICE LLC, MCP GRAPEVINE LLC, MCP HIGHLAND PARK LENDER LLC, MCP HUB I LLC, MCP HUB I PROPERTY LLC, MCP LODGE AT LAKECREST LLC, MCP MA PROPERTY REIT LLC, MCP MAGNOLIA PARK MEMBER LLC, MCP MAIN STREET VILLAGE LLC, MCP MOUNTAIN TECHNOLOGY CENTER MEMBER TRS LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS HOLDCO LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS MASTER LESSEE LLC, MCP NORTHYARDS OWNER LLC, MCP ONE WESTSIDE LLC, MCP ONYX LLC, MCP PARAGON POINT LLC, MCP PLAZA AT LEGACY LLC, MCP PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL I LLC, MCP SEATTLE GATEWAY INDUSTRIAL II LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE MF MEMBER LLC, MCP SEVENTH AND OSBORNE RETAIL MEMBER LLC, MCP SHAKOPEE LLC, MCP SLEEPY HOLLOW MEMBER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  ANAHEIM LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  BERNARDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  CANYON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  CONCOURSE LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  FULLERTON LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  KELLWO00OD LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  LAX LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  LOKER LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  REDONDO LLC, MCP SOCAL INDUSTRIAL  SPRINGDALE LLC, MCP STATELINE LLC, MCP THE PALMS AT DORAL LLC, MCP TRIMBLE CAMPUS LLC, MCP UNION ROW LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE ONE LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE OWNER LLC, MCP VALLEY FORGE TWO LLC, MCP VANCE JACKSON LLC, MCP VINEYARD AVENUE MEMBER LLC, MCP VOA HOLDINGS LLC, MCP VOA I & III LLC, MCP VOA II LLC, MCP WATERFORD ATRIUM LLC, MCP WEST BROAD MARKETPLACE LLC, MCP  ENGLISH VILLAGE LLC, MCPF ACQUISITION LLC, MCPF FOXBOROUGH LLC, MCPF  NEEDHAM LLC, MCPP OWNERS LLC, MCRE BLOCK 40 LP, MEC HEALTH CARE INC., MET 1065 HOTEL LLC, MET CANADA SOLAR ULC, METLIFE 1007 STEWART LLC, METLIFE 1201 TAB MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MANAGER LLC, METLIFE 425 MKT MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 555 12TH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE 8280 MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ACOMA OWNER LLC, METLIFE ADMINISTRADORA DE FUNDOS MULTIPATROCINADOS LTDA., METLIFE ALTERNATIVES GP LLC, METLIFE ASHTON AUSTIN OWNER LLC, METLIFE ASIA HOLDING COMPANY PTE. LTD., METLIFE ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE ASIA SERVICES SDN. BHD, METLIFE ASSET MANAGEMENT CORP., METLIFE ASSIGNMENT COMPANY INC., METLIFE AUTO & HOME INSURANCE AGENCY INC., METLIFE BL FEEDER, METLIFE BL FEEDER LP, METLIFE BORO STATION MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CABO HILTON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAMINO RAMON MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CAPITAL CREDIT L.P., METLIFE CAPITAL LIMITED PARTNERSHIP, METLIFE CAPITAL TRUST IV, METLIFE CB W/A LLC, METLIFE CC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CHILE ADMINISTRADORA DE MUTUOS HIPOTECARIOS S.A., METLIFE CHILE INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS DE VIDA S.A., METLIFE CHILE SEGUROS GENERALES S.A., METLIFE CHINO MEMBER LLC, METLIFE COLOMBIA SEGUROS de VIDA S.A., METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND GP LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE INCOME FUND LP, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE ORIGINATOR LLC, METLIFE COMMERCIAL MORTGAGE REIT LLC, METLIFE CONSQUARE MEMBER LLC, METLIFE CONSUMER SERVICES INC., METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY FUND LP, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY REIT LLC, METLIFE CORE PROPERTY TRS. LLC, METLIFE CREDIT CORP., METLIFE DIGITAL VENTURES INC., METLIFE EMEKLILIK VE HAYAT A.S., METLIFE EMERGING MARKET DEBT BLEND FUND, METLIFE EU HOLDING COMPANY LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE INSURANCE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPE SERVICES LIMITED, METLIFE EUROPE d.a.c., METLIFE EUROPEAN HOLDINGS LLC., METLIFE FINANCIAL SERVICES CO. LTD, METLIFE FM HOTEL MEMBER LLC, METLIFE FUNDING INC., METLIFE GENERAL INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE GLOBAL BENEFITS LTD., METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY I GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDING COMPANY II GMBH, METLIFE GLOBAL HOLDINGS CORPORATION S.A. De C.V., METLIFE GLOBAL INC., METLIFE GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE GROUP INC., METLIFE HCMJV 1 GP LLC, METLIFE HCMJV 1 LP LLC, METLIFE HEALTH PLANS INC., METLIFE HOLDINGS INC., METLIFE HOME LOANS LLC, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE LIMITED, METLIFE INNOVATION CENTRE PTE. LTD., METLIFE INSURANCE AND INVESTMENT TRUST, METLIFE INSURANCE BROKERAGE INC., METLIFE INSURANCE K.K., METLIFE INSURANCE LIMITED, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HF PARTNERS LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL LIMITED LLC, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND I LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND II LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND III LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND IV LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND V LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VI LP, METLIFE INTERNATIONAL PE FUND VII LP, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENT MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE INVESTMENTS ASIA LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS PTY LIMITED, METLIFE INVESTMENTS SECURITIES LLC, METLIFE INVESTORS DISTRIBUTION COMPANY, METLIFE INVESTORS GROUP LLC, METLIFE IRELAND TREASURY D.A.C., METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND GP LLC, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY FUND LP, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS, METLIFE JAPAN US EQUITY OWNERS LLC, METLIFE LATIN AMERICA ASESORIAS E INVERSIONES LIMITADA, METLIFE LEGAL PLANS INC., METLIFE LEGAL PLANS OF FLORIDA INC., METLIFE LHH MEMBER LLC, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METLIFE LIFE INSURANCE S.A., METLIFE LOAN ASSET MANAGEMENT LLC, METLIFE MAS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MEMBER SOLAIRE LLC, METLIFE MEXICO HOLDINGS S. DE R.L. DE C.V., METLIFE MEXICO S.A., METLIFE MEXICO SERVICIOS S.A. DE C.V., METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT GP LLC, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL FUND LP, METLIFE MIDDLE MARKET PRIVATE DEBT PARALLEL GP LLC, METLIFE MULTI-FAMILY PARTNERS III LLC, METLIFE MUTUAL FUND COMPANY, METLIFE OBS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE OFC MEMBER LLC, METLIFE ONTARIO STREET MEMBR LLC, METLIFE PARK TOWER MEMBER LLC, METLIFE PENSION TRUSTEES LIMITED, METLIFE PENSIONES MEXICO S.A., METLIFE PET INSURANCE SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE PLANOS ODONTOLOGICOS LTDA., METLIFE POWSZECHNE TOWARTZYSTWO EMERYTALNE S.A., METLIFE PRIVATE EQUITY HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE PROPERTIES VENTURES LLC, METLIFE RC SF MEMBER LLC, METLIFE REAL ESTATE LENDING LLC, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF BERMUDA LTD., METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF CHARLESTON, METLIFE REINSURANCE COMPANY OF VERMONT, METLIFE RETIREMENT SERVICES LLC, METLIFE SAENGMYOUNG INSURANCE COMPANY LTD., METLIFE SECURITIZATION DEPOSITOR LLC, METLIFE SEGUROS S.A., METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FINCO LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING FUND LP, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING GP LLC, METLIFE SENIOR DIRECT LENDING HOLDINGS LP, METLIFE SERVICES AND SOLUTIONS LLC, METLIFE SERVICES CYPRUS LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EAST PRIVATE LIMITED, METLIFE SERVICES EEIG, METLIFE SERVICES EOOD, METLIFE SERVICES SOCIEDAD LIMITADA, METLIFE SERVICES SP Z.O.O, METLIFE SERVICIOS S.A., METLIFE SLOVAKIA S.R.O. V LIKVIDACII, METLIFE SOLUTIONS PTE. LTD., METLIFE SOLUTIONS S.A.S., METLIFE SP HOLDINGS LLC, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN FUND SCSP, METLIFE SYNDICATED BANK LOAN LUX GP S.A.R.L., METLIFE THR INVESTOR LLC, METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO FUNDUSZY INWESTYCYJNYCH S.A., METLIFE TOWARZYSTWO UBEZPIECZEN NA ZYCIE I REASEKURACJI S.A., METLIFE TOWER RESOURCES GROUP INC., METLIFE TREAT TOWERS MEMBER LLC, METLIFE WORLDWIDE HOLDINGS LLC, METROPOLITAN CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN DIRECT PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GENERAL INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN GLOBAL MANAGEMENT LLC., METROPOLITAN GROUP PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN LIFE SEGUROS E PREVIDENCIA PRIVADA S.A., METROPOLITAN LIFE SOCIETATE de ADMINISTRARE a UNUI FOND de PENSII ADMINISTRAT PRIVAT S.A., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INC., METROPOLITAN LLOYDS INSURANCE COMPANY OF TEXAS, METROPOLITAN PROPERTY AND CASUALTY INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, METROPOLITAN TOWER REALTY COMPANY INC., MEX DF PROPERTIES LLC, MFA FINANCING VEHICLE CTR1 LLC, MIDTOWN HEIGHTS LLC, MIM CLAL GENERAL PARTNER LLC, MIM EMD GP LLC, MIM I LLC, MIM METWEST INTERNATIONAL MANAGER LLC, MIM ML-AI VENTURE 5 MANAGER LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT LLC, MIM PROPERTY MANAGEMENT OF GEORGIA 1 LLC, MIM THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MANAGER LLC, MISSOURI REINSURANCE INC., ML - URS PORT CHESTER SC MANAGER LLC, ML 300 THIRD MEMBER LLC, ML ARMATURE MEMBER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MANAGER LLC, ML BELLEVUE MEMBER LLC, ML BRIDGESIDE APARTMENTS LLC, ML CAPACITACION COMERCIAL S.A. DE C.V., ML CERRITOS TC MEMBER LLC, ML CLAL MEMBER LLC, ML DOLPHIN GP LLC, ML DOLPHIN MEZZ LLC, ML MATSON MILLS MEMBER LLC, ML MILILANI MEMBER LLC, ML ONE BEDMINSTER LLC, ML PORT CHESTER SC MEMBER LLC, ML SENTINEL SQUARE MEMBER LLC, ML SLOANS LAKE MEMEBR LLC, ML SOUTHLANDS MEMBER LLC, ML SOUTHMORE LLC, ML SWAN GP LLC, ML SWAN MEZZ LLC, ML TERRACES LLC, ML THIRD ARMY INDUSTRIAL MEMBER LLC, ML VENTURE 1 MANAGER S. DE R. L. DE C.V., ML VENTURE 1 SERVICER LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 1 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 2 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 3 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 4 LLC, ML-AI METLIFE MEMBER 5 LLC, MLIA MANAGER I LLC, MLIA PARK TOWER MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF COLONY MANAGER LLC, MLIA SBAF MANAGER LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS II LLC, MLIC ASSET HOLDINGS LLC, MLIC CB HOLDINGS LLC, MLJ US FEEDER LLC, MM GLOBAL OPERATIONS SUPPORT CENTER S.A. DE C.V., MMP CEDAR STREET OWNER LLC, MMP CEDAR STREET REIT LLC, MMP HOLDINGS III LLC, MMP OLIVIAN OWNER LLC, MMP OLIVIAN REIT LLC, MMP OWNERS III LLC, MMP OWNERS LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK OWNER LLC, MMP SOUTH PARK REIT LLC, MREF 425 MKT LLC, MSV IRVINE PROPERTY LLC, MTC FUND I LLC, MTC FUND II LLC, MTC FUND III LLC, MTL LEASING LLC, MTU HOTEL OWNER LLC, NATILOPORTEM HOLDINGS LLC, NEWBURY INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, OCONEE GOLF COMPANY LLC, OCONEE HOTEL COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND COMPANY LLC, OCONEE LAND DEVELOPMENT COMPANY LLC, OCONEE MARINA COMPANY LLC, OMI MLIC INVESTMENTS LIMITED, PACIFIC LOGISTICS INDUSTRIAL SOUTH LLC, PARK TOWER JV MEMBER LLC, PARK TOWER REIT INC., PJSC METLIFE, PLAZA DRIVE PROPERTIES LLC, PNB METLIFE INDIA INSURANCE COMPANY LIMITED, PREFCO FOURTEEN LLC, PREFCO XIV HOLDINGS LLC, PROVIDA INTERNACIONAL S.A., SAFEGUARD HEALTH ENTERPRISES INC., SAFEGUARD HEALTH PLANS INC., SAFEHEALTH LIFE INSURANCE COMPANY, SEVENTH AND OSBORN MF VENTURE LLC, SINO-US UNITED METLIFE INSURANCE CO. LTD., SOUTHCREEK INDUSTRIAL HOLDINGS LLC, ST. JAMES FLEET INVESTMENTS TWO LIMITED, SUPERIOR PROCUREMENT INC, SUPERIOR VISION BENEFIT MANAGEMENT INC., SUPERIOR VISION HOLDINGS INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE INC., SUPERIOR VISION INSURANCE PLAN OF WISCONSIN INC., SUPERIOR VISION OF NEW JERSEY INC., SUPERIOR VISION SERVICES INC., Safeguard Health Enterprises, Security First Group Inc., THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH AVENUE MEZZANINE LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL HOLDING LLC, THE BUILDING AT 575 FIFTH RETAIL OWNER, THE DIRECT CALL CENTRE PTY LIMITED, TRANSMOUNTAIN LAND & LIVESTOCK COMPANY, UVC INDEPENDENT PRACTICE ASSOCIATION INC., VERSANT HEALTH CONSOLIDATIONS CORP., VERSANT HEALTH HOLDCO INC., VERSANT HEALTH LAB LLC, VIRIDIAN MIRACLE MILE LLC, VISION 21 MANAGED EYE CARE OF TAMPA BAY, VISION 21 PHYSICIAN PRACTICE MANAGEMENT COMPANY, VISION TWENTY-ONE MANAGED EYE CARE IPA INC., Versant Health, WDV ACQUISITION CORP., WFP 1000 HOLDING COMPANY GP LLC, WHITE OAK ROYALTY COMPANY, and WHITE TRACT II LLC.
There is not enough analysis data for El Paso Electric.

3.9 Community Rank

Outperform Votes El Paso Electric has received 256 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes El Paso Electric has received 192 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment El Paso Electric has received 57.14% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about El Paso Electric and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe EE will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe EE will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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Embraer SA engages in the design, manufacture, and sale of aircraft and its parts for commercial, defense, and executive aviation sectors. It operates through the following segments: Commercial Aviation, Defense and Security, Executive Jet Business, Service & Support and Others. The Commercial Aviation segment is involved in the development, production, and sale of commercial jets; and the provision of support services to regional aviation and aircraft leasing. The Defense and Security segment engages in research, development, production, modification, and support for defense and security aircrafts, as well as other integrated products and solutions including satellites and information and communication systems. The Executive Jet Business segment deals with the development, manufacture, and sale of executive jets. The Service & Support segment provides after-service solutions and support to its customers through a comprehensive portfolio of innovative and competitive solutions to ensure operational efficiency of products manufactured by Embraer and by other aircraft manufacturers, extending the useful life of commercial, executive and defense aircraft. The Others segment refers to

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The following companies are subsidiares of EnerSys: ABSL Power Solutions Inc., ABSL Power Solutions Ltd., Acumuladores Industriales EnerSys SA, Alpha Alternative Energy Inc., Alpha Broadband Services Inc., Alpha Innovations Industria e Comercio de Produtos Eletronicos Ltda., Alpha Innovations Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Alpha Mexico Network Power S.A. de C.V., Alpha Tech Energy Solutions India Private Limited, Alpha Technical Services Ltd., Alpha Technologies Ltd., Alpha Technologies Pty. Ltd., Alpha Technologies Services Inc., Alphatec Technologies (Shenzhen) Co. Ltd., Argus Research Ltd., Batterias Hawker de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Battery Power International Pte Ltd., Coppervale Enterprises Inc., DCPM Engineering Sdn Bhd, EH Batterien AG, EH Europe GmbH, EH Global Holdings GmbH, EH Swiss Holdings GmbH, ENAS Industrial Batteries Morocco Sarl, EnerSys (Chaozhou) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (China) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (Chongqing) Huada Batteries Company Limited, EnerSys (Jiangsu) Huada Batteries Company Limited (94.7%) *, EnerSys (Luxembourg) Finance Sarl, EnerSys (Yangzhou) Huada Batteries Co. Ltd., EnerSys A/S, EnerSys AB, EnerSys AD, EnerSys AE, EnerSys AS, EnerSys Advanced Systems Inc., EnerSys Argentina S.A., EnerSys Asia Limited, EnerSys Australia Pty Ltd., EnerSys BV, EnerSys BVBA, EnerSys Battery Private Limited, EnerSys Brasil Ltda., EnerSys Bulgaria EOOD, EnerSys Canada Inc., EnerSys Capital Inc., EnerSys Cayman Euro L.P., EnerSys Cayman Holdings L.P., EnerSys Cayman Inc., EnerSys Delaware Inc., EnerSys Delaware LLC I, EnerSys Delaware LLC II, EnerSys Delaware LLC III, EnerSys Delaware LLC IV, EnerSys Delaware LLC V, EnerSys Energy Products Inc., EnerSys Europe Oy, EnerSys European Holding Co., EnerSys GmbH, EnerSys Holdings (Luxembourg) Sarl, EnerSys Holdings UK Ltd., EnerSys Hungaria Kft., EnerSys India Batteries Private Ltd., EnerSys JSC, EnerSys LLC, EnerSys Ltd., EnerSys Malaysia Sdn Bhd, EnerSys Mexico Holdings LLC, EnerSys Mexico Management LLC, EnerSys Participacoes Ltda., EnerSys Reserve Power Pte. Ltd., EnerSys S.r.l., EnerSys SARL, EnerSys SNC, EnerSys South East Asia Pte. Ltd., EnerSys de Mexico II S de R.L. de CV, EnerSys de Mexico S de R.L. de CV, EnerSys s.r.o., EnerSys sp. z o.o., EnerSystem Chile Ltda., Enersys Aku Sanaya Dis Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Esfinco LLC, Hawker GmbH, Hawker Power Systems Inc., Hawker Powersource Inc., Hawker Systems GmbH & Co. KG., ICS Industries Pty Ltd, ICS Industries Pty Ltd., ICS Sheet Metal Pty Ltd., Industrial Battery Holding Ltda., International Communication Shelters Australasia Pty Ltd., Lancord Pty Ltd., Lenmic Pty Ltd., MIB Energy Sdn Bhd, N Holding AB, National Infrastructure Pty Ltd., National Infrastructure Services Pty Ltd., NaviSemi Energy Pte Ltd., NaviSemi Inc., New Pacifico Realty Inc., NorthStar Battery Company LLC, NorthStar Battery Company LLC, NorthStar Battery DMCC, Outback Power Technologies Inc., Powercom (NSW) Pty Ltd., Powersonic S de R.L. de CV, Purcell Systems, Purcell Systems Inc., Purcell Systems International AB, Quallion LLC, Riverfront Holding S. de R.L. de C.V., Shenzhen Huada Power Supply Mechanical & Electrical Co. Ltd. , SiteTel Shanghai Co Ltd., SiteTel Sweden AB, Telecomponents & Supply (Hong Kong) Ltd., The Enser Corporation, UTS Holdings Sdn Bhd, UTS Technology (JB) Sdn Bhd, UTS Technology (PG) Sdn Bhd, YCI Inc., and Yecoltd S. de R.L. de CV.
The following companies are subsidiares of Marsh & McLennan Companies: 8WORKS INC., 8WORKS LTD, A. Constantinidi & CIA. S.C., A.C.N. 000 951 146 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 001 572 961 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 076 935 683 Pty Limited, A.C.N. 102 322 574 Pty Limited, ACE Insurance Agents Limited, ACE Insurance Consultants Limited, ACE Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Limited, AD Corretora de Seguros, AFCO Premium Acceptance Inc., AFCO Premium Credit LLC, Access Equity Enhanced Fund GP LLC, Admiral Holdings Limited, Agnew Higgins Pickering & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd, Aldgate Investments Limited, Aldgate Trustees Ltd, Alexander Forbes Group Holdings Limited, Alpha Consultants Limited, Alta SA, Altius Real Assets (GP) LLC, Amal Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Anda Insurance Agencies Pte Ltd, AssetVal Pty Ltd, Assur Conseils Marsh S.A., Assurance Capital Corporation, Assurance Services Corporation, Australian Insurance Brokers Pty Ltd, Australian World Underwriters Pty Ltd., BBPS Limited, Barney & Barney Orange County LLC, Beaumonts (Leeds) Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), Beaumonts Insurance Services Limited, Beneficios Integrales Oportunos SA, Benefitfocus Inc., Blue Marble Micro Limited, Blue Marble Microinsurance Inc., Bluefin, Bluefin Insurance Group Limited, Bluefin Insurance Services Limited, Boulder Claims LLC, Bowring (Bermuda) Investments Ltd., Bowring Marine Limited, Bowring Marsh (Bermuda) Ltd., Bowring Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Bowring Marsh Asia Pte. Ltd., Bowring Marsh Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Bowring Marsh Limited, Broderick Piller Pty Ltd, Broker 2 Broker Limited, BuildPay LLC, Burke Ford Trustees (Leicester) Limited, C.T. Bowring Limited, CMC-Belgibo NV, CPRM Limited, CPSG Partners LLC, Carpenter Marsh Fac Chile Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Carpenter Marsh Fac Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Carpenter Marsh Fac Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.C., Carpenter Marsh Fac Re LLC, Carpenter Turner Cyprus Ltd, Carpenter Turner S.A., Cascade International Holdings C.V., Cascade Regional Holdings Limited, Central Insurance Services Limited, Charter Risk Management Services LLC, Chartwell Healthcare Limited, Chronos Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Claims and Recovery Management (Australia) Pty Limited, Clark Thomson Insurance Brokers Limited, Client Provide Limited, Colombian Insurance Broking Wholesale Limited, Consultores 2020 C.A., Cronin & Co Insurance Services Limited, DVA - Deutsche Verkehrs-Assekuranz-Vermittlungs GmbH, Dawson Insurance, DeLima Marsh S.A. - Los Corredores de Seguros S.A., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Insurance Corp., Dovetail Managing General Agency Corporation, Dovetail Technology Service India Private Limited, Draw Connect Limited, Draw Create Limited, Draw Group London Limited, Eagle & Crown Limited, Echelon Australia Pty Limited, Echelon Claims Consultants Sdn Bhd, Echelon New Zealand Limited, EnBW Versicherungs Vermittlung GmbH, Encompass Insurance Agency Pty Ltd., English Pension Trustees Limited, Epsilon (US) Insurance Company, Epsilon Insurance Company Ltd., Eustis Insurance & Benefits, Evolution Management Ltd, Exchange Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Exmoor Management Company Limited, Faulkner & Flynn LLC, Freedom Trust Services Limited, GC Genesis LLC, GCube Insurance Services Inc, GCube Underwriting Limited, Gama Consultores Associados Ltda., Gem Insurance Company Limited, Global Premium Finance Company, GrECo International Holding AG, Gracechurch Trustees Limited, Gresham Pension Trustees Limited, Group Promoters Pty Limited, Guy Carpenter & Cia (Mexico) S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter & Cia. S.A., Guy Carpenter & Co. Labuan Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company AB, Guy Carpenter & Company Corredores de Reaseguros Limitada, Guy Carpenter & Company Corretora de Resseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company GmbH, Guy Carpenter & Company LLC, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Ltd./Guy Carpenter & Compagnie Ltee, Guy Carpenter & Company Participacoes Ltda., Guy Carpenter & Company Peru Corredores de Reaseguros S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company Private Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Proprietary Limited, Guy Carpenter & Company Pty. Ltd., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A., Guy Carpenter & Company S.A. (Uruguay), Guy Carpenter & Company S.A.S., Guy Carpenter & Company S.r.l., Guy Carpenter (Middle East) Limited, Guy Carpenter Bermuda Ltd., Guy Carpenter Broking Inc., Guy Carpenter Colombia Corredores de Reaseguros Ltda., Guy Carpenter Insurance Brokers (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Guy Carpenter Japan Inc., Guy Carpenter Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., Guy Carpenter Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, HAPIP GP 2009 LLC, HAPIP GP LLC, HSBC Insurance Brokers International (Abu Dhabi) LLC (in liquidation), Hamilton Bond Limited, Hansen International Limited, Hayward Aviation Limited, INSIA Europe SE, INSIA SK s.r.o., INSIA a.s., INSURANCE BROKERS OF NIGERIA LIMITED, IRC Asia Insurance Brokers Limited, InSolutions Limited, Industrial Risks Protection Consultants, Ingeseg S. A., Ingeseg S.A., Insbrokers Ltda., InsurTech Alliance LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC, Insure Direct (Brokers) LLC [BAHRAIN BRANCH], Insure Direct - Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, International Catastrophe Insurance Managers LLC, International Loss Control Services Limited, International Risk Consultants (Asia) Limited, Invercol Limited, Irish Pensions Trust Limited, Isosceles Insurance (Barbados) Limited, Isosceles Insurance Company Limited, Isosceles Insurance Ltd, Isosceles PCC Limited, J&H Marsh & McLennan Limited, J.W. Terrill Benefit Administrators Inc., JI Holdings Limited, JIB Group Holdings Limited, JIB Group Limited, JIB Holdings (Pacific) Limited, JIB Overseas Holdings Limited, JIB UK Holdings Limited, JL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co. KG, JLM Verwaltungs GmbH, JLT (Insurance Brokers) Limited, JLT Actuaries and Consultants Limited, JLT Advisory Limited, JLT Affinity Colombia Solutions SAS, JLT Agencies Limited, JLT Asesorias Ltda, JLT Asia Holdings BV, JLT Asia Shared Services Sdn Bhd, JLT Belgibo, JLT Benefit Consultants Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions Limited, JLT Benefit Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Bermuda Ltd, JLT Brasil Holdings Participacoes Ltd, JLT Chile Holdings SpA, JLT Colombia Retail Limited, JLT Colombia Wholesale Limited, JLT Consultants & Actuaries Limited, JLT EB Holdings Limited, JLT EB Services Limited, JLT Employee Benefits Holding Company (PTY) LTD, JLT Employee Benefits SA (Pty) Ltd, JLT Financial Planning Limited, JLT France Holdings, JLT Group Services Pty Limited, JLT Holdings (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Holdings (NZ) Limited, JLT Independent Insurance Brokers Private Limited, JLT Insurance Agencies Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited ( Shanghai Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Beijing Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Co. Limited (Guangzhou Branch), JLT Insurance Brokers Ireland Limited, JLT Insurance Brokers SA, JLT Insurance Group Holdings Ltd, JLT Insurance Management Malta Limited, JLT Intellectual Property Limited, JLT Intellectual Property [UK Branch], JLT Interactive Pte. Ltd., JLT Investment Management Limited, JLT LATAM (Southern Cone) Wholesale Limited, JLT Latin American Holdings Limited, JLT Life Assurance Brokers Limited, JLT Management Services Limited, JLT Marine (Pty) Ltd, JLT Mexico Holdings Limited, JLT Mexico Intermediario de Reaseguro S.A. de C.V., JLT Netherlands BV, JLT Norway AS, JLT PLA, JLT Pension Trustees Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Holdings Limited, JLT Pensions Administration Limited, JLT Peru Reinsurance Solutions Limited, JLT Peru Retail Limited, JLT Peru Wholesale Limited, JLT QFM Services Limited, JLT RE Brasil Administracao e Corretagem de Resseguros Ltda, JLT Re (French Branch), JLT Re (Northern Europe) AB, JLT Re Argentina Corredores de Reaseguros S.A.U., JLT Re Labuan Limited, JLT Re Limited, JLT Re Pty Ltd, JLT Reinsurance Brokers GmbH, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited, JLT Reinsurance Brokers Limited [French Branch], JLT Risk Management Limited, JLT Risk Solutions AB, JLT Risk Solutions AB Branch - Germany, JLT SA IB Holdings Company (Pty) Limited, JLT SCK Affinity Administracao e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., JLT SCK Corretora e Administradora de Seguros, JLT Secretaries Limited, JLT Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerlii A.., JLT Singapore Holdings Pte. Ltd., JLT Specialty France, JLT Specialty Insurance Broker A/S, JLT Specialty Limited, JLT Specialty Limited [DUBAI BRANCH], JLT Specialty Pte. Ltd., JLT Towner Insurance Management (Anguilla) Limited, JLT Trust Services (Barbados) Ltd, JLT Trustees (Southern) Limited, JLT Trustees Limited, JLT UK Investment Holdings Limited, JLT Vantage Risk and Benefit Consulting Private Limited, JLT Wealth Management Limited, JLT do Brasil Corretagem de Seguros Ltda, JLTPCS Holdings Pte. Ltd., JMIB Holdings BV, JSL Securities Inc., Japan Affinity Marketing Inc., Jardine IBR Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson (Proprietary) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Asia Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Australia Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Canada Inc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Group plc, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson India Private Limited (UK Branch Office), Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance Consultants Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Inc., Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Holdings Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Ireland Unlimited Company, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Korea Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Limited [Macao Branch], Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS (Dubai) Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS Pte Ltd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson PCS SA, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Private Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Pty Limited, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Sdn Bhd, Jardine Lloyd Thompson Valencia y Iragorri Corredores de Seguros SA, Jardine Pension Trustees Ireland Limited, Jardine Risk Consulting Co. Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited, Jardine ShunTak Insurance Brokers Limited [Macao Branch], Jardines PF- Consultoria Em Gestao De Risco Limitada, Jelf, Jelf Commercial Finance Limited, Jelf Financial Planning Limited, Jelf Insurance Brokers Limited, Jelf Limited, Jelf Risk Management Limited, Jelf Wellbeing Limited, John Lampier & Son Ltd, Johnson & Higgins (Bermuda) Limited, Johnson & Higgins Limited, KESSLER & CO AG, Kepler Associates Limited, Kessler & Co Inc., Kessler Consulting Inc., Kessler Prevoyance Inc., Key Underwriting Pty Limited, Kroll, Lambert Brothers Holdings Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Employee Benefits) Limited, Lambert Brothers Insurance Brokers (Hong Kong) Ltd, Laterlife.com Limited (in liquidation), Lavaretus Underwriting AB, Lavaretus Underwriting AB (BRANCH - Denmark), Libra Insurance Services Limited (in liquidation), Lloyd & Partners Limited, Local Government Insurance Brokers Pty Limited, Lomond Macdonald Limited, Lynch Insurance Brokers Limited, M&M Vehicle L.P., M.P. Bolshaw and Company Limited, MAG JLT SpA, MERCER ALTERNATIVES LIMITED, MM Risk Services Pty Ltd (for dissolution), MMA Mid-Atlantic Employee LLC, MMA Securities LLC, MMB Consultores S.A., MMC (Singapore) Holdings Pte. Ltd., MMC 28 State Street Holdings Inc., MMC Borrower LLC, MMC Brazilian Holdings B.V., MMC Capital Inc., MMC Cascade Regional Holdings LLC, MMC FINANCE (EUROPE) LIMITED, MMC FINANCE HOLDINGS LTD, MMC Finance (Australia) Limited, MMC Finance (Singapore) Limited, MMC France Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., MMC GP III Inc., MMC Group Services sp. z o.o., MMC Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, MMC Holdings (New Zealand) ULC, MMC Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC International Finance (Barbados) SRL, MMC International Holdings LLC, MMC International Limited, MMC International Treasury Centre Limited, MMC Middle East Holdings Limited, MMC Poland Holdings B.V., MMC Realty Inc., MMC Regional Asia Holdings B.V., MMC Regional Caribbean Holdings Ltd., MMC Regional Europe Holdings B.V., MMC Regional LATAM Holdings B.V., MMC Securities (Europe) Limited, MMC Securities LLC, MMC Treasury Holdings (UK) Limited, MMC UK Group Limited, MMC UK Pension Fund Trustee Limited, MMOW Limited, MMRC LLC, MOW Holding LLC, MPIP III GP LLC, MPIP IV GP LLC, MPIP V GP LLC, MPIP VI GP LLC, Mangrove Insurance Europe PCC Limited, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC, Mangrove Insurance Solutions PCC Limited, Manoel Management Services Ltd, Marchant McKechnie Insurance Brokers Limited, Marine Aviation & General (London) Limited, Marsh & McLennan (PNG) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agencies AS, Marsh & McLennan Agencies Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency A/S, Marsh & McLennan Agency LLC, Marsh & McLennan Agency Limited, Marsh & McLennan Agency Pty Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Argentina SA Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh & McLennan Colombia S.A., Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Funding Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Acquisition Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies Asia Pacific Treasury Center Limited, Marsh & McLennan Companies BVBA/SPRL, Marsh & McLennan Companies Finance Center (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies France S.A.S., Marsh & McLennan Companies Holdings (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Inc., Marsh & McLennan Companies Regional Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Companies Services B.V., Marsh & McLennan Companies UK Limited, Marsh & McLennan Europe S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan GP I Inc., Marsh & McLennan Global Broking (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Holding GmbH, Marsh & McLennan Holdings (Canada) ULC, Marsh & McLennan Holdings Inc., Marsh & McLennan Incorporated (for dissolution), Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings II, Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Holdings S.a.r.l., Marsh & McLennan Innovation Centre Limited, Marsh & McLennan Insurance Services Limited, Marsh & McLennan Ireland Limited, Marsh & McLennan Management Services (Bermuda) Limited, Marsh & McLennan Risk Capital Holdings Ltd., Marsh & McLennan Servicios S.A. De C.V., Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Canada Limited, Marsh & McLennan Shared Services Corporation, Marsh (Bahrain) Company SPC, Marsh (Beijing) Risk Management Consulting Co. Ltd., Marsh (China) Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Marsh (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh (Insurance Brokers) LLP, Marsh (Insurance Services) Limited, Marsh (Malawi) Limited, Marsh (Middle East) Limited, Marsh (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh (Pty) Ltd, Marsh (Risk Consulting) LLP, Marsh (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Marsh A/S, Marsh AB, Marsh AG, Marsh AS, Marsh Advantage Insurance Holdings Pty Ltd, Marsh Advantage Insurance Pty Ltd., Marsh Africa (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Argentina S.R.L., Marsh Associates (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Austria G.m.b.H., Marsh Aviation Insurance Broking Pty Ltd (for dissolution), Marsh B.V., Marsh Botswana (Proprietary) Limited, Marsh Brockman y Schuh Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Marsh Broker Japan Inc., Marsh Broker de Asigurare-Reasigurare S.R.L., Marsh Brokers (Hong Kong) Limited, Marsh Brokers Limited, Marsh Canada Limited/Marsh Canada Limitee, Marsh Company Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Compensation Technologies Administration (Pty) Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Isle of Man Ltd, Marsh Corporate Services Limited, Marsh Corporate Services Malta Limited, Marsh Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Marsh EOOD, Marsh Egypt LLC, Marsh Emirates Consultancy LLC, Marsh Emirates Insurance Brokerage LLC, Marsh Employee Benefits Limited, Marsh Employee Benefits Zimbabwe (Private) Ltd, Marsh Eurofinance B.V., Marsh Europe S.A., Marsh FJC International Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh For Insurance Services S.A.E., Marsh Franco Acra S.A., Marsh GSC Servicos e Administracao de Seguros Ltda., Marsh GmbH, Marsh Holding AB, Marsh Holdings (Pty) Ltd, Marsh India Insurance Brokers Private Limited, Marsh Insurance & Investments LLC, Marsh Insurance Brokers, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Macao) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Insurance Brokers (Private) Limited, Marsh Insurance Brokers AO, Marsh Insurance Brokers Limited, Marsh Insurance Consulting Saudi Arabia (in liquidation), Marsh Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers LLC, Marsh Intermediaries Inc., Marsh International Broking Holdings Limited, Marsh International Holdings II Inc., Marsh International Holdings Inc., Marsh Investment B.V., Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited, Marsh Ireland Brokers Limited (UK Branch), Marsh Ireland Holdings Limited, Marsh Israel (1999) Ltd., Marsh Israel (Holdings) Ltd., Marsh Israel Consultants Ltd., Marsh Israel Insurance Agency Ltd., Marsh Israel International Brokers Ltd. (in liquidation), Marsh JCS Inc., Marsh Japan Inc., Marsh Kft., Marsh Kindlustusmaakler AS, Marsh Korea Inc., Marsh LLC, Marsh LLC Insurance Brokers, Marsh LLC [Ukraine], Marsh Lda., Marsh Limited, Marsh Limited [Fiji], Marsh Limited [New Zealand], Marsh Limited [PNG], Marsh Ltd. [Wisconsin], Marsh Management Services (Bahamas) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Bermuda) Ltd., Marsh Management Services (Dublin) Limited, Marsh Management Services (Labuan) Limited, Marsh Management Services (MENA) Limited, Marsh Management Services (USVI) Ltd., Marsh Management Services Cayman Ltd., Marsh Management Services Guernsey Limited, Marsh Management Services Inc., Marsh Management Services Isle of Man Limited, Marsh Management Services Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Marsh Management Services Malta Limited, Marsh Management Services Singapore Pte. Ltd., Marsh Management Services Sweden AB, Marsh Marine & Energy AB, Marsh Marine Nederland B.V., Marsh Medical Consulting GmbH, Marsh Mercer Holdings (Australia) Pty Ltd, Marsh Nest Inc., Marsh Oman LLC, Marsh Oy, Marsh PB Co. Ltd., Marsh Philippines Inc., Marsh Privat A.I.E., Marsh Private Client Life Insurance Services, Marsh Pty. Ltd., Marsh Qatar LLC, Marsh RE S.A.C. Corredores de Reaseguros, Marsh Rehder Consultoria S.A. (MRC), Marsh Rehder S.A. Corredores de Seguros, Marsh Resolutions Pty Limited, Marsh Risk Consulting B.V., Marsh Risk Consulting Limitada, Marsh Risk Consulting Ltda., Marsh Risk Consulting S.L., Marsh Risk Consulting Services S.r.L., Marsh Risk and Consulting Services (Pty) Ltd, Marsh S.A. Corredores De Seguros, Marsh S.A. Mediadores de Seguros, Marsh S.A.S., Marsh S.p.A., Marsh SA [Argentina], Marsh SA [Belgium], Marsh SA [Luxembourg], Marsh SA [Uruguay], Marsh SIA, Marsh Saldana Inc., Marsh Saudi Arabia Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Marsh Secretarial Services Limited, Marsh Semusa S.A., Marsh Services Limited, Marsh Services Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Marsh Spolka z.o.o., Marsh Szolgaltato Kft., Marsh Takaful Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Marsh Treasury Services (Dublin) Limited (in liquidation), Marsh Treasury Services Limited, Marsh Tunisia S.a.r.l., Marsh UK Limited, Marsh USA (India) Inc., Marsh USA Borrower LLC, Marsh USA Inc., Marsh Uganda Limited, Marsh Venezuela C.A. Sociedad de Corretaje de Seguros, Marsh Vietnam Insurance Broking Company Ltd, Marsh Zambia Limited, Marsh Zimbabwe Holdings (Private) Limited, Marsh d.o.o. Beograd, Marsh d.o.o. za posredovanje u osiguranju, Marsh for Insurance Services - Jordan, Marsh i-Connect (Pty) Ltd, Marsh s.r.o., Matthiessen Assurans AB, Mercer (Argentina) S.A., Mercer (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer (Austria) GmbH, Mercer (Belgium) SA-NV, Mercer (Canada) Limited/Mercer (Canada) Limitee, Mercer (China) Limited, Mercer (Colombia) Ltda., Mercer (Danmark) A/S, Mercer (Finland) OY, Mercer (France) SAS, Mercer (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer (Ireland) Limited, Mercer (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Mercer (N.Z.) Limited, Mercer (Nederland) B.V., Mercer (Norge) AS, Mercer (Polska) Sp.z o.o., Mercer (Portugal) Lda, Mercer (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer (Sweden) AB, Mercer (Taiwan) Ltd., Mercer (Thailand) Ltd., Mercer (US) Inc., Mercer Administration Services (Australia) Pty Limited, Mercer Africa Limited, Mercer Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Mercer Asesores de Seguros S.A., Mercer Asesores es Inversion Independientes S.A. de C.V., Mercer Broking Ltd., Mercer Career Unipessoal Lda, Mercer Consultation (Quebec) Ltee., Mercer Consulting (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Mercer Consulting (France) SAS, Mercer Consulting (India) Private Limited, Mercer Consulting B.V., Mercer Consulting Group Inc., Mercer Consulting Holdings Sdn. Bhd., Mercer Consulting Limited, Mercer Consulting Middle East Limited, Mercer Consulting S.L.U., Mercer Consulting Venezuela C.A., Mercer Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Mercer Corretora de Seguros Ltda, Mercer Danismanlik Anonim Sirketi, Mercer Deutschland GmbH, Mercer Employee Benefits - Medicacao de Seguros Unipessoal Lda., Mercer Employee Benefits Limited, Mercer Financial Advice (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Financial Services Limited, Mercer Financial Services Limited liability company, Mercer Financial Services Middle East Limited, Mercer Global Investments Europe Limited, Mercer Global Investments Management Limited, Mercer HR Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer HR Services LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Health & Benefits Administration LLC, Mercer Health & Benefits LLC, Mercer Holdings Inc., Mercer Holdings Inc. [Philippines], Mercer Human Resource Consulting Ltda, Mercer Human Resource Consulting S.A. de C.V., Mercer ICC Limited, Mercer Investment Consulting Limited, Mercer Investment Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Mercer Investment Solutions (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Mercer Investments (Australia) Limited, Mercer Investments (Hong Kong) Limited, Mercer Investments (Japan) Ltd, Mercer Investments (New Zealand) Limited, Mercer Investments LLC, Mercer Ireland Holdings Limited, Mercer Italia Srl Socio Unico, Mercer Japan Ltd., Mercer Korea Co. Ltd., Mercer LLC, Mercer Limited, Mercer MC Consulting Borrower LLC, Mercer Master Trustees Limited, Mercer Mauritius Ltd., Mercer Oliver Wyman Holding B.V., Mercer Outsourcing (Australia) Pty Ltd, Mercer Outsourcing S.L.U., Mercer Pensionsfonds AG, Mercer Pensionsraadgivning A/S, Mercer Philippines Inc., Mercer Private Investment Partners IV General Partner S.a.r.l., Mercer Private Markets AG, Mercer Private Markets Advisers (US) AG, Mercer Services Poland Sp. z.o.o., Mercer Sigorta Brokerligi Anonim Sirketi, Mercer South Africa (Pty) Limited, Mercer Superannuation (Australia) Limited, Mercer Switzerland Inc., Mercer System Services LLC, Mercer Technology Acquisitions Limited, Mercer Treuhand GmbH, Mercer Trust Company LLC, Mercer Trustees Limited, Mercer WorkforcePro LLC, Mercury Insurance Services Pty Ltd, Moola Systems Limited, Mountlodge Limited, Muir Beddal (Zimbabwe) Limited, NERA Australia Pty. Ltd., NERA Economic Consulting GmbH, NERA Economic Consulting Limited, NERA S.R.L., NERA SAS, NERA UK Limited, NERA do Brasil Ltda. (for dissolution), National Economic Research Associates Inc., NetComp Insurance Corp., Neuburger Noble Lowndes GmbH, Normandy Reinsurance Company Limited, Northern Alliance Brokers Limited (in liquidation), OWL Marine Insurance-Brokers GmbH & Co.KG, OWL Marine Verwaltungs GmbH, Oliver Wyman (Bermuda) Limited, Oliver Wyman (Hong Kong) Limited, Oliver Wyman AB, Oliver Wyman AG, Oliver Wyman Actuarial Consulting Inc., Oliver Wyman B.V., Oliver Wyman Consulting (Shanghai) Ltd, Oliver Wyman Consultoria em Estrategia de Negocios Ltda., Oliver Wyman Energy Consulting Limited, Oliver Wyman FZ-LLC, Oliver Wyman Group KK, Oliver Wyman Inc., Oliver Wyman LLC, Oliver Wyman Limited, Oliver Wyman Limited Liability Company, Oliver Wyman Limited/Oliver Wyman limitee, Oliver Wyman Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pte. Ltd., Oliver Wyman Pty. Ltd., Oliver Wyman S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman S.A.S., Oliver Wyman S.L., Oliver Wyman S.r.l., Oliver Wyman SNC, Oliver Wyman SPRL/BVBA, Oliver Wyman Sdn. Bhd., Oliver Wyman Services Limited, Oliver Wyman Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Oliver Wyman sp. z o.o., Omega Indemnity (Bermuda) Limited, Organizacion Brockman y Schuh S.A. de C.V., Osbornes Insurances Oxford Limited (in liquidation), PFT Limited, PI Indemnity Company Designated Activity Company, PT JLT Reinsurance Brokers, PT Jardine Lloyd Thompson, PT Marsh Indonesia, PT Marsh Reinsurance Brokers Indonesia, PT Mercer Indonesia, PT Nexus Asia Pacific, PT Oliver Wyman Indonesia, PT Quantum Computing Services, PT Quantum Investments, PT Quantum Support Services, Pallas Marsh Servicos Ltda., Pavilion Alternatives Group (Singapore) PTE. Ltd, Pavilion Financial Corporation Holdings UK Limited, Pavilion U.S. Investments Holdco LLC, Pension Trustees Limited, Pensionsservice Benefit Network Sverige AB, Perils AG, Personal Pension Trustees Limited, Pet Animal Welfare Scheme Limited, Portsoken Trustees (No. 2) Limited, Portsoken Trustees Limited, Potomac Insurance Managers Inc., Premier Pension Trustees Limited, Premium Services Australia Pty Limited, Professional Claims Handling Limited (in liquidation), Profund Solutions Limited, Promerit AG, Promerit Hungary Kft, Promerit Schweiz AG, Pymetrics Inc., R G Ford Brokers Limited, R R B Beratungsgesellschaft fuer Altersversorgung mbh, R. Mees & Zoonen Holdings B.V., Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters LLC, Renewable Energy Loss Adjusters Limited, Resource Benefit Associates, Rightpath Reinsurance SPC Ltd., Risk Management Australia Pty Limited, Rivers Group Limited, Rockefeller Risk Advisors Inc., Rutherfoord International Inc., SAFCAR-Marsh, SBJ Holdings Limited, SCIB (Bermuda) Limited, SCM Global Real Estate Select GP LLC, SCM Infrastructure General Partner S.a r.l., SCM International Private Equity Select III GP LLC, SCM LT General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE General Partner S.a.r.l., SCM PE II GP Ltd., SCM PE II Scotland GP Ltd, SCM Strategic Capital Management (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., SICAR Marsh S.a.r.l., SME Insurance Services Limited, Sail Insurance Company Limited, Scalene Re Ltd, Seabury & Smith Borrower LLC, Seabury & Smith LLC, Secure Limited, Sedgwick (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Consulting Group Limited, Sedgwick Dineen Group Limited, Sedgwick Financial Services Limited, Sedgwick Forbes Middle East Limited, Sedgwick Group, Sedgwick Group (Australia) Pty. Limited, Sedgwick Group (Bermuda) Limited, Sedgwick Group (Zimbabwe) Limited, Sedgwick Group Limited, Sedgwick Internationaal B.V., Sedgwick Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Barbados) Limited, Sedgwick Management Services (Singapore) Pte Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes (UK) Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Group Limited, Sedgwick Noble Lowndes Limited, Sedgwick Overseas Investments Limited, Sedgwick Private Limited, Sedgwick Re Asia Pacific (Consultants) Pte Ltd (for dissolution), Sedgwick Trustees Limited, Sedgwick UK Risk Services Limited, Sedgwick Ulster Pension Trustees Limited, Settlement Trustees Limited, Shanghai Mercer Insurance Brokers Company Ltd., Shorewest Insurance Associates LLC, Sirota Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., Sirota Consulting UK Limited, Smith Long Term Disability Management Group Inc., Societe d'Assurances et de Participation Guian SA, Software Underwriting Systems Limited (in liquidation), Southern Marine & Aviation Inc., Southern Marine & Aviation Underwriters Inc., Sudzucker Versicherungs-Vermittlungs GmbH, Sumitomo Life Insurance Agency America Inc., Sylvite Financial Services, TBX Solutions Limited, Talent Tech Labs LLC, The Benefit Express Holdings Limited, The Benefit Express Limited, The Carpenter Management Corporation, The Insurance Partnership Holdings Limited, The Insurance Partnership Services Limited, The Positive Ageing Company Limited, The Purple Partnership Limited, The Recovre Group Pty Ltd, Thomsons Online Benefits (HK) Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits Inc., Thomsons Online Benefits Limited, Thomsons Online Benefits Pte Ltd., Thomsons Online Benefits S.R.L, Torrent Government Contracting Services LLC, Torrent Insurance Services LLC, Torrent Technologies, Torrent Technologies Inc., Tower Hill Limited, Tower Place Developments (West) Limited, Tower Place Developments Limited, U.T.E. AMG, U.T.E. Marsh - Caja Castilla La Mancha Junta de Comunidades, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus (in liquidation), U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Reus 2012, U.T.E. Marsh - Salvado Vila-Seca 2010, UAD BB Marsh Lietuva, Vezina & Associes Inc., Vezina Assurances Inc., Victor Insurance Europe B.V., Victor Insurance Holdings Inc., Victor Insurance Italia S.r.l., Victor Insurance Managers Inc., Victor Insurance Managers Inc./Gestionnaires d'assurance Victor inc., Victor O. Schinnerer & Co. (Bermuda) Ltd., Victor O. Schinnerer & Company Limited, Victoria Hall Company Limited, Wellnz Limited, William M. Mercer (Canada) Limited/William M. Mercer (Canada) Limitee, William M. Mercer AB, William M. Mercer Comercio Consultoria e Servicos Ltda., Wortham Insurance & Risk Management, everBe SAS, and realright GmbH.
The following companies are subsidiares of Allstate: AIMCO Private Fund I Holding LLC, AIMCO Private Fund I LLC, AIMCO Private Fund II LLC, ALIC Reinsurance Company, ALINV Mosaic LLC, ANIHI Newco LLC, AP Real Estate LLC, AP Riverway Plaza LLC, AP Timber LLC, Allstate Assignment Company, Allstate Assurance Company, Allstate County Mutual Insurance Company, Allstate Digital Ventures LLC, Allstate Distributors L.L.C., Allstate Enterprises LLC, Allstate Exchange Services LLC, Allstate Finance Company Agency Loans LLC, Allstate Finance Company LLC, Allstate Financial Advisors LLC, Allstate Financial Corporation, Allstate Financial Insurance Holdings Corporation, Allstate Financial LLC, Allstate Financial Services LLC (1), Allstate Fire and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Global Holdings Limited, Allstate Indemnity Company, Allstate Insurance Company, Allstate Insurance Company of Canada, Allstate Insurance Holdings LLC, Allstate International Assignments Ltd., Allstate International Holdings Inc., Allstate Investment Management Company, Allstate Investments LLC, Allstate Life Insurance Company (2), Allstate Life Insurance Company of Canada, Allstate Life Insurance Company of New York, Allstate Motor Club Inc., Allstate New Jersey Insurance Company, Allstate New Jersey Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Non-Insurance Holdings Inc., Allstate North American Insurance Company, Allstate Northbrook Indemnity Company, Allstate Northern Ireland Limited, Allstate Property and Casualty Insurance Company, Allstate Settlement Corporation, Allstate Short Term Pool LLC, Allstate Solutions Private Limited, Allstate Texas Lloyds, Allstate Texas Lloyds Inc., Allstate Vehicle and Property Insurance Company, American Heritage Life Insurance Company, American Heritage Service Company, Answer Financial Inc., Answer Marketplace LLC, Arity 875 LLC, Arity International Limited, Arity LLC, Arity Services LLC, CE Care Plan Corp, Castle Key Indemnity Company, Castle Key Insurance Company, Complete Product Care Corp, Current Creek Investments LLC, E.R.J. Insurance Group Inc. (3), Encompass Floridian Indemnity Company, Encompass Floridian Insurance Company, Encompass Home and Auto Insurance Company, Encompass Indemnity Company, Encompass Independent Insurance Company, Encompass Insurance Company, Encompass Insurance Company of America, Encompass Insurance Company of Massachusetts, Encompass Insurance Company of New Jersey, Encompass Insurance Holdings LLC, Encompass Property and Casualty Company, Encompass Property and Casualty Insurance Company of New Jersey, Esurance Holdings Inc., Esurance Insurance Company, Esurance Insurance Company of Canada, Esurance Insurance Company of New Jersey, Esurance Insurance Services Company of Canada, Esurance Insurance Services Inc. (4), Esurance Property and Casualty Insurance Company, First Colonial Insurance Company, Identity Protection Strategic Solutions LLC, InfoArmor Aggra Inc., InfoArmor Inc., Insurance Answer Center LLC (5), Intramerica Life Insurance Company, Ivantage Insurance Brokers Inc., Ivantage Select Agency Inc., Kennett Capital Inc., NBInv AF1 LLC, NBInv AF2 LLC, NBInv AF3 LLC, NBInv AF4 LLC, NBInv AF5 LLC, NBInv AF6 LLC, NBInv AP1 LLC, NBInv AP2 LLC, NBInv AP3 LLC, NBInv AP4 LLC, NBInv AP5 LLC, NBInv AP6 LLC, NBInv AP7 LLC, NBInv AP8 LLC, NBInv APAF1 LLC, NBInv Riverside Cars1 LLC, NBInv Riverside Management LLC, North Light Specialty Insurance Company, Northeast Agencies Inc. (6), Pablo Creek Services Inc., Pafco Insurance Company, Pembridge Insurance Company, PlumChoice Business Services Inc., PlumChoice Inc., Protection Plan Group Inc., Right Answer Insurance Agency LLC, Road Bay Investments LLC, ST Product Care Corp, Signature Agency Inc., Signature Motor Club Inc., Signature Motor Club of California Inc., Signature Nationwide Auto Club of California Inc., Signatures Nationwide Auto Club Inc., SquareTrade Australia Pty Ltd, SquareTrade Canada Inc., SquareTrade Europe Limited, SquareTrade Holding Company Inc., SquareTrade Inc. (7), SquareTrade Insurance Services Inc., SquareTrade Limited, SquareTrade Protection Solutions Inc., SquareTradeGo Inc., Tech-Cor LLC, and West Plaza RE Holdings LLC.
Hertz Global's quiet period expires on Monday, December 20th. Hertz Global had issued 44,520,000 shares in its IPO on November 9th. The total size of the offering was $1,291,080,000 based on an initial share price of $29.00. During Hertz Global's quiet period, insiders and any underwriters that worked on the IPO are prevented from issuing any research reports for the company because of SEC regulations. Following the end of the company's quiet period, the brokerages that served as underwriters will likely initiate research coverage on the company.
Invesco Dynamic Credit Opportunities Fund is a close-ended fixed income mutual fund launched by Invesco Ltd. The fund is co-managed by Invesco Advisers, Inc., Invesco Asset Management Deutschland GmbH, Invesco Asset Management Limited, Invesco Asset Management (Japan) Limited, Invesco Hong Kong Limited, Invesco Senior Secured Management, Inc., and Invesco Canada Ltd. It invests in the fixed income markets across the globe with a focus on the United States. The fund invests in securities of companies that operate across diversified sectors. It invests in fixed income securities such as senior secured floating rate loans, fixed rate loans, and collateralized debt. The fund employs fundamental analysis with a bottom-up security selection process to create its portfolio. It conducts in-house research to make its investments. The fund benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the Credit Suisse Leveraged Loan Index. It was formerly known as Invesco Van Kampen Dynamic Credit Opportunities Fund. Invesco Dynamic Credit Opportunities Fund was formed on June 26, 2007 and is domiciled in the United States.

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iShares MSCI Switzerland ETF's stock was trading at $35.66 on March 11th, 2020 when COVID-19 (Coronavirus) reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization (WHO). Since then, EWL shares have increased by 38.3% and is now trading at $49.33.

View which stocks have been most impacted by COVID-19.
The following companies are subsidiares of Kroger: 84.51 HQ Building Company LLC, 84.51 LLC, Alpha Beta Company, Ansonborough Square Investors I LLC, Ansonborough Square Retail LLC, Ardrey Kell Investments LLC, Bay Area Warehouse Stores Inc., Beech Tree Holdings LLC, Bell Markets Inc., Bleecker Ventures LLC, Bluefield Beverage Company, Box Cutter Inc., Brier Creek Arbors Drive Retail LLC, CB&S Advertising Agency Inc., Cala Co., Cala Foods Inc., Cheeses of All Nations Inc., Country Oven Inc., Crawford Stores Inc., Creedmoor Retail LLC, Dillon Companies LLC, Dillon Real Estate Co. Inc., Dillons, Distribution Trucking Company, Dotto Inc., Edgewood Plaza Holdings LLC, Embassy International Inc., FM Inc., FMJ Inc., Farmacia Doral Inc., Food 4 Less GM Inc., Food 4 Less Holdings Inc., Food 4 Less Merchandising Inc., Food 4 Less of California Inc., Food 4 Less of Southern California Inc., Fred Meyer, Fred Meyer Inc., Fred Meyer Jewelers Inc., Fred Meyer Stores Inc., Glasswing Labs LLC, Glendale/Goodwin Realty I LLC, Grubstake Investments LLC, HT Fuel DE LLC, HT Fuel NC LLC, HT Fuel SC LLC, HT Fuel VA LLC, HTGBD LLC, HTP Bluffton LLC, HTP Plaza LLC, HTP Relo LLC, HTPS LLC, HTTAH LLC, Harris Teeter, Harris Teeter LLC, Henpil Inc., Home Chef, Hood-Clayton Logistics LLC, Hughes Markets Inc., Hughes Realty Inc., I.T.A. Inc., IRP LLC, ITAC 119 LLC, ITAC 265 LLC, Inter-American Foods Inc., Inter-American Products Inc., J.V. Distributing Inc., Jondex Corp., Jubilee Carolina LLC, KCDE  2012 LLC, KCDE  2013 LLC, KCDE-2 LLC, KCDE-3 LLC, KCDE-4 LLC, KCDE-5 LLC, KGO LLC, KPF LLC, KPS LLC, KRGP LLC, KRLP Inc., KV Anderson LLC, Kee Trans Inc., Kessel FP, Kiosk Medicine Kentucky LLC, Kirkpatrick West Retail LLC, Kroger Community Development Entity LLC, Kroger Dedicated Logistics Co., Kroger Fulfillment Network LLC, Kroger G.O. LLC, Kroger LM Real Estate Holdings LLC, Kroger Limited Partnership I, Kroger Limited Partnership II, Kroger MC Holdings LLC, Kroger MTL Management LLC, Kroger Management Co., Kroger Management  Corryville LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Athens I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Champaign II LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Cincinnati I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Dallas I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Danville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Logansport I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Missouri I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Oak Ridge I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Olney I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Omaha I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Portsmouth I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Starkville I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Topeka I LLC, Kroger Management  NMTC Warrenton I LLC, Kroger NMTC Fremont I LLC, Kroger OZ1 Inc., Kroger OZ1 LLC, Kroger OZ2 Inc., Kroger OZ2 LLC, Kroger OZ3 Inc., Kroger OZ3 LLC, Kroger Opportunity Fund I Inc., Kroger Prescription Plans Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion AL LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Infusion Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Infusion TX LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy CA 2 LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy CA LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy FL 2 LLC, Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 2 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings 3 Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings I Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Holdings Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy Inc., Kroger Specialty Pharmacy LA LLC, Kroger Texas L.P., LCGP3 Home Cooking Inc., Latta Village LLC, Local Mkt LLC, Main & Vine LLC, Matthews Property 1 LLC, Mega Marts LLC, Michigan Dairy L.L.C., ModernHealth LTC, Murrays Cheese LLC, Murrays LIC LLC, Murrays Table LLC, Pace Dairy Foods Company, Paramount Logistics LLC, Pay Less Super Markets Inc., Peyton's-Southeastern Inc., Plum Labs LLC, Pontiac Foods Inc., Queen City Assurance Inc., RBF LLC, RGC Southeast Properties LLC, Ralphs Grocery Company, Relish Labs LLC, Rocket Newco Inc., Roundy's, Roundys Acquisition Corp., Roundys Illinois LLC, Roundys Inc., Roundys Supermarkets Inc., Second Story Inc., Shop-Rite LLC, Smiths Beverage of Wyoming Inc., Smiths Food & Drug Centers Inc., Southern Ice Cream Specialties Inc., Stallings Investors I LLC, Sunrise R&D Holdings LLC, Sunrise Technology LLC, TLC Corporate Services LLC, TLC Immunization Clinic LLC, TLC of Georgia LLC, The Kroger Co. of Michigan, The Little Clinic LLC, The Little Clinic Management Services LLC, The Little Clinic of Arizona LLC, The Little Clinic of Colorado LLC, The Little Clinic of IN LLC, The Little Clinic of Kansas LLC, The Little Clinic of Mississippi LLC, The Little Clinic of Ohio LLC, The Little Clinic of TX LLC, The Little Clinic of Tennessee LLC, The Little Clinic of VA LLC, Topvalco Inc., Ultimate Mart LLC, Ultra Mart Foods LLC, Vine Court Assurance Incorporated, Vitacost, Vitacost.com Inc., Woodmont Holdings LLC, and YOU Technology.
The following companies are subsidiares of Johnson & Johnson: 3Dintegrated ApS, ALZA Corporation, AMO (Hangzhou) Co. Ltd., AMO (Shanghai) Medical Devices Trading Co. Ltd., AMO ASIA LIMITED, AMO Australia Pty Limited, AMO Canada Company, AMO Denmark ApS, AMO Development LLC, AMO France, AMO Germany GmbH, AMO Groningen B.V., AMO International Holdings, AMO Ireland, AMO Ireland Finance Unlimited Company, AMO Italy SRL, AMO Japan K.K., AMO Manufacturing Spain S.L., AMO Manufacturing USA LLC, AMO Netherlands BV, AMO Nominee Holdings LLC, AMO Norway AS, AMO Puerto Rico Manufacturing Inc., AMO Sales and Service Inc., AMO Singapore Pte. Ltd., AMO Spain Holdings LLC, AMO Switzerland GmbH, AMO U.K. Holdings LLC, AMO US Holdings Inc., AMO USA LLC, AMO USA Sales Holdings Inc., AMO United Kingdom Ltd., AMO Uppsala AB, APSIS, AUB Holdings LLC, Abott Medical Optics, Acclarent Inc., Actelion Ltd, Actelion Manufacturing GmbH, Actelion Pharmaceuticals, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Australia Pty. Limited, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Korea Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals Ltd, Actelion Pharmaceuticals Mexico S.A. De C.V., Actelion Pharmaceuticals Trading (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Actelion Pharmaceuticals UK Limited, Actelion Pharmaceuticals US Inc., Actelion Registration Limited, Actelion Treasury Unlimited Company, Akros Medical Inc., Albany Street LLC, Alios BioPharma, Alza Land Management Inc., Animas Diabetes Care LLC, Animas LLC, Animas Technologies LLC, AorTx Inc., Aragon Pharmaceuticals, Aragon Pharmaceuticals Inc., Asia Pacific Holdings LLC, Atrionix Inc., Auris Health, Auris Health Inc., Backsvalan 2 Aktiebolag, Backsvalan 6 Handelsbolag, Beijing Dabao Cosmetics Co. Ltd., BeneVir BioPharm Inc., Berna Rhein B.V., BioMedical Enterprises Inc., Biosense Webster (Israel) Ltd., Biosense Webster Inc., C Consumer Products Denmark ApS, CNA Development GmbH, CSATS Inc., Calibra Medical LLC, Campus-Foyer Apotheke GmbH, Carlo Erba OTC S.r.l., Centocor Biologics LLC, Centocor Research & Development Inc., ChromaGenics B.V., Ci:Labo Customer Marketing Co. Ltd., Ci:z Holdings, Ci:z. Labo Co. Ltd., Cilag AG, Cilag GmbH International, Cilag Holding AG, Cilag Holding Treasury Unlimited Company, Cilag-Biotech S.L., CoTherix Inc., Codman & Shurtleff Inc., Coherex Medical Inc., ColBar LifeScience Ltd., Company Store.com Inc., Conor MedSystems, Cordis International Corporation, Cordis de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Corimmun GmbH, DR. CI:LABO COMPANY LIMITED, Darlain Trading S.A., DePuy France, DePuy Hellas SA, DePuy International Limited, DePuy Ireland Unlimited Company, DePuy Mexico S.A. de C.V., DePuy Mitek LLC, DePuy Orthopaedics Inc., DePuy Products Inc., DePuy Spine LLC, DePuy Synthes Gorgan Limited, DePuy Synthes Inc., DePuy Synthes Institute LLC, DePuy Synthes Leto SARL, DePuy Synthes Products Inc., DePuy Synthes Sales Inc., Debs-Vogue Corporation (Proprietary) Limited, Dr. Ci:Labo Co. Ltd., Dutch Holding LLC, ECL7 LLC, EES Holdings de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., EES S.A. de C.V., EIT Emerging Implant Technologies GmbH, Ethicon Biosurgery Ireland, Ethicon Endo-Surgery (Europe) GmbH, Ethicon Endo-Surgery Inc., Ethicon Endo-Surgery LLC, Ethicon Holding Sarl, Ethicon Inc., Ethicon Ireland Unlimited Company, Ethicon LLC, Ethicon PR Holdings Unlimited Company, Ethicon Sarl, Ethicon US LLC, Ethicon Women's Health & Urology Sarl, Ethnor (Proprietary) Limited, Ethnor Farmaceutica S.A., Ethnor Guatemala Sociedad Anomina, Ethnor del Istmo S.A., FMS Future Medical System SA, Finsbury (Development) Limited, Finsbury (Instruments) Limited, Finsbury Medical Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics International Limited, Finsbury Orthopaedics Limited, GH Biotech Holdings Limited, GMED Healthcare BV, Global Investment Participation B.V., Guangzhou Bioseal Biotech Co. Ltd., Hansen Medical Deutschland GmbH, Hansen Medical Inc., Hansen Medical International Inc., Hansen Medical UK Limited, Healthcare Services (Shanghai) Ltd., I.D. Acquisition Corp., Innomedic Gesellschaft fur innovative Medizintechnik und Informatik mbH, Innovalens B.V., Innovative Surgical Solutions LLC, J & J Company West Africa Limited, J&J Pension Trustees Limited, J-C Health Care Ltd., J.C. General Services BV, JJ Surgical Vision Spain S.L., JJC Acquisition Company B.V., JJHC LLC, JJSV Belgium BV, JJSV Manufacturing Malaysia SDN. BHD., JJSV Norden AB, JJSV Produtos Oticos Ltda., JNJ Global Business Services s.r.o., JNJ Holding EMEA B.V., JNJ International Investment LLC, JNJ Irish Investments ULC, JOM Pharmaceutical Services Inc., Janssen Alzheimer Immunotherapy (Holding) Limited, Janssen BioPharma Inc., Janssen Biologics (Ireland) Limited, Janssen Biologics B.V., Janssen Biotech Inc., Janssen Cilag C.A., Janssen Cilag Farmaceutica S.A., Janssen Cilag S.p.A., Janssen Cilag SPA, Janssen Development Finance Unlimited Company, Janssen Diagnostics LLC, Janssen Egypt LLC, Janssen Farmaceutica Portugal Lda, Janssen Global Services LLC, Janssen Group Holdings Limited, Janssen Holding GmbH, Janssen Inc., Janssen Irish Finance Company UC, Janssen Korea Ltd., Janssen Oncology Inc., Janssen Ortho LLC, Janssen Pharmaceutica (Proprietary) Limited, Janssen Pharmaceutica NV, Janssen Pharmaceutica S.A., Janssen Pharmaceutical, Janssen Pharmaceutical K.K., Janssen Pharmaceutical Sciences Unlimited Company, Janssen Pharmaceuticals Inc., Janssen Products LP, Janssen R&D Ireland, Janssen Research & Development LLC, Janssen Sciences Ireland Unlimited Company, Janssen Scientific Affairs LLC, Janssen Supply Group LLC, Janssen Vaccines & Prevention B.V., Janssen Vaccines Corp., Janssen de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag, Janssen-Cilag (New Zealand) Limited, Janssen-Cilag A/S, Janssen-Cilag AG, Janssen-Cilag AS, Janssen-Cilag Aktiebolag, Janssen-Cilag B.V., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Lda., Janssen-Cilag Farmaceutica Ltda., Janssen-Cilag GmbH, Janssen-Cilag International NV, Janssen-Cilag Kft., Janssen-Cilag Limited, Janssen-Cilag Manufacturing LLC, Janssen-Cilag NV, Janssen-Cilag OY, Janssen-Cilag Pharma GmbH, Janssen-Cilag Pharmaceutical S.A.C.I., Janssen-Cilag Polska Sp. z o.o., Janssen-Cilag Pty Ltd, Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A., Janssen-Cilag S.A. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag de Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Janssen-Cilag s.r.o., Janssen-Pharma S.L., Jevco Holding Inc., Johnson & Johnson, Johnson & Johnson (Angola) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (China) Investment Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Egypt) S.A.E., Johnson & Johnson (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Ireland) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Jamaica) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Kenya) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Middle East) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Mozambique) Limitada, Johnson & Johnson (Namibia) (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (New Zealand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Philippines) Inc., Johnson & Johnson (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Thailand) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson (Trinidad) Limited, Johnson & Johnson (Vietnam) Co. Ltd, Johnson & Johnson - Societa' Per Azioni, Johnson & Johnson AB, Johnson & Johnson AG, Johnson & Johnson Belgium Finance Company BV, Johnson & Johnson Bulgaria EOOD, Johnson & Johnson China Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Hong Kong) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer (Thailand) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer B.V., Johnson & Johnson Consumer Holdings France, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Inc., Johnson & Johnson Consumer NV, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Consumer Services EAME Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Del Paraguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson Dominicana S.A.S., Johnson & Johnson Enterprise Innovation Inc., Johnson & Johnson European Treasury Company, Johnson & Johnson Finance Corporation, Johnson & Johnson Finance Limited, Johnson & Johnson Financial Services GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Foundation Scotland (NON-PROFIT), Johnson & Johnson Gateway LLC, Johnson & Johnson Gesellschaft m.b.H., Johnson & Johnson GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Guatemala S.A., Johnson & Johnson Health Care Systems Inc., Johnson & Johnson Health and Wellness Solutions Inc., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Commercial and Industrial S.A., Johnson & Johnson Hellas Consumer Products Commercial Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Hemisferica S.A., Johnson & Johnson Holding GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Holdings K.K., Johnson & Johnson Inc., Johnson & Johnson Industrial Ltda., Johnson & Johnson Innovation - JJDC Inc., Johnson & Johnson Innovation LLC, Johnson & Johnson Innovation Limited, Johnson & Johnson International, Johnson & Johnson International (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson International Financial Services Company, Johnson & Johnson Japan Inc., Johnson & Johnson K.K., Johnson & Johnson Kft., Johnson & Johnson Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Korea Selling & Distribution LLC, Johnson & Johnson LLC, Johnson & Johnson Limitada, Johnson & Johnson Limited, Johnson & Johnson Luxembourg Finance Company Sarl, Johnson & Johnson Management Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical (China) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Proprietary) Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical (Suzhou) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical B.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Devices & Diagnostics Group - Latin America L.L.C., Johnson & Johnson Medical GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Korea Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medical Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical NV, Johnson & Johnson Medical Products GmbH, Johnson & Johnson Medical Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Medical S.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.C.S., Johnson & Johnson Medical S.p.A., Johnson & Johnson Medical SAS, Johnson & Johnson Medical Saudi Arabia Limited, Johnson & Johnson Medical Servicios Profesionales S. de R.L. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Medical Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Medikal Sanayi ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Johnson & Johnson Middle East FZ-LLC, Johnson & Johnson Morocco Societe Anonyme, Johnson & Johnson Nordic AB, Johnson & Johnson Pacific Pty Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pakistan (Private) Limited, Johnson & Johnson Panama S.A., Johnson & Johnson Personal Care (Chile) S.A., Johnson & Johnson Poland Sp. z o.o., Johnson & Johnson Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Pte. Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Pty. Limited, Johnson & Johnson Research Pty Ltd, Johnson & Johnson Romania S.R.L., Johnson & Johnson S.A., Johnson & Johnson S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson S.E. Inc., Johnson & Johnson S.E. d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson SDN. BHD., Johnson & Johnson Sante Beaute France, Johnson & Johnson Services Inc., Johnson & Johnson Servicios Corporativos S. de R.L. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision Inc., Johnson & Johnson Surgical Vision India Private Limited, Johnson & Johnson Taiwan Ltd., Johnson & Johnson UK Treasury Company Limited, Johnson & Johnson Ukraine LLC, Johnson & Johnson Urban Renewal Associates, Johnson & Johnson Vision Care (Shanghai) Ltd., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Inc., Johnson & Johnson Vision Care Ireland Unlimited Company, Johnson & Johnson d.o.o., Johnson & Johnson de Argentina S.A.C. e. I., Johnson & Johnson de Chile Limitada, Johnson & Johnson de Chile S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Colombia S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Costa Rica S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Johnson & Johnson de Uruguay S.A., Johnson & Johnson de Venezuela S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Ecuador S.A., Johnson & Johnson del Peru S.A., Johnson & Johnson do Brasil Industria E Comercio de Produtos Para Saude Ltda., Johnson & Johnson for Export and Import LLC, Johnson & Johnson s.r.o., Johnson and Johnson (Proprietary) Limited, Johnson and Johnson Sihhi Malzeme Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, La Concha Land Investment Corporation, Latam International Investment Company Unlimited Company, LifeScan, MDS Co. Ltd., McNEIL MMP LLC, McNeil AB, McNeil Consumer Pharmaceuticals Co., McNeil Denmark ApS, McNeil Healthcare (Ireland) Limited, McNeil Healthcare (UK) Limited, McNeil Healthcare LLC, McNeil Iberica S.L.U., McNeil LA LLC, McNeil Nutritionals LLC, McNeil Panama LLC, McNeil Products Limited, McNeil Sweden AB, Medical Device Business Services Inc., Medical Devices & Diagnostics Global Services LLC, Medical Devices International LLC, Medical Industrial do Brasil Ltda., Medos International Sarl, Medos Sarl, MegaDyne Medical Products Inc., Menlo Care De Mexico S.A. de C.V., Mentor B.V., Mentor Deutschland GmbH, Mentor Medical Systems B.V., Mentor Partnership Holding Company I LLC, Mentor Texas GP LLC, Mentor Texas L.P., Mentor Worldwide LLC, Micrus Endovascular LLC, Middlesex Assurance Company Limited, Momenta Ireland Limited, Momenta Pharmaceuticals, Momenta Pharmaceuticals Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata Company Inc., NeoStrata UG (haftungsbeschrankt), Netherlands Holding Company, NeuWave Medical Inc., Neuravi Inc., Neuravi Limited, Novira Therapeutics, Novira Therapeutics LLC, NuVera Medical Inc., OBTECH Medical Sarl, OGX Beauty AU Pty Ltd, OGX Beauty Limited, OMJ Holding GmbH, OMJ Ireland Unlimited Company, OMJ Pharmaceuticals Inc., Obtech Medical Mexico S.A. de C.V., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Inc., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals Ltd., Omrix Biopharmaceuticals NV, Ortho Biologics LLC, Ortho Biotech Holding LLC, Ortho-McNeil Pharmaceutical LLC, Orthotaxy, Orthotaxy, PMC Holdings G.K., PT Integrated Healthcare Indonesia, PT. Johnson & Johnson Indonesia, Patriot Pharmaceuticals LLC, Peninsula Pharmaceuticals LLC, Penta Pty. Limited, Percivia LLC, Perouse Plastie, Pharmadirect Ltd., Pharmedica Laboratories (Proprietary) Limited, Princeton Laboratories Inc., Productos de Cuidado Personal y de La Salud de Bolivia S.R.L., Proleader S.A., Pulsar Vascular Inc., Regency Urban Renewal Associates, RespiVert Ltd., RoC International, Rutan Realty LLC, SYNTHES Medical Immobilien GmbH, Scios LLC, Sedona Enterprise Co. Ltd., Sedona Singapore International Pte. Ltd., Sedona Thai International Co. Ltd., Serhum S.A. de C.V., Shanghai Elsker For Mother & Baby Co. Ltd, Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Ltd., Shanghai Johnson & Johnson Pharmaceuticals Ltd., Sightbox LLC, Sodiac ESV, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Company, Spectrum Vision Limited Liability Partnership, Spine Solutions GmbH, SterilMed, SterilMed Inc., Surgical Process Institute Deutschland GmbH, Synthes Costa Rica S.C.R. Limitada, Synthes GmbH, Synthes Holding AG, Synthes Holding Limited, Synthes Inc., Synthes Medical Surgical Equipment & Instruments Trading LLC, Synthes Produktions GmbH, Synthes Proprietary Limited, Synthes S.M.P. S. de R.L. de C.V., Synthes Tuttlingen GmbH, Synthes USA LLC, Synthes USA Products LLC, TARIS Biomedical, TARIS Biomedical LLC, TearScience Inc., The Anspach Effort LLC, The Vision Care Institute LLC, Tibotec LLC, Torax Medical Inc., TriStrata Incorporated, UAB "Johnson & Johnson", Vania Expansion, Verb Surgical, Verb Surgical Inc., Vision Care Finance Unlimited Company, Vogue International, Vogue International LLC, Vogue International Trading Inc., WH4110 Development Company L.L.C., XO1, XO1 Limited, Xian Janssen Pharmaceutical Ltd., Zarbee's Inc., and Zarbee's Naturals.
United Technologies Corporation provides technology products and services to building systems and aerospace industries worldwide. Its Otis segment designs, manufactures, sells, and installs passenger and freight elevators, escalators, and moving walkways; and offers modernization products to upgrade elevators and escalators, as well as maintenance and repair services. The company's Carrier segment provides heating, ventilating, air conditioning, refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation products, solutions, and services for commercial, government, infrastructure, residential, and refrigeration and transportation applications. This segment also offers building services, including audit, design, installation, system integration, repair, maintenance, and monitoring. Its Pratt & Whitney segment supplies aircraft engines for commercial, military, business jet, and general aviation markets; and provides aftermarket maintenance, repair, and overhaul, as well as fleet management services. The company's Collins Aerospace Systems segment provides electric power generation, power management, and distribution systems; air data and aircraft sensing systems; engine control, intelligence, surveillance, and reconnaissance systems; engine components; environmental control systems; fire and ice detection, and protection systems; propeller systems; engine nacelle systems; aircraft lighting, seating, and cargo systems; actuation and landing systems; space products and subsystems; avionics systems; flight controls, communications, navigation, oxygen, and training systems; food and beverage preparation, and storage and galley systems; and lavatory and wastewater management systems. The company offers its services through manufacturers' representatives, distributors, wholesalers, dealers, retail outlets, and sales representatives, as well as directly to customers. United Technologies Corporation was founded in 1934 and is headquartered in Farmington, Connecticut.

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ONEOK, Inc. engages in gathering, processing, fractionating, transporting, storing and marketing of natural gas. It operates through the following segments: Natural Gas Gathering and Processing, Natural Gas Liquids and Natural Gas Pipelines. The Natural Gas Gathering and Processing segment offers midstream services to producers in North Dakota, Montana, Wyoming, Kansas and Oklahoma. The Natural Gas Liquids segment owns and operates facilities that gather, fractionate, treat and distribute NGLs and store NGL products, in Oklahoma, Kansas, Texas, New Mexico and the Rocky Mountain region, which includes the Williston, Powder River and DJ Basins, where it provides midstream services to producers of NGLs and deliver those products to the two market centers, one in the Mid-Continent in Conway, Kansas and the other in the Gulf Coast in Mont Belvieu, Texas. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment provides transportation and storage services to end users. The company was founded in 1906 and is headquartered in Tulsa, OK.

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Square, Inc. provides payment and point-of-sale solutions in the United States and internationally. The company's commerce ecosystem includes point-of-sale software and hardware that enables sellers to turn mobile and computing devices into payment and point-of-sale solutions. It offers hardware products, including Magstripe reader, which enables swiped transactions of magnetic stripe cards; Contactless and chip reader that accepts EMV chip cards and Near Field Communication payments; Chip card reader, which accepts EMV chip cards and enables swiped transactions of magnetic stripe cards; Square Stand, which enables an iPad to be used as a payment terminal or full point of sale solution; and Square Register that combines its hardware, point-of-sale software, and payments technology, as well as managed payments solutions. The company also provides Square Point of Sale software; Cash App, which provides access to the financial system, allowing customers to electronically send, store, and spend money; Caviar, a food ordering platform for restaurants to offer food ordering, pickup and delivery, to their customers; and Square Capital that facilitates loans to sellers based on real-time payment and point-of-sale data. Square, Inc. was founded in 2009 and is headquartered in San Francisco, California.

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MAXIMUS, Inc. engages in the operation of government and human services programs. It operates through the following segments: U.S. Services; U.S. Federal Services; and Outside the U.S. The U.S. Services segment offers a variety of business process services, and appeals and assessments for state, provincial and national government programs. The U.S. Federal Services segment includes process solutions, program management, as well as system and software development, and maintenance services for various United States federal civilian programs. The Outside the U.S segment comprises of national, state, and county human services agencies with a variety of business process services, and related consulting services for welfare-to-work, child support, higher education institutions, and other human services programs. The company was founded by David V. Mastran in 1975 and is headquartered in Reston, VA.

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Reinsurance Group of America, Inc. is a holding company, which engages in the provision of traditional and non-traditional life and health reinsurance products. It operates through the following segments: U.S. and Latin America; Canada; Europe, Middle East, and Africa; Asia Pacific; and Corporate and Other. The U.S. and Latin America segment markets individual and group life and health reinsurance to domestic clients for a variety of products through yearly renewable term agreements, coinsurance, and modified coinsurance. The Canada segment offers individual life reinsurance, and to a lesser extent creditor, group life and health, critical illness and disability reinsurance, through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements. The Europe, Middle East, and Africa segment serves individual and group life and health products through yearly renewable term and coinsurance agreements, reinsurance of critical illness coverage that provides a benefit in the event of the diagnosis of a pre-defined critical illness and underwritten annuities. The Asia Pacific segment comprises individual and group life and health reinsurance, critical illness coverage, disability, and superannuation thr

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TBC Bank Group PLC, through its subsidiaries, provides banking, leasing, brokerage, and card processing services to corporate and individual customers in Georgia, Azerbaijan, and Uzbekistan. The company operates through Retail; Corporate; and Micro, Small and Medium Enterprises segments. It offers various current/settlement accounts, and term deposits; mortgage, consumer, retail, and corporate loans, as well as loans for micro, small, and medium enterprises; credit cards, credit lines, letters of credit, and guarantees; and money transfer and currency exchange services. The company also provides motor, life and personal accident, property, health, and other insurance products; investment, brokerage, and corporate finance solutions; and card processing, leasing, PR and marketing, real estate management, asset management, computer and software, e-commerce, and postal services. In addition, it offers internet and mobile banking services. The company operates through a network of 157 branches; 1,570 automated teller machines; 25,163 point of sale terminals; and 3,905 self-service terminals. TBC Bank Group PLC was founded in 1992 and is based in Tbilisi, Georgia.

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The Toronto-Dominion Bank, together with its subsidiaries, provides various personal and commercial banking products and services in Canada and the United States. It operates through three segments: Canadian Retail, U.S. Retail, and Wholesale Banking. The company offers personal deposits, such as chequing, savings, and investment products; financing, investment, cash management, international trade, and day-to-day banking services to businesses; and financing options to customers at point of sale for automotive and recreational vehicle purchases through auto dealer network. It also provides credit cards; real estate secured lending; auto finance; consumer lending; point-of-sale payment solutions for large and small businesses; wealth and asset management products, private banking, investment advisory, and trust services to retail and institutional clients; and property and casualty insurance, as well as life and health insurance products. The company also provides capital markets, and corporate and investment banking services, including underwriting and distribution of new debt and equity issues; advice on strategic acquisitions and divestitures; and trading, funding, and investment services to companies, governments, and institutions. It offers its products and services under the TD Bank and America's Most Convenient Bank brand names. The company operates through a network of 1,085 branches, 3,440 automated teller machines, and 1,223 stores, as well as offers telephone, digital, and mobile banking services. The Toronto-Dominion Bank was founded in 1855 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Photo by Drew Angerer/Getty Images(NEW YORK) -- Federal prosecutors have implicated Donald Trump in a scheme to silence women who alleged during the 2016 campaign that they had extramarital affairs with him before he became president, according to court documents.



In court filings submitted Friday afternoon by federal prosecutors in New York, the government alleged that President Trump, at the time a candidate, directed his longtime personal attorney and fixer, Michael Cohen, to make payments in an effort to silence adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy playmate Karen McDougal.



Cohen had leveled this accusation against the president during his plea hearing in New York in August, saying then-candidate Trump directed the hush money deals that were made in the closing weeks of the 2016 election. Cohen told the court he acted in coordination with and at the direction of a candidate for federal office, referring to then-candidate Trump.



But Fridays sentencing memo by the Southern District of New York marked the first time federal prosecutors sought to directly connect the president to those campaign finance violations, writing that Cohen acted in coordination with and at the direction of Trump.



While many Americans who desired a particular outcome to the election knocked on doors, toiled at phone banks, or found any number of other legal ways to make their voices heard, Cohen sought to influence the election from the shadows, prosecutors in New York wrote Friday. He did so by orchestrating secret and illegal payments to silence two women who otherwise would have made public their alleged extramarital affairs with Individual-1, referring to President Trump.



In the process, prosecutors continued, Cohen deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the election.



Cohen pleaded guilty last August to two counts of campaign-related violations, as well as several felony charges of making false statements to a bank and tax evasion.



Last week, Cohen reached a deal with special prosecutors looking into Russian interference in the 2016 election to plead guilty to making misstatements to Congress.



Allegations laid out in Cohens sentencing documents in that case Friday provide only a narrow window into the special counsel probe, which has largely been conducted in secret over the past 18 months. It remains unclear whether prosecutors are examining President Trumps conduct beyond the possible campaign finance violations described in the New York case.



On Twitter Friday, President Trump suggested he was exonerated by Fridays court filings, writing: Totally clears the President. Thank you!



He referred to the investigation again Saturday, this time saying, "AFTER TWO YEARS AND MILLIONS OF PAGES OF DOCUMENTS (and a cost of over $30,000,000), NO COLLUSION!"



But the documents filed in New York Friday night tell a different story, appearing for the first time to implicate Trump directly in a potentially criminal act. Federal election laws require proof that violations were committed knowingly and willfully.



It's clear the New York prosecutors believe Cohen had the requisite knowledge of the law, but the court documents are silent on whether Trump knew at the time that such payments were possibly illegal.



With respect to both payments, Cohen acted with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election, prosecutors wrote. Cohen coordinated his actions with one or more members of the campaign, including through meetings and phone calls, about the fact, nature, and timing of the payments.



In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1, according to New York prosecutors, again referring to Trump.



Rep. Jerry Nadler, D-N.Y., the incoming chairman of the House Judiciary Committee, responded to Trumps declaration of exoneration on Twitter, writing, Presumably, this is a response to the Cohen filing. Of course, the complete opposite is true. @SDNY says @realdonaldtrump directed Cohen to commit a felony.



Nadler is expected to oversee the committee when Democrats take control of the House in January and gain subpoena power. It plans to examine the president's role in the hush money payments, a House Judiciary Committee aide told ABC News last month.



In his own sentencing memo filed last week, Cohen asked the judge to spare him a prison term, contending that his extensive cooperation in multiple investigations and the gargantuan cost he said he has already endured because of the criminal investigation warrant leniency.



This case has caused deep and lasting strain for Michael and his family, Cohens attorneys wrote. They have been subjected to daily public scrutiny and moral opprobrium in a media cauldron of exceptional heat and intensity.



While the special counsel in Washington acknowledged Cohen's help with the Russian investigation, the New York prosecutors said Cohens cooperation was modest and incomplete -- paling in comparison to the crimes to which he pleaded guilty.



Now [Cohen] seeks extraordinary leniency -- a sentence of no jail time, they wrote Friday. But the crimes committed by Cohen were more serious than his submission allows and were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life ... these were knowing and calculated acts -- acts Cohen executed in order to profit personally, build his own power, and enhance his level of influence.



The combined statutory maximum penalty for those crimes is up to 65 years in prison, though the parties agreed that sentencing guidelines called for a sentence of between 46 and 63 months, before any post-conviction cooperation was factored into the recommendation.

A federal judge in New York is scheduled to sentence Cohen next week



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
In recent days the Arab media report of "first" Coptic Mass in Saudi Arabia. The function celebrated by Bishop Ava Morkos was held in a private house. Activists recall that Riyadh has not made "significant steps" in terms of religious freedom. And cults other than Islam remain prohibited.

Riyadh (AsiaNews)  Under attack on several fronts for the bloody war in Yemen, with civilian victims, the murder of journalist Jamal Khasshoggi and the repression of pro-human rights activists, the Saudi hereditary prince is opening - in small steps - to freedom religious.

Arab media this week published pictures and articles on the "first" - according to the news - Orthodox Coptic Mass celebrated in Saudi Arabia last December 2. A ceremony that, in reality, was held in a private house and was presided over by the Egyptian bishop Ava Morkos, of Shobra El Kheima.

The Coptic bishop visited Saudi Arabia at the personal invitation of Mohammed bin Salman, the powerful number two of the kingdom; in the context of the trip, he "brought with him all the objects necessary to celebrate a Mass". The liturgy, repeated over a period of two days, was held at the home of a Copt in the presence of several Christian families in the area.

In the context of the visit, Bishop Morkos met the secretary general of the Islamic World League Muhammad bin Abdul Karim, the Egyptian ambassador Osama al-Nugali and prominent Egyptian personalities. At the center of the talks are the ways to strengthen relations between the Coptic Orthodox Church and the leaders of the Saudi kingdom.

The activists of International Christian Concern recall that in the last year Mbs met several leading religious leaders. Among others, the Maronite Patriarch, Card Bechara Rai, who visited Riyadh last November. However, beyond these small openings, "there have been no significant steps in terms of religious freedom" for the Saudis and for foreigners in the Kingdom.

Saudi Arabia has a Christian community, comprising mostly of migrant workers from Asia (India and Philippines above all) and from Egypt. These practise their faith with extreme discretion (news of functions in private homes is not new), in order not to incur the repression of the authorities or the radical Muslim wing. Moreover, in the kingdom there is an absolute Sunni monarchy, governed by a Wahhabi and fundamentalist view of Islam that does not admit any other worship except of Muhammad.

Recently in the country there have emerged reports of arrests of activists and torture in prison, once again illustrating that the program of "reforms" wanted by the 33-year-old Crown Prince Mohammad bin Salman and so much flagged by local media in the context of the Vision 2030 program is illusory and fake.

Some reforms have affected womens rights in the social sphere. However, the arrests of senior officials and entrepreneurs, the repression of activists and dissenters, the war in Yemen with civilian victims, even children, and the assassination of dissident journalist Jamal Khashoggi cast more than a shadow on Mbs .
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.

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Unum Group is engaged in providing financial protection benefits. It operates through the following segments: Unum US, Unum International, Colonial Life, Closed Block and Corporate. The Unum US segment comprises of group long-term and short-term disability insurance, group life and accidental death and dismemberment products, and supplemental and voluntary lines of business. The Unum International segment engages in the operations of UK business, which includes insurance for group long-term disability, group life, and supplemental lines of business that include dental, individual disability, and critical illness products; Poland business primarily includes insurance for individual and group life with accident and health riders. The Colonial Life segment includes insurance for accident, sickness, disability products, life products, and cancer and critical illness products. The Closed Block segment consists of individual disability, group and individual long-term care, and other insurance products no longer actively marketed. The Corporate segment refers to investment income on corporate assets and other corporate income and expenses not allocated to a line of business; and interest

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The following companies are subsidiares of Vodafone Group: 360 Connect S.A., [email protected] Telecom, A-ccelerator B.V., A-ccelerator Holding B.V, AAA (Euro) Limited, AAA (MCR) Limited, AAA (UK) Limited, Acorn Communications Limited, Africonnect (Zambia) Limited, Ag Mercantile Company Private Limited, Al-Amin Investments Limited, Amsterdamse Beheer- en Consultingmaatschappij B.V., Apollo Submarine Cable System Limited, Array Holdings Limited, Asian Telecommunication Investments (Mauritius) Limited, Aspective Limited, Astec Communications Limited, Autoconnex Limited, Aztec Limited, BelCompany BV, Bluefish Apac Communications Pte. Ltd, Bluefish Communications, Bluefish Communications Limited, Business Serve Limited, C&W Worldwide Nigeria Limited, C.S.P. Solutions Limited, CCII (Mauritius) Inc., CGP India Investments Ltd., CGP Investments (Holdings) Limited, COOP Mobil s.r.o, CT Networks Limited, CWGNL S.A., CWW Operations Limited, Cable & Wireless Access Limited, Cable & Wireless Americas Systems Inc., Cable & Wireless Aspac Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Services Limited, Cable & Wireless CIS Svyaz LLC, Cable & Wireless Capital Limited , Cable & Wireless Communications Data Network Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Starclass Limited, Cable & Wireless Communications Technical Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd (Beijing Branch), Cable & Wireless Europe Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless GN Limited, Cable & Wireless Global (India) Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Business Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Holding Limited, Cable & Wireless Global Telecommunication Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Holdco Limited, Cable & Wireless Networks India Private Limited, Cable & Wireless Trade Mark Management Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless UK Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Waterside Holdings Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Pension Trustee Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Services Limited, Cable & Wireless Worldwide Voice Messaging Limited, Cable & Wireless a-Services Inc, Cable & Wireless a-Services Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited, Cable and Wireless (India) Limited Indian Branch Office, Cable and Wireless Nominee Limited, Cable and Wireless Worldwide South Africa (Pty) Ltd, Cavalry Holdings Ltd, Celfocus  Solucoes Informaticas Para Telecomunicacoes S.A, Cellops Limited, Cellular Operations Limited, Central Communications Group Limited, Central Telecom (Northern) Limited, Centurion GSM Limited, Chelys Limited, City Cable (Holdings) Limited, Cobra do Brasil Servicos de Telematica ltda., Commnet Cellular Inc., Complete Network Technology, Connect (India) Mobile Technologies Private Limited, Cornerstone Telecommunications Infrastructure Limited, Dataroam Limited , Device Insight, Digital Island (UK) Ltd, Digital Mobile Spectrum Limited, East Africa Investment (Mauritius) Limited, Emtel Europe Limited, Energis (Ireland) Limited, Energis Communications Limited, Energis Holdings Limited, Energis Local Access Limited, Energis Management Limited, Energis Squared Limited, Erudite Systems Limited, Esprit Telecom B.V., Eudokia Limited, Euro Pacific Securities Ltd., Eurocall Holdings Limited, Europolitan Holdings AB (now Europolitan Vodafone AB), FB Holdings Limited, FM Associates (UK) Limited, FinCo Partner 1 B.V., FireFly Networks Limited, Flexphone Limited, GS Telecom (Pty) Limited, Gateway Communications Africa (UK) Limited, Gateway Communications Tanzania Limited, General Mobile Corporation, Generation Telecom Limited, Ghana Telecommunications, Ghana Telecommunications Company Limited, Global Cellular Rental Limited, Globe Limited, GrandCentrix GmbH, Grupo Corporativo ONO S.A.U., H3ga Properties (No 3) Pty Limited, HBO Nederland Cooperatief U.A., HBO Netherlands Channels sro, HBO Netherlands Distribution B.V., Hellas Online, How2 Telecom Limited, Hutchison Essar Ltd, Indus Towers Limited, Intercell Communications Limited, Internet Network Services Limited, Invitation Digital Limited, Ipergy Communications NV, Isis Telecommunications Management Limited, Jaguar Communications Limited, Jaykay Finholding (India) Private Limited, Jupicol (Proprietary) Limited, KABELCOM Braunschweig Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, KABELCOM Wolfsburg Gesellschaft Fur BreitbandkabelKommunikation Mit Beschrankter Haftung, Kabel Deutschland, Kabel Deutschland Holding, Kabel Deutschland Holding Erste Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Holding Zweite Beteilgungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Neunte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabel Deutschland Siebte Beteiligungs GmbH, Kabelfernsehen Munchen Servicenter GmbH & Co. KG, LG Financing Partnership, LGE HoldCo V B.V., LGE HoldCo VI B.V., LGE HoldCo VIII B.V., LGE Holdco VII B.V., LLC Vodafone Enterprise Ukraine, Le Bunt Holdings Limited, Legend Communications Limited, Liberty Global, Liberty Global Content Netherlands B.V., London Hydraulic Power Company, M-PESA Foundation, M-PESA Holding Co. Limited, ML Integration Group Limited, ML Integration Limited, ML Integration Services Limited, MV Healthcare Services Private Limited, Mannesmann AG, MetroHoldings Limited, Mezzanine Ware Proprietary Limited (RF), Mirambo Limited, Misrfone Trading Company LLC, MobiFon S.A., Mobile Commerce Solutions Limited, Mobile Phone Centre Limited, Mobile Wallet VM1, Mobile Wallet VM2, Mobile by Sainsburys Limited, Mobiles 4 Business.com Limited, Mobileworld Communications Pty Limited, Mobileworld Operating Pty Ltd, Mobilvest, Motifpros 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Multi Risk Indemnity Company Limited, Multi Risk Limited, ND Callus Info Services Private Limited, Nadal Trading Company Private Limited, Nat Comm Air Limited, National Communications Backbone Company Limited, Navtrak Ltd, Netforce Group Limited, Netgrid Telecom SRL, Number Portability Company (Proprietary) Limited, ONO, Omega Telecom Holdings Private Limited, Oni Way  Infocomunicacoes S.A, Oskar Mobil S.R.O., Oxygen Solutions Limited, P.C.P. (North West) Limited, PPL Pty Limited, PT Network Services Limited, PTI Telecom Limited, Peoples Phone Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Group Limited, Pinnacle Cellular Limited, Plex Limited, Plustech Mercantile Company Private Limited, Prime Metals Ltd., Project Telecom Holdings Limited, Quickcomm Software Solutions, Radio Opt GmbH, Rian Mobile Limited, SBC SMART CITY 1517 B.V., SMMS Investments Pvt Limited, Safaricom Limited, Safenet N.P A., Sarmady Communications, Scarlet Ibis Investments 23 (Pty) Limited, Scorpios Beverages Pvt. Ltd, Silver Stream Investments Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Limited, Singlepoint (4U) Ltd., Singlepoint Payment Services Limited, Siro Limited, Spar Aerospace (Nigeria) Limited, Sport TV Portugal S.A, Starnet, Stentor Communications Limited, Stentor Limited, Storage Technology Services (Pty) Limited, T.W. Telecom Limited, T3 Telecommunications Limited, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern Beteiligungs GmbH, TKS Telepost Kabel-Service Kaiserslautern GmbH & Co. KG, TNAS Limited, TSM NZ Limited, Talkland Airtime Services Limited, Talkland Australia Pty Limited, Talkland Communications Limited, Talkland International Limited, Talkland Midlands Limited, Talkmobile Limited, Tele2 Italia SPA, Tele2 Spain, Telecom Investments India Private Limited, Telecommunications Europe Limited, Ternhill Communications Limited, The Cobra Group, The Eastern Leasing Company Limited, The Old Telecom Sales Co. Limited, Thus Group Holdings Limited, Thus Group Limited, Thus Limited, Thus Profit Sharing Trustees Limited, TnT Expense Management LLC, Tomorrow Street GP S.a r.l., Tomorrow Street SCA, Torenspits II B.V., Townley Communications Limited, Trans Crystal Ltd., UMT Investments Limited, UPC Nederland Holding I B.V., UPC Nederland Holding II B.V., UPC Nederland Holding III B.V., Unified Communications, Uniqueair Limited, Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH & Co.KG, Usha Martin Telematics Limited, VAPL No. 2 Pty Limited, VBA (Mauritius) Limited, VBA Holdings Limited, VBA International (SL) Limited, VBA International Limited, VEI S.r.l., VM SA, VND S.p.A, VSSB Vodafone Shared Services Budapest Private Limited Company, Verwaltung Urbana Teleunion Rostock GmbH, Victus Networks S.A., Vizzavi Finance Limited, Vizzavi Limited, Voda Limited, Vodacall Limited, Vodacash s.p.r.l., Vodacom (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business (Angola) Limitada, Vodacom Business (Ghana) Limited, Vodacom Business (Kenya) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa (Nigeria) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Business Africa Group Services Limited, Vodacom Business Cameroon SA, Vodacom Business Cote Divoire S.A.R.L., Vodacom Congo (RDC) SA, Vodacom Financial Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Group Limited, Vodacom Insurance Administration Company (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Insurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom International Holdings (Pty) Limited, Vodacom International Limited, Vodacom Lesotho (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Life Assurance Company (RF) Limited, Vodacom Payment Services (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No 1 (Proprietary) Limited, Vodacom Properties No.2 (Pty) Limited, Vodacom Tanzania Limited Zanzibar, Vodacom Tanzania Public Limited Company, Vodacom UK Limited, Vodafone (NI) Limited, Vodafone (New Zealand) Hedging Limited, Vodafone (Scotland) Limited, Vodafone 2, Vodafone 4 UK, Vodafone 5 Limited, Vodafone 5 UK, Vodafone 6 UK, Vodafone Albania Sh.A, Vodafone Alternatif Telekom Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Americas 4, Vodafone Americas Virginia Inc., Vodafone And Qatar Foundation L.L.C, Vodafone Asset Management Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Automotive Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Automotive Electronic Systems S.r.L, Vodafone Automotive France S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Iberia S.L, Vodafone Automotive Italia S.p.A, Vodafone Automotive Japan K.K, Vodafone Automotive Korea Limited, Vodafone Automotive SpA, Vodafone Automotive Technologies (Beijing) Co Ltd, Vodafone Automotive Telematics Development S.A.S, Vodafone Automotive Telematics S.A, Vodafone Automotive UK Limited, Vodafone Belgium SA/NV, Vodafone Benelux Limited, Vodafone Bilgi Ve Iletisim Hizmetleri AS, Vodafone Business Services Limited, Vodafone Business Solutions Limited, Vodafone Canada Inc, Vodafone Cellular Limited, Vodafone Central Services Limited, Vodafone China Limited (China), Vodafone China Limited (Hong Kong), Vodafone Connect 2 Limited, Vodafone Connect Limited, Vodafone Consolidated Holdings Limited, Vodafone Corporate Limited, Vodafone Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Czech Republic A.S., Vodafone DC Pension Trustee Company Limited, Vodafone Dagitim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Data, Vodafone Distribution Holdings Limited, Vodafone Egypt Telecommunications S.A.E., Vodafone Elektronik Para Ve Odeme Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Empresa Brasil Telecomunicacoes Ltda, Vodafone Empresa Mexico S.de R.L. de C.V., Vodafone Enabler Espana S.L., Vodafone Enterprise Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Austria GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Bahrain W.L.L., Vodafone Enterprise Bulgaria EOOD, Vodafone Enterprise Chile SA, Vodafone Enterprise Communications Technical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Corporate Secretaries Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Denmark A/S, Vodafone Enterprise Equipment Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited  Czech Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Europe (UK) Limited  DubaiI Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Finland OY, Vodafone Enterprise France SAS, Vodafone Enterprise Germany GmbH, Vodafone Enterprise Global Businesses S.a r.l., Vodafone Enterprise Global Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network HK Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Global Network Pte. Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Hong Kong Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Italy S.r.L, Vodafone Enterprise Korea Limited, Vodafone Enterprise Luxembourg S.A., Vodafone Enterprise Netherlands BV, Vodafone Enterprise Norway AS, Vodafone Enterprise Regional Business Singapore Pte.Ltd., Vodafone Enterprise Singapore Pte.Ltd, Vodafone Enterprise Spain S.L.U.  Portugal Branch, Vodafone Enterprise Spain SLU, Vodafone Enterprise Sweden AB, Vodafone Enterprise Switzerland AG, Vodafone Erste Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Vodafone Espana S.A.U., Vodafone Euro Hedging Limited, Vodafone Euro Hedging Two, Vodafone Europe B.V., Vodafone Europe UK, Vodafone European Investments, Vodafone European Portal Limited, Vodafone Finance Limited, Vodafone Finance Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Finance Sweden, Vodafone Finance UK Limited, Vodafone Financial Operations, Vodafone Financial Services B.V., Vodafone Fixed Ltd, Vodafone Foundation, Vodafone Foundation Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Gestioni S.p.A, Vodafone Ghana Mobile Financial Services Limited, Vodafone Global Content Services Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Hong Kong) Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise (Italy) S.R.L., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Japan) K.K., Vodafone Global Enterprise (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Vodafone Global Enterprise Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Russia LLC, Vodafone Global Enterprise Taiwan Limited, Vodafone Global Enterprise Telecommunications (Hellas) A.E., Vodafone Global Network Limited, Vodafone Global Network Limited  Slovakia Branch, Vodafone Global Services Private Limited, Vodafone GmbH, Vodafone Group (Directors) Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Pension Trustee Limited, Vodafone Group Services GmbH, Vodafone Group Services Ireland Limited, Vodafone Group Services Limited, Vodafone Group Services No.2 Limited, Vodafone Group Share Trustee Limited, Vodafone Hire Limited, Vodafone Holding A.S., Vodafone Holdings (Jersey) Limited, Vodafone Holdings (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Holdings Europe S.L.U., Vodafone Holdings Luxembourg Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Australia Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Finance Pty Limited, Vodafone Hutchison Receivables Pty Limited, Vodafone IP Licensing Limited, Vodafone India Digital Limited, Vodafone India Limited, Vodafone India Services Private Limited, Vodafone India Ventures Limited, Vodafone Institut fur Gesellschaft und Kommunikation GmbH, Vodafone Intermediate Enterprises Limited, Vodafone International 1 S.a.r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone International 1 S.a r.l., Vodafone International 2 Limited, Vodafone International Holdings B.V., Vodafone International Holdings Limited, Vodafone International M S.a r.l., Vodafone International Operations Limited, Vodafone International Services LLC, Vodafone Investment UK, Vodafone Investments (SA) Proprietary Limited, Vodafone Investments Australia Limited, Vodafone Investments Limited, Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Investments Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Ireland Distribution Limited, Vodafone Ireland Ltd., Vodafone Ireland Marketing Limited, Vodafone Ireland Property Holdings Limited, Vodafone Ireland Retail Limited, Vodafone Italia S.p.A., Vodafone Jersey Dollar Holdings Limited, Vodafone Jersey Finance, Vodafone Jersey Yen Holdings Unlimited, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Field Services GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland GmbH, Vodafone Kabel Deutschland Kundenbetreuung GmbH, Vodafone Kenya Limited, Vodafone Leasing Limited, Vodafone Libertel B.V., Vodafone Limited, Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg 5 S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l., Vodafone Luxembourg S.a r.l. Luxembourg Zweigniederlassung Bern, Vodafone M-PESA SH.P.K., Vodafone M-Pesa S.A, Vodafone M.C. Mobile Services Limited , Vodafone Magyarorszag Mobile Tavkozlesi Zartkoruen Mukodo Reszvenytarsasag, Vodafone Malta Limited, Vodafone Marketing UK , Vodafone Maroc SARL, Vodafone Mauritius Ltd., Vodafone Mobile Commerce Limited, Vodafone Mobile Communications Limited, Vodafone Mobile Enterprises Limited, Vodafone Mobile NZ Limited, Vodafone Mobile Network Limited, Vodafone Mobile Operations Limited, Vodafone Mobile Services Limited, Vodafone Multimedia Limited, Vodafone Nederland Holding I B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding II B.V., Vodafone Nederland Holding III B.V., Vodafone Net Iletisim Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Network Pty Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Foundation Limited, Vodafone New Zealand Limited, Vodafone Next Generation Services Limited, Vodafone Nominees Limited1, Vodafone ONO S.A.U., Vodafone Oceania Limited, Vodafone Old Show Ground Site Management Limited, Vodafone Overseas Finance Limited, Vodafone Overseas Holdings Limited, Vodafone Panafon International Holdings B.V., Vodafone Panafon UK, Vodafone Partner Services Limited, Vodafone Payment Solutions S.a r.l., Vodafone Portugal  Comunicacoes Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Procurement Company S.a r.l., Vodafone Property Investments Limited, Vodafone Pty Limited, Vodafone Qatar Q.S.C., Vodafone Retail (Holdings) Limited , Vodafone Retail Limited, Vodafone Roaming Services S.a r.l., Vodafone Romania S.A, Vodafone Romania M - Payments SRL, Vodafone Romania Technologies SRL, Vodafone Sales & Services Limited, Vodafone Satellite Services Limited, Vodafone Servicios SL.U, Vodafone Servizi E Tecnologie S.R.L, Vodafone Servicos Empresariais Brasil Ltda., Vodafone Shared Services Romania SRL, Vodafone Specialist Communications Limited, Vodafone Stiftung Deutschland Gemeinnutzige GmbH, Vodafone Technology Solutions Limited, Vodafone Teknoloji Hizmetleri A.S., Vodafone Tele-Services (India) Holdings Limited, Vodafone Telecel-Comunicates Pessoais S.A., Vodafone Telecommunications (India) Limited, Vodafone Telekomunikasyon A.S, Vodafone Towers Limited, Vodafone UK Content Services Limited, Vodafone UK Investments Limited , Vodafone UK Limited1 , Vodafone US Inc, Vodafone Ventures Limited1 , Vodafone Vierte Verwaltungs AG, Vodafone Worldwide Holdings Limited, Vodafone Yen Finance Limited , Vodafone m-pesa Limited, Vodafone-Central Limited Vodaphone Limited, Vodafone-Panafon Hellenic Telecommunications Company S.A., VodafoneZiggo Group Holding B.V, Vodata Limited , Vouchercloud SA (Pty) Ltd, Wataneya Telecommunications S.A.E, Waterberg Lodge (Proprietary) Limited, Wayfinder, Wheatfields Investments 276 (Proprietary) Limited, Wireless Interactions & NFC Accelerator 2013 B.V., Woodend Cellular Limited, Woodend Communications Limited, Woodend Group Limited, Woodend Holdings Limited, XB Facilities B.V, XLink Communications (Proprietary) Limited, Your Communications Group Limited, ZUM B.V., ZYB, Zelitron S.A., Zesko B.V., Ziggo B.V., Ziggo Bond Company B.V., Ziggo Deelnemingen B.V., Ziggo Finance 2 B.V., Ziggo Financing Partnership, Ziggo Holding B.V., Ziggo Netwerk B.V., Ziggo Netwerk II B.V., Ziggo Services B.V., Ziggo Services Employment B.V., Ziggo Services Netwerk 2 B.V., Ziggo Zakelijk Services B.V., and Zoranet Connectivity Services B.V..
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4.5 Community Rank

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WestJet Airlines Ltd. provides scheduled airline services and travel packages. The company offers scheduled flights, as well as cargo and charter services. It also operates WestJet Vacations that provides air, hotel, car, and excursion packages; WestJet Encore, a regional airline with a fleet of turboprop aircraft in a network of destinations in Canada and the United States; and Swoop, an ultra-low-cost carrier for air transportation. As of December 31, 2018, it operated a fleet of 115 Boeing 737 Next Generation aircraft, 11 Boeing MAX 737 aircraft, 47 Bombardier Q400 aircraft, and 4 Boeing 767-300 ERW aircraft for approximately 100 destinations in North America, Central America, the Caribbean, and Europe. The company was founded in 1994 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada.

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Zinc Media Group plc, together with its subsidiaries, produces television and radio contents in the United Kingdom and internationally. The company operates through two segments, Television and Zinc Communicate. The Television segment operates television production activities under the Blakeway, Brook Lapping, Films of Record, Red Sauce, Supercollider, and Tern Television brand names. The Zinc Communicate segment specializes in developing cross-platform content for brands, businesses, and partners, including graphics and animation, web design and hosting, video production, publishing, and advertising sales. In addition, it provides contract publishing services. The company was formerly known as Ten Alps plc and changed its name to Zinc Media Group plc in November 2016. Zinc Media Group plc was incorporated in 1981 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Taking a leaf out of real life incident and adapting it to bigger screens is not new in Tamil cinema. But what makes Krishnan different is that the boy who was involved in the incident plays the lead protagonist in the film. Akshay Krishnan, who had a rare medical condition upon which the doctors gave up, overcame the situation miraculously. He has been roped in to play the lead. Noted cinematographer/ filmmaker Dinesh Babu returns to Tamil films after a long gap.

Says PN Balram who produces the film, The incident happened to my son and he was saved miraculously by Lord Guruvayurappan in the last moment at the operation table. So, we wanted to make a film with spirituality and medical science as the theme, which would connect well with the people.

The Tamil, Telugu and Malayalam trilingual has Akshay, Aishwarya Ullas, Saikumar, Shanthi Krishna, Vijay Babu and Vinetha.
The first look of Maha, Hansika Motwanis next which is a suspense thriller directed by debutant Jameel has been revealed. The intriguing look suggests the actress may be trying something out of the box. Jameel speaks to DC about the multidimensional role that she essays in the movie.

I feel Hansikas potential has not been explored fully. Maha is a genre she has not attempted so far. She will be seen in a mature role, with a lot of shades. The character needed a lot of conviction, style, appeal and a dash of boldness and I am sure Hansika will pull it off with ease and elan, says an excited Jameel.

The film is set in Malaysia where the story begins and later shifts to Chennai. While Thambi Ramaiah plays a crucial role, Jameel is not too forthcoming on the actor who essays Hansikas pair in a small segment shot in Malaysia. Also, he says that he the film does not have a straight narration and it will unfold in a back forth manner. Incidentally, Maha is the 25th album of music composer Ghibran.
The most recent census, from 2011, suggests that just five per cent of the elderly population suffer from a disability, researchers said.

London: New estimates of disability among India's elderly population show that the scale of the problem is much larger than suggested by the country's national census, a study has found.

The estimates are based on the ability to carry out three basic living activities -- walking, dressing, and toileting, said researchers from the International Institute for Applied Systems Analysis (IIASA) in Austria.

The study found that 17.91 per cent of males and 26.21 per cent of females aged 60 and above, experience disability in these areas, equating to nine million elderly men and 14 million elderly women.

The most recent census, from 2011, suggests that just five per cent of the elderly population suffer from a disability, researchers said.

The prevalence of disability is much higher among widowed women, and among the poor and illiterate, they said.

Nandita Saikia from IIASA and Mukesh Parmar from Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) in Delhi also found a statistically significant connection between chronic morbidity, or long-term health conditions, and disability.

They studied three such conditions - diabetes, high blood pressure, and heart disease. Diabetes had the highest correlation to disability, followed by high blood pressure and heart disease.

"We found that the likelihood of disability is always the highest among diabetes patients, whereas the disability rate is the lowest among elderly persons with heart disease. This may be due to high mortality among heart patients," said Saikia.

"Diabetes patients, on the other hand, may live for longer periods with disability. These results are helpful for both patients and healthcare providers in terms of taking preventive measures at the onset of morbidities," she said.

Previous studies of morbidity and disability in India were carried out using primary sample surveys, limiting them to small areas of India with a small sample size.

They can therefore not be used to gain a generalised picture across the whole nation, as India is so large and varied, researchers said. In addition, they tend to focus on the association between a specific type of morbidity and a specific disability, so cannot give a broader picture. Saikia and Parmar took a different approach to cover the whole country and give a broad picture for the first time.

They used data from the second round of the Indian Human Development Survey which was carried out by the University of Maryland, US, and the National Council of Applied Economic Research in New Delhi.

This was a survey covering over 42,000 households across India, selected using a stratified random sampling technique, and covered various topics including health, employment, economy, and education.

The second round of the survey also included questions about chronic morbidity and disability.

The researchers defined disability as difficulty or inability to perform three specific activities of daily living -- walking one km, going to the toilet without help, and dressing without help -- and looked at the data for people aged over 60. In the survey, respondents could answer "no difficulty", "can do with difficulty", and "unable to do it".

Each answer was assigned a score, which allowed Saikia and Parmar to calculate what is known as the Katz Index of Independence, which takes into account multiple disabilities.

As the survey also asked questions about long-term health conditions, the researchers were able to connect the disabilities to specific conditions.

The researchers say that acting in a timely way to address chronic morbidity will help to minimise the huge associated burden of disability.
The fact that he just stayed at home and never went to work was not missed by the woman. (Representional Image)

Coimbatore: A 32-year-old Keralite was arrested in the district on Friday for duping several people by posing as a CBI officer and offering to get them jobs in the government departments in return for bribe or sexual favour.

Though the man had reportedly duped several people and even raping women under his fake identity, there have been no complaints against him yet.

According to the police, Krish of Palakkad in Kerala, had come to Villupuram a few months ago, to look for a job. He met Anna Laxmi (26), a mother of three who had separated from her husband and was living alone.

They began a relationship and moved to a rented house in PK Pudhur in the citys suburbs a couple of months ago.

Reportedly, when they first met, Krish had told the woman that he was a CBI officer. The woman was under the impression that Krish was a CBI officer when she moved to Coimbatore with him.

However, in a short while, the man's conduct roused suspicions in the mind of Laxmi. The fact that he just stayed at home and never went to work was not missed by the woman.

She also noticed that he was taking money from people and realised he was promising them jobs with the CID. Later, she found that though he called himself Krish, his name on the ID card read Rajagiri. She asked if that was his birth name, he replied in the negative, further confusing her.

At this stage, Anna Laxmi found out that Krish was having an affair with a local woman and this led to a quarrel between the two.

She lodged a complaint at the Kuniyamuthoor police station on Thursday night, following which a team took Krish for enquiry.

During preliminary investigations, it was established that Krish was not a CID staff and that the ID card was fake. It later transpired that he had used the ID card to dupe several people including women, promising to get them jobs with the CID department.

According to police, the man confessed to having threatened and duped several women into sexually intimate relationships.
A police team collecting evidence at the house where the murder happened. (Photo: DC)

Coimbatore: Police are searching for a 45-year-old man who is on the run after murdering his two daughters in a drunken brawl following a family dispute here.

According to the police, Padmanaban, resident of Neelikonar street on the Singanallur-Masakalipalayam Road, worked as a marketing manager in a private firm near Sowripalayam.

An alleged alcohol addict, he frequently quarrelled with wife Selva Rani (37) after getting drunk. On Thursday night, he reportedly went home drunk as usual, and picked up a quarrel with his wife.

He reportedly attacked her during the fight, and Selva Rani informed the police and her brother. On receiving information, the police rushed to the spot and warned Padmanaban.

They also asked Selva Rani to move to her mothers house and remain there for a few days.

When Selva Rani started for her mothers house, her two daughters, Hema Varshini (15), a class-10 student, and Srija (8) who was in class-3, refused to leave their father alone, and remained with Padmanaban.

Selva Rani left for her mothers house at Vellalore and returned home on Friday morning, and found the front doors of the house open and her two daughters lying dead inside the house.

On hearing her cries, neighbours came rushing and found a pillow near the bodies. Neighbours passed the information to police, and Singanallur police led by assistant commissioner, Suresh, visited to the house.

Padmanabans mobile phone was switched off and he was missing. The bodies were sent to the Coimbatore Medical College Hospital (CMCH) for post-mortem.

Police suspect that Padmanaban could have killed his two daughters, while drunk. Three special teams have been formed to nab Padmanaban. Further investigations are on.
former Army officer Lieutenant General D S Hooda (retired) said it was natural to have initial euphoria about the success but the constant maintenance of hype around the military operations was unwarranted. (Photo: ANI)

Chandigarh: The initial euphoria over the success of surgical strike was natural but the constant hype around the operation was unwarranted, said former Army officer Lieutenant General D S Hooda (retired), two years after the surgical strikes were carried out by the Army across the Line of Control.

"I do think there was too much hype over it. The military operation was important and we had to do it. Now how much should it have been politicised, whether it is right or wrong is something that should be asked to politicians," Lieutenant General DS Hooda (retired) who was the Northern Army Commander when the operation was carried out on September 29, 2016 across the Line of Control (LoC) as a response to a terrorist attack in Uri earlier that month told news agency ANI.

The Army had said its special forces inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists waiting there to cross into Indian territory.

Lt Gen Hooda was speaking during a panel discussion on the topic, 'Role of Cross-Border Operations and Surgical Strikes,' on the first day of Military Literature Festival 2018 in Chandigarh.

The discussion was attended by Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore amongst a battery of former Generals and Army Commanders.

Many war veterans cautioned against "politicisation" of the military operations, as per a Punjab government release.

Lt Gen Hooda said it was natural to have initial euphoria about the success but the constant maintenance of hype around the military operations was unwarranted, the release said.

Responding to a question from the audience, General Hooda said in hindsight, it would have been better had we done it (surgical strikes) secretly.

The aim of any such offensive had to be not only tactical but strategic too, which substantially hampers enemy morale, he said.

Elaborating upon how the forces on the border should react to events that occur on the Line of Control (LoC), Lt Gen Hooda said, "I think the way the things are going on the LoC, we must have a pro-active and unpredictable response unless Pakistan does something to ease tensions and stop infiltrations."
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Krishna Bahadur Singh has been transferred to DGP headquarters in Lucknow and has been replaced by the Superintendent of Police of Sitapur, Prabhakar Chaudhary. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: Six days after police officer Subodh Kumar Singh and a local youth were killed in mob violence over cow carcasses in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, the top officer in the district has been transferred.

Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Krishna Bahadur Singh has been transferred to DGP headquarters in Lucknow and has been replaced by the Superintendent of Police of Sitapur, Prabhakar Chaudhary.

Two other police officers have also been transferred. Syana Circle Officer Satya Prakash Sharma has been transferred to Police Training College Moradabad while In-charge of Chingravathi police chowki Suresh Kumar has been transferred to Lalitpur.

According to reports, the policemen were transferred for their failure in responding in time to the situation arising in Siyana village of Bulandshahr on December 3, Monday.

The transfer has taken place after a high-level meeting was presided over by the Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh, who had handed over the report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on his arrival from New Delhi.

Police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and his team had gone to the village on Monday to tackle a furious mob when they came under attack.

On video, mob is seen chasing the policemen and shouting: "Maaro (attack), take his gun!"

The post-mortem report said that Subodh Kumar Singh was attacked with a sharp weapon before being shot in the head.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday called the Bulandshahr incident an "accident".

Earlier, he had said the incident was result of a "big conspiracy" but at a media event in Delhi on Friday, he said that the incident was actually an accident.

"Uttar Pradesh mein koi mob lynching ki ghatna nahi hui hai... Bulandshahr mein jo hua wo ek durghatna thi Kanoon apna kaam kar raha hai...kisi ki bakhsha nahi jayega. (No mob lynching took place in Uttar Pradesh. What happened in Bulandshahr was a case of accident. Law is taking its own course and the guilty will not be spared.)," he said.

The police have arrested eight accused in the case.
Paramilitary forces and state police were deployed in huge numbers to guard the polling station at Yakutpura in Old City on Friday. (Image DC)

Hyderabad: Several incidents of violence were reported hours before polling opened at 7 am on Friday. Reports said Congress candidates Pilot Rohit Reddy at Tandur and Vamshi Chand Reddy at Kalwakurthy were injured in attacks by rivals.

Police has registered cases in both the incidents and Mr Vamshi Chand Reddy has been admitted to the Nizams Institute of Medical Sciences for treatment.

Mr Rohit Reddy and four others were attacked by a group of persons with sticks at a farmhouse located on the Kodangal road near a railway underbridge. The cars of the party workers at the farmhouse were also damaged by the unidentified persons during the attack at about 3 am. They reportedly threatened Mr Rohit Reddy and his supporters with swords.

Mr Rohit Reddy later filed a complaint with the Tandur police alleging an attack by the supporters of the Telangana Rashtra Samiti and requested that action be taken against them. Mr Rohit Reddy suffered minor injuries. A case was booked by the Tandur police in connection with the alleged attack.

At Jangareddypally in Amangal mandal of Nagarkurnool district, Mr Vamshi Chand Reddy was reportedly attacked by supporters of another political party when he visited a polling booth. Unidentified persons pelted stones at him and injured him, and also damaged his car by breaking the windows.

Mr Chand Reddy was taken to a primary health centre at Amangal and then was shifted to Nims in Hyderabad for the treatment. He filed a complaint to the police about the incident.

In another incident at Vellatur village in Suryapet district, a polling official was attacked by the locals for allegedly making an elderly woman to cast her vote against her will at booth no. 139.

At many places like Utnoor, Kodangal, Malkajgiri, Kukatpally and Jangaon, and several constituencies in the city, the public staged protests and expressed dissatisfaction over the removal of their names from the voters list, despite casting their vote in previous elections.

In another alleged attack on Congress leader K.S. Ratnam, his car was damaged at Ellakonda in Chevella, from where Mr Ratnam was contesting. Speaking to the media, Director General of Police M. Mahendar Reddy said, Polling concluded peacefully amidst high security including in the 13 Maoist-affected constituencies. The EVM machines will be moved to strong rooms under high security and will be kept there till counting day. The public has extended great support to ensure peaceful elections.

Another senior police official said, There were a few minor incidents but no major incident of violence has taken place. In all the incidents that were reported to the police, an inquiry is on to take necessary action.

In the 13 Maoist-affected constituencies Asifabad, Mulugu, Manthani, Bhupalpally, Sirpur Kagaznagar, Chennur, Bellampally, Yellandu, Kothagudem, Pinapaka, Mancherial, Aswarraopet and Bhadrachalam voters who were in the queue before 4 pm were allowed to cast their vote before 6 pm.
Hyderabad:A youngster from the city was booked for taking a picture while casting his vote and posting it on social media. The pictures went viral during the early hours of polling at Upparpally polling booth in Rajendranagar Assembly constituency on Friday. Mr K. Shiva Goud had posted a picture of his voting for the TRS.

Deputy tahsildar Saleem, who was the booth officer, got to know about this and lodged a complaint with the Rajendranagar police.

Rajendranagar inspector G. Suresh said, Based on a complaint from the deputy tahsildar, we registered a case against Mr Gpud under IPC Section 188. He was taken into custody and served notices under Section 41 of the CrPC, seeking an explanation for indulging in the violation. Further action will be taken after receiving his reply.

In another incident, the Alwal police detained Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha vice-president T.M. Sai Kumar at a polling station in Malkajgiri constituency after he was found making derogatory comments against a TRS leader. Alwal inspector M. Mathaiah said, He posted some messages against the leader of a political party on social media. He was taken into preventive custody.

It is learned that two more incidents of voters taking selfies inside polling stations were spread on social media at Uppal and Sanathnagar. These were noted by CEO Rajat Kumar, who ordered an inquiry.

Several videos of TRS leader K.T. Rama Rao taking selfies with fellow voters at a polling booth in Banjara Hills went viral. Government officials on election duty also took out their mobile phones and clicked selfies with the minister.

Speaking to this paper, additional director general (law and order) Jitender said The incident does not come under a violation. Anybody can take a selfie but the secrecy of the ballot should not be affected.
Congress spokesperson Randeep Surjewala also slammed the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister of summoning the policeman's family to meet him instead of going to their house. (Photo: ANI)

New Delhi: The Congress on Friday attacked Yogi Adityanath over his Hindu Yuva Vahini's alleged announcement of Rs 1 crore bounty on Punjab minister Navjot Singh Sidhu's head, alleging that the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister was behaving like "Aurangzeb", and asked whether a "Talibani system" will prevail in the country.

The Hindu Yuva Vahini, an outfit founded by Yogi Adityanath, reportedly announced a reward of Rs 1 crore to anyone who beheads Sidhu.

Congress chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala, responding to a question, said: "Is democracy left in this country, or he (Adityanath) has now become the biggest Aurangzeb. Modi ji behaves like Muhammad bin Tughlaq and Adityanath ji behaves like Aurangzeb."

"So, will there be rule of law in this country, will the Constitution govern the country, or will there be open hooliganism, which we saw in Uttar Pradesh?" he said.

Slamming the BJP over the Bulandshahr mob violence, Surjewala said policeman Subodh Kumar Singh was shot in the head and BJP leaders have been named among the accused, but they are not bothered.

"Now, reward is kept for cutting off people's head. The question is that will this Talibani system run in the country, which BJP wants to implement, or democracy," he asked.

"Why was Adityanath ji enjoying 'kabaddi' matches as Subodh Kumar Singh was being shot dead. Why was he on a 'chunavi bhraman' (poll campaign trip) from one state to the other," Surjewala asked.

He also slammed the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister of summoning the policeman's family to meet him instead of going to their house.

"In certain parts of our country, the family members do not leave the house till the final conclusion of the rituals which are considered pious in our religion... Aditynath ji should have known that, he violated that also and summoned the family like Aurangzeb to his residence," he said.
Chennai: After cancelling the maths 2 exam due to question paper leak, Anna University has announced that re-exam for affiliated colleges will be conducted on December 12.

The maths-2 arrear examination was conducted on December 3. Over 80,000 students appeared for the exam.

But, during the exam, Anna University was alerted by anonymous students that the question paper for one of the most difficult papers in engineering stream was already leaked.

After an initial inquiry, the university was shocked to learn that the question paper was indeed leaked before the exam.

On the same day, M.K. Surappa, vice-chancellor of the university has cancelled the exam.

"The re-examination for maths-2 will be conducted on December 12.

B.E/B.Tech students from all branches (except marine engineering) can appear for the exam. The hall tickets already sent for semester examinations may be used by the students," Anna University said in an announcement on Friday.

The university has conducted an in-house enquiry about the question paper leak.

"The inquiry was inconclusive as to how the question paper was leaked. In all likelihood, the case will be handed over to the police to nab the culprits," sources in the university said.

In a separate notification, the controller of examinations office also released the rescheduled exam dates for cyclone-affected Thiruvarur, Nagapattinam and Pudukottai districts.

The exams scheduled on November 22, 23 and 24 were cancelled after the cyclone wreaked havoc in the delta districts. As per the rescheduled date, the exam will be held on December 18, 19 and 20.
Bengaluru: Water Resources Minister, D K Shivakumar alleged on Friday that Tamil Nadu's opposition to the Mekedatu project was merely political in nature and it was aware that it would benefit from it as much as Karnataka.

Speaking to reporters after visiting the proposed project site in Kanakapura taluk of Ramanagaram district, he said the government was ready to take an all- party delegation from Tamil Nadu to the Mekedatu reservoir project site if it wished to visit it and explain how it could help the neighbouring state too. " Tamil Nadu's opposition to this project is purely political in nature. I request it with folded hands not to oppose this scheme. Karnataka is ready for talks with it on the project, " he added.

Mr Shivakumar said he was surprised that a special session of the legislature had been convened by the Tamil Nadu government on the issue as Karnataka was not interested in making a controversy of it. "Tamil Nadu CM Palaniswamy is a learned person and so we are confident that the writ petition filed in the Supreme Court will be withdrawn," he said, once again urging the Union government to intervene in the matter and help both states arrive at an understanding.

The Minister also reiterated that not an inch of land would be irrigated in Karnataka from the water of the reservoir. "Karnataka only proposes to generate around 450 MW of power from the dam and utilise 18 tmc ft of water for drinking, of which 4.5 tmc ft of water will be for Bengaluru city. So Tamil Nadu has nothing to worry about," he assured. A few days ago, the Centre had permitted Karnataka for preparing a Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the reservoir-cum-drinking water project.
The 12 students hail from particularly vulnerable tribal groups and are first generation students from these groups.

Hyderabad: Inspired by Malavath Poorna, the tribal student who climbed Mount Everest, 12 students from the Tribal Welfare Residential Junior College at Hayatnagar climbed the 18,200-foot Lakpakanchy in Sikkim on Friday. The students hoisted the Indian Flag on the top of the mountain.

Among the students was Ms Maheshwari, who had escaped her parents attempt to get her married as a child.

I never imagined that I would go to college and become a mountaineer. I would have ended up as a victim of child marriage if not for the tribal welfare residential schools and colleges, said Ms Maheshwari.

She said, she was inspired by Poornas expedition to the Everest, Kilimanjaro and Mount Elbrus. She is a role model for millions of poor tribal girls like me.

The 12 students hail from particularly vulnerable tribal groups and are first generation students from these groups. Most of them are from remote tribal hamlets in Adilabad. The team of 12 comprised four girls and eight boys.

Dr R.S. Praveen Kumar, Tribal Welfare Residential Educational Institutions Society secretary, told this newspaper: We are particularly happy with the teams success, because they are from very marginalised tribal communities. If amenities are provided, anyone can grow and achieve great heights. Now, the team would be trained for much higher altitudes including death zones.
New Delhi: A day after most exit polls predicted the BJP losing its grip over the three key states falling in the Hindi heartland and the much-needed electoral gains for the Congress ahead of the 2019 electoral battle, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday held a crucial meeting with the partys national general secretaries to deliberate on the partys own feedback from the ground from the five states that went to polls.

The BJP, sources said, has also called a meeting of its national office-bearers on Dec. 13 to discuss the Assembly polls results and to strategise for the Lok Sabha polls.

Results of the Assembly polls of Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram and Telangana state will be declared on December 11.

In Mizoram, the predictions favoured Mizoram National Front (MNF) over the Congress, which had been ruling the Northeastern state for a decade.

When asked about the partys performance in the three Hindi heartland state Assembly polls, Mr Shah asserted that the BJP will retain power in these states.

In Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh, the BJP has been ruling since 2003 and is confident of forming the government for the fourth time in a row.

In case the poll predictions come true, especially in MP and Chhattisgarh, its impact could be drastic for the BJP in the Lok Sabha polls and the saffron poll managers would be forced to restrategise its electoral tactics, the sources said.

Meanwhile, not giving any heed to the exit polls predictions that the BJP and the Congress are in tight race, Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan said his party will win with a comfortable majority.

I am the biggest surveyor as I remain in the midst of public all-day long. The BJP is set to romp home... I have come to seek the blessing of goddess Pitambara for the well-being of Madhya Pradesh, he said after visiting the Shree Pitambara Peeth temple in Datia.

However, the Congress is confident that anti-incumbency against the BJP will bring it to power in the state. We have got the blessings of every section of society in the elections and we are on the way to win the polls, Mr Chouhan said.
Bengaluru: After a number of meetings and discussions, the government has asked the Bangalore Development Authority (BDA) to prepare tenders for the Peripheral Ring Road (PRR) project.

A top BDA official, requesting anonymity, told Deccan Chronicle that there are financial constraints, but the government has given the green signal for the project and the BDA will work out the financial issues. We have been told that the financials are being looked into and the required funds will be allotted soon. The authority has been asked to prepare tenders and they should be floated by February 2019. The work might begin by September or October if the necessary process is completed on time, the official said.

We have asked a few consultancy companies to carry out the survey and submit the detailed project report (DPR), which will be looked into by senior engineers. There is a lot of work left and we have asked the staff to speed up, as the government is keen to begin the construction, the source said.

But various citizen groups are against the project, saying it would further spoil the beauty of the city and lead to felling of thousands of trees. A citizen group pointed out that the government and the BDA have not invited objections from the people and not consulted them, but are preparing the tenders. This is unfair as the city belongs to us too and they need to consult us before proceeding further. We do not want the PRR, as it will bring more vehicles on roads. The government should rather find a solution to take off maximum number of vehicles from the roads and encourage public transport, said members of the group.

They said that they will carry out protests opposing the 65 km PRR.
The Army sources here said that Malik was actually detained by his Army unit and was being handed over to the UP police in response to a request made by it to the senior Army authorities. (Representational Images)

Srinagar: An Army jawan who has emerged as a key suspect in the killing of an Uttar Pradesh police inspector in mob frenzy over cow slaughter in Bulandshahr earlier this week was detained by the police from Jammu and Kash-mirs Sopore area on Saturday.

The police sources said that a special team of the UP police which had arrived in Srinagar a day ago took the suspect Jitendra Malik alias Jeetu Fauji into custody from a camp of the Armys 22 Rashtriya Rifles in Sopore, about 50-km northwest of J&Ks summer capital.

The UP police team members who had before relocating to Sopore met senior Army authorities in Udhampur and Srinagar were assisted by their counterparts from the J&K police, the sources said. However, the Army sources here said that Malik was actually detained by his Army unit and was being handed over to the UP police in response to a request made by it to the senior Army authorities.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Krishna Bahadur Singh has been transferred to DGP headquarters in Lucknow and has been replaced by the Superintendent of Police of Sitapur, Prabhakar Chaudhary. (Photo: PTI)

Lucknow: Heads have finally begun to roll in Bulandshahr where one inspector and a civilian were killed in mob violence on Dec. 3.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday removed Bulandshahr SSP K.B. Singh, along with Syana Circle Officer Satya Prakash Sharma and Chingrawati chowki incharge Suresh Kumar for alleged negligence that led to the Dec. 3 violence and the killing of the inspector.

Jeetu Fauji, the Army jawan who is one of the accused in the violence, was also arrested from Sopore in Kashmir on Saturday and handed over to the UP STF and is being brought to Bulandshahr.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said that the Senior Superintendent of Police will be replaced by Sitapur SP Prabhakar Chaudhary.

The government transferred two other policemen of Bulandshahr  Circle Officer Syana Satya Prakash Sharma and Chingravati police chowki in-charge Suresh Kumar.

Additional Director General (ADG) Intelligence SB Shiradkar had Friday submitted a report on the violence. The transfers are understood to be in line with the findings of the report on police handling of the situation.

On December 3, Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a local youth, Sumit, were killed in violence over an alleged cow slaughter incident in the city. The inspector and his team had gone to the village to tackle the violence when they came under attack.

Singh was the investigating officer of the Dadri lynching case from September 28, 2015 to November 9, 2015. However, the chargesheet had been filed by a different IO in March, 2016.

Police have arrested nine accused in the Bulandshahr case but the main conspirator, Yogesh Raj, the district convener of the Bajrang Dal, is on the run. In a video that surfaced online on Wednesday, Raj had claimed innocence.

Another suspect is Jeetu Fauji, and a police team has been sent to Jammu to nab him, a senior officer said.

Another inquiry by a government-constituted SIT is underway, and the team is going into every minute detail and video footage of the incident, the officer said.

Also, a magisterial probe had been ordered by the government into the incidents. PTI
The officers then went on to inform Bitzer that satellite phones were illegal in India and anyone using a satellite phone without prior permission violates the Indian Telegraph Act and can be penalised under it. (Representational Images)

Chennai: The CEO of a German car company was intercepted by security officers at the Chennai International Airport for carrying a satellite phone which is illegal in India.

Bitzer Jochen, 46 had travelled to Chennai to attend an annual board meeting held at a hotel in Velachery on Friday. He had landed in Chennai on Thursday and stayed at the Velachery hotel overnight. After the meeting had ended, he returned to the Chennai International Airport to leave for Philippines where his bag was checked by security officers.

On checking his hand-baggage, they found a satellite phone, which raised alarms.

The officers then went on to inform Bitzer that satellite phones were illegal in India and anyone using a satellite phone without prior permission violates the Indian Telegraph Act and can be penalised under it.

Bitzer argued saying that he had entered India while in possession of the satellite phone and airport officials did not stop him then. He also asked the airport authorities to put up boards in the airport informing passengers on gadgets and items which are illegal in India.

The security officers, however, blamed Bitzer, saying that he did not declare the phone at customs while entering.

They did not allow him to travel on Friday. Security officers then handed over Bitzer, along with the satellite phone to the Airport police, who began to look into the matter.

Bitzer explained that many countries allowed legal phones and since it was his first time to India he was unaware. The embassy was then informed following which the airport police asked him to return on Saturday evening, explain his situation in writing and leave on the next flight. However, the satellite phone will not be returned they said.

CISF officers say that several people submit satellite phones and even gold at the airport before entering the country. Bitzer could've also done the same, they said.
Chennai; Towns, localities and streets that have English names will soon be reverted to their original Tamil names, Tamil culture minister K. Pandiarajan has informed. A Government Order (GO) to this effect will be issued in two weeks, he said.

As per the initiative, Triplicane will be renamed as Thiruvallikeni, Tuticorin will become Thoothukudi, Poonamallee to Poovirundhavalli, Tiruchy as Tiruchirappalli while Egmore will become Ezhumbur, Ooty as Udhagamandalam and Villupuram as Vizhupuram.

"Over 3,000 names will figure in the list that has been prepared in consultation with the revenue department, which is empowered to decide. The GO will be issued in two week's time," Mr. Pandiarajan told reporters here on Saturday.

He said already the issue of renaming the cities towns, localities and streets have been discussed with the officials concerned, and recently the list of names were finalised at a meeting of district collectors.

"Three departments have a role in this initiative. While the Tamil Department came up with the changes, the Revenue and Municipal Administration Departments vetted them before they are approved," Mr. Pandiarajan added.

Minister lauds Governor

Information Minister Kadambur C. Raju lauded Governor Banwarilal Purohit for his efforts in discussing "important issues of Tamil Nadu" with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Speaking at the 136th birth anniversary celebrations of national poet Subramania Bharati (also known as Bharatiyar) held under the aegis of Vanavil Panpattu Maiyam and Tamil Development Department here Mr. Raju said, "just like Bharatiyar who fought for our freedom from the British, our Governor took the Tamils' problems to Delhi to be resolved."

The Governor's meeting with the PM comes close on the heels of the Tamil Nadu Assembly resolution condemning the nod granted to Karnataka to prepare a Detailed Project Report for a balancing reservoir-cum-drinking water project across the Cauvery at Mekedatu. Mr. Purohit also met Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh and held discussions on the same topic for 30 minutes.
The EVMs were transported to the strong room by Friday night following which all security was increased in the strong rooms. (Representational Images)

Hydreabad: Heavy security was deployed to guard the EVMs in a strong room throughout Telangana state.

A three-tier security was provided for the EVMs.

The EVMs were transported to the strong room by Friday night following which all security was increased in the strong rooms.

In Hyderabad there are around 15 strong rooms and the counting will start early on Tuesday morning.

All the strong rooms had a single entry/exit and was locked. While one key was handed over to in-charge another was handed over to the person with magistrate powers, said Director General of Police Mahendra Reddy.

As a part of three-tier security Central Armed Forces were deployed at the door at the first level with 39 officers who will guard the door in three shifts.

At the second level state armed forces were deployed followed by city police cops at the third level.

There is also provision for 24x7 electricity with the presence of a generator, if needed.

No vehicles including those of the police are allowed into the premises.

If any person wants to cross the second-level security, they should register their details in the login books which is in the control of the Armed Forces and will be videographed, added the official.

The arrangements were made in such a way that the security forces can directly view the entrance of the main door into the strong rooms and in other places CCTV cameras have been installed.

All the CCTVs installed at various strong rooms were directly connected to the Command Control Center in Basheerbagh.

The returning officer will check the strong room every day and send a daily report to the Chief Electoral Officer.
Hyderabad: The MIM and the BJP have expressed concern at the low polling in the Assembly segments in Hyderabad.

Though the polling percentage statewide stood at 73.2 per cent, the final figures released by the authorities showed that the citys 15 seats recorded 48.9 per cent voting against 52.99 per cent for 2014.

The MIM leadership is confident of retaining its Chandrayanagutta, Nampally, Karwan, Yakuth-pura, Bahadurpura and Charminar seats. It has been worrying about a low turnout since their three-month of campaigning and padyatras have not had any impact. MIM cadres have also accused the MBT and the Congress for the low turnout alleging that the voters were frightened as the leaders of both parties had gone around in convoys in their constituencies.

The BJP leadership has been worrying about the triangular contests between the TRS and Congress-led Peoples Front in many of its key constituencies. With the keen contest between Peoples Front candidates and the TRS in Musheera-bad, Goshamahal, Cant-onment and Uppal, the BJP candidates have been relegated to the third position.

In Musheerabad, BJP state president Dr K. Laxman is contesting against TRS candidate M. Gopal and Mr M. Anil Kumar Yadav of the Peoples Front. The fight has turned crucial in Uppal between TD candidate T. Veeresham Goud and TRS candidate B. Subhash Reddy and in Secunderabad Canton-ment between TRS nominee G. Sayanna and Sarve Satyanarayana of the Congress. Similarly Gos-hamahal saw Congress nominee Mukesh Goud and TRS candidate Premsingh Rathod pushing the BJP candidate to third position.
Tirunelveli: MDMK general secretary known for his seditious speeches against Indian integration on the Sri Lankan Tamil issues and on projects that he despised earlier, warned on Saturday that Tamil Nadu would go separate if the Central government permitted construction of Karnataka's Mekedatu dam across river Cauvery, and also passed the Dam Safety Bill 2018.

Addressing party functionaries at Pudukottai near here, Vaiko came down heavily upon the Centre for taking sides with Karnataka in the Mekedatu dam issue, and posed a question to the Centre on the need of Tamil Nadu to be a part of India, if its welfare is not taken care of.

Stating that around 25 lakh acres of farm land in Tamil Nadu would be deprived of water for irrigation, and around five crore people would face acute drinking water shortage if Karnataka constructed the Mekedatu dam, Vaiko too added that the Dam Safety Bill 2018, would add to the problem.

"If the Dam safety bill is implemented, Tamil Nadu would be the worst affected in the country," warned Vaiko. He also said that the bill, if accepted, would make the Inter-state Water Dispute Act meaningless, and water tribunals would lose the meaning of their existence.

"We will not get water from Kerala and Karnataka as the Dam Safety Bill will empower them to build more dams to divert river water," complained Vaiko, who warned that Tamil Nadu would be disintegrated from India in the next 50 years.

In a reference to the Sterlite issue, Vaiko poured out his anguish against the chairperson of the Principal Bench of the National Green Tribunal (NGT), Justice Adarsh Kumar Goel, for not allowing him to comment, while the counsel for Vedata, Arima Sundaram, continued with his argument in the Sterlite case, on Friday.

"The principal bench of the NGT has not yet accepted my impleadment petition in the case, and if my petition is not accepted in the next hearing of the case on Monday (Dec. 10), I will approach the Supreme Court against the NGT and Sterlite," warned Vaiko.

There are ample chances for the tribunal verdict to go in favour of the copper smelter plant. Accusing the Tamil Nadu government for favouring the company earlier, Vaiko said, at least now, it had corrected its stance.

"But we will not give up our fight against the plant," warned Vaiko, who however promised that he or his party cadre would never resort to violent methods of protest.
TPCC president N. Uttam Kumar Reddy (C), along with MRPS president Manda Krishna Madiga (L) and Telangana TD president L. Ramana, addresses the media at Hotel Golconda in Hyderabad on Saturday.  R. Pavan

Hyderabad: Congress-led Peoples Front leaders on Saturday exuded confidence of forming the government on December 12 in Telangana. TPCC chief N. Uttam Kumar Reddy said the people voted for Congress and its allies on Friday with high hopes.

While expressing confidence that the Congress-led Peoples Front would win 75 to 85 seats in the state, he said though the TRS had earlier said that they would win 100 seats, they have come down to 80 seats after witnessing the poll trend on Friday.

He claimed the Peoples Front echoes the true voice of people of Telangana and it successfully highlighted the issues concerning common people. He said votes have been transferred among allies successfully. Maintaining that the people are tired of the four-and-half-year rule of Mr K. Chandrasekhar Rao, he said the TRS would not win more than 35 seats.

The TPCC president has alleged that the Election Commission failed to conduct elections in a fair and transparent manner and hence Chief Electoral Officer Rajath Kumar had to apologise to the people of Telangana. Referring to the exit polls which indicated the victory of the TRS, he said India Today editor Rajdeep Sardesai called him and asked him not to trust the survey by his own channel.

Telangana TD president L. Ramana said the Peoples Front would implement its common agenda which would be monitored by a committee to be headed by Prof. M. Kodandaram.
Bengaluru: A deer was reportedly killed using snares in Ragihalli forest in Bannerghatta National Park. This is the second incident of poaching after July, when a headless deer carcass was found in the National Park.

According to the sources the deer was killed a couple of days ago. The incident of poaching comes in the backdrop of activists fighting against the draft to reduce the EcoSensitive Zone (ESZ) proposed by the union government.

Tree Doctor Vijay Nishanth spearheading the protest against the draft said, This is very unfortunate and this is one of the reasons we do not want the ESZ to be reduced. If this applied the wildlife will be under threat. Human-animal conflict will increase. BNP requires a buffer zone that protects its rich biodiversity.

Deers are poached for antlers and flesh. The proposed draft calls for the reduction of ESZ by 100 sq km.
On December 11, 2018, the Indian electorate will deliver its verdict in five states  Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram. Like in 2003, 2008 and 2013 there would be fevered speculation as to what would be the impact of these results on the 2019 Lok Sabha election.

If you go by past precedents its been a mixed bag. In 2003, the BJP won Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. Those days Delhi also used to go to polls in this round of Assembly polls itself. The Congress retained Delhi for the second time. It had won it for the first time in 1998 from the BJP that had formed the first government in 2003 after Delhi got its first ever Assembly in November 1993.

Taking the Assembly results as an affirmation of its governance at the Central level too, the NDA/BJP almost hustled a very reluctant Atal Behari Vajpayee into calling for an early general election by proponing it by a good six months. The proponents of calling for an early election believed that India was shining while it was actually wounded and simmering. As it turned out in May 2004 Prime Minister Vajpayee had to make way for his successor Dr Manmohan Singh.

Again in 2008 the elections to Chhattisgarh were over but Madhya Pradesh voted on November 27, Delhi on November 29, Mizoram on December 2, Rajasthan on December 4, and Jammu & Kashmir, that has a six-year Assembly cycle between November 17 and December 24 with five out of the seven phases voting between November 30 and December 24, 2008. Why these dates are germane is because the worst terror attacks on India unfolded between November 26 and November 29, 2008 in Mumbai. 166 people were brutally butchered and many more wounded. The attack was telecast live into every home and hearth. It was perhaps the worst security moment for India in its recent history. The then UPA government was naturally on the back foot. An even more than usually belligerent BJP sensed an opening and went for the jugular.

However, when the results of the Assembly elections were declared it was a mixed bag. The Congress retained Delhi and Mizoram, and wrested Rajasthan from the BJP. The National Conference and the Congress formed an alliance government in J&K. The BJP held onto both, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. It was a mixed bag. However, the real surprise came in 2009 when the Congress actually increased its tally from 145 seats to 206 in the Lok Sabha elections.

In 2013 the Assembly results produced a different dynamic altogether. In Delhi, a new party, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP), formed a government with the outside support of the Indian National Congress. The BJP retained Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh and wrested Rajasthan from the Congress. The Congress was able to hold onto only Mizoram. The BJP followed it up by forming its first majority government at the Centre albeit on the narrowest electoral base possible for a majority government since 1952.

The reason that I have chosen to relate this history going back 15 years in time is primarily because it is quite evident from this grandiose political sweep that Assembly elections do not seem to have a bearing on the eventual outcome of a Lok Sabha election. However, what makes these Assembly elections different is that Prime Minister Narendra Modi in the past 54 months has made every election contest  local or state  about himself. Since the Gujarat Assembly elections last year he has increasingly turned to the politics of victimhood  trying to paint himself as the underdog to obfuscate his non-performance.

Why then is there an attempt to turn every state election into a national contest with allegedly profound implications on the future and the destiny of the country? A part of the problem is the way our television media is structured. The print media still continues to be quite local in its footprint notwithstanding a few print publications that have a national presence. It is the broadcast media that has a unique residency. There are over 400 cable and satellite news channels in India and each of them whether they curate regional content or dish out more pan national infotainment the footprint of each of them has a structured national or even a pan Indian reach.

For over the past 25 years now there are two parallel discourses that seem to be playing out in every election. A discourse that is in the ether and for commercial and other imperatives is very heavily invested in converting every local, state or national election into a presidential face off rather than respecting the fundamental basis of the Westminster style of democracy.

The other is the discourse on the ground that largely is unseen and even unheard in the ether for that is the interaction people still have on the common area of the village where they gather after a hard days work. It is the conversations that play out on the local WhatsApp groups mainly focusing on local concerns. It is also the dissection of local newspapers by groups of people at teashops and paan shops. Despite the proliferation of the social media this is a reality that has still not changed and still plays the most important role in electoral choices that people make.

Will this change any time soon? The answer is no. The high priests of the media in the United States were unanimous that secretary Hillary Clintons victory was a foregone conclusion. Her transition teams were scouring the world, trying to understand what tweaking of the world order is required. However, they were disconnected from the ground game not plugged into either the narrative in the field that President Donald Trump very acutely was. The result of that is in front of us.
Prime Minister Narendra Modis Cabinet on Thursday discussed the situation arising from the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that passes through Gilgit-Baltistan, which is Indian territory illegally occupied by Pakistan. (Photo: AP)

With the Thursday terrorist attack outside the police station at Chabahar in south-eastern Iran, where India is strategically engaged with the construction of a port in a venture that has a vacuum-filling crucial dimension in relations with Iran as well as Afghanistan, chances are that the role of Pakistan-based terrorists will once again be brought under scrutiny.

There is a long history of Sunni outfits from Pakistan being active in the border areas of Shia Iran. Some of these are thought to be funded by certain Arab countries, which harbour a historical and civilisational animosity toward Iran. However, the passive role of Islamabad in checking these outfits has even made Tehran issue warnings that it might be obliged to do so itself (presumably by giving chase across the boundary) if Pakistan prefers to remain a quiet spectator. In the present case, however, hitting the port town does raise the worry that Pakistani terrorists have acted because there is a strong Indian interest in Chabahar.

Two people were killed in the attack and several sustained injuries. If investigations do not turn up results early, and the terrorists in question believe they can get away with targeting Chabahar relatively easily, bolder attacks may be attempted, taking direct aim at the terminals being built by India. To that extent, the Thursday strike may be construed to be an exercise to probe the defences.

India has reacted strongly against the attack and expressed its solidarity with Iran. The record is clear that Pakistani terrorists strike all the countries with which Pakistan has a land border  India, Afghanistan and Iran  with the exception of China, Islamabads all-weather friend. It will be in the fitness of things that these three countries coordinate their expertise to deal with the menace.

As Indias stakes at Chabahar rise, and it deepens its involvement with the North-South Transport Corridor that links the Iranian rail network to European systems, Pakistani groups may be expected to get more involved with hitting Indian interests inside Iran, just as they seek to do in Afghanistan.

Prime Minister Narendra Modis Cabinet on Thursday discussed the situation arising from the construction of the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor that passes through Gilgit-Baltistan, which is Indian territory illegally occupied by Pakistan. So far New Delhi has only expressed its dissatisfaction about this to Beijing and Islamabad.

The Cabinet discussion may be intended to convey that New Delhi may be mulling options to deal with the issue. In sections of Pakistan too there is concern about the CPEC. Can this be leveraged even as India considers ways to defend its engagement at Chabahar?
The strategy is designed to manacle the commission from ferreting out information sought by the public under the Right to Information Act (RTI) and disseminating it for the edification of society and towards exposing wrong deeds by organisations, mostly of the government.

A former information commissioner has written to the President revealing a very disturbing trend. It appears the Union government is determined to thwart the efforts of the Central Information Commission by intimidating it through the slapping of writ petitions, following the global method of strategic lawsuits against public participation. The strategy is designed to manacle the commission from ferreting out information sought by the public under the Right to Information Act (RTI) and disseminating it for the edification of society and towards exposing wrong deeds by organisations, mostly of the government. Sridhar Acharyulu has made a significant expose of the legal tactics employed in targeting the CIC and citizens who seek vital information by tying them down in lawsuits. The filing of around 1,700 lawsuits, as stated by the former commissioner, clearly defeats the very purpose of the CIC.

What is particularly disturbing is that the CIC, following the orders of the Supreme Court, had sought of the RBI the disclosure of the names of willful defaulters of bank loans. It was at once assailed by being made the first respondent in two writ petitions by the RBI challenging the order. In effect, the RBI is flying in the face of the authority of the top court using the patently false excuse of national security concerns to not disclose the details sought. The sharing of such information with citizens is a true test of democracy. By denying vital information, financial arms of the government are simply hiding behind bureaucratic obduracy and sheer unwillingness to be called to account.
One should not be aggressive in speaking against a superstition: if you do so the person will hold on to it more tightly! A tactful approach is likely to be more effective.

The year was 1989. The University Grants Commission had decided to set up in Pune, a national centre, which would serve as a think tank and facilitator for the faculty and students of all universities in the field of astronomy and astrophysics. One of our early steps was to ensure the accessibility of the centre through fax and phone. We asked it to be listed in the new telephone directory as the Inter-University Centre for Astronomy and Astrophysics.

However, the day the directory came out, a scientist from a neighbouring institute walked in with a wicked smile on his face. He opened the new directory at the relevant page and pointed to the entry of our institution. It read: Inter-University Centre for Astrology and Astrophysics.

After we recovered from the shock and engaged in post-mortem, we discovered that somewhere in the editing department of the telephone company, a wise man felt that our entry word astronomy must be wrong and we must have meant astrology.

The above episode indicates how the general public feels comfortable with astrology. This example was, indeed, no different from my later experience. A typical member of the general public on learning from me that my study is mainly in astronomy would immediately ask my view on how the planets influence our destiny. Likewise, when I was giving a conducted tour of IUCAA facilities to a group of visitors, one lady visitor asked if our computer could cast horoscopes.

To the extent possible, I try to explain the difference between astronomy and astrology: elaborating on why one is science and the other a superstition. The listener politely listens and (most probably) forgets what I said.

These examples are indicative of the general low rating for scientific temper amongst our people, educated or otherwise. While writing Discovery of India in the Ahmednagar Jail, Jawaharlal Nehru had expressed the hope that the lack of scientific temper would be gone once India became free and its people learnt to take their own decisions in a rational way. This has manifestly not happened! Buying new items in the so-called Pitru Paksha is avoided, as this period is considered inauspicious for launching new programmes or buying new items. The so-called Prasthan is a device to enable setting out for travel on a day not considered auspicious. The logic behind it, for what it is worth, goes like this. Suppose you have to travel on a particular day but your astrologer advises you that the day is not auspicious. He recommends travelling on the previous day. How do you solve this problem without compromising your belief in astrology? You resort to Prasthan. It requires you to pack your travel case and leave it in your neighbours house on the previous day, which has been declared astrologically good. Your journey, therefore, will be assumed to have begun on the previous day. If you now leave for your travel on the day you had chosen earlier, you will not have broken any astrological rule!

There are numerous such stratagems invented to satisfy the superstitious mind. In India our special feature seems to be to import superstitions that originated elsewhere and improve on them. The housing sector in particular takes vastu shastra seriously and supplements it with the feng shui of Chinese origin. These inputs often require breaking the existing building so as to reconstruct it as per the prescribed rules. The rules again have their own logic which would defy commonsense. The client, however, believes in that logic and insists that the architect redesign the residence. One may ignore such activities by saying that if the client wishes to burn money, it is his business. But one needs to be alert against any wastage of public money. For, there have been cases of breakage and reconstruction of public buildings to suit the beliefs of the political head.

These and many other examples paint a picture of our society as a superstition-ridden organisation believing unproven belief systems. Another visionary, former Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee, felt that by bringing science closer to the masses we might make them appreciate and use the scientific temper. Indeed one feels that our countrymen have a mindset appropriate for the 18th century rather than the present one. But what can be done to rectify the situation?

Any public education programme, I feel, should concentrate on schoolchildren. Their parents, the adults, are perhaps too deeply set in their beliefs and are less likely to change. Children, on the other hand, are generally open to discussion, will think more openly and ask more questions. In fact, my suggestion to schools is to allow every week, one period for open discussion with children encouraged to ask questions.

So far as adults are concerned one should design experiments to test belief systems. Horoscopes in astrology, vastu shastra, miracles performed by the so-called holy godmen, can be tested with suitable experiments. A test was designed in 2009 to see if the horoscope can tell whether it belongs to a bright child or a mentally retarded one. The test was performed in Pune resulting in demonstrating that horoscopes fail to do so.

However, when all is said and done, dont forget the human ego. I am reminded of the story I heard in my schooldays. The Sun and Wind argued as to who was the more powerful amongst the two. As a test they decided to see who could remove the coat that a hiker was wearing. Easy! muttered the Wind as it blew harder and faster. But the man held on to the coat tight. So the Wind gave up and the Sun took over. It simply resorted to shining brightly. At last the hiker felt very uncomfortable and took off his coat. The moral: One should not be aggressive in speaking against a superstition: if you do so the person will hold on to it more tightly! A tactful approach is likely to be more effective.
A study conducted by transparency watchdog Central Information Commission (CIC) has concluded that most Central government department websites lack suo moto disclosure of public information under a mandatory provision of the Right to Information (RTI) Act. While this observation may seem pretty self-evident to the aam aadmi, it also strengthens the growing view that the Modi sarkar is less keen on transparency, never mind its public utterances.

The evaluation was conducted by a committee comprising former chief information commissioner A.N. Tewari and former information commissioner M.M. Ansari. The aim was to ascertain the quality of suo moto disclosures under Section 4 of the RTI Act made by various public authorities. The committee evolved an evaluation format and requested all public authorities to fill it up.

Out of 2,092 public authorities registered with the commission, feedback was received from only 838. Among its major findings, the CIC report said missing information largely relates to policy on transfer and posting of senior officers deployed at important and sensitive places; details of domestic and foreign visits undertaken by the senior officials and sources and methods of funding political parties or identification of donors, among others.

Government wakes up

Even as the CBI fires rage, the Centre has reportedly begun framing guidelines to handle grievances against the central vigilance commissioner (CVC). Due to the warring chieftains in the CBI, the Supreme Court asked the Central Vigilance Commission, which exercises its watch over the CBI in corruption matters, to complete within two weeks its inquiry into allegations against director Alok Verma.

Surprisingly, until now there are no guidelines to handle complaints against the CVC, according to the Personnel Ministry. This fact came to light following an RTI application filed by whistle-blower babu Sanjiv Chaturvedi. The babu had sought copies of correspondences from the Personnel Ministry related to a plea filed by him last year with the Presidents secretariat. In the plea, Mr Chaturvedi had invoked Section 6 of the CVC Act that empowers the President to refer cases of allegations of misconduct against the CVC for enquiry by Supreme Court. Mr Chaturvedi had alleged that the CVC closed cases of corruption involving senior functionaries in Delhis All India Institute of Medical Sciences (AIIMS).

Babus back tainted colleagues

The convictions of former IAS and ex-coal secretary H.C. Gupta, former joint secretary in the Coal Ministry, K.S. Kropha and the then director in the same ministry, K.C. Samria, in the coal scam, has come as a blow to the IAS (Central) Association. The three babus were held guilty of corruption and criminal conspiracy in a case linked to the allotment of coal blocks in West Bengal.

However, a section of retired and serving babus has always maintained that their former colleagues were innocent. Perhaps uncharacteristically, the IAS Association responded to the news by changing its Twitter logo in support of the convicted babus. Further, it tweeted that the conviction was most unfortunate and this was a black letter day for bureaucracy. It also added that it stood in support of the three babus in this time of distress.

While it is true that Gupta and co have many supporters within the babu ranks, the writing was on the wall for some time. In May 2017 Gupta and the other two officers were convicted and sentenced to a two-year jail term, though they got bail. Now by publicly standing up in support of the convicted babus, is the association angling for a confrontation with the Supreme Court?
The childish tit-for-tat exchange of tweets between the foreign ministers of Pakistan and India shows just how far diplomacy between the two countries has sunk.

There was a time when even enemies observed a degree of decorum in their exchanges. Now, in the age of Twitter, cheap cracks pass for carefully considered correspondence. When Pakistans foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, triumphantly tweeted that Imran Khan had bowled a googly by opening the Kartarpur corridor for Sikh pilgrims, he seemed to be unaware that Khan was a fast bowler who probably never bowled a googly in his life.

Sushma Swaraj, his Indian counterpart, chose to respond with an acerbic tweet of her own that betrayed a singular lack of wit. In effect, she ruled out the possibility that this small step might lead to improved relations between the two neighbours. This has poured cold water on Pakistans Prime Ministers vow to take two steps if India takes one step towards peace. He now seems resigned to waiting for the Indian elections due next year before resuming his quest.

However, the long impasse is not about which politician and party wins in 2019: There is a broad consensus in India about the pre-conditions for peace. Attacks by militants, alleged to have been launched from Pakistan, have weakened the peace movement in India, while strengthening the hawks. The savage attack in Mumbai in 2008 allegedly by the Lashkar-e-Taiba that took 166 lives galvanised India. The fact that the suspects behind this carnage have still not been sentenced in a Pakistani court after a decade is a constant obstacle in our bid for better ties.

Given Indias rapid military and economic rise, it has little incentive to reciprocate our sporadic peace moves. And whenever the subject comes up, Indians respond by reminding us of the fate of the Vajpayee visit to Lahore that was followed immediately by Musharrafs misadventure in Kargil. In the eyes of the world, Pakistan is the prickly aggressor in South Asia.

In Pakistans neighbours estimation, Pakistan has more to gain by a resolution of its problems than India does. Pakistans economy is in the doldrums, and is barely capable of supporting Pakistans huge defence forces. Trade with India would provide a boost to Pakistans finances. This is probably the reason the establishment is supportive of this governments effort to normalise ties. This is a far cry from its attitude towards Nawaz Sharifs attempts to boost trade with India. Before ascending to his present position, Imran Khan, among others, was harsh in his criticism of Sharif for his bid to normalise relations.

On Pakistans side, the compulsion for better ties is urgent, not just for economic reasons, but to reduce the burden of its defence spending. Year after year, the gap between Pakistans military capabilities grows wider as India imports and manufactures a vast array of modern weapons. The S-400 anti-aircraft and anti-missile system from Russia is the latest cutting edge addition to Indias arsenal. At a cost of over $5 billion, this is something Pakistan cannot afford.

Kashmir remains the stumbling block in the way to normal ties. For seven decades, India and Pakistan have been unable to sort out this thorny issue, and both have painted themselves into their respective corners from which there seems to be no escape. Pakistan and India have gone to war over the Valley and ought to have learned that there is simply no military solution to the problem. Diplomacy, too, has failed to resolve the issue.

Today, more than ever, Pakistan is isolated as it has tried to garner support from friends. Even China recommends bilateral talks to sort out the matter. Time after time, Pakistan has looked to the UN to implement its resolutions to hold a plebiscite, but no member of the Security Council wants to offend India by questioning its claim to sovereignty.

The truth is that the world is sick of the Kashmir issue. While we in Pakistan might resent this injustice, we should remember that the world is not a fair place.

So if there is no military or diplomatic solution, what remains? How does Pakistan break this decades-long logjam? Pakistan could try to take unilateral steps that might convince the Indian public and politicians of our sincerity in wanting peace. These could start with lifting restrictions on visas, and then proceed to opening Pakistans borders to Indian trucks carrying goods to Afghanistan and beyond.

The Soviet Union collapsed largely due to its effort to match American defence spending. Surely theres a lesson here for Pakistan. Given the imbalance in the power equation in our region, and Pakistans need to boost its economy, Pakistan has little to lose by being proactive. The alternative is to slide further into irrelevance as Pakistans neighbour marches on.

By arrangement with Dawn
The proposal to build a 125 ft. tall statue of Mother Cauvery in the grounds of the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam in Mandya district using 200 acres of land already in the government's possession and acquiring another 400 acres from farmers has not been thought out carefully, taking into consideration its likely impact on the environment.

The proposal to build a 125 ft. tall statue of Mother Cauvery in the grounds of the Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) dam in Mandya district using 200 acres of land already in the government's possession and acquiring another 400 acres from farmers has not been thought out carefully, taking into consideration its likely impact on the environment.

The statue will be a part of a theme park designed on the lines of Disney Land of California, USA. But engineers, intellectuals and civil right activists are furious over the proposal as the government has not taken into account the possibility that it could come in the way of regulating water for irrigation and maintaining proper flow in the river downstream for agriculture in Tamil Nadu while it is being built. Such an eventuality could see a revival of the water dispute between Karnataka and its neighbour. As Tamil Nadu is an important stakeholder no such project should be conceived without its concurrence.

While local farmers are agitating against the acquisition of their fertile agricultural land for the project, it's possible that the deep foundation required for the 125 ft tall statue may impact the existing dam at KRS. The numerous stone quarries located within a radius of 15 kms of the reservoir, are already a threat to its stability. The blasting of the large deposits of the contiguous granite beneath can loosen the earth even at a distance as the speed of sound travelling through granite deposits is 17 times faster than the speed of sound through air.

The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) in Bengaluru, which installed a seismic monitoring station at KRS on May 12, 2011, has recorded two signatures of quarry blasts on September 25 this year from a radial distance of 10.5 kms. They are believed to have come from a stone crusher quarry in Bebibettadakaval. Both signatures were registered within six seconds of each other. Although the agency has ruled out any major seismic episode, there are enough indications to warn the government to tread with care . It should also be noted that the Supreme Court has prohibited blasting in any stone quarry within 2 kms of major dams like the KRS.

The quarries in Bebibettadakaval are on an Amruth Mahal Kaval, which is a district forest by definition. Although the Mandya forest division has in the past objected to the functioning of these quarries without the approval of the Union Ministry of Forests and Environment and Climate Change, Karnataka has not obtained any such approval and has allowed them to operate illegally.

There are also reports of illegal mining of sand and red earth from the water spread area of the KRS reservoir. Unregulated removal of sand exposes the pervious layer of the bed of the reservoir and disturbs natural drains, leading to flooding in some areas in heavy rainfall.

Moreover, spending another Rs 1, 200 crore on promoting tourism appears to be a misplaced priority when there are more urgent issues to be addressed in KRS. Not only has the dam silted up, but there has also been unprecedented loss of trees, especially in the catchment of the Cauvery River in Kodagu district. No effort has, however, been made to conserve the catchment.

Currently, the hilly district of Kodagu covers 4,200 sq kms, of which 1,750 sq. kms is a reserve forest managed by the forest department. Once upon a time the remaining area was heavily forested too and was a wonderful catchment for the river. The French Institute of Puducherry, which analysed the satellite images of the district for the years 1967, 1977, 1997 and 2007, concluded that the district had lost 30 per cent tree cover in 40 years, during which time the coffee cultivation went up by 22 per cent. This only shows that that estate owners have cleared natural tree growth and expanded their coffee cultivation without regard for the environment. Also, a number of timber merchants in Madikere have obtained the necessary permission from the revenue and forest departments to fell trees here, forgetting that in the absence of green cover in the catchment, rain water can carry soil along with it , silting the reservoir further.

Seeing how important it is to have trees in the catchment of rivers, it doesn't make sense to make such a big investment in tourism, which is not a priority. Conserving the catchment of the Cauvery, which is so essential for both Karnataka and Tamil Nadu, should take precedence over the construction of the statue in KRS and all such tourism promotional activities in the area.
Huawei would spend $2 billion as part of efforts to address security issues raised in a British government report earlier this year. (Photo: AP)

The European Union should be worried about Huawei and other Chinese technology companies because of the risk they pose to the blocs industry and security, the EUs technology chief said on Friday, echoing concerns raised elsewhere in the world.

Huawei expressed disappointment at EU tech commissioner Andrus Ansips comments, saying it had never been asked to install technology that could be used for spying and never would.

Do we have to be worried about Huawei or other Chinese companies? Yes, I think we have to be worried about those companies, Ansip told a news conference in Brussels, days after a top executive at Huawei was arrested in Canada as part of an investigation into alleged bank fraud.

Huawei, which generated $93 billion in revenue last year and is seen as a national champion in China, faces intense scrutiny from many Western nations over its ties to Chinas government.

Ansip said he was concerned because Chinese technology companies were required to cooperate with Chinese intelligence services, such as on mandatory back doors to allow access to encrypted data.

He also said the companies produced chips that could be used to get our secrets.

As normal, ordinary people we have to be afraid, he said, adding he did not have enough information about the recent arrest in Canada.

Huawei called such comments misunderstandings and denied it posed a security threat.

Huawei has never been asked by any government to build any backdoors or interrupt any networks, and we would never tolerate such behavior by any of our staff, the company said in a statement.

Cyber security needs to be addressed jointly at a global level, and equipment vendors should not be treated differently based on their country of origin. Singling out one vendor does nothing to help the industry identify and address cyber security threats more effectively, it said.

Separately, sources with knowledge of the matter said on Friday Huawei would spend $2 billion as part of efforts to address security issues raised in a British government report earlier this year.

Germany, meanwhile, said it opposed excluding any manufacturers from the planned construction of 5G mobile networks.

However, Belgian newspapers LEcho and De Tijd reported the countrys center for cybersecurity was considering the possibility of banning Huawei in Belgium. The company supplies equipment to telecom providers Proximus and Orange Belgium.

The center was not immediately reachable for comment.

The EU as a whole is braced to launch a far-reaching system to coordinate scrutiny of foreign investments into Europe following a surge of Chinese investments and concerns about security and forced technology transfer.

However, the arrest in Canada of Huawei chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou relates to a US investigation into an alleged scheme to use the global banking system to evade US sanctions against Iran, people familiar with the probe told Reuters.

Europeans too could potentially face prosecution in the United States, which has withdrawn from an agreement with Iran on its nuclear program. Reimposed US sanctions have already forced many European companies to stop trading with Iran.

Meng was due to appear in a court on Friday as she awaits a possible extradition to the United States.

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Hambur: German Chancellor Angela Merkel handed off leadership of her party on Friday after nearly two decades at the helm, with the race wide open between a loyal deputy and a longtime rival.

The contest's outcome is expected to be crucial in deciding whether Merkel, Europe's most influential leader, can realise her stated goal of completing her fourth term in 2021 and then leaving politics.

Merkel, 64, is quitting the helm of her conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) after a series of poll setbacks rooted in controversy over her liberal refugee policy.

I'm very grateful that I could be party chairwoman for 18 years -- it is a very, very long time and the CDU of course had its ups and downs, Merkel said.

But we won four national elections together... and I am happy I can remain chancellor. Merkel has led Germany since 2005, and moved the party and country steadily toward the political centre. More generous family leave, an exit from nuclear power and an end to military conscription were among her signature policies.

The two main candidates, CDU deputy leader Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (known as AKK) and corporate lawyer Friedrich Merz, are locked in a battle over whether to embrace or break with the veteran chancellor's legacy.

A third contender, Health Minister Jens Spahn, 38, an outspoken critic of Merkel's 2015 decision to welcome more than one million asylum seekers to Germany, is seen as being in a distant third place.

While AKK, 56, is viewed as a keeper of the flame and similar to Merkel with an even temper and middle-of-the-road policies, Merz, 63, has become the torchbearer for those seeking a more decisive break with the chancellor.

The Merkel era is palpably coming to an end, political journalist and AKK biographer Kristina Dunz said. Merz could be tempted to see his revenge and lunge for power (as soon as next year). This week Merz, who has insisted in the face of widespread scepticism that he could work well with Merkel, won the backing of powerful former finance minister Wolfgang Schaeuble, now the parliamentary speaker.

Both men are seen as harbouring longstanding grudges against the chancellor, after she thwarted Schaeuble's ambition to become German president and Merz's desire to remain CDU parliamentary group leader several years ago.

Schaeuble's manoeuvre shows: the CDU of the old Germany is trying to make a comeback, news weekly Der Spiegel said.

It is the CDU of the (former chancellor Helmut) Kohl years, in which men like Schaeuble and Merz barked orders like military officers and women usually made the coffee. National broadsheet Sueddeutsche Zeitung said Schaeuble's move signalled that the CDU's long-festering divisions, thinly veiled by unity behind Merkel, could well break out in the open after the conference.

The CDU of the Merkel years is falling apart, it said. Opposing camps are forming. Few observers have dared to predict how the 1,000 delegates -- political and party office holders -- will vote.
Khan, who has spoken about Pakistan taking two steps for peace for every step taken by India, said his government wants to prosecute those involved in the 'act of terror' as it is in Islamabad's interest to resolve the matter. (Photo: File)

Islamabad/Washington: Pakistan wants "something done about the bombers of Mumbai", its Prime Minister Imran Khan has said while tacitly acknowledging that the attack of November 2008 originated from the Pakistani soil.

Khan, who has spoken about Pakistan taking two steps for peace for every step taken by India, said his government wants to prosecute those involved in the "act of terror" as it is in "Islamabad's interest to resolve the matter.

The Pakistan Prime Minister said he has asked for the status of the case which is being heard in an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan.

On November 26, 2008, 10 heavily-armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists sailed into Mumbai and attacked multiple places in the city, including the iconic Taj Hotel.

In the coordinated attacks which shook the entire world, 166 people were killed and 300 injured.

"We also want something done about the bombers of Mumbai. I have asked our government to find out the status of the case. Resolving that case is in our interest because it was an act of terrorism," Khan said in an interview to the Washington Post, his first to a foreign publication.

He stated this when asked about the prosecution of the perpetrators of the audacious attacks and the release of LeT's operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.

The trial, underway in an anti-terrorism court in Pakistan against seven activists, has made little headway in the last 10 years as the Pakistani establishment has been claiming lack of enough evidence against them.

India, which has provided a number of dossiers of evidence, has been maintaining that the bilateral relations cannot improve until Pakistan punishes all those involved in the crime.

India has particularly been pushing for action against LeT chief Hafiz Saeed, who has been roaming freely in Pakistan despite being declared as an international terrorist.

The Narendra Modi government has emphasised that terror and talks cannot go together.

In his interview, Khan expressed hope that talks with India would resume after the Lok Sabha elections due by May next year.

"Let's hope that after the election is over, we can again resume talks with India," he said.
LAYTON  The city has introduced a new mobile app to make it easier to pay utility bills, see whats happening around the city and even be kept up to date with live alerts and notifications.

The free Layton City Mobile app is available on Google Play Store and the Apple App Store.

The utility bill section allows residents to view or pay their bill with a few quick clicks. All transactions are secure and encrypted, and the community calendar feature allows users to view activities month by month.

The notification feature will alert residents when their bill is due as well as pass along important updates from the mayor or City Council. It will also keep users informed about upcoming recreation registrations or game cancellations.
SALT LAKE CITY  The first official trailer for Avengers: Endgame dropped Friday morning. And its raised questions about one superhero  Captain Marvel.

What happened: Fans went nuts over the release of the Avengers 4 trailer. My colleague Sydney Chapman shared a slew of reactions from fans, who were sad, glad and ecstatic about the release of the trailer.

However: There are plenty of fans out there who are wondering about Captain Marvel (Brie Larson), who will be making her debut in her own movie Captain Marvel a month before the new Avengers comes out.

Reaction: Here are some of those reactions.

Captain Marvel picking up Tony before he dies in space #AvengersEndgame pic.twitter.com/qCj0ygZYm9  Chris Daniels (@sirchrisdaniels) December 7, 2018

i intercepted your distress calls. my name is captain marvel, im here to rescue you. pic.twitter.com/FhmdUGqOUW   (@caroldnvers) December 7, 2018

Captain Marvel when she sees Tony stuck in space pic.twitter.com/PHcvNqV7l0  Puneet Singh (@puneetsingh) December 7, 2018

So Captain Marvel is going to save Tony to start the movie? How does Ant Man get out of the Quantum Realm?! Wheres the rest of the Avengers who were alive ?! pic.twitter.com/h05E25tNjX  Freaky P. (@PlutoJO) December 7, 2018

Why?: Well, at the end of Infinity War, Nick Fury (Samuel L. Jackson) appears to make a call for Captain Marvel to come and save the world after The Decimation, which is also referred to as Thanos Snap.

But Captain Marvel appears nowhere in the new trailer.

Debut: Directors Anthony and Joe Russo said that Larsons character Carol Danvers will debut in her own solo film before she arrives in Avengers, according to ComicBook.com.

Just remember: Fans who want to see Captain Marvel can watch the new trailer to her solo film, which dropped earlier this week.
SALT LAKE CITY  Rep.-elect Ben McAdams, the Democrat who narrowly defeated Republican Rep. Mia Love in the 4th Congressional District, was outspent by his opponent by more than $2.2 million.

McAdams, who'll resign Jan. 2 as Salt Lake County mayor, raised more than $3.3 million for his successful run against the two-term congresswoman, who collected just over $5.5 million, according to new Federal Election Commission filings.

But Love's post-election filing with the FEC, covering Oct. 18 through Nov. 26, shows she still has nearly $101,400 in cash on hand and no debts while McAdams reported owing $133,600 with less than $76,000 in available funds.

Andrew Roberts, McAdams' campaign manager, said the debt is being paid off through additional fundraising and includes bonuses staff members earned because of the win.

"The campaign debt was anticipated, has been appropriately disclosed and will be expeditiously retired," Roberts said. "It's not unusual in the case of a highly competitive and hard-fought campaign."

An email sent by McAdams to supporters the same day the report was due included a button to donate to the campaign as well as a survey about issues including immigration and opioid addiction.

The last question in the survey seeks a contribution of $10 or more, asking, "Ben's race was one of the closest in the country and he's depending on your grassroots support to keep fighting in Washington. Can you chip in to support his campaign?"

Nearly two weeks after the Nov. 6 election, McAdams declared victory in the 4th District, which includes portions of Salt Lake, Utah, Juab and Sanpete counties. He ended up winning by just 694 votes.

Love didn't formally concede the race for another week. In a wide-ranging speech Nov. 26, she criticized Republicans, including President Donald Trump, for not being more accepting of minorities, and called McAdams a "wolf in sheep's clothing."

On ABC's "The View" Friday, Love said she was targeted by Democrats because of her race.

"They targeted me because I was a, because I am, a black female Republican and they replaced me with a middle-aged white male," she said, even though she is just a year younger than McAdams, who is 44.

She said Democrats spent a lot of money to "get rid of every single diversity that they possibly could" among GOP representatives in Congress. Love had brought up similar concerns about being a Democratic target in previous interviews.

While plenty of outside money was pumped into the 4th District race by both Republican and Democratic interests, Love raised and spent more cash than McAdams.

Roberts said McAdams' "campaign was fueled by over 1,000 volunteers who helped carry Ben's message of bipartisanship throughout the district. Voters appreciated his vision and his focus on Utah families."

Also on "The View," Love said she had been surprised when the president included her among a list of fellow Republicans he said lost their races because they spurned him during the midterms.

Trump said during a post-election news conference at the White House held before the 4th District race was decided that Love "gave me no love and she lost. Too bad. Sorry about that, Mia."

Love said on the network talk show that she thought she and Trump "had a good working relationship. I didn't think that I was supposed to just completely walk in lock step. That wasn't my job."

On KSL-TV's "Sunday Edition," Love told host Doug Wright that the comments she made during her concession speech about how minorities are treated was not aimed at Utahns.

"I was talking about national Republicans, national Democrats, national politicians in Washington," Love said, adding that anyone who would use what she said "to divide us as Utahns" has an ulterior motive.

That motive, Love said, would be either "to be promoting themselves or somebody else, or doing everything they can to keep minorities and communities trapped in the situations that they are. We need to give them as many choices as possible."

Love said her "job now is to do everything I can to show what the Republican Party is about  to actually bring people home, bring them into our hearts and let them know that this is not politics as usual."

A portion of Love's interview with Wright in her Saratoga Springs home aired Dec. 2 and the rest will be broadcast at 9 a.m. Sunday.

For his part, McAdams is finishing up his work as mayor before being sworn in to Congress on Jan. 3. His resignation as mayor will trigger a 30-day timeline for the Salt Lake County Democratic Party's central committee to vote on his replacement.

"I'm focused on my work at Salt Lake County, including critical decisions on transportation and economic development," the two-term mayor said in a statement. "I will leave the county in strong shape for the next mayor."
SOUTH SALT LAKE  Police on Friday asked for the public's help finding a man charged in a 16-year-old girl's 2016 drug death.

Police are searching for David Oliver Glatzer, 42, of South Salt Lake, who is believed to be homeless, according to South Salt Lake Police Sgt. Matthew Oehler.

A $1 million warrant was issued for his arrest.

Glatzer is described as 6 feet tall and 175 pounds, with blue eyes and brown hair. South Salt Lake police ask anyone who knows where he is to contact them at 801-840-4000.

Glatzer was charged last week in 3rd District Court with manslaughter, a second-degree felony, as well as endangerment of a child or elder adult, and unlawful sexual conduct with a 16 or 17-year-old, both third-degree felonies.

In November 2016, according to the charges, police responded to Glatzer's home and found the girl, who was not identified in court documents, "in a shower without a pulse." She was declared dead the next day in a hospital.

Glatzer told police he taught the girl he'd met at a TRAX station how to prepare and smoke heroin and then gave her gabapentin, which is used to treat seizures, before they had sex, charges state.

When the girl became ill, charges state, Glatzer told police he put her to bed. In the morning, he found her "turning blue and not breathing," according to the charges.

"Glatzer did not call for help for approximately two hours, instead putting (the girl) in a cold shower to revive her," police said.
SALT LAKE CITY  Child pornography victims could have better access to federal restitution under a bipartisan bill President Donald Trump signed into law Friday.

Sen. Orrin Hatch, R-Utah, a key sponsor of the Amy, Vicky, and Andy Child Pornography Victim Assistance Act, called the signing a "momentous" day that was many years in the making.

"This bipartisan legislation will provide meaningful assistance for child pornography victims to support their recovery and allow them to reclaim their lives. I am proud of this legislation and look forward to seeing it change the world for good," he said.

The bill is named after victims depicted in some of the most widely circulated child pornography series in the world. "Amy," "Vicky," and "Andy" all supported the bill.

"I'm lucky, and so is Vicky and Amy and so many other mostly silent victims out there, to have you on our side and everyone else in the Senate," Andy, a Utah resident, said in a statement.

"Just knowing that so many important people think that we matter, that the terrible things that happened to us as kids are being considered all the way up in the Congress of the United States," he wrote. "If we can all agree on something, it's that victims deserve justice."

The law, which had 26 Republican and Democrat co-sponsors, allows victims to choose which form of assistance will help them most. It revises the criteria and options for judges to calculate losses and impose restitution. Victims may apply for a one-time payment from the existing Crime Victims Fund maintained by the Department of Justice.

The bill also allows victims access to the images depicting them, which can be important for victim identification, expert testimony, forensic review and treatment.
SALT LAKE CITY  It's no secret that Utah is home to some of the nation's most popular and talented fantasy writers, including Brandon Sanderson, Shannon Hale and Allie Condie, to name a few.

But today Brandon Mull is the one topping charts. "Dragonwatch, Book 2: Wrath of the Dragon King," the latest installment in his "Dragonwatch" fantasy series hit No. 1 on The New York Times' best-seller list for children's middle-grade readers. This isn't Mull's first taste of success  according to the press release, "Wrath of the Dragon King" is his 16th title to become a New York Times' best-seller, including his widely popular "Fablehaven" series. "Wrath of the Dragon King" is the second book of a planned-five book series which serves as a follow-up to "Fablehaven." The third book is expected to be released in the fall of 2019.

Brandon Mull is a road-warrior, said Chris Schoebinger in a press release, publishing director for ShadowMountain Publishing.

"In Idaho Falls, hundreds of fans stood in line as Brandon signed for four straight hours," he said. "His fans are crazy for 'Dragonwatch' and were thrilled for his success.

But it isn't just Utah fantasy writers who are getting noticed. Utahns Chad Morris and Shelly Brown recently won the prestigious 2018 Buckeye Childrens Book Award for their book "Mustaches for Maddie" based on the true story of the authors' 9-year-old daughter Maddie who was diagnosed with a brain tumor five years ago. This inspiring story about facing trials with humor and courage has been compared to R.J. Palacio's "Wonder," and was also a 2018 Rhode Island Children's Book Award nominee.

Shelly Brown is still in shock about the Buckeye Award win.

I cant believe it. My bucket list had Get nominated for a state list, not win the award!' Can someone surpass their own bucket list? she said in a statement.
SALT LAKE CITY  A registered nurse convicted of sexually assaulting three patients in critical care was ordered Friday to spend at least 11 years and up to life in prison.

Adam Tae Kyun Lim, 55, of Herriman, acted as though he was checking on three women in two Utah hospitals but actually was engaging in sexual behavior that they didn't consent to, court documents show. The assaults occurred at Intermountain Medical Center and St. Mark's Hospital between 2009 and 2014.

A jury in October found Lim guilty of two counts of object rape, a first-degree felony, and a charge of forcible sexual abuse, a second-degree felony.

In 2009, a woman being treated for Crohn's Disease at St. Mark's Hospital saw Lim walk into her room and appear to check on something, but he instead put his hand between her legs, she told investigators.

Five years later, a woman who was at Intermountain Medical Center to have her leg amputated also was the victim of object rape by Lim, who told her he was checking her catheter, according to charges. She pushed his hand away and told him to stop but he said he was examining the device.

And another former patient at Intermountain said she was inappropriately touched by Lim in 2015, when he claimed to be checking the EKG monitor on her shoulders and offered her a glass of champagne.

Intermountain has said previously that Lim worked there for four years and was terminated in February. Records from the Utah Division of Occupational and Professional Licensing show Lim's professional license has been suspended.

Judge Vernice Trease ordered Lim to serve two back-to-back terms of at least five years and up to life in prison on the object rape convictions, plus an additional consecutive sentence of one to 15 years for the sexual abuse felony.
SALT LAKE CITY  University of Utah students sacrificed valuable pre-finals week study time to wrap Christmas presents for local refugee families. But for some, focusing on others rather than school actually helped to relieve their stress.

About 30 students volunteering through the U.'s Lowell Bennion Community Service Center wrapped hundreds of gifts Friday afternoon at the Catholic Community Services Sharehouse for the charity's annual Gift of the Drummer project.

"I just love that these students are here," said Eric Nehm, the student programs coordinator at the Bennion Center. "They should be studying for finals, but they're not  they're here wrapping presents for children. And that's just very wholesome, and it represents the spirit of the Bennion Center."

Carly Shields, a senior who has participated in the gift wrapping service activity twice before, finds it relaxing to get out into the community and do something to take a break from studying. She also is happy to know she's making a difference in a child's life.

"I remember how fun it was to come down on Christmas morning and see really nicely wrapped presents," she said. "We get to do that thing for them, which I think is really cool."

Melissa Manzano, a first-year transfer student studying social work, also enjoyed taking a break to give back to the community.

"For me as someone who wants to become a social worker," she said, "I think it's a great opportunity to give back to the refugee families who might be struggling during this time, this holiday season."

Students from the Bennion Center have volunteered annually for several years, said Janet Healy, who works in community relations for Catholic Community Services and is this year's Gift of the Drummer coordinator.

Student athletes from the U. were at the storehouse wrapping on Thursday, and Judge Memorial High School students will also help in the coming weeks, Healy said.

Regular Gift of the Drummer volunteers said the it's like Sub for Santa, but specifically for refugee children  donors choose a child in need to sponsor, then shop for them based on a list of needs and wants, along with information about their age, gender, sizes and interests. The kids who receive gifts are in families enrolled in the refugee resettlement program or are unaccompanied minors in refugee foster care. Ages range from infants to 18 years old.

Inside the Sharehouse, donated gifts for each child were organized in individual, labeled plastic bags to be wrapped and re-packed. Case managers for each child or family will later come to collect the bags and deliver them.

While donors and volunteers of many charities get to see the recipients' faces light up with gratitude, those with Gift of the Drummer don't get to experience that.

"These donors don't get to do the delivery, which is the fun part," said Heidi Christensen, a volunteer and last year's project coordinator. "They go out and do the hard part. They go out and shop and select for these kids  and they're really so generous."

As the students busily wrapped gifts, Daniel Seelos brought by bags full of gifts for 15 kids, purchased and donated by his fellow employees at Durham Jones & Pinegar law firm.

"We always watch for opportunities in the community that are going to directly benefit the communities which we live in," Seelos said, "and with the refugee situation happening, we thought this would be the perfect place to come and make those donations."

Seelos and his family shopped for some of the children themselves, which he said was humbling.

"The main thing they want is winter clothes," he said. "You want to do more, because they're not asking for much. They're just asking to be warm."

Healy said their donations come from many companies, churches, groups and individuals who are always excited to help.

Last year, Gift of the Drummer helped 570 children, while this year there will be 315. The amount of new families and individuals that the charity's refugee program has helped this year has gone down significantly as well, Healy said, pointing to refugee policies set by the Trump administration.

Still, even last year, Christensen said they had no problem filling all the needed donations.

"We have the same donors do it again and again every year," Christensen said. "It's a part of their tradition. They get their kids involved, they come in and they really care about what they're selecting kids that they've never met, and never will meet."
SALT LAKE CITY  After reviewing the membership of the School Safety Advisory Committee, members of a state school board committee Friday noted a need for the voices of students, parents and front-line school employees such as teachers, school secretaries or bus drivers.

Committee members includes members of the state school board, the charter school board, the state superintendent or designee and representatives of public safety, health and human services agencies, the governor's office, and lawmakers among others.

State school board members were ask to consider codifying the membership of the committee in state school board policy.

Board member Alisa Ellis said she has concerns about the voting members of the committee, noting "we have a lot of representation from organizations but the general populace, none at all or no student representatives," let alone parents or teachers.

There are working groups to advise the voting committee, but the school board committee's debate focused on whether front-line school employees, educators, even students should be voting members, too.

Ellis acknowledged there are already 16 people on the committee and adding to its ranks could complicate its work.

Board member Carol Lear agreed that the committee needs the perspective of people who work daily in schools and with students.

"I need more worker bees on this. These are all the queen bees," said Lear.

While the membership of the committee can address school safety from a big gear perspective, Lear said there is a need for the voices of people who deal with school safety issues on the front lines.

There is a need for committee members who could say, "Let me tell you how that really works," Lear said.

Schools deal with a wide array of threats and intrusions, she said.

Recently, a parent who was involved in an automobile accident in a school parking lot entered a school and confronted the student in a classroom.

"Despite all our talk and all our good intentions, I hope the local board will say 'Golly, we can still do better,'" Lear said.

Ellis also took issue with the language of the proposal that says its meetings would not be subject to the state Open and Public Meetings Act.

"Without having open meetings, its concerning that they take something to the Legislature and all of a sudden we have a bill that pushes down mandates across the state," she said

Deputy State Superintendent Patty Norman said the thinking was that the committee would be discussing school's security measures, which committee members do not want to disclose publicly.

"Even with the idea there are security devices that might be discussed, I still think an open meeting is going to be a better approach then the people who would like to attend could attend," Lear said.

Terry Shoemaker, executive director of the Utah School Superintendents Association, cautioned against expanding the committee membership because the group is just starting to get acquainted and "I can tell you right now, it's a pretty dang large group," he said.

The group was assembled at the recommendation of lawmakers, who want all agencies and associations that are seeking funding and policy changes for safety initiatives to approach the Legislature with a single, cohesive proposal, Shoemaker said.
The pontiff will be in the UAE between 3 and 5 February 2019 for the first official papal visit to the Arabian Peninsula. Local Catholics welcome the announcement. The visit will provide an opportunity for an exchange with Islam. For Bishop Hinder, this is an "Important step" on the path of dialogue with the Muslim world. The UAE is stable but with a dark side.

Abu Dhabi (AsiaNews)  The papal visit to the United Arab Emirates (UAE) in early February next year, the first by a pontiff to the Arabian Peninsula in the footsteps of Saint Francis of Assisi, will be a time of joy for all believers and an opportunity for peace and exchange with Islam, said Mgr Paul Hinder, apostolic vicar of southern Arabia (UAE, Oman and Yemen) in a note sent to AsiaNews commenting yesterday's Holy See announcement of the official visit by the Argentine pontiff.

Pope Francis will be in Abu Dhabi from 3 to 5 February 2019. His visit will be a first for the Peninsula, where, with few exceptions, there is little respect for religious freedom and the practice of faiths other than Islam.

As part of the preparations, the Vicariate set up a website dedicated to the Papal Visit to provide information and other details about the event.

Reacting to the Holy Sees announcement, Mgr Hinder calls on the faithful to welcome the Pope with "open hearts and pray with Saint Francis of Assisi: Make me a channel of your peace!"

The prelate hopes the visit will be "an important step in the dialogue between Muslims and Christians and contribute to mutual understanding" as well as stability in the Middle East.

To this end, Mgr Hinder said he would like to see a special intercession be inserted in all obligation Masses leading up to the visit for a spiritually successful visit.

The programme for the very short and tightly scheduled visit will be published before Christmas". However, the prelate notes that a public Mass will be celebrated by Pope Francis in Abu Dhabi on the morning of Tuesday, 5 February 2019.

In the meantime, he thanks the UAE government for their generosity. The UAE is one of the few stable countries in the Middle East. In recent years, its leaders have tried to export their model of society based on moderate Islam open to religious and cultural diversity.

However, there is a dark side to the federation, namely its involvement in the war in Yemen and support for Saudi Arabia in its clash with Qatar over the past year; all of which has heightened tensions in the region.

Domestically, repression is another issue as evinced by the conviction of dissident Ahmed Mansoor, who was given a ten-year prison sentence earlier this year.
SALT LAKE CITY  The wife of a youth ranch counselor beaten to death two years ago by a teenager at the Turn-About Ranch in Garfield County has filed a lawsuit against the killer, his parents, and the people who operated the ranch.

The wrongful death lawsuit filed Wednesday in 6th District Court on behalf of Brenda Woolsey claims that the ranch was not equipped to house 17-year-old Clay Brewer, who was experiencing suicidal ideation and drug withdrawal, and should never have been accepted.

But a family connection may have gotten him into the ranch when he should have instead been placed into a detox center, the complaint alleges.

Brewer's step-uncle serves as president of the ranch, according to the lawsuit.

In December 2016, five days after he arrived, Brewer killed James "Jimmy" Woolsey, 61, with a metal fire poker as he tried to escape the facility.

He injured another staff member, Alicia Keller, when he struck her in the head before stealing her car and leading deputies on a brief chase, later telling investigators he had intended to act like he had a gun so officers would shoot him and he could die.

The lawsuit seeks an undetermined amount in damages from Brewer, his parents, the company that owns the ranch and ranch employees.

Those defendants "knew of Clay Brewer's suicidal state and his serious drug addiction and drug withdrawal condition, but nobody warned Jimmy Woolsey as to Clay Brewer's dangerous state, instead assigning Jimmy Woolsey to work with (Brewer), knowing and expecting that interaction with Clay Brewer would result in injury," according to the lawsuit.

When he arrived, Brewer "reported that he had suicidal thoughts and that he drank bleach in an attempt to kill himself," the complaint alleges, but he was not treated for those problems.

In online advertisements, the ranch says it does not treat youths with "active suicide attempts" or psychotic behaviors, according to the lawsuit.

Woolsey was unaware Brewer had those problems  and he had no specialized training to deal with them  when he was assigned to work with the boy, the complaint says.

The actions of those named in the lawsuit "include intentional, malicious, and reckless conduct taken in disregard of their respective obligations to (Woolsey) and heirs, causing emotional, physical, mental trauma and death," the complaint states.

Brewer, now 19, pleaded guilty in July to reduced charges of murder, a first-degree felony, and aggravated assault, a second-degree felony, as part of a plea bargain. He was sentenced to at least five years and up to life in prison.
SALT LAKE CITY  Six-year-old Shepard Smith could hardly contain his excitement Saturday as he waited at the airport to board the annual "Snowball Express" flight for the children of fallen soldiers for the first time.

"I'm here because I'm going to Disney World," he explained. "It's awesome."

His mother, Jennifer, said she didn't want Shepard or his younger sister, Amelia, dwelling on the sadness of losing their father, Army Chief Warrant Officer 2 Lee Smith, during a tour of duty in Iraq.

"We don't have a lot of expectations. It's been wonderful to have something to look forward to. It's just been a year since my husband died," Jennifer Smith said as her daughter eyed the candy being handed out at the festive airport gate.

Smith said her children understand "to an extent" why they were joining other families from the Rocky Mountain region on a charter flight to Orlando, but she was careful not to stress it was because of their father.

Being surrounded by others in the same situation for five days at the Florida theme park should "bring a sense of relief," especially to Shepard, who faces questions from his school classmates about his father, she said.

"It's like a very exclusive club," Smith said, looking around at the other families also gathered for the flight. "When you lose someone in the military, you become like a second family with the people who have also lost someone."

Before the flight boarded, she was among the Snowball Express passengers who joined in a Malialole dance performance at the gate. Smith attempted the Polynesian moves with Amelia wrapped tightly around her legs.

An announcement at the American Airlines gate about the flight drew cheers from passengers headed to other destinations, although it was hard for anyone to miss that there was something special happening.

There dancers and drummers, volunteers, therapy dogs, Santa Claus, and dozens of military personnel in dress uniform all circulating among the families amid Christmas trees and other decorations set up at the gate.

Edward Felleson, an Air Force Association volunteer, said this is the 13th year the Snowball Express has departed from Salt Lake City. This year, free trips are being provided to more than 1,700 children and their guardians from 87 cities worldwide.

The Snowball Express program is now part of the Gary Sinise Foundation, a nonprofit started by the actor to assist veterans and first responders along with their families.

"What's really, really good about this is a child who's gone through the drama can connect," Felleson said. For "Gold Star" children, he said, the trip shows that "even if they've lost a parent, they're still part of the family."

Jack May, 17, of South Jordan, said he's been taking Snowball Express trips since he was 5 years old. His father, Marine Staff Sgt. Donald C. May, Jr., was killed en route to Baghdad in 2003.

"It's great because I can use the words 'Gold Star' in a conversation and people won't look at me just so confused. They understand," May said. "This is my crew. We get each other."

His mother, Deborah, said she looks forward to the trips.

"The holidays are kind of hard sometimes, too. So this kind of re-groups us and we're able to get through the holidays. We get lots of hugs when we go, we get lots of love. We get to see widows and kids we haven't seen for a while."

Brandi Law of Farmington, there with her 5-year-old son Braxton, teared up as she waited to get on the plane.

"Right now, it just feels emotional, very overwhelming, with the number of people who are here  to know we're not alone," Law said. For Braxton, she said, it's an opportunity "to know he's not the only kid that has to go through this."

Salt Lake City Mayor Jackie Biskupski came with her son, Archie, to hand out commemorative city Veterans Day coins on the plane. She said she was there because of the recent death of Utah Army National Guard Maj. Brent Taylor.

Taylor, the mayor of North Ogden, was shot and killed Nov. 3 by Afghan commandos at a base in Kabul where foreign troops were training Afghan forces, leaving behind a wife and seven young children.

"It's hard. Mayor Taylor was a friend of mine so I found out about this and came out," Biskupski said. "This means something different now for me. It's the first time I've actually known someone" killed in action.

She said it was too soon after Taylor's death for his children, who range in age from 11 months to 13 years old, to participate in the program, but "maybe they'll be here next year."

Utah Army National Guard Chief Warrant Officer 3 Cameron Landies, who served in Afghanistan, said he was there to show the program's participants that "even though their parent is no longer with them, we still are."

He said as a father himself, "I would hope that should anything ever happen to me, that all these people, all my friends, would be here to support my family after I pass."

Landies and other military personnel handed out teddy bears and then assembled in formation on the tarmac to solemnly salute the families aboard as the plane headed to the runway, led by a police car and airport trucks with sirens blaring.
Last weekend witnessed a unique and moving event in the small town of Raphoe. Over 200 local people turned out to take part in a poignant Christmas tree lights event.

After the war ended 100 years ago the 41 young men from the area, from all religions and backgrounds who left for the battlefields of the Western Front and never returned home were mourned by their families and the community.

Trees were planted in the centre of the town in their honour.

One hundred years later the same families and community remembered them by lighting up the same trees, the children from the two primary schools, Raphoe Central and St. Eunans NS, called out their names, like a roll call that echoed once more in their home place.

The Logan family who grew up in the Diamond, lost their two uncles in the Great War. On Saturday their nieces and nephews joined the community in honouring their memory by switching on the Christmas lights on the old trees in the Diamond.

The evening was made all the more poignant by the sweet voice of local girl Caitlin McNulty, a third year student at Finn Valley College in Stranorlar, who sang the words of Donegal war poet Patrick Magill, Lament from the Trenches' (I wish the sea were not so wide).

Caithlins grandmother is from Raphoe. Members of the Irish UN Peace Keeping Veterans Association and the Irish Army ex Servicemen, the Irish Army Military Police and a British naval officer from the Blackpool sub mariners association took part in the memorial service.

The event was sponsored by Raphoe Community in Action and the Hugo Charitable Trust of New Zealand who offered to assist the local community in lighting up the Diamond this year. The Hugo Charitable Trust was set up in honour of the late Hugh Green who grew up in Raphoe before emigrating to New Zealand in the 1950s.

SEE ALSO: Christmas in Belleek - Donegal journalist Gerry McLaughlin fondly remembers his beloved Corlea
It wasnt easy narrowing this list down to just 5 things, but here we go!

She Set the Predatory Lenders Free. By gutting regulations intended to protect students, many of whom are veterans, minorities, and first-generation college attendees, from being defrauded by predatory schools and colleges, Betsy has put the interests of these for-profit collegessome of which she has personal financial interests inahead of students. She Abandoned the Kids Who Need Her Most. Betsy has dismissed civil rights complaints and ripped up guidance that urged public schools to allow transgender students to use restrooms that conform to their gender identity. She Made Sexual Assault Great Again. Sec. DeVos has rolled back sexual assault policies on college campuses, established a higher bar for victims reporting complaints, and is now forcing survivors to be cross-examined by their attackers in courtthis one is especially egregious in that DeVos is from Michigan, where Larry Nassar sexually assaulted 332 young girls and women at MSU over 25 years. Shes Still Trying to Get Us to Fund Private Schools With Taxpayer Dollars. Betsy continuously calls public schools a dead end, and then advocates for a national private school voucher program by requesting $20 billion in the federal budget, even though all previous attempts in Michigan were humiliating failures, voted down by nearly 75% of the citizens of our state. She Tried to Starve Her Own Department of Funding. DeVos proposed to eliminate the federal Department of Educationand then suggested cutting the Departments funding by $9 billion  about 13 percent of the Departments full budget allocation. DeVos budget eliminated money for after-school programs for disadvantaged youth and axed a grant program that helps low-income students go to collegein favor of increased spending on school-choice initiatives and private school voucher programs. Her proposal also included cuts to the Office for Civil Rights. In a stunning rejection of her request, the GOP-controlled House returned a budget with an increase of $3.9 billiona 13% hike in funding!

So, to all those people who say that Sec. DeVos hasnt accomplished very muchwho else could dream up public policy so craven and draconian and just plain cruel, that it actually forces the Republican Party to increase spending on things that benefit children, families, and communities, like public education?!?!?

Only Betsy DeVos.

Now thats quite an accomplishment!

Betsy DeVos caricature by Donkey Hotey | Flickr


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Many brick-and-mortar shops have been expanding their business to the online realm. It's no wonder why, considering global retail e-commerce sales are expected to reach US$4.5 trillion by 2021.

However, brands making the move first need to consider the differences between brick-and-mortar and e-commerce, and implement SMEA:

Set Up -- The first step involves brands getting their items set up online so that shoppers can buy them on Amazon, Walmart, Target and other sites. Manage -- Brands need to manage their product content consistently, organize all of it in one place, and update it on retailer websites, as well as on their own sites. Enrich -- If brands don't already have rich product content like videos and 360-degree views of their items, they need to create it to maximize product content success. Audit -- Once the content is ready to go, brands need to monitor for the updated content on retailers' sites and ensure everything is how it should be.

Item Setup

Traditionally, item setup has been handled through manual processes and a variety of spreadsheet templates and forms. The process is time-consuming and resource-intensive, not to mention fraught with errors, as teams try to cope with the thankless task of copying data from supply chain systems, product information management (PIM) systems and other data repositories to retailer-specific spreadsheets

To make matters more challenging, omnichannel retailers often have separate processes for in-store and online item setup. This has doubled the work for suppliers. As a result, suppliers have been looking to automate the process of setting up new items, in an effort to streamline workflows and free up resources to focus on other areas.

The key challenges for suppliers when it comes to item setup:

Gathering data necessary for the item setup process

Completing retailer-specific forms

Validating accuracy of the data

Submitting item setup forms to retailers

Addressing any issues

Ensuring items go live

For larger suppliers, the first step is often the most complicated. Item setup data is stored in multiple supply chain systems, while product content is stored in legacy PIM and digital asset management (DAM) systems.

Historically, these systems served different customers with different needs. For example, internal and external customers of supply chain data didn't need long-form, search-optimized product descriptions. Rather, they needed attribute data (dimensions, weight, color, etc.), along with a short product name.

Similarly, marketing departments and brand managers didn't need item setup data, because they were focused on brand marketing and advertising. It is only recently, with the advent of e-commerce, that suppliers have needed all their data and content in one place.

Fortunately, new tools are available that make the process of gathering item setup data and submitting it to multiple retailers significantly easier. These new systems can integrate with existing supply chain, PIM and DAM solutions, or replace them altogether. As suppliers seek to get their items online faster, many are leveraging software tools and automation to get the job done more efficiently.

Content Management

To support the move to automation, new tools have emerged that consolidate the functionality of item setup, content management, content syndication and digital asset management in one place. These tools help users manage the end-to-end workflow of content management and item setup.

This workflow ensures that

New products are loaded into the system;

The correct item setup data gets added to each item form;

Each item is populated with sufficient product content initially;

Items are updated with new content as it becomes available;

Content is validated against retailer submission requirements, prior to submission;

Proper sign-offs are obtained before items and content are pushed to retailers;

New items get setup at retailers; and

Product content goes live and stays live on e-commerce websites.

When it comes to product content, many legacy content management tools help consolidate content into one centralized location, but they don't deliver that content to retailers. As a result, organizations invest a lot of time and effort getting their content into a PIM system, only to discover they have no way to get it out.

Modern PIM systems, designed with e-commerce in mind, not only consolidate content, but also syndicate it to retailers.

Retailers employ a wide variety of mechanisms to receive product content:

Web-based portals through which suppliers can upload template and image files;

Email;

File servers; and

APIs (software interfaces that allow computer systems to connect to each other).

Figuring out how to get content to the retailer is just the first of many steps in a complex process. Suppliers also must ensure that the content they're delivering adheres to the retailers requirements, or it will be rejected.

Retailers have varying image size/resolution and file type requirements, and they require varying quantities of text-based information, such as descriptions, summary bullets and product names (which also must comply with a varying set of requirements).

Without the right software, suppliers would need to perform a lot of manual work, such as checking each image to ensure it meets the minimum image size requirements, or converting images from one format to another before submission. Meanwhile, some retailers accept multiple images, while others accept only one image. All of this means that without the right tools, getting content over to a retailer can be a very time-consuming job indeed.

The good news is that modern PIM systems not only ingest content from multiple sources, but also automate the delivery of that content to retailers. For those retailers that don't accept direct connections, these systems streamline the output of completed template files and image files, so that suppliers don't have to do this manually.

However, more retailers are opening up their systems. Walmart, for example, has created the Connected Content Partner (CCP) program to enable approved providers to connect directly to its systems. More retailers are likely to follow suit.

Product Content Enrichment

Although content enrichment has been around for a long time, it's only recently that suppliers have taken an interest in enriching their product content on a very broad scale.

What's changed? Shopper behavior. More and more shoppers now start their purchase journey online, even when they make the purchase in-store. As a result, great product packaging and in-store displays are not enough.

Suppliers want to deliver the best possible digital experience. That means they need to optimize their product content for both search results and on-page conversion. To do so, they need the right combination of search-optimized product names and descriptions, combined with multiple high-resolution images, videos, rich media and reviews.

When it comes to optimizing product content, suppliers generally look at two areas of the product detail page (PDP) -- the page on which the buy button is located.

Above-the-fold content includes the product name, description and imagery. This core content has received increased focus from suppliers because it has the most impact on search results.

Below-the-fold content requires the user to scroll down on the page or click additional navigation links on a mobile device. However, incorporating this content into a page helps provide more detailed information to shoppers and has been shown to increase conversion rates. It often includes comprehensive marketing content, comparison charts, videos, and 360-degree product views

Historically, rich media has been used most frequently in categories like electronics. Recently, suppliers across a number of categories have started leveraging rich media. PepsiCo is one example -- it has leveraged enriched content across its entire product line, such as with this enhanced marketing content on Walmart.com for its recently launched sparkling water line.

Since the Bubly line is new, this enriched content is especially useful. It enables PepsiCo to provide shoppers with additional information, educating them about the new product offering.

Website Audits

The final step in the content process is auditing. Auditing is the process of validating that content has gone live on a retailer's website. Retailers accept content from multiple sources (including internal sources, such as in-house photo studios and copywriting teams).

To address this, retailers use a variety of approaches to prioritize which content is displayed. Some assign a specific priority to each content source, while others push the most recently received content live to the website.

Due to these factors, it's important for suppliers to audit the content they push to each retailer.

Doing this auditing by hand is a slow and cumbersome task, and one that has to be repeated every single day. That's why choosing a software platform that includes built-in auditing is a must. Leading platforms include a variety of automating tools, including visual comparison tools like the one shown below.

Click Image to Enlarge

Built-in image and text comparison features compare the content the supplier submitted with content currently available on the retailer's site, identifying any differences and rolling them up into a summary dashboard, and sending alerts/notifications directly to users. These tools enable suppliers to streamline their workflows so they can focus on handling key exceptions rather than trying to find issues across thousands of items and dozens of retailers.

SMEA in Action

Firms like PepsiCo, Mattel and many others have found that the four-step SMEA approach delivers the very best results when it comes to delivering great digital content at scale. Without the right tools, suppliers need to deal with an overwhelming number of systems, templates and item pages.

However, with the right tools, they can streamline their workflows so that rather than having to spend their time managing a cumbersome process, they can invest their time in building great content that sells.

David Feinleib is CEO of Content Analytics, which provides end-to-end e-commerce content management and analytics solutions.


Ex-Armenian leader arrested over deadly 2008 protests

Armenias former president Kocharyan arrested over links to incidents which caused the death of 10 people in 2008.

A former Armenian president was arrested over his links to the deadly protests in the country in 2008, an Armenian court ruled on Friday.

The court ruled that the countrys former president Robert Kocharyan be arrested over his links to the deadly protests in 2008 which caused the death of 10 people. Russias TASS news agency reported that the 64-year-old politician is under arrest.

Robert Kocharyan was arrested under a court ruling. As far as I know, he is being kept at the Yerevan-Center penitentiary, TASS quoted the head of Armenias National Security Service, Artur Vanetsyan.

Armenias Special Investigative Service had applied to the court accusing Kocharyan, who was the president between 1998 and 2008, of overturning the constitutional system in the country. Kocharyan denied the accusations.

In July, a court in Yerevan ruled for Kocharyans arrest but he was released on bail.

10 people, including 2 police officers, were killed during protests staged on March 1, 2008 following the presidential elections.
Putin answered Tsiprass TurkStream request

Russia is ready to extend the TurkStream natural gas pipeline to Greece, Russian President Vladimir Putin said on Friday.

Speaking at a joint news conference with Greek Prime Minister Alexis Tsipras, Putin reminded that a pipeline from Greece to Italy has yet to be filled with gas and that it can be used for gas transportation from Russia to southern Europe via Turkey.

"We are discussing this with our Turkish and Greek partners, and it is quite possible. There is a built pipeline from Greece to Italy. We can think together how to fill this route with a real product," he said.

TSIPRAS: TURKSTREAM WILL INCREASE GREECE'S ROLE

Tsipras, for his part, voiced his countrys interest to be part of the project, saying it will increase Greeces role in the regional energy domain.

He accused the European Union of having double standards regarding TurkStream, saying the European Commission prevents extension of the TurkStream to Greece.

The TurkStream project is an export gas pipeline consisting of two 930-km (577.8-mile) lines each with a capacity of 15.75 billion cubic meters.

The pipeline is set to cross beneath the Black Sea from Russia to Turkey and also further extend to Turkey's borders with neighboring countries.

The first line is intended for gas supplies to Turkish consumers, while the second is to supply gas to south and southeastern Europe.
Turkish court accepts indictment on Russian envoy murder

FETO terror organization, group behind the defeated coup, planned assassination as a provocation to sow chaos, says the indictment.

A criminal court in Turkeys capital on Friday accepted an indictment stressing the FETO terror group's involvement in the December 2016 assassination of Russias ambassador to Turkey.

The indictment recommended various jail terms -- including aggravated life sentences -- for 28 suspects, including Fetullah Gulen, the leader of the Fetullah Terrorist Group (FETO), on charges such as violating the constitutional order, armed terror group membership, and murder with terrorist intent.

"A PROVOCATION TO HARM TURKISH-RUSSIAN RELATIONS"

Underlining FETOs involvement, the indictment states that the group plotted the murder -- originally planned for June -- as a "provocation to harm Turkish-Russian relations ahead of the defeated coup of July 2016 as well as to sow chaos in Turkey.

It said the terror group originally plotted the assassination for June 27, 2016 at an iftar (fast-breaking dinner) program for foreign dignitaries, but called it off when Karlov was unable to attend.

While not disclosing the direct involvement of 12 of the suspects, the indictment recommended their trial on charges of armed terrorist group membership.

The trial is set to begin on Jan. 8.
Will the obliteration of foul facts diminish the power of truth?

It is a truism that politicians practise fabrication of lies, underplay data and blatantly distort facts when it is expedient. Arguably, the threshold for defining the expedient is determined by their political urgency to camouflage the breach of promises made by them, especially when a fate-determining election is in the wake. Based on our experience with the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in the last few years, it will not be an oversimplification to straightforwardly link the governments habitual and unapologetic lies about various economic and social policies to the flurry of promises that Narendra Modi had made to his electorate in 2014, but failed/cared less to fulfil after coming to power. However, there are defenders of these deceptions, too, who strive to legitimise such anomalies of the present government as hyperbolic truth (mind you, not lies) and a clarion call for changes to cleanse India (of the age-old economic delinquencies) which only this government could dare to think of. Despite being backed by rhetoricians defences, the BJPs recent economic deceptions are far from tenable by robust economic logic, with the governments self-proclaimed ethical move of demonetisation having to bear the major share of culpability.

More than mere denial/distortion of contrary evidences, the despotic and egoistic disdain with which the BJP government subverts such facts to legitimise its mendacity, should be a bigger concern. The recent incident where the union agricultural ministry had to backtrack an evaluation report carrying the (adverse) effects of demonetisation on the farm sector, supplant it by a new version with differing results, and show cause the concerned officials on charges of violation of protocol, exuded not only the brazenness of the government but also its recklessness, in a way saying its a lie, but then who cares. The moot question now, in fact, is, who should care? While the government is expected to care for its accountability obligations, the electorate and opposition cannot evade their responsibilities of holding the government accountable at least for its explanatory obligations (that is, answer for misgovernment). But, with the introduction of high-octane demagoguery based on prejudices, sentiments, and sensations caused by the transpositioning of lies on political opponents (abetted to a large extent by social medias selection biases and immediacy of propagating aversive emotions), Indian democracy is encountering the shrinkage of spaces for dialogues, let alone discourses.
Post-partum depression is a rising health concern in India, having an impact on the lives of both rural and urban women. Seventeen studies on PPD have been examined in order to understand the current state of knowledge of PPD, with respect to its prevalence, risk factors, effects and interventions.

In 2011, a World Health Organization (WHO) study reported that nearly 36% of Indians suffer from major depressive episodes (MDEs). Research shows that women are more vulnerable to depression with a 50% higher burden of cases (Bromet et al 2011). However, depression among women in India often goes undiagnosed or untreated due to lack of public understanding of the condition, the disadvantaged position of women in multiple facets of life, stigma attached to mental disorders and paucity of mental health professionals. Womens risks of developing depression are greatest during their child-bearing years, manifesting in post-partum depression (PPD) (Bohra et al 2015).

The birth of a child can trigger numerous emotions, from zest and joy to fear and anxiety. But many mothers experience baby blues post delivery, which commonly include symptoms such as mood swings, crying spells, anxiety and difficulty sleeping. These baby blues typically begin within twothree days after delivery and may last for up to two weeks (Mayo Clinic 2018). When these symptoms last for more than two weeks and show more severe signs, it leads to PPD. While PPD usually develops twoeight weeks after delivery, sometimes it may manifest up to a year after the child is born (NHS nd). In extreme cases, it may transition into post-partum psychosis. Symptoms of PPD include severe mood swings, excessive crying, difficulty bonding with the infant, loss of appetite or eating more than usual, insomnia or sleeping too much, reduced interest in activities, panic attacks, and thoughts of harming self or the infant. Clinicians have attributed PPD to mainly hormonal and emotional reasons. Hormonal issues like sharp decline in estrogen and progesterone are likely to be important factors in the development of PPD. Reductions in hormones produced by thyroid glands can also make the mother feel sluggish. Additionally, emotional factors can magnify the symptoms of PPD as mothers may feel overwhelmed handling the infant and may be sleep-deprived (Mayo Clinic 2018). However, while these factors are experienced universally by mothers, not all mothers develop PPD. It is likely that cultural and psychosocial dimensions play an additional role in influencing risks of developing PPD.
ITHACA, N.Y. - New research from Cornell University suggests graphic warning labels on cigarette ads have the same anti-smoking effect as similar warning labels on cigarette packs.

The labels - which contain images such as bleeding, cancerous gums and lips - also cancel out the effect of ads that prompt children to think of smoking as cool, rebellious and fun, according to the research.

"This study suggests the value of graphic warning labels extends beyond just getting people to have more negative feeling about smoking," said lead author Jeff Niederdeppe, associate professor of communication, who wrote the paper with a team of Cornell-affiliated researchers. "It also seems to have the added benefit of reducing the influence of 'social cue' ads that entice young people to want to smoke in the first place."

The paper, "Using Graphic Warning Labels to Counter Effects of Social Cues and Brand Imagery in Cigarette Advertising," was published in Health Education Research.

Researchers studied the graphic warning labels' effect on 451 adult smokers and 474 middle schoolers in rural and urban low-income communities in the Northeast. Each participant was randomly assigned a set of six ads. Some saw ads with social cues - such as a group of smiling people taking a selfie with a graphic warning label covering 20 percent of the ad. Other groups saw ads with various combinations of text-only warnings, graphic warnings, the current surgeon general warning, brand imagery and social cues.

Using Cornell's mobile media lab, researchers tracked study participants' eyes to measure what parts of the ad they looked at and for how long. After viewing the ads, participants reported the degree to which they felt negative emotions, including anger, fear and sadness. The graphic warning label drew viewers' attention away from ads and toward the warning, regardless of whether the warning was graphic or text only, more than the current surgeon general warning.

The graphic warning labels also aroused more negative feelings than the text-only labels and reduced the children's perceptions that cigarette brands are attractive and exciting.

"That's important, because there's pretty good evidence that the visceral reactions to these warnings are a main driver of their effectiveness," Niederdeppe said. "These ads are trying to create a positive brand image, and the graphic warning labels help suppress that."

The study also found participants felt the same levels of negative emotion whether they looked at a graphic warning label covering 20 percent of a full page ad or 50 percent of a much smaller cigarette pack.

"We were pleasantly surprised that the levels of negative emotion were equivalent between those two conditions," Niederdeppe said. "It suggests that 20 percent coverage on an advertisement is a high enough threshold to create the negative emotion."

The Food and Drug Administration, which funded the study through its Center for Tobacco Products, will consult this research as it considers revising the current surgeon general warnings - text-only warnings that have not been changed in nearly 40 years.

###

The research was also funded by the National Institute of Child Health and Human Development.

For more information, see this Cornell Chronicle story.

Cornell University has dedicated television and audio studios available for media interviews supporting full HD, ISDN and web-based platforms.
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MISSION  Alpha XL Mold and Tool, the Guerrero family's small but bustling plastic-mold injection shop, sits on a street thats part neighborhood, part industrial zone. The air is fragrant with emissions from a nearby citrus-juice plant.

The business founded by Julio Guerrero is near one of the many thriving industrial parks along the Texas-Mexico border.

Orders come in from maquiladoras, or assembly plants, a few miles across the Rio Grande in Reynosa  for steering-wheel casings for a French automotive company, drill moldings for a major U.S. power tool maker, tiny suture wings for a multinational medical supplier.

Engineers fashion designs on computers, graphite drills carve steel into patterns and giant machines running on complicated software code precision-cut sheets of metal.

Proximity is key for Alpha XL. Guerreros employees can make modifications in a few days and deliver the products to assembly lines working nonstop to fill orders from across the globe. With 10 employees, the company is a tiny player in the frenetic world of cross-border commerce.

President Donald Trumps recent threat to close the border puts his business at risk, and jeopardizes the jobs of thousands of workers on both sides of the border.

Suddenly, Guerrero finds himself in the middle of a struggle between national security, as Trump defines it, and the transnational free trade on which hes staked his familys future. He moved to Mission from North Carolina because of factory closings there.

The economy is actually binational in South Texas, said Guerrero, who holds dual U.S.-Mexican citizenship. Theres lots of businesses now that depend on each other either way. Businesses in Reynosa depend on the U.S., and U.S. businesses depend on Mexican.

The possibility of sealing the border had been unthinkable  until Trump ordered the hours-long shutdown of the San Ysidro crossing linking San Diego, Calif., with Tijuana, Mexico.

U.S. Customs and Border Protection closed the crossing on Nov. 25 after members of a Central American migrant caravan, many of them fleeing their native Honduras, rushed a barrier.

Trump has said hes not afraid to close the nearly 2,000-mile border, which stretches from Brownsville to San Diego, for a long time if need be to stop immigrants from crossing illegally into the United States.

Slowing to a crawl

For Guerrero and many others, these are some of the routine sights: long lines of northbound semi-trailers approaching the Pharr-Reynosa International Bridge; Mexican families wheeling the days load of McAllen shopping into area hotels; truck traffic at refrigerated produce sheds storing tomatoes, avocados and peppers bound for supermarkets across the United States.

Its common for maquiladora managers to live on the U.S. side and cross into Mexico daily for work.

Commerce is at the heart of life on the border.

Mexican shoppers, for example, account for 30 to 40 percent of McAllens retail sales, according to the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas.

Richard Cortez, a former McAllen mayor who is now county judge-elect for Hidalgo County, said he was dumbstruck when he heard Trumps threat. To me, he said, even thinking about doing that is just idiotic  its just crazy.

More than $1 million worth of trade crosses the United States southern border every minute, according to researchers at Texas A&M International University in Laredo. Some $650 billion in trade came through Texas ports in 2015, directly or indirectly supporting nearly 1.6 million Texas jobs and adding $224.3 billion to the gross state product, according to the state comptrollers office.

Its hard to know what to expect from a border closure because there have been so few of them. The closest the federal government came in recent memory was after the Sept. 11, 2001, terrorist attacks  and even that fell short of a border closure. After President George W. Bush declared a Level 1 Alert, customs officers searched every vehicle crossing into the United States. Trade slowed to a crawl. The city of San Diego declared an economic emergency.

There was a similar crisis when President Ronald Reagan ordered closer inspections after DEA Agent Enrique Kiki Camarena was kidnapped on assignment in Guadalajara, Mexico. Traffic on both sides of the border backed up seven hours or more.

Gerald Schwebel, executive vice president of the Laredo-based International Bank of Commerce, said he couldnt recall anything like what Trump has proposed. To the contrary, when a tornado hit Laredos World Trade Bridge last year, repairing the damage as quickly as possible was a top priority, Schwebel said.

Last months brief closure of a single crossing point opened only a small window on what to expect from a full-scale border closure.

The five-hour shutdown in San Diego cost an estimated $5.3 million in lost trade, based on spending data tracked by the San Ysidro Chamber of Commerce. Paola Avila, head of both the border-wide Border Trade Alliance and San Diego Chamber of Commerce, said it took Customs and Border Patrol three hours to get everything back online once the decision was made to reopen the crossing.

Free traders on edge

Talk of a sudden shutdown has people on both sides of the border  who regularly travel back and forth  fearful of getting stuck in the other country.

Social media is all over the place creating panic with Mexican visitors during this holiday season, Schwebel said. We cannot take this lightly. Ask Walmart, Amazon, FedEx, UPS, H-E-B what closing the border for one day would cost them. ... Cant play games with this.

Keith Patridge, president of the McAllen Economic Development Corp., said companies have been calling him frantically, asking exactly what shutting down the border would entail. He tells them hes not sure.

Were really kind of in uncharted waters, I guess, because the actual idea of closing the border is a relatively new concept, Patridge said I know its possible, because they just did it down in San Ysidro.

While manufacturers think talk of a prolonged shutdown is mostly hot air, he said many are stockpiling both raw materials and finished products just in case.

If you cant deliver your product to an automotive plant somewhere in the U.S. and you shut down your production, it could cost you $750,000 to $800,000 an hour for every hour that the assembly line is not running, he said. Theyre now looking at, Well, Im increasing my stock of finished goods, Im increasing my stock of component parts on both sides of the border so that I can keep my plant running. Which is an increased cost, which is disrupting the normal flow of production.

Whether or not it sways Trump, CBP has been getting an earful about the potential trade losses.

Avila said representatives of produce suppliers and other industries have spoken with members of CBPs trade division about ways to mitigate the enormous costs related to closing the border  everything from fruit rotting in storage facilities to factories not receiving the parts they need to assemble automobiles and electronics.

CBP requested the call to get some more information  detailed information about the economic risks  because they are interested in that, she said. CBPs tasked with both border security and border facilitation.

A CBP spokesperson confirmed the agency has been in communication with our stakeholders on our contingency planning.

CBP, they have operated the ports for years. They know the amount of commerce that goes through there. They understand the importance, Avila said. Now whether the White House understands, Im not sure.

Border communities arent the only ones on edge.

The fight to keep the United States from withdrawing from the trilateral North American Free Trade Agreement became a national one when non-border states realized how dependent they were on duty-free imports and exports to Mexico and Canada.

Manufacturers are constantly moving parts and finished products back and forth, and Mexico is a huge market for U.S. agricultural goods such as corn, soybeans, pork and dairy products.

In a backhanded way, the tit-for-tat trade tariffs sparked by Trump have highlighted that reality. In response to U.S. tariffs on aluminum and steel, Mexico imposed heavy duties on products like bourbon from Kentucky, pork from Iowa and nails from Missouri.

There are actions that Mexico is taking that are laser-focused on certain congressional districts, certain states of the U.S. that have a lot to lose, said Wolfram Schaffler Gonzalez of Texas A&M International Universitys Texas Center for Border Economic and Enterprise Development. There is not a single state that does not benefit in one way or another from trade with Mexico.

Dependent on border trade

Nevertheless, the worries are more acute  and the threat of economic damage from a border closure more pointed  among South Texas residents and business people.

Its tiring to be on the border and caught in both a trade war and battles over immigration policy, said Monica Weisberg-Stewart, a McAllen business owner who is immigration and border security chairwoman for the Texas Border Coalition.

Border-crossing facilities and staffing  including inspectors  still hasnt caught up with the tighter, post-9/11 security, she said. The Rio Grande Valley has been ground zero for the recent surge of unaccompanied minors crossing into this country, much as it was during a surge of Brazilian immigrants under President George W. Bush.

We do agree with the president that Congress has got to get this solved on immigration reform, because behind one group of individuals thats coming is another group and another group and another group, Weisberg-Stewart said. We hate seeing the financial security of our county being jeopardized because Congress cant get the laws in place.

Back at the mold shop, Felix Guerrero, Julio Guerreros son, said most Americans dont understand how dependent they are on so-called borderplexes such as the lower Rio Grande Valley.

A whole industry has risen to haul fruits and vegetables north, and beef, poultry, milk and grains south. Countless truck drivers have pulled trailer-loads up Interstate 35 from Laredo to Minnesota. Automotive plants around the country roll out cars, trucks and SUVs made with electronics and other parts that may have crossed the border several times.

Reynosa has become a huge hub for medical supplies bound for emergency rooms and doctors offices across the United States.

They say, Oh, well, we can bring that (manufacturing process) back to the U.S. But that quickly?, Felix Guerrero said. I promise you, theres somebody right now in a hospital waiting for components  things that we process and make every day that they needed probably yesterday.

Lynn Brezosky is a San Antonio-based staff writer covering trade, agriculture and the economy. Read her on our free site, mySA.com, and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com. | lbrezosky@express-news.net | Twitter: @lbrezosky
My brother was an assistant manager at the Gunter Hotel back in the early 1970s. During a renovation at that time, a portrait of a king was headed to the storeroom and possible discard. Instead, it was given to him. It hung in his living room until recently when he passed away. We would like to know who it is and who painted the original - also, when it was first displayed in the hotel. I am hoping someone will remember seeing it in the Gunter. If its a copy, it was done about 50-plus years ago. My brother had it about 43 years.

 Alexis Petty

The Gunter Hotel, whose longtime motto was The Center of Everything, opened in 1909 with a grand lobby, as described in the San Antonio Light, Nov. 21, 1909. Its decorations are Spanish American in motive, or more properly Mexican. High, coffered ceilings were supported by pilasters (rectangular columns) with designs derived from early Aztec decorations that divided the walls into wide fields, treated in faint colors whose key note is a light, soft gray. There were marble floors, bronze chandeliers and reddish wainscoting. In a photo, the large room is shown as sparsely furnished with rows of identical rocking chairs; the walls are bare.

The story goes on to detail other public spaces  cafe, dining room, ladies parlor and coat check room (wardrobe)  with no mention of any kind of art on the walls. Not until 1916 did the Gunter announce its acquisition of a portrait, and that one was of a living Texan - James Callan, then president of the Texas Cattle Raisers Association. The hotel underwent renovations at least once a decade. Your portrait might have come from a makeover that began May 11, 1966, and aimed to give the hotel a British look, according to a story in the Light published on that date.

The remodeling was intended to give the Gunter Hotel lobby the appearance of a British estate during the 18th century. Guest facilities, such as the registration desk, cashiers office and newsstand, were to be reshuffled, and a private club to be added. Named the Bull and Bear because of its proximity to numerous San Antonio stock brokerage firms, the club as well as the lobby decor was to utilize blacks, reds and golds, with refurbishments themed to the Georgian Period (1714-1837). Your picture, with its large, ornate gilt frame, may have been chosen during this redo because it fit the color scheme and period.

To find out who the dignitary in your portrait was, I asked local university art historians and museums for help identifying the subject and the artist. I also posted the image on some local-history Facebook groups and ran it through Google Images. (On my first try with the latter, it gave me bearded seal - probably the only result we can definitely rule out.)

Guesses with links to plausibly similar portraits of snooty-looking white men with curly wigs, long noses, high foreheads, ermine cloaks and crowns included a pan-European roster of royals: Charles VII of Naples, Christian VII of Denmark, Peter III of Russia, Frederick of Poland, Frederick of Hesse-Kassel, William III of England and Louis XV of France and Clemens Augustus I of Bavaria. No one, including the professionals, turned up an exact match of your portrait, but the proliferation of possibilities demonstrates the effect of centuries of intermarriage among European royal houses.

Douglas Brine, an associate professor of art history at Trinity University, suggested contacting Amy Freund, an expert on 18th-century European portraiture at SMU. Freund and colleague Adam Jasienski put their heads together and came up with two different answers.

Freund thinks its a portrait of a Spanish monarch painted in the 1770s or 1780s: Charles III of Spain seems possible, although he had a very distinctive nose. Jasienski, a specialist in Spanish art at SMU, suggested that it might have been painted in Naples, under Spanish Bourbon rule in the 18th century. He ventured a guess of King Ferdinand IV, but cautioned that Its hard to tell from facial features.

Juliet Wiersema, an associate professor of art history at UTSA, reached out to another scholar, Jeffrey Schrader, at the University of Colorado Denvercq. According to Schrader, The work bears some similarities to a full-length portrait in Turins (Italy) Palazzo Madama. Its probably safe to assume that this individual is Savoyard (from a historical territory now shared by France, Italy and Switzerland) and is possibly Charles Emmanuele III (1701-1773), and that this painting is somehow linked to (the artist) Maria Giovanna Clementi (1692-1761)  either painted by Clementi or a member of her workshop.

However, the crown in your painting doesnt look like the crowns in other painting by her that Ive been able to see so far, Schrader said. Its interesting that this individual is shown in armor, and that Charles Emmanuele III participated in a number of wars, among them the War of Austrian Succession. This portrait might be designed to convey a message of Savoyard strength in a period when belligerents were in every direction.

We can probably rule out British royals: This does indeed appear to be a foreign portrait, said Paul Cox, a curator at Londons National Portrait Gallery, whose collection is of portraits of significant British sitters.

A spokesperson for the Sheraton Gunter Hotel notes that We have an entirely new team, and ownership has changed hands many times since (the early 1970s). No records are available, and no one on staff dates back to the portraits time at the hotel. Anyone who remembers seeing it there or can share an image of an exact match may contact this column. All replies will be forwarded and may be featured in a future column.

historycolumn@yahoo.com | Twitter: @sahistorycolumn | Facebook: SanAntoniohistorycolumn
WASHINGTON - Special counsel Robert Mueller III said Friday that Paul Manafort, President Donald Trump's former campaign chairman, told "multiple discernible lies" during interviews with prosecutors, including about his contacts with an employee who is alleged to have ties to Russian intelligence.

In a document filed in federal court Friday, Mueller also said Manafort lied about his contacts with Trump administration officials after Trump took office. Manafort had told investigators that he had had no direct or indirect contact with White House officials since Trump's inauguration, but Manafort had been in touch with officials as recently as the spring, according to the filing.

Manafort told a colleague in February - four months after he was indicted - that he was in contact with a senior administration official through that time. And in a text message, he authorized another person to speak with a White House official on May 26.

The text message came two days after Trump received significant publicity for issuing a posthumous pardon to boxer Jack Johnson. Trump has publicly mulled the possibility of pardoning Manafort, which legal experts have said could be influencing Manafort to withhold his full assistance from Mueller.

Key points in the document filed Friday were redacted from public view, making it difficult to gain a full picture of what Manafort was asked in hours of interviews with investigators since September.

As the campaign's former chairman and a top campaign aide from March to August 2016, Manafort could have been a key firsthand witness for Mueller as the special counsel explores contacts between Trump associates and Russians. But the document illustrates how fully Manafort's plea deal has unraveled.

Manafort was convicted of tax and bank fraud charges in Virginia in August. He pleaded guilty in September to additional charges, including conspiring to defraud the United States by hiding years of income and failing to disclose lobbying work for a pro-Russian political party and politician in Ukraine.

That plea helped him avoid a second trial in Washington and offered the former Republican operative the hope of some lenience in sentencing - provided he cooperated with prosecutors and provided truthful testimony.

Prosecutors from Mueller's team informed the judge last week, however, that they believed Manafort had breached the agreement by lying to them repeatedly. Manafort's lawyers have said that Manafort did not believe he lied or violated the deal.

In the new filing, prosecutors offered to lay out at a future hearing additional documentary evidence to explain how they know Manafort is lying. For now, they explained that Manafort had lied "in numerous ways," conduct they said should be held against him when he is sentenced in March.

The prosecutors said Manafort has met with special counsel investigators 12 times. At four of those meetings, prosecutors from outside the special counsel's office attended - a sign that he was questioned in connection with investigations separate from Mueller's probe. He also testified twice before Mueller's grand jury.

Prosecutors said Friday that Manafort had told numerous lies in five different aspects of the investigation, including about his contacts with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Russian employee of Manafort's political consulting firm who prosecutors have said has Russian intelligence ties.

Manafort met twice during the campaign with Kilimnik, including in August 2016 in New York City. Kilimnik has told The Washington Post that the two discussed the presidential campaign at the New York meeting.

Much of a section of the filing dealing with Kilimnik was redacted, but prosecutors indicated that they have obtained electronic records, travel documents and other evidence that demonstrate Manafort "lied repeatedly" about his interactions with the Russian aide.

Manafort hired Kilimnik in 2005 to serve as a translator and office manager for the Kiev office of his political consulting business. Kilimnik was a key liaison for Manafort to politicians in Ukraine and to Russian businessmen, notably Oleg Deripaska, an aluminum magnate who had partnered with Manafort on a business deal.

Kilimnik, who is believed to be in Russia, has been charged by Mueller's office with conspiring with Manafort to obstruct the investigation into Manafort's work in Ukraine. According to the new filing, Manafort pleaded guilty to conspiring with Kilimnik in an effort to compel witnesses in Mueller's probe to give false testimony, only to deny it in a post-plea interview, before reversing himself again and conceding that his plea was truthful.

The special counsel also accused Manafort of lying about a $125,000 wire transfer. It is unclear how that transaction relates to the conspiracies detailed in Manafort's plea agreement, but prosecutors said Manafort lied repeatedly about details of the transaction.

In addition, Manafort has been interviewed in connection with an investigation separate from the one being conducted by the special counsel's office, according to the court filing. Prosecutors said he has lied in connection with that case as well.

Manafort, 69, who is in jail in Alexandria, Virginia, is one of five former Trump campaign aides who have pleaded guilty to crimes as part of the special counsel investigation. Trump has distanced himself from his onetime campaign chairman, stressing that Manafort worked for him for only a few months.

But Manafort was present for moments that are important to the Russia investigation. For instance, he attended a meeting with a Russian lawyer at Trump Tower arranged by Donald Trump Jr. after the president's son was told the lawyer would share damaging information about Democratic presidential candidate Hillary Clinton. And he was at Trump's side in July 2016 as WikiLeaks released thousands of emails stolen from the Democratic Party.

He also has extensive connections to business executives and politicians in the former Soviet Union, because of his years as an international political consultant, particularly because of his work for a Russian-backed president of Ukraine.
Twenty-six years before Police Chief William McManus announced this week that a woman had become the first to pass the rigorous tests to become a SWAT team member, Holly Vizcarrondo received a phone call.

Shed finished a grueling day of tryouts, including marksmanship, a tactical scenario and an interview, hoping to join the departments prestigious team.

It was 1992, and she was 26. Shed trained for months to prepare for the tests but left that day dogged by self-doubt and the fear that shed failed.

After the tryouts, Sgt. James Herring told her Well call you, Vizcarrondo remembered in an interview Friday. She was already steeling herself for rejection, mentally preparing to go out again, to keep trying out, but the call came and she learned that shed been accepted.

It brought absolute shock, followed by total elation  feelings Vizcarrondo knows she shares with Officer Perla Dominguez, one of two new members of the SWAT unit, and wasnt bothered that the San Antonio Police Department referred to Dominguez as the first female to successfully complete the SWAT tryout process and be selected to the SWAT Unit.

I was very happy, very proud of her, Vizcarrondo said, knowing exactly how hard Dominguez had worked for it. Shes an amazing young woman, just very driven.

She hadnt joined the SWAT team all those years ago for the sake of being first.

But at a ceremony Wednesday to present Dominguez and Officer Marshall Davis with their new SWAT badges, McManus made a comment that left her feeling diminished, Vizcarrondo said.

His assertion, reported by the San Antonio Express-News and other local news media, that Dominguez was the first to be accepted under the rigorous formal tryout process felt very dismissive of my achievements and of the men who served on the team with her, Vizcarrondo said.

I felt that it disrespected us, to dismiss history like that, she said.

Vizcarrondo voiced her frustration on her Facebook page. Dozens of others posted on SAPDs page, urging the department to acknowledge her and correct the record.

In a prepared statement, McManus said, I wanted to highlight the accomplishments of Officer Dominguez. It was not my intent to diminish the achievements of retired Detective Vizcarrondo.

SAPD said information about the differences between the tests taken by Vizcarrando and Dominguez was not immediately available Friday.

The current process, implemented four years after Vizcarrondo joined the team, requires a firearms qualification (with a minimum score of 90); a Coopers physical conditioning assessment, which is a physical test used by many law enforcement agencies; an obstacle course; a tactical scenario; and an interview panel.

Vizcarrando, who was a member of the SWAT team for five years before becoming a detective, recalled a physical test that included running a mile and a half, as well as pull-ups, push-ups, sit-ups and climbing a rope with only her arms.

In her interview, she fielded questions from several senior SWAT officers, she said. She was required to score at least a 90 out of 100 on a marksmanship test, compared with the score of 70 required for regular patrol officers.

Vizcarrando scored a 98 and finished second among 10 applicants, according to a 1993 Express-News article. The only one to beat her was Officer Harry Gonzales, whom she described at the time as a mean little machine and awesome.

In the article, Herring, who led one of the SWAT units three squads at the time, praised Vizcarrandos achievement and strength.

She whipped them all, except for one, Herring said.

Carrying battering rams, ballistic shields and assault weapons puts a physical strain on the squad members, he said.

Holly is part of the team that goes in and makes entry to a location whenever its needed, he said. If she had not done as well as she did (in applicant testing), she wouldve never worked here. Being the only woman put a monkey on her back, but she did so well that it really doesnt matter.

Vizcarrando, who joined SAPD when she was 19, said she became a police officer because I really wanted to help my community. She decided to pursue the SWAT team seven years later because they went above and beyond, she said.

They went into situations that most people didnt want to go into, and it was just a step up from where I was at the time, Vizcarrando said. And Im guessing thats whats driving Perla to excel, too.

While Vizcarrando credited the people who saw her potential throughout her 28-year career with SAPD, there were many who were not as accepting, she said.

I was constantly having to prove myself, she said. It was just the territory back then. It was new.

Vizcarrando recalled feeling like she and her colleagues were trying to wing it as they worked to join the team, and she added that none of us had anybody to guide us.

That feeling has prompted her to reach out to the women now in the department, whom she calls incredible  so much more focused, so much more directed and driven than I remember being  and she has contacted Dominguez to congratulate her.

The spotlight should remain on the new officer, Vizcarrando said.

I just wanted to let her know that Ive been where shes at, I know how difficult it was to get there and how difficult its going to be there, she said.

Friends, colleagues and those who looked up to Vizcarrondo recalled her work ethic and effort on the squad.

Both women deserve credit for setting their goals and and making it happen, by pouring their blood, sweat and tears and hard work into becoming a member of the elite SAPD SWAT team, one wrote on the SAPD Facebook page.

Another, posting on Vizcarrandos page, recalled watching her beat out men for the spot on the team and said it was an accomplishment for anyone to reach.

You landed on the moon first and we all saw your flag, he wrote.

LTeitz@express-news.net
Fifty years ago, National Catholic Reporter came to San Antonio to do a story on a local controversy: a rift between a group of priests and their archbishop. The newspaper ended up calling it the first time in the history of the Catholic Church in this part of the country that such an event as this has taken place.

Astonishing as that sounded, it might have been an understatement. Such tensions, if they existed anywhere, never ended up in newsprint. But in this case, 68 priests had signed a letter to the pope asking for relief.

It was very dramatic, said Father Michael DeGerolami, then a seminarian who stood in solidarity with the priests, some of whom were his professors. This was unheard of in the Catholic Church.

They were called rebel priests in news accounts, and their letter to Pope Paul VI and other Vatican officials asked that Archbishop Robert E. Lucey be retired, essentially fired. They pointed to his autocratic management style, vindictive practice of reassigning priests who challenged him and more.

The letter called the crisis intolerable and their relationship with Lucey beyond repair.

Even now, Lucey is seen by some in the church as the last imperial bishop. He was also several years over retirement age, the priests argued.

DeGerolami, now 70 and retired from St. Timothy Catholic Church, remembers the period vividly. Though arguments were mostly carried out in letters, DeGerolami said one of the most stinging incidents for him happened at Assumption Seminary, where he was a student.

Lucey drove up unannounced, an entourage in tow, he said, and basically calls in the faculty and tells them theyre fired.

They were members of the Priests Association of the Archdiocese of San Antonio, which had formed that year with 160 of the archdioceses 448 priests. The seminarys rector was its president.

DeGerolami said students were abuzz, too, because the archbishop questioned graduate-level seminarians from San Antonio.

We called it the Inquisition, DeGerolami said. He asked questions about rumors he heard about how bad the seminary was being run. We were dumbfounded. It wasnt the case.

They were teaching us to be more responsible people rather than simply obedient servants, he said.

In less than a year, Lucey would retire, giving rise to a different kind of archbishop, Francis Furey, an advocate of the changes brought by Vatican II, who was credited with dissolving the tensions, said Robert OConnor, a longtime theology professor at St. Marys University.

Furey later would advocate for the elevation of the nations first Mexican-American bishop, Patrick Flores, who ultimately led the archdiocese, too.

OConnor, the universitys ombudsman and director of its Saint Johns Bible Project, was teaching at Providence High School at the time of the priests revolt. Its like the Battle of Thermopylae now, he said. Some wouldnt know it happened.

The episode got some national ink, OConnor said, because Lucey was a national figure, for good reason, because he was a strong promoter of social justice. He called for better wages for migrant workers.

While the priests would have agreed with Lucey on such issues, they couldnt bear his heavy hand. Some left the priesthood altogether, though the archdiocese could not provide a number.

OConnor said a turning point might have been reached when several priests involved in the farmworkers movement went to the Rio Grande Valley after Lucey had ordered them not to go.

It blew up from there, OConnor said, but he noted that there was a growing mood of resistance to authority anyway in the 1960s, stemming from the anti-war and civil rights movements.

While Lucey, a longtime friend of President Lyndon B. Johnson, was hawkish in his support of the Vietnam War, many of the priests were against it.

OConnor said the priests probably did what a lot of people might have done.

I dont know that it was the most prudent way to go about effecting change, he added. The sad thing is the legacy of Lucey was tarnished unnecessarily.

Lucey, for example, had joined influential Protestant and Jewish clergy in providing leadership that helped San Antonio desegregate peacefully in the early 1960s. OConnor thinks Lucey should have retired several years before the revolt, when he celebrated a triple jubilee.

Father Jim Henke, who signed the letter to the pope as a young priest, said the confrontations were affected by tensions over Vatican II. Some Catholics opposed the changes sweeping the church, even things as simple as introducing contemporary music at Mass. Henke was reported for doing so at a ceremony.

A number of things happened that were just over the top in the sense of priests being judged, criticized or disciplined because of what they said or got involved in, for insignificant things, he said.

The letter was not radical, but radical in reaching out to the pope, Henke said. We had done our best to collaborate.

A lot of good came out of the rebellion, he said. More clergy and lay leaders began to speak up, and more change was attempted at the parish level.

DeGerolami agreed. The happy news to me was the people of the Catholic Church, its priests and laity, felt if we speak loud enough, the Vatican will respond. To me, it gave me hope, he said. Vatican II documents could be lived.

Lucey died in 1977. Many of the priests involved in the protest also have passed on. Ten years ago, Henke hosted a reunion. About 20 priests showed up.

They laughed a lot, retold the stories and shook their heads at some stuff, he said. They also celebrated that things changed.

eayala@express-news.net | @ElaineAyala
City Council members did a fine job acting shocked this week over the continued refusal of fire union president Chris Steele to come to the table to negotiate a new contract for firefighters.

After all, Steele had promised for years to start talks once the city dropped its lawsuit against the union. Not only did the city drop the suit last week, but Steele succeeded in running his archenemy, City Manager Sheryl Sculley, out of town, while also gaining an advantage in contract negotiations with the passage of Propositions B and C, respectively, in the November election.

Voters supported an amendment that places salary and term limits on future city managers, and another that gives the union the unilateral ability to declare an impasse on contract negotiations and go to binding arbitration.

Anyone who has followed this bitter saga since the unions contract expired in 2014, though, shouldnt be surprised by its steely silence now. In Steeles zero-sum estimation, victory isnt assured until Councilman Greg Brockhouse replaces Mayor Ron Nirenberg in May, and handing the current mayor any concessions now  even by agreeing to begin bargaining  would be unthinkable.

I took the union at its word when they said that theyd be at the table in seven days after the lawsuit was dropped, Councilman Manny Pelaez told San Antonio Express-News Staff Writer Josh Baugh this week. The ball is in their court, and Im waiting for him to show up and do what he promised to do.

Unfortunately, Pelaez will be waiting at least until after the May election.

To be sure, Brockhouse expressed his share of umbrage at Steeles ongoing silence.

It appears that were coming to a point where were sideways, he told Baugh. I cant help them if they dont come to the table. I cant support not negotiating.

If Brockhouse and Steele are suddenly sideways, its almost certainly by design.

Appearing independent from the much-maligned union would only serve the councilman in his quest to unseat the mayor, and both Brockhouse and Steele know this. Its risible, though, for the councilman to assume an above-it-all posture following the unions destructive and mostly successful campaign to change the city charter.

Brockhouse and Steele have been in league all along, and as conspirators theyve been lousy at hiding it.

From 2014 to 2016, their partnership was on the books.

During that period preceding Brockhouses run for council, the union paid him more than $61,000 in consultant fees, according to campaign finance reports.

The following year, Steele was secretly recorded sharing his master plan to a group of on-duty firefighters. Beyond acquiring a favorable contract, Steele said he would set it up to where May of 2019, we can put our own guy in the mayors office, which would be Greg Brockhouse in the mayors office.

Did it surprise anyone that a year later, Brockhouse endorsed all three of the unions proposed charter amendments, becoming the only council member to support any of them?

After the election, Brockhouse held a press conference  at the union hall, no less  to declare victory on behalf of his former client.

Surrounded by union officials, he said, I think theres a clear referendum here.

Steele didnt attend that press conference. Perhaps he was peeved Nirenberg managed to stave off passage of Proposition A, a populist ploy that would have made it easier to challenge tax and spending decisions by council at the ballot box.

That amendment was intended to put council members on perpetual tenterhooks, the better to issue threats of petition drives and extract concessions in exchange for standing down.

Proposition B was an act of political vengeance, meant to show that Steele would make his enemies pay. Proposition C was a naked display of self-interest.

All were geared toward amassing power  and sowing chaos ahead of the May election.

The resulting chaos has destabilized the city enough that voters might actually look for relief now in a new leader. Looking to Brockhouse to assuage this chaos, though  no matter how sideways he claims he now is with Steele  would simply be capitulating to one of its architects.

bchasnoff@express-news.net
Deborah James is at war with the Converse city government.

This is most inconvenient for James because she happens to be a member of the Converse City Council.

Two weeks ago, James filed a lawsuit in Bexar County District Court challenging the constitutionality of a provision of the Converse City Charter that James believes her colleagues want to use to throw her off the council.

It wouldnt be the first time the council wielded the charter as a weapon against James.

On June 5, the council voted to dismiss James from her position because of repeated meeting absences that she attributed to a serious heart ailment. The Converse City Charter stipulates that council members forfeit their office if they fail to attend three consecutive regular council meetings without being excused by the majority vote of the City Council.

James, 62, missed seven consecutive meetings, but insists that she notified Mayor Al Suarez and City Manager Le Ann Piatt that she couldnt return to the dais until she was cleared by her cardiologist. She believes her absences should have been excused.

Suarez and Piatt did not respond to interview requests for this column.

After being forced out, James ran again for City Council in November and handily defeated Nancy Droneburg, with 60 percent of the vote.

On Nov. 15, the day before James was scheduled to be sworn in for a new term, the city released the agenda for its Nov. 20 council meeting. The agenda indicated that there would be discussions  in both executive and public session  about how James had violated the City Charter with her behavior during a Feb. 20 meeting, the last one she attended before being hospitalized.

At that meeting, James unsuccessfully argued against the passage of an interlocal agreement with Bexar County to have the county handle 911 dispatch services for Converse. In making her argument, she clashed with Police Chief Fidel Villegas.

James council opponents view her actions at that meeting as a violation of the City Charters Interference with Administration clause. That provision states that council members, unless in the process of an investigation or inquiry, should deal with city officers and employees solely through the city manager and should not give orders to those city employees.

James insists that she gave no orders to Villegas at that meeting.

I have nothing to hide from the citizens. I did no wrong, James said. All I did was speak my mind about the 911 and the chief came at me.

Im a Cajun. Cajun people  coon-asses, excuse my expression, thats what I am  talk with their hands. So Im always expressing words with hands. They said I was inappropriate.

Villegas declined to comment on James.

James court pleading contends that the Interference with Administration clause of the City Charter violates the 1st and 14th Amendments to the U.S. Constitution, in that it is overbroad, void for vagueness, and that it establishes an impermissible prior restraint on free speech.

Lynette Boggs-Perez, James attorney, added: If you have a department head who is overly sensitive or thin-skinned, you cant engage. Can she not communicate if she disagrees? Where do you draw these lines?

Because the prohibited conduct is not defined, it can be used as a tool to attack your political enemies. And thats what we have here.

Its obvious that Suarez and his council allies regard James as a disruptive force, a loose cannon who is impairing Converses development at a time of major activity for the Northeast Bexar County town, located near the intersection of I-35 North and Loop 1604.

In early 2017, Converse and San Antonio joined forces on a complex annexation deal that will, over the course of 17 years, add more than 15 square miles to Converse and is projected to triple its current population of approximately 22,000.

James chooses to believe that Suarez is seeking political vengeance over her two (2015 and 2017) failed campaigns against him.

James current legal battle is merely the punctuation mark on what has been an agonizing year for her.

In addition to her health problems, she has grappled with the September shooting death of her 24-year-old grandson, Isiah Roper. Ropers girlfriend, Enederia Flowers, allegedly instructed her ex-boyfriend, James Johnson, to shoot Roper after she and Roper got into an argument.

James breaks down while talking about her grandson and argues that his life could have been saved if hed received medical attention a few minutes earlier; she sees his death as confirmation that she was right on the 911 dispatch issue.

All of this adds up to a degree of bitterness that probably cant be resolved. James is an exile on the council dais and shes refusing to go quietly.

Its a witch hunt, she said. Theyre trying to kick me out because Ive run against the mayor, and he doesnt like a strong woman who speaks her mind.

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
One of the great ironies of the sudden push to switch San Antonio to a strong mayor form of government is that in some ways this particular political moment traces back to a strong mayor.

That would be former Mayor Phil Hardberger, who had the persistence, vision and commitment to recruit City Manager Sheryl Sculley away from Phoenix back in 2005.

Together, Sculley and Hardberger were a dynamic duo, implementing his vision for the city: Museum Reach, which extended the River Walk to the north; Haven for Hope, which serves the homeless downtown; and the purchase and development of what would become Hardberger Park on the North Side.

Beloved by voters, Hardberger left office in 2009. Three mayors have followed since, but there has only been one city manager. That will change with Sculleys recently announced retirement, following the passage of several charter changes directly aimed at the power she accrued over the past 13 years, not to mention her base salary of $475,000 and a bonus way bigger than the median household income in San Antonio.

It was always strange that Sculley and the citys elected officials didnt exude more awareness and sympathy about the optics of such a large bonus. Rejecting a bonus, as San Antonio Water System President and CEO Robert Puente did, would have cost a lot less than these charter changes.

It was also always strange that Hardberger had the freedom to recruit the person he thought was best for the city, and yet subsequent mayors were constrained on this point.

Perhaps this was a reflection of Sculleys financial acumen. The steady drumbeat from City Hall about that Triple-A bond rating (which may soon be downgraded with these charter changes) symbolized excellence. Perhaps it was a reflection of her strong support in the business community. Perhaps it was Hardbergers long shadow.

But in the transition from Hardberger to Julian Castro (another strong mayor) to Ivy Taylor to Ron Nirenberg, the balance of power flipped. At some point, almost certainly after Castro joined the Obama administration, it appeared as though the mayor was serving with Sculley.

But that doesnt mean the city manager system is broken, or a strong mayor system is better, or even much of a solution to perceived problems at City Hall.

Lets not forget, under this city manager system, San Antonio has received a Triple-A bond rating for nine consecutive years. Downtown is booming. City Council has adopted equity budgeting to address economic disparities. Nirenberg has prioritized transit and affordable housing policies.

District 6 City Councilman Greg Brockhouse, who backed the charter changes, may run for mayor in May, and has been a fierce critic of Sculley, has said the charter election is a clarion call for a change in government. Voters overwhelmingly backed Proposition B, symbolically aimed at Sculley, which will limit the pay and tenure of future city managers. The next step, Brockhouse has argued, is to eliminate the position. This would ensure elected officials are responsive to voters, or so the argument goes.

But the system is far less important than the people in it. Thats the lesson of Hardberger and Sculley. A weak mayor system didnt stop Hardberger from being an incredibly strong and effective mayor. A weak mayor system didnt ground Castro from taking flight. It arguably helped him soar because he could focus on policy priorities such as Pre-K 4 SA, a leading model for early childhood education implemented by Sculley.

A strong mayor system does not necessarily remove bureaucracy. A so-called strong mayor would still have to hire an array of professional staff (who are not elected) to balance budgets, implement policy and set priorities. A strong mayor is not necessarily free of influence or more responsive to voters.

Sculley is an excellent city manager, who also stayed too long. That doesnt mean the system is broken. Just that it was past due for a change. The failure here is that people in power didnt see this. With the May city election approaching, the opportunity for Nirenberg, or the next mayor, is to do just what Hardberger did: Implement his or her own vision.

If that vision is changing to a strong mayor system, then so be it. But the wrong mayor just might have voters pining for the good old days of Sheryl Sculley.

jbrodesky@express-news.net
3 1 of 3 Contributed Photo / Monroe Volunteer Fire Department Show More Show Less 2 of 3 Contributed Photo / Monroe Volunteer Fire Department Show More Show Less 3 of 3





MONROE  Within half an hour Friday morning, Monroe firefighters had to respond to two separate crashes in town.

The first was on Barn Hill Road. Fire officials said a driver collided with a pole, which broke. The car ended up in the woods. Fire officials did not indicate if there were any serious injuries involved.
Guess?, Inc. engages in designing, marketing, distributing and licensing of contemporary apparel and accessories for men, women and children that reflect the American lifestyle and European fashion sensibilities. It operates through the following segments: Americas Retail, Americas Wholesale, Europe, Asia, and Licensing. The Americas Retail segment includes the Company's retail and e-Commerce operations in North and Central America and its retail operations in South America. The Americas Wholesale segment consists of the Company's wholesale operations in the Americas. The Europe segment comprises the Company's retail, e-commerce and wholesale operations in Europe and the Middle East. The Asia segment refers to the Company's retail, e-commerce and wholesale operations in Asia and the Pacific. The Licensing segment includes the worldwide licensing operations of the Company. The company was founded by Paul Marciano and Maurice Marciano in 1981 and is headquartered in Los Angeles, CA.

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McDermott International, Inc. provides engineering, procurement, construction and installation, and technology solutions to the energy industry worldwide. It operates through five segments: North, Central and South America; Europe, Africa, Russia and Caspian; the Middle East and North Africa; Asia Pacific; and Technology. It designs, engineers, and constructs upstream offshore oil and gas facilities, downstream oil and gas facilities, gas-fired power plants, liquefied natural gas import and export terminals, atmospheric and refrigerated storage vessels and terminals, water storage and treatment facilities, pipe and module fabrication, hydrocarbon processing facilities, pipe fabrication and manufacturing, and refining and petrochemical facilities. The company also provides gas processing, refining, petrochemical and coal gasification technologies, as well as a supplies catalysts, equipment, and related engineering services. It serves national, integrated, and other oil and gas companies, as well as producers of petrochemicals and electric power. McDermott International, Inc. was founded in 1923 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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Liberty Tax, Inc., through its subsidiaries, provides tax preparation services in the United States and Canada. The company also facilitates refund-based tax settlement financial products, such as refund transfer products and personal income tax refund discounting, as well as provides an online digital Do-It-Yourself tax program in the United States. The company offers its products and services through a network of company-owned offices and franchised locations under the Liberty Tax, Liberty Tax Service, Liberty Income Tax, Liberty Canada, and SiempreTax+ brand names. The company was formerly known as JTH Holding, Inc. and changed its name to Liberty Tax, Inc. in July 2014. Liberty Tax, Inc. was founded in 1996 and is headquartered in Virginia Beach, Virginia.

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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..
by Alex Murray | Kings Correspondent | Fri, Dec 7th 4:42pm EST

Marvin Bagley III (back) has been upgraded to probable for Sacramento's contest on Friday night. (Jason Anderson on Twitter)

Fantasy Impact:

Assuming he doesn't aggravate his back in pre-game warmups, Bagley III should be returning to the lineup after a two-game absence. Nemanja Bjelica will see his minutes reduced with the return of the rookie.
by Dan Harris | Fri, Dec 7th 3:46pm EST

Kerryon Johnson (knee) has been ruled out for the Lions' game against the Cardinals. (DetroitLions.com)

Fantasy Impact:

Johnson again didn't practice all week, so this was to be expected. At this point, it seems unlikely that he'll play again this season, though fantasy owners should continue to keep him owned unless there's some definitive word on his status after this week. LeGarrette Blount makes a decent start against an Arizona defense that is dreadful against the run, but it would still take an ironclad stomach to start him with your playoff life on the line
A Welsh dairy farmer has said the Government has left him out dry after being accused of tampering bovine TB tests.

In 2016, animal health inspectors ordered that 30 of Hefin Owen's cows were to be slaughtered after tests for bovine TB at his farm.

Mr Owen was then accused of tampering the tests to force a positive result, meaning the Government must pay out compensation for any lost livestock.

The dairy farmer, from Newcastle Emlyn, Ceredigion, was found not guilty of tampering bovine TB tests by Aberystwyth County Court in April earlier this year.

Mr Owen has since lost his milking business in a court case battle which has cost him 250,000.

The farmer told BBC Radio Wales: There wasn't any evidence to take it to court. It was devastating for us - especially for the business.

We were struggling to carry on. They left us without hardly any income really.

Having received no compensation, Mr Owen has now launched an online crowd funding page to raise 100,000 to pursue the Government through the courts.

The page says: Your help will help them fight this claim and by fighting Defra to ensure that no other young family will face such a terrible ordeal.
Farmers have been urged to increase their vigilance for bluetongue virus after the disease was picked up in two cattle imported from France in Yorkshire.

Two consignments were brought to two separate premises in Yorkshire, where the Animal and Plant Health Agency (APHA) and the Pirbright Institute identified the disease as a part of routine post-import testing.

All infected cattle, plus one other animal which travelled in the same vehicle and was found to be susceptible to infection, will be humanely culled.

The third consignment was taken to a premises in Northern Ireland where the disease was detected by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA).

Bluetongue does not affect people or food safety, but outbreaks of the virus can result in restrictions on livestock movement and trade.

The virus is transmitted by midge bites and affects cattle, goats, sheep and other camelids such as llamas. It can reduce milk yield and cause infertility and in the most severe cases is fatal for infected animals.

'Vitally important'

Government action is being taken to ensure the risk of spread of the disease is reduced, with movement restrictions already in place at the affected premises.

The UK Chief Veterinary Officer, Christine Middlemiss, said: Farmers must be aware of the risks of bringing animals from disease-affected areas into their flocks and herds. It is vitally important that we keep this disease out.

This detection is a further example of our robust disease surveillance measures in action, but I urge farmers to remain vigilant. They need to work with importers to make sure effective vaccination needs are complied with and that all animals are sourced responsibly.

Importers have been told to be aware that all cattle and sheep arriving in the UK from countries where Bluetongue is known to be circulating will be restricted until post-import testing is carried out and the animals are confirmed as compliant.

Any animals which are infected with Bluetongue will be culled and no compensation will be paid. Any animals in the consignment which are at risk of becoming infected may also be culled.

In addition, all other susceptible animals on the premises will be placed under movement restrictions until it can be confirmed confirm that the disease has not spread.

Importing animals

Last month, a number of organisations across the livestock sector encouraged farmers to think carefully about importing animals from areas that are known to be infected with Bluetongue virus.

Following the interception of these consignments, the UK remains officially bluetongue-free, the risk of the disease remains low and exports are not affected.

All cattle and sheep farmers are reminded to:

 Discuss their needs with a private veterinary surgeon and carefully consider the risks and the health status of animals before deciding to import stock from regions affected by Bluetongue virus.

 Carefully consider what additional guarantees the seller can provide as to the animals vaccination status before purchasing (for example  by requesting that a pre-export test is carried out to prove immunity to BTV).

 Ensure that imported animals are accompanied by the relevant paperwork to show they meet certain conditions designed to reduce disease risk, such as correct vaccination.

 Prevent the disease spreading by practising good biosecurity on the farm premises.

 Stay alert to any signs of the disease, such as mouth ulcers and drooling from the mouth and nose, and report to APHA if necessary.
One of Bollywood's most adorable couples, Ranveer Singh and Deepika Padukone got hitched at Lake Como in Italy in a two-day ceremony. The duo first got married as per Konkani traditions and then exchanged wedding vows again as per Sindhi rituals. On returning back to Bay, the newlyweds throw a big party for their industry colleagues and friends where everyone had a blast.

The pictures from the celebrations went viral on the internet. While several big names made it to the bash, Katrina Kaif grabbed the maximum attention for attending the reception. The actress who shared a common ex with Deepika left everyone surprised when she happily posed for the shutterbug at the bash.

Recently, Katrina opened up about attending DeepVeer's wedding and had this to say-

Katrina Had A Nice Time At The Reception The 'Zero' actress was quoted as saying, "It was a lovely reception and everyone had a really nice time. They both looked absolutely lovely." Deepika Let Bygones Be Bygones After Katrina Kaif attended Ranveer-Deepika's bash, the latter extended an olive branch and started following Katrina on Instagram. While Katrina is yet to follow her back, it looks like a new friendship is blossoming in tinsel town. Earlier, Katrina Had Posted A Love-filled Message For The Newlyweds When Deepika shared her dreamy wedding pictures on Instagram, Katrina had posted a comment, "Congratulations to both of u" and followed it up with a heart emoji." Katrina's Confession On Koffee With Karan On Koffee With Karan, Katrina had said, "I'm excited about the wedding. I want to wear really nice clothes and attend it. But I'm not invited. I might not be invited, but in my mind, I'm looking forward to the invitation and in my mind, I'm looking forward to wearing some nice clothes and going."

While Katrina wasn't a part of Ranveer-Deepika's wedding, the actress did make it a point to attend their wedding reception in Mumbai after Ranveer personally invited her for the same. With the ice slowing thawing between the two actresses, how about the two starring in a film together next?

Deepika Ranveer Reception: Ranbir Kapoor's EX Katrina Kaif also gets invitation for party |FilmiBeat

Deepika Padukone Lets Go Of The Past & Ends Her Cold War With Katrina Kaif, Here's The Proof!
The elegant Shanvi is arguably one of the most talented and promising young actresses in Sandalwood today. During her career, the stylish lady has carved a niche in the industry thanks to her ravishing looks, magnetic personality, bindass nature and effective performances. Over the years, she has acted alongside some of the industry's biggest stars and this has worked wonders for her career. Now, here is some good news for all you Shanvi fans out there. Today(December 8, 2018), on the occasion of her birthday, the Victory 2 actress Asmita Sood took to Twitter and wished her on her special day.

"Happy Happy birthday my cuteness!!! @shanvisrivastav  u light up every place u go!! Shine on!!! #happybirthday #shanvi #fellowsagittarian," she added.

This is a sweet gesture on the young lady's part.

Shanvi was born on December 8, 1992 in Varanasi. She began her acting career with the 2012 release Lovely. In 2014, she entered the Kannada film industry with Chandralekha and added a new dimension to her career. In the following years, she acted in several popular films such as Mufti and Tarak and this worked wonders for her career.

At present, she has Avane Srimannarayana and Geetha in her kitty. Avane Srimannarayana is a Rakshit Shetty starrer while Geetha has Ganesh in the lead.

We wish Shanvi a happy birthday and hope that she has a good year ahead!
Vancouver, British Columbia--(Newsfile Corp. - December 7, 2018) - Benchmark Botanics, Inc. (CSE: BBT) (FSE: BBW) ("Benchmark" or the "Company") is pleased to provide a progress report on the Company's Peachland Cannabis Complex.

The Company is cultivating and harvesting cannabis at its indoor Peachland Cannabis Complex. This state-of-the-art facility is designed to include the latest cannabis cultivation technologies and the latest cannabis-related green technologies.

Along with cultivation and production, the Company's Peachland BC facility also provides propagation, cultivation, cloning, storage, research & development and genetics.

With the increased growth and operational activities, Mr. Cliff Stowell has decided to step down from the board of directors at Benchmark and will remain as the CEO of Potanicals Green Growers Inc., Benchmark's 100% owned subsidiary and a Health Canada licensed producer under the Cannabis Act and its regulations (formerly ACMPR).

"Benchmark is growing and the Company's expansion will require increased attention as the Company transitions into sales. We are very pleased that Cliff will be solely focused on our Peachland Cannabis Complex. We have successfully demonstrated our growing abilities to Health Canada and will soon be moving towards value-added cannabis products. Cliff has proven himself to be a valuable team member and we are very fortunate that he will be turning his time and energies to focus on the operations of the Peachland Cannabis Complex.,' said William Ying CEO, Benchmark Botanics.

Mr. Stowell has been a pioneer and an integral part of the cannabis industry as he was an early applicant to be granted an ACMPR license in Canada, was the founder of the original Peachland Cannabis Complex, and continues to be a major shareholder and a key member of the Company's management team.

About Benchmark Botanics Inc.

Benchmark Botanics is a diversified multi-licensed cannabis producer focused on its three-way vertical business model targeting the medical, pharmaceutical, and recreational markets in Canada and the EU. The Company's business plan includes a strategy to become a Canadian licensed producer to pioneer selling medical cannabis and hemp in China and throughout Asia.

Benchmark Botanics is focused on producing the highest-quality, indoor-grown cannabis for patients and adult recreational consumers, as well as developing international business partnerships to extend the Company's global footprint.

Benchmark Botanics' 100% owned subsidiary, Potanicals Green Growers Inc. is a Health Canada licensed producer under the Cannabis Act and its regulations (formerly ACMPR). The Company is producing at its indoor Peachland Cannabis Complex. Along with cultivation and production, the company's Peachland BC facility also provides propagation, cultivation, cloning, storage, research & development, genetics.

The Company has established several European Union partnerships including the rights to "The Bulldog" trademark in Canada. The Bulldog trademark has a long-established successful history as one of the most well-known cannabis cafe brands in Amsterdam and around the world.

Benchmark Botanics has entered into an agreement with Barcelona, Spain-based Green BCN Corp. ("BBG Projects") for the development and production of new strains of cannabis plant varieties and their propagating material for sale and distribution.

For further information, please visit the Company's website at www.benchmarkbotanics.com or the Company's filings at www.sedar.com.

If you would like to be added to Benchmark Botanics' news distribution list, please sign up following this link https://benchmarkbotanics.com/signup/ or send your email address to our Investor Relations at info@bbtinc.ca

ON BEHALF OF THE BOARD

BENCHMARK BOTANICS INC.

/s/ "William Ying"

William Ying

Chief Executive Officer

For Further Information

Investor Relations

Benchmark Botanics, Inc.

Email: info@bbtinc.ca

Tel: 604-238-0005

The CSE has not reviewed and does not accept responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of the content of this release.

FORWARD LOOKING INFORMATION

This news release contains forward-looking statements and forward-looking information within the meaning of applicable securities laws. These statements relate to future events or future performance. All statements other than statements of historical fact may be forward-looking statements or information. More particularly and without limitation, the news release contains forward-looking statements and information relating to Company's corporate strategy. The forward-looking statements and information are based on certain key expectations and assumptions made by management of the Company, including, without limitation, the Company's ability to carry out its business plan. Although management of the Company believes that the expectations and assumptions on which such forward-looking statements and information are based are reasonable, undue reliance should not be placed on the forward-looking statements and information since no assurance can be given that they will prove to be correct.

Forward-looking statements and information are provided for the purpose of providing information about the current expectations and plans of management of the Company relating to the future. Readers are cautioned that reliance on such statements and information may not be appropriate for other purposes, such as making investment decisions. Since forward-looking statements and information address future events and conditions, by their very nature they involve risks and uncertainties. Actual results could differ materially from those currently anticipated due to several factors and risks. These include, but are not limited to, the Company's ability to identify and complete additional suitable acquisitions to further the Company's growth as well as risks associated with the medical marijuana industry in general, such as operational risks in development and production delays or changes in plans with respect to development projects or capital expenditures; the uncertainty of the capital markets; the uncertainty of receiving the required licenses, production, costs and expenses; health, safety and environmental risks; marketing and transportation; loss of markets; environmental risks; competition; incorrect assessment of the value of the potential market; ability to access sufficient capital from internal and external sources; failure to obtain required regulatory and other approvals and changes in legislation, including but not limited to tax laws and regulated regulations. Accordingly, readers should not place undue reliance on the forward-looking statements, timelines and information contained in this news release. Readers are cautioned that the foregoing list of factors is not exhaustive.

The forward-looking statements and information contained in this news release are made as of the date hereof and no undertaking is given to update publicly or revise any forward-looking statements or information, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise, unless so required by applicable securities laws or the Canadian Securities Exchange. The forward-looking statements or information contained in this news release are expressly qualified by this cautionary statement.
- Updated analysis from ongoing phase 1 study of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201) demonstrated a confirmed overall response rate of 44.2 percent and a disease control rate of 79.1 percent in 43 evaluable patients with heavily pretreated HER2 low metastatic breast cancer

- A further subgroup analysis of 38 patients whose disease was also hormone receptor (HR) positive showed a 47.4 percent confirmed overall response rate and 81.6 percent disease control rate

- No anti-HER2 therapies are currently approved for HER2 low expressing breast cancer, and plans for a phase 3 study are underway

TOKYO and MUNICH and BASKING RIDGE, New Jersey, Dec. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) announced that updated safety and efficacy data from the ongoing phase 1 study with [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan, an investigational HER2 targeting antibody drug conjugate (ADC), were presented for a subgroup of patients with heavily pretreated HER2 low expressing metastatic breast cancer during a Poster Session at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) (P6-17-02).

The updated analysis of 43 evaluable patients with HER2 low expressing metastatic breast cancer (IHC 2+/ISH- or IHC 1+), who received [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan at a recommended expansion dose of 5.4 or 6.4 mg/kg, demonstrated a confirmed overall response rate of 44.2 percent (19/43 patients) and a disease control rate of 79.1 percent (34/43 patients). Preliminary estimate of median duration of response was 9.4 months (range: 1.5+, 23.6+), and median progression-free survival was 7.6 months (95 percent CI: 4.9, 13.7). A total of 54 patients with heavily pretreated (median 7.5 prior anticancer regimens) HER2 low breast cancer have received =1 dose [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan 5.4 or 6.4 mg/kg in the study and 23 patients remain on treatment as of data cut-off on October 12, 2018.

"While anti-HER2 therapies play an important role in the treatment of HER2 positive breast cancer, they historically have not demonstrated effectiveness against tumors that express lower levels of HER2," said Shanu Modi, MD, Breast Medical Oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and study investigator. "These data offer preliminary evidence of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan activity in HER2 low expressing breast cancers, and based on further study, we are beginning to consider the implications for how we classify and treat these patients."

A further subgroup analysis of 38 evaluable patients whose disease was also hormone receptor (HR) positive demonstrated a confirmed overall response rate of 47.4 percent (18/38 patients) and a disease control rate of 81.6 percent (31/38 patients) with [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan. Preliminary estimate of median duration of response was 11.0 months (range: 1.5+, 23.6+), and median progression-free survival was 7.9 months (95 percent CI: 4.4, 13.7) in this patient subgroup. A total of 45 patients with HR positive, HER2 low breast cancer have received =1 dose [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan 5.4 or 6.4 mg/kg in the study and 21 of these patients remain on treatment as of data cut-off.

"There are no anti-HER2 therapies currently approved for HER2 low expressing breast cancer, which represents about half of all breast cancers," said Gilles Gallant, BPharm, PhD, Vice President, DS-8201 Global Team Leader, Oncology Research and Development, Daiichi Sankyo. "Based on these data, plans for a phase 3 trial in patients with HER2 low metastatic breast cancer are underway, adding to our broad development program evaluating [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in HER2 expressing breast cancers and other tumor types."

Updated overall safety data as of October 12, 2018 for all breast cancer patients in the ongoing phase 1 study were also reported at SABCS. Among 170 patients who received at least one dose of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan 5.4 or 6.4 mg/kg for advanced breast cancer in the dose expansion or dose escalation part of the study (regardless of HER2 status), the most common adverse events (=30 percent, any Grade) included nausea (79.4 percent), decreased appetite (54.1 percent), alopecia (46.5 percent), vomiting (45.9 percent), fatigue (42.4 percent), anemia (40.0 percent), constipation (38.2 percent) and diarrhea (38.2 percent). A total of 50.0 percent of the breast cancer patients experienced a Grade =3 adverse event and 22.9 percent had a serious adverse event, including 2.9 percent of patients who experienced an adverse event that lead to death.

ILD Data in Metastatic Breast Cancer Presented

An independent committee evaluates any reported cases of interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis in the [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan clinical development program.The first analysis of ILD data, including adjudicated case results, in patients who received [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan for metastatic breast cancer across trials was presented at SABCS 2018 (Poster P6-17-06).

Among 510 trial patients who received [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan for metastatic breast cancer at one of seven dose levels, there were fifty-four (54) investigator-reported ILD cases of any grade (10.6 percent) including four (4) Grade 5. Thirty-three (33) cases were adjudicated and twenty-eight (28) were considered to be drug-related ILD, including four (4) Grade 5 events.

Among 269 trial patients who received [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan for metastatic breast cancer at a 5.4 mg/kg dose, which is the recommended dose for continued development in HER2 positive breast cancer, there were fifteen (15) investigator-reported ILD cases any grade (5.6 percent) including one (1) Grade 5. Seven (7) cases were adjudicated and five (5) were considered to be drug-related ILD, including one (1) Grade 5 event.

A third data set was also presented for all patients with advanced solid tumors who received at least one dose of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan across seven ongoing global studies. Among the 665 patients, there were sixty-six (66) investigator-reported ILD cases any grade (9.9 percent) including five (5) Grade 5. Thirty-eight (38) cases were adjudicated and thirty (30) were considered drug-related ILD, including four (4) Grade 5. Of the reported potential ILD cases from all studies, most were mild to moderate in severity, with 80.3 percent (53 of 66) = Grade 2. The median time to onset of ILD was 149 (16-596) days. The study reflects all cases that occurred as of October 15, 2018.

Dose Justification in HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Presented

Research establishing 5.4 mg/kg as the recommended dose for continued development of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in advanced HER2 positive breast cancer was presented at SABCS (Poster P6-17-10). A comprehensive analysis of observed data and exposure-response parameters from the phase 2 DESTINY-Breast01 trial in HER2 positive breast cancer and the ongoing phase 1 trial in multiple types of HER2 expressing tumors was conducted. Efficacy results for a total of 140 patients with HER2 positive breast cancer were included in the exposure-efficacy analysis, and safety results for a total of 276 patients with any tumor type were included in the exposure-safety analysis. Based on the benefit/risk profile, 5.4 mg/kg was chosen as the recommended dose for continued development in HER2 positive breast cancer for DESTINY-Breast01 and in phase 3 trials DESTINY-Breast02 and DESTINY-Breast03.

About HER2 Low Expressing Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the most common cause of cancer mortality among women worldwide.1 There were approximately 1.67 million new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in 2012.1

About one in five breast cancers (20 percent) are HER2 positive (IHC3+ or IHC2+/ISH+).2 HER2 is a tyrosine kinase receptor growth-promoting protein found on the surface of some cancer cells that is associated with aggressive disease and poorer prognosis.3,4 A number of HER2 targeting therapies are approved to treat HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer and have improved survival rates.5 The remaining 80 percent of breast cancers are classified as HER2 negative; however, about half still express some level of HER2 as a cell surface antigen.6 No anti-HER2 agents are indicated for these low expressing tumors, which may be defined as IHC 2+/ISH- or IHC 1+, and there is no targeted treatment paradigm for HER2 low expressing breast cancer.7 HER2 low expression has not been evaluated in clinical practice or in other clinical trials.

About the [Fam-] Trastuzumab Deruxtecan Phase 1 Study

An open-label, two-part phase 1 study is currently evaluating [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients with advanced/unresectable or metastatic solid tumors that are refractory or intolerant to standard treatment, or for whom no standard treatment is available. The primary objective of the dose escalation part of this study was to assess the safety and tolerability of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan and determine the maximum tolerated dose. Data from this part of the study were published in the Lancet Oncology.8

In the dose expansion part of the phase 1 study, [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is given in one of two doses (5.4 mg/kg and 6.4 mg/kg) to patients with HER2 positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer and gastric cancer, HER2 low expressing breast cancer and other HER2 expressing solid tumors. Overall, 292 patients have been enrolled into this phase 1 study of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan. For more information about the study, visit ClinicalTrials.gov .

About [Fam-] Trastuzumab Deruxtecan

[Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201; [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in U.S. only; trastuzumab deruxtecan in other regions of world) is the lead product in the investigational ADC Franchise of the Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise. ADCs are targeted cancer medicines that deliver cytotoxic chemotherapy ("payload") to cancer cells via a linker attached to a monoclonal antibody that binds to a specific target expressed on cancer cells. Designed using Daiichi Sankyo's proprietary ADC technology, [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is comprised of a humanized HER2 antibody attached to a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor payload by a tetrapeptide-based linker. It is designed to target and deliver chemotherapy inside cancer cells and reduce systemic exposure to the cytotoxic payload (or chemotherapy) compared to the way chemotherapy is commonly delivered.

A broad and comprehensive development program with [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is underway in North America, Europe and Asia. [Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is in phase 3 development versus ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) (DESTINY-Breast03) and versus investigator's choice post T-DM1 (DESTINY-Breast02) for HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer; pivotal phase 2 clinical development for HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer resistant or refractory to T-DM1 (DESTINY-Breast01); pivotal phase 2 development for HER2 positive advanced gastric cancer resistant or refractory to trastuzumab (DESTINY-Gastric01); phase 2 development for HER2 expressing advanced colorectal cancer; phase 2 development for metastatic non-squamous HER2 overexpressing or HER2 mutated NSCLC; and, phase 1 development in combination with nivolumab for HER2 expressing metastatic breast and bladder cancer.

[Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for the treatment of patients with HER2 positive, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have been treated with trastuzumab and pertuzumab and have disease progression after T-DM1, and Fast Track designation for the treatment of HER2 positive unresectable and/or metastatic breast cancer in patients who have progressed after prior treatment with HER2 targeted therapies including T-DM1 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan has received SAKIGAKE Designation for the treatment of HER2 positive advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer by the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).

[Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is an investigational agent that has not been approved for any indication in any country. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

About Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise

The mission of Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise is to leverage our world-class, innovative science and push beyond traditional thinking to create meaningful treatments for patients with cancer. We are dedicated to transforming science into value for patients, and this sense of obligation informs everything we do. Anchored by three pillars including our investigational Antibody Drug Conjugate Franchise, Acute Myeloid Leukemia Franchise and Breakthrough Science, we aim to deliver seven distinct new molecular entities over eight years during 2018 to 2025. Our powerful research engines include two laboratories for biologic/immuno-oncology and small molecules in Japan, and Plexxikon Inc., our small molecule structure-guided R&D center in Berkeley, CA. Compounds in pivotal stage development include: [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan, an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) for HER2 expressing breast, gastric and other cancers; quizartinib, an oral selective FLT3 inhibitor, for newly-diagnosed and relapsed/refractory FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia (AML); and pexidartinib, an oral CSF1R inhibitor, for tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT). For more information, please visit: www.DSCancerEnterprise.com.

About Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. With over 100 years of scientific expertise and a presence in more than 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo and its 15,000 employees around the world draw upon a rich legacy of innovation and a robust pipeline of promising new medicines to help people. In addition to a strong portfolio of medicines for hypertension and thrombotic disorders, under the Group's 2025 Vision to become a "Global Pharma Innovator with Competitive Advantage in Oncology," Daiichi Sankyo research and development is primarily focused on bringing forth novel therapies in oncology, including immuno-oncology, with additional focus on new horizon areas, such as pain management, neurodegenerative diseases, heart and kidney diseases, and other rare diseases. For more information, please visit: www.daiichisankyo.com .

Contact

Jennifer Brennan

Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.

jbrennan2@dsi.com

+1 908 992 6631 (office)

+1 201 709 9309 (mobile)

References

1 World Cancer Report 2014. WHO IARC. 2015.

2 Sledge, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2014;32:1-8.

3 American Cancer Society (ACS) Breast Cancer Overview 2018

4 Tandon et al. J Clin Oncol. 1989;7:1120-8

5 Mendes et al. Breast Cancer Research. 2015; 17:140.

6 Schalper K A et al. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2014;138:213-219

7 NCCN Clinical Practical Guidelines in Oncology. 2017.

8 Doi T, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2017. 18(11);1512-22.

December 2018Job Code: ONP/18/0037
LONDON (Reuters) - Investors pulled billions from bonds and stocks this week as U.S. bond movements triggered fears over global growth and a trade tussle between the United States and China heated up, strategists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday

LONDON (Reuters) - Investors pulled billions from bonds and stocks this week as U.S. bond movements triggered fears over global growth and a trade tussle between the United States and China heated up, strategists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on Friday.

This week's selloff was precipitated by the inversion of part of the U.S. yield curve, which has previously been a reliable indicator of an impending recession. [nL1N1YA21F][nL1N1YA20L]

It deepened on Thursday after the chief financial officer of China's Huawei was arrested on a U.S. request, sending markets spiralling further as investors predicted a worsening of relations between the world's two biggest economies.

The anxiety drove investors to pull $5.2 billion from equity funds and $8.1 billion from bond funds, according to EPFR data cited by BAML.

"Markets starting to price in recession, but policymakers yet to price in recession," argued the BAML strategists.

Equity outflows were made up of opposite flows in ETFs and mutual funds, with $5.3 billion driven into ETFs while $10.5 billion was taken out of mutual funds.

But investors were continuing to edge back into emerging market stocks, which saw their eighth week of inflows with $2.7 billion.

This helped push BAML's "Bull & Bear" indicator of market sentiment up from 2.4 to 2.7 - "not yet an extreme bearish reading", BAML strategists said.

The starting point for a fall to lower equity allocations is high, they pointed out, with the world's largest sovereign wealth fund at 67 percent equity allocations.

Hedge funds are still at a net 35 to 40 percent net long, and BAML's fund manager survey shows cash levels under 5 percent.

The global consensus forecast is for 8.3 percent growth in earnings-per-share in 2019, which the strategists said was too high, predicting a "Big Low" in markets next year.

In bond flows investors were pulling out of corporate debt and into government debt, the EPFR data showed.

Some $15 billion flowed into government bond funds over the past eight weeks, while $49 billion flowed out of investment-grade, high-yield, and emerging market debt.

In equity sectors, a building preference for value stocks over growth inverted this week, as tech had its biggest inflows in 11 weeks and financials saw heavy outflows.

Healthcare, tech, energy, and real estate saw inflows while consumer stocks, utilities, and materials saw outflows. Financials were the least preferred with investors pulling $1.3 billion from the sector.

(Reporting by Helen Reid; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Jessica Resnick-Ault NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped more than 4 percent on Friday as Saudi Arabia and other producers in OPEC, as well as allies like Russia agreed to reduce output to drain global fuel inventories and support the market. The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its Russia-led allies, referred to as 'OPEC+,' agreed to slash production by a combined 1.2 million barrels per day from 2019, larger than the minimum 1 million bpd that the market had expected, despite pressure from U.S.

By Jessica Resnick-Ault

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped more than 4 percent on Friday as Saudi Arabia and other producers in OPEC, as well as allies like Russia agreed to reduce output to drain global fuel inventories and support the market.

The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its Russia-led allies, referred to as "OPEC+," agreed to slash production by a combined 1.2 million barrels per day from 2019, larger than the minimum 1 million bpd that the market had expected, despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce the price of crude.

The producer club will curb output by 800,000 bpd from January while non-OPEC allies contribute an additional 400,000 bpd of cuts, Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer Ghadhban said after OPEC concluded two days of talks in Vienna.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak confirmed the combined output cuts of 1.2 million bpd, saying that the market will be oversupplied through the first half of the year.

Brent crude rose $2.94 to $63.00 a barrel by 11:20 a.m. EDT (1620 GMT). In early trade, the global benchmark fell below $60 when it looked as if oil exporters might leave production targets unchanged. The benchmark rallied to a session high of $63.73 on news of the agreement.

U.S. crude rose $2.20 to $53.69 a barrel, after earlier reaching a session high of $54.22.

U.S. crude was on track to end the week up 5.2 percent and Brent was 6.9 percent higher on the week so far.

A 1.2 million-bpd cut, if implemented fully, "should be enough to largely attenuate, but not eliminate, expected implied global inventory builds in the first half of next year, said

Harry Tchilinguirian, global oil strategist at BNP Paribas in London told the Reuters Global Oil Forum.

Oil prices have plunged 30 percent since October as supply has surged and global demand growth has weakened.

Prices fell almost 3 percent on Thursday after OPEC ended a meeting in Vienna with only a tentative deal to tackle weak prices. Talks with other producers were held on Friday.

But Iran gave OPEC the green light on Friday to reduce oil output after finding a compromise with rival Saudi Arabia over a possible exemption from the cuts, an OPEC source said.

Oil output from the world's biggest producers - OPEC, Russia and the United States - has increased by 3.3 million bpd since the end of 2017 to 56.38 million bpd, meeting almost 60 percent of global consumption.

The surge is mainly due to soaring U.S. oil production, which has jumped by 2.5 million bpd since early 2016 to a record 11.7 million bpd, making the United States the world's biggest producer.

The U.S. rig count, an indicator of future output, has risen for five straight months, The latest weekly data is due at 1 p.m. EST.

Given supply that is coming to be online, some analysts and market participants say the cut may not be enough to end oil's rout.

Relative to how big this looming supply tsunami, it is not nearly enough to prevent big inventory builds next year, said Robert McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group in Washington. President Trump and President Putin prevented OPEC+ from cutting by more, which was certainly needed to put a sturdy floor under prices. They are putting a fuzzy floor under prices.

Trump has asked OPEC to keep prices low, pleading with the Saudis in twitter messages. Russia had initially balked at cutting production alongside OPEC.

(Reporting by Julia Payne and Christopher Johnson in London and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy and David Evans)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
'We know who did it (the 2008 Mumbai terror attack). I don't think we have to get any statement from anybody,' Bipin Rawat said.

New Delhi: Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said that India knew the role of Pakistan in the 2008 Mumbai terror attack, which left scores of people dead and injured, asserting that India did not need anyone endorsing the complicity of Islamabad in the ghastly act.

Speaking to ANI, General Rawat said, "We know who did it (the 2008 Mumbai terror attack). I don't think we have to get any statement from anybody. The international community knows who did it." General Rawat was responding to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan's statement in which he tacitly acknowledged his country's hand in the Mumbai terror attack.

The army chief, however, hailed Khan's statement saying that "acceptance is good."

The Pakistan prime minister, in an interview to The Washington Post, his first to a foreign publication, said that his country wants "something done about the bombers of Mumbai," while tacitly acknowledging that the attack of November 2008 originated from Pakistani soil.

Khan, who has spoken about Pakistan taking two steps for peace for every step taken by India, said his government wants to prosecute those involved in the "act of terror" as it is in "Islamabad's interest to resolve the matter." The Pakistan prime minister said he has asked for the status of the case which is being heard in an anti-terrorism court in his country.

On 26 November, 2008, 10 heavily-armed Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists sailed into Mumbai and attacked multiple places in the city, including the iconic Taj Hotel. In the coordinated terror attacks which shook the entire world, 166 people were killed and 300 were injured.

"We also want something done about the bombers of Mumbai. I have asked our government to find out the status of the case. Resolving that case is in our interest because it was an act of terrorism," Khan said in the interview to The Washington Post. He stated this when asked about the prosecution of the perpetrators of the audacious attacks and the release of LeT's operations commander Zaki-ur-Rehman Lakhvi.
Two police officials have been transferred in connection to the mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr town earlier this week where an inspector and a civilian were killed, authorities said on Saturday.

Lucknow: Two police officials have been transferred in connection to the mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr town earlier this week where an inspector and a civilian were killed, authorities said on Saturday.

Acting on a report submitted by the Additional Director General of Police SB Shiradkar, Circle Officer (CO) Satya Prakash Sharma and Suresh Kumar, the in-charge of Chingravathi police chowki, have been transferred "for their failure in responding in time to the situation arising on Monday in that area".

A senior home department official said they have been taken to task for not being fast enough in reacting to the situation that arose after some Hindu right-wing activists found some animal carcasses in the field and took them on tractor trolleys to block a road.

Police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and the civilian from Chingravathi village, Sumit Singh, were killed in the mob violence thereafter.

The action was taken after a high-level meeting was presided over by the Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh, who had handed over the report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on his arrival from New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Adityanath has termed the Bulandshahr incident an "accident".

He had earlier said the incident was result of a "big conspiracy" but at a media event in Delhi on Friday, he said that the incident was actually an accident.

"Uttar Pradesh mein koi mob lynching ki ghatna nahi hui hai... Bulandshahr mein jo hua wo ek durghatna thi (No mob lynching happened in Uttar Pradesh, what happened in Bulandshahr is an accident)," he said.

The police have arrested nine accused but the main conspirator Yogesh Raj, the district convener of the Bajrang Dal, continues to be at large.
The Uttar Pradesh government on Saturday transferred Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police Krishna Bahadur Singh and attached him to the office of the Director General of Police here, a Home Department official said on Saturday.

In the aftermath of Bulandshahr violence, the Yogi Adityanath administration, transferred Bulandhshahr Senior Superintendent of Police, Krishna Bahadur Singh to the DGP Headquarters in Lucknow. He is being replaced by Sitapur Superintendent of Police Prabhakar Chaudhary.

The move comes hours after the police administration transferred two other police officials  Circle Officer (CO) Satya Prakash Sharma and Suresh Kumar, the in-charge of Chingravathi police chowki  for their failure in responding in time to the situation arising on Monday in their local area.

While Sharma has been sent to Police Training College in Moradabad, Kumar has been transferred to Lalitpur.

A senior home department official said they have been taken to task for not being fast enough in reacting to the situation that arose after some Hindu right-wing activists found some animal carcasses in the field and took them on tractor trolleys to block a road.

The action was taken after a high-level meeting was presided over by the Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh, who had handed over the report prepared by Additional Director General of Police SB Shiradkar, to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

The Bulandshahr BJP and Bajarang Dal celebrated the SSP's removal. A video of the party workers garlanding Syana BJP MLA Devendra Lodhi went viral on Saturday.

Meanwhile, simultaneous action against the accused who were part of the rioting mob also continued.

Citing sources, both NDTV and India Today reported that that the Northern Army Command has handed over the custody of Jeetendra Malik, alias Jeetu Fauji, to a team of Uttar Pradesh police, which visited Udhampur to arrest Malik.

Based on evidence from the video footage of the incidence, the police suspects that Malik could be the person who fired the fatal shot that killed inspector Subodh Kumar Singh. Malik reportedly escaped to Jammu and Kashmir after the incident.

Several reports claimed the murder of Singh could have been pre-planed. Two days before Singh was killed during the mob violence in Bulandshahr, local BJP leaders had demanded his transfer after accusing him of creating obstacles for religious functions.

In a letter sent to Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh, they alleged that his behaviour caused resentment in the Hindu community. The letter was forwarded by the MP to Bulandshahr SSP KB Singh demanding a probe against him.

On Friday, the SSP confirmed to PTI that he had received such a letter from Bhola Singh. When asked what action was taken over it, he said probe orders were given. The letter, which was surfaced on social media, was signed by BJP's Syana city chief Sanjay Shrotri, city vice-president Kapil Tyagi, former corporator Manoj Tyagi, BB Nagar Mandal president Neeraj Chaudhary, BJP Assembly convener Vijay Kumar Lodhi and Syana block pramuk Pushpendra Yadav.

Chief minister Adityanath, however, has already termed the Bulandshahr incident an "accident". He had earlier said the incident was the result of a "big conspiracy" but at a media event in Delhi on Friday, he said that the incident was actually an accident. "No mob lynching happened in Uttar Pradesh, what happened in Bulandshahr is an accident," he said.

The police have arrested nine accused but the main conspirator Yogesh Raj, the district convener of the Bajrang Dal, continues to be at large.
An intelligence report submitted by the ADG of intelligence has questioned the Uttar Pradesh Polices role in the Bulandshahr violence.

The Uttar Pradesh Police on Saturday morning removed Bulandshahr Senior Superintendent of Police Krishna Bahadur Singh from his post. Bulandshahr has been in the news for cow-related violence that took the life of a police inspector and a civilian on 3 December.

He has been replaced by Prabhakar Chaudhary, who was Sitapur district's Superintendent of Police. Krishna Bahadur Singh has now been sent to the Director General of Police (DGP) headquarters.

Chaudhary is a 2010 batch IPS officer. He came into the limelight in 2016 after travelling in a bus to Kanpur Dehat, with just a backpack, to take charge as SP. When he arrived, police officers at the station did not recognise him. He is known for his clean image and ability to take prompt action.

Late Friday, the government transferred Syana circle officer (CO) Satya Prakash Sharma and Chingravati police outpost in-charge Suresh Kumar, for their failure in handling violence that broke out in Bulandshahr on Monday, 3 December.

According to highly-placed sources in the police headquarters, this action was taken after Additional Director General (ADG) of intelligence, SB Shiradkar, submitted a confidential investigation report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

If sources are to be believed, the intelligence report submitted by Shiradkar has questioned the Uttar Pradesh Polices role in the incident in which inspector Subodh Singh and civilian Sumit Kumar were killed. Sources further claimed that the report also mentions that the police did not take any cognisance of complaints on cow slaughter carried out in the area.

Though the Uttar Pradesh Police has termed this incident as a big conspiracy, Adityanath in Delhi called it an accident.

Former Uttar Pradesh DGP Vikram Singh said that he believed transferring the police officers was justified, because the district police in-charge failed to send reinforcement on time. Singh also said that the mob should have been dealt with in a more strict manner.

The SSP did not reach the spot on time, and his action in this case is questionable. I also fail to understand why the police has not yet announced any rewards for arresting Yogesh and Shikhar, who are accused of rioting and are releasing their videos. These people are still on the run, and they should have been nabbed within 12 hours, the former DGP said.

Former IPS officer SR Darapuri said that the actions taken by the government will demoralise police in the future. All the outfits who are being blamed for this incident are linked with the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and the government is giving them an opportunity to prove their innocence, he said. He added that while the accused named in the FIR are on the run, the police officers who prevented the situation from worsening are currently facing the departments wrath, after accused Yogesh Raj And Shikhar Agarwals videos were leaked.

Darapuri claimed that one-sided action is being taken in this case, and that it shows that the government is trying to protect individuals who are from outfits like the Bajrang Dal.

The former IPS officer also said that police officers on the spot were successful in controlling the situation. However, Bajrang Dal workers brought the cow carcass in a tractor trolley across the highway in front of the police station, as they were aware that Muslims men returning from a religious congregation would travel along the same route, giving them the opportunity to create a ruckus.

Samajwadi Partys spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi, reacting on the developments in Bulandshahr, said, Yogi Adityanath is the most incompetent chief minister Uttar Pradesh has ever seen. He only knows how to communalise and polarise. Development and ensuring rule of law is not his cup of tea. He further said that the chief ministers action after the Bulandshahr incident is a grim reminder of the fact that the Uttar Pradesh government is more interested in creating communal polarisation for the forthcoming elections in 2019.

Gandhi added that the state governments priorities are now clear, and that it is not interested in bringing Yogesh Raj, the prime accused, to justice.

(Saurabh Sharma is a Lucknow based freelance writer and a member of 101Reporters)
Delhi's air quality remained very poor on Saturday as inspections by Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority found rampant illegal activities.

New Delhi: Delhi's air quality remained very poor on Saturday as inspections by Supreme Court-appointed Environment Pollution Control Authority found rampant illegal activities, especially garbage burning taking place at various pollution hotspots across the city.

Supreme Court-appointed EPCA said it will call a meeting specifically for industries in Delhi to discuss the progress from shifting from coal to natural gas, as it noted that the "ease of breathing" cannot be compromised for the "ease of business".

The action comes as Delhi's air quality remained very poor at an air quality index of 354 and authorities warned of increase in pollution level from next week when dense fog is expected to engulf the national capital.

EPCA chairperson Bhure Lal on Saturday said he visited various pollution hotspots in Delhi and found rampant illegal polluting activities specially garbage burning taking place in these areas.

Lal visited Mundka where he saw several garbage burning instances.

"The garbage mainly consisted of rubber and plastic waste which is carcinogenic. I held meetings with industrial associations and made our stand clear that we would not tolerate garbage burning at any cost," he told PTI.

He said he got it in writing from industries that they would stop burning garbage in open and would sprinkle water to mitigate pollution effects.

"I told them that a penalty of Rs 50,000 would be imposed for burning garbage in the open and if they are caught for a second time then their industrial unit would be shut," he added.

He also met with villagers who complained that pollution has led to breathing issues and has even caused cancer among many of them.

Accompanied by MCD and DDA officials, he also visited Nangoi and Tikri.

Lal would be conducting an inspection of Bawana and Narela on Monday and would be visiting Anand Vihar on Tuesday.

The EPCA on Friday said they are seriously considering banning industrial, construction and demolition activities at major pollution hotspots in Delhi-NCR when air quality levels reach 'severe' category.

Noting that ease of breathing cannot be compromised for ease of business, EPCA member Sunita Narain told various coal industries and oil and gas companies that there is a need to find better fuel which is cleaner and there is a price for it but it has to be paid.

"We cannot compromise ease of breathing for ease of business. We cannot survive this. Either we have to find better fuel we either need to search for a way to find ways of subsidising cleaner fuel," Narain said.

"We need to understand how they moving, what is their economics, who is not moving (to natural gas)," an EPCA member said.

The EPCA also underlined that the biggest challenge in crackdown on illegal industries causing pollution is that upon shutdown, they shift to non-conforming areas and continue polluting activities in other parts of the city.

"As we crack down on industries and industrial areas, they all move to the non-conforming areas or illegal areas where nobody can control them and under the law, the DPCC cannot even enter the area.

"If we crack down on Delhi industries, they move over to neighbouring areas. We have to find a comprehensive solution to it and make sure illegal industry is not allowed anywhere. It is also one of the biggest challenges," an EPCA member said.

The representatives of the industries blamed vehicles for causing greater pollution to which chest specialist Arvind Kumar, who is also an EPCA member, lashed out, saying if the consequences of pollution were known, this "whole discussion will pale into insignificance".

"The PM2.5 can hamper brain development by 10-20 per cent and we are going to make our next generation retarded because of our pleasures that is adding to air pollution," he rued.

"Evidence is now emerging that heart attacks, brain attacks are linked to air pollution. The WHO has called it second tobacco epidemic and if we don't control this menace, it would threaten our very existence," he said.

"...If we don't tackle air pollution on an immediate priority basis, we will not be here to tackle it. It isn't an elective issue we are discussing, it is a question of our survival," Kumar added.

Delhi has been battling alarming levels of pollution for nearly two months with the air quality hovering between "very poor" and "severe", and slipping into "poor" on better days.

The Centre-run System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting (SAFAR) said the overall air quality of Delhi continues to remain in the 'very poor' range.

"The meteorological conditions have slightly improved causing dispersion of pollutants but the air quality might deteriorate from Sunday with dense fog engulfing the capital which may degrade the air quality," the SAFAR said.

The Central Pollution Control Board-led task force has identified 15 pollution hotspots in Delhi. They are  Anand Vihar, Bawana, CRRI Mathura Road, DTU, Dr Karni Singh Shooting Range, Dwarka-Sector 8, Jahangirpuri, Mundaka, NSIT Dwarka, Narela, Okhla Phase-2, RK Puram, Rohini, Shadipur, Wazirpur.

In NCR areas outside Delhi, six hotspots have been identified. They are  Sector-16A in Faridabad, Vikas Sadan in Gurgaon, Vasundhara in Ghaziabad, Knowledge Park-III in Greater Noida, Sector-125 in Noida and RIICO Industrial Area-III in Bhiwadi.
Two years after the surgical strikes carried out by the Army across the Line of Control, Lt Gen (retd) DS Hooda Friday said it was natural to have an initial euphoria over the success but the constant hype around the operation was unwarranted.

Chandigarh: Two years after the surgical strikes carried out by the Army across the Line of Control, Lt Gen (retd) DS Hooda Friday said it was natural to have an initial euphoria over the success but the constant hype around the operation was unwarranted.

Lieutenant General Hooda was the Northern Army commander when the surgical strikes were carried out on 29 September, 2016 across the LoC as a response to a terrorist attack in Uri earlier that month.

The Army had said its special forces inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists waiting there to cross into Indian territory.

Lt Gen Hooda was speaking during a panel discussion on the topic, 'Role of Cross-Border Operations and Surgical Strikes,' on the first day of Military Literature Festival 2018 in Chandigarh.

The discussion was attended by Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore amongst a battery of former Generals and Army Commanders. Many war veterans cautioned against "politicisation" of the military operations, as per a Punjab government release.

Lt Gen Hooda said it was natural to have initial euphoria about the success but the constant maintenance of hype around the military operations was unwarranted, the release said.

Responding to a question from the audience, Lt General Hooda said in hindsight, it would have been better had we done it (surgical strikes) secretly. The aim of any such offensive had to be not only tactical but strategic too, which substantially hampers enemy morale, he said.

Citing the example of the 1981 Israeli air strikes on Iraqi nuclear sites, which had caused considerable damage, Lt General (retd) N S Brar underscored the need to ensure long-term impact on the enemy before undertaking any such operation in the future.

Cautioning the political masters against being adventurists, General Brar asked if the political masters would have taken responsibility had there been any causalities in the strikes, the release said quoting him.

Earlier, a two minute silence was observed in the memory of the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the service of the nation.

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh Administrator VP Singh Badnore inaugurated the MLF.

Notably, MLF, which is into its second edition this year, is organised to raise awareness among people about the legacy of the armed forces, and rekindle among youth the motivating spirit to join the Indian Army.
A few hours before dawn broke on Bundelkhands horizon on 20 November, a truck filled with sand was speeding down the highway when it hit, and consequently killed, a labourer in Banda, a Bundelkhand district in Uttar Pradesh. There have been similar accidents all over Uttar Pradesh in the last few years. In Bundelkhand, these cases have often been tied up with the hugely active sand trade, and hence mafia  paise waalon ki balu mafia, in local parlance.

A few hours before dawn broke on Bundelkhands horizon on 20 November, a truck filled with sand was speeding down the highway when it hit, and consequently killed, a labourer in Banda, a Bundelkhand district in Uttar Pradesh. He was standing there urinating when the truck reversed at high speed, and crushed him, said Pyare Lal, the victims brother, and also an eye witness of the brutal episode. He added, in the manner of survivors, It was just luck that I was not in the trucks path. I had been standing right there a few moments ago.

There have been similar accidents all over Uttar Pradesh in the last few years: A woman was run over by a tractor for carrying bags of sand home; a BJP worker was abducted and then run over by a tractor for complaining about illegal mining in Sitapur; a young cyclist was run over by speeding trucks transporting sand in Banda. While some of these accidents have been gravely injurious, others have been downright fatal. In Bundelkhand, these cases have often been tied up with the hugely active sand trade, and hence mafia  paise waalon ki balu mafia, in local parlance.

Banda is particularly rich in sand because of the rivers Ken, Bagen and Yamuna that flow through it. The 2017 district survey report of minor mineral excavation recognised 7688 hectares of land as potential sand mines. The report stated that only 1408.13 hectares land was being used as mines or had already been proposed for mines, 4653.35 hectares land was left to be capitalised on.

Although the National Green Tribunal has prohibited sand mining without the required clearings from the State Environment Impact Assessment Society (SEIAA) in Uttar Pradesh, a thriving underground economy of illegal sand mining is a flourishing business, meeting the ever-rising demands of the construction industry to which sand is vital.

According to the same report produced in conjunction with the UP Environmental Impact Assessment Authority and Department of Geology & Mining, although sand production has seen a decline from 11,36,260 cubic metres in 2014-15 to 61,250 cubic metres in 2016-17, the last year raked in Rs 62 lakh in revenue just from the district of Banda. Sand mining, as even high school children in Bundelkhand can tell us, is an incredibly lucrative line of business.

Although official records state that sand production has actually fallen, this data actually belies the facts. While there is no official data on illegal mines, obviously, former Minister of Mines Piyush Goyal had said in a Lok Sabha session that the number of illegal mines have increased from 6,777 in 2014 to 11,350 in 2016. When the BJP came to power in 2017, it passed the much-feted UPCOCA (Uttar Pradesh Control of Organised Crime Act), with the specific aim of cracking down on organised crime, such as land grabbing and illegal mining. On-ground gossip around the UPCOCA was that this was just the ruling partys attempt to run dry the khazana of Samajwadi Party, which has always been understood to have alleged links with the sand mafia.

Though our investigations over the years have consistently highlighted how crackdowns only seem to run dry the poor mans pockets. On the one hand, there is the police going around randomly seizing bullock carts and cycles that are used to carry sand needed to build toilets  PM Modis personally championed cause  on the other, there are these deaths. Whether the larger nexus of the sand mafia has suffered any blows is unclear; but the continuous movement of trucks overladen with sand throughout the night in Bundelkhand definitely otherwise.

In the 20 November case, the driver was not given the chance to execute a hit-and-run. When I saw that the driver was fumbling around in the cabin of the lorry, I realised he had dropped the keys. I climbed into the truck and took the keys away, said Pyare Lal, eyeing the truck that was still parked nearby when we reached the crime scene. With Pukaro written in brightly coloured letters at the back, the truck sported a dent on the rear bumper, where it had hit Lals brother. Pyare Lal had shown presence of mind right after the accident, he managed to get together a crowd that included the victims family, neighbours and villagers, who all gathered at the site of the accident. Some blocked lorry's path ahead, and some sat by the victims body, which had been respectfully covered with a blanket.

I informed the police, said Pyare Lal, and all they said was to file an FIR. The police also left the scene soon after, informing the family that they would be expected at the local police station. What investigation will happen? Whatever protocol we usually follow, thats what well do, said Soopa Police Station in-charge Rajendra Rathore nonchalantly.

Given how illegal sand mining is an open secret in these parts of the town, this fact did not come as a surprise to Shiv Devi, the local Banda reporter. Operating heavy machinery on government land or spiriting away hundreds of trucks can never be a discreet operation after all, and the sand mafias nexus is a well-known one.

The victims body, in the Banda case, was allowed to be sent for a postmortem when the truck driver, who had been flustered for hours for only doing his job, finally called the contractor to the scene. The thekedaar, perhaps noticing the swarming crowds, almost immediately offered to pay the victims family Rs 10 lakh as compensation money. This too, we know, is Standard Operating Procedure. A few deaths are acceptable collateral damage to a thriving sand mafia, and contingency plans to deal with the fallout are already in place.

As for an everyman in these districts, negotiating with the sand mafia  even about dead bodies  seems to be normalised. Nobody present at the scene  not even his brother Pyare Lal  had any comments about the payout.

Khabar Lahariya is a women-only network of rural reporters from Bundelkhand.
Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the evening near the Srinagar-Bandipora road in Mujgund area on the city's outskirts, a police official said.

Srinagar: An encounter broke out Saturday between militants and security forces on the outskirts of Srinagar: the summer capital of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.

Security forces launched a cordon and search operation in the evening near the Srinagar-Bandipora road in Mujgund area on the city's outskirts, a police official said.

As the forces were conducting searches, the militants fired upon them, he said.

The forces retaliated, ensuing an encounter, the official said.

He said the gunfight was going on and further details were awaited.
An FIR has been filed against the accused at a Guwahati police station. He was in police custody for two days before being released on 3 December under section 41 of the CrPC

Republic TV's Assam correspondent Anirudha Bhakat Chutia has been accused by a Guwahati-based woman of kidnapping and physically assaulting her. An FIR has been registered against Chutia at Guwahati's Dispur Police Station on 1 December on the basis of the woman's complaint. He was in police custody for two days before being released on 3 December.

According to a report published in The Wire, the accuser alleges that on the night of 1 December while returning from work she encountered Chutia  who was allegedly drunk and was accompanied by an unidentified man  in a secluded lane in the Six Mile area of Guwahati. "He was drunk, stopped me to talk and before I could react, he and that man dragged me into their house on the lane by putting a knife near my neck, she told The Wire. After being forcefully taken into the house (located in an adjacent area named Jayanagar), she claims her hands were tied to a chair. When I resisted, he also sexually assaulted me. His mother was also present in the room and abetted him," she further added.

Once her hands were allegedly set free, she took out her mobile phone, that was on silent mode then, and informed her colleagues about her whereabouts, following which they came and rescued her, she said.

She claims Chutia lived in a lane next to her home and that they had met previously a couple of times, strictly on professional terms. She told The Wire that Chutia had been trying to pursue her for a while, but she always ignored him.

As per the FIR lodged by the police, a copy of which has been published in a report by NorthEast Now, Chutia has been charged with multiple offences under IPC sections 341 (Punishment for wrongful restraint), 347 (Wrongful confinement to extort property, or constrain to illegal act), 392 (Punishment for robbery), 354 (Assault or use of criminal force to woman with intent to outrage her modesty, 323 (Punishment for voluntarily causing hurt) 506 (Punishment for criminal intimidation) and 34 (Acts done by several persons in furtherance of common intention).

It is also reported that Chutia was released two days later on 3 December under section 41 of the CrPC. The accuser also alleges that the police department is "acting under pressure" and various details of the incident have been deliberately left out by the police while filing the FIR against Chutia. Several news reports claim that the police officials refused to comment on anything pertaining to this case.

Neither Chutia nor the media organisation he works for (Republic TV) have released statements pertaining to this issue.
Five more persons were arrested on Friday for their alleged involvement in the mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr earlier this week, police said.

Lucknow: Five more persons were arrested on Friday for their alleged involvement in the mob violence in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr earlier this week, police said.

The number of persons arrested has now gone up to nine even as the main accused Yogesh Raj still remains at large.

Inspector General (Crime) SK Bhagat said five persons have been arrested on the basis of video footage and an identification done by local residents.

He also said the name of a certain Border Security Force (BSF) also cropped up during the investigation.

Fauji is said to be working with the Border Security Force (BSF) and is posted in the Kargil sector.

A team of police has left for Jammu to arrest him, the officer said while also clarifying that his exact role and complicity in the mob violence, which left two persons including a police inspector dead, will be clear after the probe by the Special Investigation Team (SIT).

Meanwhile, ADG (Intelligence) SB Shiradkar, who was sent to Bulandshahr specially by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in the aftermath of the violence, submitted his report to DGP OP Singh on Friday.

Officials told IANS that the report would be submitted to CM Adityanath when he comes back to the state capital from New Delhi on Saturday.
Srividya Natarajan, the author of The Undoing Dance, writes about what a day in a young devadasi's life would be like  on the cusp of Independence

Just as India achieves independence and Indian society is on the brink of cataclysmic change, a little girl from a dasi family trains to be a dancer. She does not know her familys way of life will soon disappear completely. For now, she is happy to go about her day.

Imagine a girl, a child of eight or nine, growing up on a street full of the sound of music. The neighbour to the right practices playing the tutti, and the neighbour to the left is a tavil player who takes his instrument to the temple at least three times a day. The girls older brother learns from him. The girls brother is in troublehe was upset at being made to learn left-handed playing, so he tied his teachers topknot to the strings of the cot when he was sleeping. Now he has to carry the tavil to the temple for his teacher. The street is unpaved; in front of each house is a neat patch of hard-packed earth smoothed with cow dung water and decorated with white kolams. The girls brother staggers along the middle of the street, his feet kicking up dust, terrified of dropping the precious tavil, wishing it was the smaller tavandai that his teacher also plays on some special days, grateful that the temple is only a furlong away.

Despite the sprawling banyan trees, despite the paddy-fields just half a mile away, the street is hot, it is dusty. Once a month, a man in the town puts up a huge tent in an open field near the temple, and brings his projector. The girls family pays one anna to watch the moving picture, made in a land where it is always raining white  a white streaky rain. Sometimes the projector stops, but the man never gives anyone their money back.

In the big hall in the middle of her home, where the family sleeps on grass mats at night, the red oxide floor is polished from many generations of women practicing their adavus. Recently, there has been a lot more practice than usual: The girls aunt, who used to live in Madras, and her uncle, who lived in Baroda for a while, have returned to their hometown, and have brought back new steps, very elegant, more elegant than any steps they have tried out before. Or perhaps it is just their novelty that makes them seem so. Everyone wants to learn these adavus, this new repertoire. The girl is not as interested as her older sisters; what she wants is for someone to teach her the dance that Baby Kamala did on top of a huge drum in the cinema she saw just the week before.

In the mornings, the girl and her sisters go with her mother and her aunt down to the river, to the part where the womenfolk bathe. Knotting a length of fabric over her chest, she washes herself under it, washes her long oiled hair with ground hibiscus leaves. On the way back home, in a fresh red and green sari and a new silk blouse, carrying her wrung-out sari over her arm, she stops and collects coral jasmine flowers from the tree that grows near the path. While she sits on the front tinnai of her house and while her mother dries her hair with her fingers and oils it and braids it, she uses a needle and thread to make a long garland with the coral jasmine to take to the temple with her.

Later in the morning, when they come back from the temple, it is time for dance class. In her dance vathyars home too there is a silambakoodam  the same long, wide hall as in her home. Two sets of carved wooden pillars run down the middle of it, and they make it harder to do the steps that went sweeping right across the room. When she is stepping backwards, she has to remember that the pillars will be there. It makes dancing feel like a game, and it makes it easier to live with her teachers incessant grumbling and dissatisfaction. The only time he ever smiled at her, as far as she can remember, was the day she began to learn, when her mother spread the cloth on the floor, and the rice grains on the cloth, and her teacher made her do the first step, the thaiyya-thai, on the rice.

In the evening back at her home, the girl wants to rest her sore legs. But her mother and her aunt are planning a performance. They tell her she will perform a kautuvam with her older sister, and perhaps, if she does well, they will become a duo, and go travelling, and even dance in the films.

The girls mother and her aunt are just sitting there, each one leaning against a pillar, a little tired after the days work, and after planning how they will keep more of the payment after the next performancethat is always a problem, the way the musicians and the teacher try to grab the paymentthey begin to sing. This is the singing they do when they are sad and anxious, the girl can tell; it makes the hair stand up on her forearms. It is the most beautiful padam, melancholy, sweet, haunting, fearful. It seems be a padam about love coming to an end between a man and a woman. When I was a child, I trusted you, and you betrayed me. You have left me behind. The girl moves restlessly, wondering.

It is 1947. Things are coming to an end for the girl, for her older sister, for her mother and her aunt.

Dancer and writer Srividya Natarajans novel The Undoing Dance tells the story of three generations of an illustrious devadasi family
Landless labourers in Bihar benefit from the silt that comes down from the Himalayas by growing vegetables, but it is an extremely tough life, with very little profit for the farmer Nidhi Jamwal Every year after the festival of Diwali, Pramod Prasad, a landless farmer from the Surajpur village in the Bairia block of West Champaran in Bihar, packs a set of clothes and some utensils to set out for the Gandak River. He leaves behind his wife and four children, whom he will now meet only after five to six months. Using a dengi (local word for boat), he crosses the Gandak to reach diara, an island inside the vast expanse of the river-spread. On the other side of the river is the neighbouring Indian state of Uttar Pradesh. On this diara (a piece of land inside a river created due to deposition of sand), Prasad constructs a small, makeshift hut to spend the next five to six months. He is joined by other landless farmers, some from the adjoining district of East Champaran, who also construct their own temporary huts. Thus begins the annual process of silt farming by the landless farmers of Champaran, who mark boundaries on the diara to grow various fruits and vegetables. I have been practising silt farming for the last 15-20 years now. My father used to do the same. Growing fruits and vegetables on sandy soil requires hard labour. Risks are also high. But the returns are good, said Prasad, who earned a profit of Rs 450,000 ($6,200) last year from the watermelon crop on four bigha (one bigha is equal to 0.16 hectare/1,600 square metres) land of the island.

Image by Nidhi Jamwal

Farmers like Prasad have a unique relationship with the Gandak river, locally known as Gangaji. Every year, during the monsoon, the Gandak swells and spreads sandy silt far and wide. As the monsoon withdraws, the water in the river recedes, thereby exposing its banks covered with fresh silt. Some natural islands, locally known as diara (derived from Hindi word diya, an earthen lamp) appear inside the river. On such islands, landless farmers like Prasad earn a livelihood for half a year. Bihar is Indias most flood-prone state. North Bihar has a number of perennial and non-perennial rivers that originate in the Himalayas in Nepal and carry high sediment load, which they deposit on the plains of Bihar, making them one of the most fertile lands in the country. These rivers  Gandak, Burhi Gandak, Kosi, Kamala, Balan, Bagmati, etc  are tributaries of the Ganga (see map 1: River basins in Bihar, India). Most of the rainfall (990-1,700 millimetres) in the region is concentrated in three months (July to September) of the monsoon season, when the flow in these rivers increases by 50 percent, often leading to floods. As per official records of the state government, 73.63 percent geographical area of North Bihar is prone to floods. Of the 38 districts of the state, 28 get flooded regularly (of which 15 districts are the worst affected) causing huge losses of property, lives, farmlands and infrastructure. During the infamous 2008 Kosi floods, over 350,000 acres of paddy, 18,000 acres of maize and 240,000 acres of other crops were destroyed, impacting close to 500,000 farmers. However, floods also play an important role in sustaining agriculture in the region. Almost 81 percent of Bihars population is employed in agriculture, which is much higher than the national average. The rivers carry sediment from the Himalayas and deposit it far and wide on the floodplains. These floodplains are used by local people to grow crops such as paddy, sugarcane, pulses and mustard. Farmers who do not own land and are very poor use the sandy banks of the river to cultivate fruits and vegetables. Agricultural experts claim that agro-productivity in diara areas, cultivated by farmers like Prasad, benefits from the floods, as floodwaters not only deposit a layer of clay or sand, but also remove pests.

Image from the Flood Management Information System, Bihar

Silt farming in the Gandak river basin The Gandak river, known as Narayani in Nepal, enters India near the Valmiki National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary in West Champaran. It then flows through the plains of Bihar to meet the Ganga river near Patna. The benefits of silt are well known since ancient times. Indias earliest known civilisation originated on the fertile floodplains of the Indus river, where farmers started to cultivate the rich soil left behind by the river floods. Till some decades ago, silt gathered at the bottom of village tanks and lakes was extracted and reapplied on the farmlands to increase soil fertility and crop productivity. But with the adoption of modern agriculture and chemical farming, silt farming has reduced. However, several poor and landless farmers of West Champaran are still involved in silt farming to eke out a living. Given that there are a large number of landless labourers in the region, and flooding is a common occurrence, this form of farming provides a livelihood to many. The Census of India 2011 noted that only 14.71 percent of the districts population were cultivators. A whopping 67.45 percent were agricultural labourers. As the Gandak river keeps shifting its course, it exposes new areas for cultivation. Land records of these areas, especially the diara, are not clear. Hence, landless farmers use such areas for silt farming between the months of December and May. DIY silt farming Driving on the east embankment of the Gandak river in the Nautan block of West Champaran, one reaches the Laukariya village. Forty-five-year-old Dhurak Mukhiya is a resident of this village. Mukhiya is landless. To support his family  his wife and six children  he practices ret ki kheti. During the rabi season, Mukhiya rents three to four katha land on the banks of the Gandak river, adjacent to his village, for six months against a payment of Rs 1,000 ($ 14) per katha to the landlord (one katha land is equal to 1/20th of a bigha or 67 square metres). This sandy land where we are standing right now is covered with the Gandaks water throughout the monsoon months. It is only in December that we begin cultivation and wind up everything before the next monsoon, says Mukhiya. Fruits and vegetables like cucumber, watermelon, muskmelon, bitter gourd, bottle gourd, and pointed gourd need loose texture soil with good drainage, hence sandy soil is the best, he added.

Image by Nidhi Jamwal

Mukhiya then goes on to explain the step-by-step procedure of silt farming. The first step is to mark the boundary and divide the land into equidistant rows or big squares to sow the seeds. Since the land here is covered with sand, we dig a three to four feet deep hole in each square till we hit the soil. We break the soil and make it soft and add manure to the hole, and cover it with sand, said Mukhiya. Thereafter, seeds are buried in each hole and watered. A hand impression is made on the top to differentiate seeded holes from non-seeded ones. In seven to eight days, the seedlings appear. These are covered with dry grass to protect them from birds. A temporary boundary wall is also erected around the cultivated area to avoid cattle straying into it. To protect young plants against low winter temperature and frost, a thatch screen is made using paddy straw, said Mukhiya who planted muskmelon last season. Farmers prefer fruits and vegetable crops, as these are ready in three to four months and provide quick money. In April and May, once the produce is ready, farmers carry it to the local market. We are too poor to afford a pickup, so every morning we load the produce on bicycle and take it to the neighbouring market of Jagdishpur or samiti bazaar at Bettiah, said Mukiya. High inputs, low returns Though silt farming provides a livelihood to landless farmers, profit margins are very low. From one katha land, at best I earn about Rs 4,000-5,000 ($ 55-69). But, my input costs are over Rs 2,000 ($ 28) per katha. So, eventually I earn only Rs 2,000 ($ 28) per katha, lamented Mukhiya. There are various input costs and risks which make silt farming difficult for landless farmers. Apart from paying the land rent, farmers spend at least Rs 500 ($ 6.90) per katha for manure, urea, and potash which is applied before sowing the seeds. It is reapplied once the plants grow. Labourers are also hired to remove the weeds and grass. Most farmers save seeds for the next season, thereby cutting down on the expenditure of buying new seeds. Manure and labour cost aside, watering the crop is an additional input cost. Watering is needed one or two times. I hire a tubewell machine which costs Rs 200 ($ 2.80) per hour, said Mukhiya, who until five years ago, used to migrate to Punjab to work as a daily wage earner. It was in Punjab that he learnt about silt farming and decided to practise it in his village.

Image by Nidhi Jamwal

I have now stopped migrating to Punjab. I earn less through silt farming in my village, but I am closer to my family, he adds. As opposed to the daily farm wage of Rs 300-500 ($ 4-7) in Punjab, the rate in West Champaran is just Rs 200-250 ($ 2.76-3.45). Women earn only Rs 100 ($ 1.38) a day as farm labourers. Mukhiyas two young sons now migrate to Punjab for cutting the sugarcane crop. In spite of the hardships, Mukhiya has inspired some fellow landless farmers, such as 60-year-old Nageen Paswan of the Laukariya village, to try their hands at silt farming. Until two to three years ago, I used to work as a daily wage earner. Then I saw Mukhiya growing cucumber on the sandy banks of the Gandak. I decided to give silt farming a try. Now, during the rabi season, I, too, grow cucumber or watermelon, said Paswan, who cultivates four katha land under the batai system and shares half his produce with the landlord. Both Mukhiya and Paswan are extremely critical of the hunda and batai systems of cultivation, which they claim make the rich landlords richer at the expense of poor, landless farmers. But, we have little choice It is the Gandak river that sustains us. Landlords find it difficult to cultivate on sandy lands. We have adapted to ret ki kheti, said Paswan. He claimed that Gandak has been shifting course and moving eastwards towards Laukariya village. Some 20-30 years ago, Gandak was two to three kilometres away from our village. Landlords used to grow paddy and wheat on this land. Now, the river is only 500 metres away and it has deposited sand all around. We have learnt to grow vegetables and fruits on the sand, said Paswan. According to him, the biggest challenge is to protect the crop from cold. Hail is also a major risk to the crops.

Image by Nidhi Jamwal

Overall, silt farming has several benefits. It brings vacant sandy land under cultivation and provides livelihood to the local landless farmers whose families also get to consume the fruits and vegetables. In case of farmers like Mukhiya, it has also put an end to migration. The future may lie in diara farming In spite of the fact that a large number of landless farmers are involved in silt farming in Gandak basin of North Bihar, there is no data on the total land under such cultivation and the exact number of these farmers. As per an official estimate, Bihar has 0.9 million hectares of diara lands. Assams diara lands may exceed 2.3 million hectares. Odisha has about one million hectares of such lands. A 2012 research paper by Pradeep Kumar Singh titled 'Cucurbits Cultivation under Diara-Land' in the Asian Journal of Agriculture and Rural Development claimed that about 65 percent of total cucurbit (a plant of gourd family including melon, pumpkin, squash and cucumber) cropped area in India falls under diara lands. The government of India has started showing interest in the agriculture potential of diara lands found extensively in West Bengal, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Assam and Odisha. Flood plains of the eastern India in general, and of the diara lands in particular, hold the key to our national food security. It was, therefore, found imperative that data must be collected and compiled on all the existing knowledge base about the flood plain agriculture with reference to its social and environmental dimensions. It is through the analysis of such knowledge-base that methodologies for management of floods and flood plain agriculture, including those of the diara lands can be formulated, states a document of the Union Ministry of Environment, Forests and Climate Change. Researchers claim that introduction of appropriate technologies in diara lands has high potential to reduce poverty levels of some of the poorest farmers. In these areas, awareness of potential technologies is extremely low and mainly very old traditional methods of cultivation are practised. Several extremely promising options exist for these areas that could substantially improve livelihoods of farming families dependent on this land type. Currently there has been little recorded adoption of RCTs [resource-conserving technologies] within diara lands, and there is a clear need to increase efforts to disseminate appropriate technologies into these areas, recommends a 2004 study published by International Maize and Wheat Improvement Centre. As of now, though, this silt farming remains the preserve of the poor, with the limited potential that they can invest in new techniques. Nidhi Jamwal is an independent environment and development journalist based in Mumbai, India. Her Twitter handle is @JamwalNidhi and email is nidhijamwal@gmail.com *** This is the sixth in a special series of reports by women journalists, done in partnership with ICIMOD, showing how vulnerable communities innovate and adapt in the face of climate change. The Hindu Kush Himalaya (HKH) region is one of the worlds youngest, highest and most fragile mountain systems. It is one of the areas most vulnerable to climate change, where temperatures are rising much faster than the global average. It is also an area of huge cultural diversity  where some of the poorest communities face huge challenges. The Himalayan Adaptation, Water and Resilience Research (HI-AWARE) is a research consortium that has carried out scientific and participatory research to better understand the impacts of a changing climate in the region. As part of this project, HI-AWARE reached out to women journalists across the region to capture local experiences  from high in the icy mountains to the sandy plains. The stories that emerged are now being published on thethirdpole.net as part of a special series to be published over the next few months. From farming silt on the banks of the Gandak, to harvesting water through artificial glaciers in the mountains, these stories capture the innovative adaptation strategies people are using and that can serve as lessons for communities elsewhere. The Third Pole is a multilingual platform dedicated to promoting information and discussion about the Himalayan watershed and the rivers that originate there. This report was originally published on thethirdpole.net and has been reproduced here with permission.
Describing illegal immigration as threat to the country, Amit Shah said National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a way to solve the basic problems of the country.

New Delhi: BJP chief Amit Shah said on Saturday that Indians have the right to the country's resources, and it is not a "dharamshala" where illegal immigrants can come to settle down.

Describing illegal immigration as threat to the country, Shah said National Register of Citizens (NRC) is a way to solve the basic problems of the country and should not be connected to the BJP.

"NRC should not be seen by connecting it with the BJP only. It is a way to solve the country's basic problems. How is it possible that anyone can come and settle down here? The country cannot run like this. Those who are its citizens should stay here only and they only have the right to the resources of this country...This country is not a dharamshala (charitable shelter home) that anyone can come and settle down here," Shah said while speaking at the Jagran Forum organised by the Dainik Jagran media group.

Taking on the Opposition over the issue, the BJP chief alleged that the intruders have been used as a vote bank for 70 years and they are a threat to the country, whereas BJP believes in taking tough decisions which are in the interest of the country.

"They (intruders) should be identified. Delete their names from the electoral roll. The BJP clearly believes that they should be identified and deported. Intruders are also threaten the security of the country," he said while replying to a question on NRC.

Assam, which faced an influx of people from Bangladesh since the early 20th century, is the only state having a National Register of Citizens (NRC), first prepared in 1951. It is being updated under the monitoring of the Supreme Court.

The complete draft of the NRC was published on 30 July and included the names of 2.9 crore people out of the total applications of 3.29 crore. Those omitted have been given an opportunity to submit documents afresh to prove their residency.

Meanwhile, at the same event, Shah said the BJP will do well in all five states where polling has concluded and will win Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Rajasthan.
Unlike 2014, which has been touted as a Black Swan event in the history of Indian politics, exit poll results suggest that India might be returning to normalcy in electoral practice where split verdicts will replace clear mandates

Will it be the exit for BJP in Hindi heartland? Exit polls say so. There is no small amount of risk in taking exit polls seriously. Psephology is not an exact science. It deals with voter behaviour, voting patterns, statistical analyses of polls, number crunching, etc, and occupies the ambiguous space between science and politics. Thats why exit polls often generate more mirth than awe. Especially so in a country as diverse and complex as India.

Exit polls in rest of the world: useful source of information. Exit polls in India: exciting new visual art form. pic.twitter.com/yJ6UihYyEk  Sadanand Dhume (@dhume) December 7, 2018

And yet, for all its real and perceived inaccuracies, exit polls do point towards a certain trend as a collective. The trend should worry the BJP. For the first time since 2014, the Congress can look forward to the counting day with renewed optimism. Nearly all exit polls indicate that the grand old party will sweep to power in Rajasthan and remain locked in a photo-finish with the BJP in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. All three states have a BJP government, and all three made major contributions during Narendra Modis resounding march to power in 2014.

In Telangana, the exit polls, by and large, indicate that Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) supremo K Chandrasekhar Rao will retain power while a hung Assembly is predicted in Mizoram.

In defending its turf, the BJP is aware that a setback in any of these states  basically a street fight with the Congress  would not only erode its national footprint but also feed into the narrative of anti-incumbency against Narendra Modi. In Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh, in addition to the Congress, the saffron outfit is combatting 15-year voter fatigue that it hopes wont translate into anti-incumbency. In Rajasthan, the party faces an uphill battle in retaining power where no incumbent has succeeded to do so in the last 20 years.

Barring one (conducted by Republic-Jan Ki Baat) all other surveys point to Vasundhara Rajes exit. In the 200-seat Assembly where halfway mark is set at 101, Times Now-CNX has predicted 105 seats for the Congress and 85 for the incumbent BJP, while India Today-Axis reckons Congress will win anything between 119-141 seats and BJP will settle for a figure between 55 and 72. Republic-Jan ki Baat is the outlier, giving BJP 83-103 seats, the Congress 81-101 and others five seats.

In Madhya Pradesh, Times Now-CNX gives BJP a clear majority with 126 of the 230 seats in the fray where the majority mark is set at 116. However, India Today-Axis My India predicts BJP picking up between 102-120, the Congress claiming 104-122 seats and others settling for 4-11 seats. Republic-CVoter brings no joy for BJP either. The saffron unit is predicted to get between 90-106 seats while Congress around 110-126.

Finally, in Chhattisgarh, Times Now-CNX forecasts 46 seats for BJP (just achieving the majority mark) in the 90-seat House while Congress is slated to get 35. India Today-Axis, on the other hand, gives Congress between 55-60 and BJP a paltry 21-31 and eight for the JCC-BSP alliance indicating that Raman Singhs tenure is over. However, the Republic-CVoter survey says BJP will get between 35-43 seats and Congress between 40-50. If thats not confusing enough, News Nation expects BJP to get around 38- 42 and Congress 40- 44. Republic-CVoter has given the Congress 42-50 seats, BJP 35-43 and the BSP-JCC combine three to seven.

To cut a long story short, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh may go either way while Congress must get ready to choose between veteran Ashok Gehlot or young Turk Sachin Pilot as the chief minister. Even here there is no total consensus. Interestingly, economist Surjit Bhalla, who has an enviable track record in predicting exit poll results, has gone totally against conventional wisdom and has predicted that all three Hindi heartland states will stay with the BJP.

Two things are immediately clear from this rather elaborate (and pointless?) exercise. One, all surveys are busy hedging their bets, some with such a wide swing margin that prediction becomes meaningless. This is because pollsters are unsure of the result in hotly contested seats, which may be decided on the basis of local issues and caste/community considerations instead of an overriding factor.

That brings us to the second point. Unlike 2014, which has been touted as a Black Swan event in the history of Indian politics, India might be returning to normalcy in electoral practice where split verdicts will replace clear mandates. A few more hours are needed to verify this observation but if indeed thats the case, the BJP will have a tougher battle awaiting it next year.

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Though exit polls predict Congress win in Rajasthan, the party will be waiting anxiously for the Madhya Pradesh election results as a victory in the state will give the party some indication of the trends in 2019, and whether or not soft Hindutva will work next year

The exit polls on Friday evening brought the first infusion of energy in the Congress camp that it has been desperately waiting for. If exit polls got their predictions right, then the Congress is likely to pocket Rajasthan on 11 December when the election results will be announced.

However, its Madhya Pradesh that the Congress will be watching with anticipation as a victory in the BJP-ruled state would give some indication of trends in the General Elections to Lok Sabha in 2019. The party had not only drawn up a robust strategy to wrest the BJP stronghold after 15 years, but it had also made some ideological compromises to stay ahead of its rival.

Whether its the poll of polls or individual exit poll reports like India Today-Axis, Times Now-CNX, etc, all predicted Congress win in Rajasthan.

The exit poll results indicate the party might upset the BJP in Chhattisgarh, but in Madhya Pradesh, it's likely to be neck and neck contest.

According to the poll of polls result:

- Both the BJP and the Congress will get 110 seats each in 230-seat Assembly in Madhya Pradesh.

- In Chhattisgarh, BJP gets 40, Congress 44 and others 6 in 90-seat Assembly.

- Whereas, in Rajasthan, Congress gets a clear margin with 105 seats and BJP gets 85.

However, the individual exit poll results differed.

- In Madhya Pradesh, while, India Today-Axis My India shows BJP 102-120 and Congress 104-122, the Times Now-CNX shows BJP winning 126 seats and Congress 89.

- In Chhattisgarh, India Today-Axis My India shows BJP winning 21-31, Congress 55-65 and others 4-8 seats, whereas, Times Now-CNX predicts BJP 46, Congress 35 and JCC-BSP 7.

- In Rajasthan, while India Today-Axis My India shows BJP winning 55-72 and Congress 119-141, the Times Now-CNX survey shows BJP winning 85 seats and Congress 105.

Its not clear from the trends whether Congress will be a clear winner in Madhya Pradesh, and this strong BJP-RSS bastion is going to be a big challenge for the grand old party of India. The last victory that Congress had tasted in the state was in 1998 and it has been out of power since 2003.

After 2014, the first victory in the true sense that the Congress tasted was in the Punjab Assembly election led by Captain Amarinder Singh. Though it lost the Gujarat assembly election, the party gave a tough fight to the ruling BJP and for the first time, Congress president Rahul Gandhi was seen leading from the front. The party also managed to form a government in alliance in Karnataka as well.

Madhya Pradesh is a big hope for Congress and gave the responsibility to bring about a turn in its fortunes in the state to two of its top leaders from the state  Kamal Nath and Jyotiraditya Scindia, both Members of Parliament from Chhindwara and Guna, respectively.

Importance of winning Madhya Pradesh

Madhya Pradesh has the strongest RSS base and is also a BJP stronghold. Its three-term chief minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan is to the state what Narendra Modi was for Gujarat. With 29 Lok Sabha seats, Madhya Pradesh stands next to Uttar Pradesh, Maharashtra, West Bengal and Tamil Nadu in political strength at the Centre.

Undoubtedly, the party that wins Madhya Pradesh will have an edge in the 2019 Lok Sabha polls. For Congress, its more important than the BJP, as the party has a government in only two states  Punjab and Puducherry. It was also ruling Mizoram, but the state went to the polls last week.

Congress has given some stalwart chief ministers to the state with a national recall in the past like Ravi Shankar Shukla, Dwarka Prasad Mishra, Kailash Nath Katju, Shyama Charan Shukla, Motilal Vohra, and Arjun Singh to name a few.

As a part of its aggressive strategy, Congress made some ideological compromises by adopting a soft Hindutva line. The Congress president had visited two famous Jyotirlinga shrines  Omkareshwar and Mahakaleshwar and also offered prayers at Pitambara Peeth in Datia while campaigning in the state. It was in Bhopal, where he was hailed as a 'Shiva Bhakt' and 'Pandit Rahul Gandhi'.

Rahul spent most of his time and energy in the state conducting rallies and road shows. Barring UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi, almost all top Congress leaders campaigned in Madhya Pradesh, including former prime minister Manmohan Singh, who had addressed a press conference in Indore as well.

Congress also managed to bring the leaders of its rival factions in its Madhya Pradesh unit under one roof, who joined hands to give a tough fight to the ruling BJP. Senior Congress leader and former chief minister Digvijay Singh was strategically sidelined so as to avoid any controversy.

The three-term BJP rule in Madhya Pradesh not only provided an anti-incumbency factor to the opposition, but also issues like farmers distress which got fuelled with an agitation in Mandsaur district in 2017, alleged corruption charges against Shivraj Singh government, anger against the bureaucracy, and a wave of change.

If the results of the exit polls are to be believed, with an assured victory in Rajasthan and a hope to make it in Chhattisgarh, the only state which is statistically difficult to predict is Madhya Pradesh and that will give some anxious moments to the Congress. The wall that stands between the Congress and its dream victory is Shivraj Singh Chouhan. He is not only one of the strongest leaders in the BJP with a strong national recall, the voters who are against his government also dont have any personal anger against him.

However, everybody will have to wait till 11 December to see who has the last laugh.
The exit poll data is either confusing or the numbers are too close, and the one thing this indicates is that the dominance of the BJP in these states is waning though the prime minister campaigned hard.

Opinion polls are uncertain about who is going to win the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. Out of nine opinion polls published on Friday, eight said Congress would win Rajasthan and similarly the TRS is expected to win in Telangana. I was surprised to see that there was uncertainty over Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. In fact, the average of the polls suggests that the Bharatiya Janata Party will lose its majority in both Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh. These two states have looked like they are following the Gujarat model. Both are two-party states where the Congress seemed to be permanently in the opposition. If the opinion polls are right, this could be ending on Tuesday.

However, we do not know for sure, and because there is a problem with opinion polling in India. In the United States, presidential elections can be predicted by an opinion poll with a sample size of less than 1,000. This is done over the telephone and often by a robocall, meaning a recorded message which asks the voter to select options from a menu. In the 2012 election, one psephologist, Nate Silver, predicted accurately the result in all 50 states in the US.

America has only two parties, the Republicans and the Democrats. They have other divisions like blue collar and white collar workers, and rural and urban residents. Lastly, they have race, the biggest minorities being African Americans and Latinos (meaning the Spanish speakers). Opinion polls factor in these differences and are able to accurately predict who will win. On election day in America, news networks have exit polls that predict the results even before counting begins and these predictions are almost always right.

In India, we have the most complex political society of any democratic nation. We are divided by language, by economics, by cultural differences, particularly comparing the north to the south and the North East. We also have the division  which has become increasingly pronounced  of religion. And we have the unusual and unique division of caste. This makes it difficult to predict elections, especially those which are close. Very large sample sizes are needed in India and this costs a lot of money because the exit polling agencies must send out field agents to interview people.

Some agencies get around this by unique solutions. There is a successful agency called Todays Chanakya that says it has a different way of assessing each constituency. It sometimes does not reveal to respondents that it is conducting an opinion poll.

One of the biggest problems pollsters have is that people often lie in India. Not because we are devious people but because we have no confidence in how this information will be used and whether revealing it will harm us in some way.

The agency CSDS does a post-poll survey in which it sends its staff to peoples homes and conducts in-depth 30-minute interviews. It seeks to know why people have voted in the way that they have and what are the issues concerning them. They have a relatively small sample size because of the focus on depth and quality rather than quantity.

Often the polling agencies seem to be merely guessing. I can remember one general election about 15 years ago in which the agency was headed by my friend, pollster GVL Narasimha Rao (he is a BJP leader now). The show was being hosted by another friend, columnist Swaminathan S Anklesaria Aiyar. As the results started coming in, it turned out that Raos agency had got almost every state wrong. Aiyar asked him about it, and Rao said that his national total was more or less right. This is, of course, not acceptable and its just guesswork pretending to be science.

One way of getting around the unpredictability of polling in India is to give a band or a range. If we look at the Madhya Pradesh polls, four agencies have predicted not a specific number but a range, sometimes as wide as 20 seats. This means that they are not confident of their polling figures and not even sure about who will win. The data is either confusing or the numbers are too close, and the one thing this indicates is that the dominance of the BJP in these states is waning though the prime minister campaigned hard.

The results are very important nationally because, in the Lok Sabha Election of 2014, the BJP had won 62 out of the 65 Lok Sabha seats in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh combined. The confidence of the opposition will go up and alliances will be easier to form if it becomes apparent that the BJP is losing ground in north India. In that sense of all the Assembly elections that we have seen since 2014, these are the most important.

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A journalist from The Times of India was reportedly heckled and threatened by the local police officer in Rajasthan's Jaipur when he objected to a polling officer forcing people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

A journalist from The Times of India was reportedly heckled and threatened by the local police in Rajasthan's Jaipur when he objected to a polling officer forcing people to vote for the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Narrating the incident in a report published on the media house's website, Siddhartha Dutta said that he was touring election booths in the city when he visited Adarsh Nagar poll booth number 101 and found voters complaining about election malpractices.

The voters, in a Muslim majority area, told the reporter that apart from the usual problems like malfunctioning Voter Verifiable Paper Audit Trail (VVPAT), or names being left off the electoral roll, there was one particular polling officer who was forcing voters to press the button number 1, ascribed to the BJP.

The irate voters were shouting outside the booth when the reporter reached there and heard their problems.

He tried to intervene in the situation, pointing out that the conduct of the polling officer was outright wrong. However, to his surprise, the local Station House Officer Raj Kumar Sharma heckled him and threatened to throw him behind bars. Dutta said he had taken the due press permissions to enter polling booths for the purpose of reporting.

The matter was resolved after the Deputy Commissioner of Police (East), Gaurav Yadav came and heard the reporter's complaint. Although the polling officer was removed from duty, no action was taken against the SHO.

This comes in the backdrop of a host of problems being reported from the state which polled on Friday. The Election Commission ordered the removal of returning officer of Pali in the Rajasthan Assembly seat after an EVM was reportedly found at the residence of a BJP candidate. A video purportedly showing the electronic voting machine laying unattended in the house had gone viral.

Earlier in the day, the poll panel had said that a sector officer carrying a reserve machine had gone to the BJP candidate's house following which the sector officer was removed and the EVM taken out of election system.

The police reported a few clashes among supporters but said that polling across the 51,687 booths was largely peaceful. Special DG (law and order) NRK Reddy said that ITBP jawans opened fire in the air to disperse a mob trying to enter a booth at a village in Alwar's Mundawar constituency.

A jeep was torched outside a booth in Bikaner and a motorcycle set on fire near another in Sikar but polling remained unaffected, police said. Results will be declared on 11 December, along with those from the four other states that went to the polls during the past weeks.

With inputs from agencies
Sajjad Lones total transformation, as he tells it, took place when he was a 24-year-old in one of the overcrowded prisons in Srinagar.

Sajad Lones total transformation, as he tells it, took place when he was a 24-year-old in one of the overcrowded prisons in Srinagar. The means of his makeover, his disillusionment with enmity, was the kindness shown by a constable of the Border Security Force deployed, in panic, in the Valley, a year after eruption of insurgency took the establishment by surprise.

Two simple acts of compassion are forever etched in his mind: the constable called him a brother, and once, in the dead of the night, brought him chicken and bread when Lone could not bear any more of the prisons food. Two months after the constable showed him kindness, Lone was a free man and soon left the country. He did not for a moment think that the events in the coming decades would take an unexpected turn: the former secessionist grew close to the Bharatiya Janata Party.

At his cosy residence in Srinagars fortified Church Lane, Lone sees the act of kindness as the key to addressing the alienation of Kashmiris from India  with love. Nothing much will come of Imran (Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan) and Modi (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) talking to each other, he said. Our problems will still remain.

The BJPs most vocal ally in the Valley, Lone had a typical Kashmiri upbringing that instilled in him some sort of love for Pakistan. That was until a visit to Karachi, Pakistans city of lights, as a high-school graduate in 1984, six years before the total transformation, dimmed his infatuation with the Muslim neighbour when he, unwittingly, defended India as our country in an argument with his peers.

On the streets of Karachi, Lone would act more loyal than the king among his associates, he admits candidly. Nearly three decades later, the 52-year-old is now presenting himself as a change-maker who could possibly lead the conflict-ridden state out of chaos, as its chief minister, and is no longer alone. As the BJP threw its weight behind Lone, politicians disgruntled with the control of and subservience to dynasts have begun to look towards Lones Peoples Conference as an alternative.

The rabble-rouser

Lone had been in Cardiff in the United Kingdom to pursue a degree in economics before his 1990 detention. He married for love, and ran businesses abroad. Life was good until May 2002, when his father, Abdul Ghani Lone, was assassinated by Pakistan-trained jihadists at the commemoration of another slain Hurriyat colleague, Mirwaiz Maulvi Farooq. Lone was anointed the chairman of the separatist Peoples Conference.

That year, the public war of words between the senior Lone and the Jamaati, separatist hawk, Syed Ali Shah Geelani, had put the Hurriyat on the edge. Geelani accused Lone of being willing to field proxy candidates in the elections that were to be held later that year in October. Following the assassination, Lones reaction would surprise many: the 35-year-old publicly blamed Pakistans Inter-Services Intelligence for his fathers killing.

Geelanis resentment with the Peoples Conference, however, did not end with the senior Lones demise. About a year and a half into active politics as the separatist partys chairman, Lone said he was shunted out of the Hurriyats fold. In 2004, Lone parted ways with his brother, Bilal who remains committed to the secessionist cause that both brothers say is their fathers true legacy.

While still within the separatist spectrum, Lone dared to upset the secessionist leaderships apple cart by doing the unthinkable. He earned another distinction in the camp  where, he says, same statements and slogans of 1989, printed on the first day are still in circulation, photocopied over and over  to abandon rhetoric for roadmap. After eight months of research, Lone claims he came up with the paper titled 'Achievable Nationhood' to be presented to the-then prime minister Manmohan Singh.

However, the document was never acknowledged by the prime minister, Lone said. That made it clear to him that the Congressis make so much of a noise but would not come through when it was their turn to take a step forward. Lone was denied a passport for three years, he infers from the events, following the release of the document. His Pakistani wife and their two children, all in Pakistan at that time, were also refused visas for the same period. Even then, I was singled out, Lone recalled. I was this big terrorist guy. I was put in the PAC (Prior Approval Category) list with the dreaded terrorists. Lone said it was the BJPs efforts that reunited him with his family by clearing his passport.

Two years after the release of the document, the Kashmir Valley would plunge into a massive uprising that, in the years to come, set off a series of events. After the months-long uprising, a high voter turnout in the Assembly elections gave way to speculation about Lone. Geelani would yet again accuse the Peoples Conference  this time Lone  of fielding proxy candidates in the polls.

Lone had had enough. At the press conference  where he famously swore on the Quran, distancing himself from the candidates named by Geelani as the PCs proxies  he lashed out at the Hurriyat hawk, calling him a liar and curse on Kashmir. I cannot be a punching bag for the rest of my life, he charged at reporters. Does one have to suffer Geelanis abuses (to be in the separatist camp)? I will rethink (if I want to be in this camp), I will talk to my people once again. Its not worth it.

Less than six months later, it seemed Lone had decided it really was not worth it. He entered the 2009 parliamentary elections, contesting from the Baramulla Lok Sabha constituency. At that point, he told reporters: Fighting elections is a change of strategy and not ideology. Though he lost the polls, coming in third, Lone did not lose his resolve. His critics had dismissed him as an opportunist who lacks political acumen, but Lones rise has been steady. The idealism about Pakistan was lost on Lone in 1984, he said. In retrospect, Lone says that he had never accepted the Hurriyat in their current form from the time he joined them as a legacy politician  as a dynast whose legacy ended with his exit from the secessionist camp.

In 2014, the Lone legacy was revived as Lone was elected to the state Assembly from Handwara  the constituency his father had represented. That year, Lone had surprised many, but falling short of stirring the hornets nest, when he publicly declared his proximity to the BJP, days before the 2014 Assembly elections, after a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in New Delhi. He was reported to have said that the meeting went so well that he was unsure whether he was speaking to the PM or my older brother. Besides Lone, another candidate fielded by the PC also won. The party had managed to reach the civil secretariat, the states corridors of power, as part of the BJPs quota in the cabinet.

It is this confidence and his proximity to the BJP that has armed his detractors, whose coordinated and sustained campaigns against him have made one thing evident: the possibility of his emergence as a leader and the PC as an alternative to the National Conference and the People's Democratic Party has unnerved those who got the reins to the state from their fathers. As he lit a Parliament cigarette, Lone said a vilification campaign against him portrayed him as some James Bond  an RSS, BJP, Hindutva, anti-Muslim, anti-jihadi demon. His detractors, he said, are frustrated, flustered.

Taking a fraction of the blame for the states most unpopular governments in recent history, Lone said the BJP was not a political untouchable in Jammu and Kashmir. My people believe in me, he said confidently. Its all about the leader and how he sells it. If you sell hatred, you will get hatred in return. If you sell love and development, you will get those in return.

Now a former cabinet minister residing in the VIP quarters at one of Srinagars most secure areas, Lone reminisces of the early days since he became the butt of jokes in Kashmir. As he campaigned for his parliamentary polls in the bygone days before the advent of WhatsApp, he still remembers, SMS alert-based news groups sent out updates stating Sajad Lone addressing six people three people. Today, he sees the possibility of his coronation nearer. Cutting short a hypothetical question about a possible PC-led government, Lone said, Its not hypothetical; its going to be a reality.

The one with the crazy ideas

In the Hurriyat spectrum, Lone said, ideas about the importance of governance and social issues  that could not wait till independence  were deemed crazy. A state ravaged by corruption, fast losing its forest cover, could not afford to stay silent. Trees will not grow faster after independence, he said. Our schools are not good and an entire population cannot be re-educated.

If and when there is a government that Lone presides over, it would be totally different as he had a mind of his own about how to govern  decentralisation and liberalisation were key to the governance guided by the understanding of the difference between grievances and aspirations. While the former was within the ambit of the Constitution, Lone equates the latter with the demands for secession and outside our political system.

There are no short-term solutions, he said, and counter-insurgency operations, therefore, yielded only short-term results. You cannot totally say that operational measures have no space. They are needed when there is violence, a gunman staring at you, he said. But there is a vast majority of unarmed civilians who have not taken to violence that you need to reach out to. What Kashmir needed, he reiterates, are the structural responses beyond the regional unionist parties repeated demands of dialogue with Pakistan  for a beginning, the constables showing kindness.

Lones politics, so far, has been that of very few turns compared to his counterparts in the NC and PDP. There is a clarity of vision and discourse and a primary focus on addressing grievances. Lone intends to shun the pretence, often termed soft separatism, which is typical of the Valley-based unionist parties. When we seek a vote, we seek to redress grievances not to fulfil aspirations. Vote is to address grievances and I will only address grievances, he said.

The Kashmiri, Lone believes, is not a political robot who doesnt have social issues. Kashmiris are sum of many parts and one part of that is political. Maybe 20 percent political but the 80 percent is social, he said. If in power and given a chance, Lone said he would look into how (separatist sentiments) can be chiseled to fit into the category of grievances rather than aspirations outside the system.

Though his father  a two-time minister in state governments who favoured dialogue with the Indian Union  was said to have been willing to field proxy candidates in the 2002 elections, he had avoided seeking a solution within the ambit of Indian Constitution. Lone, however, has crossed that line. Boundaries cant be redrawn, its impossible, he says today.

In the days after the drama enacted over moves to form the government and the governors panicked dissolution of the Assembly, Lone feels the Opposition has upped its ante. The same environment was being created, he observed, which was created before his fathers assassination. Utterances in the last twenty years have been the cause of killings, he said grimly. His father dared to take a stand and gave his life for it. The son now dares to dream.
Reuters

Huawei Technologies Co Ltds chief financial officer faces US accusations that she covered up her companys links to a firm that tried to sell equipment to Iran despite sanctions, a Canadian prosecutor said on Friday, arguing against giving her bail while she awaits extradition.

The case against Meng Wanzhou, who is also the daughter of the founder of Huawei, stems from a 2013 Reuters report about the companys close ties to Hong Kong-based Skycom Tech Co Ltd, which attempted to sell US equipment to Iran despite US and European Union bans, the prosecutor told a Vancouver court.

The US prosecutors argue that Meng was not truthful to banks who asked her about links between the two firms, the court heard on Friday. If extradited to the United States, Meng would face charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions, the court heard, with a maximum sentence of 30 years for each charge.

No decision was reached after nearly six hours of arguments and counter-arguments, and the hearing was adjourned until Monday 10:00 a.m. Pacific Time (1800 GMT).

Meng, 46, was arrested in Canada on 1 December at the request of the United States. The arrest was on the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump met in Argentina with Chinas Xi Jinping to look for ways to resolve an escalating trade war between the worlds two largest economies.

The news of her arrest has roiled stock markets and drawn condemnation from Chinese authorities, although Trump and his top economic advisers have downplayed its importance to trade talks after the two leaders agreed to a truce.

Fridays court hearing was intended to decide on whether Meng can post bail or if she should be kept in detention.

The prosecutor opposed bail, arguing that Meng was a high flight risk with few ties to Vancouver and that her familys wealth would mean than even a multi-million-dollar surety would not weigh heavily should she breach conditions.

Mengs lawyer, David Martin, said her prominence made it unlikely she would breach any court orders.

You can trust her, he said. Fleeing would humiliate and embarrass her father, whom she loves, he argued.

The United States has 60 days to make a formal extradition request, which a Canadian judge will weigh to determine whether the case against Meng is strong enough. Then it is up to Canadas justice minister to decide whether to extradite her.

A spokesman for Huawei said on Friday the company has every confidence that the Canadian and U.S. legal systems will reach the right conclusion. The company has said it complies with all applicable export control and sanctions laws and other regulations.

Iran Business

The US case against Meng involves Skycom, which had an office in Tehran and which Huawei has described as one of its major local partners in Iran.

In January 2013, Reuters reported that Skycom, which tried to sell embargoed Hewlett-Packard computer equipment to Irans largest mobile-phone operator, had much closer ties to Huawei and Meng than previously known.

In 2007, a management company controlled by Huaweis parent company held all of Skycoms shares. At the time, Meng served as the management firms company secretary. Meng also served on Skycoms board between February 2008 and April 2009, according to Skycom records filed with Hong Kongs Companies Registry.

Huawei used Skycoms Tehran office to provide mobile network equipment to several major telecommunications companies in Iran, people familiar with the companys operations have said. Two of the sources said that technically Skycom was controlled by Iranians to comply with local law but that it effectively was run by Huawei.

Huawei and Skycom were the same, a former Huawei employee who worked in Iran said on Friday.

A Huawei spokesman told Reuters in 2013: Huawei has established a trade compliance system which is in line with industry best practices and our business in Iran is in full compliance with all applicable laws and regulations including those of the UN We also require our partners, such as Skycom, to make the same commitments.

US Case

The United States has been looking since at least 2016 into whether Huawei violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, Reuters reported in April.

The case against Meng revolves around her response to banks, who asked her about Huaweis links to Skycom in the wake of the 2013 Reuters report. US prosecutors argue that Meng fraudulently said there was no link, the court heard on Friday.

US investigators believe the misrepresentations induced the banks to provide services to Huawei despite the fact they were operating in sanctioned countries, Canadian court documents released on Friday showed.

The hearing did not name any banks, but sources told Reuters this week that the probe centered on whether Huawei had used HSBC Holdings to conduct illegal transactions. HSBC is not under investigation.

US intelligence agencies have also alleged that Huawei is linked to Chinas government and its equipment could contain backdoors for use by government spies. No evidence has been produced publicly and the firm has repeatedly denied the claims.

The probe of Huawei is similar to one that threatened the survival of Chinas ZTE Corp, which pleaded guilty in 2017 to violating US laws that restrict the sale of American-made technology to Iran. ZTE paid a $892 million penalty.
Reuters

Uber Technologies Inc has filed paperwork for an initial public offering, according to three people with knowledge of the matter, taking a step closer to a key milestone for one of the most closely watched and controversial companies in Silicon Valley.

The ride-hailing company filed the confidential paperwork on Thursday, one of the sources said, in lock-step with its smaller US rival, Lyft Inc, which also announced on Thursday it had filed for an IPO, setting the stage for one of the biggest technology listings ever.

The simultaneous filings extend the protracted battle between Uber and Lyft, which as fierce competitors have often rolled out identical services and matched each others prices.

Ubers valuation in its most recent private financing was $76 billion, and it could be worth $120 billion in an IPO. Its listing next year would be the largest in what is expected to be a string of public debuts by highly valued Silicon Valley companies, including apartment-renting company Airbnb Inc and workplace messaging firm Slack.

The IPO will be a test of public market investor tolerance for Ubers legal and workplace controversies, which embroiled the company for most of last year, and on Chief Executive Dara Khosrowshahis progress in turning around the company.

Khosrowshahi took over just over than a year ago, and has repeatedly stated publicly he would take Uber public in 2019.

Together, Uber and Lyft will test public market investor appetitive for the ride-hailing business, which emerged less than a decade ago and has proven wildly popular, but also unprofitable.

Uber in the third quarter lost $1 billion and is struggling with slowing growth, although its gross bookings, at $12.7 billion, reflect the companys enormous scale. Its revenue for the quarter was $2.95 billion, a 5 percent boost from the previous quarter. Its booking grew just six percent for the quarter.

Uber faces a deadline to go public by September, and a filing this week suggests the debut will come earlier than that. An investment by SoftBank that closed in January, which gave the Japanese investor a 15 percent stake in Uber, included a provision that requires Uber to file for an IPO by Sept. 30 of next year or the company risks allowing restrictions on shareholder stock transfers to expire.

The Wall Street Journal reported the filing earlier on Friday.

History of Scandal

Becoming a public company will bring a heightened level of investor scrutiny and exposure to Uber, which suffered a string of scandals when the company was led by co-founder and former CEO Travis Kalanick, who resigned last year.

The controversies included allegations of sexual harassment, obtaining the medical records of a woman raped by an Uber driver in India, a massive data breach, and federal investigations into issues including possibly paying bribes to officials and illicit software to evade regulators.

Khosrowshahi and his leadership team have worked to reset the workplace culture and clean up the messes, including settlements with U.S. states over the data breach and with Alphabets self-driving car unit, Waymo, which had accused Uber of trade secrets theft.

Uber today is a different company than the vision its founders pitched to early investors, which helped Uber become the most highly valued venture-backed company in the United States.

After concessions in China, Russia and Southeast Asia, where Uber sold its business to a local competitor, and the prospect of another merger in the Middle East, Uber is far from being the dominant global ride-hailing service it set out to be.

Uber still has services in dozens of countries, while Lyft is in North America, although the smaller company is plotting a global expansion, sources told Reuters.

Uber has also added a number of other businesses, which are growing but have yet to show sustainable profits, in a bid for growth. Those include freight hauling, food delivery and electric bike and scooter rentals. Meanwhile, its self-driving car unit is costing the company about $200 million a quarter, according to investors, but Ubers program has retrenched since one of its autonomous cars killed a pedestrian in March.
The Associated Press

Scientists think theyve figured out the falling dominoes that led to Earths largest mass extinction and worry that human-caused climate change puts the planet on a vaguely similar path.

Some 250 million years ago, about 90 percent of sea life and 70 percent of land life went extinct in what is now called the Great Dying. Scientists have long speculated that massive volcanic outbursts triggered the cataclysmic event, but how that worked was still a bit fuzzy. It wasnt the lava itself.

A new study in Thursdays journal Science used complex computer simulations to plot out what happened after the volcanoes blew: It led to ocean temperatures rising by about 20 degrees (11 degrees Celsius), which then starved the seawater of oxygen. That hot oxygen-starved water caused the mass marine die-off, especially farther from the equator.

After the volcanoes blew, the level of heat-trapping carbon dioxide soared to a level more than 12 times what it is today, said study lead author Justin Penn, an Earth sciences researcher at the University of Washington.

Water loses oxygen when it warms, much like a warm can of cola goes flat, Penn said. Scientists looked at dozens of modern species to see what happens to them in warmer, oxygen-starved water and that helped them understand the past extinction.

One of the keys in the research is that more species died off away from the equator. Thats because tropical species were more acclimated to low oxygen levels, Penn said.

While humans arent warming the Earth anywhere close to as much as what happened naturally 250 million years ago, this puts our future into the category of contenders for true catastrophe, said study co-author Curtis Deutsch, an Earth scientist at the University of Washington.

The ancient die-off shows almost exactly what lies at the end of the road were on, Deutsch said. Were really doing the same thing to Earths climate and oceans.

The study calculates that if heat-trapping carbon dioxide emissions continue on current levels, by the year 2300, the globe will experience 35 to 50 percent of the extinction level seen in the Great Dying.

University of Leeds paleontologist Paul Wignall said no current global warming scenario envisions 20 degrees of warming in the next few centuries, so it could be millennia away.
The Associated Press

Negotiators at the UN climate talks got down to the nitty-gritty task of finalizing the rules this week for the Paris accord, a landmark agreement by countries three years ago to curb global warming.

The 2015 accord set a goal of keeping average global temperature increases well below 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 Fahrenheit) by the end of the century. Scientists say the deals most ambitious goal  limiting the rise to 1.5 degrees C (2.7 C)  is still feasible, but increasingly challenging.

The two-week meeting brings together diplomats from almost 200 countries, often with differing agendas. Some, such as the small Pacific islands, are pressing for urgent and drastic action, especially from developed countries, to reduce greenhouse gas emissions. Others, such as the European Union, agree on the need to cut emissions but want to ensure all countries contribute a fair share.

The US is also taking part, despite announcing last year that its pulling out of the Paris accord.

Decisions on crunch issues, which may include financial aid for poor countries, are expected to be left to ministers when they gather at the domed conference venue in the southern Polish city of Katowice next week.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, who issued a dramatic appeal to governments Monday to confront the threat of unchecked climate change, said he hopes the event in Poland will serve as a stepping stone for a meeting of leaders he is convening on the sidelines of next years General Assembly.

Guterres said he hopes to have progress by then on efforts to mobilize $100 billion to help developing nations reduce their emissions and adapt to climate change.

The capacity to come to the summit with a clear perspective on how that can be delivered and with a transparent approach to the financial dimension, that is absolutely crucial for our work to be effective, he said.

Across town, a brass band led celebrations Tuesday honoring the patron saint of miners. Katowice has a long history of coal mining, an industry that experts say cant continue for much longer if global goals to cut carbon emissions are to be met.

Anna Wiazek, a hairdresser from Katowice, said she was reserving judgment on the climate summit until the end.

We will see what comes out of it, because a conference is a conference but what is really important is what is actually done, the actions, she said. But Im happy and proud that this conference is taking place in Katowice, in our region because people will see that it is interesting and not so very polluted at all, that we can live comfortably here.

Elsewhere in Katowice, a US campaign group called the Heartland Institute held a meeting criticizing the widespread consensus among scientists that global warming is a man-made phenomenon. About 10 people attended the event, where speakers claimed that temperature increases recorded in recent decades are largely due to increased activity from the sun.

Such claims are frustrating for scientists who have spent decades studying past variations in Earths climate in order to understand current changes and provide forecasts for the future.

Valerie Masson-Delmotte, a French climate scientist, said 90 authors spent more than 1  years assessing about 6,000 peer-reviewed publications for the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes recent special report on the 1.5 C-target.

The strength of the IPCC report is the review process, said Masson-Delmotte, who co-chaired one of the reports three working groups. Its open, its transparent and the report has benefited from the critical minds of more than 1,000 reviewers and 42,000 review comments.

Scientists looked specifically at the influence of non-human factors, too, she said.

Its clear that the warming trend can only be explained by the response of the climate to more greenhouse gas emissions and their accumulation in the atmosphere, said Masson-Delmotte.

What we observed is consistent with basic physics, with the outcome of theoretical work, as well as numerical climate models. It doesnt mean that solar activity, volcanic activity, natural variations dont play a role but they dont explain the observed warming.

She noted that none of the authors of the IPCC reports receive payment for their contributions. And honestly if I would want to make more money, I would work in the finance sector, not in academic research, thats for sure, she added.
By Aaron Ross DAKAR (Reuters) - A Congolese army colonel has been arrested in connection with the killing of two U.N. sanctions monitors, a prosecutor said on Friday - the first member of the security services detained over the case. Zaida Catalan, a Swede, and Michael Sharp, an American, were killed in March 2017 while investigating reports of atrocities during an armed conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo's Kasai region between government forces and the Kamuina Nsapu militia.

By Aaron Ross

DAKAR (Reuters) - A Congolese army colonel has been arrested in connection with the killing of two U.N. sanctions monitors, a prosecutor said on Friday - the first member of the security services detained over the case.

Zaida Catalan, a Swede, and Michael Sharp, an American, were killed in March 2017 while investigating reports of atrocities during an armed conflict in Democratic Republic of Congo's Kasai region between government forces and the Kamuina Nsapu militia.

Congolese authorities initially blamed the militia, arrested about two dozen alleged fighters and charged them with involvement in the killings. The government later said it could not exclude the possibility state agents were involved.

Timothee Mukuntu, the prosecutor overseeing the case, told Reuters on Friday that Colonel Jean de Dieu Mambweni had been arrested but no formal charges had yet been filed.

Calls to Mambweni's phone did not connect and it was not immediately clear if he was represented by a lawyer. He has previously denied any role in Sharp and Catalan's deaths.

The prosecutor said Mambweni was arrested after a session in the trial of some of the arrested militia members on Thursday.

RECORDING

Defence layers at the hearing in the central city of Kananga said prosecutors played an audio recording of what they said was the colonel meeting the U.N. monitors at his house two days before their deaths.

In the audio recorded by Catalan, Mambweni was heard giving the monitors the number of a translator for them to use on their mission, and then calling the translator himself, two defence lawyers told Reuters.

Mambweni denied in court testimony last month that he had introduced them to the translator or played any part in the planning of their mission or their deaths.

Defence lawyer Tresor Kabangu also said members of his team had requested that Congo's interior minister at the time of the killings, Emmanuel Ramazani Shadary, appear in court to explain negotiations he led with Kamuina Nsapu representatives.

Shadary is now President Joseph Kabila's preferred candidate to replace him in a Dec. 23 election. A spokesman for Shadary did not respond immediately to a request for comment.

(Editing by Andrew Heavens)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Donald Trump replaced Rex Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, who was the CIA director at the time.

Washington: US president Donald Trump on Friday lambasted his former secretary of state Rex Tillerson, describing him as "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell", after the ex-diplomat alleged the president regularly pushed him to take decisions that were "illegal". On the same day, Trump praised Secretary of State Mike Pompeo for doing a great job. "Mike Pompeo is doing a great job, I am very proud of him. His predecessor, Rex Tillerson, didn't have the mental capacity needed," Trump said in a tweet.

"He (Tillerson) was dumb as a rock and I couldn't get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at state! he said. Trump's angry tweet on Tillerson came after the former secretary of state, in an interview to CBS News, was critical of the president. "I think he grew tired of me being the guy everyday that told him, 'You can't do that, and let's talk about what we can do,'" Tillerson said in his interview.

"He acts on his instincts, in some respects it looks like impulsiveness But it's not his intent to act on impulse. I think he really is trying to act on his instincts," he said.

"It's challenging for me coming from the disciplined, highly process-oriented ExxonMobil Corporation to go to work for a man who is pretty undisciplined, doesn't like to read, doesn't read briefing reports, doesn't like to get into the details of a lot of things.

"But rather just kind of says, 'Look, this is what I believe and you can try to convince me otherwise,' but most of the time you're not going to do that," Tillerson said.

Tillerson was the first Secretary of State in the Trump administration. They had never met till the day Tillerson was named as the secretary of state. "I think part of it (differences) was obviously we are starkly different in our styles. We did not have a common value system," he said.

"When the president would say, 'Here's what I want to do and here's how I want to do it,' I'd have to say to him, 'Mr President, I understand what you want to do, but you can't do it that way. It violates the law. It violates a treaty.' You know, he got really frustrated," said the former CEO of ExxonMobil. As the secretary of state, Tillerson had announced a 100-year plan for India. He visited India once as the top American diplomat. He was fired by Trump days before he was to participate in the first 'two plus two' dialogue with India. This was postponed and was held months later in September. Trump replaced, Tillerson with Mike Pompeo, who was the CIA director at the time.
By Richard Lough and Sudip Kar-Gupta PARIS (Reuters) - France hunkered down for another wave of potentially violent protests on Saturday as embattled President Emmanuel Macron planned to address the nation next week over public fury at the high cost of living, senior allies said.

By Richard Lough and Sudip Kar-Gupta

PARIS (Reuters) - France hunkered down for another wave of potentially violent protests on Saturday as embattled President Emmanuel Macron planned to address the nation next week over public fury at the high cost of living, senior allies said.

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said the three-week-old "yellow vest" revolt had "created a monster" and vowed police would have no tolerance for violence, with much of Paris in lockdown and tens of thousands of police deployed nationwide.

Named after the fluorescent safety vests that all French motorists must carry, the protesters are billing their planned action on Saturday as "Act IV" of worst unrest seen in the capital since the 1968 student riots.

Castaner warned that radicals would likely again infiltrate the protest movement - a backlash against high living costs but also, increasingly, a revolt against Macron himself, including his perceived loftiness and reforms favouring a moneyed elite.

"These last three weeks have created a monster," Castaner told reporters. "Our security forces will respond with firmness and I will have no tolerance for anyone who capitalises on the distress of our citizens."

Some 89,000 policemen will be on duty nationwide to forestall a repeat of last Saturday's destructive mayhem in exclusive central districts of Paris. Police in Paris will be backed up by armoured vehicles equipped to clear barricades.

Senior allies of Macron said the president would address the nation early next week. Navigating his biggest crisis since being elected 18 months ago, Macron has left it largely to his prime minister, Edouard Philippe, to deal in public with the turmoil and offer concessions.

But the 40-year-old is under mounting pressure to speak more fully as his administration tries to regain the initiative following three weeks of unrest in the G7 nation.

"The President will speak early next week. I think this is what the French people want, they want answers," Transport Minister Elisabeth Borne told Sud Radio on Friday.

Macron has not spoken in public since he condemned last Saturday's disturbances while at the G20 summit in Argentina and opposition leaders accused him of turning the Elysee Palace into a bunker where had taken cover.

"Is Macron still in Argentina? He must surely have an opinion," hard-left leader Jean-Luc Melenchon said on Twitter on Tuesday.

"The president himself must speak," main opposition conservative Republicains leader Laurent Wauquiez told Europe 1 radio on Thursday.

"FORGOTTEN FRANCE"

After the Dec. 1 riots in central Paris and sometimes violent demonstrations in dozens of other cities and towns across France, the government offered a rush of sweeteners to soothe public anger.

It started by scrapping next year's planned hikes to fuel taxes, the first major U-turn of Macron's presidency and costing the Treasury 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion).

But protesters want Macron to go further to help hard-pressed households, including an increase to the minimum wage, lower taxes, higher salaries, cheaper energy, better retirement provisions and even Macron's resignation.

But, mindful of France's deficit and not wanting to flout EU rules, Macron will have scant wriggle room for more concessions.

The "gilets jaunes" (yellow vest) movement remains amorphous and hard to define, with a rapidly shifting agenda and internal divisions.

One faction, which dubs itself the "Free Yellow Vests", called on protesters not to travel to Paris on Saturday but criticised Macron for refusing to hold direct talks.

"We appeal for calm, for respect of public property and the security forces," Benjamin Cauchy declared in front of the National Assembly. His group are seen as moderates within the broader movement.

"The forgotten France is the France of the regions and it is in the regions that the France will show peacefully their anger," Cauchy said.

"SMASHING THINGS UP"

The Eiffel Tower, opera house, and Louvre are among dozens of museums and tourist sites in Paris that will close on Saturday to pre-empt feared attacks by yellow vest militants.

Luxury boutiques and restaurants in fancy neighbourhoods and near the presidential palace erected barricades and boarded up windows. Department stores Galerie Lafayette and Printemps said they would not open in the capital on Saturday.

The trouble is jeopardising a timid economic recovery in France just as the Christmas holiday season kicks off. Retailers have lost about 1 billion euros in revenue since the protests erupted, the retail federation said.

On the French stock market, retailers, airlines and hoteliers suffered their worst week in months.

Patrick Delmas, 49, will shut his "Le Monte Carlo" bar next to the Champs Elysees on Saturday, blaming hoodlums from anarchist and anti-capitalist groups, as well as the yellow vest movement's violent fringe.

"We have lost 60 percent of business over the last 15 days," he said. "The problem is all those people who arrive with the sole intention of smashing things up."

($1 = 0.8802 euros)

(Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry, Dominique Vidalon, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Richard Lough and Marine Pennetier; Writing by Richard Lough; Editing by Mark Heinrich)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
'America's unjust and illegal sanctions against the honourable nation of Iran have targeted our nation in a clear instance of terrorism,' Rouhani said in a televised speech.

Tehran: Iran's president Hassan Rouhani said US sanctions were "economic terrorism", as he sought to foster a united front from visiting regional officials on Saturday. Washington has reimposed an oil embargo and other damaging sanctions on Iran since pulling out in May from a landmark 2015 nuclear deal between Tehran and major powers. "America's unjust and illegal sanctions against the honourable nation of Iran have targeted our nation in a clear instance of terrorism," Rouhani said in a televised speech.

He was speaking at a conference on terrorism and regional cooperation attended by parliament speakers from Afghanistan, China, Pakistan, Russia and Turkey. "We are facing an all-out assault which is not only threatening our independence and identity but also is bent on breaking our longstanding ties," he added. Rouhani drew parallels with the sanctions and other pressure faced by the countries attending the conference.

"When they put pressure on China's trade, we are all harmed... By punishing Turkey, we are all punished. Any time they threaten Russia, we too consider our security to be endangered," he said.

"When they impose sanctions on Iran, they deprive all of us of the benefits of international trade, energy security and sustainable development. And in fact, they impose sanctions on everyone.

"We are here to say that we don't intend to tolerate such insolence." Rouhani also warned Europe - which has strongly objected to the US withdrawal from the nuclear deal - that much is at stake in its efforts to bypass US sanctions and maintain trade with Iran.

"They should know that by sanctioning Iran, they would harm our ability to fight drugs and terrorism," Rouhani said, referring to Iran's efforts to combat smuggling, particularly from Afghanistan.

The European Union is working on a payment system, known as the "special purpose vehicle", to keep money flowing into Iran, but has struggled to find a host since many countries fear repercussions from the Trump administration.

The conference in Tehran was the second regional meeting on terrorism: the first was held last December in Islamabad.
By Aziz El Yaakoubi RIMBO, Sweden (Reuters) - Yemen's Saudi-backed government has proposed reopening the Houthi-held airport in the capital Sanaa on condition planes are inspected in the airports of Aden or Sayun which are under its control, two government officials said on Friday. The Houthis rejected the proposal floated at U.N-sponsored peace talks in Sweden that are aimed at cementing confidence-building measures that could lead to a ceasefire to halt air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi missile attacks on Saudi cities. But given this is only the second day of the talks due to last until Dec

By Aziz El Yaakoubi

RIMBO, Sweden (Reuters) - Yemen's Saudi-backed government has proposed reopening the Houthi-held airport in the capital Sanaa on condition planes are inspected in the airports of Aden or Sayun which are under its control, two government officials said on Friday.

The Houthis rejected the proposal floated at U.N-sponsored peace talks in Sweden that are aimed at cementing confidence-building measures that could lead to a ceasefire to halt air strikes by a Saudi-led coalition and Houthi missile attacks on Saudi cities.

But given this is only the second day of the talks due to last until Dec. 13, and with both sides are coming under mounting pressure for action because of the human toll of the war, there could be room for concessions.

The war has killed tens of thousands of people and spawned what the United Nations calls the world's direst humanitarian crisis, since the coalition intervened in 2015 to restore a government ousted by the Iran-aligned Houthi movement.

The warring sides agreed on Thursday to free thousands of prisoners, in what U.N. mediator Martin Griffiths called a hopeful start to the first peace talks in two years to end a war that has pushed millions of people to the verge of starvation.

Griffiths wants a deal on reopening the airport, shoring up the central bank and securing a truce in Hodeidah, the country's main port, held by the Houthis and a focus of the war after the coalition launched a campaign to capture it this year.

Sanaa airport, which has been bombed several times, is in Houthi territory but access is restricted by the Saudi-led coalition, which controls the air space.

Marwan Dammaj, Yemen's minister of culture in the internationally recognised government of President Abd-Rabbu Mansour Hadi, told Reuters Sanaa airport should be re-opened to put "an end to the people's suffering regarding transportation".

"But it should be a domestic airport from where Yemenis can go to Aden and then leave to international destinations," added Dammaj, a member of the government delegation.

Hamza Al Kamali, another member of the delegation, said airplanes must stop in airports in the southern city of Aden or Sayun, east of the capital, for inspection before leaving Yemen.

The Houthi delegation head at the peace talks, Mohammed Abdusalam, rejected the proposal. "The airport should be opened in accordance to international standards, and we do not accept inspections," Abdusalam told Al Jazeera television.

A U.N. source declined to comment.

STALEMATE

The United Nations is also trying to avert a full-scale assault on Hodeidah, the entry point for most of Yemen's commercial goods and aid.

Both sides have reinforced positions in the Red Sea city in sporadic battles after a de-escalation last month.

Yemen's government is sticking to its position that Hodeidah should be under its control, said Kamali.

"We say that the city should be controlled by a police force from Hodeidah's sons and not the Houthis. We cannot legitimise the presence of the Houthi in Hodeidah."

Abdusalam said the port of Hodeidah must be kept apart from the military conflict, and that a government should be formed first before all parties are disarmed.

The war, widely seen across the region as a proxy conflict between Saudi Arabia and Iran, has been in stalemate for years, threatening supply lines to feed nearly 30 million inhabitants.

The Houthis control Sanaa and the other most populated areas, while the ousted government based in the southern city of Aden has struggled to advance despite the aid of Arab states.

No peace talks have been held since 2016, and the last attempt in Geneva in September failed when the Houthis did not attend.

The humanitarian suffering in one of the world's poorest countries has added to pressure on the parties to end the conflict, with faith in the Saudi-led war effort flagging among Western allies that arm and support the coalition.

Outrage over the Oct. 2 murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi at the kingdom's Istanbul consulate has also undermined Western support for Riyadh's regional activities.

(Additional reporting bu Mohammed el-Sherif in Cairo; Writing by Michael Georgy; Editing by Alison Williams)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
By Paul Carrel and Madeline Chambers HAMBURG (Reuters) - Germany's Christian Democrats elected Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Friday to replace Angela Merkel as party leader, a decision that moves her into pole position to succeed Europe's most influential leader as chancellor. Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, is Merkel's protege and was the continuity candidate favoured by the party elite. She won the leadership with 517 votes out of 999 votes cast by delegates.

By Paul Carrel and Madeline Chambers

HAMBURG (Reuters) - Germany's Christian Democrats elected Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer on Friday to replace Angela Merkel as party leader, a decision that moves her into pole position to succeed Europe's most influential leader as chancellor.

Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, is Merkel's protege and was the continuity candidate favoured by the party elite. She won the leadership with 517 votes out of 999 votes cast by delegates. Her rival, Friedrich Merz, won 482 votes in a run-off.

A former state premier in Saarland, where she led a three-way coalition, Kramp-Karrenbauer has a reputation for uniting support across the conservative Christian Democratic Union (CDU) and a talent for striking alliances with other parties.

Sometimes dubbed "mini Merkel", Kramp-Karrenbauer is admired by the CDU upper echelons for her appeal across the party.

"I have read a lot about what I am and who I am: 'mini', a copy, simply 'more of the same'. Dear delegates, I stand before you as I am and as life made me and I am proud of that," Kramp-Karrenbauer said in a passionate speech to the congress.

Playing up her experience in regional government, she added to cheers and loud applause: "I learned what it is to lead - and above all learnt that leadership is more about being strong on the inside than being loud on the outside."

Merkel said in October she would step down as party chief but remain chancellor, an effort to manage her exit after a series of setbacks since her divisive decision in 2015 to keep German borders open to refugees fleeing war in the Middle East.

There was jubilation as the result of the run-off was announced. A tearful Kramp-Karrenbauer thanked her rivals and invited them to share the stage with her in a show of party unity, which delegates applauded.

Earlier, an emotional Merkel bowed out as party leader, telling the congress: "It has been a great pleasure for me, it has been an honour."

Kramp-Karrenbauer has differentiated herself from Merkel on social and foreign policy by voting in favour of quotas for women on corporate boards and taking a tougher line on Russia.

She told Reuters last week that Europe and the United States should consider blockading Russian ships over the Ukraine crisis.

But on what lies ahead for the CDU, Kramp-Karrenbauer said when campaigning: "I have no particular recipe."

During the campaign, she took a more cautious stance on the future of Europe than Merz, who said Germany should "contribute more" to the European Union as it benefits from a euro common currency that is "too weak for our economy".

Last month, Kramp-Karrenbauer told a business conference: "With every wish to take Europe forward with a German-French nucleus, the proposals must always fit with German interests."

Party insiders say she gets on well with Merkel. "The chemistry is good," said one senior CDU official.

(Editing by Mark Heinrich)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Wading deeper and deeper into the White House, federal prosecutors in New York and the special counsel in charge of the Russia probe Robert Mueller, playing good cop-bad cop, filed their separate sentencing memos for US president Donald Trumps former legal fixer Michael Cohen Friday, recommending substantial prison time for the man who once said he would 'take a bullet' for Trump. Trump's opponents have pounced on Friday's new reveal, claiming it nails Trump as 'co-conspirator' in a criminal case and plunges the US president into the worst possible legal situation he has ever been while a defiant Trump has instantly declared victory on Twitter.

New York: Wading deeper and deeper into the White House, federal prosecutors in New York and the special counsel in charge of the Russia probe Robert Mueller, playing good cop-bad cop, filed their separate sentencing memos for US president Donald Trumps former legal fixer Michael Cohen Friday, recommending substantial prison time for the man who once said he would "take a bullet" for Trump. Trump's opponents have pounced on Friday's new reveal, claiming it nails Trump as "co-conspirator" in a criminal case and plunges the US president into the worst possible legal situation he has ever been while a defiant Trump has instantly declared victory on Twitter.

For those looking to get straight to the red meat of all these Cohen-related filings today, it is the New York prosecutors saying Cohen broke the law "in coordination with and at the direction of" Candidate Trump.

Mueller also filed a document explaining why he believes former Trump campaign chair Paul Manafort has lied to investigators in recent months. Manafort broke away from a co-operation agreement with Mueller and is likely hoping for a presidential pardon to escape significant jail time.

Links:

New York prosecutors' sentencing memo against Cohen

Mueller's sentencing memo on Cohen

Taken together, what does all this add up to for the man raging and fuming inside the White House? The Justice Department's view is that a sitting president cannot be indicted. Enemy action, if at all, is likely to come when Democrats take control of the House of Representatives early next year. If they move to impeach Trump basis all of Mueller's mini-bombshell filings so far, the Senate will most likely block it unless there's a Nixon moment and Republicans withdraw support to Trump. Note that Republicans control the US Senate and political power has split down the middle after the 2018 midterms. Donald Trumps troubles from the Russia "witch hunt" arent likely going to end in any court of law, its going to end at the voting booth in the 2020 elections.

Back to Cohen - he has been cooperating with two groups of investigators, one probing the lawyers payment of hush money to porn star Stormy Daniels on the eve of the 2016 election, and Robert Muellers investigation into Russia's alleged collusion with the Trump 2016 campaign. Cohen will be sentenced by a New York judge next Wednesday. Today's filings unveil in great detail how Cohen paid off two women whose stories of extra marital affairs with Individual 1 ( Donald Trump), if published, would hobble Trump's 2016 presidential campaign.

Trump, raging from the early morning hours in anticipation of these filings, pounced on the '#MuellerFriday' breaking news with a one line tweet - see below.

Totally clears the President. Thank you!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018

Trump's opponents don't think so. A parade of legal experts on US news networks are saying today's revelations put Trump in more legal trouble than he ever was. "One hundred percent", says Neal Katyal, former Acting Solicitor General of the United States. "To call Trump's role in all of this anything less than a crime is a ridiculous kind of spin", says Jeffrey Toobin.

Cohen has admitted to lying to Congress and orchestrating hush-money payments to protect Trump. Prosecutors have recommended for Cohen a term of 42 months and a $100,000 fine. "The real news right now is not about Cohens sentence. It is about the conclusion by federal prosecutors that Donald J. Trump has committed a serious felony. This is the 1st time fed prosecutors have essentially said Trump committed a felony, by directing Cohen to commit campaign finance vios. Trump has not been charged (yet) and has defenses he can try, but it is a very significant development", Katyal said. There is no evidence yet that president Trump himself is a target of the Mueller investigation but its clear that Trump is raging, as his tweetstorm today suggests.

Robert Mueller and Leakin Lyin James Comey are Best Friends, just one of many Mueller Conflicts of Interest. And bye the way, wasnt the woman in charge of prosecuting Jerome Corsi (who I do not know) in charge of legal at the corrupt Clinton Foundation? A total Witch Hunt...  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018

It has been incorrectly reported that Rudy Giuliani and others will not be doing a counter to the Mueller Report. That is Fake News. Already 87 pages done, but obviously cannot complete until we see the final Witch Hunt Report.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 7, 2018

Recent developments, including Friday's filings, provide answers to two questions: Did Trump or anyone in his inner circle conspire with Russia to influence the 2016 election? Did Trump obstruct justice in his efforts to shut down the Mueller investigation?

In the process, what Mueller has revealed in heavily redacted memos also creates a new theme: The possibility of perjury and mal-intent on Trump's part.

Trumps argument, though, has always been that his business dealings with Russia, for instance, are irrelevant to the Mueller investigation: I could have done it. I decided not to do it. What if I had not won? There would be nothing wrong if I did do it. I was running my business while I was running for President.

Freestyling like that has been Trumps signature at the family business and thats how he ran his campaign and now runs the White House. From all available accounts, he likes to come in, make some calls, take decisions on the fly. There is ambiguity on case laws that say exactly when this kind of freestyling is not okay. Does the red line become a thing after you sign up for a campaign or after you become president or after you become the candidate?

Despite the grey areas, what more do we know today and what does it mean for the Trump presidency?

The December filings by Mueller have fleshed out what was happening inside the 26th floor of the Trump Tower in New York City - which was the beating heart of the Trump campaign and the Trump business throughout the 2016 run.

What we now know is that from at least 2015 all the way till 2016, one of the Trump organisation's hottest potential real estate projects - the Moscow Project - was simply to chase a possible Trump Tower deal in the Russian capital city and their negotiations went right into the innermost chambers of the Vladimir Putin government.

One side says this is case closed and Trump says its a nothing burger.

On what grounds is this case closed? Trump opponents say that Muellers court filings already prove that Trumps campaign openly peddled access to a potential US president in return for favours from foreign powers so that Donald Trump-the-businessman benefitted - and all this is anti-America.

What law was Trump violating? Is there any case law that constrains a private citizen from making nice with foreign powers while running for public office? Yes, there are a few and the picture thats emerging is close to treason, says the resistance.

The Republican controlled Senate is unlikely to withdraw support even if the House (controlled by Democrats from January 2019) votes to impeach Trump. Trump and his White House will likely continue with the battering ram method, forever pushing the notion that anything less than complete criminality is totally okay.
WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S.

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - U.S. President Donald Trump, commenting on the clashes between police and "yellow vest" protesters in Paris, said on Saturday that it may be time to do away with the Paris accord on climate change.

"Very sad day & night in Paris," the president said in a message issued on Twitter. "Maybe it's time to end the ridiculous and extremely expensive Paris Agreement and return money back to the people in the form of lower taxes?"

(Reporting by David Morgan; Editing by Nick Zieminski)

This story has not been edited by Firstpost staff and is generated by auto-feed.
Shares of United Technologies (NYSE:RTX) had largely been stuck in neutral over the past year as the company awaited approval for its $30 billion acquisition of Rockwell Collins. The deal finally closed in late November, but the company's Nov. 26 announcement that it plans a three-way split adds a new layer of uncertainty that appears likely to linger well into 2020.

UTC's decision to split its aerospace business, Otis Elevator, and Carrier HVAC into three independent entities has long been discussed, and there is logic to the move. The three companies enjoy few economies of scale from working together, have different capital requirements and debt profiles, and issues at one business in the past have led investors to ignore successes elsewhere.

But the conglomerate model has provided some shelter for highly cyclical operations, and the independent units might be more vulnerable to market swings than the combination ever was.

What's an investor to do while the split plays out? Here's a look at the three companies that are set to emerge from United Technologies.

A one-stop aerospace shop

UTC paid a full price for Rockwell Collins, with the company going on the defensive to counter efforts by Boeing and Airbus to squeeze their supplier base and bring more work in-house. Combined with Rockwell Collins the UTC aerospace business, which will keep the United Technologies name, has greater exposure to key commercial platforms and more negotiating power.

The aerospace business with Rockwell Collins is by far the biggest segment inside the conglomerate, with pro forma annual sales of $39 billion. It supplies a range of electrical, mechanical, and software products, interior seats and cabin equipment, and Pratt & Whitney engines.

Honeywell, itself a mini-conglomerate but perhaps the most similar publicly traded entity, trades at about 2.6 times sales and 18 times expected 2019 earnings. TransDigm, a more focused aerospace supplier, meanwhile trades at about 22 times expected earnings. If the new United Technologies falls somewhere in that range the aerospace business alone would be worth about $100 billion, or a significant portion of the combined company's current $131.38 billion enterprise value.

It's worth noting that in addition to pressures from Airbus and Boeing commercial aerospace is benefiting from a now decade-long new plane buying binge, and Pratt & Whitney has had issues bringing its promising geared turbofan engine to market as promised. A fall-off in orders or continued engine problems could cut into valuation. But the post-split portfolio should have enough aftermarket exposure to make the new United Technologies a strong business even when new plane purchases inevitably decline.

Carrier M&A talk could heat up

Carrier, with $17.8 billion in sales, though best known for air conditioning, is a supplier of a range of HVAC, refrigeration, fire, security, and building automation products with a portfolio of brands including Kidde, Edwards, and Automated Logic and a global distribution network. United Technologies has reportedly been considering buyers for much of the business's fire and security businesses, which would create a HVAC and refrigeration specialist with both residential and commercial building exposure.

Should the fire business find a home elsewhere, Carrier could be an attractive partner for a rival like Johnson Controls or Lennox International. There is a huge variance in valuations in the sector, with Lennox trading at 2.3 times sales and 24.7 times expected earnings, conglomerate Ingersoll-Rand at 1.7 times sales and 18.8 times earnings, and Johnson Controls -- which like Carrier has a lower-margin fire and security unit -- at 1 times sales and 18 times earnings.

If an independent Carrier was to fall somewhere in the middle of that range it would be worth at least $30 billion, either as a stand-alone post-split or perhaps as part of a merged entity should United Technologies find a way to do a tax-efficient deal.

More down than up

Otis is the leading name in elevators, with an estimated 9% of the $22 billion global market according to research company Ibis World, but the company's share and margins have been on the decline for nearly a decade. The company in recent years has been willing to cut prices to try to gain marketshare in China, hoping to benefit from future servicing revenue.

Otis, with $12.3 billion in 2017 sales, generates strong cash flow via a portfolio of more than two million elevators under maintenance. But it was also the worst-performing part of UTC in the most recent quarter, with adjusted operating margins down 2.4% to 15.2%. United Technologies warned that it now expects Otis operating profit to fall year over year and said its 2020 profit goal is in doubt.

It's hard to value this business, as most of Otis' publicly traded rivals are smaller but have reported stronger growth and healthier margins of late. Kone Oyjs and European-traded Schindler Holdings are valued in a range of 2 to 2.4 times sales and 20 to 25 times forward earnings. Assume a similar range for Otis and you have a stand-alone valued at between $25 billion and $30 billion.

This business could also be ripe for a private equity buyer with some expertise in cost-cutting, or to participate in consolidation if regulators were to allow it.

No reason to jump in

There's a lot to like about United Technologies' portfolio, and evidence to suggest that the company is, as some activists have suggested, suffering from a conglomerate discount. The very rough comparables listed above would suggest that UTC's sum-of-the-parts valuation could be between 15% and 20% above its current enterprise value.

But considering all the work UTC management must do between now and 2020, and the risk of a turn in the business cycle between now and then, there isn't much reason to buy in ahead of the split. A report by Barclays analyst Julian Mitchell concluded that in 13 recent splits involving industrial companies, the shares of those companies on average underperformed the market by 4% from announcement until close. Given the uncertainty surrounding UTC, it would be no surprise if the market takes a similar wait-and-see approach to this breakup.

Within two years, investors will be able to choose between three distinct entities with very different free cash flow and growth profiles, and all tied to different markets. They'll also get to make that choice knowing exactly how the overall economy, the commercial aerospace cycle, and the construction cycle have held up as the split played out.

There's likely to be real value to come out of the United Technologies split. But now is not the time to buy in in anticipation of that value. The UTC split is best watched from the sidelines.
Galveston, TX (77553)

Today

Rain. High 64F. Winds N at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 100%. Rainfall around a quarter of an inch..

Tonight

Rain. Low 56F. Winds NNE at 10 to 15 mph. Chance of rain 90%. Rainfall near a quarter of an inch.
Does the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro has a change against the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2? Comparison Features oi-Vivek Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 is all set to launch on the 12th of December

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro is genuinely one of the best smartphones that anyone can get in India, especially under Rs 15,000 price mark. The Redmi Note 6 Pro offers the best-in-class camera experience, a design that we all love and adore and a big battery, that can offer up to two days of battery life on a single charge.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro might face stiff competition from the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2, which was recently unveiled in Russia for a starting price of 17,990 rubles (Rs 19,000). Considering the Asus's price strategy, the Asus ZenFone Max Pro is expected to retail around Rs 15,000 price mark in India to compete against the likes of the Redmi Note 6 Pro.

Let us compare the features and specifications of the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro and the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 to get a clear picture between the devices, and which one might suit your needs.

Design

The design of the Xiaomi Redmi series smartphones is almost at stale, where the company is following the concept "don't fix it if it ain't broke." The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro is not a bad looking smartphone in any way, albeit, the device does not stand a chance against the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 with an all-glass design with premium Corning Gorilla Glass 6 protection, which will prevent the screen from breaking with accidental drops. Both smartphones have an almost bezel-less design with a notch cut out, where the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 has a slightly smaller notch compared to the Note 6 Pro.

Processor, RAM, and storage

Both smartphones offer 4 GB of RAM and 64 GB of internal storage on the base variant with an option to expand storage using a microSD card. The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro runs on the Qualcomm Snapdragon 636 SoC, whereas the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 runs on Snapdragon 660 AIE Mobile Solution.

The Snapdragon 660 AIE offers improved CPU, GPU, networking, and also provides better image processing compared to the Snapdragon 636. Again, the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 has the edge over the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro.

Battery

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro comes with a 4000 mAh battery with support for Qualcomm Quick charging via micro USB port, and the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 comes with a slightly bigger 5000 mAh battery with support for Quick Charging support, which also has a micro USB port.

The Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 yet again has a bigger battery, which results in better battery life compared to the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro.

Camera

Both smartphones offer a dual camera setup with a 12 MP primary sensor and a 5 MP depth sensor. On paper, it seems that both smartphones have a similar camera setup. However, they use different camera sensor and different ISP (image sensing processor).

The ZenFone Max Pro has a 13 MP selfie camera on the front, whereas the Note 6 Pro has a dual camera setup with a 20 MP primary sensor and a 2 MP depth sensor.

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro has impressed us with the camera, and we are yet to test the Max Pro M2's camera. We can only pick the best amongst the two after testing the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2's camera in the coming days.

OS

The Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro and the Asus ZenFone Max Pro M2 runs on Android 8.1 Oreo with a different approach. The Redmi Note 6 Pro has a custom skin on top of Android (MIUI 10), whereas the Max Pro M2 comes with stock Android OS.

From the last few years, we have been using different Xiaomi devices and MIUI has grown over me. Similarly, with the stock Android OS, you will be familiar with the layout and the features offered, which will be similar to other Android One or Google Pixel devices.

It really depends on a user to choose between the MIUI 10 and stock Android. MIUI 10 is a feature-rich custom skin, whereas the same features can be achieved on stock Android by installing apps from the Play Store.

Verdict

We have compared the most look out feature on a mid-tier smartphone, and the ZenFone Max Pro M2 is clearly stealing the show by a large margin. Once again, the Indian pricing will make a lot of difference. If the Xiaomi Redmi Note 6 Pro is priced around Rs 15,000, then Redmi Note 6 Pro will have fierce competition.

Best Mobiles in India
Czech Intelligence Rejects President's Criticism On Reports Of Russian, Chinese Spies

By RFE/RL December 07, 2018

The Czech Security Intelligence Service (BIS) has rejected President Milos Zeman's accusations that it is giving him "wrong" data about intensification of spying activities in the country by Russia and China.

Zeman on December 6 publicly doubted the annual report by the BIS, which concluded that Moscow and Beijing have intensified their spying operations in the Czech Republic.

Zeman also said the quality of the BIS's work was deteriorating.

The BIS report issued on December 3 said Russian and Chinese spies in the country were working out of their embassies in Prague.

BIS chief Michal Koudelka said on December 7 that his service "has never been as successful as it has been in the last several years," adding that in the last five years, the service had prevented dozens of Russian and Chinese intelligence officers from operating on Czech territory either by refusing to accredit them or forcing them leave the country "quietly."

Zeman said the BIS failed to provide evidence of specific Russian or Chinese espionage activities.

He also accused the BIS of failing to uncover any Islamic "terrorists" in the Czech Republic, despite what he said was confirmation of their existence by law enforcement.

Zeman used slang words, describing the report as "gibberish" or "blather" and the intelligence officers as "bozos."

Koudelka said his agency broke a Russian spying network earlier this year and completely paralyzed its activities.

"According to our Israeli and U.S. colleagues, we are among the most effective services in Europe," Koudelka said.

Zeman is known for his pro-Russian and pro-Chinese views.

Prime Minister Andrej Babis and his government, as well as opposition politicians, have rejected Zeman's criticism.

With reporting by AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/czech-intelligence- rejects-president-s-criticism-on-reports-of -russian-chinese-spies/29643537.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.

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Assange's Lawyer Rejects Moreno's Deal to Leave Ecuadorian Embassy in UK

Sputnik News

05:55 07.12.2018(updated 10:26 07.12.2018)

MOSCOW (Sputnik) - Barry Pollack, a lawyer for WikiLeaks founder Julian Assange, has rejected a deal that Ecuadorian President Lenin Moreno said he struck with UK authorities, giving the whistleblower guarantees that he can leave the Ecuadorian Embassy in London without fearing that he would be put on death row outside the United Kingdom.

"The suggestion that as long as the death penalty is off the table, Mr Assange need not fear persecution is obviously wrong  No one should have to face criminal charges for publishing truthful information  Since such charges appear to have been brought against Mr Assange in the United States, Ecuador should continue to provide him asylum", Pollack told the newspaper The Telegraph.

Pollack maintained that the deal announced by Moreno was unacceptable, according to the outlet.

Assange's lawyer in Ecuador, Carlos Poveda, has told Sputnik that his client was ready to surrender to UK authorities after receiving written guarantees from London that he would not be extradited to the United States or any other country.

The whistleblower has been living in the Ecuadorian Embassy since 2012. Assange has repeatedly suggested he might be apprehended outside the embassy and extradited to the United States.

Over the past several months, the Ecuadorian authorities have been putting various restrictions on the conditions of Assange's stay in the embassy, which the whistleblower's defence has called a violation of his human rights.

In November, WikiLeaks suggested that the US authorities might have brought sealed charges against Assange, citing a filing in an unrelated case that used Assange's name in an "apparent cut-and-paste error".

 Sputnik

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Air Force proposes to base F-35s at Tyndall, supplemental funds needed to build advanced fighter base

Secretary of the Air Force Public Affairs / Published December 07, 2018

WASHINGTON (AFNS) -- Following the damage to Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, caused by Hurricane Michael, the Air Force is recommending that Congress use supplemental funding for rebuilding the base to prepare to receive the F-35 Lightning II fighter at the north Florida installation.

The Air Force has done a preliminary evaluation to confirm Tyndall AFB can accommodate up to three F-35 squadrons. The operational F-22 Raptors formerly at Tyndall AFB can also be accommodated at other operational bases increasing the squadron size from 21 to 24 assigned aircraft.

If this decision is approved and supplemental funds to rebuild the base are appropriated, F-35s could be based at Tyndall AFB beginning in 2023. Basing already announced in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin will not be affected by this decision.

"We have recommended that the best path forward to increase readiness and use money wisely is to consolidate the operational F-22s formerly at Tyndall in Alaska, Hawaii and Virginia, and make the decision now to put the next three squadrons of F-35s beyond those for which we have already made decisions at Tyndall," said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson.

"We are talking with Congressional leaders about this plan and will need their help with the supplemental funding needed to restore the base," she added.

On Oct. 10, Hurricane Michael tore through the gulf coast causing catastrophic damage to the region and damaging 95 percent of the buildings at Tyndall AFB. The base's hangars and flight operations buildings suffered some of the greatest damage from the storm passing directly overhead.

Before the storm, Tyndall AFB was home to the 325th Fighter Wing--comprised of two F-22 squadrons. One was operational and one was training. The base also hosts the 1st Air Force, the 53rd Weapons Evaluation Group, and the Air Force Civil Engineer Center.

More than 2,000 personnel have since returned to the base and the Air Force intends to keep the testing, air operations center, and civil engineer missions at Tyndall AFB. The recommendation announced today only affects the operational fighter flying mission at the base.

On Oct. 25, Vice President Mike Pence assessed the damage to the base and reassured Florida's panhandle community of the base's importance to the nation.

"We will rebuild Tyndall Air Force Base," Pence said.

Tyndall AFB's access to 130,000 square miles of airspace over the Gulf of Mexico is very valuable for military training.

"We have been given a chance to use this current challenge as an opportunity to further improve our lethality and readiness in support of the National Defense Strategy," said Chief of Staff of the Air Force Gen. David L. Goldfein.

The move would provide benefits across the service's fifth generation fighter operations. Basing F-35s at Tyndall AFB in the wake of hurricane damage allows the Air Force to use recovery funds to re-build the base in a tailored way to accommodate the unique needs of the F-35.

The Air Force will conduct a formal process to determine the best location for the F-22 training squadron currently displaced to Eglin AFB, Florida.

The consolidation will drive efficiencies which Air Force officials expect to increase the F-22's readiness rate and address key recommendations from a recent Government Accountability Office report that identified small unit size as one of the challenges with F-22 readiness.

"The F-35 is a game-changer with its unprecedented combination of lethality, survivability, and adaptability," Goldfein said. "Bringing this new mission to Tyndall ensures that the U.S Air Force is ready to dominate in any conflict."

The Air Force will comply with the National Environmental Policy Act and other regulatory and planning processes.

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USAFE-UK Host RAF Leaders sign Interoperability Charter

By Capt. Jhanelle Haag, U.S. Air Forces Europe-United Kingdom Public Affairs / Published December 07, 2018

ROYAL AIR FORCE LAKENHEATH, U.K. (AFNS) -- U.S. Air Force and Royal Air Force leaders met to discuss bilateral relations and sign the Combat Air Interoperability Working Group Charter at RAF Lakenheath, U.K., Nov. 27.

Brig. Gen. Andrew Hansen, U.S. Air Forces Europe-United Kingdom director, hosted Air Vice-Marshal Harv Smyth, Air Officer Commanding No. 1 Group, last week to strengthen host nation ties and sign the CAIWG charter. The agreement outlines operational integration of advanced fighters and training infrastructure.

"Anytime we can come together as allies and improve our readiness states is a victory," Smyth said. "I'm happy to have this opportunity to sign the charter and continue our special relationship."

The CAIWG is a working group composed of U.S. and Royal Air Force leaders who discuss issues related to airspace and training ranges for fourth and fifth-generation aircraft.

"Today both nations took a step together to ensure readiness and interoperability for our fifth-generation aircraft," said Hansen. "The charter gives us an opportunity to quantify our roles and responsibilities and further solidifies the strong alliance we have with the United Kingdom."

The timing of the charter is critical due to the arrival of the F-35B Lighting II to RAF Marham, U.K., June 7, 2018 and the projected arrival of the F-35A Lighting II to RAF Lakenheath in 2021.

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USS Green Bay, USCG Team Up for Transport

Navy News Service

Story Number: NNS181207-12

Release Date: 12/7/2018 12:02:00 PM

By Mass Communication Specialist 2nd Class Anaid Banuelos Rodriguez, USS Green Bay (LPD 20) Public Affairs

U.S. 7TH FLEET AREA OF OPERATIONS (NNS) -- Amphibious transport dock USS Green Bay (LPD 20) embarked United States Coast Guard transportable port security boats (TPSBs) assigned to Port Security Unit (PSU) 305, Nov. 27.

PSU 305's mission is to provide port security in support of military and humanitarian operations worldwide. The unit was recently in Port Moresby, Papua New Guinea, along with Green Bay providing maritime security in support of Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) conference.

"The U.S. Coast Guard supporting the APEC in Papua New Guinea was a very challenging, but rewarding experience," said Chief Machinery Technician Brian Padgett. "Being a first for the U.S. Coast Guard working with the Royal Australian Defense Forces on board the HMAS Adelaide (L01) required a lot of logistics and manpower, before and during the mission. It was a very unique experience for me, and I would be happy to work with the Australians again."

PSU 305 worked with a variety of countries and militaries while in Port Moresby, to include the New Zealand Royal navy, Australian Royal navy, Australian army and Papua New Guinea Water Police. After the APEC conference concluded, Adelaide and Green Bay worked together with the Coast Guard to ensure the efficient transfer of PSU 305's boats.

"The USCG PSU 305 has a very-specialized skill set that was the perfect fit for providing security during the APEC conference in Port Moresby harbor," said Capt. Tom Shultz, commanding officer of Green Bay. "With Green Bay forward deployed from Sasebo, Japan, we haven't had the opportunity to work with the USCG previously. We learned a lot operating directly with them in Port Moresby, seeing just how capable and critical they are to providing in-depth port security."

Loading the boats onto Green Bay required coordination between various departments to ensure a safe evolution.

"Working with the USS Green Bay Sailors and Marines to efficiently onload the U.S. Coast Guard's 8 TPSBs and 6 containers was a very smooth and unique experience for me," said Padgett. "Considering the Coast Guard trains and loads these assets primarily into aircraft, having to load our boats onto the flight deck of a Navy LPD was a little different, but nothing that couldn't be accomplished. This is something that has probably never been done before and was definitely a learning experience for myself. But it couldn't have been a smoother process transferring everything, thanks to the combat cargo Marines and Sailors from Green Bay who assisted. Overall, this was a great experience and it's been a pleasure to have been able to complete this mission with the USS Green Bay. "

Green Bay, a San Antonio-class amphibious transport dock, was commissioned by the U.S. Navy in 2009. The ship is forward deployed to Sasebo, Japan as part of Commander, Amphibious Force 7th Fleet and is operating in the region to enhance interoperability with partners and serve as a ready-response force for any type of contingency. Port Security Unit 305 was formally commissioned, Aug.19, 1995, at the Coast Guard Training Center in Yorktown, Virginia, and is one of eight PSUs in the Coast Guard.

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Trump calls Tillerson 'dumb as a rock'

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 10:34PM

Donald Trump has lashed out at his former secretary of state Rex Tillerson calling him "dumb as a rock" in a tweet after he described the US president as "undisciplined," unread and eager to break the law.

"Mike Pompeo is doing a great job, I am very proud of him. His predecessor, Rex Tillerson, didn't have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldn't get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!" Trump tweeted on Friday.

Trump launched the verbal assault at his onetime cabinet member one day after Tillerson, who was fired in March, harshly criticized his ex-boss.

"So often, the president would say here's what I want to do and here's how I want to do it and I would have to say to him, 'Mr. President, I understand what you want to do but you can't do it that way. It violates the law,'" Tillerson said during a rare interview on Thursday night as part of a charity dinner in his native Texas.

The former Exxon Mobil CEO admitted having strained relationship with the president and said he and Trump "did not have a common value system."

"I'd say, 'Here's what we can do. We can go back to Congress and get this law changed. And if that's what you want to do, there's nothing wrong with that.' I told him, 'I'm ready to go up there and fight the fight, if that's what you want to do,'" he said.

"He got really frustrated," he added. "I think he grew tired of me being the guy every day that told him you can't do that and let's talk about what we can do."

Trump and Tillerson had often contradicted each other on important foreign policy issues.

For example, Tillerson had been working on a plan to keep the United States in a 2015 multilateral nuclear deal with Iran despite vociferous rhetoric against the agreement by the US president, while Trump had accused Iran of not acting in keeping with the international nuclear deal.

Tensions between Trump and Tillerson reached a high point last fall when Tillerson referred to the president as a "moron" after a meeting in July at the Pentagon with members of his national security team and Cabinet members.

A few days after the report, Trump harshly criticized Tillerson in an interview with Forbes magazine, suggesting that he's smarter than the then-secretary of state.

Eventually, Trump summarily dismissed his top diplomat by tweet on March 13 this year.

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On Friday, December 7, Angela Merkels ruling Christian Democrats elected Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as party leader. AKK, as she is known, is liberal on economic issues, conservative on social issues, and once called for the Roman Catholic Church to ordain a quota of female clerics. Here are the facts you need to know.

What happened at Fridays CDU party leadership vote?

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer narrowly won the delegates vote to become party leader of the Christian Democratic Union (CDU) in a narrow, two-round election. She defeated the more conservative Friedrich Merz, a self-described committed European and trans-Atlanticist, by a vote of 517 to 482. (Health Minister Jens Spahn, who ran as an immigration skeptic, had been eliminated in the first round.)

In her acceptance speech, she hailed the CDU as a party that drew people from all political realms into the middle and vowed to assure it remains the great, common Volkspartei of the center. The election of AKK, sometimes dubbed a mini-Merkel, makes it likely Merkel will complete her fourth term as chancellor in 2021.

Who is AKK?

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, 56, kept her maiden name out of respect for her father, who died just before her marriage. The media regularly shorten her eight-syllable-long name to AKK.

AKK joined the Christian Democrats in 1981 as part of its youth division, then serving as deputy leader of the womens organization. In 2010, she was elected to the national committee.

One year later, she was elected state premier of Saarland, a coal mining region of one million people located in southwestern Germany near France. She has held that position since 2011. Last year, she scored 40 percent victory over then-rising Social Democratic Party leader Martin Schulz, outperforming the CDUs national average by eight percent.

On February 26, 2018, she was elected general secretary of CDU, the position Merkel held before becoming chancellor, with 99 percent of the vote.

I have very conservative positions in social policy and life protection, she has told Die Welt. But her economic views place her on the nations left. Its hard to pigeonhole me, she said.

What is her economic policy?

Der Spiegel describes AKK as from the Unions left wing.

Kramp-Karrenbauer has suggested the federal government should take more than half the earnings of most productive earners in taxes. In 2013, she advocated raising the top marginal tax rate by 11 percent, from 42 percent to 53 percent  a greater tax hike than those proposed by the Social Democrats or the Green Party. From my point of view, a return to the previous level should be possible, she said. That caused a free-market politician, Rainer Bruederle of the FDP, to call her a Socialist varnished in black, the color of the CDU.

She has called for the government to relieve retired Germans who receive smaller pensions by paying health costs out of the general treasury.

AKK also said reintroducing the draft or general compulsory [national] service is worth considering after a listening tour of Germany.

However, she exercises comparative advantage inside her family. My husband and I had a very pragmatic agreement right from the start: whoever earns more works full time, she said. So, we switched the classic roles, and her husband, Helmut, raised their three sons.

Where does she stand on social issues?

AKK is well to Merkels right on social issues. She would uphold the governments ban on advertising abortion. An abortion is not a gallbladder operation, she has said. She told Der Spiegel, I think it is necessary for us to make clear once again what the bedrock of our party is, namely the Christian view of humanity.

She also opposes same-sex marriage and adoption. In June 2015 she said, If we open up this definition to become a long-term responsible partnership between two adults, then other demands cant be ruled out, such as a marriage between close relatives or between more than two people.

What is her position on immigration?

AKK supported Merkels invitation for all Middle Eastern refugees who could reach Germany to make the trip in August 2015. This triggered migration by 1.4 million Middle Easterners to Europe, some of whom have been guilty of crime or terrorism, or are linked to ISIS. The decision fractured relations within the European Union and saw a significant number of CDU voters siphoned off by populist rival party AfD.

Kramp-Karrenbauer has accused Alternative fur Deutschland (Alternative for Germany, or AfD) of harboring  radical elements on the far right that are anti-Semitic, that support historical revisionism, and that are racist. She added that the party represents a threat to Jewish life in Germany.

Immigration is not issue number one, AKK has said. While it is impossible to reverse what happened in 2015, she will make sure that what happened in 2015 would not happen again.

She has said that criminal migrants and those whose applications are rejected should be deported to their country of origin. (German law currently bars returning Syrian asylum-seekers to that nation.) She has backed mandatory medical age tests for migrants who claim to be underage and called on immigrants to integrate into German culture.

How would she approach foreign policy and the transatlantic alliance?

Kramp-Karrenbauer supports the EU and the transatlantic alliance and seems more hawkish than Merkel. We must promote European unity, she has said. She would likely continue Merkels policies toward Russia  although she has suggested reducing the flow of natural gas through the Nord Stream2 pipeline. She has called for Germany to take a greater share of responsibility in foreign affairs, with a concomitant policy of increasing spending on defense.

She has promised to ensure that anti-American sentiments do not gain force inside the nation and to make clear that we continue to value our transatlantic friendship. However, she has a skeptical view of President Donald Trump. Campaigning on Friday, AKK said Germany faces international threats from egoists and autocrats.

She strongly supports the state of Israel, saying that Israels security is part of Germanys raison detre. And that raison detre must be made evident anytime Germany engages in political debates about current political issues in Israel.

What about her Roman Catholic faith?

AKK often describes herself as a devout Roman Catholic and belongs to the Central Committee of German Catholics (ZdK), a lay Catholic organization.

However, she opened a rift with her church in May when she told Christ & Welt that she supported female ordination. She said she could even imagine a quota of women in the Catholic Church.

What is missing from them, that they cannot receive this consecration? she asked, suggesting women first be admitted to the diaconate. While she admitted this would break more than a millennium of tradition, the Catholic Church would not perish, and many ecclesiastical rules are shaped by institutions, not by Jesus.

Cardinal Walter Brandmuller responded that anyone who supports womens ordination fulfils the elements of heresy which has, as its consequence, the exclusion from the Church  excommunication.

(Photo credit: Olaf Kosinsky / kosinsky.edu. CC BY-SA 3.0.)
Amnesty censures South Sudan over rising number of executions

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 03:33PM

Amnesty International has denounced a rise in the use of the death sentence in South Sudan, urging the world's youngest nation to "stop signing execution orders."

The London-based rights group said in a statement on Friday that seven people were executed this year, including one who was a child when convicted of murder. It said 342 other people were on death row.

"The world's youngest nation has embraced this outdated, inhuman practice and is executing people, even children, at a time when the rest of the world is abandoning this abhorrent punishment," Joan Nyanyuki, Amnesty's regional director, said in the statement.

"The president of South Sudan must stop signing execution orders and end this obvious violation of the right to life," she added.

Juba, however, denied the report, saying no one had been executed in the country since 2011 and a moratorium had been placed on the practice since 2013.

Presidency spokesman Ateny Wek Ateny said the capital punishment remained on the statute books, adding, "If you kill a person, you will be executed."

South Sudan, the youngest country in Africa, is suffering from a bloody civil war, whose history goes back to President Salva Kiir accusing his former deputy Riek Machar and current rebel leader of plotting a coup.

In September, Kiir signed a peace agreement with rebel factions in the Ethiopia to end the civil war.

However, UN rights investigators said on Friday that all sides in the conflict continue to recruit fighters despite the September accord which stipulates that the warring parties stop recruitment, whether voluntary or forced, as a permanent truce takes hold.

"There is a worrying trend, that there is some recruitment going on," Barney Afako, a member of the UN's Commission on Human Rights in South Sudan, said at the end of a four-day visit to the country.

Yasmin Sooka, the chairperson of the commission, said the new recruitment "is on all sides" of South Sudan's conflict.

The exact motivation behind the recruitment is still unclear, but Afako said it might be "tactical" so that militant groups can argue for a greater share of government demobilization programs, or it might be "preparation to return to conflict."

According to the report, fighting has stopped since the deal was signed in September.

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Saudi warplanes launch 28 airstrikes on Yemen, kill 3 amid Sweden peace talks

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 06:40AM

Saudi warplanes on Thursday launched over 28 airstrikes on various parts of Yemen despite earlier claims that it had ordered its forces halt their attacks on Yemen with the beginning of peace talks in Sweden.

"The fact that the coalition forces and their mercenaries have continued their aggression against Yemen on the first day of peace talks in Sweden indicates that the aggressors have no interest in the establishment of peace and preparing the grounds for a second round of talks," Yemen's al-Masirah television network quoted a Yemeni army general as saying.

Three women were killed, and many houses were destroyed in the airstrikes, General Yahya Saree, a spokesman of the Yemeni armed forces, said.

In retaliation, Yemeni army forces, backed by allied fighters from the Houthi Ansarullah movement, hit gatherings of Saudi soldiers and mercenaries in the kingdom's southwestern Jizan region on Thursday.

Using six domestically-manufactured Zelzal-1 (Quake-1) short-range missiles, they hit the enemy gatherings off Qais Mountain and the village of al-Laj in Jizan province.

The report added that at least three Saudi-led forces had been killed and two others wounded by explosives planted by Yemeni troops in al-Nar Mount area in Jizan.

Meanwhile, al-Masirah said in a separate report that the Yemeni army had managed to shoot down a spy drone belonging to Saudi-led forces in the coasts of Yemen's western province of Hudaydah.

Later on Thursday, the Yemeni army spokesman said that 28 Saudi mercenaries were killed and 64 others injured during clashes with Yemeni forces in Damt region in the southern province of Dali'.

The escalation comes as Martin Griffiths, the UN special envoy to Yemen, told reporters that the warring sides were willing to work towards a de-escalation of the crisis.

Talks between the Ansarullah movement and the Saudi-led military coalition opened on Thursday in Rimbo, Sweden, a rural area some 60 kilometers (37 miles) north of Stockholm.

They are expected to last a week, a UN official told reporters.

The meeting marks the first time warring Yemeni parties have officially met since 2016, when more than 100 days of negotiations in Kuwait yielded no breakthrough in the devastating conflict.

Griffiths said he was cautiously optimistic the talks would help find common ground between the warring parties, particularly over the fate of the city of Hudaydah, which is currently under a tight siege imposed by the invaders.

UN chief Antonio Guterres called for the immediate removal of Saudi Arabia's blockade on Yemen as the Sweden talks started. He also called on the Ansarullah movement and Yemen's former Saudi-backed government to show flexibility and make room for progress.

A spokesman for Guterres said later on that the secretary general was specifically appealing to both sides to continue the de-escalation in the port city of Hudaydah, which acts as a lifeline for the entire country.

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam told the Arabic-language Al-Mayadeen television channel on Thursday night that his side would decide by Friday whether there was any hope for progress.

"We will judge whether Stockholm talks are serious or not tomorrow (Friday)," he said.

Leading a coalition of its allies, including the United Arab Emirates and Sudan, Saudi Arabia invaded Yemen in March 2015 in an attempt to reinstall former president Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, who had resigned amid popular discontent and fled to Riyadh.

The imposed war initially consisted of an airstrike campaign but was later coupled with a naval blockade and the deployment of ground mercenaries to Yemen.

Since the onset of the aggression, the Yemeni army, backed by fighters from Ansarullah movement, has been defending the impoverished nation against the invaders. The coalition is also resolute to crush the movement as another goal in its war on Yemen, which is teetering on the edge of famine.

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UN hopes for removal of Saudi blockade on Yemen as peace talks begin

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 02:20AM

The United Nations has called for the immediate removal of Saudi Arabia's blockade on Yemen as talks to end the ongoing war against the impoverished country begin in Sweden.

UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres called on the Houthi Ansarullah movement and Yemen's former Saudi-backed government to show flexibility and make room for progress.

"I welcome the opening of peace talks on the conflict in Yemen in Stockholm. I urge all those present at the talks to do everything in their power to end the war and the suffering," he wrote in a tweet Thursday. "Yemenis can't wait."

A spokesman for Guterres said later on the secretary general was specifically appealing to both sides to continue the de-escalation in the port city of Hudaydah, which acts a lifeline for the entire country.

The US Senate warned in a rare statement earlier this week that Yemen imports as much as 90 percent of its food and relies on imported fuel.

Saudis and their regional allies  including the United Arab Emirates (UAE)launched their military aggression against Yemen in March 2015 with the declared goal of removing Houthis from power and reinstating fugitive former President Abd Rabbuh Mansur Hadi, a staunch ally, to power.

As the prospects of defeating Houthis dimmed down the road and talks of a diplomatic solution gained traction, Saudi-backed groups launched an operation to seize control of Hudaydah in order to have the upper hand in the talks.

The ongoing offensive, however, has so far failed in the face of strong Houthi resistance.

Advising both sides against setting pre-conditions, Guterres said "intra-Yemeni dialogue" was necessary to resolve "the ongoing humanitarian crisis" caused by the war.

The war has so far killed thousands of civilians and destroyed the impoverished country's infrastructure, exposing millions of people to starvation, lack of medicines and cholera outbreaks.

The UN chief said he doubted the talks would yield any results before year-end.

Martin Griffiths, the UN special envoy to Yemen, told reporters on Thursday that the two sides were willing to work towards de-escalation.

Announcing a prisoner swap as a first step, Griffiths predicted other early steps to include ending the aerial blockade on the Yemeni capital Sana'a, halting the attacks on Hudaydah and implementing economic measures that could alleviate concerns about an impending famine.

The UN aid chief, Mark Lowcock, paid his first visit in more than a year to Yemen on Thursday. The UN has warned that over 14 million people are at risk of starvation in Yemen. That figure could go up to 20- million in the near future.

Houthis to decide by Friday

Houthi spokesman Mohammed Abdelsalam told the Arabic-language Al-Mayadeen television channel on Thursday night that his side would decide by Friday whether there was any hope for progress.

"We will judge whether the Stockholm talks are serious or not tomorrow," he said.

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US fails to condemn Hamas at UN General Assembly

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 01:30AM

A US-sponsored draft resolution seeking to condemn Palestinian resistance group Hamas at the United Nations General Assembly has failed to gain a majority vote.

The 193-member UNGA voted 87-57 in favor of the resolution Thursday while 33 members chose to abstain, leaving Washington with a plurality vote that fell short of the two-thirds requirement to adopt the resolution.

The US had originally called for a simple majority vote, but the world body opted for a two-third majority instead after a narrow 75-72 vote, with 26 abstentions.

The resolution attempted to condemn Hamas for carrying out rocket attacks against Israel and using "airborne incendiary devices" against Israelis living in occupied Palestinian lands.

The resolution came weeks after Hamas and other Palestinian resistance groups fired over 400 rockets into Israel during a two-day flare-up of violence following a botched Israeli attack against a Hamas commander.

US Ambassador Nikki Haley said before the vote that the assembly could make history condemning Hamas, which she referred to as "one of the most obvious and grotesque cases of terrorism in the world."

"For the sake of peace, and for the sake of this organization, I respectfully urge my colleagues to support this resolution," she said.

"The General Assembly has passed over 700 resolutions condemning Israel. And not one single resolution condemning Hamas. That, more than anything else, is a condemnation of the United Nations itself," she added.

China and Russia were among those voting the measure down. India abstained despite having recently forged warmer ties with the Tel Aviv regime. The measure was welcomed in Europe and the Americas.

After the US draft's failure, the UNGA voted 156-6 to adopt an Irish resolution that called for "the achievement, without delay, of a comprehensive and lasting peace in the Middle East" on the basis of UN resolutions, specially the December 2016 measure.

The resolution also reaffirmed "unwavering support" for a two-state solution along "the pre-1967 borders."

Tel Aviv tried to undermine the defeat, with Israel's UN envoy Danny Danon saying that a majority vote was within reach had the vote "not been hijacked by a political move of procedure."

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu also hailed the 87 countries for taking "a principled stand against Hamas."

Hamas hails 'slap' to Trump

Following the vote, Hamas hailed the failure of the resolution as a "slap" to US President Donald Trump's administration.

"The failure of the American venture at the United Nations represents a slap to the US administration and confirmation of the legitimacy of the resistance," the group's spokesman Sami Abu Zahri wrote on Twitter.

Palestinian Authority President Mahmoud Abbas also commended the outcome.

"The presidency thanked all the states that voted against the American draft resolution, affirming that it will not allow for the condemnation of the Palestinian national struggle," the PA's office said in a statement.

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Taliban Reportedly Kill 14 Afghan Troops, Capture 21 In Herat Province

December 07, 2018

Provincial officials in Afghanistan's western province of Herat say Taliban fighters staged a coordinated attack overnight on two Afghan army outposts, killing 14 Afghan soldiers and capturing another 21.

Najibullah Mohebi, a member of Herat's Provincial Council, said the attack began late on December 6 in the Shindand District  a district where one of the largest Afghan Air Force bases is located about 110 kilometers from the border with Iran.

Mohebi says the fighting lasted six hours, stretching into the early morning hours of December 7, before reinforcements arrived and pushed back the attackers.

Afghan Defense Ministry spokesman Ghafor Ahmad Jaweed put the number of Afghan soldiers killed at 10.

Shindand district chief Hekmatullah Hekmat said that as many as 200 Taliban fighters took part in the attack using rocket-propelled grenade launchers and automatic assault rifles.

Hekmat said 30 Taliban fighters were killed and that fighting was continuing sporadically in the area on December 7.

Taliban spokesman Zabiullah Mujahid posted a video on Twitter showing what he said were the captive Afghan soldiers being held inside a room.

The authenticity of the video could not immediately be confirmed.

The Taliban spokesman also claimed 14 Afghan government troops were killed in the battle.

Based on reporting by AP and dpa

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/taliban-kill-14-afghan-troops -capture-21-herat-/29643200.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.

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Trump Chooses Nauert For UN Post In Round Of High-Level Moves

By RFE/RL December 07, 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump has chosen State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as the country's next ambassador to the United Nations in a round of senior staff changes halfway through his four-year mandate.

Trump made the announcement of Nauert's appointment to reporters as he departed the White House on December 7 for a trip to Kansas City.

He also said he had picked former Attorney General William Barr to fill the top job at the U.S. Justice Department again, and that he would make another personnel announcement with regard to the joint chiefs of staff on December 8.

"She's very talented, very smart, very quick and I think she is going to be respected by all," Trump said of the 48-year-old Nauert.

If her nomination is approved by the Senate, Nauert, a former ABC and Fox News anchor and correspondent, will succeed Nikki Haley, who announced in October that she would leave the UN post at the end of the year.

Nauert, who joined the State Department as spokeswoman in April 2017, was named acting undersecretary for public diplomacy and public affairs earlier this year. She is an unusual choice for the UN diplomatic post as she has no prior political or policy-making experience.

Barr, who held the same position in the administration of the late President George H.W. Bush, will succeed Jeff Sessions, who Trump forced to resign last month amid rising pressure on the White House from the Russia-collusion investigation of Special Counsel Robert Mueller.

Lawyer Matthew Whitaker was appointed acting attorney general after Sessions stepped down.

"As the former AG for George H.W. Bush and one of the most highly respected lawyers and legal minds in the Country, he will be a great addition to our team. I look forward to having him join our very successful Administration!" Trump tweeted after making the announcement.

With reporting by CNN, dpa, and AP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/reports-trump- picks-state-department-spokeswoman-nauert- as-un-ambassador/29642566.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.

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Spain to Join French-German Project to Build European Sixth-Gen Fighter Jet

Sputnik News

22:22 07.12.2018

Germany and France will have a new partner in their bid to build a European fighter aircraft: Spain will become one of the countries contributing to the high development costs of building a new-generation air combat system, according to a new report.

Spain will join France and Germany's joint coalition to develop a fighter aircraft that "outclasses" the F-35, Business Insider reported Friday, citing a source in the German government.

"The current intention is to sign a tri-national memorandum of understanding on the sidelines of the 2019 Paris Air Show in Le Bourget," the source told Reuters.

Seeking to get to the bottom line of whether the sixth-generation jet will be a continental European project, Sputnik Mundo previously reached out to European defense contractor Airbus. Florian Taitsch, the head of Airbus's media communications department, told Sputnik in July that "we are certain this should be a truly European project."

"For Europe, the development of homegrown equipment means the revival of its own high-tech industries in the field of aircraft construction, as well as the transfer of the profit center to Europe itself. This is purely a financial issue," defense analyst Dmitri Drozdenko explained to Sputnik earlier this year.

When countries make F-35 purchases, the profits of those sales largely remain in the US, he noted. "When France and Germany speak about a plane of their own, it is to be understood that they will be creating it for themselves, and that the money will remain in these countries," the analyst said.

At the earliest, reports indicate that the aircraft would enter service about 22 years from now in 2040, but a demonstrator aircraft is expected to be unveiled halfway through the 2020s.

German military officers have expressed support for Germany's purchase of the F-35, but that position has been extremely politically unpopular. The chief of the Luftwaffe was fired in March for saying he wanted Germany to buy F-35s, as German politicians seem more keen to invest in Europe's capability to produce its own advanced fighter aircraft.

"If they can pull it off, this seems a legitimate candidate for a highly capable competitor to the F-35 and Su-57," said Sim Tack, an analyst for Stratfor, earlier this year. The F-35 and Su-57 are produced by Lockheed Martin in the US and Sukhoi in Russia, respectively.

 Sputnik

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Philippines Ditches Russian Helicopter Deal Amid Fears of US Sanctions

Sputnik News

21:35 07.12.2018(updated 21:41 07.12.2018)

While many countries, such as India, Turkey and Indonesia have decided to stick to their Russian arms deals despite the threat of sanctions under the US CAATSA, some states have decided to play it safe and avoid ending up in the Treasury Department's blacklist.

Philippine Defence Secretary Delfin Lorenzana announced that the country has decided to buy 16 Black Hawk helicopters from the US over the cheaper Russian Mi-171s, citing the threat of falling under US sanctions under CAATSA. The contract with Sikorsky Aircraft Corp, producing Black Hawks will cost the Philippine budget $240 million.

The Philippines planned to buy Bell 412 helicopters from Canada, but the deal was scrapped by its government over concerns that Manilla could use them against local rebels. In total, the Philippines examined 4 other options, including South Korea's Surion and British-Italian AgustaWestland's AW139.

The Countering America's Adversaries Through Sanctions Act (CAATSA), which was signed in August 2017, targets Russian military exports, threatening to impose secondary sanctions against countries that acquire Russian military hardware. Despite this, several countries have decided to stick to their arms agreements with Russia, including Turkey and India, willing to buy the S-400, and Indonesia signing a $1.154 billion contract for 11 Su-35 jet fighters.

 Sputnik

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Houthis Must Leave Al-Hodeida as Settlement Talks Begin  Yemeni Minister

Sputnik News

15:59 07.12.2018(updated 16:12 07.12.2018)

STOCKHOLM (Sputnik) - The Houthi militants should withdraw from Al-Hodeida as the Yemeni government forces are close to regaining control of the port city, Osman Hussein, the Yemeni minister of agriculture and a member of the government delegation at the consultations on Yemen in Sweden, has stated.

"Houthis must withdraw from the port and I have to be clear for all of you that our government forces that are supported by the Arab coalition are a few kilometres from controlling the port and controlling the other parts of the city That is something they [Houthis] can do right now to give a positive message," Hussein told reporters.

The government has discussed with UN Special Envoy for Yemen Martin Griffiths that Al Hudaydah should be run by the Yemeni authorities, the minister noted.

"We had made it clear to the Envoy that Al-Hodeida must be run by the official officers. When we talk about the security in Al-Hodeida. It must be guarded by the police of the city, not by the Houthis, not by anyone  police of the Ministry of Interior of the government of Yemen and regarding the port, it must be run by the Ministry of Transport which is responsible for the running of all Yemeni ports," Hussein said.

The fighting has recently intensified near the Houthi-controlled city of Al Hodeida, through which the rebels receive humanitarian and commercial cargoes. The Yemeni government, in turn, claims that the port city is receiving weapons from Iran. The conflict has led the country to a dire humanitarian situation, with civilians suffering extreme food shortages and disease outbreaks as well as the direct impact from the military operations.

Yemeni Gov't Ready to Open Sanaa Airport

Meanwhile, the government of Yemen has proposed to reopen Sanaa airport, which could be done tomorrow if Houthis withdraw from the airport and government authorities can inspect planes, Abdulaziz Jabari, an adviser to the president of Yemen and a member of the government delegation at the peace talks in Sweden, told Sputnik on Friday.

"We are pushing forward for the reopening of Sanaa airport but according to certain procedures. We want Sanaa airport to be used as a commercial, humanitarian airport, not as a military airport to transfer weapons to Houthis If they are willing, tomorrow. We have no problem. Sanaa airport is ready for receiving airplanes. What is being requested by us right now, what is a condition for us right now is to be inspecting and supervising the flights and Houthis militia must withdraw from Sanaa airport," Jabari said.

The presidential adviser stressed that Houthis should "leave those working in the Ministry of Transport to run the airport."

"Previously there has been an inspection in Bisha airport, which is a Saudi airport, for a Yemeni and Saudi transfer, but this has been done before. We want the inspection to be inside Yemen and by the Yemeni government, in Aden, in all ports that are available for us," Jabari said.

Jabari added that the government had discussed this proposal with the UN Special Envoy for Yemen, Martin Griffiths, this morning.

The delegations of the Yemeni government and Houthi militants arrived in Sweden on 5 December. The crisis settlement talks began on 6 December in Rimbo, a town north of Stockholm, and are expected to last through December 14. The UN-led attempts to find a peaceful settlement to the conflict in Yemen have not succeeded so far.

 Sputnik

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'GoFundMe' Navy? Greece Wants Citizens to Crowdfund New Warships

Sputnik News

13:10 07.12.2018

Greece has been battling a debt crisis for years, implementing harsh austerity measures, which fuelled public protests against the government's policies. But despite the lack of money, Athens doesn't plan to slack behind Turkey, its regional rival, in power of its naval forces.

Greek Defence Minister Panos Kammenos addressed his fellow citizens, asking them to pay for the creation of new frigates and a flagship for the Greek Navy during his speech on 6 December. Although normally every citizen already makes such a "contribution" by paying taxes, it seems that this is not enough for the Greek military.

Kammenos though doesn't plan to put the entire burden of upgrading the country's fleet on ordinary people  he pledged to make donations from his own salary to a bank account he will create in 2019 and that will be used for a "crowdfunding" campaign.

The defence minister's call comes as Greece is continuing to struggle to sort out its debt crisis, by adopting new austerity measures. The measures have not fixed the problem with debt rising by 6% and debt-to-GDP ratio rising by 52% over the last 8 years. At the same time, the government's austerity policies have fuelled multiple violent mass protests over the last few years, as people grow weary of the economic situation in the country.

Despite the debt crisis, Athens is set to upgrade its fleet in 2019 amid continuing incidents involving Turkish ships at sea. In one recent incident, the Greek Coast Guard reportedly opened fire on a Turkish cargo ship that had allegedly ignored demands to dock at the port of Rhodes for inspection.

The two countries are also involved in an ongoing dispute over possession of the Imia/Kardak islets, which continue to create tensions between Athens and Ankara.

 Sputnik

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Spanish Shipyard Says Norwegian Navy 'Passes the Buck' Over Sunken Frigate

Sputnik News

12:08 07.12.2018

While the Norwegian Navy has taken urgent measures abroad for the peers of the sunken frigate KNM Helge Ingstad to prevent inundation, the Spanish shipyard that manufactured the hapless warship has accused the Norwegian authorities of looking for excuses.

Following an interim report by the Norwegian accident investigation commission, which blamed technical errors in waterproof bulkheads on board the KNM Helge Ingstad that sank after a collision with an oil tanker while returning from NATO drills, the Norwegian Navy has completed temporary measures to prevent rapid inundation of warships of the same class in the event of similar collisions, the tabloid daily Verdens Gang reported.

The Defence Material Agency said inflatable belts were installed as a temporary solution to seal the hollow propeller shaft in order to prevent water from entering the frigate's engine room in case of an emergency.

According to the report, which blamed the frigate's rapid sinking on a construction error, saltwater first penetrated the generator room of the KNM Helge Ingstad, before spreading to other rooms and finally reaching the engine room.

"All the [Nansen-class] frigates are built in the same way. The Navy has implemented interim measures on three out of four frigates", Steinar Nilsen, maritime chief at the Defence Material Agency told Verdens Gang.

The fourth frigate, the flagship KNM Fridjof Nansen is currently in the process of a major, planned maintenance. The vessel will receive inflatable belts when it is re-launched in April next year.

However, the claims of the warships being less waterproof than stated made the Spanish shipyard that manufactured the Nansen-class frigates, currently considered the backbone of the Norwegian Navy, see red.

"We have never received such complaints ever before. Not even once", Navantia Shipyard official and union leader Javier Galan told national Norwegian broadcaster NRK.

He dispelled the Norwegian Navy's allegations of a faulty construction of the propeller shaft being the culprit.

"Had the shaft leaked water in this way, it would have become obvious far earlier. Also, the frigate would have sunk long ago", Galan said.

According to him, the propeller shaft must have been damaged during the collision itself, which is the only explanation why water appeared between the sections altogether.

"Imagine you have a car. Even if it's a good one, it will run into problems if you crash it", Galan said.

Galan blamed erroneous navigation, venturing that the crew had misinterpreted the lights from the Maltese-flagged tanker Sola TS, mistaking it for solid land.

"I believe the only thing they are looking for is cop-outs. The way I see it, it's just passing the buck. The crew should have avoided the collision", Galan said.

Navantia issued a statement ensuring that the Nansen-class frigates shipped between 2006 and 2011 to the tune of NOK 21 billion ($2.5 billion), fulfilled all technical requirements before handed over to Norway. Meanwhile, Galan stressed that the accusations may lead to the company's reputation being damaged, which is the fifth-largest in Europe and ninth-largest internationally.

"We are an international company. And this makes a terrible damage, because it leaves an impression that we are unable to make ships. Even though we have been doing it for centuries", Galan said.

Navantia dates back to military shipyards established by the Spanish crown in 1730. Over centuries, it has gone through several name changes, the recent one in 2005. It is 100 percent owned by a government holding.

The KNM Helge Ingstad collided with the Sola TS on November 8, while returing from the NATO drill Trident Juncture off Trndelag's coast. The vessel suffered a large hull breach, lost control and was manoeuvered into a shallow bay to prevent rapid inundation.

The Sola TS is currently being repaired in Gdansk, Poland. According to its owner, the Greek shipping company Tsakos Energy Navigation, it will be back in the water by mid-December.

 Sputnik

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US Blocks Israel's Sale of Aging F-16 Fighters to Croatia - Reports

Sputnik News

10:10 07.12.2018

The Croatian government announced in March it was in talks with Israel to buy a batch of old F-16 fighters from Israel to the tune of $485.6 million.

The US administration has stated it does not approve of Israel's move to sell American-made F-16 fighter jets to Croatia, Channel 10 news reported quoting unnamed Israeli officials.

Israel has reportedly angered the Trump administration by adding advanced Israeli-made electronic systems to the F-16s as part of efforts to convince Croatia to buy the planes.

Croatian Prime Minister Andrej Plenkovic and Israeli counterpart Benjamin Netanyahu announced the agreement in January and Croatia's top defence body gave its response two months later.

Meanwhile, in October, Croatian Defence Minister Damir Krsticevic and US Ambassador Robert Kohorst oversaw the handover of two US Black Hawk helicopters as a $53-million donation to the Balkan nation at an air base in Pleso. Washington has fulfilled last fall's promise to give Croatia a couple of UH-60 medium-lift helicopters.

 Sputnik

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Withdrawing US, NATO Troops From Afghanistan Risks '9/11' Recurrence - Pentagon

Sputnik News

03:26 07.12.2018(updated 03:36 07.12.2018)

WASHINGTON (Sputnik) - Pulling US and NATO forces out of Afghanistan would give terrorist groups the opportunity and ability to rebuild in that country and develop the capability of carrying out more mega-attacks like the ones against the United States on September 11, 2001, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford said.

"Leaving Afghanistan in my judgment would give the terrorist groups the space with which to conduct operations against the American homeland and its allies," Dunford told a meeting at the Washington Post newspaper on Thursday.

That capability had been assessed a by US intelligence services as giving the terror groups the opportunity to rebuild their capabilities to carry out more attacks on the scale of the ones on September 11, 2001 against the United States, Dunford stated.

"It is our assessment that in a period of time [the terror groups] would have in the future the capability to do what they did on 9/11," he said.

Almost 3,000 people were killed on September 11, 2001 when al-Qaeda hijacked four US airliners and flew two of them into the Twin Towers of the World Trade Center and a third one into the Pentagon building in northern Virginia.

Continued US and allied commitment had supported the emergence of an Afghan-led reconciliation process with the Taliban guerrilla forces in the country, Dunford said.

 Sputnik

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'Complacency is still strong' over stopping genocide, says top UN adviser

7 December 2018 - The current rise in hate speech, racial tensions and identity-based violence is alarming, the UN Special Adviser on preventing genocide said on Friday, highlighting his concern that 'complacency is still strong', when it comes to stopping the mass-killing or extinction of national, ethnic, racial or religious groups.

Marking the 70th anniversary of The Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, in the General Assembly at UN Headquarters in New York, Adama Dieng said it was important to speak out more forcefully.

"At a time of decline of the respect for international human rights, humanitarian and refugee law," we must commit to turn prevention into reality, he added.

The Convention was adopted on 9 December,1948, by the General assembly in a call for preventative action so that "never again" would the world see the kind of mass-murder perpetrated by the Nazis against the Jews in the Holocaust, during World War Two.

The critical message at Friday's commemoration was clear. Mr. Dieng, Secretary-General Antonio Guterres, and President of the General Assembly, Maria Fernanda Espinosa, all outlined that the atrocity crime and scourge of genocide remains a threat and reality today.

"My generation believed that after the Holocaust, we would never see genocide again. We were wrong," said Mr. Guterres.

He lamented the UN's failures to heed the signs of genocide in time, citing the massacres in Rwanda, Cambodia and Srebrenica, in Bosnia and Herzegovina; all monumental killings, nursed by hatred.

Today, people are still being brutally killed, raped and displaced simply because of their identities, said Mr. Guterres. Violence by the extremists of Da'esh in Iraq, and the "bone chilling accounts" of persecution by Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar are of extreme concern, the UN Chief said.

"Around the world, racism, hate speech, violent misogyny, antisemitism, Islamophobia and all forms of xenophobia are on the rise," he said, warning that this dehumanizing language is not harmless, but rather, "may also sow the seeds for far more evil acts, including genocide."

Assembly President Espinosa urged greater preventative action. "We cannot turn away and ignore the signs, or tolerate justice not reaching those responsible. The price of inaction is too high," she said.

'Strengthen', don't withdraw from multilateral action

"There is a need to strengthen, not pull away, regional and international cooperation and multilateral institutions to respond to the dramatic challenges of today's crisis," said Mr. Dieng, who heads the UN Office on Genocide Prevention.

"The disregard for the rule of law is a breeding ground for the commission of international crimes, including genocide."

The Genocide Convention document was the first human rights treaty to be adopted by the General Assembly of the United Nations, meant to prevent genocide and prevent those who commit the crime.

So far, the Convention has been ratified or acceded to by 149 Member States, meaning 45 have not become party to it.

The International Court of Justice has stated that the Convention's contents are guided by principles reflective of general customary international law, meaning that whether or not States have ratified the Convention, they are still bound by the principle that genocide is a crime.

Its preamble recognizes that "at all periods of history genocide has inflicted great losses on humanity," and urges parties to enact relevant legislation and punish perpetrators "whether they are constitutionally responsible rulers, public officials, or private individuals."

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Airstrike, Taliban Raid Kill More Than 21 Afghan Security Forces

By Ayaz Gul December 07, 2018

The Taliban has killed at least 14 Afghan soldiers and taken more than 20 others hostage in the western Afghan province of Herat, which borders Iran, officials confirmed Friday.

Separately, a counter-Taliban airstrike in central Uruzgan province killed at least seven Afghan security forces.

The latest violence coincided with a Taliban statement defending and boasting about its five-year Islamist rule in Afghanistan, which was ended 17 years ago by a U.S.-led military invasion.

A spokesman for the Herat government, Jailani Farhad, told VOA that insurgents stormed and captured the Afghan National Army (ANA) base manned by the soldiers in the Shindand district.

There were injured soldiers among the hostages, confirmed Taliban and Afghan officials.

The Taliban also released a video allegedly of the captive soldiers, though the authenticity of the footage could not be verified immediately.

Officials in Uruzgan explained the deadly airstrike had actually been called in to prevent insurgents from overrunning Chinartoo district center following an early morning Taliban offensive.

U.S.-backed Afghan security forces continue to suffer massive battlefield casualties. Afghan President Ashraf Ghani revealed last month that government security forces have lost nearly 29,000 personnel since 2015.

Washington has lately renewed efforts to push for a negotiated settlement to the 17-year-old war with the Taliban and has engaged the insurgent group in direct talks.

Taliban defends past government

Battlefield gains and diplomatic engagement with the U.S. have apparently emboldened the Taliban to more rigidly demand withdrawal of U.S. and NATO forces from Afghanistan before they will participate in an intra-Afghan peace dialogue to end the conflict.

The insurgent group's so-called Preaching and Guidance Commission in a statement Friday listed details of what it claimed were "unprecedented activities of the Islamic Emirate [the Taliban]" government that eradicated narcotics from the country and improved security, economic and social conditions of Afghans.

The commission alleged that narcotics trade has since flourished to record levels under the U.S.-backed administrations in Kabul.

The Taliban took control of most of Afghanistan in 1996 and remained in power until the U.S.-led coalition invaded the country to dislodge the Islamist movement from power for sheltering al-Qaida leaders Washington blamed for plotting the September 2001 terrorist attacks on American cities.

While U.N. national surveys supported Taliban drug eradication claims at the time, the fundamentalist regime had remained under severe criticism during those years for barring girls from education and women from leaving their homes without a male family member accompanying them.

Afghan and U.S. officials say the country has made significant achievements particularly in areas such as women's rights and female education.

There were fewer than one million children in school when the Taliban were in power, but current official estimates show the number has risen to nearly 10 million in the last 17 years. About half of the students are girls.

The total opium-poppy cultivation area decreased by 20 percent in 2018 but it was still the second highest measurement for Afghanistan since the U.N. Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) began monitoring in 1994. The potential opium production decreased by 29 percent to 6,400 tons from an estimated 9,000 tons in 2017.

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WFP: More Funding, Access to Needy Are Critical in Yemen

By Sabina Castelfranco December 07, 2018

The United Nations says the humanitarian crisis in Yemen is the worst in the world. As the country's warring parties hold U.N.-mediated talks in Stockholm, the World Food Program (WFP) in Rome is calling for immediate access because millions of people need food.

More than 20 million people in a country with a population of over 29 million are expected to need humanitarian assistance next year. The WFP says a food security survey in October carried out by Yemeni and international experts found that more than 15 million people were in "crisis."

"This report is devastating," said WFP Executive Director David Beasley. "It realizes our worst fears that people are starving to death in Yemen. They need our help and we are on the ground doing everything we can. In fact, that report is showing that the number of people on the brink of starvation is doubling. We plan to scale up to about 12 million people as fast as we can, depending upon the access and the money that we get from people around the world."

The U.N. agency has been reaching 7 million to 8 million people with food and nutritional supplements. Now, with the situation growing worse, the WFP is calling for unimpeded access around the country so it can increase the distribution of food and other vital supplies. The agency is also calling for an increase in funds.

The conflict in Yemen between Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the internationally recognized government supported by a Saudi-led coalition has been going on for four years. More than 16,000 people have been killed, according to U.N. figures.

The humanitarian situation has deteriorated in recent months because of a widespread economic collapse. Violence has also been on the rise in the rebel-held port of Hodeida, which is considered crucial to bringing in for food and other supplies.



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Trump Names State Department's Spokesperson Nauert as UN Ambassador

By Cindy Saine December 07, 2018

U.S. President Donald Trump has announced he will nominate State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert as the new U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

"She's [Nauert is] going to work with Nikki Haley to replace Nikki at the United Nations. She'll be ambassador to the United Nations," Trump told reporters at the White House early Friday. "She's very talented, very smart, very quick. And I think she's going to be respected by all."

Haley announced in October she would be leaving the job by the end of the year.

Nauert joined the State Department in April 2017 after a career in broadcast journalism, first serving under former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, and then under current Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. In addition to serving as spokesperson, Nauert also served as acting under secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs from March to October of this year.

She came to State from Fox News, where she co-anchored Fox and Friends, the morning program that Trump says he watches regularly. The president's other recent hires from Fox News include White House communications chief Bill Shine and National Security Adviser John Bolton.

Diplomatic experience

If she accepts the position, Nauert could likely face tough questioning during her Senate confirmation hearings about her apparent lack of diplomatic or policymaking experience.

But since Republicans will continue to hold a majority in the Senate when the new Congress convenes in January, she is likely to be confirmed.

News agencies, quoting unnamed U.S. officials, said that the White House has decided to downgrade the U.N. ambassador to a non-cabinet level position. The move would likely mean the ambassador would report to the Secretary of State, not the president, reducing the position's policymaking power.

When asked about the announcement Friday, U.N. Secretary-General Antonio Guterres told VOA, "I cannot make any comments before the Senate confirmation, but I am ready to work very effectively with any ambassador of the United States."

Nauert is said to be close to both those in the White House and Pompeo, and has traveled extensively with the secretary, including to North Korea.

The Wilson Center's Aaron David Miller says Nauert has a different profile from past U.S. ambassadors to the United Nations.

"I think Heather Nauert is smart. She is a quick study. She will learn the brief. But, I think it [the U.S. ambassador job] is not going to be what it was under Nikki Haley, which was a serious competitor under a vacuum at the NSC [National Security Council] and at the State Department under Tillerson."

Miller, who advised several secretaries of state under Republican and Democratic administrations, said Haley took advantage of the "empty space" created by media-averse Tillerson to stake out positions on a whole range of foreign policy issues, and that is not likely to be the case with Nauert.

"Heather Nauert is not going to be a big-time player in the deliberations on substance in the administration," he said. "I doubt, on an issue like Syria, unless it pertains to the U.N., that the president is going to call her up and say, 'What do you think?'"

U.S. position on world stage

Both Trump and Pompeo have been highly critical of the United Nations and other multilateral institutions, with Pompeo noting in a Brussels speech earlier this week that "multilateralism has become viewed as an end unto itself. The more treaties we sign, the safer we supposedly are. The more bureaucrats we have, the better the job gets done."

Heritage Foundation fellow Brett Schaefer said Nauert has proven she has the ability to explain and defend U.S. foreign policy, the core requirement for being a U.S. ambassador to the world body.

"She is obviously extremely knowledgeable and well-versed in the foreign policy of this administration and has answered questions and defended it in front of a number of different press inquiries," Schaefer said.

Schaefer notes, though, that Trump already has a foreign policy team in place: Pompeo and Bolton.

"Now in terms of formulating policy, I suspect that she is not going to play the role that Nikki Haley did as ambassador to the United Nations," Schaefer said. "Ambassador Haley was a far more high-level figure, particularly early in the administration."

Russia, Israel, Myanmar

During Nauert's twice weekly briefings at the State Department and her own trips, she has shown a passion for human rights issues. While serving with Tillerson, Nauert took trips on her own initiative, visiting Myanmar and Bangladesh last year to meet with Rohingya refugees.

She also visited Israel, and has strongly defended Trump's controversial decision to move the U.S. embassy to Jerusalem.

Friday, Israel's ambassador to the U.N., Danny Danon, said he welcomed Nauert's nomination as U.S. ambassador.

"Ms. Nauert has stood by the state of Israel in her previous positions, and I have no doubt that the cooperation between our two countries will continue to strengthen as ambassador to the U.N.," Dannon said in a statement.

On other foreign policy issues, such as Russia, the State Department acting under secretary has sometimes struck a different tone than Trump, using fierce language to call out Moscow's "aggressive behavior."

"The idea that Russia is calling for a so-called humanitarian corridor, I want to be clear, is a joke," she remarked during a briefing, when asked about Russia's support for Syrian President Bashar al-Assad.

Nauert is a graduate of Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism and Mount Vernon College in Washington. The 48-year-old is a wife and mother of two young sons, and was born in Rockford, Illinois.

Margaret Besheer at the United Nations contributed to this report.

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Unmanned aircraft enhances Army Guard response capabilities

By Tech. Sgt. Erich B. Smith | National Guard Bureau December 7, 2018

ARLINGTON, Va. -- In the aftermath of Hurricane Florence and during recent Northern California wildfires, Army National Guard members deployed two types of unmanned aircraft systems that allowed for greater coordination of response efforts.

The RQ-11B Raven and the RQ-7B Shadow augment the utility capabilities of manned aircraft, such as the UH-60 Black Hawk and UH-72 Lakota helicopters, said Christina Engh, an aviation management and program analyst with the Army Guard.

"We want to be able to use our Black Hawks and Lakotas to lift people, transport food and water and Soldiers - instead of using them to see if a dam is going to break," she said.

Engh added that with these unmanned aircraft platforms, Army Guard units gathered situational awareness of disaster scenes and shared that information with other Guard elements, emergency officials and first responders.

"They can be the eyes for the on-scene commander or whoever is commanding an emergency management center," she said.

Engh said the rapid deployment capability of an unmanned aircraft provides an immediate benefit to those responding to a disaster. If the mission is dangerous to ground or air personnel, it "is the perfect opportunity for this type of unmanned aircraft," she said.

The Shadow, which requires five Soldiers to operate, can be launched a safe distance from a disaster area because of its nine-hour maximum flight time, said Engh.

"If you are close to the fire, that puts Soldiers in harm's way," she said. "For the California fires, they were able to launch the Shadow 30 miles away from the fire and get in and see what's going on and bring it back."

The Raven, weighing slightly more than four pounds, requires only one Soldier to launch it, allowing for low-altitude flyovers.

"With the Raven, Soldiers can be closer to the natural disaster and quickly determine what's going on," said Engh.

Similar to other unmanned systems, the Raven and the Shadow have infrared capabilities that can help identify responders on the ground, a feature that proved useful for nighttime operations during the Northern California wildfires, said Engh.

"What was unique about flying the Shadow at night during the recent California wildfires is it is able to identify where the fire crews were because of that infrared capability," she said.

Like the Shadow, the Raven made use of electro-optics that provided detailed images of a damaged area.

After the flooding caused by Hurricane Florence, Army Guard and civilian authorities compared images from a Raven to maps of the area around a South Carolina water treatment facility, said Engh.

"We were able to take Google maps and say 'It's supposed to look like this, but this is what it actually looks like,'" she said. "And based off of the terrain, they can determine what is flooded."

Engh said the domestic use of the Raven and Shadow has the continued potential to enhance the Army Guard's ability to support civilian authorities in a natural disaster.

"I think that it just really opens up the door to show that this [technology] is not just for war," she said. "These are assets that can be used to help out all of our humanitarian missions."

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Top Democrat: Moscow Has Closed Cyber Gap With US

By Jeff Seldin December 07, 2018

The top Democrat on the Senate Intelligence Committee warns the United States is being outgunned in cyberspace, already having lost its competitive advantage to Russia while China is rapidly closing in.

"When it comes to cyber, misinformation and disinformation, Russia is already our peer and in the areas of misinformation or disinformation, I believe is ahead of us," Senator Mark Warner told an audience Friday in Washington.

"This is an effective methodology for Russia and it's also remarkably cheap," he added, calling for a realignment of U.S. defense spending.

Warner, calling Russia's election meddling both an intelligence failure and a "failure of imagination," strongly criticized the White House, key departments and fellow lawmakers for being too complacent in their responses.

As for China, Warner called Beijing's cyber and censorship infrastructure "the envy of authoritarian regimes around the world" and warned when it comes to artificial intelligence, quantum computing and 5G mobile phone networks, China is "starting to outpace us on these investments by orders of magnitude."

In contrast, the Democratic senator laid out a more aggressive approach in cyberspace, with the United States leading allies in an effort to establish clear rules and norms for behavior in cyberspace.

He also said it was imperative the U.S. articulate when and where it would respond to cyberattacks.

"Our adversaries continue to believe that there won't be consequences for their actions," Warner said. "For Russia and China, it's pretty much been open season."

Warner also delivered a stern message to social media companies.

"Major platform companies  like Twitter and Facebook, but also Reddit, YouTube and Tumblr  aren't doing nearly enough to prevent their platforms from becoming petri dishes for Russian disinformation and propaganda," he said. "If they don't work with us, Congress will have to work on its own."

The Trump administration unveiled a new National Cyber Strategy in September, calling for a more aggressive response to the growing online threat posed by other countries, terrorist groups and criminal organizations.

"We're not just on defense," National Security Adviser John Bolton told reporters at the time. "We're going to do a lot of things offensively, and I think our adversaries need to know that."

Top U.S. military officials have also said their cyber teams are engaging against other countries, terrorist groups and even criminal organizations on a daily basis.

Warner on Friday praised elements of the new strategy, particularly measures that have allowed the military to respond to attacks more quickly. But, he said, on the whole it is not enough, pointing to Trump's willingness to "kowtow" to Russian President Vladimir Putin during their Helsinki Summit over Moscow's election interference efforts.

"No one in the Trump administration in the intel [intelligence] or defense world doesn't acknowledge what happened in 2016," he said. "But the fact that the head of our government still [finds] it's hard to get those words out of his mouth, is a real problem."

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Xi's trip adds stability, new momentum

People's Daily Online

(China Daily) 07:36, December 07, 2018

FM says four-nation tour by president paying off by easing world's anxiety

President Xi Jinping's visits to Europe and Latin America have added stability to the global situation and brought positive energy into an anxiety-plagued international community, State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said on Thursday in Beijing.

Xi returned to the capital after wrapping up his overseas trip to Spain, Argentina, Panama and Portugal, which kicked off on Nov 27. In Argentina, Xi also attended the G20 Leaders' Summit, and met with US President Donald Trump and other heads of state.

On the overseas tour, Xi supported economic globalization and multilateralism and proactively proposed win-win cooperation, Wang said.

During his nine-day itinerary, Xi traveled more than 40,000 kilometers and attended nearly 70 bilateral and multilateral activities. The four host countries all made special arrangements to welcome him, Wang said.

While attending the summit in Buenos Aires, the Argentine capital, Xi put forward proposals, promoted cooperation and maintained unity  showing great vision and responsibility as the leader of a major country, Wang said. The proposals Xi made there, including enhancing policy coordination and safeguarding multilateralism, reflected the common desire of all nations and strengthened the G20's status as a primary forum for international economic cooperation, Wang added.

In discussing trade issues at the event, Xi said the direction of openness and inclusiveness should be upheld, and nations should adhere to relevant trade rules.

Xi said China supports some necessary reforms to the World Trade Organization, but the key is to safeguard the core values and basic principles of the WTO, including openness, inclusiveness and nondiscrimination.

During Xi's meeting with Trump, the two leaders interacted in a friendly and candid atmosphere, setting the direction for an outline of how to properly handle current problems in bilateral relations, Wang said.

The two presidents agreed to push forward coordinated, cooperative and stable China-US relations, Wang said, adding that the US reaffirmed its stance in support of the one-China policy.

The discussion of economic and trade issues was "very positive and constructive", and a consensus was reached by the two sides, Wang said.

The meeting steered China and the US in the direction of halting any further escalation of trade frictions, returning to a dialogue track, making win-win cooperation a shared goal and bringing benefits to both global trade and the world economy, Wang said.

Facts will prove that China and the US have more common interests than they do disagreements, and they have more reason to cooperate than not to, Wang said, adding that China-US cooperation will not only benefit the people of both sides but also the whole world.

During his four-nation trip, Xi reviewed the process of China's reform and opening-up and pledged to provide more opportunities for countries to pursue common development.

He stressed that China will host the international import expo every year to open the Chinese market further and to build a free, open, inclusive and orderly global economy with all countries.

Wang noted that the other countries congratulated China on its achievements in reform and opening-up, and spoke highly of China's proactive actions deepening market reforms and increasing imports.

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Huawei CFO Detained in Canada to Face Fraud Charges in US

Sputnik News

22:15 07.12.2018(updated 23:00 07.12.2018)

Canadian prosecutors said Friday that the US is seeking the extradition of Huawei Chief Financial Officer (CFO) Meng Wanzhou on suspicion of engaging in conspiracies to defraud multiple financial institutions and contravene US sanctions on Iran.

It isn't clear how many charges she faces, but each one carries a maximum sentence of 30 years behind bars.

Meng, the Chinese telecommunication giant's CFO and deputy board chair, was arrested in Vancouver on Saturday but the US Department of Justice did not announce the arrest until Wednesday. Canada's Globe and Mail reported, based on law enforcement sources, broke the story that she had been arrested for violating US sanctions against Iran.

A gag order, or as it is called in Canada, a publication ban, was imposed on Meng's case. Several media outlets have challenged the gag in court. That ban was eventually lifted by a judge in Vancouver, BBC reports.

The court is still considering whether it will grant Meng bail. The Canadian government prosecutor has told the judge Meng has substantial resources in China and is a flight risk.

The prosecutor alleged that Meng deceived American lawyers regarding the connection between the company SkyCom and Huawei. Using SkyCom as a secret proxy, Huawei sold products to Iran in breach of US sanctions between 2009 and 2014.

Huawei is the second-largest telecommunications equipment manufacturer in the world, Sputnik News reported.

The US has introduced a number of measures to curb the flow of technology from Huawei and another telecom manufacturer, ZTE Corp, believing that the Chinese government could use the tech for surveillance in the past year. Huawei products have also been banned by the Pentagon from being sold on US military bases.

 Sputnik

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Chinese Tech Executive Appears in Canadian Court

By VOA News December 07, 2018

A top Chinese technology executive facing charges in the United States related to business dealings with Iran made a court appearance Friday in Canada, where her arrest this week rocked financial markets around the globe.

In a packed courtroom in Vancouver, a Canadian prosecutor argued that Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of tech giant Huawei, should be denied bail pending possible extradition to the United States because she was a flight risk. She has spent most of the past week at a women's detention facility in a suburb of Vancouver.

The prosecutor disclosed that Meng was wanted by the United States for allegedly deceiving financial institutions about the relationship between Huawei and another tech company, SkyCom, based in Hong Kong, that is alleged to have sold U.S.-manufactured technology to Iran, in violation of U.S. trade sanctions.

The arrest of Meng in Vancouver, at the request of the United States, surprised financial markets after Presidents Donald Trump and Xi Jinping agreed to a trade truce last weekend in Buenos Aires, Argentina.

Stocks plummeted Thursday after news came out of Meng's arrest, which followed months of already shaky markets affected by the U.S.-China trade war.

Trump sounded a note of optimism on Friday about the trade talks with China, tweeting that "China talks are going very well!"

The U.S. and Canadian governments have so far said little about the Meng case. But China has demanded her release, saying she violated no laws in Canada or the United States.

Meng is the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, a former engineer in China's People's Liberation Army. Chinese state media have argued that the United States is abusing the law to hurt the company's international reputation.

However, concerns about Huawei have been growing for some time. Since 2012, the U.S. government has raised alarm about suspicions that Huawei's hardware may have a technical backdoor that could be used by the Chinese government to gather intelligence.

Huawei has denied that its products pose any security risk and says it is a private company.

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After Huawei Arrest, White House Sticks With Hard Line on Trade Talks

By William Gallo December 07, 2018

Top White House officials are continuing to take a hard line on U.S.-China trade talks, even after the arrest of a prominent Chinese tech executive that some fear could derail a trade truce between Washington and Beijing.

In an interview with VOA, White House trade and economic adviser Peter Navarro repeatedly refused to comment on the record about the arrest of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of Huawei, whose company is at the heart of trade tensions between the U.S. and China.

But Navarro said that the Trump administration is "demanding not asking" that China make fundamental changes to its economy.

"What we're demanding is that China obey the rules of the international road and become a fair actor in international trade," Navarro said. "And surely that will require a restructuring of the model that's now predicated on state-owned enterprises, protectionism, (and) mercantilism."

Navarro remains optimistic that the U.S. and China will be able to reach an agreement before 90 days, after which U.S. President Donald Trump has said he will expand tariffs on Chinese imports. But he also said China has a "very long history" of not living up to its trade promises.

"This is going to be a tough negotiation," Navarro said. "The biggest problem will be the ability to actually verify things rather than just being strung along, because we've seen that movie before."

Huawei arrest

Meng was arrested in Canada at the request of U.S. authorities on the same day U.S. and Chinese officials held talks at the G-20 in Argentina that resulted in the three-month truce.

The arrest, which was first reported late Wednesday, raised concerns the trade truce could be derailed. Markets ended lower in Asia and were down earlier in the day on Wall Street following the news, though they largely recovered by the close of the day's trading.

Huawei, which sells more smartphones than Apple, is viewed by many as a national security and privacy threat due to its close links to the Chinese government. U.S. and Canadian officials haven't said what charges Meng faces, but the U.S. Justice Department is investigating whether Huawei violated U.S. sanctions on Iran.

Gao Feng, a spokesman for China's Ministry of Commerce, also attempted to tamp down concerns, saying the China and U.S. delegations are in "smooth communication and good cooperation."

"We are full of confidence that China and the U.S. can reach an agreement within 90 days," the spokesman said Thursday.

Investor concerns

Following the G-20 talks, the U.S. and Chinese delegations released significantly different accounts of what was agreed upon.

After stock markets tumbled on fears the U.S.-China truce was collapsing, U.S. President Donald Trump sent several tweets Wednesday that were widely seen as an attempt to calm investor fears.

"Not to sound naive or anything, but I believe (Chinese) President Xi (Jinping) meant every word of what he said at our long and hopefully historic meeting," Trump said.

But it's unclear the extent to which Beijing is prepared to give into U.S. requests, which even Navarro admitted amount to a fundamental restructuring of China's economy.

"Yeah, they're going to have to restructure. Now that doesn't mean they lose face with their own people. The fact is their own people should welcome that because if you have a more democratic market in some sense ... that will be a good thing for China, as well," Navarro said.

Those comments were similar to that of National Security Adviser John Bolton, who told NPR on Thursday that the trade negotiations could "have potentially profound impact on their political structure, as well."

Chinese officials have given no indication they are willing to change their economic or political system as a result of U.S. demands.

Progress will only be harder to achieve after the Huawei arrest, says Dali Yang, a political science professor at the University of Chicago and senior fellow at the Chicago Council on Global Affairs.

"Huawei is considered the star of China's innovation-based technological development. If the arrest leads to the crippling of Huawei as was the case with (Chinese telecom giant) ZTE, it will threaten to stoke the fires of nationalism in China, which in turn would make it difficult for the Chinese leadership to make compromises in the trade talks," he said.

Patrick Cronin with the Asia-Pacific Security Program at the Center for a New American Security, agrees that Xi may use the Huawei episode to stall progress in trade talks.

"Damage may be minimized if a clear legal basis for (the arrest) emerges. However, even then, what Washington sees as an action against a company will be seen by Beijing as an action against the (Chinese Communist Party)."

Already, some U.S. lawmakers take the view that there is little difference between the Chinese Communist Party and some of the country's major companies.

Senator Mark Warner tweeted Thursday that "There is ample evidence to suggest that no major Chinese company is independent of the Chinese government ... and Huawei ... is no exception."

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'North Korea keeping up work on missiles, capable of reaching US'

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 06:56AM

An American think tank says North Korea has expanded a missile base near its border with China that would possibly be one of the sites to deploy intercontinental ballistic missiles (ICBM) capable of reaching the United States.

An analysis by the Middlebury Institute of International Studies at Monterey in California said on Thursday that recent satellite imagery shows activities at the Yeongjeo-dong missile base.

The border site, which is near North Korea's mountainous central border with China, "has long been a concern to US and South Korean officials because of its unique location," the report said.

"Satellite images (one of the seen below) show that the base remains active. Moreover, in the past year North Korea has significantly expanded a nearby facility that appears to be another missile base," said the Middlebury Institute report.

Jeffrey Lewis and David Schmerler from the Middlebury Institute said that the geographic locations of Yeongjeo-dong and the nearby site make them "strong candidate for the deployment of future missiles that can strike the United States."

"The base is located in the interior of North Korea, backed up against the Chinese border," the two added.

Lewis told CNN that Pyongyang continued construction work on the previously unidentified site "even after the Singapore Summit" between North Korean leader Kim Jong-un and US President Donald Trump in June.

"Whatever Kim says about his desire for denuclearization, North Korea continues to produce and deploy nuclear armed missiles," he said.

Asked by CNN about the recent report, Pentagon spokesperson Chris Logan said, "We watch North Korea very closely. We continue to support the diplomatic process. We will not discuss matters of intelligence."

A South Korean military spokesman Roh Jae-cheon said on Thursday that the border missile site "is one of the important locations in North Korea our military is monitoring in cooperation with the United States. He, however, declined to provide further details.

In their June summit in Singapore, Trump and Kim agreed to work toward denuclearization, but that agreement, made in a written document, was broadly-worded.

Still, the North has suspended missile and nuclear testing, demolished at least one nuclear test site, and agreed to allow international inspectors into a missile engine test facility and another nuclear testing site.

North Korean authorities have complained about continued US and UN sanctions, calling them a "source of mistrust." They have also denounced what they have called the US "gangster-like behavior".

Pyongyang says Washington has betrayed the spirit of the June's summit by making unilateral demands on the complete, verifiable and irreversible denuclearization, while keeping the sanctions in place.

Last month, South Korea dismissed a report by The Washington-based Center for Strategic and International Studies (CSIS) that said it had identified at least 13 of an estimated 20 undeclared missile operating bases in North Korea.

South Korea to buy US-built ship-to-air missiles

Meanwhile, Seoul's arms buying agency said that the government plans to purchase dozens of US-built ship-to-air missiles, in an order worth about $300 million.

An official of South Korea's Defense Acquisition Program Administration (DAPA) said on condition of anonymity that there would be "dozens," with the total order valued at about 340 billion won ($304 million).

Citing security concerns, the official declined to state the number of missiles.

Since 2013, South Korea has bought Standard Missile-2s, developed by Raytheon Co, in installments to equip three Aegis destroyers preparing to be deployed in the mid-2020s.

North Korea gearing up for Xi visit

The North is preparing to host a new round of summit between Kim and Chinese Prime Minister Xi Jinping in Pyongyang.

North Korea's Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho arrived in China on Thursday for the start of a three-day official visit.

Ri met his with Chinese counterpart Wang Yi in the capital Beijing on Friday.

The Chinese Foreign Ministry said in a statement that they expected Ri and Wang to have a "deep exchange of views" on China-North Korea relations, the situation on the Korean peninsula and other issues of mutual concerns during their meeting.

It is also said Ri's visit would include the subject of a summit between Xi and Kim. If confirmed, it would be the first visit of a Chinese president to North Korea in more than 13 years.

China, North Korea's most important economic and diplomatic ally, has improved ties with Pyongyang in the last year.

North Korea has firmly defended its nuclear and missile programs as a deterrent against the hostile policies of the US and its regional allies, including Japan.

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Christian Democratic Union votes in new leader, replaces Merkel

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 06:35PM

Germany's Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) has elected Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer as party leader, ending Chancellor Angela Merkel's 18 years of leadership.

Following a two-round vote cast by 999 delegates at a party congress in the German city of Hamburg on Friday, Karrenbauer, 56, ultimately won 517 votes, defeating millionaire corporate lawyer Friedrich Merz, 63, who gained 482 favorable ballots.

Merz had also sought to lead the party in 2002, but was ultimately defeated by Merkel. Considering Karrenbauer as Merkel's protege, many CDU members who were tired of Merkel's consensual politics, voted for Merz in the latest round of elections.

Third candidate and current Health Minister Jens Spahn was eliminated in the first round of voting.

The run-off vote between Kramp-Karrenbauer and Merz was preceded by a final speech by Merkel.

The German chancellor described a "balanced budget policy", the "management of the refugee crisis" and the end of military conscription in 2011 as major party achievements during her tenure.

The long-time party leader received a 10-minute long standing ovation after finishing her speech.

Merkel, who has been Germany's Chancellor since 2005, announced her surprise resignation from political life on October 29, giving up leadership of the conservative party, yet vowing to finish out her full term as German chancellor until 2021.

The announcement came only one day after the CDU and the allied Social Democratic Party (SPD) suffered heavy losses in the Hesse state election.

Speaking earlier after a similarly weak performance in the Bavarian elections, Merkel admitted that German voters had lost trust in their government.

The German chancellor took "full responsibility" for the poor performance, ultimately deciding to resign.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer

Karrenbauer, former CDU secretary general and Saarland state premier, was known to be Merkel's presumed favored successor.

Presenting herself before the final vote on Friday, Karrenbauer pointed out that she is known to be a "mini Merkel," however, adding that "I can tell you that I stand here as my own person, just as life has shaped me and of that I am proud."

Karrenbauer, described as a Merkel-loyalist, gained the nickname out of her pragmatic and centrist politics which shadow that of Merkel.

The politician has also been described as having a reputation for uniting factions across the CDU along with other parties.

Facing tough competition from the emerging and right-wing Alternative for Germany (AfD) opposition party, Karrenbauer seeks to maintain the CDU's position as Germany's catch-all party.

The party's former secretary general is, however, known to support some social and foreign policies opposed by even her veteran predecessor Merkel.

Unlike Merkel, Karrenbauer is a supporter of special women quotas on corporate boards and adopting a tougher line against Russia.

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Germany's Christian Democrats Elect New Leader After Merkel Steps Down

Sputnik News

19:00 07.12.2018(updated 19:43 07.12.2018)

Earlier, former head of the Cristian Democratic Union (CDU) Angela Merkel announced her resignation as the party's chief amid poor results in the latest regional parliamentary elections.

General Secretary of the Christian Democratic Union Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer was elected as the new party leader, which is a part of the current governing coalition in Germany. She received 517 out of 999 votes from the CDU delegates, while her closest rival, Friedrich Merz, got 482.

Kramp-Karrenbauer worked as general secretary beginning in February, 2018. Previously, she had served 7 years as minister president of Saarland, leading a three-party coalition, including the Free German Party (FDP) and the Greens. She is considered to be a close ally of Angela Merkel, according to German media.

She is known for voicing concerns regarding giving full adoption rights to same-sex couples and has also argued against revising the definition of marriage to being simply "a long-term responsible partnership between two adults", claiming it could lead to demands to legalise marriages between close relatives, humans and animals, as well as polygamy. She is also a strong supporter of Angela Merkel's migration policies, including her decision to let in over a million of migrants from the Middle East in 2015.

The newly elected CDU head has previously opposed the idea of withdrawing support from the Nord Stream 2 project entirely, but suggested reducing the amount of gas obtained via the route from Russia as a response to the recent Kerch incident involving Ukrainian naval ships.

Previously, German Chancellor and former CDU chief Angela Merkel announced that she would resign from her party post and would not run for a new term as chancellor following the poor performance of her party in elections to the regional parliaments.

 Sputnik

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Ally of German Chancellor Merkel Elected to Succeed Her as Party Leader

By VOA News December 07, 2018

A close ally has been elected to succeed German Chancellor Angela Merkel as the leader of the country's center-right Christian Democratic Union.

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer, the party's current general secretary, narrowly defeated former Merkel rival Friedrich Merz 517 to 482 at a congress of the party Friday in Hamburg.

Merz sought to move the CDU further to the right.

A third candidate, Health Minister Jens Spahn, an outspoken critic of Merkel's 2015 decision to welcome more than 1 million asylum-seekers to Germany, was eliminated in a first round of voting.

The win by the 56-year-old moderate signaled the party's preference for stability over dramatic change.

Kramp-Karrenbauer is now tasked with trying to win back voters who have defected to the right and left.

Kramp-Karrenbauer's win also is a much-needed victory for the legacy of Merkel, who is stepping down after 18 years as the party leader.

In her farewell speech at the congress, Merkel thanked her staff and said the party "is never just one person by him or herself, but always all members together."

Merkel reminded fellow party members that experience has shown "how much strength and momentum we can develop" when faced with difficulties.

During her half-hour speech she received several standing ovations. Some delegates held up placards saying "Thank you, boss!''

Merkel announced in October she would not run for re-election as the party chairperson, but she planned to remain chancellor until the end of the current term ending in 2021. However, it is possible that elections could be called before then.

Merkel, 64, is stepping down after a series of polls have shown a decline in popularity because of her liberal refugee policy.

Merkel has led Germany since 2005, and has moved the CDU steadily toward the political center.

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Israel Secretly Trained in Europe to Destroy Hezbollah Tunnels  Report

Sputnik News

12:14 07.12.2018

The Israel Defence Forces launched Operation Northern Shield to annihilate the underground border tunnels of the Lebanon-based organisation on 4 December. The former Israeli defence minister admitted earlier that the country's officials had been hiding knowledge of the tunnels' existence for years to mislead "the other side".

Israel sent 11 members of the Engineering Corps for special training in Europe to excavate hard rock soil like the one on the Lebanese border a year ago, Haaretz reports. According to the outlet, people involved believed that it was routine training as the preparations for Operation Northern Shield, announced on 4 December, were kept secret.

After the Israel Defence Forces recognised the need to deal with the Hezbollah tunnels in 2015, a group of intelligence and army experts suggested a plan to later destroy the tunnels should be prepared. The Engineering Corps determined that the soil at the border with Lebanon was different from the terrain they had to deal with in the areas near the Gaza Strip.

"We realised we had to train people to excavate. We encountered such tunnels in the Second Lebanon War. We called them 'nature reserves', which served as underground command centers", a senior IDF officer said, as cited by Haaretz.

According to the outlet, training in Europe let the Israeli engineers learn from the best experts in the field. The Engineering Corps members who participated in this training are involved in the work at some sites along the border, while in other areas civilians are drilling.

"We trained in the terrain we weren't accustomed to, working in hard earth and rocky terrain and in tough areas, in order to learn about excavating", the cited officer said.

The IDF announced on 4 December the launch of Operation Northern Shield to destroy the Hezbollah transboundary tunnels to secretly transfer its militants to Israel in any potential future conflict. The Lebanese Army also issued a statement calling Israel's accusations "mere allegations", according to the country's state-run National News Agency (NNA).

Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu recently visited the border and showed one such tunnel to diplomats from other countries in order to persuade them to impose sanctions on Hezbollah. He suggested that the ongoing "Northern Shield" operation could spill over into the neighbouring country, Yedioth Ahronoth newspaper reported.

Former Israeli Defence Minister Moshe Ya'alon admitted that the country's officials had been hiding knowledge of the existence of Hezbollah's underground tunnels for years before the IDF announced they were launching a military operation. A handful of former military officials and opposition politicians have criticised the way in which the military's op to eliminate the Hezbollah subterranean threat was revealed to the public.

 Sputnik

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Pompeo meets S. Korean FM on DPRK denuclearization

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 09:38, December 07, 2018

WASHINGTON, Dec. 6 (Xinhua) -- U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo met with South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha here on Thursday, discussing the denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula, said the U.S. State Department.

The two sides agreed to maintain close coordination and insisted on "the final, fully verified denuclearization" of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK), said Heather Nauert, spokesperson of the U.S. State Department, in a statement.

Negotiations between Pyongyang and Washington saw little progress in the past few months, as differences between the two sides remained over the scale of denuclearization, U.S. sanctions, and whether to issue a war-ending declaration.

A planned high-level meeting between Pompeo and a senior DPRK official in New York was cancelled, citing scheduling issue.

Meanwhile, the momentum for talks continued. U.S. President Donald Trump revealed earlier this month that his second meeting with DPRK's top leader Kim Jong Un was likely to happen in January or February next year.

The first-ever Kim-Trump meeting occurred in Singapore last June, followed by a joint statement in which the United States agreed to provide security guarantee to the DPRK in return for Pyongyang's commitment to denuclearization.

Chinese State Councilor and Foreign Minister Wang Yi said earlier this month that China encourages the United States and the DPRK to advance denuclearization on the Korean Peninsula.

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S.Korea, DPRK hold liaison office meeting in Kaesong

People's Daily Online

(Xinhua) 12:41, December 07, 2018

SEOUL, Dec. 7 (Xinhua) -- South Korea and the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) held a vice-ministerial-level meeting Friday at the inter-Korean liaison office in the DPRK's border town of Kaesong.

Seoul's unification ministry vice spokesperson, Lee Eugene, told a press briefing that Vice Unification Minister Chun Hae-sung was scheduled to participate in the meeting between chiefs of the inter-Korean liaison office in Kaesong slated for 11 a.m. local time (0200 GMT).

Chun's DPRK counterpart is Jon Jong Su, vice chairman of the DPRK's Committee for the Peaceful Reunification of the Fatherland. They have served as co-heads of the liaison office, which was opened in September for round-the-clock communications between the two Koreas.

During the meeting, Chun and Jon would review the implementation of agreements, which the leaders of the two Koreas reached, and make comprehensive discussions on relevant issues, the vice spokesperson said.

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RSVIP: Seoul Awaiting Kim Jong Un's Response to Official Visit Invitation

Sputnik News

23:44 07.12.2018(updated 23:45 07.12.2018)

North Korean leader Kim Jong Un has been invited to visit the capital of South Korea from December 12 to December 14, South Korean media reported Friday.

It remains to be seen whether Kim will accept the invitation, The Korea Times reported Friday.

Upon returning to South Korea from the G20 Summit in Buenos Aires, Argentina, on Tuesday, South Korean President Moon Jae In issued an "official invitation" to his counterpart in the North, according to South Korean media outlet Chosun Ilbo.

Moon has considered the possibility of a meeting closely. On Thursday, top aides visited him at the Blue House, the official residence of the South Korean head of state, to discuss the details of the potential visit.

As of Friday, the Blue House told reporters that it had "not heard from Pyongyang yet."

Seoul is ready to accommodate different dates to fit Kim's schedule. "We will prepare to accommodate Kim if he decides to come, possibly between mid-December and the end of the year we are also considering that the visit may be delayed 'til next year," an official from Moon's administration is quoted as saying by Korea Times.

Former South Korean Unification Minister Jeong Se-hyun told media in the country that a good time for Kim to visit might be between December 18 and December 20.

"Kim is set to be very busy from December 20. If he comes and stays on December 18, 19, 20, it will happen exactly three months after Moon's visit to Pyongyang on September 18 to 20," said Jeong, as quoted by Korea Times.

 Sputnik

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South Korea Approves $300 Mln Deal to Buy US Missiles for Aegis System

Sputnik News

16:00 07.12.2018

TOKYO (Sputnik) - South Korea has decided to purchase a new batch of SM-2 ship-to-air missiles from the United States to equip three new destroyers with the Aegis system, South Korean Defence Ministry's procurement department said on Friday.

The decision was made on Friday at a meeting of the defence ministry's procurement committee.

The SM-2 missiles were developed to provide air and cruise missile defence as part of the Aegis combat system.

In addition, the committee also approved the granting of the Hanhwa Corporation (Hanwha) the right to manufacture 230-millimetre calibre missiles for multiple-launch rocket systems.

The South Korean defence purchase comes amid a general improvement of relations with Pyongyang, with North Korea destroying 10 observation posts in the demilitarised zone bordering the South.

There are no reports pertaining to the next inter-Korean summit; however, South Korean Foreign Minister Kang Kyung-wha and President of the Presidium of the North Korean Supreme People's Assembly Kim Yong-nam held a meeting in Mexico last week.

 Sputnik

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Russia says US stance on INF treaty aims to ruin New START pact

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 05:24PM

Russia's Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov says the US threats to withdraw from the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces treaty (INF) pave the way for ruining the New START nuclear weapons pact.

US President Donald Trump said on October 20 that Washington would quit the INF treaty, which was signed towards the end of the Cold War in 1987 by then President Ronald Reagan and Soviet leader Mikhail Gorbachev. The treaty, seen as a milestone in ending the Cold War arms race between the two superpowers, banned ground-launch nuclear missiles with ranges from 500 kilometers to 5,500 kilometers and led to the elimination of nearly 2,700 short- and medium-range missiles.

The US said it is withdrawing from the pact because of Russia's alleged violation, an accusation Moscow denies. Russia said it was Washington that violated the agreement.

On Thursday, a top US official called on Moscow to dismantle its 9M729 nuclear-capable cruise missiles and launchers or alter the weapons' range to return to compliance with the INF treaty and avert a US withdrawal from the deal.

"The impression is given that the ground is simply being prepared for this document (New START) also to be ruined as a result," Lavrov said at a press conference in Milan, Italy, on Friday.

Earlier on Friday, the Kremlin stressed that the missiles were in compliance with the INF arms control treaty.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov reiterated that "Russia has not violated, is not violating and remains committed to its obligations under the INF treaty."

Lavrov slams 'arrogant' US after arrest of China's Huawei CFO

Elsewhere in his remarks, Lavrov also said that the detention of a top executive of Chinese telecom giant Huawei in Canada on a US extradition request was an example of "arrogant" US policy abroad and shows how Washington imposes its laws beyond its jurisdiction.

On December 1, Huawei's chief financial officer and the daughter of its founder, Meng Wanzhou, 46, was nabbed during a stopover at Vancouver airport on a US extradition request on suspicion she violated the US sanctions against Iran. The arrest was announced by Canadian authorities on Wednesday.

The arrest prompted the Chinese government's protest urging her immediate release. The detention is also said to be threatening the Sino-American relations.

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Lavrov: US Wants Russia to Ban Missile That Was Tested Within INF Framework

Sputnik News

13:16 07.12.2018(updated 14:29 07.12.2018)

The Russian foreign minister has commented on the demand from US Undersecretary for Arms Control Andrea Thompson, which requires that Moscow either terminate the development of its 9M729 missile system or modify the weapon, pointing to its alleged non-compliance with the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty.

Addressing Washington's plan to suspend its adherence to the INF Treaty in 60 days, announced by Secretary of State Mike Pompeo, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov stressed that Moscow had never received documents from the US on the matter of alleged violations of the agreement, once more noting that Washington's accusations against Russia are baseless.

"We remind you once again that when the United States started accusing us of violating the treaty several years ago, it was doing it groundlessly, and we had to literally drag information out of them in order to understand what they were talking about and what they meant," Lavrov said at a press briefing.

According to the minister, the 9M729 missile system, which prompted the American side's concerns, was tested by the Russian military at range permitted under the INF Treaty. He underlined that Russia had to "literally drag information" out of Washington in order to understand their claims.

"They eventually cited a specific missile  the 9M729, as you know  and started to say that it was tested for a range prohibited by the treaty. Our information on these tests proves the opposite. It was tested for a range permitted by the treaty and in circumstances that the treaty envisages", Lavrov explained.

He stated that Moscow proposed to discuss the issue at NATO-Russia council, but the US blocked the initiative.

The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 between the Soviet Union and the United States. The agreement obligated the parties to destroy their ground-launched ballistic and cruise missiles whose ranges are between 500 and 5,500 kilometres (from 311 to 3,317 miles).

New START Treaty

According to the minister, the United States may have started preparing the ground to derail talks on the prolongation of the New Strategic Arms Reduction Treaty (New START).

"We have suggestions that we have repeatedly communicated to the United States, including in Helsinki, when [Russian] President [Vladimir] Putin met with [US] President [Donald] Trump. I have personally submitted suggestions to [US] Secretary of State [Mike] Pompeo, then these suggestions were repeated during [US National Security Adviser] John Bolton's August visit [to Russia], and in October, when he came again. These were suggestions to start a serious, honest, and professional dialogue on the INF, on the START implementation, as well as a range of other suggestions on how we should tackle strategic security problems," Lavrov said.

"We have not received any answer from Americans. We are occasionally reminding them of it, but they have just one answer: 'You should correct your mistakes, and rectify your violations'," Lavrov added.

Tensions Near Russian Borders

The diplomat also stated that the situation within the OSCE area has become tense, noting that some members of the organisation are increasing their military presence near their borders with Russia.

"We see that our colleagues from NATO are pursuing a course of deterring Russia, that they are increasing their military activity near our borders, and creating military infrastructure at the 'Eastern front', as they call it. Instead of opting for diplomacy, they are trying to voice groundless accusations, which do not facilitate dialogue. A better understanding of mutual concerns can be reached only via dialogue", Lavrov said at a briefing.

He also commented on the sanctions against Moscow, stating that currently, the EU is being "held captive by a small, but a very aggressive Russophobic minority", which prompts the Russian government to defend the country from sanctions.

"This is an eternal issue, an inexhaustible one. I have nothing to say here. It's all the same pretext  when we are accused of violating a treaty, interfering in elections, trying to subjugate cyberspace, and the media space in general, to our interests, but I haven't seen any evidence so far", the minister said at a press conference following the OSCE Ministerial Council meeting.

 Sputnik

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Germany still selling arms to Riyadh despite halt triggered by Khashoggi case: Report

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 10:36AM

Despite a halt earlier announced by Chancellor Angela Merkel in condemnation of the murder of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi, Germany is covertly exporting arms to Saudi Arabia and is even planning to resume overt sales soon, a report said.

The Merkel administration announced in October that it had suspended arms sales to Saudi Arabia until the Khashoggi case was "cleared up", and put the agreed deliveries on hold weeks later.

But an investigation by the Stern magazine together with the ARD broadcaster has revealed that the German arms company Rheinmetall has been selling weapons to Riyadh through its subsidiaries in Italy and South Africa despite the complete halt in exports ordered by the German chancellor after the murder of dissident Saudi journalist in Istanbul.

Rheinmetall, a corporation based in the western German city of Dusseldorf, has a subsidiary called RWM Italia, which builds bombs on the Italian island of Sardinia, a report by Deutsche Welle (DW) said.

Investigations have proved that in October 2016 a family of six, including a pregnant woman, was killed by a bomb produced by RWM Italia. There was, according to eyewitnesses, no military reason for the airstrike that was launched at three in the morning when the family was asleep in their house. DW has obtained a copy of the case report which calls the airstrike "a crime."

It is likely, activists told DW, that while prosecutors decide whether to investigate, RWM would continue exporting to Saudi Arabia. Indeed, DW has learnt, the bomb factory is planning to expand and has asked the local authorities for planning permission.

The German company has also sought a broad partnership with the struggling South African arms maker Denel, which would include acquisition of the company's minority stake in a joint venture Denel holds with German Rheinmetall: Rheinmetall Denel Munition (RDM).

RDM specializes in medium and large-caliber ammunition including artillery shells, and is reportedly fanning the flames of the Yemen war by selling weapons to the Saudi regime.

Rheinmetall board member Helmut Merch reportedly admitted in a conference call with bankers in mid-November that these two export channels were "not affected" by the ban.

However, in a meeting with investors earlier this year, the CEO of Rheinmetall, Armin Papperger, reportedly stressed that his company was not responsible for any business conducted by its subsidiaries.

This comes as Merkel's government boasted about its decision to halt arms exports to Saudi Arabia in October, citing human rights concerns, and calling on all European countries to follow suit.

Berlin to resume overt arms exports to Saudi Arabia

In addition to the indirect German exports, Berlin reportedly plans to resume the lucrative business with the Arab kingdom within the coming weeks. The ban is reportedly limited to two months, and opposition politicians from the Left Party and the Greens told DW they are convinced it will soon be lifted.

"There is ample evidence that Saudi Arabia has long been exporting its ultra orthodox, intransigent interpretation of Islam across the globe and has stoked several regional conflicts," DW said.

However, the report added, "none of this seemed to duly bother Western officials until now."

Given its vast oil reserves, Saudi Arabia "can do whatever it wants. It has a free pass," Andrew Feinstein, a leading arms expert and executive director of Corruption Watch, told DW.

Germany, he said, had a restrictive arms exports policy "only when it suits Germany"  and in the case of Saudi Arabia, for many years, it clearly didn't.

"And, off the record, one official admitted that the German government is happy for other European countries to export weapons to Saudi Arabia, even if Germany's hands are bound by its decision to temporarily halt all exports," the report said, citing Berlin's concern about Riyadh's "stability" as the main reason for the continued arms exports.

Merkel's October announcement of the halt in arms exports to Riyadh came as her government had earlier ordered another ban on the weapons delivery to Saudi Arabia in January in an apparent reaction to the Saudi invasion of Yemen. However, it later went back on its decision by approving a 416 million euros worth of arms exports by September.

The approval turned Saudi Arabia into Germany's second-best arms customer after Algeria.

In October, the German government gave the green light for further exports to Saudi Arabia worth some 254 million.

DW has admitted that German-made and designed arms are still ending up in Yemen with or without the ban announced by Merkel.

Weapons continue to pour into the conflict that has pushed, as one Yemeni academic told DW, an already impoverished country firmly back "into the middle ages."

Saudi Arabia has become mired in the Yemen conflict after launching a war on the impoverished nation in 2015, which has put 14 million Yemenis on the brink of imminent famine.

Saudi Arabia also maintains a crippling blockade which has left entire cities in Yemen unable to find food and clean water.

Analysts say the Khashoggi killing was an opportunity to turn the spotlight on Saudi Arabia's broader policies, but the West is unlikely to hold the kingdom's feet to the fire at the cost of its lucrative arms deals.

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Riyadh to Cut Oil Output by Extra 200,000 Bpd Under New Deal - Iraqi Minister

Sputnik News

20:31 07.12.2018(updated 21:02 07.12.2018)

VIENNA (Sputnik) - Saudi Arabia will reduce oil production under the new OPEC-non-OPEC agreement by additional 200,000 barrels per day as it has already cut output by 500,000 bpd, Iraqi Oil Minister Thamir Ghadhban told reporters on Friday.

Participants of the OPEC-non-OPEC oil production cut deal agreed during a meeting in Vienna earlier in the day to reduce overall oil production by 1.2 billion barrels per day, with Saudi oil producers cutting the output by 500,000 bpd in order to stabilise prices on the market.

"In October, we produced 10.7 million barrels daily The January numbers will be in the neighborhood of 10.2 million barrels per day, so it will be less than in October by about 500,000 barrels," Saudi Energy Minister Khalid Falih said at the OPEC ministerial conference in Vienna.

Prices on crude oil plummeted down to $60 per barrel in November following the decision of Saudi Arabia to raise crude production to an unprecedented 11.3 million barrels per day as Reuters reported on 27 November citing an industry source.

Such raise was caused, among the other factors, by numerous requests of US President Donald Trump, who criticised the OPEC for high oil prices and urged Saudi Arabia to change the situation.

Trump later thanked Riyadh for lowering oil prices, adding that Washington would remain a "steadfast partner" of the kingdom. The statement came in during the ongoing probe into the assassination of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in Saudi consulate in Istanbul that worsened relations between Washington and Riyadh, with the US Senate introducing resolution to hold Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman responsible for the murder.

Total Oil Cuts

According to the OPEC release, the organisation agreed to lower its oil output for six months by 0.8 million barrels per day from October 2018 levels, starting January. At the same time, non-cartel countries will be cutting the output by 400,000 barrels.

"The conference decided to adjust OPEC overall production by 0.8 million barrels per day from October 2018 levels effective as of January 2019 for initial 6 months with the review in April", the OPEC press release read at the OPEC-non-OPEC press conference after the ministerial talks said.

It was decided that OPEC's "next ordinary meeting will reconvene in Vienna, Austria in April 2019."

In late 2016, OPEC and non-OPEC states made a deal to cut oil production in a bid to stabilize oil prices. Since then, the agreement has repeatedly been prolonged with the final extension reaching the end of 2018.

 Sputnik

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German Arms Supplied to Saudi Arabia Despite Halt Over Khashoggi's Case - Report

Sputnik News

20:29 07.12.2018

Washington Post journalist Jamal Khashoggi's killing has prompted Germany to freeze arms export to Saudi Arabia, Berlin's second biggest weapons importer, until the case has been "cleared up" and call on other European countries to do the same.

The German arms corporation Rheinmetall is allegedly continuing to trade with Saudi Arabia through its Italian and South African subsidiaries, despite Berlin's export freeze to the Gulf kingdom, a joint investigation by the magazine Stern and public broadcaster ARD suggests. The outlets cite Rheinmetall executive Helmut Merch, who reportedly said during a documented telephone conference with bank analysts in mid-November, that these deliveries have "not been affected" by the recent German export ban, imposed after the killing of journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Turkey.

Merch estimated the annual sales at over 100 million euros. Incidentally, the head of Rheinmetall's Italian subsidiary, RWM Italia, Fabio Sgarzi, spoke in a July interview about the current expansion of the company's factory on the Italian island of Sardinia, which would allow it to triple its production capacity.

In addition to the Italian subsidiary, Rheinmetall's joint venture in South Africa, promoting its production with its "extraordinary lethality", has reportedly caught the attention of the Saudi state-owned arms holding SAMI. The Gulf kingdom's company is attempting to buy a share there in a bid to develop its own independent weapons industry.

SAMI is headed by former Rheinmetall Divisional Director Andreas Schwer. The publication suggests that besides him, at least three other former Rheinmetall managers are apparently working for the Saudi company.

With arms exports amounting to $472.6 million between January and September 2018, Saudi Arabia is Germany's second largest customer after Algeria. In October, Berlin approved further exports to the kingdom valued at some 254 million.

However, after the death of Jamal Khashoggi, a Washington Post journalist, German Chancellor Angela Merkel announced that Berlin would stop arms exports to Riyadh amid the ongoing scandal surrounding his death. German Economic Affairs Minister Peter Altmaier also urged EU member states to follow in Berlin's footsteps and stop deliveries to Riyadh due to questions raised amid Khashoggi's case.

US President Donald Trump, who has suggested that Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman "had knowledge" about Khashoggi's murder, said the US would remain a strategic partner for Riyadh despite the ongoing scandal. He noted that it would be "foolish" to terminate weapons exports contracts with the kingdom.

Khashoggi was last seen entering the Saudi consulate in Istanbul on 2 October. Later, Saudi authorities announced that a preliminary investigation had shown that Khashoggi was dead. Following more than two weeks of denial, Riyadh admitted that he had been killed in a brawl inside the consulate. According to Saudi authorities, some 21 individuals were arrested following an investigation of the murder, with 11 of them already facing charges. 5 of those charged face the death penalty if they are found guilty of the charges. It was also reported that the assassination was premeditated.

Saudi officials have denied the involvement of the royal family, specifically of the crown prince, in Khashoggi's killing. Riyadh insists that he was murdered as a result of a "rogue operation".

 Sputnik

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Fresh US-led airstrikes kill nearly dozen Syrian civilians in Dayr al-Zawr

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 02:12PM

Nearly a dozen civilians have lost their lives and sustained injuries when the so-called US-led coalition purportedly fighting the Daesh Takfiri terrorist group carried out a number of aerial attacks in Syria's troubled eastern province of Dayr al-Zawr.

Local sources, speaking on condition of anonymity, told Syria's official news agency SANA that the airstrikes targeted the town of Hajin, which lies south of the provincial capital city of Dayr al-Zawr, on Friday afternoon, leaving 8 people dead.

The sources added that the victims were all members of the same family.

The development came only two days after five civilians, mostly women and children, were killed in US-led coalition airstrikes against the same Syrian town.

The aerial assaults also caused substantial damage to residential buildings and private properties in the targeted area.

On November 13, the Syrian Ministry of Foreign Affairs and Expatriates condemned a recent airstrike by the so-called US-led coalition against the eastern town of al-Shaafah, which left more than 60 people dead and injured, arguing that the massacre clearly pointed to the fact that members of the military alliance had no respect for moral values, international rules and regulations besides the lives of innocent civilians.

The ministry, in two separate letters, addressed to United Nations Secretary General Antonio Guterres and the former rotating president of the UN Security Council Ma Zhaoxu, called on the Security Council to fulfill its responsibilities and stop US-led aerial assaults.

It also asked the world body to propose an international, independent and impartial mechanism to investigate the crimes being perpetrated by the so-called US-led coalition.

The letters noted that the coalition was deliberately targeting Syria civilians and making use of internationally banned weapons, including white phosphorus bombs, in Syria.

The ministry stressed that the so-called US-led coalition airstrikes were meant to kill as many Syrian people as possible, prolong the ongoing Syrian conflict, destroy the country's infrastructure and undermine its sovereignty and territorial integrity in flagrant violation of all UN Security Council resolutions on Syria.

The letters concluded that the embarrassing silence of the Security Council had encouraged the coalition to kill more Syrian civilians and destroy their property.

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US-Led Coalition Strikes Hajin, Local Hospital Completely Destroyed - Reports

Sputnik News

23:18 07.12.2018(updated 23:36 07.12.2018)

The Friday airstrikes of the US-led Coalition have completely destroyed a hospital in the Syrian city of Hajin in the eastern Deir ez-Zor province, Ikhbariya broadcaster reported.

SANA and the Ikhbariya broadcaster reported earlier on Friday that eight more civilians were killed in recent airstrikes on Hajin. All of the killed civilians were reportedly members of one family.

The US-led coalition regularly carries out airstrikes in eastern Deir ez-Zor province, and has recently been concentrating its air power on Hajin.

According to the Wednesday US-led Coalition press release, all strikes were carried out near Hajin and destroyed supply routes, vehicles, fighting positions, as well as tunnels and buildings.

On Saturday, the SANA news agency reported that the coalition's airstrikes hit the al-Buqa village near the town of Hajin in the province of Deir ez-Zor leaving 40 civilians dead. The coalition's spokesman Col. Sean Ryan told Sputnik that the coalition had conducted strikes in the area, which, however, did not result in any civilian casualties.

The coalition's activities in Syria are authorized neither by the Syrian government, nor by the UN Security Council.

 Sputnik

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Pentagon Aims to Train Up to 40,000 Local Stabilization Troops in Syria

Sputnik News

02:33 07.12.2018(updated 02:52 07.12.2018)

WASHINGTON - US and allied forces in eastern Syria need to complete training between 35,000 to 40,000 local troops to establish stability in eastern Syria following the defeat and expulsion of the Daesh terror group in those areas, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs General Joseph Dunford said.

"We estimate about 35,000 to 40,000 local forces have to be trained and equipped in order to provide stability," Dunford said at a Washington Post event on Thursday. "We are probably somewhere along the line of 20 percent through the training of those forces."

Dunford explained that the stabilization process would need to continue for an indefinite period of time in eastern Syria.

"With regard to stabilization we still have a long way to go. We can say our presence in Syria right now is sustainable and can be adjusted based on conditions," he said.

Dunford gave no details of the number of US Special Operations Command troops that were currently operating in eastern, Syria, but he did say there were no plans to evacuate them.

When asked if the US forces in eastern Syria would be maintained in the region for the foreseeable future, Dunford replied, "No. That's right They're not leaving any time soon."

The training of local forces was necessary to re-establish effective local government and services in the region including sewage, law and order and electric power, Dunford said.

Daesh (ISIL/ISIS/Islamic State), a terrorist group banned in Russia and a number of other countries.

 Sputnik

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The Russian and Assad Regime's False Allegations on Chemical Weapons Use in Aleppo

Press Statement

Robert Palladino

Deputy Spokesperson

Washington, DC

December 7, 2018

On November 24, 2018, the Assad regime and Russia falsely accused the opposition and extremist groups of conducting a chlorine attack in northwestern Aleppo. The United States strongly refutes this narrative and has credible information that pro-regime forces likely used teargas against civilians in Aleppo on November 24. The United States has information indicating Russian and Syrian personnel were involved in the teargas incident, and believes that both countries are using it as an opportunity to undermine confidence in the ceasefire in Idlib.

The United States is deeply concerned that pro-regime officials have maintained control of the attack site in its immediate aftermath, allowing them to potentially fabricate samples and contaminate the site before a proper investigation of it by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons. We caution Russia and the regime against tampering with the suspected attack site and urge them to secure the safety of impartial, independent inspectors so that those responsible can be held accountable.

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Ukraine parliament votes to end Russia friendship treaty

Iran Press TV

Fri Dec 7, 2018 08:31AM

Ukraine's parliament has approved a motion presented by President Petro Poroshenko to end the country's Treaty of Friendship with Russia.

As many as 277 out of 450 lawmakers on Thursday voted in favor of the motion. The bill required a minimum 226 votes to pass.

The approved motion implies that Ukraine will not seek to renew the friendship treaty after it expires on March 31, 2019.

The treaty, which was signed in 1997, established a strategic partnership between the two countries.

The agreement called for Moscow and Kiev to "respect the territorial integrity of each other and confirm [the] inviolability of current mutual borders."

The pact further urged the two countries to embrace relations "based on principles of mutual respect of sovereign equality, inviolability of borders, peaceful resolution of differences, without use of force or threat to use force."

Also on Thursday, the parliament adopted another additional bill unilaterally doubling Ukraine's territorial waters to 24 nautical miles, claiming that the measure seeks to increase the navy's operational efficiency.

Ukraine's withdrawal from the treaty and unilateral doubling of territorial waters comes as the two countries are locked in political and territorial dispute.

On November 25, Russia seized three Ukrainian navy vessels in the Kerch Strait situated between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea, accusing the ships of illegally entering its territorial waters.

Tensions have since risen, with Kiev imposing martial law in its border regions and barring Russian "men of fighting age" from entering the country.

NATO presence in Ukraine

Ukraine also called for further US-led NATO military presence in the region in response to the Kerch Strait incident.

On Thursday, the Pentagon announced that it had carried out an "extraordinary" observation flight "to reaffirm US commitment to Ukraine".

"Russia's unprovoked attack on Ukrainian naval vessels in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait is a dangerous escalation in a pattern of increasingly provocative and threatening activity," said Pentagon spokesman Eric Pahon commenting on the US aerial operation.

Moscow says the United States is encouraging provocation between Russia and Ukraine over the recent confrontation. Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov said Washington should mediate between Ukraine and breakaway regions instead of defending Kiev.

Russian President Vladimir Putin accused his Ukrainian counterpart Poroshenko of orchestrating the naval "provocation" in the Black Sea to bolster his popularity ratings before next year's election.

The Strait of Kerch is a strategic route linking the Sea of Azov to the Black Sea where Russia has built a bridge to link the former Ukrainian territory of Crimea with the Russian mainland, east of the territory.

Since Crimea's reunion with Russia in 2014, Moscow and Ukraine have disputed territorial access to the strait and the Sea of Azov.

Earlier this year, Ukraine also detained two Russian ships in the Azov Sea.

Moreover, Poroshenko claimed earlier this week that Moscow seeks to block the ports of Mariupol and Berdyansk and ultimately push inland into Ukraine to create a land corridor to the Crimean Peninsula, a charge Russia strongly denies.

The crisis between Russia and Ukraine started after a string of protests overthrew Ukraine's democratically elected government in 2014 and replaced it with a pro-Western government.

The incident provoked an ongoing armed conflict in the predominantly Russian-speaking regions of eastern Ukraine and also led to Crimea's reunion with Russia following a local referendum later in 2014.

Kiev and its Western allies have since accused Moscow of channeling troops and armaments across the border into eastern Ukraine, a charge the Kremlin denies.

International efforts to restore peace to the region have so far failed and more than 10,000 people have been killed in eastern Ukraine conflict.

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Kyiv Says Russia Blocking Kerch Strait, Plans To Send Ukrainian Navy Ships

December 07, 2018

Ukraine is accusing Russia of keeping up its blockade of the Kerch Strait that links the Black Sea with the Sea of Azov, warning that it will soon send more navy ships through the strait.

The warning by Ukraine's Defense Ministry sets up another possible military confrontation in the area, where Russian seized three Ukrainian Navy ships and 24 crewmen on November 25.

The Ukrainian Border Guard Service said on December 7 that more than 140 Ukrainian civilian ships were stuck on both sides of the Kerch Strait as a result of excessive checks and delays by Russia.

It accused Russia of creating a bottleneck for Ukrainian ships sailing between the Sea of Azov and the Black Sea.

The complaints come three days after Ukrainian Infrastructure Minister Volodymyr Omelyan announced that Russia had "partially" unblocked Ukraine's Sea of Azov ports, allowing Ukrainian ship to pass through the Kerch Strait for the first time since November 25.

"Vessels make their way to the entrance and exit through the Kerch Strait toward Ukrainian ports," Omelyan said on December 4, adding that all Ukrainian ships "are stopped and inspected by Russia as before, but the traffic has been partially restored."

The Ukrainian sailors remain in Russian captivity despite international calls for their release.

The November 25 incident off Crimea's Black Sea coast near the Kerch Strait was the latest escalation in the conflict between Russia and Ukraine that began in 2014 when Russian forces seized and illegally annexed Ukraine's Crimean Peninsula.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP

Source: https://www.rferl.org/a/kyiv-says-russia- blocking-kerch-strait-plans-to-send-ukrainian -navy-ships/29643366.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.

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Russia Allegedly Sends Sub to Kerch Strait as Tensions With Ukraine Soar

Sputnik News

14:40 07.12.2018

A Twitter user claims a Russian submarine has been spotted leaving the port city of Sevastopol just days after three Ukrainian warships violated Russia's maritime border. The Russian Defence Ministry hasn't commented yet.

A Russia-made naval diesel-electric attack submarine has allegedly been snapped leaving the Russian port city of Sevastopol. The photos of the Kilo-class, dubbed the "Black Hole" by Western experts due to its ability to quickly disappear, were tweeted by user @Capt_Navy.

The Russian Ministry of Defence has not commented on the claims yet.

Daily Star cited US Submarine Veteran Eric Moreno as saying that the submarine could be heading to the Kerch Strait  which separates the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov where three Ukrainian Navy ships crossed Russia's maritime border in violation of international law.

On Thursday, CNN reported that the US military had asked the Department of State to notify the Turkish government of its intent to sail a warship in the Black Sea.

The notification will give the US Navy an option to enter the area, but it is not an indication that such an action will be taken, three government sources told CNN.

"The US can't send submarines in there because the water is too shallow for nuclear-powered submarines (SSNs). A diesel submarine would have to be the one to sneak up there so only NATO countries with SSK's (diesel) could reach the area. If a country thinks they have the ability to go in there and spy to see what is going on they might do it", Moreno told Daily Star.

Moreno added that it was likely that if NATO sent a surface vessel, it would be accompanied by one or two submarines for protection and surveillance.

"The Kilo class that Russia sent is probably out there right now. Russia probably has a few SSNs running around the Black Sea as well. Probably posted at the inlet of the Black Sea waiting to hear something come in. That warship we are sending in is going to be a sitting duck because there is only one way in and out".

The development comes in the wake of the naval incident in the Kerch Strait on November 25 when three Ukrainian warships entered Russian territorial waters in violation of international law.

The Russian authorities seized the ships after they failed to respond to legal demands to leave the area, and detained the 24 sailors who were on board the vessels.

In response, Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko signed a decree declaring martial law in several Ukrainian regions located near the Russian border and the coasts of the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov.

 Sputnik

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Nuclear bomb kit reaches major milestone for production phase

By Leah Bryant, AFNWC Public Affairs, Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center / Published December 07, 2018

KIRTLAND AIR FORCE BASE, N.M. (AFNS) -- The Air Force Nuclear Weapons Center received formal approval in late October to enter the production phase for the B61-12 nuclear gravity bomb's new guided tail-kit assembly, or TKA.

"This marks the completion of a highly successful development effort for the tail kit," said Col. Dustin Ziegler, AFNWC director for air-delivered capabilities.

The AFNWC program office recently passed the Air Force review of the weapon system's development and received approval to end its engineering and manufacturing development phase and enter the next phase for production of the tail kit. In the production phase, the testing environment will more closely approach real-world environments.

Known as Milestone C, the decision to enter this next phase marked the completion of a series of developmental flight tests. The program office completed a 27-month test program in less than 11 months, with 100 percent success for all of its 31 bomb drops. The accelerated schedule, as well as other risk mitigation strategies, enabled the program office to save more than $280 million in development costs, according to Ziegler.

"The flight tests demonstrated the system works very well in its intended environment," said Col. Paul Rounsavall, AFNWC senior materiel leader for the B61-12 TKA, Eglin AFB, Florida. "This development effort brought the first-ever digital interface to the B61 family of weapons and demonstrated the B61-12 TKA's compatibility with the Air Force's B-2 and F-15 aircraft. In addition, the TKA achieved greater than five times its required performance during developmental testing and is ready to start initial operational test and evaluation."

The Department of Energy's National Nuclear Security Administration is responsible for the B61-12 nuclear bomb assembly. The Air Force is responsible for the B61-12 TKA, joint integration of the bomb assembly and TKA into the "all-up-round" of the weapon, and its integration with aircraft.

Headquartered at Kirtland AFB, AFNWC is responsible for synchronizing all aspects of nuclear materiel management on behalf of Air Force Materiel Command and in direct support of Air Force Global Strike Command. The center has about 1,100 personnel assigned to 18 locations worldwide, including Eglin AFB; Hanscom AFB, Massachusetts; Hill AFB, Utah; Kirtland AFB; and Tinker AFB, Oklahoma, in the U.S. and Ramstein Air Base in Germany.

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As British Airways looks towards its Centenary next year, the airline, in collaboration with Cranfield University, has challenged academics from across the UK to develop a sustainable alternative fuel which could power a commercial aircraft on a long-haul flight, carrying up to 300 customers with zero net emissions.

This marks the first time the industry has tasked experts in the fields of aerospace and fuels to work together to create a solution to this key environmental issue.

The team which wins the BA 2119: Future of Fuels Challenge will receive 25,000 (US$31,900) to help fund further research and a commitment from the airline to work alongside them to incubate their idea. The winners will also be invited to present their pathway at sustainability events in Miami and Montreal, as well as to the executive team at British Airways and IAG, the airlines parent company. The runners up will also receive cash sums.

Nominations will be judged by a panel of industry experts based on the ideas carbon reduction potential, as well as its innovation, value to the UK economy and feasibility to implement.

The award is part of a commitment from IAG (International Airlines Group), British Airways parent group, to invest a total of $400 million in sustainable fuel development and long-term supply agreements. This includes an existing partnership with renewal fuels company, Velocys, to build a plant to convert household waste into sustainable fuelsthe first time an airline has done this in Europe.

The challenge is being launched as part of British Airways Centenary celebrations. Alongside exploring the future of fuels, the airline will also be investigating the future of aviation careers and using futurologists to predict the future of the flying experience. This will be alongside other key announcements, including the introduction of the A350 to the fleet and a new business class seatboth part of the airlines 6.5-billion investment plan over five years.
GREENWICH  A self-described psychic who has a history of arrests and lawsuits for allegedly taking thousands of dollars from customers in Greenwich and New York and offering nothing in return is in trouble with the law again.

Janet Lee, 44, was arrested in Bedford, N.Y., and charged with with third-degree grand larceny, a felony.

Lee, a Scarsdale resident who had an office in Bedford, was billing herself as the Bedford Psychic. A private investigator, Bob Nygaard, was approached by a 64-year-old Bedford woman who had paid $11,600 to Lee for her services. He contacted police, leading to the arrest late last month.

According to Nygaard, and a statement he took from the victim, Janet Lee told me that back in ancient Egypt, I had been a great healer who sat on a mountaintop and never spoke. People would supposedly trek up the mountain top to be healed and I would just lay my hands on them and heal them.

The Bedford woman was told a dark force was actively working around me, preventing my dreams from coming true, Nygaard said. The woman paid for spiritual work to remove the dark force.

In a statement Nygaard released to the media this week, he said he has been in touch with four more purported victims from White Plains, Hartsdale and Norwalk. Local law enforcement in New York and Connecticut has been remiss in handling Lees activities as a fortune teller, he said.

Lee was held responsible for the loss of $32,900 from a Greenwich woman, according to a 2017 lawsuit in Superior Court in Stamford. In November, Judge Kenneth Povodator ruled in favor of the plaintiff in that case. Lee had an office on Greenwich Avenue for years  working at the Greenwich Psychic  before relocating to Westchester.

She was also arrested on a misdemeanor charge, scheming to defraud, in the town of Mount Pleasant, in Westchester County, in August 2018, according to court documents. The court filing said she was using fortune-telling to defraud two people. In 2017, she was indicted by the Manhattan District Attorneys Office on charges of identity theft, forgery and criminal possession of a forged instrument, in an allegedly fraudulent real-estate deal.

Lee has hit back against Nygaard, a Florida resident, in a lawsuit filed this week in state Supreme Court in White Plains, N.Y. The lawsuit say she is a renown (sic) and well known psychic having practiced in this field for over thirty (30) Years.

The suit say Nygaard has embarked on a scorched-earth policy of harassment toward JL (Janet Lee) seeking to destroy her personal and professional reputation.

The suit says Lee is a legitimate psychic and her work is valid. Not only do some people view psychics as being legitiate, (sic) but many law enforcement agencies solicit the assistance of psychics in missing persons cases, and even the First Lady Nancy Reagan routinely employed an astrologer to guide President Reagan, the suit states.

The suit is seeking millions of dollars in damages.
Google's been redesigning the interface of its software across platforms rounding off sharp corners wherever possible - just look at the address bar of the Chrome browser you're probably reading this on. The push for circles is now finally fully embraced on the company's Phone app for Android, too.



Old vs. New

The Favorites tab of the default dialer app on Pixel phones had two contacts per row until now, while the other tabs had already switched to circles. The latest update brings consistency between the tabs with circles, circles everywhere, and the contacts are now three in a row. We dug through old reviews to find out it was a lot like this on the Nexus 6 running Lollipop in 2014.

As is usually the case, the v27 update may not necessarily be hitting everyone at once - we ourselves had to resort to sideloading it even on the Pixel 3. In any case, it's happening sooner or later.

Via
Huawei and ZTE have been no strangers to security and espionage scandals in recent years. And while it is hard to fully grasp the whole picture and accurately judge on any of the official accusations, it is already pretty clear that the two Chinese corporations are under direct fire by the USA. In fact, things have been unraveling very rapidly on an international scale for the pair, with many other countries, including Australia, New Zealand and the UK taking preemptive steps of their own.

Considering all this, plus the recent arrest of Huawei CFO it really comes as no surprise to hear that Japan is considering protective measures of its own. To be fair, unlike the ongoing US scandals, Japan's alleged measures won't be targeting and calling out Huawei and ZTE in particular. Instead the country is rumored to put in place certain general strengthened information security measures that will affect the two Chinese entities' operations, among others.

This particular news has traveled rather slow, since it was first reported by the Yomiuri newspaper and then picked up by Reuters. It does, however, bring about a different air of certainty in the source, as well as potential severity of the situation Huawei and ZTE find themselves in.

Besides a potential loss in Huawei's end user smartphone business, the more severe consequence the two Chinese corporations could be facing is a major hit to their enterprise branches. Both are major mobile infrastructure players. Huawei supplies some network equipment to NTT Docomo and KDDI Corp. Then there is also Huawei's long-standing partnership with SoftBank Group Corp (Current owners of the US Sprint Corp) with existing plans to partner on 5G trial, which might now be in limbo, given the new developments.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang has already expressed serious concerns about the Huawei and ZTE situation. ZTE's Shenzhen stock has been in trouble, recently sliding down 5.7 percent in a global stocks sell-off after the Huawei CFO arrest. All the while, Huawei is unlisted from trading, so things are looking rather serious overall.

Source
Update: Nokia has reached out with a statement in response to this post:

There is no purposeful delay. As soon as the upgrade to Android Pie is ready and we can be sure that it delivers the best experience for our fans, we will begin the update cycle. We are committed to a pure, secure and up-to-date Android experience which involves rigorous testing to ensure no part of that commitment is compromised.

Original story follows:

According to a report from PhoneArena an industry source claims that Nokia hasnt released the Android Pie updates for the Nokia 5, Nokia 6, and Nokia 8 even though they have been finalized for some time now. The reason for this is said to be that the company is holding updates in hopes it will help sales of the newer Nokia 8.1.

Although the Nokia 8 was just spotted on GeekBench running the latest Android Pie, the update was originally promised for November and were already over a week into December.

According to the source, the Nokia 8 may not see the Android Pie update until the last day of December or early January, conveniently right after the holiday shopping season ends.

The source claims the Nokia 8 update was ready back in early November (as it was promised), but HMDs CFO, Juho Sarvikas, decided to withhold the update with reason to believe that it would boost the sales of the Nokia 8.1 with logic that people would rather buy a phone with the latest software.

This is quite a bold claim to make, so weve reached out to Nokia to clear the air.

Source
Today, Xiaomi held its first Mi Fan event in New York City where the company's goal was to create buzz about the Chinese brand that is slowly entering the US market. Less than 700 Mi Fans registered to attend the two-day event where Xiaomi showed off various products that the company offers around the world.

Through tomorrow, Saturday December 8, Xiaomi is showing off its latest smartphones: the Mi MIX 3, the Mi A2, the Xiaomi Mi 8, and the POCOPHONE F1 - which is still the best value smartphone with a Snapdragon 845 CPU.

The event also showcased the Mi Home app and its compatible products like smart bulbs, smart plugs, lamps, and a laser projector - in total, Xiaomi exhibited over 50 ecosystem products including cameras, and toys which are all connected to Xiaomi's IoT plaform.

Xiaomi's offerings in the US

As part of the celebration, Xiaomi is offering the Mi Box S - which has been available from Walmart for a while now - for just $40. It does everything a Chromecast Ultra can do but it also comes with a voice remote that's compatible with Google Assistant and it supports Android TV apps.

Xiaomi has already been selling a few products at Walmart, but three of the new products coming to Walmart were shown at the event:

Mi Wireless Charging Pad: which was first introduced with the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S.

which was first introduced with the Xiaomi Mi MIX 2S. Mi Robot Builder Rober: A 1,086 piece kit that can be built as a rover, tank, or a bulldozer

A 1,086 piece kit that can be built as a rover, tank, or a bulldozer Mi Home Security Camera: home surveillance camera with 360-degree view controllable with Mi Home app

This was a good and bad year for Chinese companies: ZTE was banned from the US and Huawei hardware is strictly banned from government and carrier use. On the plus side, OnePlus launched the 6T on T-Mobile, putting the widely unknown (to Americans) Chinese brand into carrier stores and Xiaomi sees positive reception to brand.

Xiaomi's strategy of bringing lifestyle and home products before bringing smartphones is a great idea. The smartphone market is so saturated in the US already so building rapport with the brand first is a great way to eventually introduce its smartphones once Xiaomi thinks the US market is ready.

Check out Xiaomi's US website to see what products it already offers.




Haiti - Diaspora : Art beat 2018 debuted on the hats of wheel





The start of the Art Beat edition 2018 (December 5 to 9) in Little Haiti (Miami) https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26322-icihaiti-miami-haitian-culture-shines-in-the-5th-edition-of-art-beat.html has kept all its promises by hosting: artists, contemporary art lovers, musicians and personalities of the showbiz of Haiti and the diaspora, as well as an audience of connoisseurs and laymen.



The public and the journalists exchanged with the painters. The paintings by Valerie Noisette, Francoise Hazel, Teeyah and graffiti artist Jerry Moise were among the works of art whose exhibition was supported by the Ministry of Culture of Haiti.



The composer interprets Jonathan Perry aka "J. Perry" closed the opening ceremony after a few words from Ernst St. Louis, a delegate of the Ministry of Culture of Haiti who after reviewing the involvement of the Ministry in the realization of this event, before handing on behalf of the Ministry a plaque of honor to the Haitian playwright writer Jean-Marie Willer Denis aka "Jan Mapou" for his participation notably in the revival of the Creole culture and the diffusion of the Haitian Creole .



While J-Perry made the joy of the public, Veve Collection by Phelicia Dell and Kouzin Ayiti by Gaetane Charlotin were already waiting for visitors to the backyard of the complex with handmade products signed Arom Haiti, Marimar Hook, Spectra Couture, Neph_Creation, Madyok, Mara's, Ruth La Jolie, MJ Production, Ba's Art Creation, MVD, Bijou Lakay, Midlange Art, Bel Zeb, etc...



Thursday, for the first day of "Art Beat", the Ministry of Culture and Communication had organized a chat hosted by the musician Pierre Rigaud Chery and the painter Valerie Noisette, which focused mainly on the music sector Compas and evolution of the landscape of contemporary art in Haiti.



The traveling exhibition of portraits of the Ministry entitled "Faces, names and works for the memory", which was also the center of the debates, to arouse the admiration of the public of the "Mache Ayisyen" transformed into true gallery of art for the occasion.



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26322-icihaiti-miami-haitian-culture-shines-in-the-5th-edition-of-art-beat.html



HL/ HaitiLibre






















Haiti - News : Zapping...





PetroCaribe : The Government will lodge a complaint

The Haitian Government announces the official filing next week of a complaint, in court against the companies that have not completed or executed their contracts PetroCaribe See also https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-26121-haiti-flash-everything-you-need-to-know-about-using-the-petrocaribe-fund.html



EDH : 18.46% of invoices issued paid

EDH announces that only 18.46% of invoices issued for the month of October 2018 have been paid. That's 27,229 bills on 147,476.



The DG of the PNH protests

Michael Ange Gedeon, Director General of the National Police of Haiti (PNH) protests against the media that give voice to the bandits. See also : https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-24351-haiti-flash-the-minister-of-justice-accuses-the-media-of-complicity-with-criminals.html



52 million euros for Jeremie's transformation

The Mayor of Jeremie (Haiti) Mr. Claude Harry Milord and the Ambassador of the EU in Haiti, Mr. Vincent Degert visited this week the neighborhood of Makendal in Jeremie. This is the first neighborhood that will be transformed as part of the project of Plan Development, Extension and Embellishment of the City (PAEEV) of Jeremie, which will be implemented with the NGO GOAL. The PAEEV is carried out within the framework of the Urban Development Program Urbayiti, funded by the EU to the tune of 52 million euros.



Kenneth Merten in Haiti

On Thursday, Assistant Deputy Secretary for Haiti, Canada and the Caribbean Kenneth Merten and US Ambassador to Haiti Michele Sison met with President Jovenel Moise and Prime Minister Jean-Henry Ceant at the National Palace. Friday, he also met with Speaker of the Senate Joseph Lambert, Speaker of the House of Commons Gary Bodeau, Senate Vice-President Francois Sildor, and Deputy Speaker of the House of Deputies Caleb Desrameaux.



A governability pact has already been elaborated

The Secretary of State for Communication, Eddy Jackson Alexis informs about the continuation of the dialogue with the actors concerned by the current crisis, specifying that a pact of governability has already been elaborated and should be submitted shortly, to the appreciation of the participants in this dialogue.



HL/ HaitiLibre


















A GIRL raised 335 for charity by asking her friends to donate money instead of giving her birthday presents.

Georgina Thrustle, three, from Peppard, donated the money to Wyfold Riding for the Disabled Association as her mother is keen horse rider and she has started to learn herself.

About 30 children attended her birthday party at Peppard war memorial hall, which featured a performance by childrens entertainer Bertie Slippers.

Georgina, who lives with her parents Ian and Tracey, brother Austin, four, and their Irish terrier Padda, has been having lessons at the Learn With Smartie riding school in Russells Water.

Mrs Thrustle said: She really loves horses as Learn With Smartie teaches you all about the animals and not just riding.

Shes a bit young to fully understand it but were introducing her to the idea of giving and helping others from an early stage so that it becomes part of her outlook on life.

We also thought it would be nice to support something within our community. On the party invitation we asked people to give money instead of presents and the response was pretty remarkable. People were very generous.

In March, Austin raised more than 1,000 for the Helen and Douglas House hospice at a joint birthday party with two friends.

Mrs Thrustle said: Children get so many presents at these parties, especially as its customary to invite all your friends at such a young age, and you end up coming home with far more than you need.

They dont realise how lucky they are. We dont want the children to be spoiled and want them to appreciate the things they have.

It makes it easier for everyone when they dont feel obliged to go round looking for presents and you feel like youre making a positive difference to the world instead of harming the environment with lots of unnecessary plastic.

Wyfold Riding for the Disabled Association provides riding facilities to people with mental and physical disabilities in the South Oxfordshire and Reading area. It is run by a team of volunteers and needs more than 40,000 a year to look after its seven horses and ponies as well as equipment such as carriages for the more severely disabled.

The family visited its Kingwood centre to hand over the money and Georgina and Austin were able to stroke the animals.

Gill Rushworth, fund-raising co-ordinator, said: It was wonderful to meet Georgina and her family and to have such a young and enthusiastic supporter. It is our combined love of horses that brings us all together.

For more information about the charity, visit www.wyfoldrda.org.uk
Jennifer Aniston hopes her new film will lead to "an acceptance of all shapes and sizes" in Hollywood.

The US actress stars in Dumplin' as a former beauty queen whose plus-sized daughter signs up to appear in her pageant.

Australian actress Danielle Macdonald appears as Aniston's daughter Willowdean, whose nickname gives the Netflix film its title, and it is based on the novel by Julie Murphy.

Former Friends star Aniston hopes the film's message of body positivity sparks a more accepting environment in Hollywood.

Speaking at the film's premiere in Los Angeles, she said: "I think it's wonderful. Hopefully it won't be a theme any more and the message will be made and there will be an acceptance of all shapes and sizes."

Dumplin' also has a soundtrack by country music superstar Dolly Parton.

On Thursday it was announced one of the tracks from the film, Girl In The Movies, had earned Parton a Golden Globe nomination for best original song.

Friendship

Parton and Aniston struck up a close friendship while working together on the film, which is directed by Anne Fletcher.

"I really liked Jen, I'd always loved watching her in the movies," said Parton.

"It was only when she took on this show and to produce it that they contacted me to see if I'd work on the music and allow them to use a lot of my music and I said sure.

"Then when I got to know her, I just loved her and we had a great opportunity to work together."

Parton worked on the Dumplin' soundtrack alongside Linda Perry and said she enjoyed working with "talented women".

"Working with Linda Perry has been a great joy. We wrote a lot of new songs for the movie and she produced the album," she said.

"I've had a great time working with all of these talented women."

Murphy wrote Dumplin' in 2015 and said she hopes it can help other women with their body image. The Texas-born writer said: "I just came into a time in my life when I said this is it, I only get one life and I'm going to live it."
Aer Lingus has apologised to staff following claims they stole goods worth millions of euro from the airline, customers and colleagues.

The airline has agreed to make a donation of 25,000 to charity on behalf of workers after a meeting with its group of unions.

Chief Executive Stephen Kavanagh and his senior executive team made a sincere apology and expressed their regret for the hurt and upset caused.

The apology comes after a memo from chief operating officer Mike Rutter informed staff that random security patrols and CCTV monitoring were being rolled out.

He said a bigger investment in security was needed after the loss of "many millions of euro" every year due to stock losses.

The memo also said police and federal law enforcement authorities in the US were called in to investigate a number of "serious issues" in recent months.

Staff were told CCTV cameras were being installed in Terminal Two at Dublin Airport and a security company hired to monitor them in break areas, as well as carts used to store duty-free goods.

Losses

"Guest property and company stock losses remain at levels significantly above the industry norms despite investment in new technologies and inventory management processes," he said.

Mr Rutter said a small percentage of employees were behaving in an unacceptable way.

"As a leadership team we have been concerned for some time about a small percentage of employees continuing to behave below that standard and incidents of unacceptable behaviour continue to be reported across the business," he said.

"Theft of guest property, damage to company property and interference with colleagues' property has unfortunately continued.

"We are determined to take the appropriate steps to ensure the security of our guest and company property and to protect our staff working in all areas."

In a statement, the airline said that a meeting was called to discuss serious concerns arising from an article that appeared in the Sunday Independent.

Hurtful

"The CEO acknowledged that Aer Lingus workers had been subject to hurtful and demeaning comments over the course of the last week and they sincerely regretted the upset that had been caused," the statement said.

Mr Kavanagh appreciated and respected the "continued professionalism of colleagues in the delivery of excellent service and their continued hard work and dedication".

"Aer Lingus is further committed to working closely with colleagues and its representative trade unions in line with our policies, procedures and processes to address all issues of concern," it said.

"Aer Lingus at all levels throughout the organisation commits to encouraging the highest workplace standards through its policies, processes and communications.

"In the spirit of this statement, Aer Lingus will make a donation on behalf of staff of 25,000 split equally between their chosen charities, Pieta House and Focus Ireland."

Last week, an Aer Lingus spokesperson said the level of theft at the airline was "above the industry norms".

The airline believes a "tiny cohort" of staff are involved, but would not specify how many.

"However, we would not be pursuing the issue if the effect was small," she said.
A sex offender has been jailed for six years after he was caught exposing himself to frightened young girls on their way to school.

Barry Watters (42) walked past the victims with his genitals exposed as they walked down the street after attending a breakfast club.

He was also found with child pornography by gardai who had spotted him entering an internet cafe and were able to remotely monitor what he was viewing.

Judge Martina Baxter handed down the sentence at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court yesterday after Watters pleaded guilty to two counts of indecency at a location in the city in December 2014, and a separate count of possession of child pornography in 2016.

Vulnerable

She noted Watters, who has been repeatedly convicted in the past for having child pornography, "seems to be taking a step further, coming out from behind the computer screen".

He had displayed "brazen exhibitionism" and was "targeting the most vulnerable people in society - children", Judge Baxter said.

She sentenced him to seven years, with the final year suspended.

Watters, formerly of Infirmary Road, Dublin, and originally from Dundalk, Co Louth, was before the court for sentencing, having entered his guilty plea earlier. The details of the offences were read out by Judge Baxter.

The court heard at 8.45am on December 1, 2014, a youth worker who ran a breakfast club was in the doorway looking out when she noticed a man walking up the street "with his penis exposed as he walked".

He looked her in the face as he walked by and she was shocked. There were children around and he walked into a group of girls, with his penis still exposed, the court heard.

An 11-year-old girl who was walking alone and looking down described looking up and seeing the accused walking with his penis exposed. He was facing her, holding his penis and she "got a fright".

A nine-year-old victim described walking out of the breakfast club when he walked past with his penis exposed. She ran and told a lollipop lady what happened.

The court heard at 8.50am on December 2, 2014, two children were walking to school when they met the accused walking on the footpath with his genitalia exposed.

A 10-year-old girl described how his "thing" rubbed off the top of her arm as he passed her, although she did not know if he meant it or not. She got a fright and ran to a nearby shop and then to the school and reported it.

She said the accused had been close to her and she started to walk around him but he moved too. The girl's friend gave a similar account.

The judge said Watters's presence in the area on the two occasions "wasn't an accident".

The judge said the accused never spoke to the children and it seemed he was "doing this for his own gratuitous interest".

"These were unpleasant experiences for everyone involved," the judge said.

The victims were innocent children and a tragic and awful effect of the offences was that their normal routine of walking to school unaccompanied had changed.

They had been gaining their independence but now that had been "cut short by the offending of Barry Watters".

In the child pornography case, the court heard he was seen entering an internet cafe. He put on headphones and turned the screen around so no one else could see what he was viewing.

He was seen smiling as he watched the screen for an hour or so. Gardai asked to access a live feed and saw him accessing images of pre-teen children in provocative poses and girls aged between seven and 11 in bikinis.

He handed over a USB stick which had been used to store images of child pornography - 23 in total. These showed children involved in sexual activity and with their genitals exposed.

Counsel for the accused said pleas in mitigation had been heard previously and probation and psychological reports were available to the court.

Suffered

Watters had first come to the notice of the criminal justice system 10 years ago. His parents had suffered greatly as a result of his activities and adverse publicity, counsel said.

Watters had been in custody since July and was doing better there than when he is at liberty, his barrister said.

Judge Baxter said Watters had displayed "brazen exhibitionism" and sinister and disturbing behaviour.

After the first incident, he "became more emboldened". She took account of a psychological report which showed he had cognitive deficiency and was vulnerable and possibly on the autism spectrum.

Watters had several previous convictions for possession of child pornography.

The final year of Watters's sentence was suspended for two years subject to conditions, including sex offender treatment and post-release supervision.
A serving garda has gone on trial accused of dangerous driving causing the death of a woman four years ago.

Warren Farrell (35), based in Clondalkin, Co Dublin, was the driver of a marked patrol car responding to a panic button call at a Topaz garage when the car struck a pedestrian.

Elizabeth Core was crossing the road and appeared not to see the patrol car, James Dwyer SC, prosecuting, told the jury in his opening speech for the State.

The emergency lights of the patrol car were activated but the siren was deactivated to allow the garda passenger to communicate with command.

Mr Dwyer told the jurors that he expects they will hear evidence that Mr Farrell applied the brakes and entered the bus lane. The patrol car mounted the footpath and the front left tyre burst.

Collision

The right-hand side of the car hit Ms Core and she was pushed on to the car, counsel said. He said onlookers will say they saw Ms Core look left before the collision.

She was taken to hospital and received medical attention but was pronounced dead a short time later. A State pathologist concluded that her death was caused by head and chest trauma from vehicular impact.

Patrick McGrath SC, defending, said that Gda Farrell accepts he was driving the patrol car. He said there is also no issue as to the cause of Ms Core's death.

Gda Farrell had pleaded not guilty at Dublin Circuit Criminal Court to dangerous driving causing the death of Ms Core at Fonthill Road South on August 28, 2014.

Mr Dwyer said that it is the State's case that the defendant drove in a dangerous manner and this caused Ms Core's death.

He said that an accepted definition of dangerous driving is driving in a manner which a reasonably prudent person, having regard to all circumstances, would recognise as involving a direct, immediate and serious risk to the public.

He accepted that there are some road traffic laws which don't apply to gardai acting in the performance of their duty, where such actions don't endanger the safety of road users.

Counsel said dangerous driving is not one of these laws.

The trial continues next Tuesday before Judge Cormac Quinn and a jury of six men and six women.
A mother-of-two was caught with fake designer bags, clothes and shoes after her car was stopped and searched by detectives.

Ying Ying Chen (41) was running a "very unsophisticated" operation and the knock-offs were of "poor quality", her lawyer said.

Judge David McHugh imposed a four-month sentence suspended for one year.

The defendant, of Old Church Grove in Clondalkin, admitted possession of counterfeit goods on December 12, 2016.

Garda Nodhlaig Meany told Blanchardstown District Court that Chen was stopped in the Old Church estate and when her car was searched gardai found a number of counterfeit items.

Gda Meany said officers later searched the defendant's home and found a large quantity of counterfeit goods.

Gda Meany said there were 17 brand agents involved but only four confirmed that the goods were counterfeit.

Trouble

There were Michael Kors handbags, shoes, clothing and jewellery, as well as Timberland boots, Nike runners and Adidas runners.

The court heard Chen had never been in trouble with the law before.

Defence lawyer Ciaran MacLoughlin said that Chen was a single mother with two children, who had lived in Ireland for 20 years. She fully co-operated with gardai, he said.

Mr MacLoughlin said the products were "very poor knock-offs" and were "bad quality". He said Chen had been unable to tell him how she had got involved.

The value of the enterprise was approximately 5,000.

Judge McHugh said it was a "serious matter", the companies gave a lot of employment and 5,000 was a "significant" amount of money.

The judge said people may also have bought the knock-offs believing them to be real.

Mr MacLoughlin said it was a "very unsophisticated operation" and anyone would have known the goods were counterfeit.

Imposing a four-month suspended sentence, Judge McHugh also ordered the destruction of the counterfeit goods.
Women will not be able to secure a medical abortion from GP out-of-hours surgeries, it was confirmed yesterday.

The service, which provides medical cover from 6pm to 8am, has become the first port of call for an increasing number of patients due to a shortage of doctors.

Dr Ken Egan, chairman of the National Association of GP Co-ops, said a woman seeking an abortion would not be classified as an emergency, and therefore out of the service's remit.

However, he said they will provide aftercare to women who have had an abortion and develop complications.

"We wrote to the Irish College of General Practitioners and it was accepted that out-of-hours would be exempt," he said.

The revelation comes as Health Minister Simon Harris insisted the health service will be ready to roll out abortion services from January despite several GPs and obstetricians warning it is too rushed, leaving women at risk of unsafe terminations.

Mr Harris is to hold meetings with medical bodies next week in a bid to alleviate concerns.

A spokeswoman for the minister said: "It remains the minister's absolute commitment to bring in services in January.

"As referenced by adviser Dr Peter Boylan, delays would result in more women having to travel.

Extraordinary

"He accepted doctors are raising genuine concerns and is committed to work with them to address the issues. But his commitment will not waiver."

The Institute of Obstetricians confirmed yesterday it has received a signed petition from a large number of obstetricians to hold an extraordinary general meeting.

It will not take place for a month after they submit a motion related to implementation of the service, including issues of safety.

An internal poll of 230 family doctors, carried out by GPBuddy.ie, the online resource for GPs in Ireland, found that 84pc felt the January 1 deadline should be pushed out.

There were 12.9pc who disagreed, and 3pc were unsure.

Niall Behan, chief executive of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), which will be one of the main centres for medical abortion, said: "The IFPA is committed to providing abortion care at our clinics as soon as possible. We're working constantly on care protocols, internal training, patient information and procedures.

"The target of January 1 creates enormous challenges because there are still a number of outstanding issues.

"The IFPA is working closely with the Department of Health and the HSE to resolve these. It is absolutely imperative that women get high-quality care. This has to be done right, not rushed."

Alison Begas, of the Dublin Well Woman Centre, which will also be a major provider, said it was not possible to commit to a start-up date now.

But she was hopeful outstanding issues can be resolved, including concerns over access to ultrasound.

Retired obstetrician Dr Peter Boylan, who is advising on preparation, said he believes the service can start in January.
A suggestion that the threat of food shortages be used to force Ireland to drop the Brexit backstop has sparked a furious reaction on both sides of the Irish Sea as the British government faces the final days of its hard sell on Theresa May's deal.

A leaked UK report which suggested that Ireland will suffer a GDP drop of 7pc and risks food shortages under a no-deal scenario has been dismissed here.

The report noted that Ireland was a far more open economy than the UK and outlined our vulnerabilities post-Brexit.

Various assessments of the impact on the Irish economy have been laid out by experts since the Brexit referendum, with Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe estimating that a "cliff-edge" Brexit would cost at least 40,000 jobs and see GDP fall by around 4pc.

Brexiteer Priti Patel suggested the report should be used to press Ireland to drop the backstop in last-ditch Brexit talks.

But EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan utterly condemned the comments.

He said the UK imported 60pc of its food needs, and 43pc of these came from Ireland, with products very popular with British shoppers.

"If she wants to advocate a policy that brings about the starvation of the British people, this is a good way of going about it," Mr Hogan told the Association of European Journalists.

"I think consumers would be horrified that a senior politician, and former minister, would take such a view of being hostile to the food security requirements of the country they are residing in," he added.

Mr Hogan insisted that, if Mrs May loses next week's vital House of Commons vote on the draft Brexit deal, the EU will "not budge" on the Irish backstop.

Propaganda

He said there had never been such unity among the other 27 EU member states as there had been on the issue of Brexit and Brussels' support for Ireland will remain constant.

The leak, first reported in The Times of London, was dismissed by one senior source as "propaganda" and any view that it would force a renegotiation of the deal was dismissed.

A spokesperson for the Taoiseach said the Government would not be commenting on leaks of "uncertain origin".

The spokesperson said there will be consequences in Ireland, Europe and the UK after Brexit but said "the Irish Government is one of the best prepared and has been planning right across the Government since the original vote, in order to minimise the impact of Brexit".

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also hit out at suggestions that the report could be used as a negotiating tool, stating that the "sheer moral bankruptcy of the Tory Brexiteers is on full display".

The parliamentary arithmetic is stacked against Mrs May, who has dispatched 30 ministers across the UK to win support for the withdrawal deal ahead of next week's vote.

In an effort to boost support, a new amendment has been tabled which would give parliament the capacity to approve a decision to trigger the backstop arrangement or extend the transition period beyond December 2020.

But DUP leader Arlene Foster warned that the amendment would not be enough, tweeting: "Domestic legislative tinkering won't cut it."
Teenage boys are to be offered a life-saving vaccine to protect them against cancer.

Thousands of boys will be vaccinated against the cancer-causing HPV virus, which has previously only been administered to girls.

Health Minister Simon Harris reaffirmed the promise to roll out the vaccine for boys in the next school year after the proposed extension was assessed as both clinically and cost effective by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).

Hiqa also said the vaccine is safe and recommended that both girls and boys get a newer version of the vaccine, which protects against more types of HPV.

"Funding has already been made available in the budget to facilitate the introduction of this initiative in 2019, subject to a favourable recommendation being made in the Hiqa assessment report," Mr Harris said.

Although HPV is widely known to be associated with cervical cancer in women, it also leaves boys at risk of disease in later life.

The vaccine should reduce the risk of throat cancer and also genital warts.

Dr Mairin Ryan, Hiqa's director of health technology assessment, said: "Extending the HPV vaccine to boys provides direct protection against HPV-related disease to boys, indirect protection to girls who have not been vaccinated and would reduce HPV-related disease and mortality in Ireland.

"Over 20 years, a gender-neutral programme will prevent an estimated 101 additional cases of cervical cancer, compared with the current girls-only programme."

The Hiqa report said 538 cancers associated with HPV are diagnosed in Ireland every year, including in the cervix, anus, penis, neck and throat. HPV infection is also responsible for 90pc of genital warts.

One in four of the HPV-related cancers are diagnosed in men.

The cost of switching to the new vaccine for girls will be an additional 870,000 over five years.

It also showed that the budget impact of providing it to boys and girls will be an additional 11.7m over five years.

There was a fall in the take-up of the vaccine by teenage girls in recent years after it was wrongly linked to complications and serious side effects.

However, uptake in this academic year is expected to be higher following the CervicalCheck scandal and the harrowing testimonies of women who developed cervical cancer.

Awareness

Prof Mary Horgan, a consultant in infectious diseases, said it is essential that boys are also protected from cancers, such as those of the head and neck that are often caused by HPV infection.

"There is an approximate 20pc increase in throat cancers. Nearly 50pc of this rise in oropharyngeal disease is directly related to HPV, with almost 80pc of those occurring in men, yet there is little awareness of the risks to men.

"While progress has been made in increasing HPV vaccine uptake rates in girls in Ireland which will confer some indirect protection to boys, we will not get to a point of elimination of this potentially serious infection without a rollout of vaccination and provision of direct protection to boys," said Prof Horgan, who is president of the Royal College of Physicians of Ireland.
Parts of the Tri-State could see first snow of the season

Washington County, the Eastern Panhandle and Franklin County, Pa., is expected to see its first dusting of snow Saturday night into Sunday morning.
The Paris Agreement of 2015 proved to be a game changer. It focused global efforts towards reducing greenhouse gas emissions as well as strengthening the ability of countries to deal with the unavoidable impacts of climate change. At CoP-24 in Katowice, Poland, world leaders have reconvened to strengthen the global movement for a climate resilient growth. Since the Paris agreement, developing countries like India have made a significant progress in meeting their Nationally Determined Contributions (NDCs). This years climate talks at Katowice focuses on establishing the Paris Rulebook that will set out to enable implementation of the Paris Agreement, as well as in mobilising capital needed to implement the agreement. This provides a window of opportunity for the private sector to step up and demonstrate its commitment towards positive climate action.

The private sector is increasingly taking heed of the strong signal sent by the Paris Agreement. According to an International Finance Corporation (IFC) report, 179 companies across all sectors have committed to set an emissions reduction target that supports the global effort to combat global warming. Companies are increasingly engaging in the sector, not just by means of investments, but also by building resilience into their own functions. To scale up the momentum, its important for the governments to mobilise private capital. For instance, enabling reliable policies and eliminating counterproductive policies will help strengthen the investment climate. One such example is the Clean Environment Cess on the use of coal in India that discourages the production and consumption of coal by increasing its cost, while part of the government revenue from the cess is reallocated to support renewable energy development. Another classic example of reforming a government policy from India is on amending the Electricity Act, 2003 that allowed up to 100% foreign direct investment (FDI) under the automatic route for renewable energy generation and distribution projects. Since the early 2000s, incentives offered by the federal government to attract FDI have allowed the countrys emerging wind and solar power industries to lower their per unit generation cost, thereby making them cost-competitive with other fossil fuels. These forward-looking reforms are undoubtedly benefiting mitigation actions. However, there is a dire need of replicating this practice to adaptation for improving the investment climate. More can be done to build a comprehensive robust environment to promote capital flows and ensure that climate considerations are integrated into sector policies. Strategic measures to internalise climate change as a risk, build competition and measures to promote investment are crucial.

With India tirelessly working towards achieving the goals of the Paris Agreement, there is still a gap in adequate and accessible finance that needs to be addressed. According to an IFC analysis, Indias estimated climate smart investment potential for selected sectors is $2.1 trillion from 2016-2030, which presents an enormous opportunity to fill the lacuna. To mobilise private sector investment in these sectors, its important to move beyond grant-based projects. Providing a space which enables the private sector to initiate social development and incur economic benefits simultaneously would be an optimal approach. For instance, sediment management is one such targeted approach that can enhance resilience and open avenues for business opportunities. A framework developed for river Kosi and endorsed by the government of Bihar details the technical, environmental and commercial viability of extraction and end use of silt. This framework is not only a strong value proposition for the solution to recurring floods in the state but also a revenue realisation for business that can make use of silt as a resource. The framework identifies the scope for developing revenue streams, projections on investments and a sustainability plan. The proposed plan is a for-profit model for investors (both government and private sector) that provides an integrated approach to effectively manage flooding, promote climate resilient agriculture and water management practices and create livelihood options. It is crucial to build such business plans on other interventions that provide a fair chance for the private sector to leverage business opportunities arising from priority climate resilient development actions.

The synergies between development progress and the opportunities to invest in resilience building will remain at the centre of the climate finance landscape for years to come. The recently released Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change special report highlights the need for collective action to limit global warming to 1.5C. Climate smart investments will thereby play a key role in providing support to governments in achieving their NDCs and enhancing resilience. CoP-24, which focuses on effectively operationalising the Paris Agreement, has provided an appropriate global platform to discuss and channelise the vast opportunities that the climate finance landscape presents.

The changing climate is disproportionately impacting the economically disadvantaged and slowing development; a disparity which is likely to increase as climate change accelerates. A study by the World Bank suggests that developing countries will need about $100 billion of new investments per year over the next 40 years to build resilience to the effects of climate change. This enormous burden cannot be carried out by national governments alone and needs the buy-in and participation of the private sector. Mainstreaming climate-smart investment from the private sector will be instrumental to enable a resilient, equitable, and sustainable society.

Vidya Soundarajan is India regional programme manager, Action on Climate Today and Cristina Rumbaitis del Rio is regional programme manager, Action on Climate Today

The views expressed are personal
Democracies are mostly informed and guided by political ideologies, though technological change, globalisation and its backlash have somewhat blurred the lines. Politics in India is, and has been, more muddled and the leading parties have often taken the same position on different issues. The lack of any formal response from the leading parties to the ongoing Sabarimala controversy is an evidence of the ideological ambiguity in Indian politics. Can a case be made out for developing and articulating Indian conservatism based on the Indian experience?

The obvious question would be why do we seek to conserve values in a society that is unequal, has seen tremendously oppressive social systems, and is still poor? Would this mean perpetuating the status quo? Can we identify specific Indian values that would form the bedrock of Indian conservatism? Christopher Jafferlot quotes the reformer MG Ranade, who said that that India is conservative, but that conservatism is its strength. There would be no break with the past and we would not give up our creed, values, morals or customs.

A recognition that there is a lot of good in our cultural traditions and our institutions is a sound place to begin. The easiest way to destroy a society is to make it forget its collective memories and historical experiences. These are real and tangible, not imagined, and centred on the Indian nation, not limited to the nation state, which is a new phenomenon.

That should not mean that Indian conservatives should feel self-satisfied or that nothing needs to change. We are far from being an ideal society; and a conservative should not be a reactionary. Critical self-reflection is intrinsic to conservativism. All issues need to be discussed within society, argued over and consensus built up in the spirit of reconciliation of differences. But this change in the Indian context must not only be internal, but should be, and has been, incremental, and not revolutionary. The reasons for not wanting revolutions are straightforward. Revolutions often degenerate into violence and the resultant destruction leaves the disadvantaged worse off; their social and economic support systems simply cannot cope up with the dislocation.

No person or institution can have a monopoly over truth. Each path is valid for those who subscribe to them, which is the principle behind our celebration of diversity. However, we like to argue and discuss these different approaches in our search of truth, but not to impose ones point of view or to discriminate on the basis of differences. The ability to reconcile differences is important as new differences would always arise; the process of reconciliation is, therefore, a continuous one.

The appropriate economic thinking of conservatism is the belief in markets as the most successful coordination device allocating resources in a large economy. Markets with appropriate regulation are about the exercise of human agency, which is the only way non-confrontational and non-antagonistic societies evolve. Any form of planning is necessarily top-down, and since it seeks to impose or bring about uniformity, it is by definition, authoritarian. At the same time, one must remain sceptical of market fundamentalism since societal assets, beliefs, values and aesthetics were not amenable to markets.

State control over the economy is fairly consistent with its interventions in bringing about social change. Tilak wanted every son of Aryavarta to toil hard to abolish child marriage but opposed government legislating on it. Similarly, Tagore was to oppose Calcutta municipalitys plans to lay down a water pipeline to connect homes. In both cases, they felt that these were societys responsibilities, and not of the government. The gap between States interventions in the market and in society on the one hand and political authoritarianism on the other is not that large, as history has shown.

Our shastras and other ancient texts did not endow rulers with any divine rights. The rulers job was to uphold dharma by delivering justice and providing the kingdom with security. The limited State was to facilitate economic activities but not to control it. The Mauryas had controllers of currencies, weights and measures to ensure justice. However, kings were to stay away from interfering in social issues or in belief systems, else they would lose credibility and, potentially, legitimacy.

However, unlike liberalism, Indian conservatism cannot be just about the individual; or unlike socialism, just about society; but about the balance between the two: individual and community.

Can these principles be used to develop guiding principles for the present times?

Shakti Sinha is director, Nehru Memorial Museum & Library, New Delhi

The views expressed are personal
Consider the doughnut. Good, right? Now consider that doughnut made with gourmet ingredients like creme de cassis, stuffed with fresh fruit or topped with chocolate pearls.

Really good, right? At this time of year in Israel, that and more can be found.

Israeli chefs are giving the traditionally basic Hanukkah doughnut -- called sufganiyot in Hebrew -- a higher purpose as Jews indulge in the sweet, doughy treat for the holiday.

Not only do we use the best products, but we have a secret, said Yitzhak Kadosh, chef at his familys Jerusalem cafe Kadosh, known for its high-quality sufganiyot at Hanukkah time.

There is a story behind the doughnuts and the eight-day celebration of Hanukkah, or Festival of Lights, which began on Sunday night.

The holiday commemorates one of the great victories in Jewish history, when in the 2nd century BC, after defeating the Seleucids ruling the Holy Land, a small group of Jews led by Judah Maccabee reconsecrated the desecrated Temple of Jerusalem.

Tradition says that when they sought to relight the temples menorah, only one days worth of undefiled oil remained. It miraculously burned for eight days, allowing time to prepare more oil.

To mark the holiday, Jews light one candle on a hanukiah candelabra each night. The traditional hanukiah includes nine branches, with one serving to kindle the others.

Heres where the doughnuts come in.

It is also part of the holiday tradition to eat foods fried in oil, including sufganiyot.

The basic jelly-filled sufganiyot and variations on it can be found all over this time of year, with colourful rows of them set out on tables at cafes, shopping malls and market stalls.

But some have sought to turn the doughnuts into a product if not as miraculous as the miracle Hanukkah celebrates, then at least something thats really worth savouring.

For Kadosh, a regular doughnut just wont do -- at least not when its time to celebrate Hanukkah.

The 46-year-old who has studied in Paris and Vienna wont give away his secret, but explained that it involves a way of keeping his doughnuts from becoming too greasy.

A French touch

Last year, Kadosh cafe celebrated its 50 years in business by offering 50 different versions of sufganiyot.

Among its most original creations have been doughnuts made with creme de cassis liqueur, salted caramel, pistachio and pastry cream.

Kadosh sells between 2,000 and 3,000 doughnuts per day during the Hanukkah season -- though with the higher quality comes a higher price.

They run from seven shekels ($1.90, 1.65 euros) for the classic doughnut filled with strawberry jam to 16 shekels for the more sophisticated.

Elsewhere, most sell for between five and 12 shekels.

In total, around 20 million sufganiyot will be sold in Israel during Hanukkah, according to an industry association.

The doughnut tradition has been written about since the Middle Ages, but dates much further back than that.

They would be recognisable to much of the world -- cousins of the American donut and the German Berliner, for example.

After stores begin stocking them in the run up to Hanukkah, Israeli newspapers start rolling out their annual lists of the best, the least fattening and the most original.

At Jerusalems Franck Delights, whose chef arrived from France 22 years ago, fewer than 10 different doughnuts are offered, but the bakery highlights its French roots.

We offer light doughnuts that allow several to be eaten -- real pastries with a French touch that Israelis appreciate, said Samantha Assuli, the store manager and wife of Chef Franck.

The gourmet examples have become numerous: raspberry, mango, lemon, hazelnut, almond, vanilla cream -- even baba au rhum.

Some even offer vegan donuts, while others have gone in a completely different direction with cheese or meat.

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Actor Hema Malini, when asked how she fell in love with Dharmendra, has often said that she had never met a man as handsome as him. In the early 1970s, he was voted as the 10 most handsome men in the world, this in an era where there was no internet, and hardly any television. To an entire generation of cine goers, Dharmendra may be a graying old man, known as the father of actor Esha Deol, but in his day, he was among the most striking men in Bollywood.

To several generations of film lovers starting from the 1960s, right up to the 1980s, Dharmendra was a dashing hero like none other  muscular yet childlike and utterly romantic. A hero, who as the male lead, romanced beautiful women, bashed up baddies and, in his later years, pulled off comedy with ease. He subsequently went to launch both his sons, Sunny Deol and Bobby Deol, into films. His romance and subsequent marriage with Hema Malini is stuff of legends and, perhaps, one of the most successful love stories of Bollywood.

Dharmendra was born in Punjabs Ludhaina district into a Jat Sikh family. Son of a school headmaster, Dharmendra was smitten by the moving images from a very early age. Many might find it hard to believe but Dharmendra got into Bollywood not through any connections or luck, but was selected as part of a Filmfare talent hunt contest.

Married at he young age of 19 to girl called Prakash Kaur in 1954, Dharmendra arrived in Mumbai (then Bombay) from Punjab looking for a job. He made his debut in Arjun Hingoranis Dil Bhi Tera Hum Bhi Tere in 1960. From then to 1967, he was cast as a romantic hero, starring with actors like Nutan, Nanda and Saira Banu. Not many know that he formed a successful team with late actor Meena Kumari, with whom he worked in seven films. It is often said that they were romantically involved. However, what was certain was that Meena Kumari helped him establish himself as a romantic hero in an era dominated by triumvirate of Dilip Kumar, Raj Kapoor and Dev Anand with the second line of actors like Rajendra Kumar, Shammi Kapoor, Raaj Kumar and Sunil Dutt enjoying much success.

Hema Malini and Dharmendra got married in 1980. (HT Photo)

With Phool aur Patthar (1966), he was first seen in an action role. The film would be a precursor to a host of action-oriented films. While action as a genre was hardly prevalent in Bollywood, a hero who would bash up the baddie got a new paradigm in the Jat image of Dharmendra. Films like Dharam Veer, Charas, Azaad, Katilon Ke Kaatil, Ghazab, Rajput, Bhagawat, Jaani Dost, Dharm Aur Qanoon, Main Intequam Loonga, Jeene Nahi Doonga, Hukumat and Raaj Tilak all fell in this bracket.

Through the 1970s, many of films with Amitabh Bachchan would feature fight sequences, which earned him the moniker, Garam Dharam.

The 1970s also saw him pairing with Hema Malini. They did a number of films together including ones like Raja Jani, Seeta Aur Geeta, Sharafat, Naya Zamana, Patthar Aur Payal, Tum Haseen Main Jawaan, Jugnu, Dost, Charas, Maa, Chacha Bhatija, Azaad and Sholay. It was in the course of these films that the two fell in love and after much opposition from all sides, married in 1980 in a simple Tamil ceremony at her home in Mumbai. A married man, father of four children, in a rather public affair with one of the most sought-after actor in Bollywood (Sanjeev Kumar was hopelessly in love with her and allegedly was so dejected that he remained single all his life and Jeetendra nearly married her; she backed out at the last moment.) was as controversial as it could get. Their affair still remains one of the most talked-about romances of Bollywood.

In his later years, Dharmendra was seen a whole host of comic roles as well. To most of people in their late 30s and 40s, in films like Chupke Chupke and Sholay, Dharmendras comic timing is stuff of legends. He appeared in other films where his flair for comedy was on display such as Tum Haseen Main Jawan, Do Chor and Naukar Biwi Ka.

Dharmendra wasnt only about his Jat image, romantic or otherwise. He will forever be remembered for delivering some sensitively etched characters like the ones in films like Satyakam, Anupama and Khamoshi.

Apart from Meena Kumar and Hema Malini, Dharmendra formed successful pairings with Tanuja, Asha Parekh, Mala Sinha, Sharmila Tagore and Rakhi onscreen.

Some of Hindi films most romantic songs have been picturised on him--Mere Mehboob Tujhe Salaam from Baghavat (1982), Tumein Dil Mein Bandh Karun Dariya Mein Pheink Doon Chaabi from Aas Paas (1981), Yeh Dil Tum Bin Kaheen Lagta Nahin Hum Kya Karen from Izzat (1968), Aaj Mausam Bada Beimaan from Loafer (1973) and Main Jat Yamla Pagla Deewana from Pratigya (1975) to name a few.

Dharmendra may not visible on big screen as often as his contemporaries like Amitabh Bachchan and Rishi Kapoor, but the actor maintains a rather busy Instagram page.

On his 83rd birthday today, here are some of his best posts over the years and some of his best songs.

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Global negotiations under way in Katowice, Poland, to evolve a rulebook for enforcing the 2015 Paris agreement to curb climate change have made little headway a week into their fortnights duration amid persisting differences over key issues such as climate finance.

Delegates to COP24, as the 24th Conference of the Parties to the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change is known, are discussing a 307-page draft rulebook that will spell out how various provisions of the agreement kick in to force.

The draft deals with issues such as periodic reporting of action being taken by the 195 signatories to the accord in meeting the so-called nationally determined contributions (NDCs) they had committed to, how much finance will flow in from developed to developing countries to mitigate the effects of climate change and in what form (bilateral or multilateral loans or grants). Negotiators in the Polish city are talking about rich countries taking the lead in implementing the agreement and the less well-off taking action in accordance with their capacities.

Government officials and representatives of non-government organisations at COP24 said progress has been slow and major disagreements persist on key issues.

The process is still evolving. On every section of the agreement document, there are disagreements. Differentiation and climate finance are major sore points which will have to be resolved, said Ravi Shankar Prasad, joint secretary in the Union environment ministry.

Environment secretary CK Mishra, who returned last week from the negotiations, said: There is good momentum. We are not sure yet if the outcome will be optimum.

Developed countries were to contribute an annual $100 million to developing nations to mitigate the effects of climate change under the Paris agreement.

Developed countries are not spending enough to mitigate the impact of climate change, the Indian ministry of finance submitted at COP24. In a paper titled 3 Essential Ss of Climate Finance  Scope, Scale and Speed: A Reflection released on the sidelines of the conference, the ministry questioned climate finance values being reported by developed countries as having been transferred by them to developing countries.

The ministry quoted a recently released report of the standing committee on finance by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC), which assessed the total climate finance flows based on the biennial assessment reports of developed countries. The total climate-specific finance flows from Annex II Parties (which include the US, Australia and European Union) in 2016, according to this report, amounted to only around $ 38 billion which is less than 40% of the $100 billion target of climate finance.

Progress (COP24) is very slow and a lot of things need to be agreed upon. Ministers meeting from next week would require discussions on a wide array of issues. These include equity, differentiation, forward looking finance, and flexibility in reporting would especially require a spirit of compromise to arrive at a consensus, Vijeta Rattani of the climate change division at the Centre for Science and Environment (CSE) said.

The negotiations will continue for another week until December 14. Ministers of the negotiating countries will meet next week to iron out the differences.

In the first week of the Katowice conference, scientists from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) briefed delegates about the consequences of not meeting their climate goals and the urgency for enhancing the goals to prevent global warming of 2 degrees Celsius above pre-industrial levels.

An IPCC report in October, titled Global Warming of 1.5 Degrees, warned that the Earth will face devastating consequences of climate change if the world fails to keep global warming within 1.5 degrees Celsius of pre-industrial levels. The UN 1.5-degree report also warned that India will be one of the worst affected by heat stress resulting from climate change.

Crops, plantations, even livestock in 151 districts, or slightly more than one-fifth of the total districts in India, are susceptible to the impact of climate change, according to an annual review by the Indian Council of Agricultural Research (ICAR), a wing of the agriculture ministry.

It is notable that the first week started off with the long shadow of IPCC which stressed the urgency of climate action. A few parties also called for 1.5 degrees to be the official goal of the Paris agreement. That said, there are still many issues like transparency for reporting on finance by developed countries, allowing for differentiation in many sections which are crucial and have to be addressed in the next week when the high-level segment begins, said Aarti Khosla of Climate Trends, a research and communications organisation.

Climate scientists are hoping that negotiators take their warnings seriously.

At the climate negotiations, it is always the case that nothing is agreed upon in the first week, said NH Ravindranath, a climate scientist from Indian Institute of Science (IISc). In the second week, towards the end, things start improving. In all paragraphs being negotiated on, there will be some bracketed parts that are later decided. Monitoring, reporting and verification of how countries are acting against climate change is among the many contentious issues. But I am hopeful that there will be something to look forward to at the end of next week.
An Army soldier was killed and three others injured in an encounter with suspected insurgents near Lomsong village in Longding district of Arunachal Pradesh on Saturday.

The encounter happened in the early hours of Saturday morning. One soldier died while three others have been injured, said Rohit Meena, superintendent of police, Longding.

The insurgents were suspected to belong to the Naga insurgent outfit, the NSCN(I-M), Meena said, adding that the Army has launched a cordon and search operation.

NSCN(I-M) is in a ceasefire in Nagaland and in talks with Government of India.

Defence sources confirmed at 5.30 am there was a firefight in Longding with insurgents. We lost a jawan and three others have been injured.
The Congress on Saturday said the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) was in a state of panic of the highest degree and sensing election defeats using high-handed tactics to threaten its opponents, stepping up its attack over raids carried out by the Enforcement Directorate (ED) on employees and associates of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of United Progressive Alliance (UPA) chairperson Sonia Gandhi.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi told a news conference at the party headquarters in Delhi that there had never been such a terror raj in the constitutional rule of India.

We fought the British Raj and the BJP would do well to know that the day of judgement will come for it, he said.

The ED carried out raids and searches on Friday in connection with its probe into alleged commissions received by some suspects in defence deals and illegal assets stashed abroad.

The agency said it was conducting investigations under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) in cases related to ownership of undisclosed assets abroad. As part of these investigations, the directorate has carried out search operations on 7 December 2018 under PMLA at a number of premises in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru by issue of search warrants under Section 17 of PMLA, it said in a statement on , without naming anyone.

On Friday, the Congress had alleged that the raids and searches were carried out without first information reports being filed or search warrants being issued and accused the government of letting loose a criminal conspiracy to denigrate and malign Vadra to settle personal and political scores. The raids coincided with the final phase of polling (covering Telangana and Rajasthan) in the latest round of state assembly elections in five states.

Singhvi said: They are afraid of the Congress and its values, so they are threatening people and using high-handed tactics against those who are relatives of our leaders or are associated with them.

This is called character assassination by innuendos and insinuations. When they do not have facts, this is what they will do, he said.

Other senior Congress leaders, Kapil Sibal and Ahmed Patel, too hit out at the government and said the Prime Ministers Office was using government agencies for political vendetta and besmirching the names of people who are living with dignity in this country.

Singhvi said that the BJP was in a state of panic of the highest degree, sensing rejection from the people in the just-concluded assembly elections in five states.

The word panic would be an understatement and all these raids and searches against various people are nothing but a ploy to divert the attention of the people from the real issues and the BJPs failures.

Bharatiya Janata Party leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the Congress was trying to turn corruption into a revolution. Naqvi termed the party a group of revolutionaries of corruption.

Singhvi claimed that the searches were carried out in violation of laws. We have nothing against any particular person, but we are talking about principles. No Enforcement Case Information Report (ECIR) of the FIR has been shared, no search warrant issued, no access to lawyers, and detained persons were also physically roughed up, he said.

The ED, however, said: These searches have been carried out as per the prescribed procedure. Documents and digital evidence seized during these searches are being examined. Further investigations are in progress.
Haryana minister of state for cooperation and Rohtak MLA Manish Grover allegedly offered guns, money and gunmen to the voters while campaigning for a BJP candidate from ward 10, for the municipal corporation polls slated for December 16.

During the campaign for BJP candidate Monu Devi in Pehrawar village, people complained to Grover that the rival candidate in the ward was flaunting guns to instill his fear among them. However, rather than assuring people to take lawful action against the rival candidate, Grover reportedly offered them guns to save their lives.

16 tareek ki shaam tak aapko koi kami nai aane dunga.. Bandook chaiye, gunman chaiye, paisa chaiye, aur kuch chaiye to vo b dene ko taiyaar hun.. (I will make sure you people dont fall short of anything till December 16. I am ready to provide you guns, gunmen, money, or anything you want), Grover reportedly said, amid loud cheers from the people.

Also read | Sharad Yaday body-shames Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje, BJP files complaint

When HT reached out to the minister for his comments, he said that he did not mean to supply illegal weapons to people but only assured them of police security. If they are being threatened by someone, I will provide them police security. I did not offer personal gunman or illegal weapon to anyone, Grover said.

On being asked about offering money, Grover said, The money I talked about was only for the purpose of preparation for elections and not any sort of bribe.

The opposition leaders slammed Grover for his speech and demanded the state election commission to immediately prohibit him from campaigning further. Congress leader and former Rohtak MLA Bharat Bhushan Batra said Grover had a history of making such speeches.

What he said is against the code of conduct and a case should be registered against him. We will approach the state election commission to take action against him and debar him from campaigning further in any ward. He has crossed all limits, he said.

Read | Exit polls show close contest in MP, Chhattisgarh; give Rajasthan to Congress
The state government on Saturday shifted Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Bulandshahr KB Singh reportedly for negligence in the violence that erupted after the recovery of cow carcasses in Mahwa village on December 3.

Earlier, Syana Circle Officer Satya Prakash Sharma and Chingrwathi police outpost incharge Suresh Kumar had also been transferred on Friday night for dereliction of duty. Sharma was sent to police training centre in Moradabad while Kumar was transferred to Hamirpur.

Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said KB Singh has been transferred and attached to Director General of Police (DGP) headquarters in Lucknow while Prabhakar Chowdhary has been made new SSP Bulandshahr.

Chowdhary was presently posted as SP Sitapur. Another IPS officer LR Kumar, who was in waiting, has been posted as new SP Sitapur.

The state top authorities swung into action soon after chief minister Yogi Adityanath held a meeting with Principal Secretary Home Arvind Kumar and DGP OP Singh on Friday night. The meeting was held after the submission of a report by the ADG intelligence SB Shirodkar regarding the December 3 violence in which Syana police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and local youth Sumit Kumar were shot dead.

Late on Friday, the UP Police contacted the Northern Command to identify its Army man, Jitendra Malik, alias Jeetu Fauji, who has been named as an accused in Bulandshahr violence in which Police Inspector Subodh Singh was killed on December 3, Indian Army sources told IANS on Friday.

On Saturday, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat, speaking to ANI, said that the army will cooperate fully with the police. If there is some evidence and police feels that they suspect him, then we will produce him before them. We will fully cooperate with police, Rawat said.

Read here: Snatch his gun: Video shows how mob attacked UP cop killed in violence

Meanwhile, chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday termed the Bulandshahr incident as an accident.

He had earlier said the incident was result of a big conspiracy but at a media event in Delhi on Friday, he said that the incident was actually an accident.

Uttar Pradesh mein koi mob lynching ki ghatna nahi hui hai... Bulandshahr mein jo hua wo ek durghatna thi (No mob lynching happened in Uttar Pradesh, what happened in Bulandshahr is an accident), he said.

The police have arrested nine accused but the main conspirator Yogesh Raj, the district convener of Bajrang Dal, continues to be at large.
The CBI is all set to examine British national and middleman Christian Michel in the Rs 3,600-crore AgustaWestland VVIP chopper deal case in the light of documents and statements of his Delhi-based associate RK Nanda, sources said on Friday.

A senior CBI official told IANS that the agency will confront Michel with the statement and documents of his close associate Nanda and Nandas Mumbai-based partner JB Balasubramanian.

The official said Michel was instrumental in the formation of a shell company in 2005 by Nanda, namely Media Exim Pvt Ltd, with Balasubramanian as another director. He alleged that Nandas company was a dummy one and used for Michel to park illegal money and nominally to export jewellery and music CDs to Dubai from India.

The official also said that as per Nandas statement in 2015 to the agency, he received Rs 6.5 crore from Michels Dubai-based company Global Services FZE between 2005 and 2007.

The official said that Nanda, who also ran a travel business based in Connaught Place here, had received the said amount from Michels Dubai bank accounts in HDFC Bank and Citibank into the account of Media Exim.

He said the company was set up in 2005 ostensibly to export jewellery and music CDs, but no export took place and later on, as directed by Michel, some properties were purchased in the name of Media Exim. The official also said that according to the statement of Nanda, Balasubramanian came in contact with him through Michel.

The official said that earlier, Balasubramanian in his statement to the agency disclosed that he had met Michel through one Seturaman of Nelson Health Club in Samrat Hotel in 2005. He said that Michel and Nanda invested in real estate in Delhi and bought three properties, including a farmhouse in Chhattarpur, in the name of Media Exim.

However, Michel, with the help of Nanda, sold two of the three properties in 2011-12. The money was transferred to Michels Dubai-based firm Global Finance FZE by Nanda, the official said.

The official further pointed out that during the investigation, it was noticed that Nanda allegedly received nearly Rs 19 crore from Michel. Even Nandas company, Supreme Airways, used to buy air tickets for Michels travels and his other contacts, for which a payment of Rs 12 crore was made.

Besides Nanda, the official said that the driver of Michel, Narayan Bahadur, who drove him around the power centres of the national capital, would also be confronted in the coming days as he in his statement to the agency in 2015 had said that he was once asked to pick up three English friends from Hyatt Hotel to a Bungalow at Sainik Farms in Delhi, where a function was going on.

In his statement, Bahadur also mentioned that one Indian came out to receive those three friends of Michel in 2008. When Bahadur was asked to choose the Indian from several photos, he picked the photograph of Sanjeev Tyagi.

Michel is currently being questioned by CBI, which obtained a five-day remand on Wednesday after he was extradited to India from Dubai late on Tuesday night. He will be produced before a special CBI court on December 10.

The CBI on Thursday said that it has received a request for consular access to Michel from the British High Commission through the Ministry of External Affairs. The request is under process.

Michel has been accused of bribing many politicians, officials and journalists to swing the deal and is being probed by the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

In 2014, India scrapped the contract with Italian company Finmeccanicas British subsidiary AgustaWestland for supplying choppers to the Indian Air Force over alleged breach of contractual obligations and charges of paying kickbacks for securing the deal. The revelations had been made during a judicial trial against the company in Italy.
Over four lakh women in Gujarat called on governments women helpline number 180 in the last three years. Andhra Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh received maximum number of complaints by women at government One Stop Centres (OSCs) with 26,884 and 21,747 complaints, respectively.

According to Union women and child development ministrys data till November 2018, 193,527 OSC cases in total have been registered, while 2,023,111 effective calls on governments women helpline number were registered since 2015 across all states and Union territories.

The OSCs are intended to support women affected by violence, in private and public spaces, within the family, community and at workplace. Women facing physical, sexual, emotional, psychological and economic abuse are facilitated with support and redressal at these centres.

 The ministry has sanctioned over 600 OSCs till now, of which 232 are operational so far. The Prime Minister had said there should be one in all 718 districts of India, said Rakesh Srivastava, secretary, WCD ministry.

The scheme for universalisation of women helpline was implemented from April 2015 to provide 24x7 response to women affected by violence..

The women helpline at Gujarat received 435,378 complaints by women till November, while Uttar Pradesh got 314,455 complaints, Bihar (377,917), Andhra Pradesh (393,676), Telangana (275,324) and Punjab (106,622).

We got 480,000 calls (till Friday), in which 25.61% cases are of domestic violence, 5.7% cases were of alcohol abuses, 4.4% cases (trouble in neighbourhood) and 1.91% cases of sexual assault. There were 553 cases of rape and 517 child marriage cases. In these cases, we get FIRs registered mandatorily, said an official at the women helpline in Gujarat.

Among OSC complaints filed by women, Chhattisgarh recorded 10,868 cases, Telangana (7,807), Rajasthan (4,964), Haryana (3,878) and 3,755 in Bihar.
Two days before Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh was killed during mob violence in Bulandshahr, local BJP leaders had demanded his transfer after accusing him of creating obstacles for religious functions.

In a letter sent to Bulandshahr MP Bhola Singh, they alleged that his behaviour caused resentment in the Hindu community.

The letter was forwarded by the MP to Bulandshahr SSP K B Singh demanding a probe against him.

On Friday, the SSP confirmed to PTI that he had received such a letter from Bhola Singh.

Also read | Jawan under scanner for firing during Bulandshahr violence

When asked what action was taken over it, he said probe orders were given.

The inspector and 20-year-old Sumit were killed when a mob attacked policemen over alleged cow slaughter on December 3.

IG Crime S K Bhagat said Friday that five more arrests have been made in connection with the inspectors death, taking the number of those arrested to nine.

The letter, which was surfaced on social media, was signed by BJPs Syana city chief Sanjay Shrotri, city vice president Kapil Tyagi, former corporator Manoj Tyagi, BB nagar mandal president Neeraj Chaudhary, BJP assembly convener Vijay Kumar Lodhi and Syana block pramuk Pushpendra Yadav.

Read | Will kill son if proved he shot cop in Bulandshahr violence, says soldiers mother
A doctor, who terms homosexuality as genetic mental disorder and uses electric shock to treat gay and lesbian people, has been summoned by a Delhi court as an accused for violating norms.

Though Dr P K Gupta was de-barred by the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), he was still indulging in this bizarre practice.

The court took note of a complaint against Gupta by the DMC, which claimed that he was using hormonal and shock therapy to provide treatment. The complaint said the DMC had debarred Gupta in 2016 from practising in Delhi and as he was still projecting himself as a doctor, he was liable for prosecution.

Metropolitan magistrate Abhilash Malhotra said treatment given by doctors as a part of conversion therapy was not recognised either by medical science or by legislature.

Conversion therapy is an attempt to change a persons sexual orientation using psychological or spiritual interventions.

The court summoned the doctor as accused saying he was prima facie found to be contravening a provision of the Indian Medical Council Act which entails a maximum of one year jail term.

It is amply clear that the legislature in its prudence and vision did not thought sexual orientation to be part of mental illness. Accordingly, it is clear that the treatment given by the doctors as a part of conversion therapy is not recognised either by the medicine or by the legislation, the magistrate said.

Also read | Delhi awash in rainbow colours as Queer Pride Parade celebrates identity, freedom

The court said from the complaint, it was prima facie clear that Gupta was practising as a doctor in Delhi despite being debarred by the DMC.

A person found practising without registration, even qualified, shall be liable for action specified by the council, it said.

The court, in its summons, also referred to the judgement on homosexuality delivered by the Supreme Court which had decriminalised consensual sexual acts between two adults in private.

Initially, the council received a letter from Anjali Gopalan, executive director of Naz Foundation (India) Trust, informing it about a news report in 2015 where some doctors advocated for conversion therapy claiming to convert homosexuals into heterosexuals.

According to the news report, some doctors including Gupta were using hormonal therapy, shock treatment and medications to treat homosexuals as if they are suffering from some disease.

The letter also referred to another news article which said the dubious procedure included talk therapy which could lead to depression, anxiety, seizures and suicidal tendencies.

Referring to the articles, the complaint had said Gupta had described homosexuality as a genetic mental disorder and believed in exploring evidence of childhood psychological damage before starting the treatment.

The court said that Gupta, running a super speciality clinic at Karol Bagh area here, was charging Rs 4,500 for 15 minutes counselling, after which he decides to go for hormonal therapy or psychological therapy.

When the DMC a issued notice to the doctor regarding alleged professional misconduct, Gupta had said he was not registered with the council and was not liable to respond.

Read | LGBT behaviour a term? An Indonesian city plans to fine residents for it
Passage of a bill to make instant triple talaq illegal and a punitive offence will be one of the priorities of the National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in the winter session of Parliament, in which the Opposition is seeking to corner it on a range of issues, from the Rafale fighter jet deal to the internecine fight in the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI).

The session starts Monday, but the opening day will only see obituary references to former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee and parliamentary affairs minister Ananth Kumar. The beginning of the session will also coincide with the counting of votes in elections to the Madhya Pradesh, Telangana, Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Mizoram assemblies.

New parliamentary affairs minister Narendra Singh Tomar said on Friday that the state election results would have little impact on the winter session.

Look, these election results after all are matters of state assemblies. I dont think theres any reason to think that developments in states are going to decide the agenda or the fate of a Parliament session. All political parties also understand these things and there are several issuesboth from the government as well as the Oppositions sidethat need to be raised and discussed on the floor of the House, Tomar told HT on Friday.

Also read | All-party meet on Monday; Rafale, CBI, farm issues likely on Opposition agenda for winter session of Parliament

The government will prioritise replacing three ordinances, or executive orderson triple talaq, Companies Act amendment and the Medical Council of India Act amendmentwith full-fledged laws, officials said. The ordinance on triple talaq criminalised the practice of instance divorce in the Muslim community that has been declared arbitrary and against the tenets of Islam by the Supreme Court.

The Companies Act amendment ordinance altered several provisions in the Companies Act, 2013 relating to penalties, among others. The Medical Council of India Act amendment will allow the suppression of the body for a year and the constitution of a board of governors that will perform the councils functions.

The session comes amid a renewed confrontation between the Bharatiya Janata Party and the Opposition over a host of issues including alleged wrongdoing in the Rafale jet fighter deal that the government has strenuously denied, the feud between CBI director Alok Verma and his deputy Rakesh Asthana that forced the government to strip both men of their powers, charges of sexual misconduct against former Union minister MJ Akbar, and the autonomy of the Reserve Bank of India, among others.

The government and the Opposition must find ways to discuss things in Parliament and run the House in an orderly manner..., said former Parliamentary affairs secretary Afzal Amanullah.

Read | Telangana assembly election: TRS pins hopes on Owaisis appeal to win Muslim votes
A day after Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed that he has asked his government to ascertain the status of the 26/11 Mumbai attacks case in his countrys interest to resolve the matter, Indias former intelligence chief AS Dulat said that the head of state deserves a chance and time.

Imran is our best bet after (former Pakistan president) general Pervez Musharraf. He may be a puppet in the hands of the Pakistani intelligence agency ISI or the army, but we need to give him time and a chance to prove his intentions, said Dulat, a former chief of the Research and Analysis Wing (R&AW), at a session on the wisdom of spies during the Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh on Saturday.

Lt Gen Kamal Davar (retd), the first director general of the Defence Intelligence Agency, agreed with Dulat on Imran, saying: We feel he is a puppet but he is a self-respecting man. Dont push him into a corner. He can change things in the subcontinent.

Musharraf was the villain of Kargil, but there has not been a more reasonable leader in Pakistan in 30 years. Its sad that once he disappeared a lot less was done (for India-Pakistan ties), said Dulat, who has co-authored a book, The Spy Chronicles: RAW, ISI and the Illusion of Peace, with former ISI chief Asad Durrani.

Talks are the only way forward for both nuclear-armed nations. I would even suggest an institutional arrangement between the intelligence agencies of both countries, he said.

Panellist Lt Gen Sanjiv Langer (retd) drew attention towards neighbouring China. We should take a look in detail at China. It is a different paradigm, he said.

KC Verma, a former R&AW director, moderated the session and said, The Pakistan head of state does not know what the ISI is up to but the R&AW does not want that latitude. It belongs to the Indian government. An intelligence agency is an instrument of the state to be used for state purpose.
India is committed to strengthening regional cooperation and integration, being a founding-member of the South Asian Association for Regional Cooperation (SAARC), Prime Minister Narendra Modi said in a message marking the 34th SAARC Charter Day Saturday.

Modis expression of commitment to SAARC, and his stress on the need for peace and security to promote regional cooperation, is significant in the backdrop of Indias refusal to participate in the next summit of the group, to be hosted by Pakistan.

In its journey of over three decades, SAARC has made progress. However, it has been below the regions full potential. An environment of peace and security is essential for regional cooperation to flourish and achieve economic development and prosperity our people. Modi said in his message.

India-Pakistan tensions have retarded progress made by the group. India pulled out of the SAARC summit two years ago, citing alleged Pakistani backing for terrorists. Afghanistan, Bhutan and Bangladesh too decided not to take part.

According to the rules, if even one head of state, or government, decides not to participate, the summit has to be postponed. SAARC also groups the Maldives, Nepal and Sri Lanka. India recently rejected Pakistans call to participate in the 19th summit to be held in Islamabad, citing the lack of a conducive environment.

Of late, India has been more active on another regional multilateral forum, Bay of Bengal Initiative for Multi-Sectoral Technical and Economic Cooperation (BIMSTEC), which groups Bangladesh, India, Myanmar, Sri Lanka, Thailand , Nepal and Bhutan. Terrorism remains the single largest threat to peace and stability in the South Asian region, Modi said in his message, calling for the elimination of terrorism in all forms.

On the same occasion, Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan said SAARC can help create a conducive and congenial atmosphere to build economic synergy in the region and transform the quality of life of the people of South Asia.

It is only through adhering to the principles of sovereign equality and mutual respect among member states, would we able to exploit the true potential of SAARC and achieve our cherished goal of prosperous and developed South Asian region, Khan said in his SAARC Charter Day message.

Without mentioning Pakistans differences India, he said it was unfortunate that unresolved bilateral disputes among member-countries had prevented SAARC from achieving the goal of socio-economic cooperation and prosperity.
A gunfight broke out on the outskirts of Srinagar on Saturday evening when army and police launched a joint cordon operation in Mujgund village.

Police and army launched the operation based on reports about the presence of militants. However as the operation was going on, militants opened fire on the forces, triggering an encounter.

Sources said that two to three militants are believed to be hiding in the area.

A police spokesman said that exchange of fire between militants and security forces on Bandipora road in Mujgund is on. The area is under cordon.
More than 225 terrorists have been killed in Jammu and Kashmir so far this year, Northern Army Commander Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said on Saturday.

He said initiatives taken by the government and security forces had resulted in a drop in the number of local youths being radicalised and taking to militancy over the last few months.

We have been able to neutralise a large number of terrorists. As on date, we have been neutralised more than 225 terrorists. However, couple of days of this year are still balanced (left), Singh told reporters in Kapurthala on the sidelines of his visit to Sainik School, his alma mater.

He said locals were sharing information about terrorists movements with the Army, which is a positive sign.

That is a very positive sign, which shows a decline of militancy. It shows frustration on the part of Pakistan to push more and more terrorists into J&K. But our resolve is clear that as long as terrorists are moving around they shall not be provided space to carry out activities at their will. They will be acted against and neutralised, he said.

We will ensure that peace and stability are maintained in J&K, he added.

Singh said the Army would not allow radicalisation of local youth in the state.

Also read: Terrorist Zakir Musa may be in Punjab disguised as Sikh; alert sounded

All the initiatives by the government and security forces in J&K are paying rich dividends. There is reduction in the number of local youths joining militancy, which was taking place in last couple of months. There is a relative decline. There is also a decline in radicalisation, he said.

That is the reason that situation is stable in J&K. But (if) any untoward thing happens, the Army acts swiftly and ensures peace, stability and security, he added.

Speaking about Pakistan, Singh said the neighbouring country was trying to spread terrorism beyond Kashmir in India. The Army is taking all measures to arrest the spread of terrorism, he said.

He lauded the Kartarpur corridor, which will connect Dera Baba Nanak in Indias Gurdaspur district with Gurdwara Kartarpur Sahib Narowal in Pakistan.

Also read: Pakistan supports peace and reconciliation in Afghanistan, Imran Khan tells US special envoy

It is a good thing as it will encourage people to people contact, he said.

Warning infiltrators, Singh said those who dare to cross the Line of Control (LoC) will have to face death.

He also said the Army was giving befitting response to Pakistans snipers and the force had kept up the pressure on the adversary along the LoC.

Also read: Pakistan minister hits back at Sushma Swaraj over row on Kartarpur googly remark

(This story has been published from a wire agency feed without modifications to the text. )
The BJP Friday approached the Election Commission demanding action against the Congress and its president Rahul Gandhi for his interview published in an English daily on Thursday, claiming it is a shining example of paid news.

A delegation including Union ministers J P Nadda, Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and BJPs media in-charge Anil Baluni submitted a memorandum to the poll panel enclosing a copy of the interview that was published from Hyderabad, saying the reporting by way of an interview...is shining example of paid news.

Also read | Assembly elections 2018: Try press conference, fun to have questions thrown at you, Rahul Gandhi tells PM Modi

Addressing the media after meeting the poll panel officials, Naqvi said, Just a day before the polling in Telangana and Rajasthan, Rahul Gandhi through his interview, which was actually a paid news, tried to influence voters and electoral process also. It is a violation of electoral reforms.

Naqvi further said that Gandhi in his interview cited a survey to claim that the Congress is winning and BJP is losing elections in all the five states.

This news (interview) comes under the category of paid news. As per the rules no campaigning or such interviews should be done 48 hours before the polling. Gandhi intentionally tried to influence voters and free and fair process of election. We demand an immediate action against him and his party, he said.

The BJP in the memorandum further said that the interview goes against the very spirit and parameters of the permitted coverage in the compendium of poll panels compendium of instructions on the media related matters.

Read | Confused Gandhi: BJP hits back at Rahul Gandhis question on PM Modis Hindu quotient
The military leadership must guard against becoming a tool in the hands of politicians. We cant take military action to suit someone politically, Lt Gen DS Hooda (retd), the Northern Army Commander at the helm of surgical strikes in September 2016, said, adding that though the action needed publicity to boost soldiers morale, the excess hype and political one-upmanship around it was uncalled for.

The veteran was moderating a session on the Role of cross-border operations and surgical strikes on Day 1 of the Military Literature Festival organised by the Punjab government at Lake Club in Chandigarh on Friday.

Ruing the political colour given to the action, Col Ajai Shukla (retd), a defence analyst, pointed out that the strikes helped the Modi government burnish its nationalistic image and gave the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) a thumping win in the Uttar Pradesh elections.

The panellists, all former army officers, underlined that cross-border operations are a common form of retribution on the Line of Control. Col Shukla recounted how after the Kargil intrusions were discovered in 1999, Indian troops raided a Pakistani post, killed 12 soldiers and brought back a visitors book signed by Gen Pervez Musharraf.

Lt Gen Hooda said the attack on the brigade headquarters at Uri that left 17 soldiers dead was the trigger and their aim was simple. Terrorists had been targeting military installations since the end of 2013... Walking with the army chief through three inches of ash at Uri, we were clear that we had to go across. The plan received the go-ahead from none other than the Prime Minister and the national security adviser.

Also read | Dont mix army and politics: Gen who led surgical strike

Publicity, Lt Gen Hooda said, was essential at that time. We were being told that you cant protect your soldiers, it was vital to boost the morale of our soldiers. But the excess hype, he admitted, didnt help. There were selective leaks to the media, and too much political banter around it.

Lt Gen NS Brar (retd) pointed out that strikes of this magnitude must achieve a higher strategic objective which these didnt. Calling them a glorified ghatak (lethal) attack, Shukla wondered if it was all political gamesmanship only directed at the UP polls.

The panellists were unanimous that it would be fatal to politicise any military act. As Brar said: A question that bugs me is that what if we had some casualties, some prisoners, would the powers-that-be have taken ownership?

He warned: Military action initiated to win an election is very dangerous.

Hooda agreed: Its for the military leadership to resist being used by politicians.

Later, when asked about Lt Gen Hoodas statement, army chief Bipin Rawat said, These are an individual persons perceptions, so lets not comment on them.He was one of the main persons involved in conduct of these operations, so I respect his words very much.

Read | UPA did 3 surgical strikes but didnt show off: Rahul Gandhi
A former Army commanders strong comment against the constant hype around military operations prompted a sharp attack on the government from the Congress. Party president Rahul Gandhi complimented the retired army officer for his stand in a tweet but packed in a stinging jab at Prime Minister Narendra Modi as well.

Lt Gen (retd) DS Hooda, the retired officer who disapproved the hype, was the Northern Army Commander in September 2016 when commandos crossed the line of control to destroy terror camps in Pakistan.

Mr 36 [sic] has absolutely no shame in using our military as a personal asset. He used the surgical strikes for political capital and the Rafale deal to increase Anil Ambanis real capital by 30,000 Cr, Referring to Lt Gen Hoodas comments, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday tweeted.

While moderating a discussion on Role of cross-border operations and surgical strikes on Day 1 of the Military Literature Festival, Lt Gen Hooda had said, The military leadership must guard against becoming a tool in the hands of politicians. We cant take military action to suit someone politically, he said. The excess hype, he admitted, didnt help. There were selective leaks to the media, and too much political banter around it.

In his tweet, Rahul Gandhi lauded Lt Gen Hoodas comments. Spoken like a true soldier General. India is so proud of you, he tweeted.

Speaking about Lt Gen Hoodas comments, Army chief Bipin Rawat said, These are an individual persons perceptions, so lets not comment on them. He was one of the main persons involved in conduct of these operations, so I respect his words very much.

GOC Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh, said, Surgical strike is one of the options available to Army. It had a positive effect on country, weve been able to curb terrorism to a great extent.

The armys surgical strikes in the early hours of September 29, 2016 was a response to an attack on an army base in Kashmirs Uri on September 18 in which 19 soldiers were killed. India blames the attack on militants who crossed over from Pakistani territory.
The Tamil Nadu government has moved Supreme Court seeking removal of Central Water Commission (CWC) chairman Masood Hussain as the head of Cauvery Management Authority (CMA), citing conflict of interest. It also sought a direction to the Centre to appoint a full-time independent Chairman to the CMA.

This comes in the wake of the CWC granting permission to Karnataka to proceed with the Detailed Project Report (DPR) for the 66 TMC Mekedatu reservoir project across river Cauvery, upstream of Mettur dam in Tamil Nadu. Opposing the project as being detrimental to the interests of farmers in the delta region, the Tamil Nadu Assembly has passed a unanimous resolution, demanding the withdrawal of permission given to Karnataka.

Tamil Nadu has cited the apex court verdict in the Cauvery dispute which states that Karnataka could not impound water by constructing any dam without the consent of lower riparian state.

In the petition, Tamil Nadu sought the removal of Hussain as the interim chairman of CMA and pleaded for a direction to the Centre to appoint a regular chairman to the statutory body, which manages and regulates the storage and apportionment of Cauvery water among the basin states.

There is every likelihood of conflict of interests arising in the discharge of the dual positions held by Hussain, the petition contended and accused him of being partial to Karnataka. To substantiate this, the petition cited the Project Appraisal Directorate (South) of the CWC having entertained the feasibility report submitted by Karnataka and then granting the go-ahead for preparation of the DPR for Mekedatu project. This after turning down Tamil Nadus objections at the last CMA meeting, it pointed out.

Even six months after its constitution, the CMA is yet to have a full-time independent chairman and other members, jettisoning the objective with which it was established, the petition said.

The Centre approving Karnatakas demand on the Mekedatu project is seen by the Opposition as a move to bolster the electoral prospects of the BJP in the neighbouring state as it has no foothold in Tamil Nadu. This has been described as a betrayal to Tamil Nadu farmers and the DMK-led secular alliance has staged a massive demonstration in Trichy.

Chief minister Edappadi K Palaniswami wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi to direct the CWC to immediately withdraw the permission given to Karnataka for the DPR as the move had created anguish and anxiety among the people of Tamil Nadu.
Two police officials have been transferred in connection with the mob violence in Uttar Pradeshs Bulandshahr town earlier this week where an inspector and a civilian were killed, authorities said on Saturday.

Acting on a report submitted by the Additional Director General of Police SB Shiradkar, Circle Officer (CO) Satya Prakash Sharma and Suresh Kumar, the in-charge of Chingravathi police chowki, have been transferred for their failure in responding in time to the situation arising on Monday in that area.

A senior home department official said they have been taken to task for not being fast enough in reacting to the situation that arose after some Hindu right-wing activists found some animal carcasses in the field and took them on tractor trolleys to block a road.

Police inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and the civilian from Chingravathi village, Sumit Singh, were killed in the mob violence thereafter.

The action was taken after a high-level meeting was presided over by the Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh, who had handed over the report to chief minister Yogi Adityanath on his arrival from New Delhi.

Meanwhile, Adityanath has termed the Bulandshahr incident an accident.

He had earlier said the incident was result of a big conspiracy but at a media event in Delhi on Friday, he said that the incident was actually an accident.

Uttar Pradesh mein koi mob lynching ki ghatna nahi hui hai... Bulandshahr mein jo hua wo ek durghatna thi (No mob lynching happened in Uttar Pradesh, what happened in Bulandshahr is an accident), he said.

The police have arrested nine accused but the main conspirator Yogesh Raj, the district convener of Bajrang Dal, continues to be at large.
Former JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav on Saturday expressed regret for body shaming Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje saying that he did not intend to hurt her with his words. He also said he and the state chief were family friends and he would write to her over the matter.

I saw her statement. I have very old family relations with her. If my words hurt her, I express my regret. I will also write a letter to her, news agency ANI reported him as saying.

The former JD (U) leader had on Thursday stoked a controversy after he called the Rajasthan chief minister fat, while appealing to voters in the poll-bound state to not vote for BJP.

Raje had on Friday said she felt insulted by Yadav calling her fat while campaigning in the state.

I actually feel insulted and I think even women are insulted, Raje told media after casting her vote in Jhalrapatan constituency of Jhalawar for the Rajasthan assembly election, reported ANI.

At a rally in Rajasthans Alwar, Yadav said, Vasundhara ko aaram do, bahut thak gayi hain, bahut moti ho gayi hain, pehle patli thi. Humare Madhya Pradesh ki beti hai (Give some rest to Vasundhra, she has become very tired, very fat. She used to be thin. She is our Madhya Pradesh daughter).

The BJP had on Thursday condemned his remarks as sexist and filed a complaint with the election commission demanding action against Yadav.
A year after a NASA-funded research by United States Department of Agriculture concluded that solid waste left by cows and other livestock contribute to global warming by emitting methane, a greenhouse gas, cow dung is adding heat to the political war Bengal is witnessing over the BJPs rath yatra.

With a Calcutta High Court single bench order compelling the BJP to abort the much-hyped programme at Cooch Behar in north Bengal on Friday, the Trinamool Congress on Saturday cleaned the rally ground with cow dung and Gangajal (water from the Ganges, the most scared river for Hindus) to purify the ground in traditional Hindu style.

On Saturday morning, hundreds of Trinamool supporters arrived at the 2,37,600 sq ft venue that had been offered to the BJP for its rally by a local sympathiser and enclosed it with a barricade made of bamboo poles. Chinu Kundu, 55, owner of the plot, watched helplessly, as Trinamool flags were hoisted around her property. It is their (Trinamools) habit. Let my land be purified, she said, even as local people feared that Trinamool workers might occupy the plot for a while, merely to flex muscle.

We have not taken over the land. We only purified it with cow dung and Gangajal. That is why our flags were put up. The purification programme was announced by Mamata Banerjee, said Rabindranath Ghosh, Trinamool Cooch Behar district president and senior minister. Ghosh did not say why the barricade was put up.

After returning to Kolkata, BJP state president Dilip Ghosh tried to sound defiant despite Fridays setback. Those who know they have sinned use cow dung and Gangajal for purification. We stick to pure politics. As announced earlier, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will address our rally in Siliguri (in north Bengal) on December 16, Ghosh said.

Asked about the public meeting BJP had held on the Cooch Behar rally ground that Trinamool purified, Ghosh said, We did not hold any rally. We went there only to thank the people who had assembled.

Trinamool leaders in districts across Bengal have announced that each time the BJP holds a rally, roads will be cleaned with cow dung, water and, if possible, water from the Ganges. They have also vowed to take out processions in which Kirtan (devotional songs) and rituals associated with the Sanatan Hindu Dharma, will be performed.

For centuries, cow dung and water have been used by Hindus to purify homes, courtyards, temples and venues of rituals. People in many rural areas of Bengal still clean homes and court yards the traditional way. Cow dung cakes are also used by the poor as fuel to cook food in open ovens.

Using cow dung to purify a place is a practice every Hindu Bengali easily relate to. Trinamool has formulated a smart strategy to counter BJP. The ruling party is likely to reap dividends, said political observer and columnist Suvasish Maitra. In 1990, the BJP had gained a lot of ground with its rath yatra. Mamata Banerjee seems to have kept that in mind, Maitra added.

After appeasing Muslims all these years, Trinamool is now turning to Gau Mata to seek salvation, quipped BJP national president Rahul Sinha.

BJPs rath yatra, dubbed Ganatantra Bachao Yatra (Save Democracy rally ), was supposed to cover all 294 Assembly constituencies in Bengals 42 Lok Sabha segments. Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top BJP leaders were slated to address around 40 public meetings.
Ten days after a 57-year-old Ghatkopar diamond merchant went missing, his body was found in the bushes in a hilly area close to Dehrang dam in Panvel on Thursday, under mysterious circumstances.

Rajeshwar Kishorilal Udani, a resident of Mahalaxmi apartment at Kama lane in Ghatkopar (West), was last seen near Vikhroli traffic police outpost on the eastern express highway (EEH) on the night of November 28.

Udani asked his driver to drop him at the spot, after which he got into another car, said Maniksingh P Patil, assistant police commissioner, Ghatkopar division.

According to the police, Udani was speaking on the phone when he reached Vikhroli. His last mobile location was Rabale in Navi Mumbai, after which the phone was switched off.

The driver told the police that as the other car was parked 70m away, he could not see its registration number. The police suspect that the numberplate of the car may be duplicate.

Udanis son, Ronak, 31, approached the police on November 29, after which the police registered a missing persons complaint. On December 3, they registered a case of kidnapping.

Meanwhile, the Panvel taluka police on Tuesday was alerted that the security guard of the dam had found a body in a decomposed condition. The Panvel taluka police sent the body for post-mortem and registered a case of accidental death.

The police then alerted their counterparts in Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane about the unidentified body on Friday morning.

The Pant Nagar police then contacted the Udani family, who identified the body based on his clothes and footwear.

We are questioning several people, including a few from the television industry, women working at bars he frequented, persons from the business fraternity and a man associated with a politician, said a senior police officer, who did not wish to be named. We are checking if it is a murder over personal rivalry or financial dispute, said a police officer.

Along with diamonds, Udani and his son were also dealers of Indian antiques.

Udani was an avid art collector for more than two decades. His collection includes works of artists from the pre-Independence era namely Nandalal Bose, Binode Behari Mukherjee, Gaganendranath Tagore, Ramkinkar Baij, to post-Independence works of MF Husain, Ganesh Pyne, Jogen Chowdhury, and the recent Sunil Das, Wasim Kapoor, Sanjay Bhattacharya, and numerous others, according to the website of Udanis company.

The Navi Mumbai police said the viscera have been preserved for further chemical analysis. There are no external injuries on his body, said Ashok Rajput, senior inspector, Panvel Taluka police station.
Telugu Titans notched up their first win in the home leg as they beat Jaipur Pink Panthers 36-26 in the Inter Zone Challenge Week of Pro Kabaddi Season 6. It was a solid all-round performance by the Titans as their defenders and raiders contributed in the victory. Nilesh Salunke (8 points), Rahul Chaudhari (8 points) were the leading raiders whereas Abozar Mighani and Anil Kumar led the defensive charge. For Jaipur Pink Panthers it was a disappointing night as their defence struggled to contain Titans raiders. Deepak Niwas Hooda was the lone ranger for Jaipur as he scored 10 points.

Nilesh Salunke made a brilliant super raid in the 4th minute to give Telugu Titans 5-4 lead. Deepak Hooda responded with a two-point raid in the next minute to give Jaipur Pink Panthers 6-5 lead. The raiders from both teams picked up points in the next few minutes as it was all square at 8-8 after 10 minutes.

Rahul Chaudhari got a two-point raid in the next minute to give Titans 10-8 lead. Jaipur forced a super tackle in the 12th minute to take back the lead. The match was swinging like a pendulum in both teams favour. In the 17th minute the first all out of the match was inflicted by Titans as they led 16-13. Titans went into the break leading 17-13.

Telugu Titans were in command of the match as after 25 minutes they enjoyed a seven-point lead. Ajinkya Pawar tried to revive the Pink Panthers hopes with a couple of quick raids but Titans were in no mood to relinquish their lead.

With less than five minutes to Telugu Titans inflicted an all out to lead 31-20 and were assured of the first win of their home leg. It was a comfortable win in the end for Titans as they got the first home win.

U Mumba beat Bengal Warriors

Riding on a solid all-round team performance, U Mumba beat Bengal Warriors 31-20 in the Inter Zone Challenge Week of Pro Kabaddi Season 6. The defensive trio of Fazel Atrachali, Surender Singh and Dharmaraj Cherlathan picked up 11 tackle points and tormented Bengal Warriors raiders throughout the match. Siddharth Desai was the top scoring raider for U Mumba as he scored 7 points. Maninder Singh had a quiet match for Bengal Warriors but still ended up being their top scorer with 5 raid points.
A 22-year-old man, who was arrested for stealing cameras from lenders was found to have been doing so in order to buy expensive gifts for his minor girlfriend. The man has been identified as Akash Bhise, a diploma holder from MIT Kothrud, who is a resident of Hamaal nagar in Market Yard. He was arrested and sent to police custody by a local court on Thursday. After completing his diploma from MIT two years ago, Bhise has been earning a living by taking up photo assignments.

Besides the five cameras which were reported stolen in two separate cases at Faraskhana police station, the police found five other cameras in his possession. All the cameras were found to be Canon 5D. He had also stolen eight lenses along with the cameras. The total worth of the recovered goods is Rs 26,00,000.

Bhise met a girl from Class 11 four months ago and had taken her to expensive restaurants . The bills were to the tune of Rs 15,000 at these places. He used to take loans from private lenders against the cameras. He told the camera lenders that he had bagged a big photo assignment and because he knew the business, the money lenders trusted him, said KN Navande, senior police inspector, Faraskhana police station. He also bought the girl an Activa, gold chains, rings and other things as well, he added.

He made a down payment of Rs 6,000 for the scooter and had intended to pay the rest through monthly instalments.

While the girls parents were aware of the gifts and did not take action against it, his father, who is a labourer working in Market Yard, signed a bond with him severing all ties with him, the police said.

Two separate cases each under Sections 406 (criminal breach of trust) and 420 (cheating) of Indian Penal Code were registered at Faraskhana police station against Bhise.
In another senior staff shake-up inside his often turbulent administration, United States President Donald Trump said on Friday he has picked the two people he wants to be the next attorney general and the next ambassador to the United Nations.

He said he will nominate William Barr, who was attorney general under former President George HW Bush in the 1990s, to fill that top job again at the US Justice Department. Barr would replace Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who has been in that position since Trump forced out Jeff Sessions as attorney general a month ago.

Trump said he will put forward State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert as ambassador to the United Nations. Nauert, a former Fox News Channel host, would replace Nikki Haley, who said in October she would resign at the end of this year.

Both are likely to face tough questions at their Senate confirmation hearings. Democrats called Nauert unqualified and said they were concerned about Barrs independence. Republicans said they were pleased with both nominees.

Trump also said he would make a personnel announcement concerning the Pentagon on Saturday, telling reporters outside the White House, It will have to do with the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the succession.

Trump was expected to name the Armys top general, Mark Milley, as the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, the countrys top military position, US officials told Reuters. Separately, two sources told Reuters that John Kelly is expected to resign in coming days as White House chief of staff after months of speculation.

The proposed changes come as the Republican president faces another difficult stretch.

Democrats are promising aggressive oversight of Trumps administration and business activities when they take control of the US House of Representatives in January following their gains in last months elections.

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is continuing to investigate Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election, any collusion between Moscow and Trumps campaign and possible obstruction of justice. More details of the inquiry were set to emerge in court filings on Friday.

Barr, who was attorney general under Bush from 1991 to 1993 and has worked in the private sector since then, would oversee Muellers probe if the Senate confirms him in the job again.

He is likely to face pressure at his confirmation hearings to show he would protect Mueller from political interference. Critics of Trump have long been concerned that the president wants to end the Mueller probe.

Republicans, who control the Senate, said Barr was well qualified. Senator Chuck Grassley called him a talented, well-respected lawyer. There is no one more capable or qualified for this role, Trump said at a law-enforcement conference in Kansas City.

Trump, who has repeatedly denounced the Mueller investigation as a witch hunt, denies any collusion with Russia or any obstruction of justice. Russia denies U.S. intelligence agencies findings that it meddled in the 2016 election campaign to try to tilt the vote in Trumps favor.

Steep hill to climb

Barr also may face scrutiny about past comments questioning the political affiliations of Muellers team and supporting Trumps decision last year to fire FBI Director James Comey.

Given President Trumps demonstrated lack of regard for the rule of law and the independence of the American justice system, his nominee for attorney general will have a steep hill to climb in order to be confirmed by the Senate, Senate Democratic Leader Chuck Schumer said in a statement.

Whitaker, a former U.S. attorney who is currently acting head of the Justice Department, has drawn criticism for past business ventures and critical comments about the Mueller investigation before he joined the department.

Trump mocked and belittled Sessions for more than a year, angry at Sessions decision to recuse himself from overseeing the Russia probe because he had worked for Trumps election campaign.

If she is confirmed to the UN ambassador post, Nauert would bring little diplomatic experience to a highly visible international role. House Speaker Paul Ryan, a Republican, praised Nauert as one of the United States strongest voices on the global stage.

Democrats were less enthusiastic.

Shes clearly not qualified for this job, but these days it seems that the most important qualification is that you show up on Donald Trumps TV screen, Democratic Senator Chris Murphy said on CNN. Other nations with veto power on the U.N. Security Council are all represented by ambassadors with decades of foreign policy experience.

Nauert would succeed Haley, a former South Carolina governor who also had little experience in world affairs before she took the job. Haley insisted that she be made a member of Trumps Cabinet and his National Security Council to bolster her power within the administration.

In other staff changes, White House political director Bill Stepien and public liaison director Justin Clark are leaving their jobs to help Trumps 2020 re-election campaign, the campaign said.

Trumps White House has had the highest turnover of senior-level staff of the past five presidents, according to figures compiled by the Brookings Institution think tank.
President Donald Trump on Saturday said his Chief of Staff John Kelly will leave his job at end of the year in the latest shake-up un the White House, as he gears up for the twin challenges of battling for re-election and dealing with the Democrats investigations once they take control of the House.

Trump announced Friday he was picking a new U.S. attorney general and a new ambassador to the U.N. , and at the same time two senior aides departed the White House to beef up his 2020 campaign. But the largest changes were still to come. Kellys replacement in the coming weeks is expected to have a ripple effect throughout the administration.

The moves had long been planned, and will give Kellys eventual successor room to build a new White House political team.

Kelly was not at the White House on Friday, but was expected to attend an East Room dinner with the president and senior staff.

According to nearly a dozen current and former administration officials and outside confidants, Trump is nearly ready to replace Kelly and has even begun telling people to contact the man long viewed as his likely successor.

Give Nick a call, Trump has instructed people, referring to Vice President Mike Pences chief of staff, Nick Ayers, according to one person familiar with the discussions.

Kelly, a retired Marine Corps four-star general, was tapped by Trump in August 2017 to try to normalize a White House that had been riven by infighting. And he had early successes, including ending an open-door Oval Office policy that had been compared to New Yorks Grand Central Station and instituting a more rigorous policy process to try to prevent staffers from going directly to Trump.

But those efforts also miffed the president and some of his most influential outside allies, who had grown accustomed to unimpeded access. And his handling of domestic violence accusations against the former White House staff secretary also caused consternation, especially among lower-level White House staffers, who believed Kelly had lied to them about when he found out about the allegations.

Kelly, too, has made no secret of the trials of his job and has often joked about how working for Trump was harder than anything hed done before, including on the battlefield.

Like all of those interviewed, the person spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.

Trump has hardly been shy about his dissatisfaction with the team he had chosen and has been weighing all sorts of changes over the past several months. He delayed some of the biggest shifts until after the November elections at the urging of aides who worried that adding to his already-record turnover just before the voting would harm his partys electoral chances.

Now, nearly a month after those midterms, in which his party surrendered control of the House to Democrats but expanded its slim majority in the Senate, Trump is starting to make moves.

He announced Friday that hell nominate William Barr, who served as attorney general under President George H.W. Bush, to the same role in his administration. If confirmed, Barr will fill the slot vacated by Jeff Sessions, who was unceremoniously jettisoned by Trump last month over lingering resentment for recusing himself from overseeing special counsel Robert Muellers Trump-Russia investigation.

Sessions was exiled less than 24 hours after polls closed. But Trumps broader efforts to reshape his inner circle have been on hold, leading to a sense of near-paralysis in the building, with people unsure of what to do.

Trump also announced that State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert is his pick to replace Nikki Haley as the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations, and he said hed have another announcement Saturday about the militarys top brass.

All this came the same day that Trumps re-election campaign announced that two veterans of the presidents 2016 campaign, White House political director Bill Stepien and Justin Clark, the director of the office of public liaison, were leaving the administration to work on Trumps re-election campaign.

Now is the best opportunity to be laser-focused on further building out the political infrastructure that will support victory for President Trump and the GOP in 2020, campaign manager Brad Parscale said in a statement.

Ayers, who is a seasoned campaign veteran despite his relative youth  hes just 36  has the backing of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the presidents daughter and son-in-law and senior advisers, for the new role, according to White House officials. But Ayers has also faced some resistance. During Trumps flight home from a recent trip to Paris, some aides aboard Air Force One tried to convince the president that Ayers was the wrong person for the job, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Trump and Kellys relationship has been strained for months  with Kelly on the verge of resignation and Trump nearly firing him several times. But each time the two have decided to make amends, even as Kellys influence has waned.
A UN body on enforced disappearances, which communicated to India on one of the daughters of Dubais ruler who was allegedly abducted in March aboard a US-flagged yacht off the Indian coast while attempting to flee from the UAE, has said the proceedings in the case are confidential. Princess Sheikha Latifa is the daughter of Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al-Maktoum, the ruler of Dubai and the prime minister of the UAE. She is one of the 30 children who tried to escape in March after complaining she was effectively being held prisoner by her repressive father.

She fled across the border to Oman with the help of a friend, before boarding a boat to meet French national Herve Jaubert, who himself managed to successfully escape the Emirates in 2010.

The boat set sail for the Indian coast but was intercepted by three Indian and two Emirati warships - with Jaubert claiming he and his crew were beaten by commandos before Latifa was whisked away, The Telegraph reported.

There was no immediate comment from the Ministry of External Affairs and the Indian Coast Guard.

The Human Rights Councils Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances, in its report dated August 16, 2018 on Communications, cases examined, observations and other activities, said it has transmitted to India a copy of the case of Latifa.

It said on May 2, 2018, the Working Group, under its urgent action procedure, transmitted to the Government of the UAE the case of Latifa allegedly abducted on March 4, 2018 aboard a United States-flagged yacht, off the Indian coast while attempting to flee from Dubai, by Indian military and security services, as well as coast guards, and reportedly handed over to the authorities of the UAE.

The report added her fate and whereabouts remain unknown.

The Geneva-based Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances (WGEID), told PTI the WGEIDs proceedings are confidential and it can only share the information which was made public in the WGEIDs August 2018 report on the case.

Diplomatic sources here offered no comment on the case, saying it is handled in Geneva.

Rights group Human Rights Watch (HRW), in a statement in May this year, said that the UAE authorities intercepted Latifa in March as she tried to flee by sea to a third country, and returned her to the UAE.

Latifa told friends that she wished to flee restrictions imposed by her family, the rights group said.

The group said Tiina Jauhiainen, a Finnish citizen and a former Dubai resident for 17 years, told it that she met Latifa in 2010 and developed a long-term friendship with her.

Jauhiainen said she and Latifa left the UAE on February 24. Later that day, they joined Jaubert on his private boat, sailing toward southeast Asia.

Jauhiainen said that on March 4 the boat stopped 50 miles off the coast of Goa, according to the HRW statement.

She was told about the location by Jaubert. At around 10 pm she and Latifa were below deck when they heard shouting and gunfire and locked themselves in the bathroom. The cabin filled with gas, forcing them onto the deck, it said.

Jauhiainen said that she saw several boats around their boat. Men boarded their boat, pointed guns at her, forced her to the ground, and tied her hands behind her back, according to the HRW statement.

She said the men kept shouting in English, Who is Latifa?, adding that she later heard Latifa, whom she could not see, trying to break free and repeatedly shouting that she wanted to claim asylum.

She said the men removed Latifa from the boat, the statement said. It appeared that Jaubert and the crew had been mistreated, Jauhiainen said, describing Jauberts face as bloody and unrecognisable.

Jauiainen told the HRW the Indian Coast Guard participated in the raid along with the UAE authorities.

The Working Group was established by the then UN Commission on Human Rights in 1980 to assist families in determining the fate and whereabouts of disappeared relatives.

Meanwhile, the Dubai government said in a statement that Latifa was with her family.

Her Highness Sheikha Latifa is now safe in Dubai, read a statement released on Thursday by Dubais Royal Court.

She and her family are looking forward to celebrating her birthday today (sic), in privacy and peace, and to building a happy and stable future for her, The Telegraph quoted the statement as saying.
A U.S. appeals court handed President Donald Trump a defeat on Friday when it refused to allow his order barring asylum for immigrants who enter the country illegally to take effect, while a court challenge proceeds.

Trump cited an overwhelmed immigration system for his recent proclamation that officials will only process asylum claims for migrants who present themselves at an official entry point. Civil rights groups sued, arguing that Trumps Nov. 9 order violated administrative and immigration law.

A San Francisco judge last month issued a temporary restraining order against the asylum rules, which applied nationwide. The U.S. Department of Justice called that ruling absurd and asked the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals to allow Trumps policy to take effect while the lawsuits proceed.

Also read | Donald Trumps travel ban: 22 migrants flee US to seek asylum in Canada

Trump has often attacked the 9th Circuit, which has more judges appointed by Democrat presidents than Republicans, accusing it of frustrating his policy initiatives, particularly on immigration.

The split 9th Circuit ruling on Friday was written by Judge Jay Bybee, an appointee of Republican president George W. Bush. Bybee agreed with the lower court that Trumps policy likely exceeds his authority.

The Executive has attempted an end-run around Congress, Bybee wrote.

A Justice Department spokesman declined immediate comment, but reiterated a previous statement that the policy is a well reasoned exercise of Trumps authority.

9th Circuit Judge Andrew Hurwitz, an appointee of Democrat President Barack Obama, joined Bybees ruling while Edward Leavy, an appointee of Republican President Ronald Reagan, dissented.

Read | Dumb as a rock, lazy as hell: Donald Trump hits back at former secretary of state Rex Tillerson
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Another woman has come forward with allegations, accusing astrophysicist Neil deGrasse Tyson of sexual misconduct. Last month, three accused the Cosmos host of sexual misconduct, sparking an investigation by National Geographic, the company behind his how. In a new piece published by Buzzfeed this week, the new accuser detailed a story in which Tyson, allegedly drunk, approached her during a holiday party at the American Museum of Natural History in January 2012. According to her, Tyson made crude jokes and comments and suggested that go into his office at the museum alone.

Buzzfeed's article goes on to include a 2014 screenshot of an email that she sent to her employers in an effort to "shoot down a proposed collaboration with Tyson." Buzzfeed news that it has spoken with more than 30 people, "including the alleged victims and their families, Cosmos crew members, and graduate students and professors who were at UT Austin 30 years ago."

Craig Barritt/Getty Images

A spokesperson for the museum tells BuzzFeed that she was unaware of a fourth allegation, but offered that museum officials would conduct an investigation into the incident. The three women who previously accused Tyson include a colleague Katelyn N. Allers, his former assistant Ashley Watson, and a former college classmate Tchiya Amet. All three women's stories were previously published via the Patheos blog.
Buju Banton has touched down in Jamaica after being released from Georgia's McRae Correctional Facility on Friday, December 7. The reggae and dancehall star spent close to 8 years behind bars for drug trafficking charges. Banton was met by crowds of fans when he landed at Norman Manley Airport in Kington, Jamaica.

The artist already has plans for his next moves, one of which is set to help the youth of his country find employment opportunities, according to Jamaica's minister of culture minister Olivia Babsy Grange. New music is also headed towards his fans. The entertainer released a statement last month to that effect via social media.

In light of the adversity I have encountered, I feel the need to stress that my only desire going forward is peace and love. I only want to be associated with my craft. Having survived, I want to share the good news and strength of my music. I just want to continue making music, which I've devoted my life to. I look forward to the opportunity to say a personal thanks to my fans and everyone who supported me.

Banton was convicted in 2011 and sentenced to a decade in prison following his Miami arrest in 2009 on charges of possession and conspiracy to distribute of more than five kilograms of cocaine.

[via]
Many of us expected DJ Khaled to release his new album in the summer but, as we all know now, that never ended up happening. It's still unclear when we can expect the mega-producer to come through with his next body of work as it feels like it may never arrive. Khaled is busy raising his son and appreciating life, often showing footage of himself in the studio but rarely sharing the end product. We're being a little harsh - he's released tons of music in the past. It just feels a little confusing that his "Top Off" collaboration with The Carters and Future would fizzle out when it was likely meant to create hype for the album. Regardless, a new (and familiar) name has just been added to the Father of Asahd shortlist.

We're expecting more of what Khaled does best when the project comes out: a major compilation of some of the most talented artists in the world. Now, it's almost certain that Bryson Tiller will be gracing the tracklist as the two have posted up during a studio session. In the past, Tiller has worked with the Miami icon a few times so it only makes sense that they would link up again.

Whenever Father of Asahd arrives, we're likely in for a few dream collaborations. Perhaps Tiller will be part of a larger end product?
Earl Sweatshirt sat down with NPR to discuss, among other things, his languid state on Some Rap Songs. Unfortunately, a lot of rap fans couldn't put two and two together - did they really expect a boisterous display from Earl on an album where he tackles "inescapable grief." Without paying the misunderstood fans any lip service, Earl provided those answers and more, in a tell-all interview with NPR published yesterday morning.

Al Shapiro asked Earl to pinpoint the song on the album that best describes him in relation to his father's death, to which he offered "Playing Possum" as his answer, along with a generous explanation. "That song is way less about my dad dying than it is about what both of (my parents) were talking about, and the conversation I was trying to have them in with each other. Just like them back and forth. It's crazy," he described.

Earl's father, South African poet laureate Keorapetse Kgositsile, passed away just under a year ago, placing importance on the need for him to face his own mortality, to some extent. As for his dedication to his craft, Earl avoids stepping into his father's shadow altogether, nor does he consider himself a "poet" or anything other than a pure-and-applied rapper. The Odd Future fixture wants to bring "rap" back to its nascent form, within the specter of "Black Expression," but otherwise, he can't predict how his music will take shape, from this point onward.

"I mean, then you gotta look at really like what is rap. That sh*t is black expression, bro - and what was jazz?," he asked rhetorically. "The one that got copied, the one that got over-produced, over-criticized, over-made a victim of like nomenclature. It's black expression, bro."
You think I give a damn about a Grammy? rapped Eminem, on Marshall Mathers LP single The Real Slim Shady. Half of these critics cant even stomach me, let alone stand me. Later that same year, Eminem found himself nominated for Album Of The Year, Best Rap Solo Performance, Best Rap Performance From A Duo Or Group, and Best Rap Album. He even performed at the ceremony, laying down an iconic rendition of Stan alongside Sir Elton John. For the record, Em took home three out of four awards; he ultimately lost the album battle against Steely Dans Two Against Nature.

Its interesting to note that Ems initial anti-Grammy sentiment was met with a surprising lack of resistance from the ceremonial torch-bearers. In fact, a kill them with kindness approach seemed to be taken, bestowing honors upon a man who once decried them in a public forum. Clearly, it worked to a degree; Eminem went on to attend the ceremony, using his steadily-rising platform to cement his place in Grammy history. For those old enough to remember, Em and Elton Johns performance was a monumental occurrence, given the homophobia allegations surrounding Slims good name.

Looking back, its easy to see the 43rd Grammy Awards as the moment in which Em, by his own omission, sold his soul. Consider his reflective bars on Lucky You, in which he spits:

I done said a lotta things in my day, I admit it

This is payback in a way, I regret it that I did it

I done won a couple Grammys, but I sold my soul to get 'em

Wasn't in it for the trophies, just the fuckin' recognition

A couple is somewhat of an understatement. To date, Eminem has taken home 15 trophies, though never managing to secure the coveted Album Of The Year. Still, its clear that Ems history with the Grammys has been weighing heavy on his conscious. Of course, the rapper has alluded to the Faustian bartering of his soul on songs like Say Goodbye Hollywood and My Darling. Yet 2018 has awakened in him a renewed sense of animosity toward The Grammys, culminating in his most public disavowal of the ceremony since The Real Slim Shady.

His rationale is sound. He claims he wasnt in it for the trophies, rather the recognition. Many are accustomed to dubbing the Grammys as an authority on music, the most prestigious award one can secure. But consider this: The Grammys have awarded Album Of The Year to a hip-hop album once. Outkasts Speakerboxxx/The Love Below took home the prize, though one has to wonder if the radio-friendly Roses and Hey Ya played a pivotal role in that conclusion. It might be recognition, but from whom, exactly? The same people who would seemingly rather draw blood from a stone than reward a hip-hop album? Its obvious that those behind The Grammys have little value for hip-hop music, though utmost respect for its cultural ubiquity.

Eminem on Sway Calloway, Part 4

Last year, it seemed as if the Grammys were attempting to assuage the publics growing dissent. In the album of the year category, Kendrick Lamar, Jay-Z, and Childish Gambino were given nods, leading many to believe that hip-hop would finally earn its due. And then, the award was given to Bruno Mars, despite the fact that Kendrick and Jigga delivered a pair of critically acclaimed projects. No disrespect to the talented Mr. Mars, but the result once again spoke to a culture unwilling to bend to the evolving musical landscape; in fact, the landscape has been evolved for a minute. How many more rap projects need to get snubbed before the dreamers wake up?

Eminem elaborated on his frustration during a conversation with Sway Calloway, who claims the Grammys suck the blood out of artists, getting them to attend only to be later slighted. Every fucking year, says Em. Im tired of seeing it. For whatever reason theyre always pitching this hint that you might win album of the year, which used to be a big deal. I dont think its a big deal now. I sat at home for the Grammys this year and watched Jay and Kendrick not get it, and I felt like one of them should have got it. I felt Joyner Lucas should have won a Grammy for "Im Not Racist." Every year we went, I was up for album of the year, and then the winner is Norah Jones!

He eventually breaks it down in a passionate plea: Dont fucking get us all here, to use as your selling point for your fucking show, and stiff everybody every single fucking time. After that point in time I said dont ever ask me to come here again. My answer is no for a hundred million years.

Ems lone nomination in the 2019 Grammy Awards came courtesy of the Joyner Lucas assisted Lucky You, the very same track in which he disavowed the ceremony. While it might be a tad conspiratorial, does it not feel as if the powers that be are playing mind games? Especially given that Joyner Lucas reaction was the polar opposite of Ems own. Taking to Instagram, Joyner penned an emotional message, affirming that sense of recognition Em once desperately sought. Of course, thats not to take anything away from Joyners accomplishment; the man has forged an impressive career, and he should be proud of that. Yet what marks a stronger validation - a Grammy nomination, or a collaboration with Eminem? Of course, they dont have to be mutually exclusive, but the difference in temperament between the pair speaks volumes.

Its a safe bet that Joyner will be attending the ceremony. Its equally safe that Eminem will not be. What then, might arise, if they request a live rendition of Lucky You? The soul can only divide into so many fragments.

https://www.instagram.com/p/BrFyUMxnZ_d


Kevin Hart virtually tweeted himself out of a job when addressing the criticism he received for some of his old tweets. Posts that were deemed homophobic resurfaced online, with many social media users seeking an apology from the comedian. Hart did acknowledge the situation and the upset without offering any real signs of remorse. Although the entertainer will no longer be hosting next year's Oscar awards, he still has much to celebrate.

The actor filmed himself while onstage in front of a massive crowd in Australia during his ironically named Irresponsible Tour. He expresses gratitude for his fans who have contributed to both of his Aussie shows' selling out. His caption reads, "Making the world laugh is forever a priority. Blessed to be able to bring laughter on an international level and do what I love." Kevin seems to remain unbothered by the backlash and the lost opportunity it caused.

Fellow comedians have come to his defense recently. Nick Cannon pointed out the double standards of the industry by retweeting equally offensive content published by white female entertainers, posts that have not ushered negative effects into the women's careers. Tony Rock also took time to explain the concept of humor as inclusion.
Earlier this year, following the shooting death of rapper Young Greatness outside of a Waffle House in Louisiana, police released a grainy photo of a black male that they pegged as a person of interest in the murder of the rapper. This week, authorities have now named 35-year old Brett Scipio as a someone that they would like to talk to in connection to the crime as reported by Fox 8.

According to the outlet, Scipio is not wanted and has not been named as a suspect.

It was on October 29th that Greatness was killed at the Waffle house in on Elysian Fields in New Orlean. He died at the scene with one fatal shot to his back. Two suspects in the crime fled in the rapper's car and still remain at large. It is not yet determined if Scipio was the man captured in the previously-released photo.

Young Greatness, well known for his 2015 track "Moolah," signed with Cash Money Records in 2017 after being with the Quality Control label. His Bloody Summer mixtape arrived that same year.

Police are asking anyone with information on the location of Brett Scipio to come forward with information by contacting NOPD Homicide Detective Brett Mathes at 504-658-5300 or to call Crimestoppers at 504-822-1111.
The Houston energy sector may have dodged another oil bust as OPEC, Russia and other producers agreed to cut production through the first half of 2019, stabilizing crude prices that had fallen sharply over the past several weeks.

The deal, unveiled Friday in Vienna, aims to take about 1.2 million barrels a day of crude from the market and head off a glut that was developing as global production  led by U.S. shale drillers  surged, demand weakened and stockpiles climbed. In a matter of weeks, prices plunged from more than $76 a barrel to just over $50, recalling the events of four years ago, when OPEC, facing similar conditions, decided to forgo production cuts and spurred the worst oil bust in a generation.

Oil prices jumped by about 5 percent shortly after the deal was made public, and settled in New York at $52.61, up about 2 percent. Mike Bradley, who was in Vienna for the Houston energy investment bank Tudor, Pickering, Holt & Co., described the weeks developments as a roller coaster ride that started optimistically, sunk to gloom when no deal was struck Thursday, and recovered the next day when the agreement was reached.

There was a lot of relief, said Bradley. It wouldve just been horrible for the Houston area, jobs and services. The playing field is at least balanced now.

The nations oil and gas sector is still recovering following the oil bust that began in 2014, cost tens of thousands of jobs and pushed scores of companies into bankruptcy. But as prices climbed over the past year, production has surged to new records, led by the Permian Basin in West Texas.

U.S. producers are pumping an estimated 11.7 million barrels day, with output in the Permian hitting 3.7 million barrels a day  about one-third of all U.S. production. That output helped increase U.S. crude inventories by millions and fueled concerns that supply was again outstripping demand.

Hitting singles

Unlike many other oil-producing nations, the United States government doesnt control its oil industry and cant order companies to cut production. That has left it to OPEC and Russia, which have formed an alliance called OPEC+, to try to manage the global oil supply.

The agreement reached in Vienna involves OPEC cutting production by 800,000 barrels a day. Thats an average cut of 2.5 percent per OPEC nation, excluding the exempted countries of Iran, Venezuela and Libya, all of which are dealing with diminished output from internal conflicts or, in the case of Iran, U.S. sanctions.

Saudi Arabia will start cutting in January, taking the bulk of the OPEC reductions by lowering output from 10.7 million barrels a day to 10.2 million barrels, said Saudi energy minister Khalid Al-Falih. Other OPEC nations such as the United Arab Emirates and Kuwait are expected to take sizable cuts as well.

Another 400,000 barrels per day in additional cuts would come from Russia and other non-OPEC allies scaling back production by an average of 2 percent. Russian energy minister Alexander Novak said thats an eventual cutback of about 230,000 barrels daily for Russia from its 11.4 million barrel per day output in October.

This is a very strong signal to anyone who has doubted us, Novak said at the final press conference in Vienna.

Oil markets hoped OPEC+ could reach agreement on bigger cutbacks, but analysts said the deal is close to the best, realistic outcome. This wasnt a home run for OPEC, said Clay Seigle, managing director for oil at the energy research firm Genscape, but it was at least a base hit.

Early assessment

Most U.S. energy companies need oil closer to $60 a barrel than $50 to remain healthy. Anything above $60 is a boon for the vast majority of the industry.

OPEC last failed to act in late 2014 as oil prices were sliding from a peak of more than $100 a barrel. That inaction accelerated the fall in prices and helped trigger a prolonged oil crash, reaching bottom at $26 a barrel in early 2016.

Later that year, Russia and Saudi Arabia, now the worlds second and third largest producers, formed an alliance and the burgeoning OPEC+ group was formed. They agreed to cut production, lifting prices and ending the bust.

With the oil glut drained, OPEC and Russia last summer increased output, in part to avoid potential shortages as production in crisis-ridden Venezuela continued to fall and U.S. sanctions on oil exports from Iran were taking effect. But the increases in production have come faster than expected. And the White House unexpectedly issued waivers from Iran sanctions to some of the worlds biggest energy consumers such as China and India, keeping more oil on the market

OPEC said Friday it will move up its next meeting from June to April so it can assess how the deal is progressing and decide on possible adjustments if the waivers expire and Iranian exports are withdrawn from the market.

One concern is the Saudi-Russian alliance has begun to overwhelm OPEC to the point that Qatar, an enemy of Saudi Arabia, opted this week to pull out of the cartel. Qatar, however, is primarily a natural gas producer that doesn't pump much oil, so the effect of global supplies should be minimal.

The tweet factor

President Donald Trump, however, is a working against output cuts, arguing via Twitter that lower oil prices mean lower gasoline prices, which are good for American consumers. The counter argument is low oil prices cripple a growing energy sector and cost states like Texas many thousands of jobs and the U.S. economy billions of dollars that come into the country from increasing crude exports.

The Saudi energy minister emphasized that U.S. oil companies are breathing a sigh of relief because of the OPEC+ deal, even if Trump disapproves. I think we can continue to coexist with reasonable growth along with U.S. shale, Al-Falih said.

He cautioned, however, that Saudi Arabia isnt willing to cut production by millions of barrels if U.S. production keeps growing for years on end.

If we find out we are having to cut unreasonably, he said, then thats when well we say we cant do it any more.

jordan.blum@chron.com

twitter.com/jdblum23
The Houston Community College System on Thursday signed a contract to purchase a $12.5 million 24-acre plot of land in West Houston intended for a new Katy campus.

In a split vote on Wednesday, board of trustees approved the purchase of approximately 24 acres of land and a three-year purchase option on an adjacent 30 acres of land at 228 Colonial Parkway near the intersection of Interstate 10 and the Grand Parkway.

The plot, designated for a new 140,000-square foot, multi-floor HCC-Katy facility, is located near Katy Asian Town and adjacent to the University of Houston-Katys facility, which is scheduled to open in the fall of 2019.

HCC Chancellor Dr. Cesar Maldonado said Thursday the current timeline has HCC-Katy scheduled to open in summer of 2021 and will tap into the growing demands of the West Houston population and the Katy Independent School District, which this year reached its goal of 80,000 students.

A+ COLLEGES: New report ranks Houston area universities as some of the best in the nation

Chairwoman Dr. Carolyn Evans-Shabazz and Trustees Dr. Adriana Tamez, Zeph Capo, Eva Loredo and Dr. John Hansen on Wednesday voted for the acquisition, trustees Dave Wilson and Robert Glaser voted against it; and Neeta Sane and Dr. Pretta VanDible Stallworth abstained.

The Colonial Parkway plot was just one of five potential locations reviewed by the board. Others included a 159-acre plot of land on Clay Road at Interstate 10, 78-acres on Morton Road at Katy Fort Bend Parkway and 15 acres on University Park immediately northeast of I-10 and the Grand Parkway, according to HCC documents.

The Colonial Parkway plot was the least expensive to develop at $62.1 million, while the University Park plot was the most expensive at $78.1 million and required a parking garage, according to HCC documents.

Augustus Auggie Campbell, president and CEO of the West Houston Association, was in favor of the land acquisition and said the move would bring in affordable and accessible higher education to an area that has a need for it.

(HCC-Katy) is going to be across the street from the UH-Katy campus and that means well have essentially a four-year program in Katy, Campbell said. They dont really have adequate higher educational facilities, so this will solve that problem.

CLASS IS IN SESSION: Katy soon to be hub for higher education

Wilson has been a vocal opponent of the Katy land acquisition, which is outside the colleges nine taxing districts, since the item went up for a vote in 2017 and failed.

He called it a bad real estate deal in which HCC taxpayer dollars were being used to build a campus outside the district and subsidizing people who dont pay taxes instead of using the taxes for facilities that already exist.

The state of Texas doesnt collect our taxes for gasoline and go to Arkansas and start building highways, he said.

Maldonado said HCC campuses at Spring Branch and the current Katy campus have provided the college with revenue streams, are in robust growth areas and have proven to be a model for future success.

The Foxlake campus has provided revenue in excess of debt service and has proven to contribute money to the operation within the taxing district, Maldonado said. Revenue from outside the taxing district has paid for those facilities and so taxpayers own land and buildings have significant value.

A LOOK AHEAD: The most exciting developments coming to Houston's suburbs in 2019

HCC plans to sell its current Katy property at Foxlake Drive, which is estimated to be worth $14 million, he added.

The college plans to fund the new campus with an initial short-term three-year loan and then by selling revenue bonds, Maldonado said. The plan is to relocate students at the HCC-Foxlake campus to the new Colonial Parkway campus to be nearer to the UH-Katy campus, which opens in 2019, Maldonando said.

In the next 90 days, the college will complete its due diligence of the plot by conducting various surveys, including a topographic, wetland and an environmental study before it closes early next year, a college spokeswoman said.

michelle.iracheta@chron.com
In a front room of the Masjid at Taqwa, a Sugar Land mosque, Sarah Alikhan watched M.J. Khan film a Facebook video endorsing her.

Khan, 68, isnt super-fluent with Facebook, but as a former member of Houston City Council and the president of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston, hes arguably the most powerful political figure in Houstons Muslim community. It was Khan who recruited Alikhan, whos in her early 40s, to become the first woman ever to run for the shura, or governing board, of ISGH, one of the largest Muslim organizations in the U.S.

If elected director of Southwest Zone on Sunday,Dec. 9 shed be the first woman to have a vote on the 50-year-old organizations board  and thus, a direct say in the big-picture strategic decisions that can involve millions of dollars. Amid the fierce campaign, Alikhans headscarfed presence is a very visible sign of change.

Here, she said, after Khan joined her at a table. She took his cell phone and, smiling  she always seems to be smiling  handled a Facebook friend request for him.

Across the U.S., women have been moving into spots with actual power in Muslim organizations such as ISGH, not just working behind the scenes. In 2006, Ingrid Mattson became the first woman to serve as president  the very top leader  of the Islamic Society of North America, an umbrella group that includes ISGH.

Three years ago, the Islamic Society of North America issued an official statement urging that women be welcomed in mosques and their decision-making: Allah gave the general command to the Prophet and the Muslims to conduct their affairs by shura, and necessarily shura includes women, the group wrote.

According to the Institute for Social Policy and Understanding, Muslim American women are among the most educated faith groups in the U.S., significantly outpacing Muslim men in higher education. Nationally, women also attend mosque services at rates very similar to male Muslims  even though most mosques sacred spaces are sex-segregated, and its rare for women to claim an equal share of either physical space or the mosques financial resources.

In that context, it seems strange to Khan, and to many of the Southwest Districts affluent, well-educated Muslims, that Houstons Islamic society doesnt have even one woman on its shura.

Alikhans opponent, incumbent Faizin Atiq, has a record of advancing womens causes. Even so, he said, Im afraid Ill fall prey. Im afraid that people will vote for her just because shes a woman.

America has changed Islam

Women were part of the Islamic Society of Greater Houston from its very beginning, in the late 60s. A group of University of Houston students, their families and a handful of young professionals began meeting for worship at each others houses. Over time, they scraped together enough money to build a mosque.

Since then, the Houston areas Muslim population has risen sharply. Texas now has the largest Muslim population in the country, said Zahra Jamal of Rices Boniuk Institute for Religious Tolerance. And Houston has the largest Muslim population in Texas. In 2012, it numbered around 63,000 people, roughly 1 percent of the citys population.

Thats not counting the Houston suburbs, where the growth has seemed even more astounding. Fort Bend County in 2010 was home to around 18,000 Muslims, or roughly 3 percent of the countys population.

Those Muslims heritages are wildly mixed: Southeast Asian, African, Middle Eastern, European, African-American and even Latino. They practice more than 70 types of Islam. They range from wealthy bankers, doctors and lawyers to recently arrived refugees struggling to learn English.

ISGH grew along with the areas population, and these days, its one of the United States largest Muslim organizations, with 22 Islamic centers and mosques. The group considers all of the areas Muslims natural members, eligible for the groups marriage and funeral and burial services. But only those who actively join the organization are eligible to vote.

Not until the 1990s was a woman elected to any ISGH office. Farha Ahmed, a lawyer, served as a council representative to the Southwest Zone.

Once, when she missed a zonal meeting shortly after giving birth to her first child, the men on the committee passed a resolution that she not attend meetings without a male chaperone. The older gentlemen  we called them uncles  didnt know how to handle a woman at their meeting, she laughed. You should have seen their faces trying to decide who would tell me.

She chose to ignore the resolution.

The ISGH, she said, has come a long way since then. But still, she finds it unbelievable that only now is a woman running for a zonal directors seat on the Shura.

America has changed Islam almost on a cellular level, Ahmed said. In the majority of Muslim countries, women dont take part in running the mosque at all. But after coming to America, women become involved in the administration  usually by taking charge of programs for children, or of the spaces in the mosque allotted to women. Shed like to see the organizations rule changed, so that each zone has both a male and female director, similar to the way that mosques have separate worship spaces for men and women.

But even under the current system, womens roles have been expanding. Shazia Ashraf, the very vocal head of the ISGHs Sisters Committee, said that in the last few years, women have been appointed to ISGHs Khutbah Committee, which approves speakers and picks sermon topics for all the mosques: So we can pick, say, domestic violence or #MeToo.

Muslim women face the same subjugation other women face, Ashraf said. Were all objectified.

The Sisters Committee, she said, is fighting for more equal spaces in the mosques  to make sure that women review the plans for womens spaces in new mosques, and that the same care is taken with those spaces maintenance. If the sound system in the womens space doesnt work and the floors arent vacuumed, women are less likely to attend. And if only a few women attend, custodians are likely to neglect the space.

Involving women more deeply, she said, means getting back to Islams roots. In Islamic tradition, women were at the forefront of every aspect of society. In the time of the Prophet Muhammad, women were in charge of the marketplace. They fought in battle. They taught men. Women were encouraged to be strong and vocal, and involved in politics.

Things are changing now because were learning our true tradition. Were not living Pakistani Islam or Arab Islam. Were living the true spirit of Islam. And the true spirit of Islam is that women and men are equal, and that women belong in everything.

A lot of mudslinging

Alikhans roots in ISGH run deep. Her parents immigrated to the U.S. from Hyderabad, India, settling in Houston in 73. They helped establish the Southwest Zone in the little house that served as the first mosque there. On weekends, her mother often taught up to 40 students in the houses garage. That mosque evolved into the Masjid at Taqwa, which Alikhan still attends, and which her 6-year-old son treats as a second home. (Her older son is 22.)

Until a couple of years ago, she managed construction projects for Exxon, which required her travel to Korea, Russia, wherever Exxon had a project. She quit to care for her elderly father. Now, she said, she wants to use her skills to manage ISGHs big projects, which include two cemeteries and a senior housing development.

Why havent more women run for the shura? Theres a lot of mudslinging, she said. Nobody wants to be part of that, least of all a Muslim woman. In Islam, a womans character is very important.

ISGHs elections mix Islamic reticence  Muslims arent supposed to promote themselves for office  with fierce campaigning by the candidates supporters, and the sort of election issues more often associated with partisan political campaigns than with religious organizations.

Alikhan is part of a slate of candidates called United for Change. Her opponent, Atiq, belongs to a different coalition of candidates. Both groups stress transparency and accountability.

I really dont see much difference in what they want to do, Ahmed said.

Atiq, the incumbent, resembles Alikhan in many ways. Theyre both young by shura standards (hes 39), both parents, both progressive. He, too, is a professional: Hes the senior manager of IT for Direct Energys trading and risk department. His home mosque, Maryam Islamic Center, is one of the most progressive in ISGH, and prides itself on outreach to non-Muslims.

Even by the standards of ISGHs recent elections, this years is particularly heated.

On Facebook pages frequented by Houstons Muslims, each groups supporters make the case for their candidates and attack opponents, throwing around words like unethical. Thereve been charges that some posts were created by fake accounts, and other charges that groups names were stolen.

Outside Facebook, United for Change has contacted potential voters via a barrage of text messages and campaign mailings. Many people have asked how the group could have the required contact information, unless they obtained it improperly from the ISGH membership rolls?

Ashraf, the head of the Sisters Committee and champion of womens increased participation, said shes not endorsing either Alikhan or her opponent Atiq: I dont think its necessary to vote for a woman just because shes a woman.

Similarly Ahmed, whos worked with both Alikhan and Atiq, said she has total faith in each of them. Sometimes, she said, you dont have bad choices.
WASHINGTON - A Russian national who claimed ties to the Kremlin told President Donald Trump's personal attorney, Michael Cohen, as early as November 2015 that he could use his Russian government ties to help both Trump's business and political prospects.

The new Russia contact was revealed Friday by special counsel Robert Mueller III, as he outlined cooperation Cohen has provided the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

The new interaction between a top Trump lieutenant and a Russian citizen who claimed government ties is the latest of dozens of similar interactions that have emerged since the November 2016 election. Days after Trump's victory, his spokeswoman Hope Hicks asserted that there had been no contacts of any kind of Trump associates and Russia.

The new information about Cohen is particularly significant because it came in the campaign's early months and because prosecutors said the Russian national claimed to have interest in helping Trump's campaign, as well as his business.

Prosecutors wrote that around November 2015, "Cohen received the contact information for, and spoke with, a Russian national who claimed to be a 'trusted person' in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign 'political synergy' and 'synergy on a government level.'

They said Cohen told prosecutors that the Russian repeatedly suggested arranging a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, in part as a way of helping Cohen advance plans to build a Trump real estate project in Moscow.

"The person told Cohen that such a meeting could have a 'phenomenal' impact 'not only in political but in a business dimension as well,' referring to the Moscow Project, because there is 'no bigger warranty in any project than consent of [the President of Russia],'" prosecutors wrote.

By the time Cohen made contact with the Russian, he had already begun work on a Trump Tower project in partnership with Felix Sater, a Russian-born Trump business partner. Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about details of that project, including a phone call he arranged with a Kremlin official in January 2016 to discuss the project.

Sater, too, had suggested arranging a meeting with Putin and Cohen told prosecutors he did not pursue the Russian's offer because he decided to work with Sater instead.

The new information underscores both the frequency of offers of support that were extended from Russia to Trump's top aides during the campaign - and the eagerness with which some of his closest advisers greeted those entrees.

Prosecutors wrote that Cohen had been an early advocate of a meeting between candidate Trump and Putin. In a September 2015 radio interview, Cohen had suggested that Trump meet with the Russian president while he was in New York to attend the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Prosecutors said that Cohen later claimed the comments were spur of the moment, but he has admitted in recent weeks that he conferred with Trump about reaching out to the Russian government.

More for you Mueller says Manafort told 'discernible lies,' including about contacts with employee alleged to have Russian intelligence ties

The fall 2015 contact came at an important time in the campaign. As Trump's candidacy was starting to heat up, Putin appeared to grow more interested in his effort. On Dec. 17, 2015, Putin attracted notice by offering words of praise for the celebrity mogul, calling him "colorful and talented" and the "absolute leader of the presidential race." Trump returned the compliment the next day calling Putin "a leader, unlike what we have in this country."

Mueller's filing came in advance of Cohen's Dec. 12 sentencing for various crimes, including lying to Congress about his Russia contacts. Prosecutors in New York said Cohen should receive substantial jail time, in part because they said he has provided only grudging cooperation to their investigations, which are separate from the Mueller probe.

In a separate filing, however, Mueller said Cohen has "gone to significant lengths" to aide the investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 election.

They said his information had helped explain his own contacts with Russian interests, as well as information related to what they termed "certain discrete Russia-related matters core" to the investigation that he learned through regular contact with executives of Trump's business. They said he was also able to provide information about contacts with White House officials after Trump took office and the circumstances that surrounded the preparation of his false testimony to Congress.
Tony Buzbee, a Houston lawyer who recently announced his plan to run for mayor next year, has offered to "mediate" a long-running pay dispute between the city and firefighters, one week after a judge blocked implementation of a voter-approved charter amendment that would grant firefighters equal pay to police officers of corresponding status.

In a joint statement Friday with the Houston Professional Fire Fighters Association, Buzbee said he believes it is time "we equally value our police and fire first responders in Houston," seeming to indicate that he supports the push for "pay parity."
Karen Warren/Staff photographer

The nation paused early this month to pay tribute to former President George Herbert Walker Bush, who was laid to rest at his presidential library on the campus at Texas A&M University in College Station.

Meantime, the Republican Party of Texas was working overtime to prove the organization is inclusive while some among the GOP ranks work to reject a Muslim official and one activist proudly calls himself a "White Nationalist." Chairman James Dickey says that kind of racism is not welcome at all in today's Texas Republican Party.
Travel operator TUI UK has apologized to and refunded a British couple after hotel staff at a resort in Jamaica attempted to create an effigy of their now-deceased son.

Karen Baker, a friend of the couple, told the BBC that her friends, Andrew and Faye Stephens, have made a tradition of celebrating their deceased son's birthday every year since he died in 2014. The Evening Standard reported that Alex Stephens died after falling from a balcony while on vacation in Spain.

Baker, who traveled to Jamaica with the Stephens family, asked the hotel staff at the Royalton Jamaica Resort to put balloons and cake in the room to honor Alex.

Instead, Baker found a dummy of Alex that left her "horrified."

"When I walked into the bedroom, all I can describe is a dummy body on the bed," she said. "Staff had gone through my friend's wardrobe and stuffed the clothes with towels to make it look like a body on the bed. They even put tears down the face and a can of lager in his hand."

Baker removed the dummy before Faye and Andrew Stephens could see it.

"I was absolutely horrified, as you can imagine I was sweating and shaking," she said. "We just didn't want our friends to see it."

TUI UK refunded the group 1,300 per person (approximately $1,479 in US dollars) and apologized for the incident.

"We offer our sincere apologies to the Baker party for their holiday experience in Jamaica," a company spokesperson said. "We're following up with the hotel and believe it was a misunderstanding with no intention to cause upset."

TUI UK also told The Guardian they are in touch with the resort, and the "group" responsible for the dummy will apologize and "offer a gesture of goodwill."

Eric Ting is an SFGATE staff writer. Email him at eting@sfchronicle.com and follow him on Twitter

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iciHaiti - DR : PNH arrested a Dominican wanted at the request of the neighboring country





Friday, the Dominican Public Ministry thanks to the collaboration of the National Police of Haiti (PNH), managed to arrest in Haiti Denny Alberto Encarnacion Garcia, aka "Chupao", actively sought by the Dominican authorities for complicity in an attempt to theft of more than 2 million pesos last November in which a security guard was killed.



The Dominican judicial authorities announced that the PNH had handed over the detainee to the Dominican immigration authorities, headed by the consul Andres Bocio Fortuna, as well as General Miguel Mafhoud Rodriguez, Regional Director of the Dominican National Police (PND) of West.



"Chupao" could be transferred this Saturday to the Dominican territory to be made available to the Attorney General of Las Matas de Farfan, Marggia Viloria Caraballo, so that he can ask the court to impose coercive measures against "Chupao"



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iciHaiti - Canada : $40M for women and girls





As part of the official start of projects "Strengthening the Midwifery Profession and Practice in Haiti" and "Integrated Health Services for Adolescent Girls and Women", the Steering Committee met in Port-au-Prince in the presence of representatives respectively of the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA and the Pan American Health Organization / World Health Organization (PAHO / WHO) UNICEF Haiti and UNAIDS Haiti, was co-chaired by Laure Adrien Director General of the Ministry of Health and Carlos Rojas-Arbulu, Head of Canadian Cooperation in Haiti.



The exchanges highlighted the need to make the actions / results profitable and to ensure better coordination and collaboration between the project implementation stakeholders.



Remember that Canada is providing $40 million in Canadian financial assistance to the Government of Haiti through the funding of these two initiatives with great potential for positive effects on the most vulnerable populations. especially women and girls.



Learn more about the role of the Steering Committee :

The purpose of the Steering Committee is to ensure regular follow-up and ensure compliance with the commitments made to Canada, alignment with the Government of Haiti's national priorities for sexual health and reproductive rights.



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iciHaiti - DR : Another 688 deported to Haiti





As part of the actions carried out by the Directorate General of Migration (DGM), to regulate the presence of people in irregular migratory situation on the Dominican territory, control operations were carried out in several provinces: Azua, Dajabon, Espaillat, La Vega La Altagracia, La Romana, Monsenor Nouel, Santiago de los Caballeros, Valverde and various areas of Santo Domingo, during which 1,137 Haitian people were checked, informed the Directorate General of Migration (DGM).



The migratory control teams were composed of inspectors, agents of the DGM) with the support of the military, the National Police in coordination with the Public Ministry of the concerned Provinces.



After the verification process using biometric readers 688 Haitians (60.5%) were declared in irregular migration situation and transferred to the border posts of Dajabon and Elias Pina to be registered and deported to Haiti.



See also :

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26273-icihaiti-dr-illegal-haitians-tracked-down-without-respite.html



https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26190-icihaiti-dr-760-illegal-haitians-deported-to-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26126-icihaiti-dr-more-than-900-haitians-deported-to-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-26061-icihaiti-social-756-haitians-deported-to-haiti.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25987-haiti-dr-the-deportations-of-haitians-continue-at-a-continuous-pace.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25934-icihaiti-social-dr-deports-1-126-haitians.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25874-icihaiti-dr-1-500-haitians-controlled-796-deportees-in-haiti.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25805-icihaiti-social-the-hunt-for-illegal-haitians-continues-in-dr.html

https://www.icihaiti.com/en/news-25756-icihaiti-dr-nearly-11-400-haitians-deported-or-turned-back-to-haiti-sept-2018.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25700-haiti-rd-71-of-haitians-controlled-illegal-820-haitians-deported.html

https://www.haitilibre.com/en/news-25598-haiti-dr-1-600-haitians-controlled-in-less-than-24-hours-more-than-60-deported-to-haiti.html



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Finance & Development, December 2018, Vol. 55, No. 4 PDF version

A New Social Contract

Overcoming fears of technology and globalization means rethinking the rights and obligations of citizenship



Nemat Shafik

We are living in an age of insecurity. Increasingly, the values of liberal democracy, liberal economies, and a rules-based international system are being repudiatedeven though they have delivered progress for the vast majority of people. Discontent has been fed by fears over slowing economic progress, especially in advanced economies, flatlining productivity and social mobility, and concerns about the future brought on by shifts in demography and technology.

We see this expressed in our politics. Popular anger and distrust of elites, compounded by the financial crisis, have led to growing support for nationalist and illiberal politicians. We see it in the mounting evidence of declining perceptions of well-being and trust in many countries. While the causes of our discontent vary, they all point to the need to revitalize our politics, economics, and social contract to provide citizens with a greater sense of security and confidence in the face of impending changes.

Why are so many people in some of the more successful countries in the world so unhappy? Inequality is a major cause, as is fear about future prospects caused by automation and aging. While the world has become more equal between countries, there have been different effects on income distribution within countries. The middle class in emerging markets and the richest 1 percent globally have benefited enormously, while the middle class in advanced economies has suffered. And parents in many countries worry about their childrens prospects in the face of the high costs of education and housing, alongside low-quality jobs with poor benefits.

Protectionist calls

Many blame globalization and technology, but I would focus more on the failure of our social contract to manage properly the consequences of both. Our social contractby which I mean the rights and obligations of citizenshiphas frayed as a result of hyper-globalization and the austerity that followed the financial crisis. The advance of automation and intensifying global competition have driven down the wages of less skilled workers. As a result, many call for more protectionism or blame immigrants. But the answer is not to deglobalize and revert to our national silos, but to rethink our social contract to heal these tensions and help people adjust.

All this has been compounded by sluggish growth since the Great Recession. A recent study of 25 advanced economies by the McKinsey Global Institute found that 65 to 70 percent of households (or 540 million to 580 million people) experienced flat or falling incomes before taxes and transfers from 2005 to 2014. When growth is slow, people become less generous and less tolerant.

To be sure, fiscal policy reduced this decline to 20 to 25 percent in terms of disposable, or after tax, incomes, according to the 2016 McKinsey study "Poorer Than Their Parents? Flat or Falling Incomes in Advanced Economies." Safety nets worked particularly well in the United States, turning a 4 percent drop in market incomes into a 1 percent gain in disposable incomes over time. This 5 percentage point change was helped by the Obama administrations stimulus plan, which transferred more than $350 billion to households in the form of tax relief and assistance to workers affected by the downturn. In France, the safety net raised median disposable income by 3 percentage points above median market income, while in the United Kingdom, transfers fully offset the decline in market incomes.

Future shock

While these redistributive policies softened the blows dealt to lower-income households by the Great Recession, they also contributed to a massive accumulation of debt driven by the direct and indirect costs of the crisis. To reduce it, many countries later resorted to welfare cuts that unleashed social grievances, with communities feeling they were being left behind and individuals experiencing a loss of dignity and sense of control over their destiny. In the United Kingdom, for example, Fetzer (2018) argues that welfare cuts took the biggest toll in regions that ended up voting for the populist UK Independence Party and in favor of Brexit. The combination of globalization, the financial crisis of 2008, and the austerity that followed meant that many people faced a massive shock with a very thin safety net to support them.

Fear of future prospects is another source of discontent. This fear is largely rooted in expectations that automation will eliminate many types of routine and repetitive work while creating more demand for highly skilled labor. Compounding the anxiety is the rise of precarious work at low wages with minimal or no benefits. While some people find advantages in these more flexible work arrangements, others experience serious economic insecurity. Precarious employment reduces both physical and mental health as individuals lose a sense of agency over their own lives.

Furthermore, there is a risk that automation will further bifurcate labor markets in favor of the highly educated. The US Bureau of Labor Statistics predicts that for every highly paid job in software development, there will be six new low-paid jobs for personal care and home health aides between 2014 and 2024.

These anxieties have found their expression in the political arena. In the United States, for example, Delsman (forthcoming) finds that 21 of the 22 states where jobs were most vulnerable to automation voted for Donald Trump in the 2016 presidential election, while all 15 least vulnerable states backed Hillary Clinton.

Division of responsibilities

The backlash highlights the need for a new social contract, one that adapts to changed economic realities and better manages the social implications of globalization. The social contract includes the payment of taxes in exchange for public goods, and the way that society looks after the old, the young, the infirm, and those who have fallen on hard times. Because the social contract is fundamentally values-driven, solutions will vary across societies.

Even so, every society will have to think of who benefits from its social safety net, which is the mechanism through which we pool risk and offset, to some extent, the impact of luck on life chances. Every society will also have to make choices about the division of responsibilities between the family, the voluntary sector, the market, and the state. This is essential since the welfare state is also the mechanism for ensuring the equal standing of all citizens so that they can participate fully in public life.

There are fundamental questions to answer, which have grown more complex in more heterogeneous and globalized societies. Whom do we feel obligations to take care of and share risks with? What responsibilities go along with those obligations? How much do obligations extend beyond families to communities or other regions? What about poor people in other parts of the world? Are we obliged to leave future generations at least an equivalent endowment of physical, social, and natural capital as we were given?

As part of the new social contract, we may need to reinstate the reciprocity and insurance element in welfare provision. There is a toxic perception that there are "hard-working people" and "welfare scroungers" when in fact, as John Hills at the London School of Economics (LSE) has shown for the United Kingdom, the vast majority take out (in the form of education, health care, and pensions) broadly as much as they put in (in taxation when they are working) over the course of their lives. The rich pay more tax but tend to live longer, so they benefit more from pensions and health care in old age.

Universal benefits?

Perhaps we need to revisit the political and social advantages of universal benefits, which are better for getting political buy-in and ensuring quality. The founder of the welfare state in the United Kingdom, the LSEs William Beveridge, intended it to be based on the concept of universal social insurance. That link was lost as the social safety net increasingly was funded through general taxation and some citizens opted out through private provision. Richard Titmuss, the pioneering British social researcher, noted that "separate discriminatory services for poor people have always tended to be poor quality services." Keeping the better-off engaged with public services sustains a sense of mutual obligation and maintains pressure to uphold standards.

How would a new social contract address inequality? In the medium term, so-called pre-distribution policies are keyeducation, social mobility, infrastructure investments in poorer regions, and spreading productivity improvements to the frontier. Countries with greater social mobility grow faster because they more effectively match people to the right jobs, generating higher productivity. The best way to raise innovation and productivity may be to provide opportunity to the "lost Einsteins" who are disadvantaged by the circumstances of their birth (Van Reenen and others 2018). Greater investment in equalizing education opportunities and outcomes would have a high payoff and enhance confidence in the fairness of the system.

Old and young

We also face huge issues of intergenerational fairness. Many aging societies now spend more on the old than the young. Data from the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development show that as the age of the median voter rises by a year, public spending on pensions goes up by 0.5 percent of GDP (Ebbinghaus and Naumann 2018). Older people vote and are very effective at protecting their intereststhe young should do the same. But older people should care, not just about their own children and grandchildren (who can be supported through bequests), but about others too, since they will inhabit the same society. One solution is to give young people entitlements that they can use to improve skills over the course of their lives. Under such a social contract between generations, young people would repay the investment with higher future taxes that could finance care for the elderly.

Intergenerational fairness and social mobility are issues that will take time to address; in the near term, some degree of redistribution is essential. Tax systems have become less progressive as advanced economies lowered corporate taxes and top rates on personal income in the 1980s and 1990s and raised value-added taxes. This is especially problematic given widening inequality in market incomes. And because wealth has grown even more unequal than income, we should explore taxing wealth such as inheritance, land, and real estate. Recent IMF research shows that greater equality boosts growth, so such reforms may also help revive sluggish economies (Ostry, Berg, and Tsangarides 2014).

Another way to address inequality would be to put a floor under incomes, which would help ensure that even low-wage earners can enjoy a reasonable standard of living. I am not a proponent of universal basic income except in poor countries that lack the capacity to manage a welfare state or where it would substitute for an even worse policy, such as energy subsidies. In most middle-income and advanced economies, universal basic income would be expensive and inferior to a properly functioning welfare state. It also risks undermining the widespread view that anyone who can work should, and it does not take adequate account of the importance of meaningful work to well-being. Better solutions include wage subsidies, earned income tax credits, and higher minimum wages, combined with access to services such as education and healthcare.

Labor flexibility

The spread of low-quality jobs with few benefits and the impact of automation are sources of insecurity that must be addressed. To make a successful transition to digital economies, governments must make it easier to switch jobs and guarantee workers a fair share of the benefits from this transition. Potential solutions include ensuring a level playing field in wage negotiations, profit sharing, and cooperatives. Otherwise those left behind will keep voting for policies such as restrictions on trade or labor mobility that thwart modernization of the economy.

Firms should have flexibility to hire and fire workers as the economy changes but then provide generous unemployment benefits, training, and job placement. "Flexicurity," as it is called in Denmark, is just such a system. It relies on firms willingness to pay higher taxes and to engage with social partners on skill needs in exchange for more flexible employment rules. Unfortunately, spending on worker education and training has been declining across most countries, and firms have less incentive to spend when employee turnover is high. Investment in training and transitional support must be raised to facilitate the transition to the labor markets of the future.

As countries get richer, people work fewer hours, and automation will accelerate this trend. It will be important to use productivity gains from automation to eliminate routine and repetitive tasks and make time for more meaningful work and leisure. Giving part-time and temporary workers (who tend to be lower skilled and lower paid) more rights to pensions, paid leave, and training has been a positive reform in countries like Denmark, Germany, and the Netherlands.

Income shift

As technology advances and populations age, working lives will be longer, and people will need to retool several times in their careers. Abolishing mandatory retirement ages and removing age limits for student loan eligibility, as the United States and United Kingdom have done, are a good start. Linking eligibility for pensions to life expectancy, as the Netherlands has done, is an even better way to adjust workers expectations.

At a global level, we also must find a way to redress the massive shift in income from labor to capital. A first step would be to remove policies that tax labor more heavily, although issues of international tax competition make this difficult. An international effort to ensure that capital is taxed where the economic activity takes place, rather than in offshore havens and various "tax efficient" structures, would go a long way toward restoring a sense of fairness in the world economy.

In sum, we need a new social contract to create a sense of security in our globalized and fast-changing economy. The social contract is about how we pool our resources to provide the public goods we agree are needed and how we support those affected by adverse shocks. While different societies will make different choices, we have all arrived at a crossroads: we must renegotiate choices we made in the past because they no longer fit current circumstances, much less those of the future. A new social contract is essential to restoring a sense of security and sustaining political support for open economies and societies.

References: Delsman, Ben. Forthcoming. "Automation and Populist Vote Share." Cited in The People vs. Democracy: Why Our Freedom Is in Danger and How to Save It , Yascha Mounk. 2018. Cambridge, MA: Harvard University Press, 158. Ebbinghaus, Bernhard, and Elias Naumann. 2018. "The Popularity of Pension and Unemployment Policies Revisited: The Erosion of Public Support in Britain and Germany." In Welfare State Reforms Seen from Below, edited by Bernhard Ebbinghaus and Elias Naumann, 15586. Basingstoke, United Kingdom: Palgrave Macmillan. Fetzer, Thiemo. 2018. "Did Austerity Cause Brexit?" Warwick Economics Research Paper Series 1170, University of Warwick, United Kingdom. Ostry, Jonathan, Andrew Berg, and Charalambos G. Tsangarides. 2014. "Redistribution, Inequality, and Growth." IMF Staff Discussion Note 14/02, International Monetary Fund, Washington, DC. Van Reenen, John, Alex Bell, Raj Chetty, Xavier Jaravel, and Neviana Petkova. 2018. "Lost Einsteins: Who Becomes an Inventor in America?" CentrePiece 23 (1): 1013.

Illustration: Michael Waraksa

Opinions expressed in articles and other materials are those of the authors; they do not necessarily reflect IMF policy.
Governor Brown Hosts 87th Annual Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony

Sacramento, California - Governor Edmund G. Brown Jr. and First Lady Anne Gust Brown hosted the 87th Annual Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony this evening on the West Steps of the State Capitol.

During this very special and holy season, we remember our friends and our blessings but we also take into account those who have suffered losses, particularly those who have lost so many loved ones in the fires in California, our firefighters and the other first responders, said Governor Brown.

Governor Brown and First Lady with Kiran Dong at the Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

This year, the Governor and First Lady lit the Capitol Christmas tree with 7-year-old Kiran Dong of Valencia, who was born with Prader-Willi Syndrome and receives services from the North Los Angeles County Regional Center. The tree is illuminated by approximately 10,000 ultra-low wattage LED lights and is decorated with more than 900 hand-crafted ornaments made by children and adults with developmental disabilities who receive services and support from the states developmental centers and 21 nonprofit regional centers.

Governor Brown delivers remarks at Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

87th Annual Capitol Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.

This years tree is a 65-foot-tall white fir from the Latour Demonstration State Forest located near Redding in Shasta County, the seventh Capitol Christmas tree to come from a state forest managed by CAL FIRE.

Kitty ONeal of KFBK Radio emceed the ceremony, which included feature performances by the California Army National Guards DET 1, 40th Infantry Division Band, Brass Quintet, the Governors Own; students from the Oakland Military Institute and Oakland School for the Arts; Harley White Jr. Trio; and St. Pauls Baptist Church Choir.

Photo Credit: Joe McHugh, California Highway Patrol
Vice Presidents Phone Call with United Kingdom Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt

Washington, DC - Vice President Mike Pence spoke by phone today with Foreign Secretary Jeremy Hunt of the United Kingdom. The Foreign Secretary briefed the Vice President on the upcoming parliamentary vote regarding the United Kingdoms withdrawal from the European Union.

The Vice President reaffirmed our strong partnership and special relationship. Both confirmed our shared commitment to pursue a U.S.-U.K. bilateral trade agreement after the United Kingdom leaves the European Union.
Michelle Obama has raised two apparently successful daughters, maintained an enviable marriage in the face of unbelievably trying circumstances, built her own thriving career before becoming first lady, and recently added the title of best-selling author to her list of accomplishments with the release of her new book, Becoming .

If anyone should have figured out how to have it all, it's clearly this rock star.

But according to the woman herself, even Michelle Obama can't figure out how to simultaneously balance a big job and a hands-on family life. The former first lady didn't mince words at a recent event for her book tour at the Barclays Center in Brooklyn.

"That s**t doesn't work all the time."

"That whole 'so you can have it all.' Nope, not at the same time," Obama told the crowd, according to The Cut. "That's a lie."

But what if you lean in, you might reply. After all, Facebook COO Sheryl Sandberg famously promised in her book of the same name that women can manage to rise in their careers without sacrificing the other areas of their lives if they just change how they approach work, negotiations, and advocating on their own behalf.

Obama, however, isn't buying it (to put it mildly). She was even more blunt in her assessment of Sandberg's advice. "And it's not always enough to lean in, because that s**t doesn't work all the time," she added.

Obama quickly apologized for the profanity -- "I forgot where I was for a moment!," she said -- but she did nothing to walk back her dismissal of Sandberg's advice. And, it turns out, Obama has science, as well as experience, on her side.

Psychology says "leaning in" can backfire badly.

What could possibly be wrong with Sandberg's go-get-em-girl pep talks and sensible-sounding advice? One strand of criticism notes it's way harder to lean in if you don't have the sort of privileges and support that Sandberg enjoys. Sandberg, to her credit, has acknowledged this reality since the tragic loss of her husband forced her into the role of single parent.

But, according to an even more vocal group of skeptics, the real trouble is that Sandberg's approach implies it's up to women alone to fix the problem of gender inequality. Companies don't have to become more accommodating and less biased if all that's needed for more women to rise is for them to change their behavior. Sandberg puts all the onus on women and none on institutions and society.

It's an objection that makes logical sense, but a trio of Duke psychologists wanted to test this complaint with rigorous science. To do so,placeholder they recruited 2,000 Americans, showing half of them texts and videos explaining Sandberg's DIY approach to fighting discrimination. The other half saw materials that stressed social factors holding women back. The researchers then surveyed everyone about their beliefs around gender disparities.

The good news is that Lean In is empowering. After reading Sandberg's advice, participants believed women had the ability to overcome obstacles. But there was a big catch -- they also blamed women who didn't succeed, even if their troubles were objectively caused by bias. This belief, in turn, made them more skeptical of broader initiatives that might tackle that bias (like these).

"We are by no means suggesting Sandberg intended to blame women for inequality," the psychologists behind the study conclude in their HBR write-up of the findings. "But we do fear that Lean In's main message -- which emphasizes individual action as a way to address gender inequality -- may lead people to view women as having played a greater role in sustaining and even causing gender inequality."

Obama didn't go into why she's personally so skeptical of Sandberg's prescriptions, but if she had wanted to this study would have provided plenty of ammunition. Sandberg's advice can clearly be useful in particular situations, but as Obama put it, "that s**t doesn't work all the time."
The beginning of a new romantic relationship is an exciting time - and falling in love can be a life-changing experience.

However, at the start of a relationship, when everything is fun and new, it can be hard to tell whether its love or lust as the emotions associated with both feelings are quite similar.

Fortunately, according to a sociology professor who has studied hundreds of couples, there are four key differences that can help you decipher whether you are falling in love or just in lust.

Terri Orbuch, a therapist, sociology professor, and author of 5 Simple Steps To Take Your Marriage From Good To Great and Finding Love Again: 6 Simple Steps To a New and Happy Relationship, revealed the signs in a TED talk at Oakland University - and they will change the way you think about love.

According to Orbuch, the first sign that what you are experiencing is love rather than lust is connection. More specifically, a desire for connection between your partner and other important people in your life.

While lust may see you wanting to forge a deeper connection one-on-one with your partner, if its love, you will want to those important to you to love your partner as well.

The next clue is how you speak of your relationship as word-choice can offer a deeper insight into your true feelings.

According to Orbuch, if you continue to say I rather than we, it is more likely that lust is the driving force in the relationship, because two people in love often think of themselves in terms of a pair.

The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Show all 10 1 /10 The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd The cartoons that perfectly sum up relationships Catana Chetwynd

Self-disclosure is the third indicator, with love encouraging people to reveal all parts of themselves, whereas people in lust will likely reveal things about themselves at a surface level, such as favourite hobbies or foods.

If its love, you will be more inclined to share at a deeper level.

The final difference is impact or influence, according to Orbuch, who explained that love often means another person can have an influence on your own life.

She gives the example of a job offer in another state. If it is love, you would be more likely to consider your options if it meant leaving your partner, whereas lust would likely not have a substantial impact on your decision.

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You can also rule out love if its your first time meeting someone as love at first sight doesnt actually exist, according to psychologists at the University of Groningen in the Netherlands, who previously found the phenomenon is actually just feelings of strong physical attraction.

[This article was originally published in August 2019]
China has launched a historic space mission to the dark side of the Moon.

On Friday, a Long March rocket carrying the Change-4 lunar lander took off from Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in southern China.

The mission, if all goes as planned, would mark the first time a rover has landed on the far side of the Moon.

It demonstrates Beijings growing ambitions as a space power to rival Russia, the European Union and the US.

With its Change 4 mission, China hopes to be the first country to make a soft landing, which is a landing of a spacecraft during which no serious damage is incurred.

The moons far side is also known as the dark side because it faces away from Earth and remains comparatively unknown. It has a different composition than sites on the near side, where previous missions have landed.

Recommended China going to dark side of the Moon in mysterious mission

If successful, the mission would propel the Chinese space program to a leading position in one of the most important areas of lunar exploration.

According to Global Times, the launch, which took place at about 2.23am local time in China, was successful.

Although there is no exact date planned for arrival, the rocket, carrying a lander and a lunar rover, is expected to reach its destination of Von Karman crater in early January.

The crater, located on the side of the Moon facing away from Earth, is an area of interest within the South Pole-Aitken Basin.

Upon its arrival, Change-4 will use a variety of instruments including cameras, ground-penetrating radar and spectrometers to analyse and identify rocks and dirt in the area, according to the New York Times.

Seeds have also been sent as part of an experiment to see if it is possible for living things to grow on the Moon.

To communicate with the rover once it reaches its destination, scientists will rely on the Queqiao satellite, which was launched in May of this year.

The mission, which would offer the first up-close view of the far side of the Moon, is part of Chinas increasing investment in lunar exploration.

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The rovers design is based on the Change-3 craft, which soft-landed on the Moon in 2013  the first rover to do so since 1976.

Change-5 and 6 will be the next steps for China, with the goal of bringing back samples from the Moon.

China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, making it only the third country after Russia and the US to do so. It has put a pair of space stations into orbit, one of which is still operating as a precursor to a more than 60-ton station that is due to come online in 2022. The launch of a Mars rover is planned for the mid-2020s.

Additional reporting by agencies
If you thought all new cars are the safest they can be think again. The well-respected and independent Thatcham vehicle testing laboratory has given the 2018 facelift model Fiat Panda one of the lowest ratings in its history  zero points (the maximum is five points). Only one other car, the Fiat Punto in 2017, has plumbed such depths in the modern era.

The Panda failed to score more than 50 per cent in any of the categories covering adults, children, passenger and pedestrian safety; in fact it scored the lowest of any vehicle tested for child occupant protection (16 per cent, against an average of 79 per cent). From the same Fiat Chrysler Group stable, the all-new Jeep Wrangler wins only a one-star rating.

By contrast a sizeable group of new models achieved a full five-star rating, and among the very safest are the Audi Q3, Jaguar I-Pace, Peugeot 508 and Volvo V60, with the BMW X5 and Hyundai Santa Fe not far behind.

Matthew Avery, Thatchams director of research, commented: Most troubling is that the Fiat Panda is seen as a good choice for young drivers and fledgling families. But the only safety technology fitted were seatbelt reminders and the rear system failed to meet requirements, so wasnt even rated. Where budgets are tight, consider a safer second-hand small car, like the five-star Seat Ibiza.

Carmakers across all categories have responded positively to the more exacting tests brought in by Euro NCAP this year, especially those that assess crash avoidance technology. As the bare minimum, a standard-fit autonomous emergency braking (AEB) system should be available with the Fiat Panda. This is especially important since the car offers so little protection in the event of a collision.

These shocking Euro NCAP test results demonstrate an inconsistent commitment to safety, as Fiat has produced four- and five-star cars in the past.

The Thatcham testers were also concerned about the new Jeep Wrangler 4x4 vehicle, with a modest 50 per cent adult occupant protection score.

Mr Avery adds: Unlike the Fiat Panda, the Jeep Wrangler is an entirely new vehicle and doesnt come cheap. Buyers outlaying over 50,000 on a car should expect more than a one-star safety rating. No AEB system is fitted, which is unheard of in this price bracket.

There were a number of issues with the Wrangler in impact testing too, in terms of deformation of the footwell and damage to connecting structures, while the makeup of the dashboard was seen to present a risk to occupants.

Thatcham Research has administered the Association of British Insurers (ABI) Group Rating system for the past 50 years. Group Rating is an advisory system intended to provide insurers with the relative risk of private cars and light commercial vehicles.

A founder member of the international Research Council for Automobile Repairs (RCAR), Thatcham Research has also been a member of the European New Car Assessment Programme (Euro NCAP) since 2004.
Napoleon Bonaparte, George Clemenceau, Charles de Gaulle... and now France has another embodiment of the Gallic character  Jean-Phillipe Imperato, director general of the Peugeot car brand, and a man so French in demeanour he ought to be designated a national monument (and kept away from the gilets jaunes).

Up he pops for us on video link at the International launch of the Peugeot 508 SW estate car.

Hes not your average sort of industry executive, Jean-Phillipe. Even in two-dimensional format here we have a three-dimensional personality. He shrugs; he gesticulates; he speaks Franglais. Hes a great salesman for his cars. If only all car bosses were like this.

The 508 SW (for Station Wagon) is to be a blockbuster, wow everyone and be sexy with it, says Jean-Phillipe.

Blockbuster: Oui ou non?

(Peugeot)

Im not sure itll be a blockbuster, which is rather different to saying whether it deserves to be, or not. Its in a tough and declining part of the market  no fault of its own

The 508 SW joins the fastback-style saloon which arrived a few months ago, and it has been duly shortlisted for the prestigious European Car of the Year award. Theres case to be made for it, though it is up against some impressive and innovative competition (Jaguar I-Pace, new Ford Focus, Citroen C5 Aircross SUV). As with the proposition it makes to the prospective customer, its case rests on the re-assertion of an older tradition; in short the estate car as riposte to the increasingly ubiquitous SUV and SUV crossovers, so much in vogue now.

(Peugeot)

And so they have done their best to make their Peugeot 508 SW the epitome of the kind of bourgeois values Peugeot, and the estate style for that matter, used to embody. This time round, they have added some sportiness. The new car is lower and sleeker than its predecessors and most of the competition. The iCockpit design with a relatively high up instrument panel and lower-mounted steering wheel is supposed to add a degree of sportiness, if not excitement and sexiness to the rage.

The spec Peugeot 508 SW PureTech 225 Price: 39,854 (range starts at 26,500)

Engine: 1.6-litre; 4-cylinder petrol; 8-speed auto

Power output (hp@rpm): 181@5,500

Top speed (mph): 140

0 to 60 (secs): 7.1 (est)

Fuel economy (mpg): 64.2

CO2 emissions (g/km): 125

Even the humblest of the range of six power units (three diesels and three petrol) can make the car move respectably, and the suspension is a fine compromise between ride and handling  both excellent. The 130 horsepower diesel does make a bit of a noise when pushed hard in sport mode, because the 8-speed automatic box (proper torque converter) simply refuses to let go of the gears, but thats about as bad as it gets. The powerful 225 horsepower petrol one is the most refined and smooth units youll find this side of a Lexus.

So it looks and feels sporty for an estate, the cabin design being meant to feel cosy for the driver and theyve striven to make it classy too. On the upper trim levels, especially GT-line, you find plenty of cushy leather, soft feel plastics and strikingly tasteful wood veneers, the latter used for the cabin and for the boot floor (and the veneers are fitted to all the range).

(Peugeot)

The 508 is a warm and welcoming feel-good environment, less conservative than most of the Germans and with a little more elan than you find in the equivalents from Hyundai or Ford, say. On the whole, the manufacturers in this mainstream sector, and indeed some of the premium brands too, tend to source their interior trims from the same sorts of places; there arent many people who make wood veneers for motors cars, after all.

Peugeots latest instalment in its renaissance goes and stops fine, and even on the highest profile/thinnest tyres the 508, with its long wheelbase and softish suspension, feels exceptionally comfortable, and capable of carrying you coast to coast.

(Peugeot)

The company eccentrically suggests itll sell well to surfers. In reality its more likely to be used for lugging kids, dogs and commercial wares around, but no matter. It does the job effectively enough  the boot will take 530 litres of clobber, and a total of 1,780 litres with rear seats folded (they almost go flat, but not quite). Thats around the same as the Volvo V60 and Volkswagen Passat estate (which the 508 is explicitly benchmarked against), and more capacious than rivals from Ford, Mazda, Audi, BMW and Mercedes-Benz; but the Skoda Superb wagon still wins the space race.

Never mind about all that, though  when was the last time you actually saw an estate filled to the gunnels? The real problem for the 508 SW is this trend, seemingly unstoppable, for premium brands (which means the three famous German ones) and towards those pesky SUVs. Peugeot itself, and its sister marques Citroen and DS have, after some years of disdain, embraced the cause with the zeal of the convert. Fair enough, and the 3008 and 5008 are solid propositions attracting customers that would otherwise be lost to the company. But Peugeot must be wise to put down some sort of hedge against what happens when the SUV falls out of favour. That has happened before  around the time of the last financial crisis, when a combination of high fuel prices, revulsion against capitalist excesses and environmental concerns pushed Hummers off the roads and Land-Rover almost out of business. After that came the hatch/SUV hybrids or crossovers led by the Nissan Qashqai. Now were seeing heavier, taller, bigger SUVs back in the showrooms and overcrowding the roads.

(Peugeot)

Its now half a century and three decades respectively since the 508s ancestors the 504 and 405  traditional saloons/estates of the old school  won the European Car of the Year trophy for the brand. They did so by being the best in their field, and offering a special je ne sais quoi quality. The 508 is much the nearest thing Peugeot have come to such an achievement in recent years. It deserves to do well, both in the section and the market. A diesel/electric hybrid arrives next year, but  its one great flaw  therell be no pure electric version.
Ted Baker boss Ray Kelvin is taking voluntary leave of absence after lawyers began an investigation into a culture of forced hugging at the company.

The probe is looking into Mr Kelvins conduct amid claims of harassment  and Ted Baker has said further serious allegations have come to light.

Hundreds of staff at the fashion brand have signed a petition calling on the company to end a culture that leaves harassment unchallenged.

Employees have accused Mr Kelvin of enforcing a hugging culture, making young female staff sit on his knee and asking them to let him massage their ears.

On Thursday it was revealed that the company had dismantled a hug zone in its London offices which had been identified by a sign next to Mr Kelvins desk.

The chief executive will remain on leave until allegations have been fully investigated, with chief operating officer Lindsay Page stepping up to the top job on a temporary basis.

Nat Whalley, chief executive of Organise, the group that co-ordinated the petition, described the probe as a huge victory.

She said: Thanks to our pressure, everyone whos seen or experienced harassment at Ted Baker will be heard and feel safe again at work.

David Bernstein, non-executive chair, said the board had moved quickly to appoint lawyers to conduct a thorough and independent external investigation.

Shares in the company fell 1.2 per cent on Friday and are down 19 per cent since news of the allegations broke last week.

In an update to the stock market on Thursday, the company revealed it sales slipped 0.2 per cent in the latest quarter, driven by a 6.5 per cent decline in wholesale revenues.
The sound of wind blowing across the surface of Mars has been recorded for the first time.

Nasa's latest spacecraft, the InSight lander, captured the "haunting low rumble" of Martian winds on 1 December, in a landmark moment for space exploration.

The InSight spacecraft landed on the Red Planet just ten days ago.

The Mars lander's sensors detected vibrations from the wind, which is thought to have been blowing at between 10 to 15 mph, northwest to southeast.

Nasa said that the direction of the wind was consistent with the direction of dust devil streaks which had been observed in the area.

The InSight spacecraft landed on Mars on 26 November (NASA)

"Capturing this audio was an unplanned treat," said Bruce Banerdt, the InSight team's principal investigator at Nasa.

"But one of the things our mission is dedicated to is measuring motion on Mars, and naturally that includes motion caused by sound waves."

The wind vibrations were recorded in different ways on two of the spacecraft's sensors.

An air pressure sensor, designed to gather meteorological data, recorded the air vibrations directly.

But the lander's seismometer recorded vibrations which were caused when the wind moved over the spacecraft's solar panels.

The InSight lander acts like a giant ear, said Tom Pike, a member of the InSight team.

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. 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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 solar panels on the lander's sides respond to pressure fluctuations of the wind. It's like InSight is cupping its ears and hearing the Mars wind beating on it."

"That's literally what sound is  changes in air pressure," added Don Banfield, another member of the team.

"You hear that whenever you speak to someone across the room."

The InSight project will cost Nasa $814m (633m) over two years, as the US space agency aims to discover more about how Mars was formed.

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Researchers also hope to discover more about the Red Planet's structure, by using the spacecraft to map its core, crust and mantle.

The spacecraft landed on Mars on 26 November, after surviving the so-called seven minutes of terror, a perilous landing phase that has wrecked many previous spacecrafts.

Only 40 per cent of missions to the planet have succeeded and all have been led by the US.

Researchers at Nasa hope that an even clearer sound from Mars will be recorded in the future.

The Mars 2020 rover is expected to land on the planet with two microphones on board, with one included specifically to record the sound of a Mars landing.
The front of a convenience shop was completely ripped off after it was smashed by a dumper truck during a cash machine theft.

Images captured by a resident show the exposed front of the McColls shop on Cleveland Terrace in Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, following the ram raid on Saturday morning.

Shelves stacked with cans and the wreckage of the shopfront strewn across the pavement could be seen from the street in the aftermath of the incident.

The vehicle driven into the store had been stolen from the Woodhorn Lane area of Ashington, Northumbria Police said.

A force spokesman said on Saturday: We are investigating the theft of a cash machine from the McColl's shop on Cleveland Terrace, Newbiggin.

A view of the McColl's shop on Cleveland Terrace, Newbiggin-by-the-Sea, Northumberland, following a ram raid on 8 December, 2018, in which a cash machine was taken. (Gary Holmes/PA Wire)

In the early hours of this morning, police received a report that a dumper truck had been driven into the shop and an ATM was subsequently taken.

The truck, which police believe to have been stolen from the Woodhorn Lane area of Ashington, was later recovered, but the occupants had made off.
Police are bracing for potential violence and disorder at a Brexit march led by Tommy Robinson and Ukip, as some demonstrators look to Frances yellow vests protesters for inspiration.

Roads in central London are to be closed off for Sundays Brexit betrayal demonstration and counter-protests, and officers may ask bars and pubs to shut in the surrounding area.

Robinson, the English Defence League (EDL) founder who has been welcomed into the Ukip fold as an adviser to leader Gerard Batten, has praised rioters in Paris on social media.

Sharing footage of violence and vandalism to his more than one million Facebook followers, he characterised the movement as anger at the corrupt political class.

Revolution is coming, prime minister May should take note, Robinson wrote, while promoting the protest.

In a subsequent video, he appealed to supporters to be on impeccable behaviour, adding: Its not a day out for a drink.

Some are planning to wear yellow vests themselves, and a group calling themselves the Yellowjackets Movement UK Division (sic) has formed.

Members, including EDL, Britain First and For Britain supporters, have shared footage instructing viewers how to fight riot police and showing an effigy of Emmanuel Macron being beheaded.

I would rather die on my feet fighting, than on my knees bowing down to the EU and Islam, one man wrote.

The yellow vests movement, which saw fresh violence between protesters and police on Saturday, started over fuel tax increases but have broadened to encompass wider dissatisfaction over Mr Macrons policies.

Ukips official event page for the Brexit march said it would be a democratic and peaceful demonstration expressing the strength of feeling amongst Leavers.

The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Show all 27 1 /27 The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Protesters scuffle with police at the junction of Whitehall and The Mall during a 'Free Tommy Robinson' protest AFP/Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures A protester wearing a mask of US president Donald Trump was among thousands of supporters of far-right activist and former English Defence League leader Tommy Robinson staging a protest outside Downing Street in central London. Rex Features The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures A man empties his beer over passing police AFP/Getty The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Reuters The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Dutch far-right opposition leader Geert Wilders addresses thousands of supporters Rex Features The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Demonstrators clash with police Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Rex The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Protesters scuffle with police on Whitehall during a 'Free Tommy Robinson' protest on 9 June AFP/Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Police watch supporters of Tommy Robinson PA The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures People take part in a support rally for Tommy Robinson Rex Features The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Supporters of far-right spokesman Tommy Robinson demonstrate in Trafalgar square AFP/Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Protesters scuffle with police at the junction of Whitehall and The Mall during a 'Free Tommy Robinson' protest on 9 June AFP/Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures A man climbs on one of the lions in Trafalgar Square Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Protesters scuffle with police at the junction of Whitehall and The Mall AFP/Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Police clear supporters PA The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Beer is thrown as demonstrators clash with police Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Demonstrators clash with police Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Demonstrators clash with police Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Protesters scuffle with police AFP/Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Demonstrators clash with police Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Demonstrators clash with police Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Demonstrators clash with police Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Demonstrators clash with police Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Supporters of English Defence League (EDL) founder Tommy Robinson clash with the police in Whitehall, London on 9 June Reuters The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures An injured police officer during a 'Free Tommy Robinson' protest in London on 9 June AFP/Getty The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Protesters take over a sight-seeing bus on at the junction of Whitehall and The Mall during a 'Free Tommy Robinson' protest on 9 June AFP/Getty Images The Tommy Robinson protest: in pictures Police watch supporters of Tommy Robinson during their protest in Trafalgar Square PA

The party is looking to gain fresh momentum following a wave of resignations from MEPs and high-profile figures, including Nigel Farage, over Robinsons appointment and Mr Battens focus on Islam.

Robinson called the exodus brilliant, adding: Ukip needed to get rid of its dead wood and thats what is happening. And then it can become a populist, revolutionist political party.

Mr Batten has been bullish about Robinsons appointment in television interviews, but in a Ukip Facebook video he admitted: I do wonder if I made a wise decision, but Ive asked him to do this for us and what he can bring to the table is access to a million Facebook followers.

Some defectors told The Independent they fear Robinson could become its leader if he is allowed to bypass rules banning former EDL and British National Party members.

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The anti-Islam activist, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon, will be giving a speech at the march alongside controversial YouTubers who have been welcomed into Ukip in recent months.

They include Carl Benjamin, known as Sargon of Akkad, who gained notoriety in 2016 for prompting a wave of threats directed at Labour MP Jess Phillips by tweeting: I wouldnt even rape you.

Protesters are due to march from Hyde Park to Parliament Square, where a rally will be held as police keep counter-demonstrators in a separate part of Westminster.

Well be there for a couple of hours listening to the speakers and then go home in an orderly fashion, Mr Batten said last week. Ive persuaded Tommy Robinson to talk about Brexit, thats what he will be talking about. Brexit and the EU will be the only subjects on the agenda at that rally. We want as many there as possible to show youre opposed to this withdrawal agreement, we want to dump the deal.

Around 1,300 people have pledged to attend on Facebook and the number of marchers is not expected to approach the hundreds of thousands who demonstrated for a Final Say referendum on Brexit in October.

 More than 700,000 protesters march on Westminster calling for a Final Say on Brexit deal

Londons Metropolitan Police have imposed strict conditions on the march and counter-protests in efforts to keep opposing demonstrators apart.

Police warned that anyone breaking restrictions under the Public Order Act, which require protesters to stay within designated areas and leave by a stated time, is committing a criminal offence and will be arrested.

Scotland Yard said the move was proportionate based on current tensions and concerns, intelligence and the violence seen at Free Tommy protests in the summer.

The right to protest is a fundamental right in our democratic society, but this right must be balanced against the right of people to go about their day without fear of violence, disorder or disruption, said Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor.

Experience has shown us that when groups with conflicting views come together it can create tension and disorder, not just on the day itself but in the longer term.

If you want to protest on Sunday we ask that you do so peacefully, no matter what your view. We will adopt a robust arrest policy on anyone who attends and is intent on violence and disorder, or is in breach of these conditions.

Contingents of far-right groups including the EDL, For Britain and white nationalists Generation Identity are expected to be present.

International right-wing figures will also be in attendance, including blogger Avi Yemini who has been flown to Britain to cover the demonstration using crowdfunding by Robinsons former employers Rebel Media.

An executive from American think-tank the Middle East Forum (MEF) was at an organisers meeting for the rally, alongside Robinson, Ukip leaders and supporter Daniel Thomas, who was jailed for attempted kidnap in 2016.

The MEF has supported Robinson financially since his imprisonment for contempt of court in May and organised Free Tommy rallies that turned violent earlier this year.

It organised a trip to Washington where Robinson was supposed to meet US Congress members in November, but he was not granted a visa in time and had to give a speech via video link.

Robinson had been scheduled to be on a speaking tour alongside Proud Boys founder Gavid McInnes in Australia this week, but cocked up his diary by planning the Brexit march at the same time, his assistant said.

As tickets were selling for up to A$995 (563) per head, organisers moved the tour to February.

Australian authorities have not confirmed whether Robinson, whose extensive criminal record includes convictions for violence, drug possession, public order offences and fraud, has been granted a visa.
Cabinet minister Amber Rudd has hit out male Brexiteers who she said flounce out quite a lot instead of trying to get things done.

The attack, coming after Boris Johnson and David Davis quit the cabinet over Theresa Mays Brexit deal, was launched ahead of a potential Tory leadership contest in the coming weeks.

In an interview with The Times, Ms Rudd also took the unusual step of revealing details of a private conversation with the prime minister, even critiquing her leadership style by saying she is not always forthcoming about what she wants.

Ms Rudd is seen as a leading candidate from the moderate wing of the party and even said in her interview that she hoped it chooses a centrist figure for its next leader.

She also made clearer her support for the UK moving to a Norway-style option if Ms Mays plan is voted down by MPs on Tuesday and said she would vote to stay in the EU if there was another referendum.

But the pensions secretary called on Conservative colleagues to back the prime ministers proposals, saying it is too indulgent to think about leadership contests at this point.

Her interview is the latest attempt by a leading Conservative figure to make a mark as a possible future contender for Ms Mays job  with Mr Johnson and Mr Davis rivals from the right of the party.

In her interview she said men at Westminster seem to flounce out quite a lot, she says.

 Health Secretary Matt Hancock: There's still time to persuade MPs to back PM's Brexit deal

Everyone is looking for someone to blame while the only one actually trying to sort it out is the prime minister.

I certainly feel a particular support for Theresa May as a woman to a woman. The men think they are standing on principles but theyre not getting things done.

Continuing her attack on the partys right she said: I dont like that sort of male cohort of buccaneering destruction that goes with it. It trips over into Nigel Farage and it feels to me slightly patriarchal.

Ms Rudd was one minister who met the PM this week to discuss steps to take if Ms Mays deal falls on Tuesday, telling The Times that she had said: What do you want to do prime minister?

She said in the interview: Its not just her deal, its our deal, so we were trying to game the different options and how we could help. Im always trying to find out what the PM wants to do and she is not always forthcoming about what that is.

 Philip Hammond has told MPs it is 'simply a delusion' to think a better Brexit deal can be renegotiated at the 11th hour

She said a Norway-style status seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are, but added that nobody knows if it is possible.

On a referendum she said she would still back remain, and added: I cant understand the hysteria around a Peoples Vote if you believe in what you are trying to propose.

But she went on: People need to simmer down a bit about the alternatives.

I would say to the colleagues who are voting against the withdrawal agreement anything could happen after that. As the prime minister says, you might not get your Brexit at all. I do not relish the opportunity to refight the referendum. We think were divided now; I think it could get worse. I would much rather do the withdrawal agreement and deliver on the outcome.
A majority of the country now think Britain should remain inside the European Union, according to a new poll released days before the critical Brexit vote in parliament.

The exclusive research for The Independent shows that, as of this month, 52 per cent favour staying in the trading bloc.

The data from pollsters BMG Research reveals support for remaining has grown month by month since the summer, and broke past 50 per cent in December as the complex realities of Brexit were brought home to the country.

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The poll also revealed that almost half of people think the withdrawal agreement settled by Theresa May is a bad deal for Britain, with around as many saying MPs should reject the deal outright when they take the critical decision on Tuesday.

The BMG Research study lays waste to any hope that a concerted publicity drive, which has seen Ms May and her ministers tour the country to persuade people of its merits, has been a success.

Instead it shines a light on the deep divisions that still exist, with none of the immediate alternative paths beyond Ms Mays plan  a second referendum, a Norway-style relationship or no deal  enjoying majority support.

It came as close May ally Amber Rudd publicly backed the Norway option as her preferred route, should Ms Mays strategy come to naught.

In a further development ex-European Commission president Romano Prodi said Brussels could renegotiate the deal if MPs vote against it, creating the opportunity for Ms May to seek further concessions.

 Work and Pensions secretary Amber Rudd backs Theresa May's Brexit deal because 'it works in the National interest'

When BMG asked some 1,500 respondents, should the United Kingdom remain a member of the European Union, or leave the European Union, 52 per cent said remain, 40 per cent said leave, six per cent said they did not know and one per cent refused to say.

The remain option has been in the high 40s most of this year, but from September to October it rose one point and then another point to 49 per cent in November, meaning it rose three points in December to its current level.

When respondents were asked whether they believed the withdrawal agreement and political declaration on the future relations secured by Ms May are a good deal or a bad deal, 49 per cent chose the latter.

Just over one in ten, 13 per cent, said it was a good deal, while 23 per cent said it was neither good nor bad and 15 per cent said they did not know.

When asked whether MPs should back or oppose the deal, 43 per cent said it should be rejected by parliament, 26 per cent said it should be accepted and 31 per cent said they did not know.

A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Show all 65 1 /65 A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit An estimated 700,000 people marched through London to demand a final say on the withdrawal agreement Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Red smoke from a canister hangs in the air as around 100,000 demonstrators march through London during a People's Vote anti-brexit demonstration savings banners and placards Anti-Brexit People's Vote March for the Future in London Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Mayor of London Sadiq Khan takes part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Protesters wearing final Say shirts and holding placards Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit MP Chuka Umunna (left) and MP Vince Cable (right) as MP Anna Soubry (centre) addresses Anti-Brexit campaigners at a rally after the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A Peoples Vote march attendee calls for a Final Say Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators with banners 'We're with EU' during the People's Vote March for the Future in London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan. EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Protesters at Londons march for the future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Editor of The Independent Christian Broughton speaks to demonstrators in Parliament Sqaure after they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A poster at the March for the Future in October The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 campaigner wrapped in EU flag Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Angela Christofilou/The Independent A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Final Say campaigners take part in the peoples vote march for the future in London 20/10/2018 Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators pass Trafalgar Square as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators wave Union and European flags and hold up placards as they pass Trafalgar Square, taking part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators hold placards as they take part in a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A demonstrator holds a message during a march calling for a People's Vote on the final Brexit deal, in central London on October 20, 2018. - Britons dreading life outside Europe gathered from all corners of the UK to London on Saturday to try to stop their country's looming breakup with the EU. AFP/Getty A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum. PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Demonstrators take part in the 'People's Vote March for the Future,' in central London, Britain, 20 October 2018. Reports state that the 'March for the Future' is to be led by a column of young people and call for a Peopleas Vote on the Brexit deal. After marching through central London, there will be a rally on stage in Parliament Square, including speeches from Mayor of London Sadiq Khan EPA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit A protester brandishes an Independent t-shirt during the Brexit March Angela Christofilou A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Tens of thousands of people take part in People's Vote March for the Future in central London. The march organised by the People's Vote campaign is led by young people calling for a People's Vote on the Brexit deal Rex A historic moment: thousands march to demand Final Say on Brexit Anti-Brexit campaigners take part in the People's Vote March for the Future in London, a march and rally in support of a second EU referendum PA

Similar ratios appeared when people were asked if the PM could have done better, with 44 per cent saying she could have, 27 per cent saying she could not and 28 per cent saying they did not know.

Some 43 per cent also said Ms May should resign if her strategy fails, though 36 per cent said she should not, and 22 per cent said they did not know.

With the vote widely expected to go against Ms May on Tuesday, speculation has moved on to what alternative options may emerge, with the most talked about being a new referendum, a no-deal Brexit or the UK moving into a Norway-style relationship  a path favoured by some cabinet ministers.

 LBC caller wants Brexit even though it'll put her out of business

But the country was split on all three routes. People were against no deal by 44 per cent to 37 per cent, for a new referendum by 46 per cent to 30 per cent and for Norway by 41 per cent to 39 per cent.

A sign of just how difficult it will be to secure any deal that enjoys broad support came from another question, which asked respondents to say what it is that is most important for a Brexit deal to secure.

The equal top answers were controlling immigration and maintaining smooth trading links with the EU  two things which, to an extent, are mutually exclusive because of the red lines set out by the EU and UK in negotiations.

Ensuring that there is no border erected between Northern Ireland and the Republic of Ireland  the matter at the heart of opposition to Ms Mays plan  was rated as the key issue by just six per cent of people.

Ms May is likely to play for time if the vote does go against her next week, and travel to Brussels for a summit of the European Council where she may ask for further concessions to try and make her deal more palatable to MPs.

Despite a string of European figures saying there could be no further talks, ex-commission president Mr Prodi appeared to throw Ms May a lifeline on Saturday. Asked how he expected the commission to respond after the vote, he said: Negotiate. We must keep free trade between us because it is in the British interests and European interest.

On Saturday, Ms Rudd hit out at Brexiteers who she said flounce out quite a lot instead of trying to get things done, an attack coming after Boris Johnson and David Davis quit the cabinet over Ms Mays deal.

All have leadership ambitions and have been jockeying for position ahead of a potential future contest in the coming weeks.

In an interview, Ms Rudd also took the unusual step of revealing details of a private conversation with the prime minister, even critiquing her leadership style by saying she is not always forthcoming about what she wants.

Ms Rudd is seen as a leading candidate from the moderate wing of the party and even said in her interview that she hoped it chooses a centrist figure for its next leader, though she said a contest at this point would be too indulgent.

Source Note: BMG Research interviewed a representative sample of 1,508 GB adults online between 4 and 7 December. Data are weighted. BMG are members of the British Polling Council and abide by their rules
Former Tory leader Michael Howard has said Theresa May will have to consider quitting if she loses the crunch vote on her Brexit plan on Tuesday.

Lord Howard said the prime minister would have difficult decisions about her position in Downing Street, with MPs apparently set on rejecting the deal.

He also said that the party should look to leave the EU in with a managed no-deal Brexit and try and organise a free trade deal from the outside.

Speaking to BBC Radio 4s Today programme he said Ms May would have difficult decisions to make about her future and about the future of our country if she loses the meaningful vote on her Brexit deal on December 11.

Lord Howard said discussions with the European Union should be intensified to prepare for Brexit without a full withdrawal agreement.

We should seek to put in place some ad hoc, temporary arrangements with the agreement of the European Union which would minimise and, indeed, perhaps even eliminate any disruption at the border on March 30 next year, he said.

We should also undertake that we would unilaterally, for the period of 12 months after 29 March, allow any goods and services in from the European Union without any tariffs or tariff barriers or obstacles in any way  hope that they will reciprocate but do it even if they dont  and use that 12-month period to negotiate a free-trade agreement along the style of Canada-plus.

It comes after pensions secretary Amber Rudd indicated she would support a Norway-style relationship with the EU, if the PMs deal fails to pass through the Commons.

In a Times interview she also attacked Eurosceptics, backing a harder Brexit, saying: The people who want the hard Brexit think it is worth the pain in order to have something better further on and I think a lot of us  perhaps it is more a womens thing, we think more about the monthly budget, minimising risk  are less seduced by the idea of breaking it all up to remake it more beautifully.

She added: I dont like that sort of male cohort of buccaneering destruction that goes with it. It trips over into Nigel Farage and it feels to me slightly patriarchal.
The European Union will renegotiate with Theresa May if she loses the crunch vote on her Brexit deal on 11 December, according to a former European Commission president.

Romano Prodi, who served in the role from 1999 to 2004, said it was crucial that the European Union took steps to avoid the negative consequences of the UK crashing out of the bloc without a deal in March, which would become a significant possibility if Ms May loses the vote this week.

The comments are in direct contradiction to the current commission president Jean-Claude Juncker who has repeatedly said that Ms Mays deal is the only one on offer.

Mr Juncker has told MPs who are considering voting down the agreement in the hope they can secure a better deal that they will be left disappointed if they do so.

Mr Prodi however claimed that if the situation where Ms May is unable to get her deal through the Commons the EU would respond by going back to the negotiating table.

We must keep free trade between us because it is in the British interests and European interest. The UK has no alternative  the EU is a large part of its trade, he told The Observer. Always the problem of Northern Ireland, but it is possible. Common sense helps.

The comments will be well received by Downing Street as speculation about the prime ministers future has been rife.

Politicians from both sides of the political spectrum have publicly said Ms May should consider her position if she does not win the vote next week.

Former Tory leader Michael Howard said Ms May would have difficult decisions to make about her future and about the future of our country.

This view is not held by all MPs with some pushing for a Norway-plus deal as a possible alternative if Ms May fails to get the necessary support for her agreement.

Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Show all 13 1 /13 Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Esther McVey Britain's Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey arrives to attend the weekly meeting of the cabinet at 10 Downing Street in London. - Britain's Work and Pensions Secretary Esther McVey resigned from the cabinet over draft Brexit deal AFP/Getty Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Dominic Raab British Brexit Secretary Dominic Raab give a press conference at the end of the final round of talks in Brexit negotiations at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium EPA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Rehman Chrishti Vice Chairman of the Conservative Party Rehman Chrishti tendered his resignation letter this afternoon PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Anne-Marie Trevelyan Parliamentary private secretary in the Department of Education Anne-Marie Trevelyan resigned stating that she cannot support the deal Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Sam Gyimah Universities minister Sam Gyimah resigned on November 30, claiming the government's decision to pull out of the EU's Galileo satellite navigation system as a deciding factor PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Shailesh Vara Shailesh Vara who has quit as Minister of State for Northern Ireland, saying he cannot support Theresa May's Brexit agreement, which he said "leaves the UK in a halfway house with no time limit on when we will finally be a sovereign nation" PA Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Suella Braverman Brexit minister Suella Braverman has resigned, stating It is not what the British people, or my constituents, voted for in 2016. Cabinet ministers resign over Brexit deal Ranil Jayawardena Parliamentary private secretary to the ministry of justice Ranil Jayawardena resigned as he could not back the deal "in good conscience"

These suggestions that have been repeatedly quashed by Downing Street, who are adamant Ms Mays deal is the only one on offer.

Work and pensions secretary Amber Rudd has, however, put her weight behind a Norway-style relationship with the EU.

In a Times interview she also attacked Eurosceptics, backing a harder Brexit, saying: The people who want the hard Brexit think it is worth the pain in order to have something better further on and I think a lot of us  perhaps it is more a womens thing, we think more about the monthly budget, minimising risk  are less seduced by the idea of breaking it all up to remake it more beautifully.
A police sergeant who died trying to stop a gunman after he opened fire in California bar was killed by a fellow officers bullet.

Sergeant Ron Helus was shot five times by Marine veteran Ian Long after he sprayed bullets into a crowd at a country music night in Thousand Oaks on 7 November, killing 12 people.

But police have revealed none of Long's bullets was responsible for Sgt Helus' death. He was in fact killed by the highway patrolman who had also rushed to help and opened fire on the gunman.

LD Maples, chief of the California Highway Patrol's coastal division said that the patrolman "had no clue" that he had been responsible.

It surprised all of us," he said. "Hes devastated.

The patrolman, who is currently on leave from the force, was only identified as a nine-year veteran of the department.

Were trying to take care of him right now, Chief Maples added.

Police did not give any details on Longs motive or any other update about the investigation

Sgt Helus was wearing a bulletproof vest when he was shot, but officials did not say where the bullet entered his body.

His wounds from Longs handgun were serious, but potentially survivable, including two that hit the edge of his vest, according to the countys chief medical examiner Christopher Young.

People comfort each other as they stand near the scene 8 November, 2018, in Thousand Oaks, California, where a gunman opened fire inside a country dance bar crowded with hundreds of people on "college night," killing 11 people including Sergeant Ron Helus, who rushed to the scene. (AP)

Most body armour worn by police officers in the United States can be pierced by bullets from an assault rifle, Ventura County Sheriff Bill Ayub said.

Stronger armour is available, often at an officers own expense, but many dont like it, he said, as it can be heavy and cause fatigue.

Mr Ayub said the revelation that Sgt Helus was killed by a fellow officer did not diminish the heroism shown by both men, and that no one was to blame but the gunman himself.

He went there with a plan and a purpose and that was to take innocent lives, he said. The burden lies solely with him, not with those who tried to save lives.

A family photo shown during a video montage of Ventura County Sheriff Sgt. Ron Helus with his wife Karen and son Jordan years ago. Sgt. Helus was one of twelve victims of the Borderline Bar & Grill mass shooting in Thousand Oaks, California, on 7 November, 2018. (EPA)

Long threw smoke grenades into Borderline Bar and Grill in Thousand Oaks, 40 miles northwest of Los Angeles, at 11.20pm local time on 7 November and began firing into a crowd of about 200 people.

He used a flashlight with a laser sight attached to his .45-caliber semi-automatic pistol as he fired.

Panicked revellers ran for the doors, dived under tables and piled on top of each other in an effort to dodge the gunfire.

Others ran for their lives through other exits or broke through windows and jumped out, injuring themselves in the flight.

Long, a Marine veteran, took a tactical position and lay in wait for the officers.

Sgt Helus, a 29-year veteran of the department, was close to retirement when he was killed.

He is survived by a wife and son.

Additional reporting by Associated Press
Police in North Carolina have arrested a man suspected of raping and murdering a 13-year-old girl who went missing more than a month ago, US media reported.

Hania Aguilars family has said that the girl was in her driveway, waiting to be driven to a school bus stop, when a man wearing all black and a yellow bandana around his face abducted her. He forced her into the familys own car and drove away with her on November 5, they claim.

Police found the car abandoned only a few days later, and a body in a lake 10 miles away.

Weeks of investigation, hundreds of interviews, and surveillance footage from nearby homes finally yielded enough clues to make an arrest. The autopsy is not complete, but forensic testing confirmed that the body belonged to Hania.

Now, police have charged 34-year-old Michael McLellan with 10 felonies linked to Ms Aguilars disappearance and death, according to NBC News. Mr McLellan was already in police custody on unrelated charges.

Recommended Millions of farm animals died in North Carolina because of Florence

The new charges include forcible rape, statutory rape, first-degree kidnapping, abduction of a child and concealment of death, according to an FBI press release. Additional charges may be filed, and Mr McLellan is scheduled to have his first court date on Monday, according to ABC News.

Upon hearing of Hanias death, her father, who lives in Guatemala, reportedly went to the US embassy to request a visa to attend her funeral but was denied.

His lawyer claimed that Mr Aguilar would not have been denied under other administrations, and said he would try to cross into Mexico to ask for humanitarian parole, Time reported.

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The funeral is due to take place at a nearby high school on Saturday, and then Hania will be buried at Meadowbrook Cemetery in Lumberton, North Carolina.
Donald Trump has blamed the Paris climate change agreement for ongoing violence in the French capital.

The US president tweeted on Saturday: The Paris Agreement isnt working out so well for Paris, he tweeted.

Protests and riots all over France.

People do not want to pay large sums of money, much to third world countries (that are questionably run), in order to maybe protect the environment.

Chanting We Want Trump! Love France.

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Donald Trump has blamed the Paris climate change agreement for ongoing violence in the French capital.

The US president tweeted on Saturday: The Paris Agreement isnt working out so well for Paris.

Protests and riots all over France. People do not want to pay large sums of money, much to third world countries (that are questionably run), in order to maybe protect the environment. Chanting We Want Trump! Love France.

He later added: After two years and millions of pages of documents (and a cost of over $30,000,000), no collusion!

It was unclear whether protesters were expressing their affection for the US president.

His comments came as almost 90,000 police officers were deployed across France on Saturday, including 8,000 in Paris alone.

Frances capital has been plagued by unrest since 17 November as anti-government protesters react to a sharp spike in diesel taxes.

So far four people have been killed in accidents, and dozens injured in the yellow vests movement  in reference to the fluorescent safety outfit French motorists keep in their cars.

Protesters billed their planned action on Saturday as Act IV of the worst unrest seen in the capital since the 1968 student riots.

Interior minister Christophe Castaner said the three-week revolt had created a monster and vowed police would have no tolerance for violence.

According to the information we have, some radicalised and rebellious people will try to get mobilised tomorrow, he told reporters ahead of the protests. These last three weeks have created a monster. Our security forces will respond with firmness and I will have no tolerance for anyone who capitalises on the distress of our citizens.

Senior allies of French president Emmanuel Macron  who has now scrapped the fuel tax rise in response to the protests  have said he will address the nation early next week.

Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Show all 25 1 /25 Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living A Gendarmerie armored vehicles (VBRG) drives past fire near the Champs Elysees avenue during a protest of "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes iN paris. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Protestors wearing "Yellow vests" (Gilets jaunes) demonstrate amid smoke during a protest of against rising oil prices and living costs in Paris. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living A man lies on the ground near riot police on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris during a protest of "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Yellow vest (Gilet Jaune) protestors stand next to items set on fire on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris during a "yellow vest" (gilet jaune) protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living A protestor holds a sign reading "Macron stop hiding" near the Champs Elysees avenue in Pari during a "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) mobilisation protesting against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alertwith major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Riot police stand near the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris during a "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) mobilisation protesting against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Protestors wearing "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) hold a French flag with yellow stars near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on December 8, 2018 during a protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert on December 8 with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living A protestor holds a sign reading "Macron stop hiding" near the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris during a "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) mobilisation protesting against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert on December 8 with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Riot police stand near the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on December during a "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) mobilisation protesting against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Riot police officers walk as protestors wearing "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) demonstrate against rising costs of living in front of the Arc de Triomphe in Paris on. Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Yellow vest (Gilet Jaune) protestors stand next to items set on fire on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris during a "yellow vest" (gilet jaune) protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Protestors wrapped in French flags lie on the ground near riot police on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris during a protest of "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Riot police clash with men wearing "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) protestors on December 8, 2018 near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during a protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living A Gendarmerie armored vehicles (VBRG) drives past fire near the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris during a protest of "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Riot police prepares to shoot a tear gas canister on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris during a protest of "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Policemen stand as tear gas fills during a protest of Yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) against rising oil prices and living costs on the Champs Elysees, near the Eiffel tour, in Paris. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Police forces detain a protestor wearing a "yellow vest" near the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris during a protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living A protestor wearing a "Yellow vest" (gilet jaune) gestures during clash with riot police amid tear gas near the Champs Elysees in Paris during a protest of against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Riot police officers smile next to protestors wearing "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) demonstrating against rising costs of living in the Champ Elysees in Paris. Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Protesters wearing French flags and yellow vests lie on the Champs-Elysees Avenue near the Arc de Triomphe during a national day of protest by the "yellow vests" movement in Paris Reuters Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Protesters wearing yellow vests kneel along the Champs-Elysees Avenue near the Arc de Triomphe during a national day of protest by the "yellow vests" movement in Paris, France. Reuters Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Mounted Police officers on their horses take their positions during clashes with yellow-vested protesters, in Paris, France, Saturday. Crowds of protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron and France's high taxes tried to converge on the presidential palace Saturday, some scuffling with police firing tear gas, amid exceptional security measures aimed at preventing a repeat of last week's rioting. AP Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Protestors wearing "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) and a flag of Normandy demonstrate amid smoke against rising costs of living in the Champ Elysees in Paris. Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Police forces stand in front of protestors near the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris during a protest of "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty Yellow Vests protest in France against rising costs of living Police forces stand in front of protestors at the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on during a protest of "yellow vests" (gilets jaunes) against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. - Paris was on high alert on with major security measures in place ahead of fresh "yellow vest" protests which authorities fear could turn violent for a second weekend in a row. AFP/Getty

Mr Trump has long called climate change a hoax  and has even said he doesnt believe his own administrations report on the issue.

After the nearly 1,700-page National Climate Assessment report, compiled by 13 federal agencies, was published last month he said: I dont believe it.

The report highlighted the dire economic effects of not taking steps to combat climate change and contain global warming to 2C.

The Paris climate agreement, adopted at a previous United Nations Climate Change Conference in 2015, set out plans for nations to keep global warming below a target threshold.

Governments agreed to keep the increase in global average temperature to well below 2C above pre-industrial levels, with a stretch target to limit the increase to 1.5C.

The document has been ratified by 184 parties, and it entered into force in November 2016.

Since then scientists have been investigating what these different temperature outcomes would mean for the planet.

These efforts were summarised in the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Changes (IPCC) recent report, which painted a picture of coral reefs dying, vanishing Arctic sea ice and climate refugees forced from their homes by rising tides.
Albania, a Nato country, is posting sensitive information about its most senior intelligence operatives on the internet, making details about their identities, vehicles, operational roles, travel movements, and daily habits publicly available in what appears to be a major and potentially dangerous breach that could have international consequences.

Salary and expense data posted in spreadsheets on the website of Albanias Ministry of Finance show a wealth of details about the State Intelligence Service, including the locations of field offices, cash withdrawals, and minutiae such as the plumbers, technicians and mechanics they use.

The records show the names and national identification card numbers of agents in the service, known locally and in the intelligence community as SHISH, operating inside Albania and abroad, including two with sensitive posts at Nato headquarters in Brussels. The spreadsheets disclose the names, positions, salaries and expenses of at least eight senior clandestine Albanian operatives  some working under diplomatic cover  in Belgium, Greece, Kosovo, Italy, Macedonia and Serbia.

The Independent is not disclosing names or other identifying details to prevent retribution against low-level informants or others who may be associated with the agencys operatives. Presented with the breach during a meeting in a cafe outside the agencys heavily fortified Tirana compound, SHISH officials acknowledged the sensitive nature of the information.

Headquarters of Albanias State Intelligence Service, known by its acronym SHISH (SHISH)

The principle is that everything our agency does should be hidden, but we should follow all these rules and regulations, said one SHISH official. The rules and regulations dont allow us to spend the money without reporting it.

Intelligence and security professionals told about the breach were stunned by the revelations, which could leave agents in sensitive positions vulnerable to surveillance or blackmail by hostile intelligence organisations or criminals seeking to infiltrate the Western alliance.

By getting into Albanias system they can get into Natos system, said Xhemal Gjunkshi, an opposition member of the Albanian parliament who serves on the National Security Commission and was a former Major-General in the army.

You start pulling a string and you end up in Brussels or London or the office of a supreme allied commander in the US.

Helidon Bendo, director of Albanias State Intelligence Service, or SHISH (SHISH)

A former CIA field operative familiar with SHISH described it as the type of bureaucratic catastrophe that could put lives at risk.

Your admin can screw you up if theyre not paying attention, he told The Independent on condition of anonymity because he continues to work on sensitive security matters.

You can put the budget online. But to put the names and the other details of agents  thats insanity.

A Brussels-based spokesperson for Nato said in an email that it does not comment on intelligence matters.

An installation shows torture positions used by the Sigurimi, Albanias Communist-era domestic spy service, at The House of Lives, a former intelligence headquarters now a museum in Tirana (Borzou Daragahi)

SHISH is the successor organisation to the much feared Sigurimi, the notorious Communist-era domestic spy service that infiltrated every aspect of Albanians personal lives during the countrys four-and-a-half decade Stalinesque dictatorship.

A 2007 US State Department cable published by Wikileaks described SHISH as a professional, largely apolitical intelligence service that is excellent partners with the US government and cited close cooperation on all intelligence activities.

The director of the organisation, currently Helidon Bendo, is appointed by the prime minister but it operates as an autonomous unit outside of the Albanian cabinet. According to the finance ministry documents, it employs 913 people. One foreign diplomat complained that SHISH operates with little accountability or oversight.

The documents revealed tantalising clues about the operations of the clandestine agency. The Independent could not confirm whether the names of the operatives inside Albania were handles or birth names. But the names of the international operatives listed matched the identities of Albanian diplomatic staff posted at embassies across Europe.

One female regional operative in the main port city of Durres, whose name and ID card number are visible in the records, is listed as withdrawing the Albanian currency equivalent of 18,000, over at least 10 transactions this year for special payments, a possible reference to networks of informants.

The insignia of Albanias State Intelligence Service, or SHISH (SHISH)

Another agent in Gjirokaster, in Albanias south, is recorded withdrawing a cheque for about 1,500 in November for what is described on the Albanian ministry of finances public website as a secret fund.

One set of 2017 payments, classified as secret, refers to a Nato communications system, referred to as Tumba, which might refer to several mountain peaks in the Balkans.

At one point, water bills in Albanias Himara district, where many members of the countrys Greek minority reside, suddenly drop 95 per cent, suggesting shifting surveillance priorities.

The information appeared to be updated daily. A withdrawal of about 21,000 from Credins Bank in Tirana on 3 December was posted online by days end.

Details include the licence plate numbers and sometimes make and model details of vehicles used by the spies, and even where the cars are taken for repairs, as well as records of pricey hotel stays and restaurant bills.

In an effort to be transparent, Albania posts daily financial transactions by the government on its website (Albania Ministry of Finance ) (Albania Ministry of Finance)

The documents also reveal potentially uncomfortable details about the domestic spying activities of SHISH, including rental payments for offices at Tirana International Airport and TVSH, the state-owned broadcaster. Some of the payments made to the state broadcaster includs descriptions such as installing technical devices and device inside the state television [offices].

Officials vowed to remove the data after The Independent informed the countrys prime ministry, intelligence services, foreign ministry, interior ministry, defence ministry and finance ministry publication of this article was pending. During the months the information has been online, it likely left the Nato country vulnerable to infiltration by operatives of Russian or other intelligence agencies.

Data collected by the Albanian Ministry of Finance website and posted online shows entries for the countrys spy service, SHISH (Albania Ministry of Finance ) (Albania Ministry of Finance)

The country has already become something of a battleground as dominant pro-Western political leaders fend off the Kremlins agenda of weakening its Nato and EU ties.

In March, Albania expelled two Russian diplomats, accusing them of unauthorised intelligence operations. Their work did not correspond to their diplomatic status, the foreign minister Ditmir Bushati said at the time.

Albania appears to have repeatedly suffered from a lack of information security when it comes to its intelligence services. Last year the presidency posted online an unredacted copy of SHISH director Mr Bendos national identification card, which includes his home address and ID number, as part of a transparency initiative.

Earlier this year, a state agency reportedly was sent a list of 250 or so names of operatives serving in the countrys Military Intelligence unit.

The SHISH documents posted online date back to 2014, as Albania struggled to show the EU that it had shaken off its history of public corruption and was seeking to be more transparent and accountable as a step towards membership in the trading and currency bloc.

Albanian laws forbids the leaking of secret state information, with penalties of up to 10 years in prison for officials who divulge the intelligence and five years for ordinary citizens.

Told of the leaks, officials of the prime ministers office, finance ministry, interior ministry, and foreign ministry scrambled behind the scenes to remove the data, but also assign blame for the mishap.

The treasury registers on its online system all the bills and order of payments that are executed each day, one official said on condition of anonymity.

All the details that are given there, are because they were written in the order of payment by the institution itself. They should have not detailed the bills with such sensitive information.

One longtime former officer of the Albanian intelligence service told The Independent that the culpability lay with SHISH itself, for handing sensitive information to finance ministry officials who lack security clearances.

Its incompetence of the leadership, said the former official, who spoke on condition he not be named discussing sensitive political issues.

Sometimes people are hired not because of good performance or qualifications, but because of the influence of the politicians. Sometimes people coming into the security institutions arent well vetted. The problem starts at the top.
A video of French students being forced to kneel with their hands behind their heads by riot police has sparked outrage on social media.

The students in the video, taken on earlier this week, were part of a protest in the western Paris suburb of Mantes-la-Jolie against proposed overhauls to national exams.

Demonstrations against the exam proposals have slowly spread around the country, at the same time as France has been shaken by the yellow vest protests, which started as opposition to a planned increase in Frances fuel tax.

Jacques Toubon, Frances ombudsman for human rights, said he had opened an investigation into the treatment of the students on Friday.

Local officials defended their actions, saying they were trying to prevent violence like that sparked by the yellow vest protests, in which four people have died and 700 have been wounded.

The roundup of the students in this manner was called simply intolerable by Cecile Duflot, a former housing minister and now the director general of Oxfam in France. The incident was also condemned by other human rights advocates and politicians.

The initial footage of the incident, shared on Twitter by the Violences Policieres group, had more than two million views less than a day after it was posted.

More than 140 students were collectively arrested on Thursday after protests at two high schools in the area, according to police officials speaking to newspaper Le Monde.

Tensions had been brewing for days at Saint-Exupery and Jean-Rostand high schools. On Tuesday, rubbish bins were set on fire and rocks thrown at police, according to Le Monde. Police responded with tear gas.

Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Show all 29 1 /29 Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Water cannons are turned on the protesters Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Riot police detain protesters EPA Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A car is set alight in the protests AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures The Arc de Triomphe is graffitied with the slogan: 'he yellow vests will triumph' Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters barricade themselves on the Champs Elysees as police line the streets Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A protester fires at police with a slingshot AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A protester holds up a sign that reads 'your Europe ruins us' Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A protester gestures amidst burning cars EPA Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters walk amidst tear gas near the Arc de Triomphe Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A protester runs amidst tear gas Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters on the Champs Elysees amidst tear gas AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters in yellow vests gather outside the town hall in Bordeaux EPA Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters gather on the Champs Elysees after the police deploy tear gas AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters stand by the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Paris AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A protester waves a French flag Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Riot police take formation AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A general view of the Champs Elysees in Paris today as protesters clash with police Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A protester wears a jacket reading 'Macron, thief, lier, crook, go away, the people banish you' AP Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters gather on the Champs Elysees AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters hold a French flag by a burning barricade AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters gather by a fire AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Water cannons are turned on the protesters Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A protester wears an adapted yellow vest reading 'Macron's cemetery: here lies your buying power' AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters gather by a burning car AFP/Getty Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Riot police advance through tear gas followed closely by their water cannon EPA Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Tear gas is deployed to deter the protesters Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A protester waves a French flag amidst tear gas AP Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures Protesters walk amidst tear gas by the Arc de Triomphe Reuters Clashes at the Paris fuel protests: in pictures A protester holds a sign asking for the reintroduction of ISF (an old French tax on wealth) AFP/Getty

Left-wing politician and former presidential candidate Benoit Hamon described the scene as chilling, while Eric Coquerel, a far-left member of Parliament said the violence was "unacceptable and humiliating.

Florian Philippot, a far-right politician, said: Re-establish order, yes. Those useless and shocking methods, no. Not in France.

Jean-Michel Blanquer, the education minister, said that while the images were shocking, it was important to understand the environment in which the arrests took place.

When I saw these images myself, I was obviously shocked, he told France Inter radio. We must find out what happened before, the context in which this unfolded.

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Some officials defended police, pointing to the mounting tensions between the students and police over the past few days. A local prosecutor, Vincent Descloud, told Le Monde that security forces had to opt for a law enforcement solution.

On Friday, dozens of students and teachers showed their support for those arrested, reproducing their kneeling pose in Paris and in several other cities. A large group gathered in Place de la Republique in Paris in solidarity with the students.

The New York Times
Thousands gathered in Serbia to protest against the assault of an opposition politician and to demand policy changes from the country's president.

Demonstrators chanted as they marched through Belgrade city centre under the slogan "Stop the bloody shirts" on Saturday to condemn the assault on Borko Stefanovic, leader of the small Serbian Left party.

Mr Stefanovic suffered minor injuries after he was attacked and beaten with an iron rod by a group of men dressed in black in the southern city of Krusevac last month.

Serbias president Aleksandar Vucic said Mr Stefanovics assailants were arrested shortly after the incident.

But opposition figures claimed that his Serbian Progressive Party was involved  something the group's leaders vehemently denied.

The struggle must be waged with loud chanting against this disgusting, slimy regime, Branislav Trifunovic, an actor and a protest leader, told the cheering crowd on Saturday.

Opposition activists claimed Mr Vucic was an autocrat and branded his Serbian Progressive Party as corrupt.

Corruption, violence, stifling of press freedoms, they [the Progressive party] do it all and Vucic is their kingpin, said 49-year-old mechanic Radovan Peric, from Belgrade.

A woman holds a placard during a protest against violence on 8 December, 2018 in Belgrade. (AFP/Getty Images)

Mr Vucics approval ratings have slipped since he won a 2016 presidential vote by a landslide, but he remains the countrys most popular political leader and his ruling coalition has a comfortable majority of 160 deputies in the 250-seat parliament.

Saturdays rally was called by former Belgrade mayor Dragan Djilas, leader of the Alliance for Serbia - a heterogeneous group of 30 parties - who described the protest as a gathering of citizens against authoritarian rule.

Opposition protests have been relatively rare in Serbia since the popular unrest that ousted former strongman Slobodan Milosevic in 2000.

Mr Vucic, a nationalist firebrand during the violent collapse of the former Yugoslavia in the 1990s, later embraced European values and set Serbias membership in the European Union as the countrys strategic goal.

He also maintains close ties with Russia and China.

Additional reporting by Reuters
Pierres mother died soon after he was born three years ago. He now lives with his father, Prosper, sister and grandmother in a little village outside Bangui, the capital of the Central African Republic.

Pierres father doesnt have a job, their lives have been ripped apart by ongoing conflict in the country, and every day is a struggle to find enough food to eat.

Surviving mostly on dwindling supplies of corn that they could collect from a nearby farm, Pierres weight began to drop. By July he had been falling sick repeatedly, refusing to eat and becoming frighteningly emaciated.

Worried that he couldnt pay to go to the hospital, his father had been trying treat him with traditional medicine, but he kept getting worse. Pierre, who is three and a half years old, weighed just 9kg and he had severe diarrhoea.

Fearing little Pierre was about to die Prosper walked the 12km to the nearest health facility, carrying his emaciated son in his arms. When I was walking, I was praying on the way, I didnt know if I was going to get to the hospital with Pierre alive.

Even if I made it I didnt know if he would make it. I wondered if Gods plan was to send this child with only the plan to take him back. I was not crying because I am a man and I didnt want to shed tears, but I was worrying on the inside.

Once they entered the health centre, which receives support from Unicef, doctors rushed to stabilise Pierre. I was surprised that there were so many people that were working to help my child, Prosper remembers. When we got to the health centre everyone ran to him. I was not sure we were going to take him home alive.

The next day there was no sign that Pierre was getting better. He was almost unconscious because of severe dehydration caused by diarrhoea. Doctors at the health centre, fearing he might die, referred him to the only paediatric hospital in the whole of the Central African Republic for more intensive care.

Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic Show all 18 1 /18 Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 19 July 2018 - Pierre arrvies at the malnutrition stabilisation centre Pierre Mbassissi and his father in bed at the malnutrition stabilisation centre at the Bangui Paediatric hospital Pierre's mother died soon after he was born three years ago in 2015 and he now lives with his father, Prosper, sister and grandmother in a little village outside the capital of the Central African Republic Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 19 July 2018 - Pierre is assessed for severe acute malnutrition Pierre's father doesn't have a job, their lives have been ripped apart by ongoing conflict in the country, every day is a struggle to find enough food to eat. Surviving mostly on dwindling supplies of corn that they could collect from a nearby farm, Pierre's weight began to drop Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 19 July 2018 - receiving a health screening By July 2018 he had been falling sick repeatedly, refusing to eat becoming frighteningly emaciated. Worried that he couldn't pay to go to the hospital, his father had been trying treat him with traditional medicine, but he kept getting worse Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 19 July 2018 - Pierre Mbassissi is weighed before being admitted Pierre, who is 3.5 years old, weighed just 9kgs and he had severe diarrhoea. Fearing little Pierre was about to die Prosper walked the 12km to the nearest health facility, carrying an emaciated Pierre in his arms Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 19 July 2018 - Pierre waits to be admitted Prosper admitted: "When I was walking, I was praying on the way, I didn't know if I was going to get to the hospital with Pierre alive. Even if I made it I didn't know if he would make it. I wondered if it god's plan was to send this child with only the plan to take him back. I was not crying because I am a man and I didn't want to shed tears but I was worrying on the inside." Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 19 July 2018 - Pierre waits with his father Once they entered the health centre, which receives support from Unicef, doctors rushed to stabilise Pierre. "I was surprised that there are so many people that were working to help my child," Prosper remembers. Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 19 July 2018 - Pierre Mbassissi shares a bed with another child at the centre "When we got to the health centre everyone ran to him. I was not sure we were going to take him home alive." Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 20 July 2018 - Pierre in bed The next day there was no sign that Pierre was getting better. He was almost unconscious because of severe dehydration caused by diarrhoea. On the 20th July, Pierre was admitted to the Bangui Paediatric Hospital, a lifeline for children suffering from the most severe cases of malnutrition Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 2 August 2018 - Pierre returns for check-up Pierre and his father spent an agonising week in the acute stabilisation ward. Pierre received two hourly treatments of fortified milk, too weak to eat. After seven days, he was strong enough to move wards to the next phase of treatment. Prosper and Pierre spent four more days in the hospital. Every day Pierre got a little stronger. Finally, after 10 days of meticulous, around the clock care, it was time for Prosper to take little Pierre home to see his sister Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 2 August 2018 A few days later, Prosper woke at 5am to carry Pierre 12km to the health centre so he could receive his first check-up. Since I left the hospital I have follow up meetings with the doctor, we have a supply of plumpy nut for each week,  his father says after his first meeting at the health centre. I feel relieved and now that Pierre is doing much better I can go and work in the field or chop some wood to provide something for him." Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 16 August 2018 - Follow up outpatient treatment After a month in the outpatient feeding programme Pierre has bounced back to life. He still clings to his father but he smiles again and laughs when he is placed in the bucket that weighs him at the health centre Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 16 August 2018 - Pierre Mbassissi returns with his father The worry that has gripped Prosper for the last month has begun to fade. He can begin to hope for a future for little Pierre. I want to send Pierre to school, I want to find work so I can send him to school. That would give me pleasure. I am very happy to see him like other children.  Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 16 August 2018 - Follow up outpatient treatment Theophile Basimba, Unicef Nutrition Specialist in Bangui admits: It is bittersweet to see Pierre smiling again because too many kids across this country are unable to get the kind of care the so desperately need" Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 23 August 2018 - Follow up outpatient treatment The situation for children living in the Central African Republic is getting worse every day. Many children are cut off from services because of fighting and insecurity, their families cannot farm, there is no food for them to eat." Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 23 August 2018 - Follow up outpatient treatment There is one paediatric hospital in the entire country and it is overwhelmed. Children like Pierre, who are severely malnourished but able to access health services are the lucky ones,  says Theophile Basimba Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 23 August 2018 - Follow up outpatient treatment Pierre Mbassissi eating plumpy nut while receiving an outpatient check up Unicef/Le Du Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 2 September 2018 - Follow up outpatient treatment Pierre waits to have the soap suds washed off him whilst his father Prosper bathes him in their village, on the outskirts of Bangui Unicef/Gilbertson V Pierres recovery from malnutrition in Central African Republic 2 September 2018 - Follow up outpatient treatment Pierre closes his eyes as his father washes him Unicef/Gilbertson V

On 20 July, Pierre was admitted to the Bangui Paediatric Hospital, a lifeline for children suffering from the most severe cases of malnutrition. The hospitals malnutrition stabilisation wards are overwhelmed, every bed is full, many with two children, all of them weak and fragile and in need of lifesaving care.

Pierre and his father spent an agonising week in the acute stabilisation ward. Pierre received two-hourly treatments of fortified milk, too weak to eat. After seven days, he was strong enough to move wards to the next phase of treatment.

Doctors said he was far from cured. Prosper and Pierre spent four more days in the hospital. Every day Pierre got a little stronger. He started to smile again and was eating up supplies of plumpy nut, the fortified peanut paste provided by Unicef, so vital for a childs recovery from malnutrition.

A smiling Pierre gets weighed in a health centre bucket (Unicef/Le Du)

Finally, after 10 days of meticulous, round-the-clock care, it was time for Prosper to take little Pierre home to see his sister. Prosper received strict instructions to refer Pierre to an outpatient feeding programme at the health centre near his village. For the next few weeks Pierre was to receive regular follow-up health checks and a supply of plumpy nut to help him put on weight.

A few days later, Prosper woke at 5am to carry Pierre 12km to the health centre so he could receive his first checkup. Since I left the hospital I have follow-up meetings with the doctor, we have a supply of plumpy nut for each week, his father says after his first meeting at the health centre. I feel relieved and now that Pierre is doing much better I can go and work in the field or chop some wood to provide something for him.

After a month in the outpatient feeding programme Pierre has bounced back to life. He still clings to his father but he smiles again and laughs when he is placed in the bucket that weighs him at the health centre. The worry that has gripped Prosper for the last month has begun to fade. He can begin to hope for a future for his son. I want to send Pierre to school, I want to find work so I can send him to school. That would give me pleasure. I am very happy to see him like other children.

The situation for children living in the Central African Republic is getting worse every day, says Theophile Basimba, Unicef Nutrition Specialist in Bangui. Many children are cut off from services because of fighting and insecurity, their families cannot farm, there is no food for them to eat. There is one paediatric hospital in the entire country and it is overwhelmed. Children like Pierre, who are severely malnourished but able to access health services, are the lucky ones.

 Unicef UK film shows exploitation and abuse children suffer in wars and crises

Pierre only just made it to the health centre in time. We could stabilise him with simple, cost-effective and proven lifesaving interventions like miracle milk (F75 and F100) and plumpy nut. He is making a strong recovery and we are supporting his father to provide the ongoing care that Pierre will need.

It is bittersweet to see Pierre smiling again because too many kids across this country are unable to get the kind of care they so desperately need. Insecurity means we cannot get to them with services and our nutrition programmes are critically underfunded. It is heartbreaking to see the continual stream of children coming in to the paediatric hospital and gut wrenching to think about those who cant reach with care. We so desperately need help to scale up our response.

Unicef
As undeliverable promises collide with improbable parliamentary arithmetic, MPs are searching frantically for a way out of Brexits burning building. For some, the idea of Norway Plus now looks like a potential bolthole.

As an example of a country which is not a member of the European Union but which, as part of the European Economic Area (EEA), clings closely to its economic structures, some politicians see Norway  with the addition of a customs union  as a compromise between Leavers and Remainers.

But, as is spelled out in a new report by the Peoples Vote campaign, MPs would be making a big mistake if they were tempted by this destination at such a late stage.

The first thing to say about Norway Plus is that it is politically unrealistic. Both Theresa May and Jeremy Corbyn have consistently opposed it. MPs have had many chances to vote for EEA membership and the customs union, at a time when it could have been a viable option, and they wholeheartedly rejected it. I voted for it in the Lords when it looked like a port in the storm. But the ship has now sailed on and there is no turning back.

Crucially, even if both the UK parliament and the EU were to agree to seek a Norway Plus agreement it would not eliminate the need for the Irish border backstop. And for the large number of MPs it is the backstop that is the real sticking point in parliament.

On the substance of the idea, I accept Norway Plus would at least avoid some of the immediate economic damage and lost trade or investment from Brexit. But everything else that so many MPs find wrong about the prime ministers proposed Brexit deal is also wrong about Norway Plus.

We would become permanent rule takers, out of Europe but ruled by Europe. We would give up our vote, voice and veto at the table where the rules are made. This would be unacceptable for a country of our status and an economy of our size.

Far from taking back control as was promised in the 2016 referendum, Norway Plus would mean a massive transfer of sovereignty. At present, we are in the room  leading, shaping and reforming the rules of the single market. This would be ended. Yes, the UK would leave the direct jurisdiction of the European Court of Justice, but we would instead sign up to the EFTA court, which follows ECJ rulings to ensure a level playing field between EU and non-EU EEA members. No amount of muscle-flexing by the UK would change this.

Proponents of Norway Plus, who include many of those closest to Michael Gove, try to make this offer look more attractive by pretending it is a state of affairs which would allow us to have our cake and eat it. They claim their scheme would allow the UK to control immigration, pay less into the EU budget and would be easy to negotiate. Short of promising it can cure baldness, they could hardly be more disingenuous.

The Norway Plus option would not end free movement of people to and from the EU. Although EEA countries ostensibly have the right to suspend freedom of movement if they are experiencing serious economic, societal or environmental difficulties, only once has this ever been deployed  and tiny Liechtenstein can hardly be compared to the UK. Crucially, by giving up our seat in the EU, the UK would be sacrificing our ability to shape and reform the rules on how free movement operates.

Nor would there be an end to payments to Brussels. EEA members make substantial payments to the EU through contributing to EU cohesion funds for newer EU member states. As non-EU members, however, they have no say over the direction of those funds  effectively it is taxation without representation. Based on Norways current contributions per capita, we could end up paying roughly as much as we do now.

As a member of the customs union, the UK would lose its influence over trade policy, whilst also not gaining an independent trade policy of its own. The implications of this do not seem to be fully appreciated by those advocating Norway Plus. The UK would have to reduce its tariffs in line with the EUs new trade deals but would be unable to participate or vote in negotiations. We would have no guarantee of reciprocal access when the EU strikes new trade deals, and no leverage over that third country to secure the same terms.

And it would not be easy to negotiate either. To be a part of the EEA, a member has either to be an EU or European Free Trade Agreement (EFTA) member. And leaving one, the EU, does not guarantee membership of the other. Indeed, the EFTA members would have to allow us to join and there is no certainty that they would allow us to do so. Only yesterday, Heidi Nordby Lunde, an MP in Norways governing Conservative party, felt obliged to tell British reporters that it would not be in our interest.

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At every level, on every issue, the Norway model neither settles the Brexit question nor provides for a brighter future for this country. It comes nowhere close to meeting the promises of the Leave campaign, offers far inferior terms to those we currently enjoy as EU members and, quite clearly, is not what anybody voted for. MPs are understandably desperate to settle the Brexit question, but this would merely pose countless more.

The reason why any Brexit deal looks so unpalatable to MPs this weekend is that there is no magic formula that can meet all the contradictory promises and expectations created two years ago. There is no deal on offer better than the one we have already in the EU. And, in these circumstances, the answer is not to make more fantastical promises to the British people, but to let them back into the decision. This is why I believe the only way forward for parliament in this Brexit crisis is to let Britain have a Peoples Vote.

Peter Mandelson was the UKs European Commissioner for trade between 2004 and 2008
Vote: A Brexit supporter and an anti-Brexit demonstrator at the Houses of Parliament, London, this week. Photo: REUTERS/Henry Nicholls

A suggestion that the threat of food shortages be used to force Ireland to drop the backstop has sparked a furious reaction on both sides of the Irish Sea as the British government faces into the final days of its hard sell on Theresa May's deal.

A leaked UK report which suggested that Ireland will suffer a GDP drop of 7pc and risks food shortages under a no-deal scenario has been dismissed here.

The report noted that Ireland was a far more open economy than the UK and outlines our vulnerabilities post-Brexit.

Various assessments of the impact on the Irish economy have been laid out by experts since the Brexit referendum.

Finance Minister Paschal Donohoe has estimated that a cliff-edge Brexit would cost at least 40,000 jobs and could see GDP fall by around 4pc.

Brexiteer Priti Patel suggested the report should have been used to press Ireland to drop the backstop and said there was still time for a renegotiation.

But EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan utterly condemned the comments. He said the UK imported 60pc of its food needs, and 43pc of these came from Ireland, with products of high quality very popular with British shoppers.

"So, if she wants to advocate a policy that brings about the starvation of the British people, this is a good way of going about it," Mr Hogan told the Association of European Journalists.

"I think consumers would be horrified that a senior politician, and former minister, would take such a view of being hostile to the food security requirements of the country they are residing in," he added.

Mr Hogan insisted that if Mrs May loses next week's vital House of Commons vote on the draft Brexit deal, the EU will "not budge" on the Irish backstop. He said there had never been such unity among the other 27 EU member states as there had been on the issue of Brexit.

A spokesperson for the Tanaiste described Ms Patel's comments as "ridiculous carry-on from an MP from a neighbouring state and ally".

"Brexit and the problems it creates are UK policy and we have been mature in negotiating a deal that minimises the damage and respects the UK's choices while at the same time protects our peace," he said.

A spokesperson for Taoiseach Leo Varadkar pointed out there will be consequences in Ireland, Europe and the UK post-Brexit but said "the Irish Government is one of the best prepared and has been planning right across the Government and the State since the original vote, in order to minimise the impact of Brexit".

Scottish First Minister Nicola Sturgeon also hit out at suggestions the report could be used as a negotiating tool, saying the "sheer moral bankruptcy of the Tory Brexiteers is on full display".

The parliamentary arithmetic is stacked against the Tory leader who dispatched 30 ministers nationwide to win support for the withdrawal deal ahead of next week's vote which she declined to postpone.

In an effort to boost support, a new amendment has been tabled which would give parliament the ability to approve a decision to trigger the backstop arrangement or extend the transition period beyond December 2020.
Traders work on the floor of the New York Stock Exchange (NYSE). Photo: Reuters

Investors and currency traders are bracing for a markets showdown next week, with UK Prime Minister Theresa May on course to lose the crunch vote on her Brexit deal.

Failure to get the deal across the line will create a wave of uncertainty for world stock markets, with sterling likely to come under pressure.

Ireland's main stock market index - the ISEQ Overall Index - rose 1pc yesterday, recouping just some of Thursday's 3.1pc drop that wiped 2.5bn from the combined value of its constituents.

Yesterday, shares in companies including building materials giant CRH and packaging giant Smurfit Kappa rose.

The ISEQ Overall Index has slumped more than 20pc over the past year, knocking 19.2bn off the value of stocks on the Irish market.

In the past week alone, 3.4bn has been sliced from the value of stocks on the index.

Insulation maker Kingspan edged less than 1pc higher even as Opec and other partners agreed a larger than expected cut in oil production.

Crude oil prices surged as much as 5.8pc in London, raising the risk that the deal could anger US President Donald Trump, who had urged the group of producers to keep taps open and prices low.

The oil agreement also comes in a week that Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer of Chinese telecommunications giant Huawei, and the daughter of its founder, was arrested in Canada and faces extradition to the United States.

That has intensified concerns of a trade war between the US and China - which had entered a detente - being reignited after the two countries had appeared on track to resolve it.

Meanwhile, some traders believe the turmoil next week following the Brexit vote could be so intense as to be instrumental to the Brexit process itself.

While market response and pressure on sterling could be more muted than that when the UK voted to leave the EU in the 2016 referendum, some banks are taking no chances.

Markets in Europe will be closed when the outcome of the UK parliament's vote is known next Tuesday around 7pm, but currency markets operate 24 hours a day.

A failure to get the deal passed could herald more uncertainty over the Brexit process and big market swings may follow. Some commentators suggested that heavy market losses could even convince the UK's MPs to back Ms May if she tried for a second Brexit vote.

Additional reporting: Reuters and Bloomberg
More than a quarter of lending by the main Irish banks is to borrowers in the UK, leaving the financial system here hugely exposed to a Brexit downturn, the Central Bank has warned.

UK-based borrowers account for 26pc of lending by retail banks here, according to the Central Bank of Ireland's latest Macro-Financial Review.

That's understood to mostly be made up of UK borrowers against UK assets, including homes, rather than cross-border investors.

It means there's a danger economic shocks in Britain from the UK crashing out of the European Union could hit the profitability of banks here and have a material impact on their ability to be repaid.

Central Bank deputy governor Ed Sibley said AIB and Bank of Ireland are the two lenders most exposed.

Both have significant lending activities in the UK, including in Northern Ireland, that could be directly affected by Brexit.

However, he was "reasonably confident" in the banks' ability to cope with a Brexit crisis.

Both AIB and Bank of Ireland have UK subsidiaries structured with their own capital, separate to the Irish parent banks, he noted.

Regulators have not sought specific remedies to better equip banks to deal with a Brexit crisis, Central Bank deputy governor Sharon Donnery said.

However, she said regulators here and in the UK had lifted banks' requirement to hold capital - essentially a buffer against future losses - over the summer.

Brexit is a "key risk" for Irish economy generally, the report said, creating a wide range of potentially negative effects.

"Whatever form it takes, Brexit will be negative for Ireland. Even in the event of a deal, much uncertainty still surrounds the post-transition environment and this could continue to put pressure on investment that is vital for jobs and economic growth," said Ms Donnery.

That includes the knock-on impact of a decline in sterling, including on small and medium enterprises (SME) that rely on exports to Britain.

The economy here has continued to grow strongly in the two-and-a-half years since the Brexit vote.

This has happened despite sharp falls in sterling.

Ms Donnery said she did not believe business here had become complacent in relation to the issue, although growth had masked some of the effects.

"There's certainly no complacency, from what we hear there's concern and frustration," she said.

Further weakening of sterling would make Irish exports to the UK more expensive, and in a hard Brexit that could be compounded by tariffs.

In relation to the domestic economy, house prices are "close to or above what would be consistent with broader economic developments", the Central Bank said.

In essence it means the bank thinks prices are justified - but based on the current lack of supply, which could change.
Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. Photo: PA Wire

Pro-European protestors outside the Scottish Parliament, Edinburgh, as a vote is held against Theresa May's proposed Brexit deal with MSPs calling instead for a 'better alternative' to the PM's plans to be taken forward. Photo: Jane Barlow/PA Wire

Prime Minister Theresa May speaks during Prime Minister's Questions in the House of Commons, London. Photo: PA Wire

Karen Bradley, who has penned an open letter seeking to assure citizens that the draft Brexit deal is not a threat to rights or the Union. PRESS ASSOCIATION Photo. Issue date: Saturday December 8, 2018. The Secretary of State for Northern Ireland published the letter on Saturday, stating that Theresa May's deal protects the Belfast agreement, and that any backstop arrangement would be temporary. See PA story POLITICS Brexit Bradley. Photo credit should read: Brian Lawless/PA Wire

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd who has voiced support for a Norway-style model as an alternative to the Prime Minister's Brexit deal if the Withdrawal Agreement is thrown out by MPs. Photo: Stefan Rousseau/PA Wire

The UK could pursue alternative options if Theresa May's Brexit plan is rejected by MPs, a UK cabinet minister has said.

Amber Rudd, the Work and Pensions Secretary for the UK, became the first cabinet minister to publicly discuss the merits of a "Plan B" if Mrs May crashes to defeat in Tuesday's crunch Commons vote.

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She also suggested a second referendum was another potential outcome that might be sought by MPs if the deal is thrown out.

Ms Rudd told The Times that, should the deal be voted down, she would prefer a so-called Norway-plus model for Brexit that would involve staying part of the European Economic Area.

The former home secretary said the alternative "seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are," but conceded that "nobody knows if it can be done".

Ms Rudd predicted a "chaotic" period if the British government is defeated.

"If it doesn't get through, anything could happen - People's Vote, Norway-plus, any of these options could come forward and none of them are as good as the current arrangement we have got with the Withdrawal Agreement to vote on on Tuesday."

Her comments could be viewed as an attempt to win over Brexiteers who might prefer Mrs May's deal, even with its controversial Northern Irish backstop, to a Norway-plus future inside both the single market and customs union or the possibility of another referendum reversing the 2016 vote.

"A lot of people have a perfect vision of what they think Brexit should look like, and that 'perfect' is not available," she told BBC Radio 4's Today.

"What we need is a compromise deal, that's what the Prime Minister has proposed and I would urge my colleagues to think about, first of all, why people voted to leave the European Union, what their interpretation is of that; and secondly, what the alternatives are.

"This is why I think it is important for people not just to think why they don't particularly like the Withdrawal Agreement but what they would like better that is available and would get through the House of Commons."

Mrs May was warned by critics that she could be forced to stand down as British Prime Minister if her Brexit deal is defeated in the Commons next week.

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Eurosceptic former party leader Iain Duncan Smith cautioned against the PM and her Cabinet deciding to "brazen it out", saying such an approach would be a "disaster".

"How the PM responds after the vote matters more than anything else she has done," he told the Daily Telegraph.

"I believe that if the response is, 'we've lost but we will do this all over again', it will become a leadership issue."

Another former leader Lord Howard said Mrs May would have "difficult decisions to make about her future and about the future of our country" if she loses on December 11.

Ms Rudd said she hoped the UK government would "regroup" and "hold stable, hold firm" in the aftermath of a defeat.

"What would be a complete mistake would be to allow what is already an unstable period to descend into further instability with talk of a leadership change," she said.

The cabinet minister also appeared to endorse an amendment to the government's motion for the vote on Tuesday tabled by former Northern Ireland minister Sir Hugo Swire in an attempt to win over wavering Eurosceptics.

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The alteration would mean UK Parliament would have to approve a decision to trigger the backstop arrangement, put a one-year time limit on it and seek assurances from the EU that the backstop would be temporary.

Ms Rudd told Today: "Hugo Swire has put an amendment down which I hope will give some of my colleagues reassurance over the so-called backstop."

Lord Howard suggested that talks with Brussels should be intensified to prepare for a Brexit with no formal deal.

"We should seek to put in place some ad hoc, temporary arrangements with the agreement of the European Union which would minimise and, indeed, perhaps even eliminate any disruption at the border on March 30 next year," he told Today.

"We should also undertake that we would unilaterally, for the period of 12 months after March 29, allow any goods and services in from the European Union without any tariffs or tariff barriers or obstacles in any way - hope that they will reciprocate but do it even if they don't - and use that 12-month period to negotiate a free-trade agreement along the style of Canada-plus."

Former Brexit secretary David Davis warned the Tory leadership not to attempt to "bully" MPs into supporting a "failed strategy".

"Our role is to come together to find a joint approach that supports the decision of the referendum and promotes the national interest," he said.

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Meanwhile, UK Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn said he would consider delaying Britain's exit from the EU to negotiate a better deal if his party came to power.

"If we go into government straight away we would start negotiating straight away. If it meant holding things a bit longer to do it, of course," he told Sky News.

Mr Corbyn said his party was ready to "step in and negotiate" with the EU and would form a minority government "if that is what is on offer".

'Brexit Betrayal' March

Ahead of the commons showdown, controversial activist Tommy Robinson will lead a pro-Brexit march in London on Sunday - with a rival counter-demonstration set to oppose it.

The English Defence League (EDL) founder, who provoked prominent Ukip figures to desert the party after he was made an adviser, is to rally with supporters in London on Sunday.

The so-called Brexit betrayal march organised by Ukip will be opposed by Labour-backed campaigners and anti-fascist groups, with police imposing restrictions amid fears of violence.

Shadow chancellor John McDonnell urged Labour supporters to march against the "poison" of Mr Robinson, whose real name is Stephen Yaxley-Lennon.

"This march isn't about Brexit, it's about far-right extremists dressing up in suits and pretending to be respectable," Mr McDonnell said.

"A newly energised, well-funded network of hate is emerging, from (former Donald Trump strategist) Steve Bannon in the US to the former EDL leader Tommy Robinson at home, and it threatens the very fabric of our nation."

Among those marching against the activist are grass roots group Momentum and Unite Against Fascism.

Police have heightened concerns after "serious violence" broke out at a Robinson rally in London in June, with five officers injured when bottles and barriers were hurled at them.

Scotland Yard said it also imposed the conditions based on the "current intelligence picture".

Gathering outside the Dorchester Hotel, Mr Robinson's supporters must march along a specified route from Park Lane to Parliament Street.

There, police barriers will separate them from counter-demonstrators who must march from outside the BBC building in Portland Place to Whitehall.

Nick Lowles, chief executive of anti-racism campaigners Hope Not Hate, was among those critical of Mr Robinson's rally.

"This is a cynical attempt by some of the most extreme voices in Britain, united in hatred for Muslims and other minorities, to exploit Brexit tensions and sow discord and hatred, much as Gerard Batten has done with Ukip and its Islamophobic charge to the right since he took over," he said.

Elsewhere in the capital, the pro-EU Best for Britain and second referendum campaign People's Vote will hold a rally featuring politicians including Lord Heseltine and celebrities such as actors Charles Dance and Jason Isaacs.
The Ulster Farmers' Union, in some ways the IFA's counterpart north of the border, is at a very serious crossroads amid this ongoing Brexit crisis.

The organisation has been on the go since 1918 and its stated aim is to represent farmers, with almost 12,000 farmers across Northern Ireland.

But given the history of the North, it was widely perceived as "culturally unionist" and was often seen as closely interwoven with the old Ulster Unionist Party (UUP).

There are now undoubtedly links into the Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), which has totally eclipsed the UUP over the last 15 years. But the DUP is still a relatively new entity and links with the Ulster Farmers' Union are not as easy or reflexive as the old days of "UUP-UFU."

We must state that the UFU has for a long time formally insisted it had no links to any political party, and that the organisation maintained contacts across the political spectrum to do its job.

Last week UFU president Ivor Ferguson, who is based in Markethill, Co Armagh, denounced reports suggesting Brexit strains with the DUP-UFU, making the point that the his farmers' union remains independent in politics.

But there is a clear rift between the DUP and the UFU over Brexit.

The UFU, in common with many Northern business representatives, believes that Theresa May's deal should be supported on grounds that the risk of a no-deal Brexit is unthinkable.

Throughout the short Brexit referendum campaign of late 2015 and up to polling day on June 23, 2016, the UFU surprised many in the Republic by sitting on the fence.

Many of us in this jurisdiction would have said a Northern farmer knows the value of a pound and was aware that 88pc of Northern Ireland farm income comes from direct Brussels payments.

In the end the UFU, in a position similar to the National Farmers' Union, which represents farmers in England and Wales, opted to not campaign and not directly advise its members on which way to vote.

They confined themselves to the rather equivocal statement that they remained to be convinced that there was a good case for the UK leaving the EU.

Their non-committal referendum stance was surprising given the long-standing attitude within the UFU that it was in the interest of farmers in the North to "have a little of UK and a little bit of EU".

Going back to the mid-1990s, the UFU moved might and main to have Northern Ireland cattle exempted from the EU's ban on UK cattle due to the BSE crisis.

It has to be recalled that the Irish government and the IFA extended a hand of friendship to the UFU in that matter.

Then IFA president, John Donnelly, and their Brussels representative, Michael Treacy, were extremely generous in giving moral and practical support to Northern Ireland farmers.

The outcome strengthened a sensible island-of-Ireland animal health regime which was further enhanced after the 2001 foot and mouth crisis.

That is among a list of things which makes a nonsense of DUP claims that the North must not be treated differently on Brexit.

John Downing is an Irish Independent political correspondent
Two peat extraction firms have been refused permission to appeal a significant finding that their activities are no longer exempt development.

The companies had claimed the finding would effectively bring the industry to "a standstill" with implications for 11,000 jobs while planning applications are put in train.

In a ruling yesterday, the High Court's Mr Justice Charles Meenan refused leave to appeal his February judgment upholding An Bord Pleanala's decision the activities are not, after September 2012, exempt development.

The Board decision was made in April 2013 after Friends of the Irish Environment (FIE) queried the development status of the operations. Separate proceedings were then brought by the affected companies, Bulrush Horticulture, and by Westland Horticulture, Westmeath Peat and Cavan Peat.

Mr Justice Meenan dismissed both challenges in a judgment which means, from September 2012, all commercial peat harvesting in Ireland is unauthorised unless it has planning permission.

He found a "sound legal basis" for the Board's decision that the firms required an Environmental Impact Assessment and Appropriate Assessment for the works.

Both companies sought permission to appeal but their applications were refused by the judge.

He accepted the outcome of the case has "important and far-reaching" implications for the peat harvesting industry.

He said there can be points of law of exceptional public importance which are not so uncertain as to require a ruling from the Court of Appeal.
The removal of upper height limits will play a role in boosting housing output, but the measure is not - as Tom Phillips says - the final piece in the jigsaw.

The real barrier to apartment construction is cost, with an October 2017 report from the Society of Chartered Surveyors noting it was cheaper to build a three-bed semi-detached house than an apartment.

A large part of the reason is land prices, with the report saying this ranged from 33,000 to 125,000 per unit.

But the industry suggests there's also the issue of development levies, the cost of financing and the emerging skills shortage, where competition for construction workers is stiff. Building on brownfield land, as the Government wants, is also complex with construction often taking place on tight sites where neighbouring buildings have to be propped up and where getting materials onto lands can be difficult.

All these issues add to costs, and with Central Bank lending rules rightly restricting the ability of people to borrow beyond their means, it has resulted in many schemes with planning permission not going ahead because the cohort capable of paying the required price doesn't exist.

A report from the Housing Supply Co-ordination Task Force For Dublin bears this out. There was permission for 17,500 apartments in the capital in July this year where work had yet to commence. Since the beginning of last year, just over 27,000 homes have been built. Of these, fewer than 3,900 are apartments. In some cases, schemes didn't go ahead as developers were awaiting clarity on the height issue.

There is a chance that some will go back to the planning system seeking increased height for projects already approved, but at the very least these guidelines provide certainty for the future. That's not to say they give builders carte blanche. "It would be wrong to suggest these guidelines are a free for all, it is not a diktat," one official source said.

The height issue really only applies in Dublin, and has resulted in some developers being held "prisoner" by what appear to be arbitrary rules, they added. High rise was restricted to the Docklands, George's Quay and areas around Connolly and Heuston stations, but buildings up to 50 metres tall could be considered in other parts. These councillor-imposed limits are now gone, which will leave the Government open to accusations it is removing another power from local politicians.

There will be safeguards. Planners will have to take into account issues including traffic impacts, access to light and - crucially - good design before deciding whether or not to approve. Decisions can be appealed. The guidelines also stress that "appropriate" density is required in areas earmarked for growth, which doesn't always equate to very tall buildings.

In the cities and regional towns, there is a default of six storeys (between around 18 and 24 metres), falling to four (12-16 metres) in the suburbs. These changes means developers can go beyond those limits, if they prove their case.

The guidelines sensibly point to the need to build on brownfield sites, with a particular focus on former industrial estates, dockland locations and low-density urban shopping centres. But crucial to the appropriate development of our towns and cities will be protecting the historic cores, while not limiting new development simply because surrounding buildings are old.

Planners will also need to start identifying areas suitable for taller buildings, focusing on areas close to the centres and on public transport links. Where will tall work? And what if the Bus Connects plan to develop more than 200km of dedicated bus and cycle lanes in Dublin doesn't go ahead? Will that limit the number of sites where very tall buildings are possible, because the transport links won't be there? And what about the lack of good public transport systems in many of our regional towns and cities? Will that limit development?

Leaving aside the height issue, one very positive measure is that construction of commercial or retail units is phased with development of housing and leisure facilities. This will require policing.

The era of building two-storey homes on greenfield sites is coming to an end. About time too, as the State has been struggling for years to provide utilities such as water, broadband and power, but also roads, public transport, schools and health facilities to serve these communities.

Lots of new homes have been - and continue to be - built on the margins of our urban areas. That has to end. This is a once-in-a-generation chance to get planning right, rather than repeating the mistakes of the past.
The good news is that 2018 didn't see the same spike in abandoned pups as previous years, but that's down to the 'Paws for Thought' campaign which Dogs Trust ran after Christmas last year, says the organisation's Ciara Byrne.

So far this year (just) 2,363 families surrendered dogs with 755 just after Christmas when families realise they can't cope, or got more than they bargained for. According to Department of the Environment figures, around 13,000 dogs are abandoned every year, with 1,800 put down.

"Not having enough time" was the most common reason given. To that end, they will suspend the rehoming of dogs from December 16 until January 5 to encourage families to think twice before asking Santa to bring a pet.

"Christmas is not a good time to get a new dog, as it's so busy and noisy. Santa is always happy to bring toy pets instead," the North Pole Spokeself told the Irish Independent.

It costs up to 2,500 a year to home a dog and it's a responsibility which lasts 10 or more years. Vet bills, food, grooming, insurance, kennelling and bedding means it's around the same price as your family holiday - if it came to it, would you give that up for your pet?

But once the hub-bub of the festive season is over, and you're making an informed decision, what are your responsibilities and costs (see panel) as a dog owner?

Rescue pet versus pedigree

A rescue pet from a reputable shelter will already be chipped, vaccinated and spay/neutered so it saves money compared to getting a pedigree pup. Some pure-breds have very specific needs and may suffer from in-bred medical conditions later in life, particularly pugs and some spaniel breeds.

Legalities

A dog licence is a legal requirement, available from the Post Office, costing 20 a year, or 140 for life. It is illegal for a dog to change hands without being micro-chipped first, but an astonishing number of owners go to the trouble of chipping their dogs, but not entering their details on the State database (www.fido.ie) which means they can't be traced if lost. You will need vaccinations, parasite control, nutrition advice, and behaviour and training, all of which your vet can advise you on.

Insurance

This is around 150 a year but may only last until the dog is eight. Just as pooch is getting expensive, you may find it's need are no longer covered, so check in advance.

What to look for?

According to Woofadviser.com, asking yourself key questions can avoid a lot of challenges later on. Some dogs grow far larger than their puppy size might indicate, so it's an even bigger commitment.

l Size and Living Space: How much room will your adult dog need? Will it be okay outside in a kennel, or prefer indoors? If so, where will it sleep/eat?

l Exercise: Some big dogs, like greyhounds, need surprisingly little exercise, while small terrier types can be hugely energetic, so make sure you can provide the space, time, and energy levels to handle it.

l Care: Some long hair breeds need regular grooming. Are hairs on the sofa ok? Can you afford a professional groomer? Would you be better with a short-hair breed?

l Children: 'Playful' dogs can be jumpy and yappy, especially around children. Are your kids old enough to help with walking and caring for the pet? Do you have a constant flow of visitors? How will the dog cope?

l Work: If you work long hours, or travel frequently, it's really unfair leaving a dog alone, or constantly kennelling it. Consider a cat who is self-contained, or a goldfish instead.
'For a long time the plan has been beset by problems that are often too complicated for ordinary people to engage with' (stock photo)

Broadband is our version of Brexit. It's a major mess and will cost billions to fix - but we have to accept the deal on the table or live with the 'dark-age' consequences of no deal.

The issue of broadband infrastructure has been examined as far back as the late 1990s with various governments commissioning reports.

They generally reached the obvious conclusions that there was a deficit of broadband in the regions outside of Dublin which affected enterprise development, including foreign direct investment.

However, filling that gap in the market wouldn't be straight-forward. State intervention would be necessary to avoid the creation of a digital divide.

Ultimately, Fine Gael and Labour made the key move by announcing a National Broadband Plan (NBP) built on a very simple premise: provide high-speed internet access all over Ireland, through a combination of commercial and State-led investment.

As the years rolled on, the 'intervention area' was narrowed down to 540,000 premises, 1.1 million people, 68pc of the country's farms, around 600 schools, and more than 44,000 businesses.

Former minister Denis Naughten was fond of reminding people that the NBP "will be the most significant investment in rural Ireland since electrification".

But for a long time the plan has been beset by problems that are often too complicated for ordinary people to engage with.

First there was the decision to hive off 300,000 homes and businesses seen as more commercially viable. Telecoms company Eir got the go-ahead to service these properties before pulling out of the bidding for the wider contract last January.

Eir told the Department of Communications it was pulling out because of "a range of commercial, regulatory and governance issues" and "based upon the significant commercial issues and complexity within the tender process, together with growing uncertainty on a range of regulatory and pricing issues".

Another bidder, Siro, said while it shared the Government's ambition to reverse the digital divide, it could not develop a "competitive business case to justify continued participation" in the NBP process.

That left Granahan McCourt, whose consortium has significantly changed in composition since the beginning of the process. Meetings between its boss, David McCourt, and the ex-minister led to Mr Naughten's resignation in October and ploughed the NPB into even more controversy.

In the background, concerns are growing that the 500m price tag could balloon to as much as 3bn and it has been claimed by some that uptake will be nothing like what the Government expects.

Meanwhile, back in rural Ireland residents just want broadband - and with an election likely in the next 12 months, politicians are desperate to give it to them.
A cargo ship on Friday rescued a British sailor after a violent storm ripped off her mast and flung her yacht end over end in the Southern Ocean as she competed in a solo round-the-world race.

Handout picture released by the Chilean Navy's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre (MRCC CHILE) showing the moment in which British yachtswoman Susie Goodall is being rescued by the Hong Kong-flagged vessel Tian Fu in Chilean jurisdiction waters in the Southern Ocean, after coordination between the MRCC, agencies and vessels, on December 7, 2018 a day after her yacht DHL Starlight was dismasted while on the Golden Globe Race. The 40,000 tonne Tian Fu with Goodall on board, is expected to dock in Punta Arenas, in southern Chile, on December 12. [Photo: AFP/Chile's Maritime Rescue Coordination Centre]

British sailor Susie Goodall tweeted "ON THE SHIP!!!" soon after the Hong Kong-registered MV Tian Fu arrived at her location. The cargo vessel had been traveling from China to Argentina when it diverted to reach her.

Race officials have been in regular radio contact with the 29-year-old Goodall, who lost her mast 2,000 miles (3,200 kilometers) west of Cape Horn near the southern tip of South America.

Her rescue unfolded early Friday, when the Tian Fu found Goodall an hour before daylight. In a message to race officials at 1115 GMT (5:15 a.m. EST), she confirmed that she had sighted the Tian Fu and that sea swells were up to 4 meters (13 feet) high.

Those conditions make a rescue more difficult, said Paul Owen of the International Federation of Shipmasters' Associations.

"It's not a very hospitable place," said Owen, a former captain.

But that was only the beginning of her troubles Friday. Goodall's engine failed and could not be restarted, limiting her ability to maneuver. Without an engine, her stricken yacht, the DHL Starlight, had to drift with its sea anchor before the master of the MV Tian Fu could maneuver the 40,000 ton cargo ship alongside it.

Goodall was the youngest entrant and the only woman in the Golden Globe competition that began July 1 in Les Sables-d'Olonne, France. Only five of the 18 skippers who began the race still remain. They are trying to sail roughly 30,000 miles (48,280 kilometers) alone, nonstop and without outside assistance before returning to the same French port.
'Given the size and length of the contract  a 25-year deal that will result in the bidder owning the network in the end  the Government has to be able to stand over every provision of it' (stock photo)

While pundits, politicians and rival telecoms firms lobby for their preferred outcome, a million people in Ireland's broadband dead zones are asking one thing - when will we get clarity on an outcome, one way or the other?

Having nominally been given the go-ahead by the Smyth audit report, the next thing the National Broadband Plan (NBP) will see is a Government decision on proceeding with the remaining bidder to a contract stage.

Although there is only one company competing for that contract, the Government still says that going ahead with it is not a foregone conclusion.

Given the size and length of the contract - a 25-year deal that will result in the bidder owning the network in the end - the Government has to be able to stand over every provision of it. This is what it has been mostly doing for the last five months. A decision was expected before Christmas, but it may now be in January.

If the Government decides to proceed, the network pre-building process will start in earnest. A contract would be signed between the two parties within weeks and shovels into the ground would soon follow.

If that happens, it's possible we would see the first of the 540,000 homes connected by the end of 2019. The bulk of the remainder would then be hooked up in 2020 with most of the final batch done by the end of 2021. A few thousand will still likely be waiting until after that and might possibly be given a wireless broadband service instead of a fibre landline one.

Other than current political issues around the tender bid, there are other hurdles to overcome. A deal with Eir on access to its rural infrastructure still needs to be hammered out for large chunks of the State-backed rural service to be put in place.

Eir owns most of the rural infrastructure, including all the phone lines that currently service homes and businesses in towns and villages around the country.

The new NBP network has to be able to use some of it. But there's a stand-off going on over it.

Eir wants the going commercial rate, which has been in place since before the NBP was a thing. The bidder and the Government say that this is unrealistic and that a commercial rate isn't appropriate in the current context. The telecoms regulator, Comreg, might be asked to intervene.
You've heard of Murphy's Law - what can go wrong, will go wrong. But perhaps you haven't heard of O'Toole's Law - Murphy was an optimist. The National Broadband Plan (NBP) has operated under O'Toole's Law. Since 2012, every setback that could scupper provision of nationwide rural broadband has contrived to bedevil successive governments' false dawns.

The latest twist in the saga is that former communications minister Denis Naughten apparently acted appropriately in conducting 18 meetings, five dinners and nine phone conversations with the remaining bidder, Granahan McCourt. You don't need an independent assessor's report to reveal the official and ministerial desperation to keep any player at the table.

Auditor Peter Smyth's report highlights the vague looseness of departmental protocols in dealings with tendering, the weakness of reliance on the individuals' bona fides, and how Naughten resigning made the review academic anyway.

Broadband is the key to securing survival of rural enterprises and communities much more than retaining sub post offices, Garda stations, rural public transport or one-teacher primary schools.

Communications ministers are like 26A buses. There'll be another one coming along soon. Procuring cost-effective nationwide broadband is a one-off opportunity.

We've seven broadband providers in Ireland: Eir, Vodafone, Virgin Media, Sky Ireland, Pure Telecom, Ripple Communications and Digiweb - with an additional host of niche retail operators of ISP infrastructure and microwave broadband networks. The pace of technological development is so rapid that any single solution won't work. Instead, hybrid configurations of commercial fibre and wireless technology are required.

The insurmountable difficulty with delivering on Taoiseach Leo Varadkar's 'personal crusade' is that most of the players in the market aren't now involved in the ultimate consortium to deliver the NBP.

First the withdrawal of Siro. Their 450m joint venture between Vodafone and the ESB, established in 2015, plans to connect 450,000 customers with speeds of up to 1,000Mb per second, spread across 50 medium-sized towns. This represents a parallel universe to the NBP.

The subsequent departure of Eir from the NBP process signalled the death knell for a sustainable credible tendering competition. Facilitating their strategy to extricate 330,000 homes from the original NBP strategy favouring its own commercial roll-out scuppered Siro.

These departures effectively drove the taxpayer NBP exposure through the roof, by leaving it with only one putative operator.

But then even the remaining bid, which had the credibility of a consortium led by both Enet and SSE, proceeded to fall apart over the summer as the contractual deadline loomed.

First it was SSE, a publicly listed UK utility giant with massive automated billing systems. It has a significant foothold in the Irish electricity market through Airtricity.

But then the wholesale operator - and ISIF-owned - Enet itself disappeared from the final consortium, leaving us with the lead role of Granahan McCourt Capital.

All incumbents came to the same conclusion, that executing 110,000km of fibre-optic cable into the most remote parts of the country would cost in excess of 1.5bn, with no guarantee as to the number of customers taking up the service. They abandoned up to 10m each on wasted terminated tenders, rather than put good money after bad.

They concluded regulatory and governance criteria didn't provide a sustainable business case for shareholders. They can't all be wrong.

Despite having skin in the sector, they relinquished the opportunity to leverage their established networks of telecommunications assets into the NBP. We're expected to believe that a newcomer, with no market experience or synergies, could obtain value.

Dream on. This contradicts the original KPMG recommendations to the department as to procuring the optimal funding model and best value for money for taxpayers. The logical conclusion is that signing a contract with the only remaining bidder, with no significant assets-base in the sector, will mean higher taxpayer subsidies. The NBP, as currently stands, is a busted flush.

Current Communications Minister Richard Bruton will become the Comical Ali of communications unless he realises he should stop digging deeper in this futile hole. Reports that he's recommending Government to sign the contract in January, with the Granahan McCourt consortium, is seriously ill-advised. It's an open-ended blank cheque of behalf of taxpayers, without safety nets.

Meanwhile, ComReg fails to curb Eir's excessive connection charges to its ducts, poles and network; wholesale pricing inhibits others' investor roll-out.

Ireland isn't alone in struggling to provide broadband to the most remote corners of the country. EU states encounter roll-out delays and elusive 100pc availability.

The fundamentals of the NBP are dubiously utopian. Would anyone promise a dual-carriageway from Malin to Mizen Head? The era of universal service obligations, like a phone copper wire to every home from a monopoly provider, are gone. Political pipedream promises need to be retracted, especially on the basis of cost-free connections to users.

Britain introduced a subsidy scheme in 2010, whereby BT invested 1.7bn in rural broadband, where not commercially viable. The UK government recouped 258m when four million rural homes were connected over a six-year period. UK's Better Broadband Subsidy Scheme ensured householders and businesses wouldn't pay more initially than 400 to access basic broadband speeds of at least 2mb per second.

Government should swallow its pride and acknowledge that the NBP cannot deliver on its original objectives.

The options now are to re-open a tendering competition to entice back incumbents with scale; introduce subsidy schemes to the remotest users; or work with ComReg to devise a State roll-out of a publicly owned fibre and wireless network to run in parallel with the existing communications market. To proceed on the current track is doomed to failure. It's overly reliant on one fibre technology to deliver the necessary connectivity. It means excessive costs are related to the potential uptake. It could take up to a generation to deliver - and then be out of date.

There's never a wrong time to do the right thing.
International attention: Members of the media outside the BC Supreme Court bail hearing of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou yesterday, who was held on an extradition warrant in Vancouver Photo: Reuters

The high profile arrest in Canada of Meng Wanzhou, Huawei Technologies' chief financial officer and daughter of the founder of the Chinese telecom's giant, rocked markets this week.

The arrest at the request of the US - reportedly for alleged violations of US sanctions against Iran - caused outrage in China, which called for her immediate release.

In much of the world, the case has focused debate on Huawei and whether its links to the Chinese government and role in potentially sensitive data and communications flows poses a security threat.

In the UK BT pulled Huawei equipment from the core of a British mobile network this week, while the US, Australia and New Zealand, whose national security services share intelligence, have banned Huawei from providing 5G equipment. The head of Britain's MI6 said this week the UK must decide whether to follow suit.

There are no restrictions in Ireland and neither the Department of Communications nor ComReg, the regulator, would comment on whether they have concerns.

Huawei is active here. It is working with Eir on rolling out a mobile network, providing equipment designed to provide the link between phones and the so-called core network, which is being provided by Ericsson.

Siro - owned by ESB and Vodafone - also signed a deal with Huawei to work on a fibre broadband project.

Eir told the Irish Independent that the security of its network is "paramount" but it has no concerns about working with Huawei. "We would not have selected Huawei if we believed there was any risk for our customers," a spokesman said.

Siro declined to comment.

Meanwhile, Meng Wanzhou's arrest has big implications, coming at a sensitive time in US-China trade talks. Huawei is one of China's most iconic brands and the key to President Xi Jinping's plans to dominate new technologies such as 5G networks.

"The detention of Huawei's CFO is not an accidental incident and will cast a shadow over the trade talks, but both sides will work hard to avert that bad influence," said Wei Jianguo, former vice minister of commerce and now a vice chairman of the China Centre for International Economic Exchanges.

"The negotiation between Chinese and US working groups is going smoothly, and actually much better than people outside expected."

On the other hand, bureaucrats who were more involved with national security view things differently. In their eyes, Xi caved too much and ended up looking weak to the public. The Huawei arrest was just another tactic by the US to gain even more leverage, they say, and China should fight back with measures that hurt American companies.

One official mentioned being personally angry because Huawei is a point of national pride for the Chinese people, and keeping the issue separate from trade talks with the US would be difficult even if top leaders wanted to.

Chinese officials have reason to worry about a public backlash. In the 1990s, Premier Zhu Rongji was criticised by an increasingly nationalist public after returning empty handed from trade talks with the Clinton administration.

Publicly, at least, China is keeping the issues separate.

It's unclear if China will take a more fervent stance now that Xi has arrived back in Beijing.

For several days after his meeting with Trump, the bureaucracy was stuck waiting for him to return, uncertain of what exactly was decided during his meeting with Mr Trump at the G20 in Argentina.
In 1983, critic Roger Ebert interviewed Matt Dillon at the apex of his teen-idol celebrity. The 18-year-old had just made a hit of Francis Ford Coppola's The Outsiders, luring in hordes of hyperventilating female fans. Ebert found him puffing on a cigarette, in a leather jacket, in Santa Fe's old town square. With his brooding, all-American sex appeal, Dillon could hardly avoid the comparisons to James Dean that were falling all about him, from Ebert and everyone else.

Dean died at 24, of course, and we'll never know what stamp he'd have placed on films into later adulthood. His could have been a Brando-esque trajectory of blazing highs and wasteful, wilderness stretches, or a diligent but stalled career, more like Montgomery Clift's. Or it could have been like Dillon's, which seemed to plateau early - to settle into a wandering mode, as if he weren't quite sure that the promised peaks of megastardom were worth ascending.

Not even Brando took a role as extreme as Dillon's latest. In Lars von Trier's The House that Jack Built, he plays Jack, a serial killer, whose hideous exploits - slaying every female character, along with several children - we follow over 12 gruelling years. The film's five chapters (or "randomly selected incidents", none cheery) tot up to a highly sarcastic self-critique on von Trier's part, before an epilogue set in Hell.

Unveiled in Cannes this May, it burned all the more brightly for being thrust, by and large, into a critical inferno. Untouchable pariah, dead-of-night cult shocker, or however we wanted to receive it, the film went straight into hiding, before its resurrection now in a cinema uncomfortably near you. "Crucified in Cannes, back for Christmas!" exclaims the distributor's own gleeful marketing campaign.

If it's hard to imagine seeing it without red-alert caution - amid all the ghoulishly comic set pieces, a nadir is reached when the victim played by Riley Keough has her breast sliced off - imagine choosing to star in it. At 54 and still one of the most handsome men in movies, Dillon settles in to explain himself across an outdoor table in Cannes with that spookily deep, whispery voice of his.

"Before this film, most of my feelings about Lars came from the films I'd seen. My first sighting was a movie of his called Europa" - von Trier's fidgety, Kafkaesque noir from 1991 - "then the next thing was Breaking the Waves. I had friends who spoke very glowingly of him, like Stellan Skarsgard. And then you hear stuff about people - the whole thing that happened in Cannes seven years ago."

He's referring to the notorious press conference for Melancholia in 2011, when von Trier's garbled claim to "understand Hitler" before joking "Okay, I am a Nazi," sent the gathered press corps into conniptions. The director was banned from the festival, until this year's Jack premiere. Dillon says he "didn't really spend much time dwelling on" that earlier furore before accepting the role. "My impression before meeting him was that he'd be incredibly heavy, and serious, and not funny, which couldn't be further from the truth," he says. "He's really witty, and very sweet."

The Jack script came to his door in the usual way. "I thought it was unique. Disturbing, but paradoxically really funny in places, too. I was in Italy, reading it, and I started laughing, and my girlfriend" - he's been dating the ballerina and actress Roberta Mastromichele since 2014 - "asked why. I began to say, 'This script is really funny - this guy just ran a woman over with his van!' And then I was like, 'Oh forget it'." The internal tug-of-war went on. "I was predisposed to want to work with Lars, because he's such a gutsy film-maker. However" - and his gaze shifts inwards - "the subject. You know, I was concerned about that. The violence. How and why he wanted to do that."

Von Trier is never a cakewalk. He already gave us graphic sexual abasement in Breaking the Waves (1996), clitoridectomy with rusty scissors in Antichrist (2009), and all manner of extreme antics in Nymphomaniac (2013). But, even by his standards, the grisliness quotient of Jack is through the roof. Dillon says some of the tableaux, of dead children and so on, reminded him of the disturbing artworks of the Chapman brothers. It's also alone among von Trierian psychodramas in adopting the point of view of a dispassionate male perpetrator, rather than a female martyr.

"Lars said Jack was the closest character to himself," Dillon goes on. "Because a lot of the aspects of Jack - the OCD, the frustrated artist - that stuff is very personal to him, somehow. That's the stuff that kind of made me interested." Preparing for the role did not come easy. "It was challenging to stay inside the character without stepping out and judging him. I had my reservations especially the hunting scene with the family, and some of the stuff with Riley Keough's character. I literally was like, 'I don't know if I can do this'.

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"It was the psychological cruelty - I was afraid I would reject seeing myself do that. And a little bit of that is ego, you know. You don't want to be I don't know. I shouldn't say it's ego. Maybe it's just human."

Back in 2004, Paul Haggis's Oscar-winning Crash gave Dillon his most important role in years, as a racist cop, winning him a Best Supporting Actor nomination. But it is the scene in which he manually violates Thandie Newton's character while rescuing her from a car wreck that everyone remembers. Dillon walked out of the premiere at that point, and Newton has said she would have played things very differently if she'd been properly prepared for how far Haggis intended to go.

Still, it's easy for Dillon to draw a line between Officer John Ryan and Jack. "The character in Crash is not a complete sociopath - with Jack, you have to strip away feelings of empathy and remorse. He's like a person born without a leg - he's a sick person, he's damaged."

For all his qualms about committing to the film, Dillon has only positive words for von Trier's approach, especially the chances to play around - "to try something and fail", as he puts it - which he found liberating.

He's worked with one or two other auteurs - Coppola early on, Gus Van Sant twice - but there are many, many more Dillon films whose director you would struggle to name. Amid his 60-odd credits, there are comedies about layabouts, grungy heist movies, scenester romcoms. Was he happy, through those plateauing 1990s, with the quality of scripts coming his way?

"Not so much," he replies right away. "Listen, it was great to be working. There were things that I did that 11 people saw, like playing a homeless schizophrenic in some film. But there were lessons learned. And then I went and directed my own film at the end of that" - 2002's City of Ghosts, about an insurance scam in Cambodia - "and that was great. And it was fun to do comedies. You know, There's Something About Mary."

Dillon was involved with Cameron Diaz before making that career-reviving hit, but they broke up in 1998. He's said since in interviews that he's open to settling down and starting a family. But for an actor of his relative prominence, he's always managed to keep his private life impressively discreet. This connects with the reasons he got into acting in the first place - driven not out of exhibitionism, but rather by a desire to make stuff. "I don't have to be the centre of attention. Maybe I should have been more tactical, I don't know. I was just sort of responding to the opportunities that presented themselves."

Love the film or loathe it, a role like Jack doesn't come along more than once in a career, and feels almost comically incompatible with any long-since abandoned A-list game plan. "I remember naively saying to Lars one time - not naively, but it was more like the understatement of the day - 'You know, this Jack he's really a bad guy!' And he looked at me, deadpan, and said, 'You really cannot be worse than Jack'."
A music video from the artist A Girl Called She, aka singer songwriter Kelly Donnelly, is garnering traction online, attracting 3.3 million views on Facebook and over 160,000 views on YouTube, and has been shared by celebrities from Fearne Cotton to Holly Willougby, Angela Scanlon and Aisling Bea. Not bad for an independent artist without the backing of a major label.

What makes the video for the track I Am She remarkable is that it is, she claims, the first ever unblockable music video, using technology from censorship circumvention software tool, Lantern, which allows it to be viewed all over the world including in censored regions like Iran and Saudi Arabia. Given I Am Shes message of female empowerment, solidarity and strength, its an appropriate project to claim that first.

Kelly may be familiar to fans of noughties pop as Kelly Beckett, a member of Paradiso Girls, who were signed to Interscope Records. The group split in 2010 after six long years together, prompting a new phase for Kelly.

When the band didnt work out, to be honest I was burnt out. I was super happy for the experience and opportunity I had been given but I was ready to do something else, she says.

Its hard being in a manufactured band. You don't get any say in the songs you sing or what you want to wear or sometimes even your own opinion on things. It can feel very suffocating. After the whole experience I thought was done with music. I just wanted a break. I hated how the industry worked and treated women.

Originally from Nottingham in England, Kelly was now based in LA and worked in TV presenting for a time. She got married, to LA-based Navan man Niall Donnelly six years ago (when they initially met in London his words to her were, Im a cheeky Irish fecker, let me take you out sometime  she could not resist!) and it was when she became pregnant with their son Wilde (named after Oscar) that Kelly began to contemplate making music again.

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I've said this before but I honestly believe his birth was my rebirth. Being a mother gave me the confidence to go back into music. I thought to myself, if I can grow a human inside me then anything else is achievable, she reveals.

I also started to look at the world differently. I wanted music I could relate to as a 37-year-old woman and mother, that spoke to me and the thoughts and feelings I had, thats not necessarily about going out to the club, or boyfriends and breaks-ups. I couldn't find what I was looking for so I decided to make it myself.

Kelly wrote I Am She with her friend and writer/producer Joe Janiak when Wilde was just six months old. She wanted to write a song to celebrate women and mothers, in particular.

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I think the patriarchy's view on strength is often seen as physical. But I just thought to myself I'm surrounded by all these awesome women growing little humans inside them and raising the future. We are warriors as well. We have an inner resilience and power that often goes unnoticed. I wanted to highlight that, she says.

I wanted to give women and mothers an anthem that they could play on their way to work or the school run that would make them not only do some cheeky fist pump in the air but remind them that they are enough. We are all in this together and doing our best.

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She found out she was pregnant with their second child before shooting the video for I Am She, and motherhood has given her a different perspective.

Little things like what would people think about me no longer bothered me. That's why I thought f**k it. I'm 37, a mother, I still am relevant and I should be able to sing songs that are relevant to me and other women. So that's what gave me the confidence to go ahead with the project. And the response from women around the world has been overwhelming. So I know I have made the right choice.

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A friend of Kelly and Nialls, LA-based Irish director Stevie Russell, came up with the concept for the video. Kelly gave him free rein but had one request  that he use real women of all sizes, ages and colours and not to airbrush anybody.

While its not about bashing men, she says it is a reaction to MeToo and Times Up; How could it not be? she says. While she has never had anything crazy happen to her in the music industry she says, I always felt like sexism was just accepted as part of my job. We had to just shut up and be grateful for the opportunity. The music industry is run by men so I feel if more women were record execs or had positions of power within the industry then that boys' club attitude would have to change.

However, she feels positive about the future and making change, and references Ireland voting to repeal the Eighth Amendment earlier this year as an example of progress.

I felt so proud of Ireland earlier this year for people using their voices and votes to repeal the Eighth. This is a major achievement for the country. It shows young women and girls that they have a choice over their own bodies, she says. My Irish friends were buzzing after the results and it has prompted them to carry on the conversation about gender equality and intersectionality discrimination as a whole, which can only be a good thing.
Shock: Martina Fitzgerald has been replaced as RTE's Political Correspondent after five years in the role based in Leinster House. Photo: Damien Eagers / INM

Cabinet Minister Mary Mitchell OConnor has said she is very disappointed and annoyed over RTEs decision to replace Martina Fitzgerald as one of the stations political correspondents.

In a message posted on Twitter, Ms OConnor said one of the most high profile women in media had been taken out. She described Ms Fitzgerald as professional to her finger tips.

The ministers comments came after the Irish Independent revealed how the decision to replace Ms Fitzgerald as political correspondent had shocked the journalists colleagues.

Ms Fitzgerald will continue working as a journalist for RTE News, an RTE spokesman said.

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However, a senior source said: "There is really big shock in RTE and there is huge sympathy for Martina."

Another senior source at the broadcaster said people have been left "stunned" by news Ms Fitzgerald will no longer be a political correspondent.

Ms Fitzgerald has been the face of RTEs political coverage on the Six One News for the last five years.

She spent recent weeks promoting her bestselling book Madam Politician, which charts the plight of women who ran for election in Ireland. She has also be an outspoken advocate for gender pay equality.

Under a deal agreed by RTE unions, correspondence positions are reviewed every five years.

After her first term as a political correspondent, Ms Fitzgerald recently reapplied for the job.

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Mr Cunningham also applied for the job which was advertised internally as an open competition.

RTE released a statement yesterday announcing Mr Cunninghams appointment as political correspondent. The statement did not mention Ms Fitzgerald.

Mr Cunningham is an award-winning journalist who has been working in RTE for 25 years. He previously held the positions of environment and Europe correspondent.

Ms Fitzgerald was one of the leading voices in RTE during last years controversy surrounding claims of a gender pay gap among staff working at the station.

If prominent women in the industry I work in can trigger a wider public and long overdue debate  and affect change  then by our actions other women may also benefit. This is irrespective of what industry they are employed in, she wrote.

She was writing after it emerged there was a significant difference in pay paid to former RTE Six One co-hosts Bryan Dobson and Sharon Ni Bheolain. The controversy resulted in a gender pay review of RTE staff salaries.

When contacted for comment, an RTE spokesperson said: "Martina Fitzgerald will continue reporting as a journalist for RTE News."

An RTE spokesperson added the station would not be responding to the ministers comments.

Ms Fitzgerald did not respond to requests for comment.
Netflix has not just taken over the online world - it's now infiltrating the traditional mainstream channels, including that bastion of highmindedness, the BBC.

But why has BBC4 opted to screen the Netflix mystery drama, The Sinner, on Saturday nights? Time was when this two-hour slot was reserved for exciting European series such as Wallander, The Killing, The Bridge, Borgen, Beck, Spiral and Inspector Montalbano. So have all these engrossing imports suddenly dried up?

And if BBC4 is making a pact with Netflix, why the first season of The Sinner, (which had already proved hugely popular with Netflix subscribers) rather than some of Netflix's lesser-known dramas, such as the French-made Call My Agent, which is both witty and engrossing and, indeed, more in tune with BBC4's Eurocentric values?

The Sinner is American, and its first season featured moderately big Hollywood stars in Jessica Biel as a young woman accused of a senseless murder and Bill Pullman as the investigating detective. But crucially, this first season wasn't very good, its intriguing storyline gradually undone by revelations and plot twists that, for me anyway, became increasingly far-fetched.

Indeed, BBC4 might have been better advised to buy the second season, which is currently being screened on Netflix and which, from the four episodes I've seen, is a good deal more persuasive than the first season.

Jessica Biel no longer features (though she's still an executive producer), but the basic set-up is absorbing, with 13-year-old Julian accused of murdering his parents until it turns out they weren't his parents at all, but rather two inhabitants of the cultist rural commune in which he has raised.

Playing the same detective as before, Pullman reprises his hangdog, sheepish and somewhat mannered performance and there are too many flashbacks to his own traumatised childhood, and also too many flashbacks to the past life of co-detective Heather.

But, as played by Natalie Paul, she's a striking presence and there are arresting performances, too, from Tracy Letts as her father and from Carrie Coon (so good in the last season of Fargo) as the cult leader who claims to be Julian's mother.

Maybe it will all go pear-shaped by the end (binge watchers will already know), but if you don't have Netflix, you can find out for yourself when BBC4 gets around to screening it in a year or so.

Netflix is also screening an intriguing eight-episode Polish drama, 1983, which posits the notion that after a series of atrocities that year in Warsaw, Gdansk and Krakow, the country has become a totalitarian state, with its own Big Brothers still enforcing the law two decades later.

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There are those who will argue that, with the far right in the ascendant, this historically distressful country is actually lurching that way again, but here it's presented as an awful warning, with wearily sceptical cop Anatol suspecting there's more to the apparent suicides of radical young people than officialdom decrees.

"Excessive curiosity won't get you far in this country," he drily acknowledges and at the end of the first episode, thugs have beaten him up and dragged him off. But the scene has been evocatively set for a dystopian drama that looks to be worth following. Elsewhere, The Little Drummer Girl (BBC1) ended less than convincingly, but that had quite a lot to do with the basic premise in John le Carre's original novel, which asked you to believe that a callow young London actress would consent to infiltrating a group of Palestinian terrorists as they embarked on a lethal mission against the West.

All praise, then, to the marvellous Florence Pugh, who actually had you wondering whether she'd gone over to the other side, though I was less impressed by Alexander Skarsgard's attempt at smouldering taciturnity as her minder and by Michael Shannon's showy but uninteresting turn as their Mossad boss. Charles Dance, though, was at his withering best as the British spymaster who'd seen it all before.

The second episode of Death and Nightingales, which ends its RTE run on Monday night (Wednesday night on BBC2), continued to be a very slow burner. It took about three minutes for Billy Winters' horse and carriage to get up the driveway to his house, while Beth spent the same length of time grinding the potion that would put him to sleep - and was still at it after the ad break.

But the dialogue, when the characters finally got round to it, was often good, and politically pertinent, too. Much of it was given to Winters, who told a conniving Catholic bishop: "You don't need whiskey, you're so intoxicated with yourself."

As played by Matthew Rhys, Winters emerged here as a sadder and more sympathetic character than he'd seemed in the first episode, while Ann Skelly continued to hold the viewer as stepdaughter Beth. Don't expect a happy ending, though.

Gun No 6 (BBC2) traced the lethal movement of a 9mm automatic from its shell casings. The gun was involved in 11 shootings in England, and we heard from the survivors and relatives of victims. Former criminals also re-enacted some of the shootings, the first of which happened outside a Birmingham nightclub.

More than a decade later, the weapon was still being passed around for other perpetrators to use. The film made for chilling viewing.

When Acceptable Risk, starring Elaine Cassidy, was shown on RTE last year, I thought it codswallop. Now the Universal channel has taken it up and is currently screening it, so what do I know?
'The airline has agreed to make a donation of 25,000 to charity on behalf of staff after a meeting with its group of unions' (stock photo)

Aer Lingus has apologised to staff following claims they stole millions of euro worth of goods from the airline, customers and colleagues.

The airline has agreed to make a donation of 25,000 to charity on behalf of staff after a meeting with its group of unions.

Chief executive Stephen Kavanagh and his senior executive team issued an apology and expressed their regret for the hurt and upset caused.

The apology comes after a memo from chief operating officer Mike Rutter informed staff that random security patrols and CCTV monitoring were being rolled out.

He said a bigger investment in security was needed following the loss of "many millions of euro" every year due to stock losses.

The memo also said police and federal law enforcement authorities in the US were called in to investigate a number of "serious issues" in recent months.

Staff were told CCTV cameras are being installed in Terminal Two at Dublin Airport and a security company hired to monitor them in break areas, as well as carts used to store duty free goods.

"Guest property and company stock losses remain at levels significantly above the industry norms despite investment in new technologies and inventory management processes," he said.

Mr Rutter said a small percentage of employees were behaving in an unacceptable way.

In a statement, the airline said a meeting was called to discuss serious concerns arising from an article that appeared in the 'Sunday Independent' last week.

"The CEO acknowledged that Aer Lingus workers had been subject to hurtful and demeaning comments over the course of the last week and sincerely regretted the upset that had been caused," said the airline's statement.

It said Mr Kavanagh appreciated and respected the "continued professionalism of colleagues in the delivery of excellent service and their continued hard work and dedication".

"Aer Lingus further committed to working closely with colleagues and its representative trade unions in line with our policies, procedures and processes to address all issues of concern," it said.

"Aer Lingus at all levels throughout the organisation commits to encouraging the highest workplace standards through its policies, processes and communications.

"In the spirit of this statement, Aer Lingus will make a donation on behalf of staff of 25,000 split equally between their chosen charities, Pieta House and Focus Ireland."

During the week, an Aer Lingus spokesperson had stated the level of theft at the airline was "above the industry norms".

She said more serious issues called for the involvement of law enforcement agencies.

The airline believes a "tiny cohort" of staff are involved, but would not specify how many.

"However, we would not be pursuing the issue if the effect was small," she said.
Purrfect pets: Animal carer Colm O'Donoghue with some of the kittens available at the DSPCA in Dublin. Photo: Steve Humphreys

It was a long, hot summer - and it left Irish cats feline just fine.

The Dublin Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (DSPCA) said it has an unprecedented number of cats and kittens thanks to our long summer and the mild weather since then.

More than 100 kittens and cats are in the DSPCA shelter in Rathfarnham today - twice the number it'd normally have at this time - and the charity is appealing for people to foster them over Christmas.

"We would normally see our last batch of kittens in August and September, but we're getting them right up to December this year," spokeswoman Gillian Bird said. "Apart from the snow, we had a mild spring, a very warm summer and a long stretch of mild weather which is stretching into Christmas.

"This unusual weather has confused Irish cats. They normally mate in the spring time, when other animals are mating and giving birth.

"We would often laugh at people coming up to us in December saying they wanted a white kitten. Now we have lots of white kittens."

For anybody interested in fostering or adopting a cat, please contact foster@dspca.ie on email.
Dublin City Council were forced to clarify the validity of a series of letters after correspondence asking people to allow contractors into their homes sparked a 'frenzy'.

Ballymun Councillor Noeleen Reilly said that the letters, asking people to allow contractors into their homes, sparked concern after a number of people claimed they were fradulent online.

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The letters, which had the Dublin City Council (DCC) logo at the top, asked tenants to allow contractors into their homes to examine if any upgrades needed to be carried out.

"The letters are being sent out to the 25,000 Dublin City Council tenants because they need to do surveys on the properties to ensure they are in line with EU standards," Cllr Reilly told Independent.ie.

"The letter could have been more professional. I think it was just photocopied and hand delivered.

"I raised it at the Dublin City Council meeting on Monday because a lot of residents were quite concerned about it and we were told that it is legitimate but the council will be re-issuing the letter so it looks more professional.

"It's not common practice but they have been doing it across Dublin. A lot of the properties have already been done and the contractors are looking at heating systems, boilers, insulation, all that sort of stuff.

"It is important that they gain access to the homes because if there is work needed, then people might miss out, but people need to be re-assured about who they are letting into their home, especially at this time of year because there is always an increase in burglaries."

She added; "There is a bit of a frenzy online about whether the letters are real or not and one woman said she rang DCC and they didn't confirm that the letter was real.

"I'd be surprised if staff in local offices didn't know that this was happening. It just got shared off someone's page and people became alarmed.

"People should always look for ID before they allow people into their homes and ring DCC if they have any concerns."

In a statement, Dublin City Council confirmed that the letters are genuine.

"Dublin City Council have employed Survey Contractors to assess the condition of our Housing Stock (26,000 units) over the last number of months. To date we have carried out 16,000 such surveys.

"Written notification is sent to each resident, prior to the survey being carried out. The notice (shared on social media) is one of same and is genuine.

"The work is being carried out by seven contractors. All staff employed by the contractor carry identification credentials and must present ID before entering anybodys home."

DCC said that appointments can be made to have this survey carried out at a time that suits the residents by phoning Dublin City Council Housing Maintenance on T. 2222191.

"It is now our intention to allay any fears this may have caused by clarifying this on our social media channels and website," the DCC added.
'Mr Kearney questioned Mr O'Brien about the three accidents he had failed to disclose, one of which involved his mother in 2009 in which she, as the driver, had blamed one of her high heels having become trapped under a mat for causing that rear-ending accident' (stock photo)

First his mother's high heels and then, six years later, his sister's high heels contributed to rear-ending accidents that resulted in injuries to their son and brother, a court has been told.

John O'Brien Jnr, of Ballyogan Drive, Carrickmines, Dublin, alleged in a 60,000 damages claim against his sister Stephanie O'Brien, of Old Church Crescent, Clondalkin, Dublin, and her insurer AXA that he injured his right arm and back when her car rear-ended another at Ballinteer Roundabout.

When cross-examined by barrister Conor Kearney, counsel for AXA and his sister, Mr O'Brien told the Circuit Civil Court he had been involved in a previous accident in 2011 but failed - as outlined by Mr Kearney - to disclose three other accidents for which he had received compensation.

In the accident on February 13, 2015, in Ballinteer involving his sister's car, the defendant Ms O'Brien told Circuit Court President Mr Justice Raymond Groarke that she had been wearing high-heel shoes.

Her foot had slipped off the pedal, causing her to rear-end another car.

Mr Kearney questioned Mr O'Brien about the three accidents he had failed to disclose, one of which involved his mother in 2009 in which she, as the driver, had blamed one of her high heels having become trapped under a mat for causing that rear-ending accident.

The court heard there were five occupants in Ms O'Brien's car at Ballinteer roundabout on February 13, 2015.

All of them had made personal injury claims, although occupants of the car that had been rear-ended had not made any personal injury claims.

At the end of the evidence given by O'Brien and his sister, Mr Kearney, who appeared with Delahunty O'Connor Solicitors for AXA, applied to have Mr O'Brien's claim dismissed on the basis that he had mislead the court.

Mislead

Judge Groarke said Mr O'Brien had purposely sought to mislead both the court and the defence.

He had claimed to have "an appalling bad memory" with regard to his claims history.

"I don't believe him for a minute," Judge Groarke added.

The judge said Mr O'Brien had a duty and obligation to be truthful.

He saw no injustice in dismissing his claim and awarding costs against him in favour of the defence.
The jury in the defamation action by former junior minister Paudie Coffey against a newspaper has been sent home until Tuesday.

It followed five hours of deliberation and Mr Justice Bernard Barton's direction that the jury could reach a majority verdict of not less than 9-3.

The case, which has taken place over 12 days, centres on the 'Kilkenny People's use of a press release from Mr Coffey's Fine Gael Carlow-Kilkenny colleague John Paul Phelan TD in January 2016.

Mr Coffey was a Waterford TD and junior environment minister at the time and he claims the article was a major factor in him losing his Dail seat over a month later.

The press release was issued in an ongoing dispute about a commission which was looking at moving the administrative boundary of Waterford into Kilkenny, a highly contentious issue among south Kilkenny people, the court heard.

The release said Mr Coffey had been "banding together" with then environment minister Alan Kelly to commit "daylight robbery".

It then stated there was an 18th-century highwayman in Waterford called "Crotty the Robber" and now "Coffey the Robber was trying to do the very same".

The newspaper based an article almost 90pc on the press release and headlined it "Coffey the Robber".

Mr Coffey claims this was defamatory.

Iconic Newspapers, publishers of the 'Kilkenny People', and the journalist who wrote the story, Sam Matthews, deny the claims.

Mr Matthews told the High Court this week that the reference to the 18th-century highwayman was a "colourful allusion" in the context of an ongoing debate about a contentious issue.

Sending the jury home, Mr Justice Barton said they could go straight back into deliberations when they return and hopefully reach a conclusion on Tuesday.
Officials are considering whether the Garda Commissioner and State should appeal the outcome of convicted murderer Graham Dwyer's High Court action.

The Department of Justice has confirmed to the Irish Independent advice is being sought from the Attorney General about a potential appeal.

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Dwyer's bid to overturn his conviction for the 2012 murder of childcare worker Elaine O'Hara received a boost when the court ruled on Thursday that legislation used by gardai to obtain his mobile phone data contravened EU law.

The judgment could have ramifications not just for the Dwyer appeal but other cases and ongoing investigations. Legislation is being prepared to replace the struck down law, but it will not be ready until some time next year.

Gardai are anxious the new legislation is introduced as soon as possible to provide certainty for investigators.

"We are operating in a vacuum at the moment. That is not a good place to be," a senior source said.

Mr Justice Tony O'Connor found a section of the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011, under which gardai could request telecommunications data from service providers, contravened EU law and the European Convention on Human Rights. The judge found the regime was general and indiscriminate, not subject to prior review by a court, and lacked adequate legislative safeguards against abuse.

In a statement, the department said: "The judgment of the High Court in this case is lengthy and detailed and it raises a number of complex legal issues that will require detailed consideration.

"The question of an appeal is a matter that will be considered based on the advice of the Attorney General."

Should the ruling be appealed, potentially to the Supreme Court, it would delay Dwyer's conviction appeal.

The department said the ruling had to be studied before new legislation is finalised.

It is thought that in a best case scenario, the legislation would be ready early in the new year.

Mr Justice O'Connor's ruling does not automatically mean trials will collapse or that convictions will be quashed.

While it does boost one of Dwyer's grounds of appeal, it is unlikely to have a decisive impact on his appeal.

Legal experts believe evidence obtained under the 2011 Act will still be deemed admissible in the Dwyer case as gardai collected it in good faith under the law that operated at the time.

However, cases where data was accessed by gardai after a 2017 report to the Government by former Chief Justice John Murray - which warned the data retention legislation was in breach of EU law - could be open to challenge.

Gardai feel the potential for appeals is less of a concern than the potential impact on current investigations while a legislative vacuum exists.

Under the 2011 Act, service providers were required to retain internet data for one year and telephone and mobile data for two years.

The proposed new legislation would require a service provider to retain all subscriber data for 12 months. It proposes an application would have to be made to a judge for authorisation before a disclosure request could be made to a service provider.

The Irish Human Rights and Equality Commission said yesterday that enhanced safeguards would "bolster public confidence in investigations and the wider criminal justice system".

In a statement it said: "Legally robust safeguards will bolster the use of communications data evidence in criminal trials, enhance protections for victims, and mitigate the risk of miscarriages of justice."
A student who sued after he was burned when he sat on a bucket of freshly discarded hot oil from the Chinese takeaway he worked in has settled his High Court action.

Fine arts student Umesh Maharjan suffered devastating injuries when the oil splashed on his back and arm, the court heard. He was in excruciating pain and has been left with "grossly disfiguring" scars.

Mr Maharjan, who is originally from Kathmandu in Nepal, was working in the Rathnew Chinese Takeaway in Wicklow to finance his degree.

His counsel Declan Doyle SC said he was taking a break at the back of the premises where plastic buckets were kept. Somebody had put hot cooking oil from a deep-fat fryer in a bucket and when Mr Maharjan sat on it, the lid gave way and he collapsed backwards. The oil spilled over his back and left arm.

Counsel said he suffered life-changing injuries and had extensive burns. Colleagues, he said, helped and put water and some ice on the affected areas and Mr Maharjan was taken to hospital. Mr Maharjan (29), of Dock Road, Limerick, sued Rathnew Restaurant and Takeaway Ltd as a result of the accident on August 21, 2015.

Mr Justice Michael Hanna was told the issue of liability had been withdrawn in the case and it was before the court for assessment of damages only.

Following talks yesterday, Mr Doyle said the case had been settled and could be struck out.
North Kerry is no stranger to great tragedies inexplicably woven from the most minor of local disputes and feuds.

This, after all, is where abundant inspiration was provided over the decades for writers such as John B Keane and Bryan MacMahon.

North Kerry is where 'The Field' was born before being brought to an international audience by Hollywood.

Tragedies linked to feuds over politics, land and affairs of the heart are part and parcel of an area that boasts a mystique all of its own. Yet the killing of farmer Anthony O'Mahony (74) on April 4, 2017 outside Ballyduff stands somehow apart.

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The fact the highly respected horticultural farmer died following a dispute over the noise created by something as trivial as a crowbanger stretched credibility beyond belief.

The horrific manner of how he died - impaled on the prongs of a teleporter driven into his car by fellow farmer Michael Ferris (63) - made the tragedy all the harder to comprehend for locals.

Last October, a Kerry jury acquitted Mr Ferris of the murder but convicted him of Mr O'Mahony's manslaughter by a 10-2 majority verdict after almost five hours of deliberation.

Mr O'Mahony died within sight of Rattoo Tower and the prime land he turned over decades into a renowned horticultural enterprise.

Mr Ferris farmed locally and likewise woke up each morning to the sight of the famous north Kerry tower.

Over the years, Rattoo has seen its share of tragedies from Viking and Norman raids right through to the savagery with which the Civil War was fought in Kerry.

But the iconic landmark, which dates back to the 10th century, never witnessed anything as bizarre as the row which led to two highly respected farmers and pillars of the community falling out to the point where one killed the other in a row about a crowbanger.

Both men were so adept at farming, so dedicated to working the land and proud of their community, they should by any logic have been friends and colleagues.

Mr O'Mahony, an unmarried man hailed by locals as "a genius" in the tillage farming sector, had worked a holding that surrounded Rattoo Tower.

Just days before his killing, he had arranged for the ploughing of his land which swept around the tower in preparation for the coming season. But it was a harvest he would not live to see.

He died on his way to check his holding, his vehicle rammed by the pronged agri-machine driven by Mr Ferris.

The fatal confrontation followed an increasingly bitter dispute over the noise created by a crowbanger on Mr O'Mahony's land. Ballyduff village lies just 2km away.

Even now, more than 18 months since the tragedy, locals remain deeply shocked and incredulous by what happened. Most don't like commenting for fear of offending either of the two families.

At the time, retired teacher Maurice O'Connor explained that in a tight-knit area like Ballyduff, it was a tragedy that affected the entire community.

"People just cannot believe that something like this could have happened here," he said. "It is a tragedy for everyone."

"The community remains in shock," local priest Fr Brendan Walsh explained last year.

Both Mr O'Mahony and Mr Ferris were described by other locals as pillars of the local community. The two men were regulars at Mass and were staunch supporters of local community events.

Mr Ferris was renowned for his willingness to help others - often halting his own work to help a neighbour in need.

"He is a mighty man for work - and he couldn't do enough for his neighbours. That's the kind of man he is," explained another local, who asked not to be named.

Mr O'Mahony, whose brother Seamus and sister Angela both live locally, was described as the "go to man" for advice on anything of a horticultural farming nature.

He had attended Warrenstown Agricultural College and had initially begun his farming career by producing tomatoes.

Mr O'Mahony later branched into vegetables before focussing on the production of corn for which he became renowned across Munster.

Locals described him as "single-minded" and stubborn if he believed he was correct over something.

Seamus O'Mahony stressed the 74-year-old's life passion was his farming work.
Image of some of the seized drugs

Specialist detectives were last night examining whether two of the countrys most prolific drugs gangs have joined forces after the seizure of 2.8m worth of cocaine and 800,000 of cannabis in separate but linked busts on Thursday night.

The drugs were planned to be distributed for the lucrative Christmas-time market but have been taken off the streets by a massive intelligence-led operation by the Drugs and Organised Crime Bureau (DOCB).

Ironically both of the targeted gangs have a base in Co Meath but are heavily connected to the north Dublin gangland scene and are involved in separate nationwide drugs trafficking enterprises.

It wont be a white Christmas for a few fellas now, a source said last night, referring to the massive cocaine bust  one of the biggest of the year.

The DOCB seized 35kg of cocaine worth 2.8m when it intercepted a handover of the drugs between two cars in a car park in Liffey Valley at around 7.10pm on Thursday.

The drugs were being moved from a Dutch-registered car to an Irish-registered car.

Three men and one woman were arrested at the scene.

One of the men arrested is a Dutch national, while the woman is believed to be from the Dominican Republic.

The other two men are both Irish nationals, including a 45-year-old west Dublin criminal who has a previous conviction for growing a cannabis factory in his attic, and a 46-year-old man who is based in Dunboyne, Co Meath.

In a linked raid, officers from the DOCB seized 45kg of cannabis herb nearby.

The drugs, which are estimated to be worth more than 800,000, were found in a van stopped on the Naas Road at Rathcoole, Co Dublin.

A 42-year-old man from Navan, Co Meath, was still being questioned last night in Clondalkin Garda Station in relation to that.

The primary targets of the operation are a Traveller gang who were the subject of massive CAB raids last month in which gardai seized 1.5k cash, computers, stolen property, phones, cars, 2.5k drugs, an air rifle, jewellery, phones, computers and documentation, as well as cutting off their illegal ESB supply.

Sources say this mob has formed an alliance with associates of Sean Dunne, a well-known armed robber and drug dealer who disappeared in Spain in 2004.

He is presumed to have been murdered but his associates are considered to be among Europes biggest drugs traffickers.

In a completely separate raid, gardai also announced they seized cannabis with an estimated street value of 210,000 in Finglas.

A 26-year-old man from north Dublin was due to appear in court this morning charged in relation to the drugs seizure.

FOCUS

However, most of the focus last night by specialist officers was on the cocaine bust, which Assistant Commissioner John ODriscoll said was a result of international police work.

In any of these operations where the substance comes from outside of the country there will be international co-operation, he said.

The Herald has been highlighting the activities of the Traveller gang at the centre of the seizures for a number of years.

Apart from a nationwide drug dealing operation, the arrested suspects are thought to have made up to 1m from cash-in-transit robberies in the capital between 2013 and 2016.

The gang is also involved in large-scale heavily organised theft, fraud, money laundering and burglary offences.

The mob is one of a number of criminal gangs working together in a multi-million euro international car-theft ring in which cars that are being stolen to order across Ireland are shipped out of the country.

The Criminal Assets Bureau previously targeted the mob and seized 100k from it after a major investigation into oil laundering and tax offences.

The Traveller gang has close links to the Kinahan cartel and has been involved in laundering and moving money for the international crime syndicate.
There's a weak suggestion that Brexit is all about a desire for the return of the days of the empire. It's a simplistic view and fails to take account of the many and varying reasons why British people voted to leave the European Union.

In this newspaper, Mary Kenny dismissed the argument of "the fatal British nostalgia for empire", whose logic she summed up as: "The Brits can't cope, psychologically, with the fact that they've lost an empire. Obsessing about Nazis and World War II is another exercise in nostalgia - my God, haven't we heard enough about Dunkirk?"

Kenny argued "the complexities that have triggered Brexit" were far more subtle and sophisticated "than churning out a weary old trope of simplistic Brit-bashing".

Unfortunately, those who wish to take a more nuanced view of Brexit in an effort to understand the motivations behind it are all too often confounded by the utterances of leading campaigners on the Brexit side.

Priti Patel MP, the daughter of Ugandan Asian immigrants to Britain, can hardly be viewed in the same light as the toffs, spivs and public schoolboys who hanker after the days when the sun never set on the empire.

The former international development secretary is regarded as a gifted politician.

But even she is not averse to a foot-in-mouth moment so characteristic of Brexiteers.

Ms Patel is suggesting the threat of food shortages be used to force Ireland to drop the backstop.

She was reacting to a leaked British government report saying that Ireland will suffer a GDP drop of 7pc and risks food shortages.

The report noted that Ireland was a far more open economy than the UK and outlines our vulnerabilities post-Brexit. The Tory MP feels the warnings could be used as leverage.

"This paper appears to show the government were well aware Ireland will face significant issues in a no-deal scenario. Why hasn't this point been pressed home during negotiations? There is still time to go back to Brussels and get a better deal," she says.

EU Agriculture Commissioner Phil Hogan condemned the comments pointing out Britain imported 60pc of its food needs, and 43pc of these came from Ireland, with products of high quality popular with British shoppers.

"So, if she wants to advocate a policy that brings about the starvation of the British people, this is a good way of going about it," Mr Hogan said.

Ms Patel's suggestion is ridiculous and shouldn't be afforded the requisite credibility.

She is also clearly not a student of Irish history as she appears unaware of our past experience of food shortages under colonial power, most notably the Great Irish Famine of the 1840s.

Nor does she reflect upon the 1940s when Britain held out against efforts to starve its people into submission in World War II through a sea blockade on its merchant navy importing food.

Food security is not a bargaining chip.
Women will not be able to secure a medical abortion from GP out-of-hours surgeries, the Irish Independent has learned.

The GP service, which provides medical cover from 6pm to 8am, has become the first port of call for an increasing number of patients due to a shortage of doctors.

Dr Ken Egan, chairman of the National Association of GP Co-ops, said a woman seeking an abortion would not be classified as an emergency which is the service out-of-hours doctors provide.

However, he said they will treat women who have had an abortion and develop complications.

"We wrote to the Irish College of General Practitioners and it was accepted that out-of-hours would be exempt," he said.

The revelation comes as Health Minister Simon Harris insisted the health service will be ready to roll out abortion services from January despite several GPs and obstetricians warning it is too rushed, leaving women at risk of ending with an unsafe terminations.

He is to hold meetings with medical bodies next week in a bid to alleviate concerns.

A spokeswoman for the minister said: "It remains the minister's absolute commitment to bring in services in January. As referenced by adviser Dr Peter Boylan, delays would result in more women having to travel."

He accepted doctors are raising genuine concerns and is committed to working with them to address the issues.

"But his commitment will not waiver," she said.

The Institute of Obstetricians confirmed yesterday it has received a signed petition from a large number of obstetricians to hold an extraordinary general meeting.

It will not take place for a month after they submit a motion related to implementation of the service, including issues of safety.

An internal poll of 230 family doctors, carried out by the GP Buddy.ie, the online resource for GPs in Ireland, found that 84pc felt the January 1 deadline should be pushed out.

Although most of the focus has been on GPs up to now, it has emerged many doctors in maternity hospitals, particularly those outside of Dublin, feel they are lacking resources and staff to deliver the service from January.

Niall Behan, chief executive of the Irish Family Planning Association (IFPA), which will be one of the main centres for medical abortion, said: "The IFPA is committed to providing abortion care at our clinics as soon as possible.

"We're working constantly on care protocols, internal training, patient information and procedures.

"The target of January 1 creates enormous challenges because there are still a number of outstanding issues.

"The IFPA is working with the Department of Health and the HSE to resolve these.

"It is absolutely imperative women get high-quality care. This has to be done right, not rushed."

Alison Begas, of the Dublin Well Woman Centre, which will also be a major provider, said it was not possible to commit to a start-up date now.

But she was hopeful outstanding issues can be resolved, including concerns over access to ultrasound.

"There needs to be quick and easy access to ultrasound and a central booking system," she said.

Retired obstetrician Dr Boylan, who is advising on preparation, said he believes the service can start in January.

The legislation returns to the Seanad for debate next week.
HIQAs Deputy CEO Dr Mairin Ryan said: From the evidence we reviewed, patients with mild-to-moderate covid-19 disease are unlikely to be infectious beyond 10 days from their first symptoms." Photo: Tom Burke

Thousands of teenage boys are to be offered a lifesaving vaccine - currently administered only to girls - to protect them against deadly cancers.

They will be vaccinated against the cancer-causing HPV virus in the next school year.

Health Minister Simon Harris reaffirmed the promise to roll out the vaccine for boys after the proposed extension was assessed as both clinically and cost effective by the Health Information and Quality Authority (Hiqa).

Hiqa said the vaccine is safe and recommended that both girls and boys get the 9-valent vaccine.

The newer version protects against five types of HPV.

"Funding has already been made available in the Budget to facilitate the introduction of this initiative in 2019, subject to a favourable recommendation being made in the Hiqa assessment report," Mr Harris said.

Although HPV is widely known to be associated with cervical cancer in women, it also leaves boys at risk of disease in later life.

The vaccine should reduce the risk of throat cancer and also genital warts in men.

Dr Mairin Ryan, Hiqa's director of health technology assessment, said: "Extending the HPV vaccine to boys provides direct protection against HPV-related disease to boys, indirect protection to girls who have not been vaccinated and would reduce HPV- related disease and mortality in Ireland.

"Over 20 years a gender- neutral 9-valent programme will prevent an estimated 101 additional cases of cervical cancer compared with the current girls-only 4-valent programme."

The Hiqa report said every year 538 cancers associated with HPV are diagnosed in Ireland, including in the cervix, anus, penis, neck and throat. HPV infection is also responsible for 90pc of genital warts.

One in four of the HPV- related cancers is diagnosed in men.

It found the cost of switching to the 9-valent vaccine for girls will be an additional 870,000 over five years.

It also showed that the budget impact of providing the 9-valent vaccine to boys and girls will be an additional 11.7m over five years.

There was a fall-off in the take-up of the vaccine by teenage girls in recent years after it was wrongly linked to complications and serious side effects.

However, it has since partially recovered and the uptake in this academic year is expected to be higher following the CervicalCheck scandal and the harrowing testimonies of women who developed cervical cancer.

Prof Mary Horgan, a consultant in infectious diseases, said it is essential that boys are also protected from cancers, such as those of the head and neck that are often caused by HPV infection.

"There is an approximate 20pc increase in throat cancers," said Prof Horgan, who is president of the Royal College of Physicians.

"Nearly 50pc of this rise in oropharyngeal disease is directly related to HPV, with almost 80pc of those occurring in men, yet there is little awareness of the risks to men.

"Recent research to gauge awareness of HPV-related infections and cancers in men found that about 60pc of Irish adults are aware that it can affect both men and women. And worryingly 87pc believe they have never been exposed to the virus.

"While progress has been made in increasing HPV vaccine uptake rates in girls in Ireland, which will confer some indirect protection to boys, we will not get to a point of elimination of this potentially serious infection without a rollout of vaccination and provision of direct protection to boys also."

Parents can learn more about the HPV risks for boys by asking their GPs and referring to reliable websites, such as the WHO.
It is feared a mother-of-three will lose the sight in one of her eyes after she was kidnapped, held against her will for hours and subjected to a savage assault.

The 48-year-old woman was being treated in the Mater Hospital last night where medics were trying to save her sight as well as dealing with serious head injuries and bruises all over her body.

Gardai are following a definite line of inquiry in relation to the attack, which unfolded in the Muirhevnamor estate in Dundalk, Co Louth, on Wednesday.

It is understood that the respected woman was lured to a house in the estate at around midday on Wednesday as part of a campaign of harassment by a local drugs gang.

"She was held against her will for a number of hours in this property. She was given a severe hiding. It is really bad what that woman suffered, including bad head injuries," a senior source said.

"As part of this ordeal she was beaten over the head with a blunt force object. This object has caused her potentially life-changing injuries to one of her eyes."

After the woman managed to escape from her kidnappers on Wednesday evening, she was taken to Our Lady of Lourdes in Drogheda but then later transferred to the facility in Dublin because of the nature of her injuries.

Despite her injuries the woman was able to give a full statement to investigators who were last night still trying to establish the exact chain of events that led to the woman being kidnapped at lunchtime on Wednesday.

It has emerged the woman had been the victim of a campaign of harassment in recent weeks which involved being assaulted in public, as well as receiving verbal threats.

None of these incidents were reported to gardai at the time.

Gardai have identified the local drugs gang behind the attacks and on Thursday night armed officers searched two houses and seized a car as part of the investigation.

It can also be revealed that the 37-year-old chief suspect was in custody last night in Dundalk Garda Station after he was arrested for separate drugs offences on Thursday.

Gardai are preparing a file for the DPP in relation to the seizure of ecstasy tablets from the man but were able to re-arrest him for "false imprisonment and assault" for the other alleged offences.

A manhunt is also in place for a 30-year-old mother-of-five who sources say was "centrally involved" in the incident. She has multiple previous convictions and is on bail in relation to cocaine dealing charges.

"Gardai are following a definite line of inquiry in this case. More arrests and charges are very much expected," a senior source said last night.

The 37-year-old chief suspect recently spent a lengthy spell behind bars for an extortion during which threats were made to murder a man and his family with a firearm.

Other members of the suspect's family are also heavily involved in criminality and drug dealing.

The suspect was previously a major target of slain hero detective Adrian Donohoe, but he is not a suspect in that January 2013 murder.

He is a key member of an "utterly ruthless and completely violent" Traveller crime gang, according to sources.

The female victim who was last night fighting for her sight is not a member of the Traveller community and her family are well known in the Dundalk area.
The Government has come under fire for a 1.3bn overspend in the latest criticism of its handling of the public purse, which has once again been attacked as lacking prudence.

The Dail's budget watchdog has hit out at additional budgets being used for the health service, the Christmas bonus for welfare recipients and some public sector pensions that were not covered in Budget 2018.

Additional money has been requested by 16 departments, but it is not clear what - if any - improvements will be made on the back of it. In the case of health, there are no additional targets linked with the injection of 655m.

Next year will see an increase in spending under Budget 2019 and this, coupled with the risk of more supplementary budgets being sought next year, has led the Parliamentary Budget Office (PBO) to warn that it "is clear voted expenditure is growing at a faster rate than economic growth. Unless accompanied by sustainable increases in tax revenue this is not a prudent approach".

It comes after the Irish Fiscal Advisory Council (IFAC) also issued a scathing assessment of Budget 2019.

Director of the PBO Annette Connolly said failures of departments to meet savings targets and higher than planned spending is "obscuring what is being spent on today's public service".

Neill McDonald, of the ISME, said there is a real concern that "the Government's fiscal stance is based on the most optimistic of assumptions, and makes no provision for any macro-economic headwinds".

Meanwhile, economist Colm McCarthy claimed the Government "shrugged" because tax revenue this year was better than initially expected due to corporation tax.

He said: "As Seamus Coffey (of the IFAC) pointed out a few days ago, this is just matching an uncontrolled increase in spending with an unanticipated influx of tax revenue that may keep coming in. But who knows?"

The PBO has highlight a number of areas for concern, including the use of supplementary budgets to cover the cost of some public sector pensions. The Department of Education has explicitly stated it needs extra money to cover pensions. A row over how the pensions cost should be forecast between the department and the Department of Public Expenditure and Reform (DPER) has led again to extra money being required to cover pension costs. The department has said following collaboration it is not expected that there will be a need for a supplementary estimate to cover pensions next week.

The restoration of the Christmas bonus for social welfare systems also needs to be covered in part by an additional cash injection. Restoring the bonus will cost some 246m and an additional 139m is being sought by the Department of Social Protection. In recent years, savings related to a drop in the Live Register has been used to cover the cost of the bonus and it is now clear that additional resources need to be devoted to cover the bonus in the original budget for the department, according to the PBO.

The management of the health budget has also come under scrutiny in the report, with suggestions the planned level of funding was not going to be sufficient and did not take into account the need for extra staff.
Mass grave: Historian Catherine Corless with the list of children's names at the Tuam Mother and Babies Home site. Photo: Andy Newman

New technology offers a better chance of taking DNA from the remains of hundreds of babies buried in Tuam, a leading genetics professor has said.

A Government report last year had noted difficulties in using DNA to identify the remains of babies buried at the Mother and Babies Home in Co Galway.

Trinity College professor Aoife McLysaght spoke at an event with Galway historian Catherine Corless - who was awarded an honorary degree by the university yesterday.

Ms Corless was commended for uncovering the scandal of 796 children being buried in a mass grave at the home in Tuam.

Ms McLysaght said: We have the technology to take DNA from remains such as these.

The professor added that family members would then be needed for DNA sampling in order to identify the babies.

Addressing the scandal during a 90-minute conversation in the Edmund Burke Theatre, Ms Corless said she was astounded at what she discovered after years of research, having initially thought she was just going to do a "little essay".

She said that during her research "the Church turned its back completely on me".

Ms Corless added that she would like to see proper burials for the remains of exhumed babies "that they were utterly and totally denied".

She said that she would "like to see a little white coffin for all these children" and added they were neglected when ill, saying that: "I really believe they were just let die."

On two occasions during her talk at Trinity, Ms Corless received standing ovations from the crowd in attendance.
Long before it was popular, my mother started her Christmas prep in the last week of November. True, the tree and decorations wouldn't be mounted until muckers' Christmas (December 8) had passed and The Late Late Toy Show fired the starting pistol on my own descent into a consumerist fever dream.

But with black November in its death throes, my house would be enveloped in a perfumed pong of whiskey-stewed fruit, allspice and Guinness as the Christmas cake took up squatters' rights in our oven. Resisting the temptation to peek, poke or peck at the delicacy, she'd pour herself a snifter of the leftover booze and park herself at the kitchen table, getting stuck into the annual trip down memory lane that was her Christmas card list.

"It reminds me of being a little girl when all these cards would roll in from places I couldn't even imagine," she'd tell me, as I licked the batter off the wooden spoon, one of the rare times when the thing being battered by it wasn't me. "I was fascinated by the snowy landscapes, the pictures of children on toboggans, and particularly the Christmas trees, which weren't part of our Christmases on the Aran Islands (instead they had a holly branch in a pot of sand). I'd spend hours reading the messages from family who had moved to places like New York, Boston, Korea: people who I'd never met, but whose importance to the family won them pride of place on the mantelpiece."

As life moved on, and different pressures descended, I'd look at her diligently putting pen to paper each November and ask her why she put herself through so much bother. "You just never know what it might mean to someone getting that card through the door," she'd say. "People go on about the price of a stamp. But if it makes someone feel connected to home when they might be feeling lost, then it's worth the price of a night in the pub."

Expand Close Paper magic: Christmas cards by Rachel Corcoran / Facebook

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Much like video killed the radio star, millennials and their preferred means of communication, social media, are eradicating the Christmas card as we know it, abandoning the centuries-old tradition in favour of one that matches the ephemera of a snowflake. But before you clog up the multiple accounts of friends and family with cut-and-paste WhatsApp messages, trite Facebook statuses and soulless e-cards, bear in mind that 68pc of Irish people surveyed in an An Post poll last year said that they would prefer to receive a handwritten Christmas card from a loved one over a digital version.

"It's a good time of year to reconnect with friends and family who you haven't had a chance to check in with during the past 12 months," says Fiona O'Donnell of The Mindfulness Centre. "To let them know you are still thinking of them and that they are important enough to you for you to take the time out during a busy time to wish them well."

Texting and messages sent through social media generally means very little effort for the sender and the sentiment often has a matching effect on the receiver. Fiona says we should take what can seem like a chore as a chance to reflect on what the people in our lives mean to us and reap the emotional benefits that such mindful action can have. "Before you start writing the card, bring to mind the image of this person, their positive qualities, what they mean to you, the good times you have shared. As you write the card, you are connected to those memories and those positive feelings. It fires up the neurons in the brain and this positive awareness will impact your mood."

She recommends turning off your phone, pouring yourself a nice glass of wine or treating yourself to some coffee or cake in a cafe, to really engage in the process by giving it your full attention. Throw on some Christmas carols; make yourself a playlist of songs that remind you of a time and place. Pull out the photo album. "If you don't have time to dedicate a whole evening to it, have a pile of cards by your bedside table, and disengage at the end of every evening for 30 minutes, working through a few cards each night until you get through them all."

Orla Brosnan of The Etiquette Institute recommends that you do a list, ideally on a Google spreadsheet that you can keep updating, deleting and adding to as the years go by. "Some people recommend having a strike-off system for people who don't return cards. But if you approach it more positively, you can enjoy the fact that you are sending a nice greeting to someone, sending out positivity, which should be enough for anyone."

Conversely, if you're lucky enough to have the cards roll into your letterbox, take the time to appreciate the sentiment. "Before you even open the card, take a moment to acknowledge that someone has taken the time to send you a card," says Fiona. "Of all the people they know, you have warranted this special attention. Stay with that thought for five seconds to absorb its full impact and then really read and engage with what's written in the card. When you're done, pop it on the mantelpiece, the tree, or wherever you display your cards. Whenever you see it throughout the holiday season, try and reconnect with that feeling."

When sending cards, be conscious of the particulars. "If someone isn't religious, or of a faith that doesn't celebrate Christmas, there's no need to leave them out," says Orla. "Just make sure you send them a more secular card, with a picture of a snowman on it, or a robin. Or find out what dates are important in their religion and send them a card to mark that. It will show that you have taken the time to notice what's important to them."

While filled with cheap sentiment, Christmas cards are also a good way of reaching out to those you have fallen out with over the years. "Life is too short," says Orla. "Send a card if you are big enough. Christmas is a good time to reconcile with people you have had a run-in with. The act of sending a card can be a conciliatory act, an olive branch to reopen communication. But try and send it out as soon as you can so they have a chance to ponder on it and get over their own stubbornness, and return the favour. Leaving it too late can be read as an act of aggression, a deliberate attempt to show them up and further fuel the fire."

Just be careful to address the card in a way that it ensures it makes its way to the intended person. I once sent a card with an in-joke to a friend whose grandmother shared her name and her address, causing chaos in her household when it arrived on Christmas Eve.

Another time, I 'outed' a school friend, who wasn't, in fact, gay, when their mother opened their mail and misunderstood the message, leading to a beautiful speech at the Christmas table about their love for their gay son... if only it were true!

Comedian Jarlath Regan's family receives a Christmas card each year from a person or persons with illegible handwriting. "To this day, we have no idea who it's from," he laughs. He has been selling Christmas cards from his website, jigser.com, for almost a decade. "We've all had that experience, going into a card shop and looking at all these overly sentimental, twee cards and wondering, 'Who are these cards for?' So I used to get a real kick sending offbeat cards to people I knew would get the joke."

That's at the heart of his business model. "Part of the compliment is that someone is sending you this as they know you have a sense of humour: you will get the joke."

There are so many seasonal archetypes and cliches to rip into. "I've one card which reads: 'Midnight Mass. Helping You Get It Out Of The Way Since 1922.' Another rags on how sexist some Christmas traditions are ('Mistletoe. Creeps Love It')."

Meanwhile, specifically Irish Christmas tropes, like the Toy Show and a dip in the 40ft, also get it in the neck. "I try to capture that 'side of the mouth' comment only an Irish person can make at the back of a room when something sombre is going on. As someone who no longer lives in Ireland, I know what it's like to get that card in the post that's so distinctly Irish; it's a really special moment."

In 2013, Anita Elliot co-founded Clover Rua, a Dublin- based design company that fills a gap in the market for design that celebrates Irish heritage. Their Christmas cards draw on the architecture of the city to tug on the heartstrings of those who get them, more often than not people who moved away during the recession.

"We have a card with Santa and his reindeer flying between the Poolbeg Towers; of 'Nollaig Shona' strewn between the Liffey bridges; a Christmas tree made up of notable landmarks like The Spire, Liberty Hall and Christ Church, and another one made up of pints of Guinness. People want to send a bit of Ireland to their friends that speak of the Ireland that exists now, not something that's all shamrocks and leprechauns." She lived in Australia for several years herself. "Getting anything with a stamp on it was amazing but to get a card made me feel really special, that I was thought of. There is nothing nicer when you are away from home at Christmas than to get that post."

For designer and illustrator Rachel Corcoran, the aim is to create a card that could almost be a decoration in itself. "I've heard back from lots of customers that their card ended up being framed by the person they sent it to. It's a piece of art that just happens to have a nice sentiment." Her own house was covered in Christmas cards growing up. "My mam would display them on hangers on the back of the door, with special ones going on the mantelpiece. They were a form of decoration." There have been fewer cards in the last few years. "Families move away and certain people are not around anymore - they pass on and the cards stop coming."

For my mother, too, there was sadness intermingled with the joy. "Whenever you take out the old cards to decorate the house, there'd always be ones from people who'd passed on in the previous 12 months. But it was also a good way to give thanks for your health and remember the time you had together."

Post haste: Final dates for standard postage for letters

Ireland - December 20

Northern Ireland - December 19

Great Britain - December 18

Europe - December 18

USA - December 10
Welcome to the world of magical thinking. Otherwise known as the only common ground on both sides of the stay-or-go Brexit gulf. And what a chasm it is.

Magical thinking means people being highly invested in believing their preferred outcome will happen - in direct contradiction to the evidence. So, on the one hand are Borisites who claim the Withdrawal Agreement should be rejected and it's simply a case of going back to Europe to demand a better deal. That's magical thinking with bells on.

On the other hand are Remainers with their fingers crossed others will see sense and the process can be reversed - that Brexit doesn't mean Brexit after all. And in a space she occupies almost alone is Theresa May, pitching a deal not even Houdini with his bag of tricks could pull off.

One way or another, a showdown is looming on Tuesday when Mrs May's departure plan is certain to be defeated because the parliamentary arithmetic is "challenging". So, what follows? Take your pick from a range of potentially chaotic possibilities: she topples, her government falls, or both. The only unambiguous fact here is that Britain is divided along deeply scored fault lines.

It all began with David Cameron, whose magical thinking allowed him to believe Britain would vote to stay in the EU even if he ran a substandard referendum campaign. Instead of silencing anti-EU voices in his party he handed a megaphone to them. Oh to be a fly on the wall in the Cameron household today.

Mrs May has wandered into the magical thinking zone, too, hoping against hope her Withdrawal Agreement will squeak through Parliament. The deal is unpopular on all sides of the debate but she continues to plough ahead, citing the national interest as she attempts to harvest support.

The Labour backing she needs isn't forthcoming, however - that party scents a snap general election. As for the Tories, they are shearing off in various directions.

Is Mrs May's political career in the balance? That depends. Usually, a leader would step down if a deal of this magnitude was rebuffed. But these are not normal times. Power-hungry people are circling her, the kind who'd feed their firstborn child to a python in return for the keys to 10 Downing Street. Her vulnerability after the vote will be their opportunity. However, the Tories are divided and any challenger may not drum up sufficient support.

Mrs May is a dogged fighter and her whips are busy-busy this weekend on her behalf, but it's difficult to see how her government can be on anything except borrowed time. Her problem is an inability to build cross-party support.

The confidence and supply pact with the DUP has turned to dust: its members voted against her this week when the government was held in contempt of Parliament. And the DUP 9 (because number 10 shirt Ian Paisley Junior is out of action temporarily) will vote against her again on Tuesday.

Magical thinkers in the DUP? To the nth degree. They are convinced their actions will strengthen the union - in fact, Brexit threatens it. They have added bricks and mortar to the case for a united Ireland.

"The harder the Brexit, the louder we'll cheer" is the DUP's position. Its core base might warm to such macho talk, but the middle ground is aghast at this anti-business posturing. A group of Northern business leaders, farmers and civic society representatives travelled to Westminster on Thursday to reiterate their support for the Withdrawal Agreement. But if they persuade the DUP to change direction then I'm a unicorn.

Nor will the Scottish National Party back Mrs May because her deal leaves Scotland at a competitive disadvantage compared with Northern Ireland. The least it wants is the same relationship with the single market and customs union.

Meanwhile, all anyone can do now in Ireland is watch. After being party to negotiations between Britain and Europe for more than two years, the Irish government is no longer in a position to influence events.

Come what may, there is a strong probability of tumult and the prime minister will be jostled at best. The probability is she will be crushed by it. Already, she's bruised by that rebuke from an increasingly assertive House of Commons, when her government was held in contempt of Parliament for only publishing an outline of the attorney general's advice to cabinet on the departure deal. That was remedied in jig time and the guidance made public in full. But the damage was done.

It's the first time a British government has been found in contempt by Parliament and underscores her administration's fragility. It emphasises how Mrs May's government is no longer in charge - control is passing over to Parliament's hands.

The purpose of government is strategy: it sets the direction and charts a country's course forward. But Parliament is now saying it can't or won't trust the government to do it.

In a second rebuke, further evidence of an assertive Parliament flexing its muscles, MPs voted for more control over the next steps to be taken if her deal falls, in line with expectations.

Clearly, nobody is satisfied by the Withdrawal Agreement. With the Good Friday Agreement, there was a sense of progress and mutual advantages.

One negotiator involved in both deals told me he experienced elation after the Good Friday treaty but felt flat after this deal because nobody benefits. It gives neither Brexiteers nor Remainers what they want and Ireland will suffer, one way or another. Yet it is an improvement on no deal because something closer to certainty is offered.

It's impossible to believe a highly focused individual such as Mrs May is without a backup idea. She just won't admit it. A Plan B is for others to advance, she told BBC Radio 4 this week. Her position is: "The options are there: there's a deal, no deal or no Brexit."

No mention of a new deal. But if she retains the premiership, even after Commons defeat, her government will have no choice but to advance a new plan apparently within a 21-day timeframe. Goodbye Christmas.

Labour is banking on a general election. As for the DUP, it can't fancy facing its unhappy middle ground on the doorsteps. It might prop up Mrs May for a time, huff and puff though it will, unless it knows there's a viable candidate within the Tories to replace her. Does Boris Johnson have the numbers or is he all abracadabra and no substance?

Finally, the EU's highest court has said Britain can unilaterally cancel Brexit. But the notion of Brexit vanishing in a puff of smoke also counts as magical thinking. And so, we wait.
The backstop is a calcul- ated risk - and I have never made any pretence about my love for the backstop. But without the backstop we would not have been able to get the Irish Government to take part in negotiations. It's very seldom mentioned - but the backstop is not just for the Irish Republic. It's also necessary for the reassurance of the moderate nationalist community in Northern Ireland.

"I think for them to understand there is no possibility of a return of a hard Border is one of the ways we underpin the stability of the union."

Such an aside from Liam Fox - leading Conservative Party MP, ardent Brexiteer, and unabashed unionist - was swamped in the swirling verbiage of a toxic Westminster week.

Yet coming from such a source, it provides soothing balm for Irish ears.

Despite much Brexit-fuelled hyperbole and hysteria, there is a growing strain in British life with an awareness of the profound nature of the Irish peace process.

Meanwhile, the choice confronting the House of Commons is increasingly stark. Eat humble pie and accept the middle-ground deal on offer - because that's all the UK can afford - or up and leave the Brussels club on your own terms. But the price will be widespread job losses for your constituents.

However, it is still possible to despair at the utterances of some of the more blinkered set. A classic example is former Conservative Party leader Iain Duncan Smith.

This week he disparagingly referred to "the Irish". We are at fault for insisting on that backstop which, as far as he's concerned, is scuppering the entire Brexit process.

Such is his zeal to be done with Michel Barnier and his ilk, Duncan Smith would leave the EU at any cost; from his perspective, concerns over the Irish Border are but an annoying irrelevancy.

But this must be balanced with the views of politicians such as Fox - and indeed British Prime Minister Theresa May - who are aware the return of Border checkpoints would be an ominous step back in time.

All the while, the DUP plays hardball. The old mantra 'Ulster Says No' remains the party's default position as it remains swamped in a sea of uncertainty. Opinion polls show the thinking of its MPs is out of line with a clear majority in Northern Ireland, who wish to remain in the EU.

Not only that, but the biggest cleavage in unionism for years is the sharp divide between the higher echelons of the DUP and some of its traditional base in business and farming.

MPs in the Commons indulge their "not an inch" strategy, but out in the unionist heartlands there are those who see such grandstanding will mean less money in their pockets.

Many DUP-supporting business people and farmers realise the May plan would provide them with the best of both worlds.

They would remain part of the UK - while still availing of various EU perks and payments.

There is also a risk for DUP MPs when throwing in their lot with Brexit extremists. It is pulling them away from the Westminster political mainstream.

The Jacob Rees-Mogg cabal has a tendency to shout loudest - but it is destined to remain on the sidelines.

As the battle rages, May is on the ropes. However, there is no overall Commons majority that would back the UK simply upping sticks and departing the EU without agreement.

And so Nigel Dodds, Sammy Wilson, et al, need to be careful what they wish for.

Events could lead to a general election, with a Jeremy Corbyn-led Labour government in power.

Lost in myriad words spoken over the past week was an aside from leading Labour front-bencher John McDonnell.

"I have always believed in a united Ireland," he said.

It was a throwaway remark as he sought to amplify some point he was making.

But for Dodds and Wilson, it should be a wake-up call.

Turfing out Theresa May has its risks. Behind all the bluster and brinkmanship, they just might overplay their hand.
Of all the images to emerge from the wave of protests that has engulfed France in recent weeks, one had a particular symbolism: the disfigured face of Marianne, storied symbol of the Republic. When the so-called 'gilets jaunes' - or yellow vest - demonstrators converged on the Arc de Triomphe last weekend, some among them were determined to leave their mark by scrawling anti-Macron graffiti on one of Paris' best known landmarks.

Others chose to gouge out the eye of a statue of national symbol Marianne inside the monument. A photograph of the damage, in which Marianne appears to be screaming in pain or fury, went viral and appeared on the cover of several newspapers and magazines.

For more than three weeks, France has been caught up in a paroxysm of protests fuelled by an often inchoate anger and sometimes marked by violence.

Last weekend saw the worst street unrest in central Paris in decades, with initially peaceful rallies tipping into running battles with riot police as looters ran amok. The French capital is holding its breath ahead of further planned protests today.

Tourist attractions and museums will be closed. The government has warned thousands of rioters and looters may come to Paris to "smash" or even "kill".

The Yellow Vests - named after the high-vis vests they wear during their protests - plan to demonstrate across the country, drawing on the momentum that has gathered in their favour over the past week. Polls show a majority of French support the protests despite the violence.

A police union has called its members to strike in solidarity with the Yellow Vests this weekend.

Secondary school and university students have staged demonstrations against educational reforms (footage of riot police forcing 150 teenagers to kneel, hands on their heads at a school 30km from Paris prompted outrage).

The blocking of a major fuel depot in the south of France has led to widespread shortages

The national mood feels mutinous and it is all focused on one man: President Emmanuel Macron. Eighteen months into his term, the 40-year-old president is facing calls for his resignation from the Yellow Vests, a movement unlike any other postwar France has witnessed in the way it burst forth online without a leader, trade union or political party behind it.

It may have been a proposed fuel tax that brought them on to the streets but the protests have expanded precisely because they tap into a deeper discontent.

The new levy was the latest of several reforms pushed by Macron and France's least well-off feel they are bearing the brunt. Divisions have become more pronounced: between urban and rural France, the centre and the struggling periphery, cosmopolitans and those drawn to the nationalism and bigotry of the far-right.

Those who feel they are left behind in Macron's France have dubbed him "the president of the rich" because of his decisions to abolish a wealth tax, change labour laws to make it easier for employers to hire and fire, and challenge long-powerful unions.

Polls repeatedly show a majority consider the former banker aloof and arrogant as president.

Ratings

Television clips showing Macron's hauteur - whether telling an unemployed man he should just "cross the road" to find a job or wagging his finger at pensioners as he told them they shouldn't complain - have embedded themselves in the public consciousness.

His approval ratings are plummeting to unprecedented lows; one poll this week showed it was down to 18pc.

No surprise then that this week, for the first time in his presidency, Macron backed down and temporarily suspended the fuel tax while promising to speak with the protesters.

"No tax merits putting our nation's unity in danger," his Prime Minister Edouard Philippe said. The problem is that the Yellow Vests, lacking leaders and a coherent agenda, are almost impossible to negotiate with.

The protests are also showing sign of sabotage by more radical elements, including extremists from the far-right and the far-left who relish violent confrontation.

One prominent figure, Christophe Chalencon, has called for Macron to be replaced by the former head of the French military who quit after he clashed with the president over budget cuts.

More moderate members who were prepared to talk to the government have said they have received death threats from fellow Yellow Vests.

The French crisis is not happening in a vacuum.

Across Europe, the far-right is gloating over Macron's predicament, as are various Russian state media outlets.

Look at those who appear to see opportunity in France's troubles, and what is happening there seems very ominous indeed.
On Saturday Night I headed for the Imperial Hotel where a special surprise 60th birthday party was being held for Chris 'Bear' O'Donnell from Market Street and there to make sure he had an epic night was his partner Regina Reynolds from Blackrock, her daughters Caitlin and Grainne, Chis' brother and wife Joe and Jacqueline O'Donnell from Belfast, nephew John O'Donnell and a huge collection of family and friends.

I wasn't too long in the door when I met up with Regina who was with Caitlin and Grainne and their friend Saoirse Myles and she told me he hadn't a clue and couldn't wait to see the look on his face when he came in.

Next, I headed over to his brother Joe who was with wife Jacqueline, Mark McKay from Dungannon who told me he was one of Chris' international amigos and they were in the company of Lisa Crowe from Dublin and Michaela Fitzsimons from Belfast who all wanted to wish him a very happy birthday.

Looking extremely well even though they had been travelling since 9.00 am the previous day to get back home from Capetown, were Karen McArdle from Chaplins and Martin McLoughlin from 5 cabs who had spent the previous 7 days on a building blitz on the Niall Mellon Educate scheme and they wanted to thank everyone who had sponsored them and also wanted to wish a very happy 60th to Bear.

Next, I caught up with some of Bear's oldest mates Bernie and Tony Carlyle and Jennifer Higgins from Newcastle who were in rare form when I met them. Bernie told me that Tony is only four days older than Bear and Jennifer just wanted to say to him 'follow the Mars bar'!

Not too long later I then got a word with Tina Crosby from Haggardstown and Michael McLoughlin who said they too have been long time friends of Bear and tried to tell me it was going to be a quiet occasion.

I then had the pleasure of talking to Sadie Maggs from Castlebellingham and Gabrielle Reynolds from Kilsaran who could be described as future in-laws (no pressure there, Bear) and they were ready to make a major night of fun out of it with the birthday boy.

Bear is best known around town as being part of the Dundalk Sub Aqua Club and has been for a number of years, next I got talking to Bernie Higgins from Cavan and Ian Fitzsimmons from Kilmessan who had met the birthday boy while he was away on holidays in Turkey a few years ago, and surprise, surprise he couldn't swim then, fail play to you Bear, one of the best move you ever made.

Seated close by was my old neighbour Aidan and Theresa Hoey from Lower Point Road who wanted to wish Chris a very happy birthday and hoped he had a great night. They were enjoying the evening with the lovely Gayle Flynn from Mullaharlin Park who is a friend of Gina's and was definitely up for making the best of the occasion.

Taking up one of the main tables were Bear's friends from the Dundalk Sub Aqua Club and they included Stephen Crosby from Louth Village. He was having a laugh with Sorcha Brophy from town, Dean Ferguson from Faughart, Nessa Duggan from Blackrock, Amanda Nero from Sweden (expensive cab fare home I thought, but Amanda said 'anything for Chris').

Amanda was having a laugh with Blathnaid McClean from Lis Na Dara, Carol Callan from Carrickmacross and Lorraine McCoy from St. Malachys Villas who all wanted to wish Chris all the best on his big night.

Also in their company were Aaron Rooney from Bay Estate, April Dillon from Newtownbalregan, Fergal O Siochru originally from Cork but now hanging his snorkel and flippers in Blackrock and Margaret McCarthy from Point Road who were delighted to be there to wish Chris all the best on his big night.

After this I caught up with some of Chris' older mates who were up for making it a real night to remember and they included Eamonn and Elaine O'Farrell from Greenacres, Joe Murtagh from Cedarwood Park and Phil Toner from Beacon Court, Harry Bellew from Wynnes Terrace and Annette Hodgers from Distillery Lane, Olive and Harry Fee from Long Avenue, Brian 'Pidgeon' Clarke from The Valley Brian McShane from Oldbridge, Tony 'Woo' Fee from Beechmount Drive and Lee Edwards from Northampton who were all in party mode and were ready to make sure Bear had a huge night of celebrations on his 60th.
Jenny Campbell from Tullyallen has been named as the 2018 Louth CarePlus Carer of the Year.

Each year Family Carers Ireland recognise Carers for the extraordinary hard work and dedication involved in caring for their loved ones every day, through these national awards.

Jenny cares for her daughter Aimee who has been battling a serious illness, Guilian Barre syndrome. Aimee went from being an active young woman with a passion for Irish dancing to being paralysed from the neck down in the space of 24 hours.

Despite her struggle, Aimee is thankfully making an excellent recovery and nominated her mother for the award,

'I wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the help and care of my mother,' said Aimee.

According to CSO Irish Health Survey there are approximately 9,714 family carers in Louth providing on average 45 hours of care per week in their homes.

Family Carers across Ireland save the state a staggering  10 billion each year. Figures show that 1 in 10 people provide care for a loved one in the home - by 2030, demographic changes predict that one in five people will take on a caring role.

Catherine Cox, Head of Communications and Carer Engagement with Family Carers Ireland said: 'We are delighted to recognise and celebrate Carers in every county of Ireland for their trojan work as Family Carers. A huge congratulations to Jenny who is now the Louth Careplus Carer of the Year 2018.' Family Carers across Ireland make extraordinary sacrifices and work very hard, sometimes 24 hours a day, to provide care for their loved ones, safely, in their own homes. With limited access to services and particularly respite, Carers in Louth are over stretched and receive little acknowledgement for their unpaid work with three quarters receiving no payment from the State.'

Niamh Lynch, Commercial Director of CarePlus Pharmacy commented 'CarePlus Pharmacy is honoured to sponsor the Family Carer of the Year awards and recognise the tireless efforts of thousands of people across the country. Carers are the heart of every community and our pharmacy owners and staff meet them every day. We are enjoying working closely with Family Carers Ireland and supporting the awards throughout over fifty community pharmacies nationwide.'
Traders and residents in the north end are bitterly disappointed that Bridge Street missed out on funding under Project Ireland 2014. Just two projects in Louth were allocated funding under the Urban Regeneration and Renewal Fund, with the Long Walk getting 533,000 and Drogheda's West Street also a winner as it's included in a 3.283milion pot.

'It's very, very disappointing that Bridge Street didn't get funding,' says estate agent Joanne Lavelle who had been involved in the campaign to have the street included in the regeneration works due to start in Clanbrassil Street and Church Street in the New Year.

'Louth County Council's Chief Executive Joan Martin gave us an undertaking that she is focused on doing the whole job from The Square to the Big Bridge. If this door to funding doesn't open, we are hoping that she has an alternative source of funding.'

She pointed out that Bridge Street gets a huge amount of traffic from people coming into town via the Castletown Road. 'It's a gateway into and out of the town yet it's so neglected. There aren't even any Christmas lights on the street.'

'The percentage of vacancy rates on the street is shocking and it's extremely upsetting to residents and traders that Bridge Street didn't come through this funding round. Hopefully the Council will find a way to fund the work.'

Sarah McKenna of Bridge Street Studios said the news that the promised works hadn't received funding from the government was 'so disappointing.'

'We put in so much work pushing for the street to be done and were assured it would be, and again there's no funding for it.'

She said that the studio, which is home to a number of local artists and craft makers, and the other traders were doing their best to improve the street.

'The footpaths are absolutely dire. They are too narrow and work hasn't been done to the street in ages. It's only a matter of time before someone injures themselves.'

Cllr Conor Keelan said that while the funding for the Long Walk was welcome and would help transform the area, it was 'extremely disappointing that we did not secure any funds for Bridge Street to continue the St. Nicholas Quarter Regeneration Scheme all the way to the Castletown river. As everyone knows Bridge Street and Linenhall Street never benefitted from Urban Renewal in the past or other significant funding. We must keep up the pressure to ensure that alternate sources of funding can be tapped into.'
Health talk: As part of Healthy Library Ireland, Ilona Madden will be giving a free talk at the library in Bray on Friday, December 7, at 11 a.m. on the topic 'Have a Merry Healthy Christmas 2018'.

She will be explaining why too much sugar and alcohol is not good for us, and by this giving the motivation to avoid over-indulgence this year.

She will explain where our habits stem from and how we can break the cycles, with practical tips. She will give plenty of alternatives and simple tricks.

'I would like to show how you can really enjoy the festive period, feeling and looking amazing, without piling on weight, without digestive issues and without feeling sluggish,' said Ilona.

Everyone who attends will get hand-outs with practical tips and also a free eBook to download with Christmas recipes.

Classical music club

The December meeting of Shankill Classical Music Club will be an audio-visual special on the life and music of the legendary soprano Maria Callas.

There will be lots of fascinating documentary and performance footage at the session on Wednesday, December 5 at 7.45 p.m. at Shankill Old Folks' Centre.

The guest presenter will be the renowned opera expert George Fleeting.

The evening includes a 15 minute interval and finishes a 10 p.m. Admission is 2 for visitors.

The club can be contacted through shankillclassical.org or 087 2109175.

Christmas fair in Signal

Signal Arts Centre's Christmas fair will be under way from next week.

The fair will be on at the Albert Avenue venue from Tuesday. December 11, until Monday, December 24.

The opening hours are Monday to Sunday, 10 a.m. to 5 p.m.

Flower club

Bray Flower Club will hold its annual gala demonstration featuring Sharon O'Sullivan on Thursday, December 6 at 8 p.m.

Tickets cost 20 and are available from Fleurtique Florists on Florence Road or you can pay at the door. This is one of club's highlights of the year and all proceeds go to their 2018 charity, Pieta House.

Workshop

A free workshop in Bray on Thursday, December 6 will explain what a social enterprise is and the key elements to consider when setting one up.

Social enterprises are businesses set up to benefit their local community.

They provide valuable services and jobs and invest any profits back into the business or the local community. Examples could be a charity shop, a community cafe, an environmental project, a sports, health or well-being service, or a manufacturing business designed to provide employment to a particular group of people.

The workshop is being put on by Bray Area Partnership and will explore different types of social enterprises, the five key elements to get right, corporate governance, funding and human resources and the basics for getting a social enterprise off the ground.

It takes place from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. on Thursday, December 6 and is restricted to individuals or groups from the Bray or Greystones Municipal District areas. Call Eithne on 01 2050111 to book your place.

Christmas fair

The Queen of Peace Parish Christmas fair will take place on Sunday, December 9.

The fair will take place from 12.30 p.m. to 3.30 p.m. in the parish centre adjacent to the church on Vevay Road.

Classics by Candlelight

Classics by Candlelight returns to Christ Church Bray for its ninth year at 7 p.m .on Sunday, December 2. As usual, there will be an hour of wonderful music for string quartet in the church by candlelight, followed by mulled wine and mince pies, included in the price of the ticket.

The alcohol-free hot punch always goes down a treat and means that drivers need not miss out! The musicians are all players with the RTE National Symphony Orchestra and RTE Concert Orchestra.

Tickets cost 10 and can be bought from The Travel Boutique on Bray Main Street or by calling Christ Church Bray parish office on 01 2862968.

Active Retirement

Bray Active Retirement will hold their art and craft day on Friday, December 7.

There will be materials which have been made by members, in classes or at home, for sale and exhibit.

The event will be on from 10.30 a.m. to 12.30 p.m.

Alzheimer Cafe meet up

The Alzheimer Cafe meets on the last Thursday of each month from 2.30 p.m. to 4 p.m. at their new venue, Sunbeam House Services, Cedar Industrial Estate, Killarney Road.

The Alzheimer Cafe is a relaxed place where people with dementia, their families and friends, health and social care professionals come together for education and support over a cup of tea.

It is a safe space where people can share experiences and talk about dementia.

This is a voluntary joint initiative by St Columcille's Hospital and Community Health in South Dublin and Wicklow. It is free of charge.

They welcome people with all types of dementia and their families or carers

For more information call 01 2125179.

Leave a message and they will call you.

Badminton

Bray Greystones badminton club welcome beginners, back to badminton players and juniors every Thursday night in BIFE, Novara Road, Bray, from 8 p.m. until 10 p.m. and Sunday afternoon from 4 p.m. until 6 p.m.

For further information, contact Mary on 089 4132070

GROW mental health group

GROW Community Mental Health Movement meets every Tuesday at 11 a.m. in the Parish Centre, Queen of Peace Church, Putland Road, Bray.

GROW is a mutual help, mutual support group for personal growth and change.

The group meets weekly, using a 12 step programme of recovery.

Contact Leo at 086 8033124 or visit www.grow.ie.

Mother and toddler group

A mother and toddler group meets weekly at Ballywaltrim Community Centre.

The group will meet each Wednesday from 9.15 a.m. until 10.15 a.m.

For more information contact Ciara on 087 0961312.

There is a fee of 2 and there will be tea and coffee available.

Carols for Advent

There will be an annual sing-along carol service at the Holy Redeemer at the weekend.

The event will take place at the church on Sunday, December 9 at 4 p.m., with refreshments afterwards in the Little Flower Hall.

All welcome to come along.

Volunteers

Bray Cardiac First Responders would welcome any new volunteers or anyone interested in learning cardiopulmonary resuscitation.

The group meets on the first Thursday of every month in Sunbeam House at the Taylor Centre Vevay Road. Call 086 2658455.

Frosted the Pantomime

Bray Musical Society's panto 'Frosted' continues next week at St Patrick's Primary School.

After a great opening weekend, the show will take place on Friday, December 7 at 8 p.m., Saturday, December 8 at 2.30 p.m. and 7.30 p.m. and Sunday, December 9 at 2.30 p.m.

Tickets are 10 or 5 concession.

A family ticket for the pantomime for two adults and two children is 28.

For group rates contact the society directly on 086 2663250.

Tickets are also available online at braymusicalsociety.eventbrite.ie.

A Wonderful Life screening

Christmas tearjerker 'It's a Wonderful Life' will be screened at Mermaid Arts Centre on Monday, December 17, at 8 p.m.

This moving and beautifully told film is a true masterpiece of cinema.

A tale of rivalry and despair at 30, the story finds George Bailey (James Stuart) in turmoil, having been framed by his arch rival, torn between his own desires and aspirations, but struggling to always do the right thing.

This inner conflict proves too much for Bailey, who sees suicide as the only option.

In classic Hollywood style, Heaven sends a guardian angel to remind him how worthwhile his life has been and to treasure the good times when the going gets tough.

Tickets for It's A Wonderful Life are 8 or 6.50 concession and available at mermaidartscentre.ie.

This is a great way to get into the Christmas spirit and is sure to attract a large crowd.

All welcome to attend on the night.
Cubs challenge: Well done to our Kilmacanogue Cubs that set off recently on their annual Three Hills Challenge. These climbs took place to the big Sugarloaf, Little Sugarloaf and Bray Head all in the one day. This year they were joined by some students studying in the nearby Woodlands Academy so it was also a cultural and community experience.

Some of our younger cubs joined the group on the Big Sugarloaf and the newest recruits joined them for the Bray Head stage. They set out at 9.45 a.m. and finished their day at 4 p.m. Well done to everyone who walked on the day and thank you to our support team providing refreshments along the way, It was a tiring but a very enjoyable day.

New owners of Plucks

Best wishes to Caroline and Shane McNamara who re-opened Plucks on Friday evening (November 30) under new management. People would know Caroline and Shane from the Horse and Hound in Delgany which they ran of late and they look forward to meeting you all over the coming weeks. We wish you both the very best of luck in your new venture.

History society lecture

The members of our local Kilmacanogue History Society are eagerly looking forward to the last lecture of the 2018 Calendar. The lecture is titled 'Art, Artefacts and Old Buildings in Dublin and Wicklow and it will be presented by Peter Pearson.

Peter is a noted artist, historian and conservationist. He has been instrumental in the preservation of the built heritage in Wicklow and Dublin. Peter will make all present aware of the challenges that are involved in such endeavours. He is a native of Dun Laoghaire and has been a professional painter and writer all his life and will be a most interesting presenter to listen to.

Start time is at 8 p.m. in the Glenview Hotel on Tuesday, December 11, and as always, new members are very welcome. Price is just 4 for anyone wishing to come along, 3 for existing members.

Senior citizens Christmas party

The annual senior citizens Christmas party is upon us and will take place in the Summerhill House Hotel this Sunday (ninth) December. Party goer's are expected to gather around 5 p.m. with the meal at 5-30 and we hope you all have a wonderful day. The Summerhill have been most kind to our senior citizens group over the years and it is greatly appreciated.

Glens annual Christmas draw

The annual Glencormac United Christmas Draw is here and tickets are selling fast thanks to all the loyal supporters who without fail, support this draw every year. First Prize is 2,000 with 1,000 for second and 500 for third prize with five Prizes of 100 each also available. The draw will take place this Saturday, December 8, in Plucks and limited to 500 tickets with very few now left are at 20 from club members.

This is the main fundraiser for the club each year to cover the cost of Academy, six Underage teams and senior team and the club rely on the support of you all. It is also the Christmas night out for the parents of all the club's little superstars. New owners of Plucks Caroline and Shane McNamara look forward to welcoming you on the night so please come along.

Soccer action

The senior team were the only ones in action last weekend and travelled to Bray to play St Peter's. The Glens were understrength with five players working but put in a brave performance in a 3-2 defeat. Josh O'Callaghan got both the goals and he was outstanding on the day.
The emergency services were called to the harbour area of Bray on the evening of Wednesday, November 28, after a report of a person in the water.

After attending the scene, they did not discover anything untoward and all services were stood down.

The operation included members of Greystones Coast Guard unit, gardai, and the Coast Guard helicopter Rescue 116 as well as members of the fire service, all of whom carried out a thorough search of the vicinity.

Gardai in Bray said that while there was nothing found at the scene, they did not believe it to be a malicious report.

They said that while there was a report of a person, seemingly unresponsive, in the water, the person may have been mistaken, and that it could have been an object or even a wave formation.

They did say that they do not believe it to have been connected to any missing person the district is currently aware of.

The report was made at around 7 p.m. and the search was stood down by 9 p.m.

Earlier that day, Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard called to Shankill shoreline close to Shanganagh water treatment plant. A vehicle was submerged in water with the person trapped. Dun Laoghaire Coast Guard were tasked immediately along with Rescue 116 from Dublin Airport and Dun Laoghaire RNLI. While crews were responding to the incident, the casualty was rescued by his colleagues. All crews were stood down.
A dentist from Greystones has been crowned the Colgate Leinster Dentist of the Year 2018 after she saved a patient's life.

Dr Lisa Lucey of Lucey Dental was nominated after a mole on a young patient's face triggered concerns. It transpired the patient had other moles on her arms and one of these was found to be cancerous.

The judging panel praised Dr Lucey for assessing 'the whole health of a new patient, including skilfully asking relevant questions'.

This year marked the tenth year of the awards which enable patients to nominate dentists who have provided them with dental care above and beyond their expectations. RTE presenter Joe Duffy was MC for the awards ceremony at the RDS in Dublin which was attended by over 400 people.

Dr Lucey said winning this award would be a turning point for the practice.

'I am honoured and humbled that the patients of Lucey Dental nominated myself and my team for these awards. This is such a valued accolade, not just for myself but also recognition for my loyal and dedicated team. Winning awards like this one reassures our existing patients and encourages new patients to drop in. I am grateful to my patients for their continuous support and trust in us at Lucey Dental.'

The nominating patient said that she was undergoing her first check-up with Dr Lucey, when her dentist noticed areas on her face which she said warranted further examination.

'She looked at my arm and saw further areas that seemed to concerned her. She was so nice and comforting to me and explained she would, with my permission, send pictures which she would take on the day to her colleague Dr Chan in the Blackrock Clinic.'

A few weeks later, the patient was called in for surgery on her arm.

'I just had the surgery on my arm with a 5mm incision to remove the cancerous lesion, double stitched internally and externally. My doctor said "This could have been very different if you had not been referred to me".

'I don't know how to express my gratitude to Dr Lucey. She's the most caring person I've ever met for a professional and she saved my life. I am a mother of two small children and it has really made me think how blessed I was to set foot inside the door of Lucey Dental. I am forever grateful to Dr Lisa Lucey.'
Ex-Anglo Irish Bank executive, Tiarnan O'Mahoney, is seeking legal costs of his original trial for conspiring to conceal bank accounts from the Revenue Commissioners, on top of costs for his successful appeal against conviction and subsequent acquittal.

Mr O'Mahoney (58) of Glen Pines, Enniskerry, was originally found guilty by a jury in 2015 of knowingly furnishing false information and conspiring to defraud the Revenue as well as conspiring to have accounts deleted from the bank's internal system. The accounts were alleged to have been connected to the bank's former CEO Sean Fitzpatrick.

Mr O'Mahoney successfully appealed his conviction in March 2016 with the Court of Appeal holding that a substantial number of documents were wrongfully admitted into evidence and that the false information charge was brought outside of a ten year time limit.

A retrial was ordered in respect of Mr O'Mahoney, Anglo's former Chief Operations Officer, which resulted in his acquittal on all charges by direction of the trial judge last year. Mr O'Mahoney has no convictions arising out of the so-called Anglo trials.

The Court of Appeal had awarded costs to Mr O'Mahoney, who has not been on legal aid, for his successful appeal. However, an issue has arisen over precisely 'what was said' in relation to costs for the original trial and retrial.

President of the Court of Appeal Mr Justice George Birmingham directed that the digital audio recording of the order for a retrial be made available to both sides, on foot of an application by Mr O'Mahoney's lawyers.

Counsel for Mr O'Mahoney, Brendan Grehan SC, said his client was seeking costs for the original trial and the matter came before Judge Martin Nolan on Monday. Judge Nolan was the judge for Mr O'Mahoney's retrial.

Mr O'Mahoney, who was not in court for the brief matter, originally stood trial alongside Anglo's former company secretary, Bernard Daly (68) of Collins Avenue West, Whitehall, in Dublin and an assistant manager in the bank Aoife Maguire (64) of Rothe Abbey, South Circular Road, in Kilmainham.

Mr Daly and Mr O'Mahoney successfully appealed their convictions and a retrial was ordered in respect of Mr O'Mahoney only. Ms Maguire successfully appealed against the severity of her sentence only and her conviction still stands.

Quashing Mr Daly's and Mr O'Mahoney's convictions in March 2016, Mr Justice George Birmingham said they 'should not have had to stand trial' on the charge of furnishing false information because the proceedings were not commenced within the ten year time limit.

They also successfully contended that a substantial number of documents were wrongly admitted in evidence.

Mr Justice Birmingham said the documents, which the trial judge ruled admissible, were 'vital to the prosecution case'. These documents allowed the witnesses - a fraud investigator within Anglo, Patrick Peake - to trace for the jury and to explain and illustrate the means by which Anglo accounts were opened, kept, how ownership was designated, how funds were sourced, moved between different accounts and how the names of different accounts were changed or re-designated at various times.

In circumstances where crucial documentary evidence was admitted in breach of the hearsay rule, Mr Justice Birmingham said the court must uphold this ground of appeal.

The question of a re-trial did not arise for Mr Daly because, the court concluded, there was insufficient evidence to go before the jury.

Mr O'Mahoney's position was different. His 'omnibus' ground of appeal concerning multiple complaints related to the trial in the summer of 2015 did not preclude the ordering of a re-trial, Mr Justice Birmingham said.

At O'Mahoney's subsequent retrial, Judge Martin Nolan directed the jury to acquit him on all charges.

Judge Nolan said that after considering arguments from both sides he had reluctantly come to the conclusion that the case was 'too tenuous' to go to the jury and a conviction would be 'perverse'.

'The evidence of conspiracy to do the acts with which Mr O'Mahoney is charged is too tenuous, too remote in both substance and in time,'

He said he was not satisfied that any properly directed jury could convict in these circumstances, as they would be asked to speculate and to fill in gaps in the evidence adduced during the trial.

Judge Nolan said there was every reason to be suspicious of Mr O'Mahoney's activities in October and November 2003, and his subsequent dealings with gardai. But, he said, in the absence of formal evidence of conspiracy with Aoife Maguire this was not enough.
Duhallow Choral Society will be singing with Kerry Choral Union at their Christmas Gala Concert in Tralee on 9th of December in St John's Church Tralee. This will be followed by their next concert, on 14th December in Rockchapel.

If you still haven't got into the Christmas Spirit by then you can join the choir at their annual Christmas concert in Kanturk in The Church of the Immaculate Conception on Sunday 23rd December.

For more information you can go to their website duhallowchoralsociety.com or check out their Facebook Page duhallowchoralsociety.

Lorraine ORiordan Gospel Choir dates

The Lorraine O'Riordan Gospel Choir will be singing on the following dates in December and January:

On December 15 from 11am to 12.30pm the choir will sing at the Credit Union Kanturk to raise funds for St. Coleman's Boys National School. On the 19th December at 6.30pm the Choir sing at the Cope Foundation Freemount.

On Christmas Morning, as for the past number of years, the Choir will sing at the 10am Mass in the Church of the Immaculate Conception, Kanturk, celebrating the Birth of Jesus.

On the 5th of January the Choir will sing from 1.30pm at St.Patrick's Hospital, Kanturk and at 3pm at Araglen House Nursing home, Boherbue.
Popular Millstreet couple Raymond and Gillian Gilbourne took delight on their selection as the 'Most Stylish Duo 2018' at the Cointreau Hi 2018 Style Awards.

The staging took place in the Cointreau Pavilion at the Clayton Hotel Silver Springs Convention Centre.

There, a capacity audience of the most stylish people in Ireland attended the glittering award ceremony and banquet hosted by the style channel Hi TV's Amanda Brunker and Deric Hartigan.

Raymond and Gillian spoke of the great honour to be selected, and decided to make a personal donation of 250 to Marymount Hospice as a 'thank you' to those who voted for the pair.
Christmas mission: There will be a special Vigil and Holy Hour in Honour of Our Blessed Mother in the Parish Church on December 7, from 8.15pm to 9.15pm. There will be music, prayers and Reflection led by the Servant Sisters of the Home of the Mother. For the Feast of the Immaculate Conception, the Totus Tuus Magazine are bringing a special conference on December 8, to the Town Hall from 9.30am Everyone is welcome for all or part of the day.

Christmas quiz

Mitchelstown Heritage Society are hosting their annual Christmas Table Quiz tonight (December 6) in the Hunters Rest at 9.15pm sharp. Teams of four cost 40 per table. Funds raised will go towards the cost of ongoing Heritage Society work and projects.

Mitchelstown/Ballygiblin juvenile AGM

Takes place this Thursday, December 6 at 7.30pm in Forrest Hall. Mitchelstown GAA club will hold their AGM on Sunday December 30 in the Town Hall at 5.30pm. All are welcome.

Glenahulla NS

Glenahulla National School holds a new and used clothes collection today, Thursday. and Friday December 7, from 8.45am to 9.00am and from 2.40pm to 2.55pm. It will also be held on Monday, December 10 from 8.45am to 9. Duvets and pillows will not be taken. Any queries can be made to (086) 854 6689.

1.8m funding for Kilworth agri hub

A new Agri-Innovation Hub project based in Kilworth has been successful in securing funding of 1.865 million through the Government's Regional Enterprise Development Fund.

A total of 29 million is being made available by the Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation in the second round of funding to support regional projects and ensure growth and development by creating sustainable jobs.

"The Agri-Innovation Hub, 'Vista Agri 4.0 Hub CLG', is aimed at empowering the next generation of agritech entrepreneurs and has great potential for high economic impact by improving growth in this sector," said Minister David Stanton. "It will provide a single access source of agri-tech technical and entrepreneurial innovation in the Cork and South West Region, but will also serve the national and international stakeholders.

"I would like to congratulate all those involved in developing this project and successfully securing funding. The project has been developed by Cork County Council, Teagasc, Tyndall National Institute, CIT, Dairygold Co-Operative Society Limited, and other industry representatives.

"Due to its location at Kilworth, the new hub will provide unprecedented one-location access and connection into the Teagasc, CIT and Tyndall Institute specialist agri-innovation and science expertise. It will also have access to Cork County Council's tailored agri-ecosystem supports.

Lottery results from around the region

There was no jackpot winner of the Park United FC lottery. The numbers drawn were 5, 14, 15 and 24.

The following match-three winners each received 20 as follows: Kitty & Moss Lane; Morgan O'Brien c/o Hanley's; Fan Hanna c/o Kay Walsh; Nellie Wiley c/o John Ryan; and Pat Walsh c/o John Ryan.

The winner of the 25 lucky dip voucher was WF Casey.

Next week's jackpot is 3,400.

There was no jackpot winner of the Kildorrery Community Lotto.

The numbers drawn were 10, 21 and 30. There were three lucky-dip winners of 50 each: Mary Sheedy, Canteen Cross, Shanballymore; Mick O'Keeffe, Ballyanihan, Mitchelstown; and Josephine Enright, Main Street, Kildorrery. Next week's jackpot is 2,000.

There was no winner of the Kildorrery GAA jackpot of 6,800.

The numbers drawn were 8, 14, 16 and 17.

There were three lucky-dip winners of 50 each: Liam O'Sullivan, Scart; Anne Fenton Cobh; Caroline and Laura Hanley Quitrent.

Much festive fare in store at Ballindangan School

Catch up with your neighbours over a cup of tea and some festive treats this Christmas season with a coffee morning in Ballindangan.

It will take place on this Sunday, December 9, in Ballindangan National School after 11.30am Mass.

All pupils (past and present), parents, friends and members of the community are invited to attend.

It is being organised by the Parents' Association of the local school.

There will be Christmas Carols by Ballindangan Folk Choir and the pupils of the school.

Also, Ballindangan National School's Christmas Show will be on December 12 at 7pm.

'The Inn-Spectors' is a mix of songs, music, comedy and a true Christmas message.

The children will perform hip-hop dances and some familiar tunes on the tin whistle.

Obituary

Michael Burke

The death occurred on November 29 at his residence 9 Ballinwillin Close, Mitchelstown, of Michael Burke.

The late Michael, in his mid-60s, was a native of Davis Street, Tipperary town.

He was a retired member of the Gardai Siochana having been in Mitchelstown for the past 40 years. Prior to being stationed in Mitchelstown the late Michael served in Enfield, Ballydesmond, Kanturk and Bandon. He was very well known and respected, being a great family and religious man.

His popularity was borne out in the large and represented attendance that were present on Saturday when his funeral arrived at Mitchelstown Parish Church.

There was also a large attendance at the Requiem Mass and burial on Sunday. There was a guard of honour by members of the Gardai, serving and retired, as the coffin made its way to its final resting place in Brigown New Cemetery.

To his wife, Anne; son, Paul; daughter, Michelle; Paul's fiance, Anna; and the Bartkowska family; brother-in-law; sisters-in-law; relatives; neighbours; and friends, we tender our sincere sympathy.

Pat and Carmel the new captains at Mitchelstown

The men's and ladies Clubs AGMs were held over the week end.

Both meetings were well attended.

Outgoing captain John O'Brien and Angela Riemensperger presented their respective end-of-year reports to the respective meetings.

Both reports were well received ahead of the official handover of the respective captaincies.

Pat Leonard takes over the captain's roll for the men's club for 2019.

The role of Lady Captain for the same period went to Carmel Dowling.

Men's Club Secretary Chris Ablett presented the Secretary's Report in great detail.

The highlight of the year was the huge success of the junior teams at Munster and All Ireland level.

Pat Cleary presented the financial report, which was of great detail.

Carmel Dowling thanked the outgoing Lady Captain Angela Riemensperger for her great work.

Thursday, December 13, has been fixed as the day for the Seanoiri Christmas Party and General Meeting.
The current prices that some factories are paying farmers for beef is 18% lower than their British counterparts which is "unsustainable" and is forcing farmers out of the industry.

That is the view of MEP hopeful Jason Fitzgerald (FF). On Wednesday, December 12, farmers from Duhallow are expected to attend the first Munster meeting of beef farmers which will be held at Kanturk Mart.

Eamon Corely, who is one of the founders of the Beef Plan initiative, which currently claims 10,000 members, will address the meeting. The Beef Plan is for both beef and dairy farmers and aims to unite 40,000 farmers in a bid to negotiate better beef prices for their members.

According to Mr Fitzgerald, the government has "played up the fact" that Irish agricultural exports has increased by 70% since 2009 - but, he said, farmers have seen "little to no increase in farm gate prices throughout this period. "This must change," he said.

It was his view that the CAP (Common Agricultural Policy) has been inadequate to meet the consequences of a cheap food policy.

"The prices farmers are receiving for livestock in marts and meat factories across the country is not sustainable, especially this year," he said.

He said when Ireland joined the EEC in 1973, farmers received 75% of what the consumer paid for the finished product. Today, farmers only receive 21-26% of what the consumer pays.

"The difference is shared between the processors receiving approximately 28% and the retailers receiving up to 50%. The cheap food policy of the EU no longer protects the interests of farmers," he said.

The meeting on Wednesday, December 12 will take place at 8pm.
The willingness of a staff member working at Charleville Train Station to go above and beyond the call of duty has earned him the People Choice award at the annual Iarnrod Eireann Customer Service Awards.

Originally from Fair Hill in Cork city but now living in Freemount, Niall Fox has held several roles within the company over the past 18 years and currently works as a depot person at Charleville Station.

Niall received the special award through a combination of customer feedback and nominations from colleagues and for consistently adhering to his simple ethos of 'it's nice to nice'.

Niall told The Corkman that this comes from a piece of advice he was given by a former colleague when he started working with the company.

"He told me that what you give you always get back in spades, so it is far easier to be helpful to people, even when you find yourself in difficult situations," he said.

"It was surprising to me and really kind of humbling to be rewarded for just being yourself and doing your job," he added.

The award citation said that Niall has received an enormous amount of positive feedback, citing two instances in particular where he went out of his way to help passengers.

In one of these, a man from England, who had been due to catch a flight back to the UK from Cork airport, found himself on the Dublin-bound train and got off at Charleville.

Niall checked to see what time the next bus to the city was leaving Charleville and took it upon himself to drive the man to Charleville town to get the bus, ensuring that he did not miss his flight. Another lady got in contact to praise Niall for the caring manner in which he helped her mother, who was travelling to Dublin to see her ill sister.

"His sensitivity in this situation put the lady at ease as she faced her journey," read the citation.

Niall said that on both occasions he tried to imagine what it would have been like had he or a family members been in the same situations.

"My own mother is elderly, and I would like to think that someone would help her in the same way. The bottom line is you have to be human and, when people are under stress, be there to lend a helping hand," he said.
The housing charity Threshold has revealed that the number of calls it received from concerned tenants relating to notices of termination across Cork more than doubled over the course of last year.

Figures contained within Threshold's annual report for 2017 showed that a survey undertaken by their Cork office showed that almost one third of notices of termination were issued by landlords selling their properties.

Threshold's southern regional services manager Edel Conlon said that while they welcomed the move to extend Rent Pressure Zones (RPZ) beyond Cork city to include places such as Ballincollig "we continue to witness misuse of this legislation".

"A survey conducted by the Cork office in 2017 revealed that more than 30 per cent of notices issued were due to landlords selling their properties. However, in some instances, tenants reported that the properties were never sold and were put back on the rental market as a rent substantially higher than the four per cent RPZ cap," said Ms Conlon.

"This situation was emphasised by the number of calls to the Cork office in relation to rent increases almost tripling from Q1 2016 to Q1 2017," she added.

Ms Conlon went on to say the standard of accommodation tenants were forced to live in "continued to be a major concern" in Cork throughout 2017.

She said Threshold continued to field calls from tenants who were afraid to report their sub-standard accommodation due to "the risk of being issued with a notice of termination and being made homeless".

The Threshold report said they had dealt with a high number of queries in relation to Housing Assistance Payment (HAP). Of particular concerns were delays in processing HAP, which the charity said resulted in some tenants falling into debt and having to approach charitable organisations for support with food.

On a more positive note, Ms Conlon said that Threshold's Cork Access Housing Unit (AHU) has supported some 42 households to move out of homelessnes and n to homes during 2017.

The charity also worked closely with Cork City council, advocating on behalf of households in an effort to secure them other social housing options.

"In addition the AHU provided tenancy sustainment to service to 48 households, supporting them from homeless accommodation into independent living as well as helping those in long-term housing who require help with sustaining their tenancies," said Ms Conlon.

Nationally, the report showed tenancy terminations, rent reviews/increases, standards and repairs and deposit retention were the main issues of concern aired to them during 2017.

The charity estimated that it saved the State in the region of 3 million during 2017 through its provision of supports and services for those at imminent risk of homelessness.

"Through providing advocacy, advice Residential Tenancy Board representation and our Tenancy Protection Service, Threshold helped an average of 364 households a month to stay in their homes last year," said Threshold chair Aidan Hayden.

"It must be remembered that there are not just statistics, there are real people...adequate services and procedures must be put in place to protect them. It is fair to say that without our vital intervention, the homeless figures would be much higher."
Mitchelstown has been chosen as the location for an innovative new scheme that will have the capacity to slurry and household waste into enough natural gas to power 56,000 homes, supplying 8% of Ireland's residential gas demand.

Gas Networks Ireland (GNI) has confirmed the north Cork town has been selected as one of the proving grounds for its GRAZE project, which has been short-listed for an 8 million grant under the State funded Climate Action Fund.

The Mitchelstown element of GRAZE project, which will cost 29 million to develop, will involve the placement of a series of anaerobic digesters on farms in the area that will convert animal waste, slurry, municipal waste and grass into renewable gas.

The gas, which is identical in composition to natural gas, will then be fed into the national grid through a specially constructed plant near the town, one of 17 such plants planned across the country. The operating model will be similar to that currently used for milk collection by dairy co-ops, with the gas being transported in purpose built tankers to the plant.

Mitchelstown has been selected as the location for the this phase of the overall project due to the large number of cattle in the surrounding area and its close proximity to Ireland's biggest gas pipeline.

The use of animal waste in particular will have the additional benefit of reducing harmful emissions from Ireland's rapidly expanding beef and diary industries.

In addition the GRAZE project will fund the development of two Compressed Natural Gas (CNG) stations, part of a network of 70 similar facilities planned for around the country that will facilitate HGV and bus operators from using diesel to renewable gas in their vehicles.

This will help to substantially reduce transport emissions, with gas generating a 99% reduction in particulate matter when compared to diesel.

It is estimated that at maximum capacity the Mitchelstown operation alone will reduce Ireland's annual harmful CO2 emissions by up to 170,000 tonnes per annum, 27,000 tonnes of which will be made up from agricultural emissions.

According to the European Commission, Ireland has the highest potential for biogas production per capita within the EU by 2030. Gas Networks Ireland said the GRAZE project would play a key role in helping to achieve the company's target of 20% of Ireland's total gas supply by 2030 and 50% by 2050.

Furthermore, estimated that renewable gas has the potential to support the creation of some 6,500 jobs across rural Ireland.

The company's managing director, Denis O'Sullivan, said the GRAZE project confirmed the Government's support for GNI's long-term vision for how Ireland's 2.6 billion gas network can play a key role in 'de-carbonising' Ireland's energy, transport and agriculture sectors.

"We are helping to deliver a cleaner energy supply through innovation in key areas such a renewable gas," said Mr O'Sullivan.

"Combining the strength of our existing network, with a commitment to innovation will deliver the most cost-effective and secure solution to our energy challenges, allowing our economy to prosper into the future. This project is another important step forward in our renewable gas strategy," he added.
The government has rubber stamped a new payment scheme that will see uninsured small businesses and local organisations across north and mid-Cork receive an automatic payment to offset the cost of flood damage.

The Permanent Flood Relief Scheme will allow successful applicants that have heretofore been refused flood insurance to claim a 'quick' payment that will be capped at 5,000. However, should the cap not meet the needs of some applicants, there is scope within the scheme for a further payment of up to 15,000 after a more detailed assessment of the total loss incurred.

The initiative - which was brought before cabinet by Defence Minister Paul Kehoe and the Minister Business, Enterprise and Innovation Heather Humphreys - is designed to give financial aid to small business, voluntary, community and sporting bodies in flood-prone areas.

In the past, the Department of Defence had operated temporary humanitarian support schemes in conjunction with the Irish Red Cross following incidents of flooding.

Four such schemes, which operate on an ad-hoc basis, have been opened since 2015 to help offset the damage caused by extreme weather events such as Storm Ophelia, which wreaked havoc across parts of Cork last October.

The introduction of the new scheme has been welcomed by Kanturk/Mallow area county councillor John Paul O'Shea (FG), who said it would target sole traders and small business and voluntary, community and sporting organisations.

"It will be of great assistance to them in helping to deal with the aftermath of the kind of flood events that we know will become increasingly common into the future," said Cllr O'Shea.

"The scheme will be demand-led when these groups experience flood damage to their premises and equipment and where they have been refused flood insurance."

He said the Red Cross would continue to administer applications for flood relief assistance in accordance with a memorandum of understanding with The Department of Business, Enterprise and Innovation.

"This new scheme will put these supports on a more permanent footing giving assurances to those who need assistance that it will be forthcoming," he said.
Dunleer has been declared the national winner of Best Enterprise Town in Ireland in the small population category. It also won the overall award for the Leinster region.

"We are absolutely delighted," said Eugene Conlon of the Dunleer Community Development Group. The winners were announced in the Lyrath Hotel, Kilkenny.

In August the judging panel was taken on a tour of the village and saw what the community and business have achieved through working together.

He said the philosophy throughout Dunleer has been to get up and make things happen.

"In a radius of 1 km of Dunleer there are close to 700 people employed in many different types of businesses," he said. "I think that mixture of business, community and people coming together with a real belief that you can't just wait for things to happen - you actually have to make things happen - has been the philosophy and it is great to get recognition at the awards.'

The three judges toured well known businesses such as Lannleire Honey, Mcor Technologies, Suretank and Glen Dimplex and also visited community projects like the Men's Shed and experienced the contribution made to health and sport by the GAA and Team Carrie.

Thomas McEvoy Head of Enterprise at Local Enterprise Office Louth congratulated Dunleer and said "I'm thrilled for Dunleer. Winning this prestigious national award against stiff competition is recognition of the community's dedication to building a strong enterprise spirit locally. It was a real pleasure for the Local Enterprise Office of Louth County Council to work with the team in Dunleer to prepare for the judging event.

'Everyone got behind the competition and a genuine community spirit, from business and voluntary interests, of making things happen, was evident to the judges. We also had two other very strong applications in the competition, from Blackrock and Dundalk, which is a great reflection of the vibrant enterprise scene in Co Louth at the moment."

Speaking at the awards Paula Harmon, Head of Co. Louth at Bank of Ireland said: "Every year we are so impressed by the enterprising spirit and achievements of towns and villages nationwide, as people work together, to drive growth locally and build thriving communities.

'The support of City and County Councils across the country is a significant factor in the success of the awards and one which Bank of Ireland is extremely grateful for.'
Crimestoppers has launched an appeal for information about the disappearance of Giedre Raguckaite.

Giedre Raguckaite was last seen on Wednesday 29th May, 2018 in the company of two males in Laytown. She has not been in contact with anyone since that date which is out of character. She was not reported missing until 22nd August, 2018. The Gardai have now upgraded this case to a murder investigation.

Giedre is female, Lithuanian, 29 years old. She is 1.67 meters in height with green eyes and blonde shoulder length hair and thin build. She was last seen wearing a pink t-shirt and dark blue jeans.

Crimestoppers and the Gardai are appealing for any members of the public, in particular members of the Lithuanian community, to come forward with any information relating to Giedre's disappearance.

Calls to Crimestoppers are completely anonymous and callers do not need to leave their name or address. Callers can claim a reward for information which significantly helps the investigation. Anybody with information can call Crimestoppers on 1800 25 00 25.

Detective Inspector Martin Beggy, Dundalk Garda Station said, "We are very concerned about Giedre, she has been missing since 29th May of this year and she has not made contact with anyone. She was last seen with two males in Laytown. This is now considered a murder investigation. I would appeal to anyone who knows what happened to Giedre to come forward, do you know where she stayed since her last accommodation on 23rd May, 2018.

Giedre's family are living in Lithuania and are very anxious to know what happed to their daughter and their sister.

"Even the smallest piece of information, which may seem insignificant, might help with the investigation."

"If a member of the public prefers to give the information without identifying themselves, they can call Crimestoppers on 1800 25 00 25."

Crimestoppers Chairperson John Murphy said, "If you have information that can assist the gardai with their investigation, please give crimestoppers a call on 1800 25 00 25. You do not need to leave your name or any details about yourself. Your information could be potentially the key to finding out what happened to Giedre.
The Irish Blood Transfusion Service (IBTS) held its annual Gold Drop and Porcelain Pelican Awards Ceremony for the North-East, Midlands region in the Headfort Arms Hotel in Kells, Co Meath.

One hundred and eleven 50 time Donors received their Gold Drop and ten 100 time Donors received their Porcelain Pelicans at the ceremony. Donors and their guests attended from counties Meath, Cavan, Monaghan, Louth, Westmeath, Longford, and North County Dublin.

Finbar Gethins, Area Manager - Ardee Centre was MC for the ceremony and welcomed everyone and congratulated all the Donors on their significant achievements. Linda Hickey, Chairperson of the Board of the IBTS performed the opening address and thanked the Donors for their dedication on behalf of all the patients who are extremely grateful to all blood donors. Linda Hickey then presented each of the 50 Time Donors with their Gold Drop awards and the Porcelain Pelicans to the 100 Time Donors. Emma Gilbey, a Recipient Speaker was honoured to speak at the awards. Following complications after the birth of her baby Charlie six years ago, she lost four litres of blood and had emergency surgery which lasted four hours. She wouldn't be here today if it wasn't for the generosity of blood donors. She really values being a mother and appreciates every moment of the last six years. She said that their award should take pride of place in their homes. Their generosity restores her faith in humanity. Andrew Kelly, Chief Executive presented Emma with a bouquet of flowers and she received a heart felt round of applause.

Mr. Andrew Kelly, Chief Executive paid tribute to the donor's fantastic achievement of donating 50 and 100 times. To donate 50 times is a fantastic achievement but 100 times is a lifelong commitment. He praised the donors for donating that what they do is something special, they give hope to people. They just see it as something they do. He also thanked the Local Voluntary Organisers, the Red Cross, the Order of Malta, Na Cailini in Ballybay, Civil Defence, ICA, Scouts, G.A.A. and the many individuals who organise, promote and assist the work of the IBTS in the community.
Top illustrator and Drogheda native Roger O'Reilly has just won An Post's Irish published book of the year award for his book on the Lighthouses of Ireland.

He is among the creative talents showing at Gifted - The Contemporary Craft and Design Fair in the RDS December 5 -9.

With over 500 designers, makers and artisan food producers displaying original gifts, the traditional opening to the festive season in Dublin is set to attract over 45,000 people in five days.

Now based in Kilkenny, Roger, who runs Irelandposters.ie, says he can't keep his new book, Lighthouses of Ireland, on the shelves since it was launched last month.

The book is already on its third print run.

"I was posting my pictures of lighthouses on social media and realised I needed to write something about each of them to go with the illustrations," he said.

"This gave me the idea of the book, which shows lighthouses from all over Ireland, starting in my native town of Drogheda, Co Louth, circling the coast right back to the 'folly' lighthouse in Co Meath."

His efforts have seen him win this year's An Post Best Irish Published Book of the Year award.

Roger, who has worked on storyboards for clients such as Coca-Cola and Diageo as well as the Irish TV series 'Vikings' will also have some other gift ideas on offer at Gifted.

"I have a series of prints of all the villages of Dublin including Sandymount, Sutton and Killiney.

"Well-designed wall art is a great addition to any home, but place prints bring an extra dimension in that it represents a personal connection.

"They may illustrate somewhere you have been, or they simply serve to say this is where I come from."

Gifted - The Contemporary Craft and Design Fair takes place at the RDS Main Hall from December 5-9 from 10am each day.
Doug confronts Bob before snapping and punching him in Emmerdale

Coronation Street: Nick tells Leanne that he's going to sell his share of the factory so that Elsa is out of his life for good.

Later, Sarah clocks Carla and Elsa looking through Nick's diary. Assuming his dinner date is with Leanne, they prepare to ambush him in Speed Daal.

Meanwhile, Evelyn offers Fiz some words of comfort and Fiz thaws towards her, suggesting that she should stay to keep an eye on Tyrone. Tyrone, Ruby, Chesney, Evelyn and Kirk say an emotional goodbye to Fiz and Hope.

Elsewhere, Sinead quizzes Ken about the money he gave to Carla and he admits that he's been funding her therapy. Sinead shows Ken the scan photo of his grandchild. Later, Daniel feels the baby kick, telling Sinead that he is the happiest man alive.

Also, Steve and Tracy take Amy for dinner at the Bistro, but their plan goes awry when Dev explains that Aadi point blank refuses to go on a date with Amy.

Emmerdale

Doug heads to the pub and sees Bob being overly friendly with some female customers.

Doug confronts Bob about his feckless behaviour, before eventually snapping and punching him.

Meanwhile, Daz is proud that he's got a new company car with his new job and revels in the attention of his new boss Trish.

Elsewhere, Vanessa is distracted.

Also, Jacob makes an admission. Daz finds himself in a taxi with Trish, but misreads the signals and insists that he won't be her play thing. A furious Trish tells Daz that she's married.

An embarrassed Daz gets out of the taxi, leaving him stranded without his phone or wallet.

Meanwhile, Noah and Leanna team up to joyride in Daz's car. Amelia arrives and tries to stop them, but Leanna tricks her into coming along.

Elsewhere, Chas continues to struggle.

EastEnders

Alfie plans an event for his Blue Moon Funerals venture and convinces Hayley to help him out. As they spend time together, Hayley finally sees how much their baby means to him. However, Hayley is disappointed when Alfie later turns his attentions back to Kat, creating a touching gesture for her.

Later, Jean can't resist getting involved and warns Alfie that she knows the truth. She warns him to tell Kat the truth, or she'll do it for him.

Meanwhile, Mel meets up with Maddie and this time reveals the truth about who she really is. Maddie refuses to believe her, but Mel has another bombshell to drop.

Elsewhere, Tiffany follows Evie's instructions and gives Keegan drugs, but she gets caught out by Bernadette.

Also, Billy plans revenge against Adam after taking some inspiration from Alfie.

Fair City

Decco stands up to Ritchie but worries if it really is over. Doug talks himself out of a home, and Charlotte gets an interesting proposition.

Charlotte defies Decco by working for Ritchie. Anto tries to offload 50 Santa suits before Sharon realises he spent the Christmas fund. Doug tries to prove a point to Jackie.
Lusk's annual Christmas cards and calendars are out now, illustrated by some wonderful photographs of the historic village.

Deputy Darragh O'Brien TD, launched the cards and calendar at a ceremony held in Murray's Bottom Shop in Lusk recently.

MC for the evening was William O'Connor and among those attending were local councillors, Cllr Brian Dennehy (FF), Cllr Adrian Henchy (FF), Cllr Robert O'Donoghue (Lab) and Cllr Cathal Boland (NP).

Newly selected area representative for Fine Gael, Jim Monks also attended the event and said a few kind words of congratulations to the local Tidy Towns committee who achieved a fourth bronze medal for Lusk in the national competition, this year.

The Murray family were thanked for hosting the evening and providing some music and refreshments on the night.

Brian Egan was congratulated for his wonderful photographs which illustrate the Christmas cards with winter scenes of the village.

Thanks is also due to all the local businesses who supported the event and contributed to a fundraising raffle on the night.

The Christmas cards are now available, selling at 1 each and are a wonderful way to help family and friends who have left the village, taste a little bit of home as their Lusk Christmas Card drops in the letter-box of wherever far flung corner of the world they have made their home away from home.

Issuing the Christmas cards and calendars featuring photographs of the village is now a well-established tradition in Lusk and great credit goes to everyone involved in the effort each year.

The cards in particular have a global reach and will be found this Christmas on the mantelpieces of friends and former residents of Lusk all around the world.

It is a big reach for a small village but a gesture that means a lot to those who receive the cards.
Local TD Clare Daly asked the Minister for Education and Skills in the Dail last week of his plans to improve capacity for schools across Fingal, in view of what she said was a 'widespread shortage of places', and a deterioration in accommodation for students.

Addressing the Minister, she said she had 'never seen this matter raised as much as now.'

Of the '16 major projects for the area', she said, only two were at the on-site stage.

She also raised the issues faced at Ardgillan Community College, as well as other schools in the Fingal area.

Deputy Daly said the situation was 'unsustainable in a growing area', and that a 'serious strategy' was needed to deal with these concerns.

Addressing the Deputy, the Minister said: 'I thank the Deputy and acknowledge that this is an issue of concern. When I walk down the corridor and meet Deputies and Senators from north County Dublin, it is the only matter they raise.'

He said: 'As the Deputy will be aware, my Department recently announced plans for the establishment of 42 new schools over the next four years up to 2022, including six new primary and two new post-primary schools to be established in north Dublin.'

Speaking of the situation at St. Joseph's Secondar School in Rush, Deputy Daly said: 'We all saw the day that was in it yesterday, when parents, teachers and students from St. Joseph's Secondary School in Rush organised a protest in the town.

'They walked from the existing school to the field where the new school is supposed to be built. The school is oversubscribed this year by 140 students. They were outside the Dail earlier this term, and while it is an incredibly useful education for them in the need to protest to get things delivered, they should not have had to do that.'

Deputy Daly said the situation was 'critical' for St. Joseph's and for St. Molaga's in Balbriggan.

She said that in St. Molaga's, 58% of the students were in '20-year-old, crumbling prefabs', and that the school was at the project brief stage, even though it had been 'in the pipeline for so long.' The system, she said, was 'broken.'

Deputy Daly added that the situation at St. Joseph's was replicated in other areas, including Skerries and other parts of North Dublin, saying she 'did not even get a chance to address' Swords, a town 'with a population approaching 40,000', where there was a 'critical' school accommodation problem.

The Minister for Education said it must be 'kept in mind' that there had been an 'explosion' in the provision of housing in north County Dublin in the past five years, but that this was not an 'excuse' for not acting.

The Minister said he would bring these concerns to his Department and ensure that this issue was 'kept on the radar.'
A man charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl has been remanded on continuing bail to appear before a court again next year.

The 49-year-old, who cannot be named for legal reasons, is alleged to have kissed the teenage girl who did not wish to be kissed, Balbriggan District Court heard.

He is charged with sexually assaulting the teenager at Tesco on Whitestown Road in Lusk on April 15.

Garda Lucy Woods told the court she arrested the accused on November 28 by appointment and charged him.

She said he made no reply after charge.

Gda Woods said the Director of Public Prosecutions has directed summary disposal of the case which means it can stay at district court level, where if convicted, the penalties are less than those imposed at Circuit Court leve.

Outlining the alleged facts of the case Gda Woods said it is alleged that at 12.30am the accused kissed the teenager who did not wish to be kissed.

On hearing an outline of the alleged facts Judge Paula Murphy accepted jurisdiction to have it heard at district court level.

Defence barrister Annette Kealy was granted a disclosure order, to include CCTV footage.

At the recent hearing in Balbriggan District Court Judge Murphy imposed some reporting restrictions on the case and adjourned the proceedings until January 3.
A woman in her early 60s, who assaulted three gardai while they were arresting her son, claimed she saw red and her 'maternal instincts' kicked in.

Mary Finnegan (63) tried to interfere with the arrest of her son and kicked out at one garda, struck another on the wrist and shin and struck a third officer in the back of the head in the early hours of August 6.

The mother-of-two claimed she had been taking prescribed sleeping tablets and went out for the evening and only had one drink - causing her to react the way she did.

She worked all her life but retired three years ago and is 'very embarrassed' by her behaviour and 'couldn't believe' she behaved that way on the night, Balbriggan District Court heard.

The defendant, of St Catherine's Park in Rush, North County Dublin, pleaded guilty to assaulting Garda Aaron Shanahan, Garda Aidan O'Halloran and Garda Kevin Fitzpatrick on August 26, 2017 at Upper Main Street in Rush.

She has no previous convictions.

Sergeant Eoin McDonnell gave evidence that at 2am while Rush Harbour Festival was taking place, gardai attended Main Street in an attempt to arrest the defendant's son.

'The defendant then interfered with the arrest of her son and assaulted three gardai,' said Sgt McDonnell.

'She kicked out at one garda, struck another on the wrist and shin and struck a third garda in the back of the head.'

He said the three gardai were 'not seriously injured' and were able to resume their duty at short time later.

Defence solicitor Fiona D'Arcy said the 63-year-old, who has two sons aged 35 and 32, is 'very embarrassed'.

'She has prepared three letters of apology for the gardai which have been handed over to the sergeant,' she continued.

Ms D'Arcy said the defendant went out on the night to socialise but had been taking prescribed sleeping tablets and 'only had one drink'.

'Because of the way her son was behaving he was arrested. She saw red and her maternal instincts kicked in,' Ms D'Arcy explained.

Ms D'Arcy said the defendant has 'worked all her life and retired at 60'.

'She couldn't believe the way she behaved in the way she did.

'She is normally a peaceful citizen and her retirement has been destroyed by this for the past 15 months,' she added.

At the District Court sitting, Judge Paula Murphy warned the defendant that the offences involved in the case 'carry a headline sentence of 12 months', and ordered a pre-sentencing Probation Report before adjourning the case until next year for finalisation.
Over 650 students of St Joseph's Secondary School, Rush supported by staff, parents and friends took to the streets of the seaside town last week in protest at the lack of progress in providing a desperately needed new school building that was promised in 2007 and for which a site was agreed in 2009.

Over 100 families in Rush were rocked in mid-October to be told that the demand for September 2019 first year places in St Joseph's had ballooned to almost double the available spaces, meaning they had been turned down in the chase for the 120 spaces available

A swiftly mounted campaign including action by students, staff, parents, and school management has secured the provision of four temporary classrooms for that September 2019 intake but national school numbers in the area confirm there is still a desperate need for up to 100 places more each year over the next five years

The march last Tuesday saw the entire student population of St Joseph's march from the existing school premises to the new site to highlight the delay and to call on the Department of Education to speed up the design, planning and building process.

St Joseph's Principal Ms Patricia Hayden highlighted the need to maintain the pressure for the new school.

She said: ' It has been a difficult number of weeks since we were forced to tell parents there were only 120 places for 224 applicants. While the temporary classrooms offer some relief, it is only a short-term fix. The increase in demand comes on foot of an explosion of population in this region that will see similar demand annually for the foreseeable future. Rush was promised a new school with a site chosen and procured but there is a long way to go before that is a reality.'

Senator Dr, James Reilly, Chairman of the Board of Management at St Joseph's said: 'The whole community is still shocked at how little has been done on the new school despite the obvious growth in population.

'The need for a new school is strongly felt by everyone in and around Rush. Today's march is just the beginning. A broad group of supporters of the school in the community has come together and is planning an ongoing campaign to ensure we reach into every office that matters and keep up the pressure until that new school is open, up and running.'
Clonegal-Kildavin - Ladies' Gaelic Football: The newly formed Ladies' Gaelic Football Club extends a welcome invitation to every girl in the community. New Sporting opportunity for girls. Registration for the 2019 season will be held on Thursday, December 6 in Kildavin-Clonegal GAA Complex from 7.30 p.m. to 9.30 p.m.

Membership Cost: under-nine is 20 (up to 2010), under-11, under-12 and under-14 is 30. We hope every girl will come along to try the most popular sport for girls in all of Ireland. For more information, please contact the secretary at 087 2823110.

GAA lotto

There was no winner of the Kildavin-Clonegal GAA. Lotto jackpot of the winning jackpot of 6,600, held on Sunday, November 25. Numbers drawn were 12, 14, 16 and 21. Winners that matched three were, Ricky Murphy, Clonegal, John Doyle, c/o T Moran and Joseph Jackman, Radharc na Doiri, both receiving 50 each. The seller's prize goes to Ray Treacy, receiving 50.

The next draw will take place in Conway's Lounge, Kildavin, on Sunday, December 9, at 10.30 p.m., with a jackpot worth 6,800. Buy your tickets for 2 each. You can play it on kildavinclonegalgaa.ie or the news page of the community website clonegalkildavin.ie. You can also download the myclubfinances app from the Google app store. The profits from the lotto is supporting the Ben Mulhall Memorial Park Association and Kildavin-Clonegal GAA Club.

Irish Music at Egan's

Come along to another great night of traditional Irish music and song at Egan's Bar of Parkbridge, on Saturday, December 15.

GAA Club AGM

Kildavin-Clonegal GAA Club will hold it AGM on Sunday, December 9, at 5 p.m. in Spellman Park Kildavin.

Kildavin Choir

If you sing or play a musical instrument we would be delighted if you join us. We meet on Monday evenings at 7.30 p.m. in the Spellman Hall, Kildavin (rear entrance) to practice. If you need further information please contact Mary at 086 8097521 or just come along any Monday evening. New members of all ages welcome.

Deepest Sympathy

The village of Clonegal and the wider community was saddened to hear the death of Marykate Sheil (nee Jackman) who passed away on Tuesday, November 27. Marykate, beloved wife of the late Pat and loving mother of Ellen, Kate, Phil, Jim-Bob, Maurice, Mairead, Brigid and the late Tina. Sister of Nan, Brigid and the late Jack and Margaret. Sadly missed by her sons, daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren, brother-in-law, sons-in-law, daughters-in-law, nieces, nephews, relatives, neighbours and friends.

Reposed at her son Maurice's residence with Removal to St Brigid's Church, Clonegal on Wednesday evening. Funeral Mass on Thursday followed by burial afterwards in the adjoining cemetery. May she rest in peace.

Clonroche-Poulpeasty

Cloughbawn GAA

Club lotto results: The jackpot still remains at 10,000, Numbers drawn were 5, 8, 25 and 28. Match-three winners Jacinta Codd Rathfardon and Mary Lynch Ballyleigh. Next Draw in the Boro Inn on Saturday, December 8. On lotto duty are green group: Dolores Flood, Kathleen Flood, Inez and PJ Dempsey, Vera Murphy and Lelia Kavanagh. GAA AGM the senior club AGM will be held on Friday, December 7, at 8.00 at the GAA Complex, all welcome to attend.

Camogie Club news

The minor team ended a very successful year for the club by winning their county final against Horeswood on Friday, November 25, in Horeswood. The girls finished off with a score of 3-11 to 2-4. full updates and photos on the GAA Facebook page.

Split-the-pot

The winner of this week's split-the-pot, drawn in the Boro Inn, was Margaret Connors Enniscorthy Road the pot was 262.00. All proceed go to upkeep of the village.

Rural Social Scheme

The Rural Social Scheme provides income support for qualifying farmers and Fishermen, who are in receipt of specified social-welfare payments, in return for 191/2 hours on the community each week. There are two RSS positions available in the area.

To qualify you must be: actively farming or fishing, be in receipt of Farm Assist or Job Seekers Allowance, must apply to the EU Basic Payment Scheme if you do not ordinarily apply for BPS and application can be made to join the Scheme.

Coffee morning

Poulpeasty Women Group (PPWG) are hosting a fundraiser event in Poulpeasty Hall on December 7 at 10 a.m. There will be tea/cofffee, cakes/buns, bric-a-brac, books, as well as a rafffle for a Christmas hamper, beauty voucher, wine and chocolates. Come along for a cuppa and chat and try your luck in the raffle.

Book Launch

'Where the Boro Waters Flow' by Damian Cullen will be launched in the Cloch Ban, Clonroche on Thursday, December 13, at 8.30 p.m. This book is combination of history and poetry largely relating to the Boro River.

The poems are mostly written in the 1930s and 40s by poets who lived near the Boro and preserve history and folklore in their verses. Historic ruins of mills and mansions, ancient churches, bridges and river crossings are all included along with some interesting stories about some of Boro's noted people. Light refreshments served.

St Vincent de Paul

The annual collection in aid of St Vincent DePaul will take place on Saturday, December 8, and Sunday, December 9. Please give generously.

Rathnure Panto

Rathnure Pantomime Society presents their 24th Christmas Panto, Broomstick: Tinkerbell's Christmas Adventure in Rathnure hall on December 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 27, 28 and 29 at 7.45 p.m. nightly.

Early evening performances on the Sunday shows. Call 087 0687801 or 087 6954112, or book through Messenger on our Facebook page.

Christmas Craft Fair

Colaiste Abbain are holding their Christmas Craft Fair on Thursday evening, December 6, from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. Free Entry to fair - Items on show will be wreaths, candles, fabric/knitted crafts, Christmas decorations/table centrepieces, buns/cakes, gifts and many many more.

This year trading is open to outside traders along with our own student creations. Looking forward to seeing you all there to enjoy the enterprise and creativity that is vibrant in Adamstown. Santas Grotto will be open from 6 p.m. to 7.30 p.m. Entry to Santa 3. Looking forward to your continued support.

Marshalstown-Castledockrell

Castledockrell NS

The pupils from the senior room performed in the National Opera House, Wexford on Thursday, November 22. The atmosphere was electric when the pupils took to the stage to perform in the 'Sing Out Loud' choir. Our 'superstars' got to enjoy the whole experience from behind the scenes, to a dress rehearsal to everything in between. It truly will be a night they will never forget. The pupils sang a wide range of songs from a 'Rock'n' Roll Medley', to hits from 'The Greatest Showman' to some Disney Classics. On the night there were some other wonderful performances including Extreme Rhythm, Gymstars Gymnastic Club and Doyle Academy of Irish Dance. This is the third time Castledockrell NS have taken part in this event and it just keeps getting better and better. Well done to all involved, it really was a special night and we were delighted to be part of it.

In other news, pupils have also designed their very own 'Christmas Cards' which will be printed next week. Rehearsals are now in full swing as we prepare for our annual Christmas Concerts. These will take place on Wednesday, December 19, at 2 p.m. and 7 p.m. in the parish hall. For further information on any of the above please contact the school 053 9388892 or visit our website castledockrellns.weebly.com.

Carol Service

A Christmas Carol Service will be held in the Church of All Saints, Castledockrell on Sunday, December 16, at 7 p.m. This is a whole parish event for Marshalstown and Castledockrell with both Church Choirs and the Children's Choirs from both National Schools in the parish involved. The evening will include readings and singing as we prepare for the coming of Jesus at Christmas. People from outside the parish very welcome to attend.

Bingo

Bingo continues every Thursday evening in Marshalstown Community Centre starting at 8.30 p.m. with two big jackpots to play for.

Storytelling

Next session of storytelling in Castledockrell Hall is on Thursday, December 20, at 8 p.m. Refreshments served. Raffle held.

Sympathy

Sympathy is extended to the family of the late Eileen Brennan, who died recently. May she rest in peace.

Social dancing

The next Social Dance is in Marshalstown Community Centre on Friday, December 21. Doors open at 9.30 p.m. and dancing starting at 10 p.m. Admission including tea is 8.

GAA AGM

Marshalstown-Castledockrell GAA Adult annual general meeting takes place in Farmleigh club house on Sunday, December 9, from 3 p.m. to 4 p.m.

Important Dates

Tuesday, February 19: First Confessions/Service of Light, Castledockrell. Friday, March 15: Confirmation. Thursday, March 21: First Confessions, Marshalstown. Saturday, May 4: First Holy Communion Marshalstown. Sunday, May 12: First Holy Communion, Castledockrell. Sunday, May 26: Patron, Marshalstown. Friday, July 5: Patron, Castledockrell.

Notes

If possible can items be forwarded to me in good time so if it's not included one week it will appear the next in time for the event as there is no guarantee that any item will be included any week. The deadline for receiving notes is 6 p.m. on a Thursday. Only not for profit items can be included. 0

Rathnure

Evening Of Music/Song

Sincere thanks to all who participated in the Evening Of Music and song for the refurbishment of St Anne's Church, 4,000 was raised. A DVD of the concert is available for 10. Order copies from Fr Broaders - an ideal Christmas gift and it raises funds for our church.

Bingo

The bingo jackpot on Tuesday the fourth is 6,000 with reserve jackpot at 400. Sit-beside prizes on each game in the bingo book continue till Christmas.

Clothes Collection

There will be a Used Clothes Collection at the school on December 12. Bring your previously loved clothing, bed linen, curtains, belts, handbags and shoes (paired) in a large plastic sack to the school gate by 9.30 a.m. No cushions, duvets, pillows, socks or underwear please. The clothes are collected by the NCBI and all proceeds go towards the activities of the children at the school. The National School Carol Services will take place in Rathnure Church at 7 p.m. on December 18 and all are welcome.

St Anne's GAA

Club Shop - Open every Friday night till Christmas from 7 p.m. to 8 p.m. New stock now in.

Club lotto - The numbers drawn last Tuesday were 1, 4, 23 and 28. No jackpot winner. There were two match-three winners who each won 100 and the jackpot this week is 7,600.

Camogie dinner dance

We would like to thank all those who came to our 50th Anniversary dinner dance recently. A great night was had celebrating our achievements over the years, here's to the next 50.

Christmas Trees

Rathnure camogie are bringing Christmas to you - Christmas tree special. Any tree from 5ft to 8ft, only 30. Collect your tree on one of our designated collection days or for just 5 we can deliver to you (selected locations only). For orders contact 087 7444817.

Calendars: We have stocking fillers covered too - Rathnure camogie club 2019 Calendars, only 10.

Christmas Panto

Rathnure Pantomime Society presents their 24th Christmas Panto, Broomstick: Tinkerbell's Christmas Adventure in Rathnure hall on December 9, 10, 12, 13, 14, 16, 17, 27, 28 and 29 at 7.45 p.m. nightly. Early evening performances on the Sunday shows. Call 087 0687801 or 087 6954112, or book through Messenger on our Facebook page.

Book Launch

'Where the Boro Waters Flow' by Damian Cullen will be launched in the Cloch Ban, Clonroche on Thursday, December 13, at 8.30 p.m. This book is combination of history and poetry largely relating to the Boro River.

The poems are mostly written in the 1930s and 40s by poets who lived near the Boro and preserve history and folklore in their verses. Historic ruins of mills and mansions, ancient churches, bridges and river crossings are all included along with some interesting stories about some of Boro's noted people. Light refreshments served.
The festive season came early for members of the Wexford branch of the Irish Kidney Association who attended a Christmas party in the Riverbank House Hotel.

Over 120 people turned up for the event, including more than 40 transplant and dialysis patients, representing a strong turn-out as the branch has 121 members.

Chairman Liam Buttle and Annie Bolger who is one of the longest serving members of the Wexford branch, cut a special cake to mark the 40th anniversary of the Irish Kidney Association. The Wexford branch was founded 38 years ago.

Members also celebrated the long-awaited establishment of a state-of-the-art dialysis unit at Sinnottstown Lane, Drinagh which has elminated the need for County Wexford dialysis patients to make the tiring return journey to Waterford for treatment up to three times a week.

The branch was honoured to have Debbie MacDonald, manager of the B. Braun Wellstone Clinic and some of her team in attendance at the party.

Music was provided by Theresa and the Stars.
Gorey Parkrun participants and volunteers arrived in style to celebrate its second anniversary.

What a better way to mark the milestone than complete a 5km route around Gorey town park in fancy dress, followed by some refreshments and cake.

Event director Gareth Mitchell said they had a total of 85 people walk and run the route, with some visitors from Dublin and the Polish Runners Club Ireland.

The proceedings were made possible by the efforts of the volunteers. The hot drinks facilities were provided by the Ashdown Park Hotel.

Gareth said he would like to thank the Ashdown Park Hotel for the help and to Gorey Municipal District for allowing them to use the park for their weekly run.

Gorey Parkrun is free and open to everyone of all abilities. Register online at www.parkrun.ie

The Gorey Parkrun group meet every Saturday morning at 9.30 a.m. in Gorey Town Park, weather permitting.
The President of Wexford Chamber of Commerce, Niall Reck, and the Labour Party Leader, Deputy Brendan Howlin TD, have written to the Board of Sam McCauley Chemist Ltd asking for meetings to discuss the proposed relocating of the company's head office to a new site outside of Co Wexford - believed to be in Dublin.

Mr Reck wrote his letter in respect of his own position and also on behalf of the Chief Executive of Wexford County Council, Tom Enright.

In his correspondence he highlighted that the Sam McCauley brand has been synonymous with Wexford for 65 years and he also pointed out that the loyalty of the company's staff has been instrumental to the ongoing growth of the company.

'As a result we feel very strongly that the head office of Sam McCauley Chemists Ltd should remain in Wexford,' said Mr Reck in the letter.

He also said the chamber and the local authority are committed to doing everything they can to assist the company in overcoming obstacles that 'triggered the decision' to relocate.

Mr Reck asked for a meeting with the Board of Directors of the business so an outline could be given as to how the chamber and the County Council could assist the business to ensure it remains in Wexford.

Speaking to this newspaper Mr Reck expressed disappointment and concern at the possibility that jobs could be lost in the county.

'We want to meet the Board and hear what their reasons are for relocating,' he said.

'We want an opportunity to present them with ideas we have and work with them in ensuring the company's headquarters remains where it always has been and that's in Co Wexford,' he added.

He expressed criticism of any notion that there aren't skilled people in the county and said that's something the chamber and the local authority are willing to work with the company on.

That comment was in reference to the reasons given for the move by the CEO of Sam McCauley Chemists Ltd in Wexford, Tony McEntee, who told this newspaper the plan to relocate was attributable to a lack of potential employees in Wexford: 'We need to find a team of online marketers and we are struggling to recruit people locally. As a business we need to grow and we need talent to grow.'

Mr Reck disagreed with any suggestion there are not skilled people in Co Wexford.

'The skill set is there,' he said.

'There are many skilled people in the town and we know that recruitment companies [here] weren't approached,' he added.

If the request for a meeting is accepted Mr Reck said a number of key things will be presented by the chamber and local authority.

'It doesn't make financial sense to move to Dublin and it certainly would make far more sense to remain here,' he said.

'Another key issue is that we should be able to find the people they require here in Wexford,' he added.

Commenting there is a very strong, varied and skilled workforce in the Model County Mr Reck suggested the company might think it searched locally but added: 'That certainly appears not to actually be the case and that's something we could highlight to them.'

'It's a Wexford brand and we do not want to lose it and we certainly don't want to lose jobs in the county,' he said.

He suggested one option that could be considered is for the company to relocate its headquarters from where it is but still remain inside the county boundary.

'Even if it relocated its base to Gorey and possibly to the Hatch Lab it would mean it's only a spin down the road from Dublin and at least the employees already working there would be remaining in Wexford,' he said.

'That's an option that we feel should definitely be looked at.'

Labour Party Leader, Brendan Howlin TD, has also written to the company about the matter and requested a meeting with senior management.

He told this newspaper that he was very disappointed and shocked to read in last week's Wexford People newspaper that the company is likely to relocate in the New Year.

However, he also said he was concerned at the message and image being portrayed that Co Wexford doesn't have skilled workers within the sales and marketing area.

'That is a big concern of mine and is certainly at odds with the message we want to give out about Wexford when we are trying to encourage businesses to set up here,' he said.

He commented that when the Sam McCauley merger took place last year commitments were made that the business would grow further from its Wexford hub.

'This decision is unexpected and deeply disturbing,' said Deputy Howlin.

'I want to find out exactly what efforts were made to get their workforce locally,' he added.

He said many other businesses have been very successful in recruiting expert people locally in Wexford and he agreed that the Wexford Campus of Carlow IT runs courses specific to sales and marketing.

'The whole idea of a Technological University of the South East is that it would link in with the skill sets needed in the region so I believe there would be no difficulty in getting the required people,' he said.

Deputy Howlin rejected any notion that the county doesn't have skilled people: 'The idea that there isn't a skilled workforce here is not acceptable to me.'

He also has grave concerns about the possible repercussions on the county as a result of the reason put forward by the Board of Sam McCauley's as to why relocation is necessary.

'I know from years of talking to businesses that the most important thing most companies rely on when considering locating to a particular county or area is the evidence presented by companies that are already there,' he said.

'They consider the evidence and testimony from companies already in the area [they're looking at],' he added.

'That is why we have the Wexford Ambassador programme to reach out to companies and highlight why they should locate here.'

Deputy Howlin also commented on the congested nature of living in Dublin: 'If one was to commute from the south side of Dublin to West Dublin, or go the other way and travel to Wexford one would get here quicker.'

'They didn't meet with me or make contact to say they were having issues and if they had done I would have worked with all my might to ensure their issues were addressed, as would any elected representative, to ensure the company stays here in Wexford,' he said.

Members of the public also expressed concern and criticism of the decision and made their feelings known on the Wexford People facebook page in the wake of the story appearing on last week's front page.

One person, having commented that there is a lot of talent in Wexford, wrote: 'Everything is more expensive up there [in Dublin] it would make better sense to do a better job at recruiting locally.'

Another person posted: 'It will cost them 10 times more to operate out of Dublin. They should stay in Wexford.'
At the launch of the All-Ireland One Act drama festival at the Upton Court, Kilmuckridge were, front row: Cllr Mary Farrell, festival chairman Liam Buttle, ADCI chairman Aidan Reidy and Annette OConnor, secretary. Back row: festival director Michael Johnston, Cllr Pip Breen, Cllr Malcolm Byrne and committee member Aidan OConnor

A waiting list has been drafted up to cater for drama enthusiasts who hope to get their hands on some tickets for this year's sold out All Ireland One Act Festival shows.

Three nights of top class drama are on the bill as Kilmuckridge Drama Group host the Drama Finals in the KMH from Friday, December 7, until Sunday, December 9.

Groups from across Ireland are very determined and will continue with their extreme efforts to achieve enough points to be crowned this year's overall winner.

Adjudicator is Imelda McDonagh from Gorey who is an award winning director and actress with a first class Honours MA in Theatre Studies.

Performances across the three nights begin at 8 p.m., with one additional afternoon performance on Sunday, December 9, at 2 p.m.

The full line-up is as follows: Friday, December 7 - 'The Long Wet Grass' performed by Sillian Players (Confined Section), 'Breathless' performed by Prosperous Dramatic Society (Open section) and 'The Librarian' performed by Take 5 Drama Group (Confined Section); Saturday, December 8 - 'Aubade' performed by Bradan Players (Open section), 'Smile Handsome' performed by Bailieborough Drama Group (Confined Section) and 'The Giant Killers' performed by Balally Players (Open Section); Sunday, December 9 (at 2 p.m.) - 'Wittgeinstein in the West' performed by Gunpowder Productions (Confined Section), 'Where is the Malabar' performed by Palace Players (Open Section) and 'Spectre' performed by New Ross Drama Workshop (Confined Section); Sunday, December 9 (at 8 p.m.) - 'Mr Foot' performed by Coolgreany Drama Group (Open section) and 'What's Left of the Flag' performed by The Moat Club Naas (Open Section).
The royal couple are given a demonstration of Straw making by Pat Broderick at Muckross Traditional Farms during their visit in June. Photo Valerie OSullivan

In June, Charles, Prince of Wales, commissioned Master Craftsman Pat Broderick to make an egg basket and traditional eggs nest which is crafted in the old three plait weave. The beautifully made crafts left Muckross House last week, bound for Clarence House, home of the prince and his wife Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall. The prince also asked Pat to make an Irish traditional sugan chair. Photo by Valerie OSullivan

'By royal command' is something master craftsman Pat Broderick never imagined would apply to his work. But having made an impression on Prince Charles during his visit to Killarney last June, Pat's work was shipped to Clarence House in London on Friday last.

The prince commissioned Pat to make an egg basket and traditional eggs' nest, which is crafted in the old three-plait weave. It's also thought the prince is interested in a Sugan chair for his residence.

Newcastle West native Pat is the master craftsman at Muckross House and Traditional Farm.

In many ways, he and Charles are kindred spirits as both have a genuine appreciation and love for ancient crafts and artisan skills. Pat said Charles' recognition in his crafts is an appreciation of the old Irish countryside way of life.

"I think this mutual appreciation is the reason why Prince Charles and I clicked on the day. He is a very pleasant man, and he showed genuine interest and respect for Irish crafts. We'll see what happens after this as it opens up opportunities for me. It's very positive," Pat said.

He described the 'chain of contact' involved when dealing with the prince. Even Pat's communication is in the old-fashioned way as he sits down and corresponds with Prince Charles via handwritten letter.

"I write letters to his secretary which are then forwarded to the prince. The items have to be cleared in the embassy in Dublin first before being sent to the UK. There is strict protocol involved."

Pat, who also works as a heritage specialist with the Heritage Council, demonstrating crafts in schools and Day Care Centres, also made a specially commissioned chair for President Mary MacAleese during her time in Aras an Uachtarain. But royal recognition has raised his work to an international level.

"I never thought this would happen. I thought the Aras would be the pinnacle, but this has raised the profile of what I do even more. It's also thanks to the people at Muckross House and Traditional Farm for allowing me to do the presentation for the royal couple in June," Pat said.
The family of Anthony O'Mahony said their pain has been 'exacerbated' by what they described as the 'lenient sentence' handed down on Monday and which could see his killer, Michael Ferris, free within two years.

Relatives of Anthony O'Mahony (73) broke down in tears as his killer, Michael Ferris (63), was jailed for five years for manslaughter.

Mr Ferris was found not guilty of murder but guilty of the manslaughter of Mr O'Mahony at Rattoo on April 4 of 2017 by a jury at the Central Criminal Court in Tralee in October.

Mr O'Mahony died when Michael Ferris repeatedly drove a teleporter into him, having 'snapped' over a crow banger O'Mahony had been operating for three decades at Rattoo.

Michael Ferris received a six-year jail sentence for the manslaughter from Ms Justice Carmel Stewart at the Central Criminal Court in Dublin on Monday, with the last 12 months suspended for three years.

The judge also backdated the sentence to when Ferris first was taken into custody in April of 2017.

With remission and the year-and-eight-months already served, it is likely he will be a free man by Christmas of 2020.

The family said what they see as the leniency of the sentence is making their pain more acute, exacerbated as it had already been by a trial in which they believe his name and good character had been 'blackened'.

Speaking to media outside the Central Criminal Court on Monday, Mr O'Mahony's niece Ann O'Carroll said:

"The defence legal team's use of alleged provocation in this case allowed the jury to return a conviction for the lesser charge of manslaughter." She believes the conviction should have been one of murder, she added.

Solicitor for Michael Ferris Frank Buttimer said the intention was never to 'blacken' the late Mr O'Mahony and that the only strategy available to the defence was that of provocation.

The defence would not have acted well for its client had it not raised those issues which went to the heart of the matter.

"It wasn't to blacken Mr O'Mahony in any circumstances," Mr Buttimer said.
Four patients whose cancers were missed on initial examination of scans at University Hospital Kerry are now dead. The four were among 11 patients in total with serious illnesses a consultant radiologist failed to pick up at the hospital between March 2016 and July 2017.

University Hospital Kerry and the HSE this week issued an unreserved apology to all patients and families 'who have been affected by this review'. It was 'regrettable' that four patients whose serious diagnoses were 'delayed' had died, the HSE stated.

The review was launched in July of last year when management at the hospital learned of three missed cancer diagnoses that were not picked up by the locum who had examined the images.

The radiologist was placed on administrative leave as a preliminary audit of their work got underway, leading to the comprehensive review. Its findings were presented at a briefing in The Rose Hotel, Tralee, on Wednesday afternoon revealing the full scale of the scandal.

The review team said they believed the radiologist is no longer working, with the Irish Medical Council now carrying out an investigation into the individual. The radiology 'look-back' review encompassed 46,234 images - CT scans, ultrasound scans and chest X-rays - relating to 26,754 individual patients.

The HSE would not be drawn on the prognosis of the remaining seven of the 11 patients whose serious illnesses were initially missed; refusing to say if any are now terminal.

Civil actions have been initiated by a number of patients and/or their families, the HSE did confirm. The review has recommended a number of measures in a bid to ensure patient safety.

"I would expect that the learning from this review will contribute to the improvement of radiology services, not just in UHK, but across all of our hospitals," review leader Dr Gerard O'Callaghan said.
The foresight of the original committee responsible for the erection of the famous Casement monument in Banna was lauded at a special ceremony last week marking its first half century.

And it was made that bit more special by virtue of the presence of both the last surviving member of the original committee - Kilmoyley native Sean Seosamh O Conchubhair - and what is believed to have been the very flag Robert Monteith had in his possession as he made landfall with Casement at Banna in the early hours of Good Friday, April 21, 1916.

MC'd by Padraig Mac Fhearghusa, the ceremony - held on Sunday, November 25 - had at its core an oration by one of the county's leading historians of the Independence struggle, Dr Tim Horgan. National Graves Association Kerry representative Dr Horgan - who recently published Fighting for the Cause: Kerry's Republican Fighters - also outlined the history of a priceless artefact he brought to the event: Monteith's Tricolour.

"It's believed that Monteith and Casement came in with two flags: one, a tricolour, and the other the Limerick flag, which somebody had given to Casement to be flown in Limerick."

Casement was, of course, captured, flag et al, but Monteith famously evaded capture via a remote Glenageenty hideout.

"His daughter, Florence Monteith Lynch, donated materials to the National Graves Association on her death, and among them was found the Tricolour flag, with a note pinned to it reading :'This flag was flown in the 1916 Rising'.

"You really would have to prove that this wasn't the flag Monteith had in his possession as all the evidence supports the likelihood that it was, and it may well have been flown here on Easter Sunday, when the Volunteers paraded in Tralee under Monteith's command," Dr Horgan explained.

The ceremony also included contributions from Brian Caball, Ciaran Daltun, Senan Cotter, Denis O'Reilly, Donal Dowling and John Mason, as well as the original committee member Sean Seosamh, who played a key role in the 1968 installation of the famous monument, now under the care of the National Graves Association.

"Sean Seosamh was a driving force of the committee formed in 1965, with the sod turned in 1966 and the monument ultimately erected in 1968," Dr Horgan said.

"But for the foresight of those committee members in placing the monument where it is, few would know at this stage where Casement came in - through the dunes immediately opposite the monument.

"They knew the exact position thanks to Monteith's return in 1948 when he pointed out the locations," Dr Horgan added. Locals play a huge part in maintaining the memorial, with Michael Moynihan and James O'Donoghue repairing it as needed and Donal Dowling keeping the Tricolour flying on a regular basis.
Cllrs Michael OShea and John Francis Flynn with residents Michael Curran, Helen OSullivan, Jackie Nagle, Jerry and Anne Casey, Mike OShea, Claire OSullivan, Dermot Murphy, Sean McKenna, Grettie Curran, Breda Langford and Georgie OShea at Steelroe, Killorglin on the main Killorglin-Milltown Road where residents have safety concerns. Photo by Michelle Cooper Galvin

Speed limits on main road from Milltown to Killorglin will not be reduced, that's despite pleas by local residents who fear that someone will be killed if safety concerns are not addressed.

The new improvement works on the main N70 include an improved surface and straighter road which will ultimately mean increased speeds by motorists, potentially putting lives in danger.

The speed limit in the area is 100kmph, however residents of Steelroe are calling for an 80kmph speed limit from Kennedy's Cross to An Bansha as it is very difficult for cars from side roads and driveways to emerge onto the main road.

Concerns were also raised by resident Claire O'Sullivan, about the new road alignment which has been changed from a double white line to a broken while line at this location and the residents are calling for this to be reversed.

"Three people have been killed at this spot. We don't want it to happen again," said Helen O'Sullivan, who was also part of a deputation that had raised the issue at a South and West Municipal District meeting held in Killorglin on Friday.

The removal of a ditch near Steelroe would also help, according to local residents.

The deputation was led by Cllr Mike O'Shea.

Cllr John Francis Flynn also raised concerns about the road realignment on new roads as many are being changed when works are being completed and he said that action has to be taken to prevent another fatality.

Cllr Johnny Healy Rae also queried this, saying: "they make the road fit the book rather than the book fit the road".

"They are operating out of the book but they have no idea what the stretch of road is like," he added.

Senior Executive Engineer, Padraic Teahan, said that Transport Infrastructure Ireland (TII) is responsible for the speed limit and that it would be remain at 100kmph. The TII is also responsible for the road alignment and therefore the broken white line will not be changed, he added.

However, he said there are plans for a cycleway and footpath which will address some safety issues and that these works will lead to the removal of the ditch.
Councillor Niall Kelleher from Rathmore has been chosen by the Fianna Fail party to contest the local elections next year in the Killarney Electoral Area following the convention in the INEC last Sunday.

A number of other names had been mooted for the area, but at the convention, Cllr Kelleher was the only nomination remaining and was selected by the party.

Fianna Fail has been busy finalising candidates in Kerry over the past few weeks for the local elections, and the party has chosen candidates in Tralee, Castleisland and Listowel Electoral Areas.

Fianna Fail have yet to finalise their candidates for The Dingle Electoral Area and the Kenmare Electoral Area.

The latter includes much of Southwest Kerry, the region most political pundits are focusing on given that former Minister John O'Donoghue is said to be contesting the election. This convention takes place later this month. The Dingle area convention will take place next week, with Cllr Mike O'Shea and Breandan Fitzgerald expected to be chosen.

Meanwhile Labour has also announced its candidates for the Killarney and Kenmare Electoral Areas. Former Councillor and Seanad Eireann representative Marie Moloney was selected to contest in the Killarney area, while constituency chair and party activist Luke Crowley-Holland was selected for the Kenmare Area.

Luke is a History and Politics graduate from UCC, with a strong background in Labour Youth. Marie Moloney is a former senator and has formerly held a council seat.

The selection of these two candidates follows the party putting forward three candidates in the Tralee area. Sitting Councillors Terry O'Brian and Graham Spring will be joined on the ticket by Ben Slimm.

Meanwhile on the Fine Gael front, two candidates have been chosen for the Dingle Electoral Area.

The convention which took place in Lios Poil on Monday put forward Cllr Seamus Cosai Fitzgerald and Tommy Griffin for next year's local elections.

Cllr Cosai Fitzgerald is a long-sitting councillor while Tommy Griffin in the cousin of Minister Brendan Griffin.

Other Fine Gael conventions have yet to be held, but it is expected that the Castleisland convention will take place before Christmas and the remaining conventions in the New year.
Fianna Fail General Election candidate Norma Moriarty has hit out over a 522 per cent increase in the number of patients on trolleys over the past seven years.

Trolley Watch figures, compiled by the Irish Nurses and Midwives Organisation (INMO), show that 45 patients were on hospital trolleys in the hospital's emergency department in November 2011. Last month, the figure was 280 - an increase of more than 500 per cent.

It comes as annual figures exceeded 100,000 for the first time since records began, with one month of 2018 still remaining.

Councillor Moriarty praised the work of medical professionals but expressed her concern for the months ahead as hospital overcrowding typically peaks during the winter months.

"Long gone are the days of Health Ministers saying overcrowding is a winter phenomenon due to seasonal flu," she said. "I applaud the work being done by the medical professionals under these horrendous circumstances, but I dread to think what the rest of December will bring, and I fear for the safety of patients

"The people of Kerry are being affected by this atrocious overcrowding. Many of the people on trolleys are older, highly vulnerable people who cannot afford to be left waiting in hospital corridors.

"People are terrified of needing to go to their local emergency department. It also means that our doctors and nurses are working in often unbearable conditions."

The Fianna Fail Councillor has called on the HSE to identify 'quick wins' where a few beds can be supplied immediately.

"The way to address this overcrowding is two-fold," she said. "The first thing that must happen is that patients who can be treated in step down, non-acute facilities need to be discharged as soon as possible. Secondly, we need to see new acute beds brought on stream as soon as possible.
P-P-Pick up a penguin class: Children have the chance to make their own festive penguin at a special Christmas Craft Workshop in New Ross Library on Saturday, December 15, at 10.30 a.m.

The workshop is suitable for 7-10 year olds. To book phone 051 421877.

At the same time Christmas storytime with a very special guest also takes place at the library. It's a favourite time of year again and the library crew would like to invite children of all ages to this festive storytime.

For more information phone 051 421877.

Creative Writing Group

The creative writing group meets next Tuesday, December 11, at 7 p.m. in New Ross Library.

The monthly group is guided by published author Tina Callaghan. Whether you're interested in fiction, prose or memoirs why not join? New members are always welcome.

Author talk

Irish Times best selling author Sheila Forsey will discuss her novels and her road to publication at New Ross Library on Tuesday December 11, at 7 p.m.

Her debut novel Mending Lace was listed as No 4 in the Irish Times Best Sellers list for mass paperback fiction in 2017. To book phone 051 421877.

Disney show

The Little Sea Musical Society and KSM Concert Orchestra present Disney Magic and Christmas Classics at Carrig on Bannow Hall on Thursday, December 6, and Fethard Community Hall on the following night. Book now on 089 9765414.

Pink Rock run

St Joseph's AC will hold its annual 5k Family Festive Fun Run Walk at the Pink Rock at 12 noon on St Stephen's Day. Fancy dress is optional.

You are invited to bring the kids' pets (dogs must be on a lead). The fun Christmas event is a great way to test out the new bikes Santa might bring. Donations can be made on the day, with spot prizes and light refreshments afterwards.

Charity Spin and Swim

The Apex is inviting anyone who would like to help raise money while getting fitter for free to participate in a 24 hour spin and swim event on Friday, December 14, beginning at 10 a.m.

Held in aid of New Ross River Search & Rescue and New Ross Special Olympics, the event aims to raise much needed money for both organisations.

Companies and individuals are invited to sponsor a bike. Apex Manager Mark Winkle said: 'It's not only open to members. Anyone can sign up to get involved.'

The Apex can be contacted on 051 445522.

Irish classes

An bhfuil cupla focail agat? Would you like to learn more Irish or get some practice to revive the skills you have?

If so, then join an Irish conversational language class at New Ross Library on Wednesday, December 12, at 12 p.m.

The class will meet every second Wednesday and is guided by Irene Flanagan.

Christmas roadshow fun

Ireland's biggest tractor - a Case Quadtrack 620 HP - will be on display in Campile on Sunday, December 9, in aid of St Louis Day Care Centre in Ramsgrange.

The organisers will be lighting up the roads and villages in the south west Wexford area.

The event is starting in Campile with Ireland's largest tractor on display at 4 p.m.

The road run will start at 5 p.m. and will drive through Dunmain, Ballycullane, Saltmills, Fethard-on-Sea, Templetown, Ramsgrange, Duncannon and finishing in Arthurstown with hot food served compliments of the Kings Bay Inn.

A 20 registration fee for all drivers and donations from the public will be kindly accepted in both Campile and Arthurstown. Any enquiries to John on 087 2028450.

Exhibition

Slade artist Helen Mason is exhibiting her Hook coastline themed paintings at Hook Lighthouse cafe.

In her first solo exhibition called `Along the Rocks' Helen said water, and being in the water whether or swimming, has inspired her paintings.

Food and hygiene items

Wexford People Helping People group are calling for non-perishable food donations for food hampers which will be distributed to people in need in the area and across County Wexford in the run up to Christmas.

The drop off location is O'Riain's Cafe, the Irishtown, New Ross (9 a.m. to 4 p.m., Monday to Saturday).

Donations such as rice, pasta, canned foods, canned soups, cereals, biscuits, crisps, etc., as well as long shelf life items are welcome. Hygiene products (toothpaste/brushes, shampoo, soap, etc), nappies and wipes are also needed.

Monster Whist Drive

A monster Christmas Whist Drive with a top score 100 and lots more prizes and raffle prizes takes place at the (Y.M.C.A. Hall, John Street, New Ross, on Monday, December 10, at 8 p.m. sharp. Admission is 8 which includes tea.

Tickets will also be on sale for the raffle.

Tapestry gifts

Ros Tapestry has some wonderful gifts on offer for Christmas.

Do you know someone who would like a print of 'The Marriage Panel' tapestry or a beautiful card to treasure, depicting each of the different tapestries in the Norman Series, or the gift of a "Friends' membership. Please call in and browse, you will be most welcome.

Paws for Santa Claus

A Paws for Santa event takes place this Saturday from 12 p.m. till 3 p.m. at Poochie Palace grooming parlour, New Ross.

All proceeds will be donated to the local SPCA.

No set charge or fee, just donate what you can to the jar at this fun day out for a great cause.

One of the organisers said: 'Please feel free to take photos or video on the day. All pets are welcome, just make sure dogs are on leads and smaller animals secured in crates etc.

'All pictures will be posted to the paws for santa facebook page with the winner receiving a free groom just in time for Christmas.'

Christmas cookery book

As part of their studies in Media & Visual Arts: Writing About Food, under Graiguenamanagh chef and lecturer Edward Hayden, the 4th year Waterford Institute of Technology (WIT) BA Culinary Arts students are launching their first cookery book, 'Cooking WIT Class' which features a 30 recipe collection of the student's favourite dishes which they have created, tested and photographed as part of their studies in the module.

WIT President, Prof Willie Donnelly officially launched the book in WIT on Monday in WIT's Tourism & Leisure building, alongside chef Alan Foley from The Step House Hotel, Borris.

The book is available for pre-order from lecturer Edward Hayden (ehayden@wit.ie).

Hayden explains that the book has been a labour of love for the full student team and they are looking forward to seeing their work come to fruition.

'Recipes include breads, seasonal starters, a diverse range of main courses made up from a selection of locally sourced meat and fish as well as some delicious puddings and sweet treats.

'There is definitely something in the book to suit all tastes and indeed all levels of culinary proficiency and of course 'Cooking WIT Class' would make an ideal Christmas gift for all your family and friends," he says.

The book costs 8.00 and students hope it will become a kitchen staple for all.

'No doubt in years to come these students will each write their own cookery book,' Hayden said.

Vintage Club day

The Tullogher/Rosbercon Vintage Club will hold its Christmas party night on Saturday, December 15, at the Parish Pump, Rosbercon.

Dinner is at 8 p.m. sharp with music by Moonlight Shadow.

Tickets are on sale from committee members for 15.
A 7m plan to create an amazing Shipwrecks exhibit at Hook Lighthouse has been unveiled.

Wexford County Council has applied for the funding in the National Development Plan rural regeneration development funding scheme.

Addressing plans for the developments of the tourist experience offering at the venue over the coming years at Hook Tourism's AGM in Fethard-on-Sea, Hook Lighthouse manager Ann Waters said the board of management are waiting on news of the funding.

The new lighthouse feature experience will be Shipwrecks based on how the Hook Crook estuary became known as the graveyard of a thousand ships.

The Shipwrecks concept was developed over an eight month period and planning permission will be sought if funding is granted, once the final design is completed.

If successful an e-tender will then go out for the build which would see the buildings stretching from the cafe down to the wall developed and extended.

The Shipwrecks experience will familiarise visitors to shipwrecks off the Hook coast. Partly set in a dark tunnel where visitors feel like they are in the eye of a storm and can see shipwrecks, the plan is to offer an unrivalled sensory experience.

Ms Waters explained: 'We are in the National Development Plan but we still have to get the money. The first phase would cost around 100,000 to finalise the concept and plans. Then we'd have to apply again for the funding. I know everybody is excited to see it and disaster tourism is where it's at in the industry. This is about shipwrecks so it should be dramatic and get your heart racing and be a little bit scary.'

Narrated accounts of the shipwrecks, including the Earl of Sandwich legend at Dollar Bay and the German submarine wreck, will be provided, which will include images and dramatic footage placing the visitor in the heart of the action.

'It offers an exciting sensory experience and visitors escape on lifeboats into the moonlight. Failte Ireland are looking for game changers and anchor experiences so the experience we are looking to provide would have to be up to that level,' Ms Waters said.

She said: 'The new digital experience would be at the car park. It wraps around the original buildings where have more restrictions on them than the monument. We prepared this concept because Failte Ireland were going to announce new capital funding last year. If it doesn't come through we will be back to Failte Ireland next year.'

She said the earliest possible ribbon cutting would be 2021. 'Once funding is announced we can go straight into further concept development. We just don't know at the moment.'

Plans are advanced for an ecology awareness centre led by an ecology sheriff for schools and tour groups to be launched next summer.

A pirate ship is also planned for the green area in keeping with the lighthouse teams emphasis on making learning a fun and interactive experience.

'We are talking to John Hickey in FLAG to get an education station and an enhanced amenity area based around the importance of the environment. This would be in the generator room.'

The Majesty or Land and Sea concept would include a science gallery, interactive geology, geography and environment technology.
Around fifteen farmers staged a protest on the N30 at its juncture with N25 New Ross bypass.

The farmers raised concerns about safety on a stretch of road which they claim is too narrow leading into the bypass in the townsland of Knockroe Close to Corcorans Cross.

Wexford County Council were informed of their concerns and an official visited the peaceful protest last week.

One of the farmers was directly affected as a hard shoulder which was due to be facilitated at the entrance to his farm was not created meaning he had to stop in the middle of the busy N30 road, causing tailbacks.

Local farmers rallied to his side for the protest which began on Wednesday night and continued until early Thursday afternoon when some of the farmers met with representatives of BAM Iridium.

Cllr John Fleming described the matter as serious, adding that he was happy that it was resolved in a timely fashion.

'This was going on since the previous Friday. It's in the middle of the Tramp's Heartbreak stretch of road. If it wasn't resolved he would have been stuck in the middle of the road stopping all the traffic behind him.'

Cllr Fleming said the farmer received the support of the local community, adding that he was happy the matter was resolved amicably.
Six County Wexford residents have been honoured for saving lives off the County Wexford coast.

Thirty-six lives were saved from drowning by rescuers across the country who received recognition at Irish Water Safety's National Awards Ceremony in Dublin Castle, on Wednesday.

On July 2 twin sisters were playing on an inflated floatable device at the edge of the shore at Duncannon Beach on a family day out when the wind caught the device and swept them further out. Their father Tomek immediately swam after it and one of his daughters jumped towards him.

Hugh Burke, who received a call about this incident, immediately got his boat and went to the scene, as did Brendan Butler and Eamon Doyle.

Hugh took the remaining girl from the inflated floatable device. Meanwhile, another person entered the water to take the first daughter from the father and brought her to shore. He returned to the water to go back for Tomek but got into difficulty himself. Meanwhile, John Byrne, who has lifesaving skills, entered the water with two ringbuoys. He swam to the man in difficulty and gave him a ringbuoy and then proceeded to swim towards Tomek to bring him safely to shore. John re-entered the water and managed to bring the man with the other ringbuoy to shore.

Six days later Garda Daniel Hayden and Garda David Ryan were alerted that a female was in distress in the water at Blackhall Strand, Bannow. Both gardai immediately entered the water and brought the woman to safety.

Mr Sean Canney TD, Minister of State at the Department of Rural & Community Development presented the 'Seiko Just in Time Rescue Award' to the rescuers in appreciation for saving lives.

Minister Canney said: 'It is an honour to pay tribute to these courageous recipients. Tragically an average of 127 people drown in Ireland every year and although that's 127 too many, the figure would be even higher but for the dramatic efforts of these individuals who saved others from drowning and the ongoing work of Irish Water Safety volunteers teaching swimming and water rescue skills.'
Claire Murphy, Kathleen OKeeffe, Clodagh Flood, Claire Redmond, Kathleen Redmond, Alice Ryan, John Redmond,Tom Redmond and Regina Farrell at the 30th anniversary celebrations at Kathleens Hair Salon on South Street New Ross

Kathleen Redmond celebrated 30 years in business in New Ross, a milestone she attributes to her fantastic customers.

Many of Kathleen's loyal clients joined her when she had a day of prize giving and reminiscing on the past 30 years.

Kathleen started her business in Cullen's Shopping Centre off South Street, having trained at John Walsh's and worked in Wexford and Waterford.

Originally from St Mullins, Kathleen lives in Cushinstown.

She was joined by her husband Michael and children on the day.

Kathleen said: 'There were very few salons in New Ross in 1988. It took a while to get going.'

When she started off Kathleen employed one woman, but now has six staff on her books.

'We have had some great staff over the years and a lot of the girls who are with me have been here for some time. We have very loyal customers, some of whom are with us since we opened.'

Kathleen attributes her businesses' longevity to the regular training and upskilling courses both she and her staff take in Dublin.

'We keep ourselves up-to-date as styles and products are constantly changing. I have lovely girls working for me as interaction with the customer is so important. People come in here for a break from their busy lifestyles and get a nice cup of tea or coffee, and are pampered. We appreciate all our clients' support through the years. We wouldn't be here without them.'

Kathleen said she loved catching up with her clients. Cake, and alcohol free prosecco and wine was served and everyone who came in got a spot prize inside a balloon which they popped.

She said: 'It's a good town to be in businesses and it's a great town to help people out if you need anything.'

Kathleen and her team have been raising money for Wexford Hospice and held another fundraiser with a GHD straightening iron demonstration on Wednesday.
One quarter of a million people visited Hook Lighthouse this year, making it a record 2018 for the tourist attraction.

Run as a social enterprise all year round, the lighthouse employs 20 staff, with ten additional staff taken on during the summer months.

Lighthouse manager Ann Waters said the operational lighthouse and visitor centre aims to provide a unique, signature experience for visitors from around the world.

She said: 'All of the staff are conscious that we are just the current custodians in an ancient lighthouse.'

Ms Waters praised her hard working staff, saying: 'There is a lot of lateral thinking so it's a great, positive place to be working. We are all very aware that we are lucky to be doing what we're doing.'

Teenagers aged 16 and up are employed at the lighthouse, where they are given additional responsibilities each year.

'When a student comes in at 16 they can be shy but by the time they finish college they are giving guided tours. This gives them a lot of confidence for their future and can even change their pathway in life and it gives them pride of place.'

The lighthouse is funded by the Commission of Irish Lights, Wexford County Council, Failte Ireland and Pobal.

'We have taken every opportunity Failte Ireland have put our way and we have grown with them year on year. We have never turned down training or mentoring. Ireland's Ancient East is the most important brand alignment that we have. We have been working with them since 2016 and we have seen our international visitors grow by 30 per cent in that time.'

Ms Waters said the lighthouse has benefited from working with Visit Wexford, Hook Peninsula Tourism and the Guiding Lights: Great Lighthouses of Ireland.

She outlined the history of the lighthouse including how it was the second last lighthouse to be switched to fully automated. The tourist attraction was opened in 2001 by President Mary McAleese.

Initially predictions that it would attract 5,000 visitors a year for the first three years were widely off, as it had 25,000 visitors in its first summer.

'Since then we have grown our numbers little by little, including ticketed people through the tower. I am chasing the figure of 50,000 through the tower for next year. Our international visitors have grown to 30 per cent, mainly Germans and Americans, and there is a better spend with them.'

The first group of Chinese students is due in January, opening up another market.

Ms Waters said lighthouse management initiated a festivals and events programme in 2006.

'We knew there was an opportunity to bring people in to use the place as an amenity.'

Huge crowds visited on that day in July 2005 when the tall ships passed by Hook Head having set sail from Waterford and since that time Ms Waters said visitors are spending a longer time in the Hook area.

The lighthouse benefited from Failte Ireland animation funding in 2012, receiving a capital grant for the cobble yard and new walkway around the tower.

'By now the place was nice so people could come and enjoy the place as an amenity. At the time it was really important to us as families were struggling (during the recession) and they could come and enjoy the place and not be hassled.'

In 2015 the lighthouse benefited from Ireland's Ancient East ancient spaces funding.

'We probably have the oldest non-ecclesiastical building in Ireland that still serves its original purpose. Today people need a more interactive experience.'

An extended 50 minute tour involving holograms of St Dubhain and William Marshall who built the structure, has been a big success.

In keeping with an ethos of encouraging locals to champion the Hook Peninsula, Ms Waters invited people living in the locality to enjoy a free tour of the lighthouse this weekend from 10 a.m. till 5 pm.

'The locals are our ambassadors. I would love for everyone to come along,' she said.

Ms Waters said the sunrise and sunset tours have been a slow burner, but stressed the need for the lighthouse to be a hive of activity.

A new menu has attracted a lot of local residents to the venue and earned the lighthouse team a place in the finals of Irish Tourism Industry Awards in the food category, while Hook Head Adventures has been nominated in the tourism experience category in the same competition.

Ms Waters urged all of the tourist business operators in attendance not to look to the west of Ireland for comparisons.

'The west has 50 years on us so we should just take what Ireland's Ancient East brings and just go with it. Our shoulder seasons have improved and we have events like Imbolc in February which is a little bit different to Valentine's Day, which attracts a crowd and we are attracting people through always having something put on our social media and our PR.'
Sligo's Amy Hunter was one of the speakers at 'Child Talks; a series of inspiring speeches by young people about their lives', hosted by the Ombudsman for Children's Office to celebrate World Children's Day.

Amy spoke about how growing up in Ireland as a young Trans person has impacted her life in school, with friends and family.

Speaking to a packed City Hall, Amy said: "My agenda was to show the world who I am. I got my Dad's credit card, with his permission and I ordered a black skirt. As soon as it came I put it on and I felt something that I couldn't describe. If you were to ask me then I couldn't tell you but I can tell you now it was the feeling of rebirth. I felt like a new person. Amy had begun.

"As soon as I was able to express myself, an opportunity came my way. The north Connacht Youth Services set up a group for LGBT called Smiley which stands for Sligo Mayo Initiative for LGBT Youth.

"I went there and I realised a lot of people there were from my school, and I realised that I wasn't so different. I realised I wasn't alone.

"Ever since I expressed myself life has turned good for me. Expressing yourself is important. It taught me that the idea that we're all different in form but all equal in value."

Speaking following the event, the Ombudsman for Children, Dr Niall Muldoon said: "As Ombudsman for Children, I have the privilege of hearing directly from young people on a regular basis; through complaints made to the Office, when young people come in for children's rights workshops or when I travel around the country. However, we know that most organisations, or most people, do not hear from young people in this way.

"I am astounded by the bravery of Amy and all of the young people who took part in Child Talks. By telling their stories these young people are showing others how important it is to listen to young people and the meaningful messages they have to tell.

"World Children's Day is an important opportunity to hear from children from all backgrounds, with different experiences and to take their views on board."

If you missed Child Talks, you can watch it back on www.oco.ie
IDA Ireland, in partnership with IT Sligo and Sligo County Council, have today officially opened a new fast landing property solution.

The establishment of IDA Ireland's first fast landing service at Embankment House, Sligo, to be known as 'The Landing Space', will provide an open plan, turnkey collaborative working environment for companies who wish to quickly and easily establish operations in the North West region.

It is the latest strategic initiative by IDA Ireland to increase investments in regional locations by enhancing and highlighting the specific property attributes of individual regional urban centres.

Sligo is home to leading life science companies such as Phibro, Abbvie and Abbott as well as tech companies LiveTiles, Overstock and E3 Retail.

These international brands help attract additional overseas companies to potentially locate to the Sligo area.

Attending Friday's launch, Minister of State for Natural Resources, Community Affairs and Digital Development Sean Canney said: "Sligo has benefitted greatly in recent months from the arrival of global companies like Phibro, LiveTiles and E3 Retail.

"It's proof that everything that global companies require to establish and scale up their operations can be found here - such as talent, services and infrastructure.

"The addition of this new fast landing space is another strong attractor, adding greatly to what Sligo has to offer.

"I congratulate all involved in developing this space.

"All of these developments also add to the work of the Atlantic Economic Corridor strategy as set out in the National Development Plan."

IDA Ireland's Executive Director Mary Buckley said: "This top quality, turn-key property adds significantly to the value proposition we can offer clients and will greatly assist our efforts to attract inward investment to Sligo.

"The collaborative work of all local stakeholders represented here today, including IT Sligo and Sligo County Council, is really important and demonstrates that creating an attractive location for investment benefits greatly from a team approach."

Commenting at the launch Dr. Brendan McCormack, President of IT Sligo said: "IT Sligo is delighted to be partnering with the IDA and Sligo County Council in providing this new facility for Sligo-based companies.

"This initiative will add to our on-campus incubation facility offering, which currently houses over 30 companies, allowing us to build on our extensive suite of enterprise and entrepreneur supports.

"These new office facilities will provide a soft-landing base for companies establishing a permanent presence in Sligo."

The location of Sligo as a destination for people in search of challenging careers and a positive work-life balance is well acknowledged as Ciaran Hayes, CEO, Sligo County Council said: "The availability of a fast Landing Space in the heart of Sligo contributes to a much sought after quality of life where you can avail of 1 Gigabit broadband connection in an attractive urban centre, yet be only 10 minutes from surfing the Wild Atlantic Way or availing of the many mountain or coastal walks in the land of hearts desire."
A man, who admitted killing a musician, later withdrew what he said was a 'false admission'.

However, he ultimately called gardai to confess to the crime, saying that he didn't know why he had stabbed him but that it was killing him inside.

Keith Brady (31) of Cartron Estate in the town is on trial at the Central Criminal Court, charged with murdering Martin 'Matt' Kivlehan on a date unknown between 2nd August and 3rd August 2015 in Mr Kivlehan's home.

He has pleaded not guilty to murdering the 59-year-old musician, but guilty to his manslaughter at The New Apartments on Holborn Street, Sligo.

The trial has already heard that Brady had initially denied involvement in the killing but, after his sister urged him to tell the truth, he admitted stabbing Mr Kivlehan.

Sergeant Martin McHale testified yesterday that gardai re-interviewed the accused some months later, in order to put newly-gathered mobile phone evidence to him.

He told Paul Murray SC, prosecuting, that Brady told them this time that Mr Kivlehan was alive when he and his sister left him that night.

"I would say anything just to get out of that room," he said of his admissions in interview three months earlier.

"Are you saying you made a false admission of murdering someone?" he was asked.

"Yeah," he replied. "When I was coming down from drugs, I couldn't handle the interview situation."

Sgt McHale gave Mr Brady his phone number at the end of these interviews and the accused was returned to Castlerea prison.

More than a month later, Mr Brady made contact with the sergeant, telling a prison officer that his head was wrecked.

Sgt McHale and a colleague went to the prison to take his statement.

"It's about Matt. I did it," he said. "It's about me getting this off my chest and telling the truth.

"This has been killing me inside. I haven't been able to sleep at night because of it."

He said that he and his sister, Janice Brady, had gone to Mr Kivlehan's home, having drunk cider and stolen two bottles of wine.

"They knew Mr Kivlehan and he invited them in, he said.

He said that they began listening to music and drinking with him and that 'everything was normal'.

However, he said that things got loud and the deceased became grumpy.

"Me and Matt started saying something about Janice. I can't remember, but he said something like he wouldn't touch Janice," he said.

"I was out of it. The two of us ended up standing up and I ended up stabbing him."

He said that he couldn't recall where he got the knife but that it all happened in 'about two seconds'.

"To this day, I don't know why. It was like a freak moment," he said.

"I can't believe it happened. It wasn't meant to be like that."

He said he couldn't recall much about it, but could 'still see his face to this day'.

"It was like a different world. It hadn't really sunk in," he added, explaining that his sister went into 'total shock'.

He said that Ms Brady had then got some heroin, which they smoked before leaving.

"I just want you to please pass a message to Matt's family," he asked. "I never meant for any of this to happen.

"I hope that me here today, telling the truth, might make it someway easier.

"I know that it's the first Christmas without him for them and it's going to be so hard and I'm sorry."

The trial is continuing this week at the Central Criminal Court, Courts of Criminal Justice in Dublin in front of Justice Carmel Stewart and a jury of eight men and four women.
The trial of a lorry driver accused of dangerous driving causing death heard he was travelling at 90kph at the time of the impact with a council road work team.

The trial at Sligo Circuit Court was told there was no evidence to suggest that the truck braked at the scene or attempted to steer away from a council Mitsubishi pick-up.

The trial is continuing at Sligo Circuit Criminal Court of Vlastimil Zachar, with an address at Connell Drive, Newbridge, Co Kildare who has pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing death of Padraig Noone on August 13th 2015 at Ballhealy townland, Hollybrook, Castlebaldwin.

The late Mr Noone was engaged in litter picking with a grass cutting crew along with machinery and vehicles and other council workers when a lorry, driven by the accused, veered out of control and struck them.

Sergeant PJ Gallagher PSV (Public Service Vehicle) Inspector and forensic collision investigator noted that the road leading up to the scene was 'quite a straight stretch of road'. He added that there was 'a very clear view coming from the Dublin direction'.

Sgt Gallagher detailed that while investigating the scene he found a warning sign 6.2km from the accident, along with three warnings on a Visual Message Board - 'no hard shoulder', 'verge trimming ahead' and the final message read 'for next 10km'.

He said the next sign was 270 metres from the impact, reading, 'road works, 2km ahead' and was 'very visible' on approach. Another warning sign was 162 metres prior to impact - 'verge trimming', with a traffic cone beside it and an arrow to the right.

Witness told the court that he examined all vehicles involved and concluded they were in serviceable condition at the time. He said the air went down on the truck's tyres and the emergency brakes kicked in following the impact and locked the wheels of the lorry.

There was 'severe frontal damage' to the cab of the truck. The left front of the truck impacted on the right back of the pick-up moving it into the embankment.

The speedometer of the lorry before impact read 90km per hour. The tachograph of the truck, a device fitted to a vehicle that automatically records its speed and distance, together with the driver's activity, was damaged due to the crash.

The court heard that what was visible on the device showed that Zachar maintained a speed of 90km per hour until 11.10am on the morning of the accident, at which point it stopped recording.

Further analysis recorded that the day before the accident, Mr Zachar was driving for a total of 9 hours and 40 minutes.

Sgt Gallagher outlined that from his investigation there was no evidence to suggest that the truck braked at the scene or attempted to steer away from the Mitsubishi pick-up.

Evidence was read into the record from two gardai who were driving to Sligo on the day of the accident.

Garda Gerry McGroarty was accompanied by Garda Stephen Foley and noted that visibility was good and signs indicating that hedge cutting was taking place were 'clearly visible'.

On approaching the accident Garda McGroarty saw a rigid truck facing into the hard shoulder, along with a number of casualties. A qualified medical technician, the garda assessed the casualties, noting that Padraig Noone was under the bucket of the JCB and was unresponsive.

Another man alongside the JCB was responsive. He saw Zachar in the cab of the truck 'rocking back and forth with his head in his hands.

In Garda Foley's evidence he also noted that he saw a number of signs indicating that people were at work. At the scene the garda asked Zachar if he was ok and he was shaking and he said he was.

The trial heard last Thursday from General Services Supervisor with Sligo County Council John Clerkin who told the court that on 13th August 2015, he met the team at Castlebaldwin at 8am.

He said all workers signed the Safe System Work Plan which outlined the type of work taking place that day, hazards possible and safety precautions needed.

Mr Clerkin told the court that it was his role to put out signage ahead of works.

He detailed that a Variable Message Sign was put out on the day, along with two further signs, and also a flashing board mounted on the back of the Mitsubishi pick-up, which also had a flashing light on top of it, driven by Gerry Glynn. Mr Clerkin said he left the workers at approximately 11am to go to Ballymote with colleague Vincent Anderson. They then went into Sligo to get fuel when he got a phone call from Council worker Thomas Collery that there had been a serious accident.

In cross examination by defence barrister Ms Eileen O'Leary SC, Mr Clerkin was asked why a traffic light system was not used on the day, he said it was not used as there was a hard shoulder present.

Asked if it was his job to ensure vehicles were parked safely, Mr Clerkin said it was, but added further when asked, that he was not present when the workers crossed over the road that morning to continue cutting the verge in the direction of Sligo.

Mr Clerkin also told the court that once the Mitsubishi was in the hard shoulder it was 'safe' as the lane was closed. When asked by the defence if he would have asked Mr Glynn to move the pick-up further inside the hard shoulder if he was there, Mr Clerkin said Mr Glynn was a 'competent driver' and he would not have been so close to the yellow line separating the hard shoulder from traffic.

Asked if a crash cushion lorry was in place on the day, Mr Clerkin said it was not, to which the defence then asked why it was 'ticked' as being present on the Site Safety Work Plan.

Mr Clerkin said they did not have one. When questioned if a risk assessment plan was done in relation to the works, Mr Clerkin said "Yeah" adding, "I don't know."

On re-cross examination by the prosecution, Mr Patrick Reynolds BL put it to Mr Clerkin that the Mitsubishi pick-up was the 'ultimate warning' on the day and must be dominant on the hard shoulder, to which he agreed.

Foreman on the day, Vincent Anderson, recalled that he and Mr Clerkin got back to the site as quickly as possible after hearing there had been an accident.

Ms O'Leary SC questioned Mr Anderson in relation to his role in ensuring that vehicles on the day were parked safely.

She put it to him that he and Mr Clerkin were not present when the workers moved across the road to continue verge trimming and therefore there was no inspection completed on parked vehicles and their safety.

Mr Anderson said he knew where the vehicles were supposed to be parked. Referring to the Mitsubishi pick-up parked close to the edge of the hard shoulder, Ms O'Leary asked: "If a vehicle was parked 3.9 inches from the broken yellow line would that be safe?"

"Once they're inside the yellow line. The further you're in, the safer you are," he said.
The late Padraig Noone who was killed in the Castlebaldwin crash was given the last rites at the scene by the late Bishop of Elphin Christopher Jones.

Truck driver Kevin Cogan testified that he saw the late Bishop - a fellow Roscommon man - tend to the victim on the grassy embankment along the N4 on August 13th 2015.

Sligo Circuit Criminal Court heard also from motorist Colm Taheny who was one of the first on the scene at 11.20 that morning.

He described how he approached the JCB and saw the victim half trapped underneath.

"I knelt down beside him and held his hand and spoke to him to see if he could hear me but there was no response," he told Judge Francis Comerford.

Gavin Meehan was one of the first fire officers at the scene at 11.40am and immediately covered Mr Noone's remains with a sheet.

Later on, the then Assistant Chief Fire Officer with Leitrim County Council Noel O'Reilly stayed at the scene until midnight and facilitated a visit of the scene from the deceased's family members.

Prosecuting Counsel Ms Orla Crowe SC, read out to the court a deposition from Dr Colm Loftus, a GP in Boyle.

He said he received a call to go to the scene from Gardai at 12.55pm. He was met there by Sgt Gerry Curley who showed him the fatal victim partially trapped by the JCB.

He said he was "motionless with no signs of life." He pronounced Padraig Noone dead at 1.18pm.

The remains were removed to Sligo University Hospital and identified there by the victim's daughter, Elaine Noone.

An autopsy report from Dr Galen Kyurkchiev who carried out a post mortem examination of the deceased was also read out as he as since left the jurisdiction.

His findings were that Padraig Noone's death was due to massive internal bleeding due to multiple internal injuries.

The father of two also sustained a fracture to his left arm, fractured ribs on both sides, a fractured left ankle, multiple left thigh fractures and pelvis fractures.

He sustained only minor lacerations to his head and there were no skull fractures.

Members of the Noone family were visibly upset in court while the evidence was read out.

The accused, truck driver Vlastimil Zachar of Connell Drive, Newbridge, sat with his head bowed, listening intently to his Czech interpreter translate the proceedings.

The trial is expected to hear further testimonies from medical expert witnesses for both the Prosecution and Defence this week.
The Institute of Technology Sligo (IT Sligo) and Letterkenny Institute of Technology (LYIT) have successfully completed a quality review conducted by Quality and Qualifications Ireland (QQI), the state agency responsible for the external quality assurance of further and higher education and training in Ireland.

Every seven years QQI carries out an external review of higher education institutions to check on the maintenance and improvement of quality. The review explores how the institution has improved its teaching, learning and research systems, and how well institutions have aligned with their own mission, quality indicators and benchmarks.

IT Sligo and LYIT are the first two institutions to undergo the process in the current CINNTE cycle, with reports on Dublin City University, Maynooth University and NUI Galway to follow in 2019.

Panels of national and international education experts conducted a comprehensive review of the effectiveness of the quality assurance procedures of each institution, delivering commendations on examples of good practice which were seen to deliver impact for students and staff, and making recommendations on areas for improvement in the coming years.

IT Sligo was commended on its:

Engagement with external stakeholders and the resulting impacts of this

National leadership role in online education, thus widening participation

Staff commitment to and ambition for the Institute and its students

Mechanisms to support quality enhancement

High regard amongst employers for 'job-ready' graduates

Areas identified in which IT Sligo could make improvements were:

Their processes for planning, managing and evaluating change

Current HR policy and culture

Continuing improvements within Quality Assurance delivery and processes

The balance between dynamic responsiveness and strategic direction

Keeping under review the new organisational structure

Padraig Walsh, CEO of QQI said: "We are delighted that the first two institutions to have come through this process and have shown evidence of significant impact on students, research and their regions."

Dr Brendan McCormack, President, IT Sligo said: "We welcome the QQI report and its findings, which we will use to help develop our institution even further. We are particularly pleased with the recognition of our online education to learners in work, which we have developed over the years to become the largest online campus in Ireland. The report also acknowledges our strength in engaging with all our external stakeholders. The Institute of Technology Sligo prides itself on our engagement with industries and developing courses around their needs and increasing our graduates' employability.

Staff at all levels of the institution are passionately committed to giving students a good experience and to the institution's mission and values. We thank the QQI for their review and will use the recommendations within it, to improve our Institution as we move towards a Technical University. At all levels of the institution, we could feel the passion and commitment to teaching, research and to giving students a learning experience that prepares them for the future. Quality is perceived as the overarching frame to this."
A man who robbed American tourists at Carrowkeel of over 9,000 worth of valuables in South Sligo last October has been sentenced to eight months in prison, with the final four months suspended.

Patrick McDonagh (21) of Tara Court, Castlebar and another person were spotted in a red Toyota Avensis by Gardai at Ash Lane on 2nd of October, the same day the Americans reported that their car had been robbed at the remote scenic spot.

Judge Kevin Kilrane was told at Sligo District Court that Gardai found 650 in a compartment between the two seats along with charger leads which were positively identified by the tourists.

Sergeant Derek Butler told the court that the Americans spoke to two youths in a Red Avensis near Carrowkeel between 2.30-4pm on the date in question, asking for the best place to park.

They told Gardai the men appeared to drive away but when they returned from viewing the megalithic tombs the back window of their car was smashed and their valuables robbed: 650, $663, credit cards, ruck sack, chargers for a Nikon camera and fitbit, a black lead for downloading pictures from camera to laptop and jewellery worth 8,000.

The court heard McDonagh had no previous convictions. Defence solicitor Mr Tom MacSharry told the court it was a "nasty, nasty offence" but his client had pleaded guilty to handling the stolen property at the first available opportunity.

McDonagh's wife Sarah (24) of the same address also appeared in court charged with handling $663, two chargers and a lead, knowing they were stolen, at Ash Lane.

Her solicitor, Ms Laura Spellman, said she was not at Carrowkeel but when the money was given to her "she knew it was most likely stolen."

She had one previous conviction for theft in 2014.

Judge Kilrane described it as an "absolutely outrageous crime."

"Tourists who come here, renting a car, spending money, they ask directions from this fellow and within a short period of time their car is smashed open and robbed.

Judge Kilrane said he couldn't accept the Probation Report and said imprisonment must follow.

He sentenced McDonagh to eight months in prison, suspending the final four months on condition he not re-offend within three years.

He as also disqualified from driving for three years. He immediately appealed his sentence to the Circuit Court and was released on bail pending appeal.

Ward was sentenced to 240 hours Community Service in lieu of six months in prison.
Tara Rodgers, Head of Co. Sligo at Bank of Ireland and Chief Executive of Sligo County Council Ciaran Hayes at the Bank of Ireland National Enterprise Town Awards

Sligo was announced as one of the regional runners up at this year's Bank of Ireland National Enterprise Town Awards. The Awards recognise and reward towns where businesses and communities have come together to showcase the spirit of enterprise in their local area.

This year's awards saw collaboration between business groups and communities from over 80 towns and urban villages nationwide, with entries demonstrating exemplary entrepreneurial initiatives being undertaken to boost local economies.

At the award ceremony in Kilkenny, a total of 40 awards were given with an overall prize fund of 157,000 allocated to encourage further innovation and entrepreneurship within winning towns. Taking the prize for overall winner of the 2018 Bank of Ireland National Enterprise Town Awards was Letterkenny.

Speaking at the awards, Head of County Sligo at Bank of Ireland Tara Rodgers said: "Every year we are so impressed by the enterprising spirit and achievements of towns and villages nationwide, as people work together, to drive growth locally and build thriving communities.

Entrepreneurship, collaboration and innovative thinking have an immeasurable impact on a community's ability to flourish and we hope that all of this year's winning towns enjoy their success and continue to build on it further in 2019.

At Bank of Ireland, supporting enterprise is central to what we do and as the country's largest lender, with a presence in over 250 communities nationwide, we are committed to encouraging local enterprise and bringing communities closer together. The National Enterprise Town Awards are Bank of Ireland's opportunity to recognise and reward towns where communities and business groups are working closely together with local authorities and local enterprise offices to spur enterprise forward in their area.

The support of City and County Councils across the country is a significant factor in the success of the awards and one which Bank of Ireland is extremely grateful for. On behalf of Bank of Ireland, I would like to congratulate Sligo and local council representatives for their joint success at this year's awards."

Now in its 3rd year, the Bank of Ireland National Enterprise Town Awards are a nationwide search to find Ireland's most enterprising communities. The Awards aim to assist in the promotion of enterprise across the country by bringing business and community groups together to showcase to a panel of judges, the spirit of enterprise in their local area.

Local authorities assist in the nomination of towns, cities and urban villages/areas on behalf of their own city or county. Entries were accepted throughout May and June with nominated towns announced last July. The judging panel then visited all nominated locations this Autumn.
Tesco workers in Sligo have voted overwhelmingly in favour of industrial action in a dispute over collective representation.

Sligo workers will strike this Thursday, 6th December and again on Friday, 14th December.

Tesco workers in Carrick-on-Shannon will strike on Saturday, 22nd December.

The Sligo store voted in favour of industrial action by a margin of 97pc, with an 85pc turnout in the ballot.

There is a possibility more dates will be added and other stores may join their colleagues in the coming weeks and months.

Mandate Trade Union General Secretary John Douglas said: "It's extremely disappointing it has come to this.

"Our members do not want to be on strike, particularly in the run up to Christmas, but unfortunately Tesco management have left them with no alternative.

"For the last three years Mandate has tried to engage with the company on a whole range of issues, but it seems Tesco management are determined to continue with their de-unionisation plan, Project Black."

He added: "They have refused to engage with their workers on pay and conditions of employment, on the removal of canteens and break room facilities, they have refused to pay some workers a cost of living pay increase for four consecutive years, and crucially, they have breached collective agreements which they freely entered into with their workers."

In a statement, Tesco appealed to Mandate to call off its one-day strike threats in two stores.

"They are in breach of the company and union's agreed procedures which are to refer disputes to the Workplace Relations Commission," a statement said. "If Mandate proceeds with the proposed unwarranted one-day strike actions for the two stores, both will continue to remain open to serve customers.

"We regret that Mandate is inflicting this inconvenience on our customers in December when our stores are at their busiest and particularly given these stores are close to the Border.

"We call on Mandate to abide by procedures and to immediately withdraw its strike notices for Sligo and Carrick-on-Shannon.

"A conciliation conference on the two issues in Sligo was scheduled at the Workplace Relations Commission for October 24th but was rejected by Mandate.

"Tesco has always abided by agreed procedures and we expect Mandate to do the same."
The Leave Right Now video, nailed on the 19th take

Leave Right Now, written by British songwriter and producer Eg White, spent two weeks at number one in the UK in early December, 2003, selling almost 120,000 copies in its first week of release and going on to pass the half million sales mark there.

It couldn't hold on to claim the Christmas number one spot in the UK that year (that honour fell to Gary Jules and Michael Andrews' slowed down version of Tears For Fears' Mad World), but it was the 2003 Christmas No 1 single in Ireland.

The video for Leave Right Now was filmed without cuts in an old gallery in London - Young has revealed that they had to perform the song 21 times, and that in the end they used the 19th take.

In 2004 Eg White was awarded the Ivor Novello Award for Best Song Musically and Lyrically for Leave Right Now. In 2007 Freaky Trigger ranked the song at number 54 in their list of the Top 100 Songs of All Time.

1 Leave Right Now Will Young

2 I'm Your Man Shane Richie

3 Mandy Westlife

4 Jump Girls Aloud

5 One More chance Michael Jackson

6 Maybe That's What It Takes Alex Parks

7 Turn Me On Kevin Lyttle

8 Crashed The Wedding Busted

9 Clap Back/Rights Ja Rule

10 Hey Ya Outkast
Four of Wicklow's TDs have written a joint statement addressed to the Department of Justice which outlines their opposition to the closure of the Grand as a hotel for at least twelve months.

In the letter, Deputies Pat Casey, Andrew Doyle, John Brady and Stephen Donnelly state that the decision to lease the Grand Hotel as a centre for direct provision is "depriving the County town of its only Hotel and must be reviewed".

The four TDs agreed to issue the joint statement after requests from the audience during a public meeting held in Wicklow town and attended by close to 300 people.

The statement continues: 'Tourism in Wicklow is one of our core industries and our County Town is of central importance to our recently launched tourism strategy. A central plank of Wicklow's tourism strategy is the development and promotion of additional accommodation for the increasing number of visitors to our county. The decision of the Department of Justice to lease the only Hotel in Wicklow Town for a twelve month period deprives the town of vital tourism infrastructure at a critical stage.'

The four TDs are also critical of the whole direct provision model.

'We acknowledge the Departments need to accommodate applicants for international protection. We endorse an Irish welcome and the highest standards of accommodation and service provision to be provided by the State. The current system of Direct Provision does not reach that standard as outlined in detail in the report by Dr Bryan McMahon, retired High Court Judge. The current system of Direct Provision is failing to deliver basic rights to those seeking asylum in Ireland. The Government should consider a state supported human rights model of accommodation as an alternative to the current model.'

They also condemn the failure of the Department of Justice to engage in consultations with the local community.

'To introduce a Direct Provision centre into Wicklow Town without additional resources for essential services such as GP's, teachers for local schools etc, is irresponsible and unethical. Wicklow cannot provide the Irish welcome to our new neighbours without adequate supports. We call on the Minister of Justice in the light of these serious and legitimate concerns to review this model of direct provision and to actively seek alternative, more appropriate models of accommodation. We are prepared to work closely with the Department in relation to this matter. In that regard we are also calling for a meeting with Minister Flanagan and Minister Stanton to discuss the concerns and explore long term solutions,' the TDs wrote.
Ian Daly, Jim OBrien and Peter OReilly, who are involved with the Fishing Futures project.

Fishing Futures, a project targeting local community groups in Wicklow, has been awarded funding from Inland Fisheries Ireland (IFI) to help support its work.

The project, which is organised by the Wicklow Travellers Group, allows young people to experience fishing in a safe and supervised environment.

Fishing futures was established in November 2006 by a group of anglers and representatives from local community and statutory bodies.

Sean Canney, Minister with responsibility for the Inland Fisheries sector, has welcomed the initiative and the funding by Inland Fisheries Ireland of 1,630 through the National Strategy for Angling Development. 'This investment will support the purchase of new fishing equipment enabling larger groups to engage in angling trips and increase participation across the community', said Minister Canney.

'Over the coming year, local volunteer anglers and an outreach worker working with Wicklow Travellers Group will provide access to young people to organised angling activities as an enjoyable and rewarding component of healthy outdoor pursuits.'

Participants in the project will learn about water safety, bait collection and preservation, healthy lifestyle and practical angling skills. The project ultimately aims to provide novice anglers with the necessary skills to engage in mainstream angling with local clubs.

Since the inception of the project over 11 years ago, the project has engaged with many groups from the community. Some of the volunteer anglers who support the project today took part in the initiative themselves over a decade ago.

Suzanne Campion, head of business development at Inland Fisheries Ireland, said: 'Fishing Futures is a fantastic project which helps young people access their local fisheries resource in a supportive environment.

'We are delighted to award funding as part of our National Strategy for Angling Development to many projects, such as this one in Wicklow, which will help increase participation in angling and secure the future of our precious and valuable natural resource as a result.'

The National Strategy for Angling Development aims to ensure that Ireland's fish stocks and angling infrastructure are protected and enhanced with a view to ensuring a sustainable habitat and the delivery of the economic, health and recreational benefits which they offer to communities across Ireland. Inland Fisheries Ireland is aiming to grow the angling sector's socio-economic contribution of 836 million per year by an additional 60 million annually through the strategy.

This will be achieved by driving angling participation among domestic and overseas visitors, which in turn is supported by improving access to fishing and developing angling infrastructure.
Discussions remain ongoing between the owners of Luggala Estate and Minister for Culture Heritage and the Gaeltacht Josepha Madigan over the possibility of the State purchasing the prestigious estate.

Luggala consists of some 5,000 acres and has been offered with a price tag of 28 million. Minister of State Andrew Doyle arranged for a meeting this week between Minister Madigan and members of Wicklow Partnership, Wicklow Uplands Council and Mountaineering Ireland to discuss the future of the iconic estate. Also present were Deputy Pat Casey, a representative from the office of Minister for Health Simon Harris and Bryan Fennell, Rural Recreational Officer with County Wicklow Partnership.

Speaking after the meeting, Brian Dunne, Coordinator of Wicklow Uplands Council said: 'We are grateful to Minister Madigan for holding the meeting to discuss the importance of the Luggala estate, both as a centre of recreational activity and as an iconic film location. Wicklow Uplands Council continue to advocate that the Luggala estate be purchased by the state in order to preserve and protect its significant built and natural heritage features and also to secure public access for future generations'.

In October, up to 30 people attended a protest outside the entrance to Luggala Estate in opposition to the closure of a pedestrian gate each day at 5.30 p.m. Mr Dunne was heartened by Minister Madigan's commitment to retain access to the estate for walkers.

'We were greatly encouraged to discover that the issue of retaining recreational access to Luggala remains high on Minister Madigan's agenda. We were reassured that her department remained fully engaged with the process and that she clearly understood the value and potential of the upland estate,' said Mr Dunne.

Minister of State Andrew Doyle also found the meeting helpful.

'The different groups expressed their own concerns, with a common theme being that of future public access to Luggala for recreational purposes, for hill walkers and for tourists with further emphasis on its role as a filming destination with the Vikings filming for six years now in this iconic setting. Another contributor talked about Luggala's potential as a music concert venue,' he said.

Land adjacent to Luggala Estate was purchased in 2006 and enabled the joining up of two sections of Wicklow Mountains National Park. Minister Doyle also wants to see the Government engage with talks over the State purchase of Luggala.

'The estate with its surrounding lands has all the ingredients to become even more of a tourist, heritage and amenity destination and it is incumbent on the State to engage in the sale process, preserving this amenity and recognising it's strategic importance as part of our national and cultural heritage,' said Minister Doyle.

At October's meeting of Wicklow County Council, Cllr Jennifer Whitmore received unanimous support after she proposed writing to Minister Madigan urging her to purchase the site on behalf of the state, particularly due to Luggala's importance to the local film industry.

'To date, the impact of the sale of this site on the Wicklow film industry has not been considered, and it's good to see that it is now on the agenda,' said Cllr Whitmore. 'I have spoken to location managers and others in the Irish Film Board and the key point that was made by them all was that Luggala is the "jewel in the Crown" of the Irish film industry and it would be a risk to our growing film sector, if that site wasn't available to international studios.

'I'm glad to see that this public pressure is making a difference to the campaign to save Luggala and I hope that the Government makes the right decision and protects this strategically important site for current and future generations. The film industry is of enormous strategic and economic importance to Wicklow and I believe that we must do everything in our power to ensure that this site remains open and available for the industry and the public to access'.
Representatives of Powerscourt Estate attended the Tourism Ireland of its marketing strategy and plans.

This was the announcement that Tourism Ireland will increase its spending by 10 million in 2019, to 45 million, and will launch its first global advertising campaign in seven years. Tourism Ireland's new global campaign - 'Fill your Heart with Ireland' - will launch next month in the United States, Britain, France and Germany. From January 2019, it will be rolled out in over 20 markets around the globe. It will include TV, cinema, print, outdoor and online ads, as well as content for social platforms.

The campaign will feature less visited attractions and locations and aims to attract visitors all year round. Powerscourt Estate was among around 500 tourism industry leaders from around the country to attend the launch. Minister Shane Ross was also there.

They heard that 'sustainability' is the watchword for Tourism Ireland, heading into 2019 and beyond. The organisation will place a greater focus on driving growth to less visited attractions and locations, as well as on driving business in the off-peak and shoulder seasons.

They also plan to re-develop the entire suite of Ireland.com websites. The new technology will re-target visitors and potential visitors with personalised messages and offers. In the context of the Government's Global Ireland 2025 initiative, Tourism Ireland will implement its US, German, emerging markets and British market growth strategies. This will see the organisation expand its operations in China - with new representation in Hong Kong - and increase its marketing activity in the US and Canada, as well as in emerging markets like Japan.
Nadine Reid is having a breakout year. But she's not your typical willowy young ingenue from SoCoDu - born in Birmingham, some "35 to 40" years ago (she doesn't want to get too specific) and now a reporter on Virgin Media's Xpose, Nadine is one of the few black, plus-size women in Irish public life. "Sometimes I wonder if it was always my destiny to work in the media," she says, when we finally speak, after the increasingly in-demand presenter was forced to reschedule four times.

Nadine had stars in her eyes from a young age and proudly looks back on her turn as gangster moll Tallulah in a school production of Bugsy Malone when she was 10. She went on to a degree in media studies, but her dream of being in front of the camera was soon overshadowed by pressure to "get a real job", she says, leading to a successful career as a make-up artist. "I landed myself a decent role with MAC and did very well there - I had a company car and credit card, and my family were really proud of me. But after 10 years, I thought, 'There's probably something more for me to do,'" she recalls.

Shaken by the death of her grandmother, Nadine was looking for a change, and when a friend invited her to Dublin for a job in 2015, she was smitten. "People often ask me, 'Why Ireland?' And I say, 'Why not?' I'm from Birmingham, and it's just a flat factory town," she says, although she is quick to add that she loves getting home to visit family.

On Instagram - Nadine's preferred social media platform - she frequently shares motivational quotes with her followers, and she has adopted some of that language, describing herself as "living my best life", "enjoying the path" and "feeling blessed". She even has her "own personal hashtag", #IfNadsCanYouCan. But she's also refreshingly unfiltered - apart from her dating life, nothing is off the table and she's breezy and chatty, with a bright, easy laugh.

Expand Close Nadine Reid wears: Top, 60, Monsoon; skirt, 65, Marks & Spencer; Crown headpiece, 85, Margaret O'Connor, Folkster, folkster.com; notionsbymargaretoconnor.com; Belt, 39.95, bangles, 10; Shoes 52, Oasis; earrings, Nadine's own. Photo: Taine King / Facebook

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Whatsapp Nadine Reid wears: Top, 60, Monsoon; skirt, 65, Marks & Spencer; Crown headpiece, 85, Margaret O'Connor, Folkster, folkster.com; notionsbymargaretoconnor.com; Belt, 39.95, bangles, 10; Shoes 52, Oasis; earrings, Nadine's own. Photo: Taine King

Nadine is an only child, with half-siblings on her father's side, and was raised by her Jamaican mother and extended family. "I grew up in a single-parent family but I don't feel comfortable using that phrase, because even though my mum was alone, she actually wasn't. My uncle would pick me up from school, my aunts were there At every play or school event, I would have more family there than people with two parents," she says cheerfully. "I'm really lucky, my mum gave me absolutely everything. But I wasn't spoilt - my mum would still go, 'Do you really need another piece of cake?' Don't get me wrong!"

She credits her mum with paying her "black tax", a term she picked up from comedian Trevor Noah, who describes his mother as using her opportunities to help her family members, rather than herself, to achieve the blank slate automatically afforded to white people. "My mum always taught me that I can achieve anything, regardless of where I'm from, my size or any of that stuff," she says. "She paid my black tax by making sure that I wasn't a person that would have to feel, because I'm black or from a Jamaican family or a working-class family, that I don't have opportunities.

"My grandparents came to the UK with nothing. My grandma used to work in the hospital canteen, my granddad used to make bullets in the bullet factory, my older uncle worked in factories making tyres, all these very basic, menial jobs. I was never taught to think that because you're black, you can't achieve things."

Since moving to Ireland, Nadine says she's gone from being "the black girl" to "the English girl". "What I love about Ireland is I find people are more likely to ask, 'What part of England are you from?' It's interesting, because they don't ask, 'What's your ethnicity? Are you from the Caribbean? Are you from Africa?' I've had no negative experiences because of my race. Sometimes I feel more nervous about being born in Britain than being black!" she cackles.

When she arrived in Dublin three years ago, Nadine knew just two people, but she quickly learned to say yes to every invitation. "I've been really lucky to meet so many people working as a make-up artist - hairdressers, photographers, editors - by simply being in that scene," she says.

She attended the Xpose Benefit Awards this year to support her friend, hair stylist Trudy Hayes, and it was there that she met the management team behind Xpose. "Within a few days, I had a call asking me to come in for a screen test. How awesome is that?"

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Nadine has been presenting for less than six months, but she's already interviewed celebrities, walked the red carpet and covered major events, including the Dublin Horse Show, a personal highlight. "I'd seen a horse maybe once in my life, so to see so many people excited about horses was fascinating to me. That was my most entertaining gig that I've done."

As a reporter, Nadine tends to be out on location rather than in studio with co-presenters Cassie Stokes, Glenda Gilson and Karen Koster. "Everyone's so friendly here. We don't actually spend that much time together, but when we do, it's adorable," she says.

Nadine chooses her own clothing for Xpose and explains that while she's been lucky to have brands sending in clothes, trawling the high street can prove challenging as a size 20. "Shopping is difficult if you don't fit the mainstream size," she says, although she squirms at the labels "plus size" or "curvy". "I probably just use 'Nadine'," she laughs. Debenhams, Marks & Spencer, New Look and River Island are her favourite places to shop, but she points out that River Island's plus range is only available online.

"I would love for shops on the high street to extend the sizes so you can pop in and try it on," Nadine says, noting that the average Irish woman is a size 16, so it would make sense to offer options for women both above and below that average. "But sometimes it takes a while for people to recognise that there's money to be made there. I love to shop at Dunnes, and now that I'm living in Ireland, I'd like to support Irish designers and represent the place that I'm at.

"My favourite thing, and what I wish I could do all the time, is to have pieces custom-made," she says, gleefully recounting her experience with Irish designer Naomi Aje, who has created bespoke pieces for her - including the dress worn on page 10 today, as well as Nadine's outfit for our cover photo. "When I put them on, I feel incredible."

Nadine pulls styling ideas from all around her, from catwalk trends to her family heritage to old French films. "Growing up, I would always watch my mum get ready. When she'd go to a wedding or a big event, she'd be very stylish," she says. "I grew up watching Dynasty like everyone else, and I loved Alexis Carrington and all of those characters. I also adore the colour and vibrancy that you see in traditional dresses in the west of Africa. I think my style is my Caribbean and African roots meets the chicness of Dynasty and Parisian couture."

An appointment with a personal shopper at Debenhams helped to give her a better understanding of her shape and what colours and materials suited her best. "As you get older, as much as fashion is creative and inspiring, what's really important is how we feel about ourselves. I was a regular-sized kid; it was only during the years when I was a make-up artist and driving too much that I started to put on a lot of weight. But I'm delighted with my size now. I walk more, I get out more, I have more energy than when I used to drive all the time."

Many women online will have some experience of harassment or "trolling", but Nadine says she hasn't encountered any negativity.

"My response to someone, if they said, 'You're fat,' would be, 'Uh, yeah!'" she says, roaring with laughter. "I think if anybody has something negative to say about someone else, what's going on with them? Hun, are you okay? Why do you feel the need to say nasty things to me?

"You never know what health issues someone may have, so I think it's unfair to judge someone. Whatever size you are, you still deserve to put a sparkly dress on and feel flipping fabulous!"

Her advice for bigger women struggling to build confidence? "Spend time on loving who you are as a person. Read things you enjoy reading, have a nice bubble bath, make yourself feel good. At the end of the day, who is judging you, really? I think women of every size could do with a self-esteem boost from time to time. We have to fall in love with who we are as people. I simply won't spend time with people who would even try to make me feel bad. Don't bother with them! Don't allow them to be around you!"

Once one of "the oddballs" at school, now Nadine is a social media star and a rising TV personality, but she says she doesn't think too much about the future.

"There are people who know what they want to do and they follow a structure," she says.

"My biggest successes have happened simply when I've worked hard and enjoyed myself. When I'm asked to do a gig, I ask myself, 'Will I enjoy that?' If I do, great. If I'm asked to do something that doesn't feel so good, maybe that one's not for me. I don't know exactly where these experiences will take me, but my biggest thing at the moment is about enjoying the journey and trying not to worry about the destination," she explains.

"I've come from such a humble place, and I've been surrounded by really great people; I've travelled a lot and seen and done a lot, so I feel very blessed. For me, it's about not letting being a bit fat or a bit black or a bit tall or a bit small stop you from going and doing things."
Undated photo issued by the Lucie Blackman Trust of 22-year-old British backpacker, Grace Millane, who is missing in New Zealand Lucie Blackman Trust /PA Wire

A man will be charged with the murder of British backpacker Grace Millane in New Zealand.

The 26-year-old man has been speaking with police in Auckland in relation to her disappearance, officers said.

Ms Millane, 22, went missing from a hostel in Auckland on December 1.

New Zealand Police said the man will remain in custody until Monday morning, when he will appear in the Auckland District Court.

Ms Millane, from Essex, was described as a "lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-orientated daughter" by her father, David Millane.

She graduated from the University of Lincoln in September and had embarked on a year-long worldwide trip.

After visiting Peru, she arrived in New Zealand on November 20 and had been in near-daily contact with her family until December 1 - the day before her 22nd birthday.

The last confirmed sighting of Ms Millane was at 9.41pm the same day at the Citylife Hotel in central Auckland, when she was seen with a "male companion".
The Change 4 lunar probe launches from the the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in China (Jiang Hongjing/Xinhua via AP)

China has launched a groundbreaking mission to land a spacecraft on the largely unexplored far side of the moon, demonstrating its growing ambitions as a space power to rival Russia, the EU and the US.

A Long March 3B rocket carrying a lunar probe blasted off at 2.23am local time from the Xichang Satellite Launch Centre in Sichuan Province in south-western China, the official Xinhua News Agency said.

With its Change 4 mission, China hopes to be the first country to make a soft landing, which is a landing of a spacecraft during which no serious damage is incurred.

The moons far side is also known as the dark side because it faces away from Earth and remains comparatively unknown.

It has a different composition than sites on the near side, where previous missions have landed.

If successful, the mission would propel the Chinese space programme to a leading position in one of the most important areas of lunar exploration.

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China landed its Yutu, or Jade Rabbit, rover on the moon five years ago and plans to send its Change 5 probe there next year and have it return to Earth with samples  the first time that will have been done since 1976.

A crewed lunar mission is also under consideration.

Change 4 is also a lander-rover combination and will explore both above and below the lunar surface after arriving at the South Pole-Aitken basins Von Karman crater following a 27-day journey.

It will also perform radio-astronomical studies that, because the far side always faces away from Earth, will be free from interference from our planets ionosphere, human-made radio frequencies and auroral radiation noise, space industry expert Leonard David wrote on the website Space.com.

It may also carry plant seeds and silkworm eggs, according to Xinhua.

Change is the goddess of the moon in Chinese mythology.

China conducted its first crewed space mission in 2003, making it only the third country after Russia and the US to do so.

It has put two space stations into orbit, one of which is still operating as a precursor to a more than 60-ton station that is due to come online in 2022.

The launch of a Mars rover is planned for the mid-2020s.

To facilitate communication between controllers on Earth and the Change 4 mission, China in May launched a relay satellite named Queqiao, or Magpie Bridge, after an ancient Chinese folk tale.

Chinas space programme has benefited from co-operation with Russia and European nations, although it was excluded from the 420-ton International Space Station, mainly due to US legislation barring such co-operation amid concerns over its strong military connections.

Its programme also suffered a rare setback last year with the failed launch of its Long March 5 rocket.
Michael Cohen, former lawyer to President Donald Trump, leaves his apartment building on New Yorks Park Avenue (Richard Drew/AP)

President Donald Trumps former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was in touch as far back as 2015 with a Russian who offered political synergy with the Trump election campaign and proposed a meeting between the candidate and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the special counsel has said.

Court filings from prosecutors in New York and special counsel Robert Muellers office lay out previously undisclosed contacts between Trump associates and Russian intermediaries and suggest the Kremlin aimed early on to influence Mr Trump and his campaign by playing to both his political aspirations and his personal business interests.

The filings, in cases involving Cohen and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort, cap a dramatic week of revelations in Mr Muellers ongoing investigation into potential coordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

They make clear how witnesses previously close to Trump  Cohen once declared he would take a bullet for the president  have since provided damaging information about him in efforts to come clean to the government and in some cases get lighter prison sentences.

One witness, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, provided so much information to prosecutors that Mr Mueller this week said he should not serve any prison time.

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The interviews with prosecutors have yielded intimate information about episodes under close examination, including possible Russian collusion and hush money payments during the campaign to a porn star and Playboy model who say they had sex with Trump a decade earlier.

In one of the filings, Mr Mueller details how Cohen spoke to a Russian who claimed to be a trusted person in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign political synergy and synergy on a government level.

The person repeatedly dangled a meeting between Mr Trump and Mr Putin, saying such a meeting could have a phenomenal impact not only in political but in a business dimension as well.

That was a reference to a proposed Moscow real estate deal that prosecutors say could have netted Mr Trumps business hundreds of millions of dollars.

Cohen admitted last week to lying to Congress by saying discussions about a Trump Tower in Moscow ended in January 2016 when in fact they stretched into that June, well into the US campaign.

Cohen told prosecutors he never followed up, though the offer bore echoes of a proposal presented by Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, who raised the idea to other advisers of leveraging his connections to set up a Putin encounter.

In an additional filing on Friday evening, prosecutors said Manafort lied to them about his contacts with a Russian associate and Trump administration officials, including in 2018.

The court papers say that Manafort initially told prosecutors he did not have any contact with anyone while they were in the Trump administration.

But prosecutors say they recovered electronic documents showing his contacts with multiple administration officials. The officials are not identified in the court filings.

Manafort, who has pleaded guilty to several counts, violated his plea agreement by then telling multiple discernible lies to prosecutors, they said.

Prosecutors in Cohens case said that even though he cooperated in their investigation into the hush money payments to women he nonetheless deserved to spend time in prison.

Cohen did provide information to law enforcement, including information that assisted the Special Counsels Office, they said. But Cohens description of those efforts is overstated in some respects and incomplete in others.

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Cohen, dubbed Mr Trumps legal fixer in the past, also described his work in conjunction with Mr Trump in orchestrating hush money payments to two women  adult actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal  who said they had sex with Mr Trump.

Prosecutors in New York, where Cohen pleaded guilty in August in connection with those payments, said the lawyer acted in coordination and at the direction of Mr Trump, suggesting they had implicated him in Cohens crime.

Despite such specific allegations of Mr Trumps actions, the president quickly tweeted after news of the filings: Totally clears the President. Thank you!

Later, White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders said in two statements that the Manafort filing says absolutely nothing about the President and the Cohen filings tell us nothing of value that wasnt already known.

In addition, the filings reveal that Cohen told prosecutors he and Mr Trump discussed a potential meeting with Mr Putin on the sidelines of the UN General Assembly in 2015, shortly after Trump announced his candidacy for president.

Expand Close The White House said the filings offer nothing new (Jacquelyn Martin/AP) / Facebook

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In a footnote, special counsel Robert Muellers team writes that Cohen conferred with Mr Trump about contacting the Russia government before reaching out to gauge Russias interest in such a meeting, though it never took place.

In meetings with Mr Muellers team, Cohen provided information about his own contacts with Russian interests during the campaign and discussions with others in the course of making those contacts, the court documents said.

Cohen provided prosecutors with a detailed account of his involvement, along with the involvement of others, in efforts during the 2016 presidential campaign to complete a deal to build a Trump Tower Moscow, the documents said.

He also provided information about attempts by Russian nationals to reach Mr Trumps campaign, they said.

However, in the crimes to which he pleaded guilty in August, he was motivated by personal greed and repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends.

Prosecutors said the courts Probation Department estimated that federal sentencing guidelines call for Cohen to serve at least four years in prison.

They said that reflects Cohens extensive, deliberate and serious criminal conduct.

Prosecutors say Cohen already enjoyed a privileged life, and that his desire for even greater wealth and influence precipitated an extensive course of criminal conduct.
The BBC has been accused of compromising the safety of Prince Harry and his wife Meghan Markle after it shared neo-Nazi propaganda calling for the death of "race traitors" on its website.

An image, featuring Harry and published in an online news story, has been taken down from the BBC website after a direct complaint from the royal household.

Prince Harry and Prince William are both aware of the picture and understood to be very concerned about the security implications. The image shows Harry with a gun pointed to his head, a swastika, and the words: "See ya later, race traitor."

It was published on the BBC News website as part of an investigation into a far-right group called the Sonnenkrieg Division, headlined "British Neo-Nazis suggest Prince Harry should be shot".

Three people were arrested over the incident, with properties in Bath, Leeds, London and Portsmouth searched.

Yesterday, police confirmed an 18-year-old man from Portsmouth had been charged with five offences related to encouraging terrorism.

A 17-year-old boy from London has been charged with five offences related to encouraging terrorism, while a 21-year-old man from Bath, has been released on bail.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
Follow the leaders: Angela Merkel applauds the election of Annegret Kramp- Karrenbauer  known as AKK  as leader of Germanys CDU party. Photo: Reuters

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer has been elected the new leader of Germany's ruling conservative party, bringing to an end a historic period of 18 years with Angela Merkel at the helm.

The centrist Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer, widely known as AKK, fought off a strong challenge from millionaire banker Friedrich Merz, defeating him by just 35 votes from a total of 999 delegates to the CDU conference in Hamburg.

The narrowness of the victory pointed to deep divisions in the party, which has suffered a series of damaging local election results since last September's general election, triggering Ms Merkel's decision to stand aside.

Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer becomes the presumptive next Chancellor of Germany when Ms Merkel retires in 2021 - or earlier if ideological divisions within the party force the German leader to step down.

In an olive branch to Mr Merz, the new leader struck a constructive tone.

"This momentum needs to carry on, and we must be united and stay united in our goal which is to include all of the wings of the party, all of its members and to be the people's party of the middle ground," she said after her win.

Analysts said the decision to keep with Ms Merkel's centrist position would enable the party to counteract the rise of the Green party.

"This result will give the CDU the chance to win voters back from the Green party -who they have lost more voters to in state elections than the AfD," said Manfred Gullner, director of Forsa polling.

"It was a decision by the party to continue on a centrist course and that is the right one for the party," he said.

The victory for Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer came after Ms Merkel used her valedictory speech to make a decisive intervention against Mr Merz, pleading for the party to stay on the middle path she has trodden during her 18 years as leader.

Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer's battle against Mr Merz - a 63-year-old who used to be the party's parliamentary leader before being pushed out by Ms Merkel in 2002 - was the CDU's first competitive vote for a new head since 1971.

Ms Merkel chose not to publicly back any of the candidates who had fought at nationwide hustings. But her speech seemed to be an attempt to persuade undecided delegates the right choice was the more moderate candidate.

The chancellor had stressed the party was at a key point in its history, that it would require "all of its strength" to overcome the challenges it currently faces, a reference to a string of miserable election results in recent months.

She reminded delegates "we have fought against strong headwinds before. I only need mention the election success in Saarland last year when, despite the predictions, we won over 40pc of the vote".

Ms Kramp-Karrenbauer was state leader in Saarland in 2017, where she guided the CDU to an unexpectedly resounding victory over the Social Democrat SPD just months before the national election.

Telegraph Media Group Limited [2021]
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!
Demonstrators walk through tear gas during clashes Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 in Paris. Crowds of yellow-vested protesters angry at President Emmanuel Macron and Frances high taxes tried to converge on the presidential palace Saturday, some scuffling with police firing tear gas, amid exceptional security measures aimed at preventing a repeat of last weeks rioting (Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP)

The rumble of armoured police vans and the hiss of tear gas filled central Paris as French riot police fought to contain thousands of yellow-vested protesters.

Demonstrators vented their anger against the government on Saturday in a movement that has grown more violent by the week.

A ring of steel surrounded the presidents Elysee Palace  a key destination for the protesters  as police stationed vans and reinforced metal barriers throughout the area.

Groups of vandals tore steadily through some of the citys wealthiest neighbourhoods, smashing and burning items.

Police and protesters also clashed in the southern French cities of Marseille and Toulouse.

The governments plan was to prevent a repeat of the rioting on December 2 that damaged the Arc de Triomphe and injured 130 people.

Although Saturdays protest in the French capital started out quietly, by early evening nearly 1,000 people had been taken into custody and 135 people had been injured.

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Some stores along the Champs-Elysees boarded up their windows as though bracing for a hurricane but the storm struck anyway, this time at the height of the holiday shopping season.

Protesters ripped off the plywood protecting the windows and threw flares and other projectiles as they were repeatedly repelled by tear gas and water cannon.

All of the citys top tourist attractions, including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre museum, shut down for the day, fearing the kind of damage that had hit the Arc de Triomphe.

Underground stations in the city centre also closed and the US embassy warned its citizens to avoid all protest areas.

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Amid the melee, President Emmanuel Macron remained silent, as he has for the four weeks of a movement.

It started as a protest against a fuel tax hike and metamorphosed into a rebellion against high taxes, eroding living standards and what many see as his inability to address the concerns of Frances regions and ordinary people.

Before the clashes, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner had urged calm.

I ask the yellow vests that want to bring about a peaceful message to not go with the hooligans, he said.

We know that the hooligans are only strong because they hide behind the yellow vests, which hampers the security forces.

An even larger environmental march moved peacefully Saturday toward the citys distant Republique Plaza.

One sign read: No climate justice without fiscal and social justice.

The march came in support of UN climate talks taking place in Poland.

National police estimated the number of protesters in Paris at 8,000, although the yellow vests said their numbers were far higher.

Associated Press reporters saw city streets densely crowded with thousands of people.

French authorities deployed 8,000 security officers in the capital alone, among the 89,000 who fanned out around the country.

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Frances yellow vest protesters include people with views that range from the far right to the far left.

The leaderless group is united primarily in its sense that Mr Macron and his government are out of touch.

We are here to tell (Macron) our discontent, said protester Myriam Diaz.

Me, Im not here to break things because I have four children so I am going to try to be safe for them, because they are afraid.

But I still want to be here to say stop, thats enough, this has to stop.

Cyril, a 25-year-old bin lorry driver, came from Normandy with three other demonstrators to Paris.

He said he earns 1,430 euros (1,280) a month despite working 45 hours a week and has decided not to have children because doesnt feel he can earn enough to raise them.

This was his third weekend of protesting in Paris.

Ive come to defend myself, he said, adding Mr Macrons mistake was trying to reform the French economy too quickly.

Hes done more in 18 months than the others in 30 years.

Protesters also blocked roads, roundabouts and tollbooths elsewhere in France and offshoot movements have emerged in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Belgian police fired tear gas and water cannon Saturday at yellow-vested protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Charles Michel after they tried to breach a riot barricade.

The protesters in Brussels threw paving stones, road signs, fireworks, flares and other objects at police and about 100 were detained, many for carrying dangerous objects.

In the Dutch city of Rotterdam, a few hundred protesters in the high-visibility vests walked peacefully across the Erasmus Bridge singing and handing flowers to passers-by.
Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former personal lawyer and 'fixer', should serve a "substantial" prison sentence despite cooperating with special counsel Robert Mueller, prosecutors said.

Prosecutors in New York asked a judge to sentence Cohen to a "substantial term of imprisonment" for paying an adult film star hush money on Mr Trump's behalf, and for evading taxes.

Cohen pleaded guilty to the charges in August.

He has been cooperating with Mr Mueller's probe into possible collusion between Russia and Mr Trump's 2016 election campaign.

Cohen also pleaded guilty last week to a separate charge brought by Mr Mueller's office that he lied to Congress about discussions over the construction of a proposed Trump Organisation skyscraper in Moscow.

In a separate recommendation yesterday, Mr Mueller said Cohen should serve no extra jail time for that offence.

Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced next Wednesday.

Meanwhile, Mr Trump announced he will nominate William Barr as attorney general after he fired Jeff Sessions last month.

The role includes overseeing the investigation into Russian election meddling that continues to blight his presidency.

Mr Barr (68) held the position for two years under George W Bush, the former US president, and has voiced views on the Russia probe and other key areas which chime with Mr Trump's stances.

There was also speculation that John Kelly, the White House chief of staff, could soon be on his way out, though there has been no announcement yet.

Mr Barr's appointment will have a significant impact on the Russia probe being led by Robert Mueller, the special counsel appointed last May.

Major moves proposed by Mr Mueller, such as bringing criminal indictments, will have to be approved by Mr Barr once he is in place.

What happens to Mr Mueller's final report will also be up to the new attorney general.

President Trump yesterday hit out at Rex Tillerson, his former Secretary of State, calling him "dumb as a rock" and "lazy as hell" after he criticisied the president in an interview.

Mr Tillerson, who the president fired in March, had earlier claimed the president repeatedly wanted to violate the law, did not like reading, and was "undisciplined".

In response, Mr Trump tweeted yesterday: "Rex Tillerson, didn't have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldn't get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!"
Civic officials were left bemused after a plastic trader from Vasai, fined Rs 5,000 for stocking banned items, walked into the civic headquarters on Thursday and handed over three plastic bags filled with coins in denominations of Re 1, Rs 2, Rs 5 and Rs 10. We were surprised on seeing the coins. But we had to accept it and gave him a receipt, said assistant municipal commissioner Sukhdev Darveshi, who had fined the trader Amit Mehta.

But the civic officials task did not end there as the coins had to be counted for accounting purposes. Two civic staffers sat down to count and recount the coins and after about 45 minutes found that it was short of Rs 70. They called up Mehta and informed him. Later in the day, Mehta returned to the VVMC headquarters and paid the balance Rs 70, again in coins.

Reuters/Representational Image

As part of its crackdown on plastic, a Vasai-Virar Municipal Corporation team, on Thursday, raided Mehtas unit and found him stocking banned plastic items. Mehta was told to pay a fine of Rs 5,000 as it was his first offence. Darveshi said the civic administration has, so far, collected over Rs 5 lakh in fins after the plastic ban came into force in June. But this is the first time that they received the fine amount in coins.

The fine for second-time offenders is Rs 10,000 and subsequent offence is Rs 25,000 and/or imprisonment up to three months. The penalty can also be paid online. Mehta told the civic officers that he did not know the online procedure and decided to dispose of the coins to pay the penalty.

BCCL/Representational Image

Civic officers said while there is no way of knowing if Mehta wanted to dispose of the coins or was just harassing them, they will keep a vigil on him. But if caught again, will Mehta pay the Rs 10,000 penalty in coins too?
Jitendra Malik, aka Jeetu Fauji, an Indian Army soldier, who was seen in multiple videos during the mob violence in Bulandshahr has been detained in Jammu and Kashmir.

In a purported video from the spot, Jeetu was seen opening fire during the violence.

Jeetu, who is posted in Srinagar, was detained by the 22 Rashtriya Rifles after he role in the violence surfaced.

He was in his hometown Bulandshahr on 15 day leave when the incident happened, but had fled to Sopore hours after Subodh Kumar Singh and a civilian were killed in the clashes.

A special investigation team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh Police was expected to reach here later to take him into custody.

Reuters

Earlier, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat had said that if there is some evidence against Jeetu, then we will produce him before the police.

If there is some evidence and police feels that they suspect him, then we will produce him before them. We will fully cooperate with the police," Rawat told ANI.
Out of a total population of 180 million Indian Muslims, only 108 had joined the terrorist outfit Islamic State informed former Intelligence Bureau Director Syed Asif Ibrahim on Friday.

108 Muslims accounted only for 0.000058% of the total Indian Muslim population. He attributed the reason behind such low numbers to Sufi and non-Salafi nature of Islam in India. Existence of a strong, vibrant democracy according to Ibrahim was also the reason behind low radicalization rate.

Ibrahim said, Of these 108, 50% of joinees went from the diaspora in West Asia...the ones exposed to Salafi radicals. 40% went from the coastal region in India, which was the recipient of Shafaiyei Islam, which came via the sea," reported TOI.

Photo: DailyO/ Syed Asif Ibrahim

The former director had retired from his position in 2014 and was addressing an audience on Cooperation against Radicalization and Terrorism between UAE and India. He also noted that the current narrative revolved around the notion that the more religious you are, the more fundamentalist you are which was proven wrong by U.Ks security agencies who had interviewed ISIL returnees.

Upon interviewing the returnees it was found out that 90 percent of them had little knowledge of religion. Ibrahim believed that strong religion education acted as an impediment in the road to radicalization. Educational lessons on these topics were so important that in many madrasas in India, countering violent extremism is a key chapter in most religious texts, he further added.

Photo: AFP/Representational Image

Reportedly he also said that India inherited Islam via land route and it had evolved in early 12th century. Indian heritage of Islam was successful in confronting advanced civilizations like Persia and adapted its own custom as well as culture. Therefore, Indian Islam developed its own inclusive nature.

India is trying to devise ideas with UAE on how to carry out counter-radicalization policies in the country given UAE was an Islamic country yet nobody from there had joined IS. Ibrahim had served as special envoy of government of India for counter terrorism.
Thane Police have launched a probe into the death of a 20-year-old whose decapitated body was found lying on a railway track. The youth, Rohit Pardeshi allegedly ended his life by jumping before a suburban train near Kalyan railway station on Thursday.

BCCL/ REPRESENTATIONAL IMAGE

Police said the youth, who hailed from Netivali village in the district, had left a video message on his phone which said nobody should be blamed for his death.

Inspector Dinkar Pingle of Kalyan Railway police station said a case of accidental death was registered and his body was sent for postmortem.

Police found that the victims head was lying on the one side of the track, while the torso on the other side. When we checked his mobile phone, we found that he had recorded a video suicide message, the officer said.

BCCL

In the message, he can be seen saying that he was committing suicide without anyones pressure and nobody should be held responsible for it.

The message also said that he had nobody in the family except his younger brother and all the property should go to him, police said.

According to the cops the motive behind his extreme step was not yet known.
Microsoft is one of many tech companies on the global playing field currently researching artificial intelligence, and its CEO Satya Nadella recognizes how fraught with pitfalls it is.

That's why he's now calling for responsible research to avoid dooming society.

"We've seen how AI can be applied for good, but we must also guard against its unintended consequences," he said in a blog post on the issue. "Now is the time to examine how we build AI responsibly and avoid a race to the bottom. This requires both the private and public sectors to take action."

One aspect of AI in particular he writes about is facial recognition, a technology that's seeing increasing use in the industry right now. Particularly, without any regulation, he worries governments around the world may use facial recognition as a way to monitor and discriminate against certain minorities.

"We've learned more and tested new ideas," he wrote. "Based on this work, we believe it's important to move beyond study and discussion. The time for action has arrived."

Nadella calls for governments across the world to come together and stipulate worldwide guidelines for AI research and implementation. After all, we've already seen how regimes like China regularly abuse technology to suppress religious minorities like its Muslim population. Not just lawmakers though, he says the key is for the private sector to genuinely weigh in on this discussion as well.

Also Read: China Is Rolling Out A Gait-Recognition AI That Can Identify People By The Way They Walk

"The only way to protect against this race to the bottom is to build a floor of responsibility that supports healthy market competition. And a solid floor requires that we ensure that this technology, and the organizations that develop and use it, are governed by the rule of law."

Aside from racial biases though, Nadella specifies that another problem inherent to facial recognition AI is that it can easily to intrude on a person's right to privacy, and to implement mass surveillance. To combat this, he calls for full transparency in applications of the technology, as well as frequent testing and comparisons by third parties, among other measures.

"We must ensure that the year 2024 doesn't look like a page from the novel 1984," he says.
A Rajasthan-based entrepreneur took a cue from the phrase 'silence is golden' to set up a restaurant fully operated by people with disabilities. Diwakar Arora, the owner of 'The Daily Grinds' in Jodhpur, has employed only differently-abled as staff to manage cooking, cleaning, accounting and taking orders.

ANI

Mr Arora says the main aim of the owners is to tell the world that those with special needs are no different from others, in terms of their capabilities or otherwise.

ALSO READ: School Kids In Mumbai Raise Rs 43 Lakh To Help Vidarbhas Disabled Villagers & It's Inspiring!

The team at The Daily Grinds restaurant, who are who are unable to hear or speak, have their own special way of greeting the customers and providing services.

To place an order, a customer has to put his/her finger on a food item of their choice on the menu, after which the waiter notes down the dish. The highlight of the restaurant is that it tries new cuisines and varying dishes every fortnight.

Image Source

Interacting with ANI, Ramesh, an employee of the hotel, said: "It's been four months that I am working at this restaurant. I had worked in Udaipur previously, but due to my special needs, I did not feel very welcome there. Here, everyone is like me, and I enjoy my work and the company of my colleagues."

The owners plan to expand their business to other cities in India to accommodate more people who are differently-abled.

ALSO READ: Disabled Indian Military Man Denied Australian Visa For Being A 'Burden' On Health Services

Source : ANI
Norwegian photographer, Mads Nordsveen, has travelled the world capturing the Northern Lights and spectacular aerial views.

But till date, one of his best clicks, has been that of a rare white reindeer calf.

The travel photographer was hiking with some friends on the northern Norwegian island of Senja when they spotted a little reindeer calf.

Instagram

He almost disappeared into the snow! Nordsveen later wrote on Instagram.

ALSO READ: Reindeer Might Do More Than Just Sleigh Santa Around. Study Says They Help Cool The Arctic

The calf seemed a bit scared at first, but we sat completely quiet and were very calm, and eventually it came quite close, Nordsveen, who is based in Oslo, told The Washington Post.

Instagram

It was a very special moment, felt so magical! Nordsveen said. We looked straight into each others eyes.

White reindeer are rare, and are said to be a symbol of happiness to the indigenous people of northern Europe.

ALSO READ: After Drones, Domino's Next Delivery Will Be Made By Reindeer, In Japan - Because Christmas!
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Popular San Francisco Bay Area Indian American chef Dominic Sarkar was found dead late night Oct. 8 in his Fremont, Calif., home. Nearly two months later, police say they have no clues in the case, which is being investigated as a homicide. (GoFundMe.com photo)
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Iran has given the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (Opec) the green light to reduce oil output by around 800,000 barrels per day (bpd) from 2019, after finding a compromise with rival Saudi Arabia over a possible exemption from the cuts.

Tehran has emerged as a key sticking point for a deal, but sources said the difficulties were now in the past and Opec was refocusing on talks with non-member producers, led by Russia, to reduce supplies and prop up oil prices.
Sales at Dublin-headquartered discount clothing retailer Primark fell in November, due to unseasonably warm weather.

News of the challenging November for Primark, which trades in Ireland as Penneys, sent the share price of parent company Associated British Foods (ABF) falling by as much as 5%.

ABF didnt put a percentage figure on Primarks November sales fall, but said performance was negative, albeit only a blip which shouldnt hinder Primarks full-year profit performance.

This isnt a call on Christmas  weve got three big weekends coming up now before Christmas. But I think it is a call on quite mild weather during November and I think its affected footfall. Its a blip that, from a profit perspective, we can manage, said ABF finance director John Bason.

He said that with careful inventory management and improved margins, the groups expectation for an increase in Primarks full-year profit was unchanged.

Primarks selling space expansion will continue and we expect an increase in retail profit for the year, ABF chairman Michael McLintock told shareholders at the groups AGM.

Primark, which accounts for about half of ABFs revenue and profit, trades from 363 stores in Europe and North America.

That store number increases, this weekend, to 364 with Primarks reopening in central Belfast, following the August fire which destroyed its store at the Bank Buildings.

Last month Primark, via ABF, reported revenue growth for the 12 months to mid-September of 6% to just under 7.5bn (8.6bn), while its annual operating profits jumped 15% to 843m. The business was one of the main drivers of annual growth for ABF.

The retailer is set to look at expanding into eastern Europe, with first stores planned for Poland and Slovenia.

More expansion is also planned on the east coast of the US, where it already has nine stores and two more planned in the next two years.

- Additional reporting Reuters
Altria, the maker of Marlboro cigarettes for the US market, is pushing into the Canadian cannabis industry. This is its first foray into the nascent pot industry.

Shares of cannabis firms gained on the news.

Altria has agreed to acquire a 45% stake, for $1.8bn (1.6bn), in the Canadian cannabis producer Cronos and has warrants to give it the option to increase it to 55%.

The deal gives Altria a foothold in Canada, which, in October, became the first major economy to legalise marijuana for adult use on a federal level. Cronos, meanwhile, gets product development and commercialisation capabilities, and deep regulatory expertise, the company said.

Altria also announced it would discontinue two of its next-generation tobacco products, MarkTen and Green Smoke e-vapor products, as well as its oral nicotine-containing products, and focus on more compelling, reduced-risk tobacco product opportunities.

The company will record a $200m (176m) write-down. The biggest companies have avoided investing in US cannabis businesses, which are legal in a handful of states, because of the US federal prohibition on the drug. Thats made Canada an attractive place for investors and businesses to push into the growing sector. Altria has been grappling with the steady decline of tobacco smoking rates and sees potential in marijuanas move into the mainstream.

Chief executive, Howard Willard, said the investment is an exciting new growth opportunity for Altria.

Altria already has a deal to sell Philip Morriss heat not burn IQOS product in the US, if it gets regulatory approval, which would give it access to a different market than that of the traditional cigarette-smoker.

As one of the largest companies in the adult consumer products sector, Altria has decades of experience in regulatory, government affairs, compliance, product development, and brand management that we expect to leverage, particularly as new markets for cannabis open around the world, Cronos said.

Meanwhile, Altria is also said to be in talks to buy a stake in Juul, another fast-growing company threatening the traditional cigarette space.

Investors cheered the news, sending the companys shares up as much as 2.5% at one stage.

Altria had declined around 22% this year.

- Bloomberg
3,662 applications for assessment of need for children with disabilities were overdue at the end of last October, 30% of them in Cork and Kerry, says the HSE.

The national average duration of the assessment, per report completed, is now peaking at 18-and-a-half months. A decade ago, it took an average of 8.75 months.

An assessment of need (AON) allows children to be diagnosed and then apply for the resources they require. The HSE is obliged to begin the AON within three months of the application, which should be completed within another three months, including the furnishing of all reports on the resources required for the child.

But the system has become the focus of a number of High Court cases. An attempt by the HSE to overhaul the system and introduce a new standard operating procedure also ran into difficulty earlier this year. It was due to be implemented at the end of April, but has since been deferred, following concerns raised by trade unions and professional bodies.

In a response to a recent parliamentary question, Dr Cathal Morgan, head of operations, Disability Services in Community Operations in the HSE, acknowledged that the numbers of assessments overdue for completion remained high, although he said there had been some improvement. As of the end of last October, 3,662 applications for AON were overdue.

Of those, 1,115 were in Community Healthcare Organisation (CHO) 4, covering Kerry, north Cork, North Lee, South Lee, and west Cork. That is almost double the next highest figure, of 589, in CHO 9, which covers north Dublin.

Dr Morgan said the information is based on data extracted from the assessment officers system database and shows that the numbers that are overdue have continued to drop, from a high of 4,104 at the beginning of the year.

There were also 3,216 assessment reports and 1,750 service statements completed up to end of September 2018. Last year, 5,839 new, completed applications were received, 3,614 assessment reports were completed, and 2,455 service statements completed.

In the response, furnished to Independent TD Tommy Broughan, Dr Morgan said: Since the commencement of Part 2 of the Disability Act, in June 2007, (The Act), the HSE has endeavoured to meet its legislative requirements, as set out in the act. However, as a consequence of a High Court ruling of December 2009, the effect of which was to open eligibility to all children born after June 1, 2002, the number of children aged five and over, and, in addition, of school-going age, has risen steadily as a percentage of all applications received.

At the end of 2011, the figure stood at 26%, while, at end of 2017, this figure was 51%. This is a reflection that the AON process is an accumulative process, in terms of numbers of children seeking access. It should be noted that the clinical teams who complete the assessments are also the teams who deliver intervention.

Dr Morgan also refers to more recent activity in the High Court, referring to the 37 applications for judicial review relating to delays for assessment of need, although he said only one of these cases relates to the fact that the AON did not commence on time.

In May, the HSE was ordered by Ms Justice Mary Faherty to complete a number of outstanding AONs within six weeks.
Garda HQ is concerned about the impact the High Court ruling in the Graham Dwyer case will have on future investigations into serious crime.

Garda chiefs are worried at their ability to access important sources of intelligence and evidence from mobile-phone data  and in doing so investigate serious crime  following the landmark judgment.

Senior Garda sources said they are less concerned at convictions already secured using mobile-phone data and cases either awaiting trial or under way.

Legal experts have said that the implications of the Dwyer ruling are not yet clear and that overturning convictions will be difficult. They agree the greatest immediate impact is on future Garda investigations.

In his judgement, Mr Justice Tony OConnor ruled that the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011, which allowed access to mobile phone data, breached EU law on individual rights.

Garda sources told the Irish Examiner their major concern following the ruling is the impact it will have on future investigations.

Sources said they do not fear that current convictions or cases are in jeopardy, saying the number of cases relying solely on mobile-phone data is very rare and that there is typically other evidence available, such as physical surveillance or forensic evidence.

Garda bosses accept it will be the DPPs decision regarding prosecutions being considered and ones that are already under way.

The concern is more going forward, said one senior source. The ruling leaves us without the underpinning legislation to access this data.

He said this would have clear implications for putting together investigations and gathering evidence in relation to serious crime.

A legal expert said gardai could access the data via the courts, but that this would not be straightforward.

Following the judgment, gardai can still access telecommunications data on the basis of a search warrant or a production order issued by a district court judge, said TJ McIntyre, law lecturer at UCD and chair of Digital Rights Ireland.

However, as the Law Reform Commission pointed out in 2015, these powers are themselves complex, inconsistent, and in need of reform. Consequently, there will be practical problems for gardai in using these powers, and there is still a need for a modernised procedure which can allow appropriate access to data based on prior judicial approval.

Mr Justice OConnor said he could not suspend his declarations in order to allow the legislature time to enact new laws.

The Department of Justice published draft laws in October 2017 but has yet to publish the final bill. Minister Charlie Flanagan said the High Court ruling would be considered in detail and the views of the attorney general sought. This is likely to delay the introduction of the bill, which was expected to happen before Christmas.
Protesters will be taking to the streets of Dublin today demanding that the new National Maternity Hospital be free of religious influence.

Members of the Irish Council of Civil Liberties, the National Woman's Council of Ireland and the Union of Students in Ireland, as well as a number of politicians, are expected to attend the demonstration at the Spire on O'Connell Street this afternoon.
The landmark High Court ruling on data retention, which will be used by Graham Dwyer in his murder appeal, was highly complimentary of gardai involved in accessing and analysing his mobile phone data.

Legal experts believe that a key assessment for the Court of Appeal in deciding whether to accept Dwyers application that the mobile phone data should not be accepted as evidence will be to determine if the accessing of the data was a deliberate and conscious violation of his rights.

Experts have said that the Court of Appeal will be informed by a 2015 Supreme Court judgment (JC case) in which evidence which was later deemed to have been obtained unconstitutionally can be admitted if the prosecution can show the breach was inadvertent.

Shane Kilcommins, head of the School of Law at the University of Limerick, said that in February 2015, when the trial judge in Dwyers murder case deemed the mobile phone data to be admissible, that the relevant legislation, the Communications (Retention of Data) Act 2011, was good law.

Prof Kilcommins said Thursdays ruling by Mr Justice Tony OConnor  that the 2011 Act breached EU law  allows Dwyer to make the case in his murder appeal that the data should be excluded.

However, he said it does not automatically follow that this will lead to the quashing of his conviction for the murder of Elaine OHara.

Prof Kilcommins said: The assessment as to whether evidence was taken in deliberate and conscious violation of rights requires an analysis of the conduct and state of mind not only of the individual who actually gathered the evidence concerned but also of any other senior official or officials within the investigating or enforcement authority.

He said this latter group could have been involved in decisions around the accessing or put in place policies regarding the gathering of such evidence.

He added: Such evidence can be admitted where the prosecution establishes that the evidence was obtained in circumstances where any breach of rights was due to inadvertence or derives from subsequent legal developments, which no doubt will be argued by the State in this case.

While he made declarations regarding Irish law, Mr Justice OConnor did stress that Dwyer has not established to this court that the actual operation of the 2011 act from retention in November 2011 to the date of disclosure in October 2013 for telephony data of the 407 number [his mobile] was inappropriate, unnecessary or disproportionate.

Of relevance to the Court of Appeal in assessing the conduct and state of mind of those involved in accessing Dwyers data, Mr Justice OConnor commended the work of Detective Chief Superintendent Peter Kirwan.

Since retired, Det Chief Supt Kirwan was the head of the Gardas Security and Intelligence Section and in charge of the Garda Telecoms Liaison Unit, who directed requests with mobile phone companies about accessing Dwyers data.

Referring to Det Chief Supt Kirwan, Mr Justice OConnor said: The painstaking investigation while adhering to the principles of fairness and having regard to privacy rights as then understood was impressive.

He said that the senior garda officer exhibited integrity and diligence of a high standard.

He said the degree to which Det Chief Supt Kirwan went in investigations to avoid releasing intrusive information on others was commendable given the limited statutory direction and requirements in that regard.

Mr Justice OConnor said Detective Chief Superintendent Tony Howard, who had extensive operational experience investigating serious organised crime, had satisfied the Court that retained data had been critical in many investigations of serious crime.

He said the methodical work of Sarah Skedd, senior crime and policing analyst, demonstrated the benefit and necessity of her expertise and work.

He concluded: There was no hint from DCS Howard, Conor OCallaghan, Ms Skedd or any other witness, despite thorough examination before this Court, that access to retained data was abused in the case of the Plaintiff [Dwyer].

In relation to other cases where mobile phone data was used as evidence, Prof Kilcommins said the JC judgement will apply and that each case would be considered individually.
The professional body for obstetricians and gynaecologists is to hold an extraordinary general meeting to discuss the introduction of abortion services.

The Institute of Obstetricians and Gynaecologists confirmed it had received a motion seeking an EGM.

The national professional and training body has around 200 members who are experienced obstetricians and gynaecologists.

Some members of the institute called for the EGM to discuss the planned provision of abortion services.

They believe the provision of services should not go ahead next month until the risks are assessed.

Responding, the institute stated the meeting would give members the opportunity to express an opinion on the introduction of abortion services, particularly the safety and readiness of such services.

It is entirely appropriate for members to convene a meeting of the institute to discuss these matters formally, a statement added.

Draft guidelines being developed by the institute in anticipation of the introduction of legislation to allow for abortions are almost completed.

It must be emphasised that the institute has no role, authority or responsibility in the actual delivery of obstetric and gynaecological services which is the remit of the HSE, the institute said.

An extraordinary meeting can be held 28 days after the motion is received.

Meanwhile, a group of nurses and midwives have joined obstetricians and gynaecologists in raising concern about the rush to introduce abortion services.

The group, Nurses & Midwives4Life Ireland, say they cannot understand why Health Minister Simon Harris is insisting on a January 1 deadline. More than 500 nurses and midwives have signed a petition urging the minister to consult with their profession.

Dr Peter Boylan, clinical adviser to the HSE's National Women and Infants Programme, said nurses and doctors could have a conscientious objection to conducting a termination. But somebody bringing a patient to an operation theatre cannot have a conscientious objection. An institution cannot have a conscientious objection, he said.

Dr Boylan said there were enough nurses and doctors in the hospitals and around the country to provide abortion services. There were genuine concerns held by his medical colleagues and he understood them, but they were more around the area of change.

The Regulation of Termination of Pregnancy Bill passed all stages in the Dail this week.
A Conservative MP has been told to read a history book after suggesting that Ireland should be threatened with food shortages if the Brexit backstop remains.

Tanaiste Simon Coveney said Priti Patels comments are ridiculous, while Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald told British politicians to read a history book and learn about the Famine.

In a British government report leaked to the Times yesterday, Ms Patel claimed that Ireland could face worse food shortages than Britain if there is a no-deal Brexit, and that shortages should be used to encourage the EU and Ireland to scrap the Norths backstop deal.

This paper appears to show the government were well aware Ireland will face significant issues in a no-deal scenario, she said. Why hasnt this point been pressed home during negotiations? There is still time to go back to Brussels and get a better deal.

While Ms Patel did not directly raise the spectre of the Famine, her comments have been widely seen to mirror the 1845-1849 period which saw almost 1m people die and many more emigrate.

Taoiseach Leo Varadkar sidestepped the issue yesterday, saying he does not expect food shortages because obviously we have our own food in Ireland, but Ms Patel was heavily criticised by other politicians.

In a statement to the Irish Examiner, a spokesperson for Mr Coveney said Ms Patels comments are the latest example of the ridiculous carry-on from an MP from a neighbouring state and ally.

Ms McDonald said Ms Patel must apologise for the hurtful remarks and that she and other British politicians need to read a history book if they believe nothing wrong was said.

I think that statement was, for obvious historical reasons, very distasteful, she said. It also belies a really reckless and almost juvenile mentality.

EU agriculture commissioner Phil Hogan said such a tactic would lead to the starvation of the British people.

He said the remarks showed how much out of touch Ms Patel was because the UK must import 60% of its food.

Similar remarks were made by the Norths Alliance party MLA Naomi Long, while Scotland first minister Nicola Sturgeon said Ms Patels comments show the sheer moral bankruptcy of the Tory Brexiteers on full display.

The British parliament is set to vote on the Brexit deal on Tuesday.
Remember the name  Irish animator Gary Gill is one to watch, thanks to his hit cartoon and new book, The Day Henry Met, writes Marie Toft.

It was on Killiney Beach in Dublin when animator Gary Gills baby son Henry was learning to talk, that the inspiration began for the delightful The Day Henry Met animation series.

Henry was about one and a half at the time, remembers Gary - who is universally known as Gilly. Wed arrive on the beach, and always say Hello Beach and when wed leave, wed say Bye Bye Beach.

So began the long process that led a beautiful animation series which has now been sold to 178 territories worldwide and which young viewers on RTEjr will be very familiar with.

The Day Henry Met sees a little boy named Henry meet animals and inanimate objects such as the Moon, a Violin and a Camera. When its fourth series - which is currently in production - is finished, it will have produced 104 episodes.

And now the first book to accompany the series, The Day Henry Met a Dog has just made its debut with OBrien Press.

But the series and the book are also a celebration of Gillys son Henry who had an extremely tough start in life.

Henry was diagnosed with meningitis just ten days after he was born, explains Gilly. He spent nearly four months in Our Ladys Childrens Hospital in Crumlin but thankfully he made a full recovery. Gilly was involved with post production in TV advertising at the time and was working very long hours. He maintains Henrys serious illness was a wake up call.

I was hardly seeing him and I knew something had to give, he remembers.

Gilly had been drawing all his life and had studied graphic design in Dun Laoighre. He had then subsequently gone back and studied for another degree in animation.

So Gilly put his love of drawing, experience of animation and his baby sons awakening development into The Day Henry Met.

His ability to provide an effective one stop shop for animation - storyboarding, design, sound etc - meant he was able to produce a pilot.

The reaction was immediate when The Day Henry Met presented at the Cartoon Forum in Toulouse in 2013 and the series was funded in just over a year and a half.

The Day Henry Met isnt just about what Henry meets, he explains. Its what he becomes when he meets these objects or animals. Its aspirational. It shows kids they can be anything. And its clear Henry, who is now seven, is still a big inspiration for the series.

My Henry loves outer space, explains Gilly, so in the series, he meets the moon and he becomes an astronaut. Also, we were lucky enough to be shown around a fire station one day and Henry himself suggested he should meet a fire engine so he does, and becomes a fire fighter.

When Henry meets a shield, he becomes a knight and when he meets a parrot, he becomes a pirate. And for the first book, The Day Henry Met a Dog, Henry and the Dog head off on an adventure to find the dog a best friend.

Our first book is all about friendship and imagination. Its like a template for finding a best friend. But Gilly makes it clear The Day Henry Met is also about teaching children the art of conversation.

Henry says hello to everything he meets, he asks how they are and he always says thanks and goodbye, says Gilly, who observes that this is something fewer and fewer children are being encouraged to do.

This delightful combination of imagination, aspiration and conversation has gone on to captivate children all over the world, broadcasting on Nick Jr International, Canal Plus and RTEjr.

Susan Broe, who Gilly describes as his animation mammy, is Gillys colleague and co-founder of their award winning production company Wigglywoo.

Susan maintains Section 481, which offers tax incentives to animation companies, along with development funding from the Irish Film Board, have been vital to Wigglywoos success.

Section 481 has been a huge part of Irelands successful animation sector, says Susan. Its recently been copied by the UK and has really helped kickstart their animation industry. And the Film Board is also helping to fund Wigglywoos first feature length film. Its based on the companys award winning TG4 series Tea with the Dead - which sees Frank the embalmer having final chats with the bodies hes preparing for burial.

But for the time being, the focus is on The Day Henry Met as Wigglywoo launches its first book - with several more in the pipeline - and finishes production on its fourth series.

Henry is voiced by Dara Molloy who was only seven when he started the series and is now 12. Gilly describes him as the most professional actor hes ever worked with.

And impressionist Oliver Callan of Callans Kicks has also proved invaluable, as he can provide lots of different voices, considering every single thing - both live and inanimate needs to be voiced for The Day Henry Met.

In the intervening years, Gillys son Henry has been joined by younger sister Rose and younger brother Tom.

And The Day Henry Met is definitely a family affair with the whole family pitching in to provide voices for the series, including Gillys wife Joanne, who is a teacher.

I couldnt have done any of this without Joannes support, maintains Gilly. We took a leap of faith when I gave up my job and started The Day Henry Met and she was really instrumental in that. But its definitely come good with Gilly and his family setting up a creative microcosm in his native Ballybrack in Dublin.

I get to work with my friends, who live locally. And Im able to drop off and collect my children from school.

I dont know what lies ahead but I really feel that at the age of 38 Im lucky enough to have cottoned on to whats important and Im lucky enough to love doing what Im doing.

Animation nation

Ireland punches way above its weight when it comes to animation and Gilly maintains the production companies listed below forged the path for Wigglywoos success.
Having a haircut is often an emotional experience for a long-time homeless person. When life is about surviving the elements, having your hair washed and styled can have a benefit to your spirit which far outweighs how you look in the salon mirror.

Cork salon owner Joseph Byrne, who recently spent a day cutting hair for the homeless, says he has seen people get visibly upset during the cutting process. Many times they are living a life devoid of touch.

I had an experience with a man last year where he got very emotional because he got his hair shampooed. It wasnt the fact that he was getting his hair cut. It was the physical contact. He was saying, I havent had this for so long. The warmth of the place and the girl washing his hair. I didnt comprehend all that before.

Joseph, owner of Josephs Hair Salon, says ultimately in life, we all crave a bit of TLC. When you are doing their hair it is therapeutic. I am chatting away. People often tell their story. I get lost with them. They get lost with me and we forget everything for 20 to 25 minutes. It is important for me that people feel safe.

Joseph and his staff at his salon on Glasheen Rd in Cork spent a day cutting hair for homeless people and vulnerable women and children impacted by domestic violence. Dozens of people had their hair styled.

Joseph insists that homelessness does not necessarily mean people on the streets. To him the term also applies to individuals in emergency accommodation.

Owner Joseph Byrne busy at work during the special hair cutting day for the homeless for Christmas at Josephs Hair Salon, Glasheen, Cork. Picture: David Keane

I was in a place recently where they had three double bunk beds in a tiny room and there was a communal shower. They are people without a home. They might have a roof over their head but they dont have a home.

Mr Byrne says one of the great pleasures of the day involves cutting hair for women who are in vulnerable situations. They arent getting their hair styled on a regular basis themselves and are instead ploughing their scant resources into their kids. He derives great satisfaction from pampering these women.

However, he admits he has to bury his feelings of sorrow when he is cutting the hair of youngsters who have been through tough times.

Joseph says its important to emphasise that the day wasnt a charity event.

They are not coming to a charity event. They are coming into a salon to be looked after. But they are one of us, just in different circumstances.



The other thing to stress is that this isnt just for Christmas because Christmas comes and goes. I dont want people going in to January thinking thats it for another year.

So what I normally do is I have people in during the year but the paying customers wouldnt know. Even sometimes the staff wouldnt know that people arent paying because I give out vouchers. We have communion kids in and so on."

There was a festive environment at the salon with the six staff members giving out selection boxes to people who presented for a haircut. Flannerys bar across the road also provided food and drink completely free of charge.

Among those who arrived at the salon for a haircut was High Hopes choir member and local rapper Jimmy B. Jimmy B (Jimmy OBrien) led the impromptu Christmas sing-song while treating staff and clients to his own original composition.

Andrea OSullivan on duty at Josephs Hair Salon for the special day. Picture: David Keane

Jimmy has been heavily involved in the choir doing a load of gigs in recent years.

We were in Brussels. We were in Lourdes. We were nearly all over the world. We were in the Aras. I am forever meeting that man (President Michael D Higgins.) Our country is in good hands with him. We have new members in the choir all the time. I am going strong looking forward to the Christmas.

Jimmy paid tribute to Caitriona Twomey of Cork Penny Dinners who not only helps the homeless but who has, on occasion, been known to assist him in writing a song.

He says life is on an upward curve for him and jokes that he is becoming a bit of a local celebrity.

I was outside Electric (bar, on South Mall) with the choir one day and somehow ended up on Neil Prendeville! Its all good. Its positive.

Aoife OCarroll, chatting with a customer during the special day at Josephs Hair Salon. Picture: David Keane

Meanwhile, staff at the salon will continue to collect items for the homeless and people in domestic violence situations in the coming weeks.

Joseph has appealed to members of the public to hand in donations to his salon in Glasheen. It is basic things like toothpaste and toothbrushes.

If someone leaves a domestic violence situation, they have nothing. They often dont even have pyjamas. We will take items up to Christmas and beyond. We just want to help. My staff here are great and the public are amazing.
Major events with multiple fatalities have featured in the history of CUH, writes Denise ODonoghue

On a Sunday morning in 1985, 329 people lost their lives when a plane travelling from Canada exploded in Irish airspace.

Six babies were among the 82 children under the age of 13 who died in the crash.

The victims were flying on Air India Flight 182 when Sikh terrorists blew up the plane as it was travelling over the coast of Co Cork.

There were no survivors.

The flight from Montreal to Bombay via Heathrow Airport disappeared from the radar shortly after 8am. Despite a massive air and sea search 80 miles off the Kerry coast, hundreds of passengers were still missing 24 hours later.

On the Monday morning, 123 bodies were recovered from the sea, the vast majority were badly mutilated. RAF and Navy helicopters transferred the bodies to Cork.

That weekend is etched on the memories of the people of Cork, none more so than those at the heart of the chaos  the staff of the then Cork Regional Hospital.

Cork University Hospital (CUH) marked its 40th anniversary last month, having opened its doors on November 30, 1978.

Staff members who have worked at the complex over the decades spoke to the Irish Examiner of fond memories, but also of heartbreaking times.

The Air India disaster is one of those difficult days they recalled.

The biggest thing I remember was the Air India disaster, said Anne Sheehan, who has worked as a medical scientist at the CUH since 1978.

That was incredible. I was on call at the time.

What remained with Anne over the years was the memory of the way everyone got together to deal with the crisis.

She said staff members worked after hours to deal with the chaos and helped those in other departments.

We all stayed on after work. I just remember everyone doing everything, Anne said.

The hospital had implemented its major accident plan following the disaster, which had previously been used during the disasters in Whiddy and Buttevant.

Over 100 staff turned up voluntarily to help.

We have been very impressed by the workings of the staff, Dr Michael Molloy, the hospitals press and medical coordinator, told a press conference at the time.

Taoiseach Dr Garret FitzGerald, who visited the hospital days after the crash, also praised the work of the medical personnel.

Annes colleague, Colette Healy, remembers the 132 bodies which were recovered from the sea being brought to the hospital.

It was down in physio where they brought all the bodies in, she said.

Gerard Buckley, who has worked in the hospitals medical records department for 40 years, said it was the worst disaster the CUH has ever seen.

There was the Buttevant train crash as well, he said, referencing a crash which claimed the lives of 18 people in Irelands worst ever rail disaster at Buttevant, Co Cork. "But Air India was the worst.

Gerard said it was a horrible time for all involved.

Air India wasnt really a live disaster as everybody was dead, but the smell Anne agreed: Its the smell that stays with you.

Around 100 relatives of the victims arrived in Cork at the time to help identify the remains.

The bodies used to be stored in refrigerated containers and they used to be brought in to be photographed and x-rayed, Gerard said.

It was really like a meat factory, it was horrible. Not to mind the trauma of it. The media coverage of the tragedy was unlike anything the hospital staff had experienced before.

You werent used to all the international media being around before that, Gerard said.

An Irish Examiner report from the day after the disaster describes the international media waiting for updates at the hospital: During the day, members of the world press waited in a dimly-lit hospital corridor waiting for any updated information. They were not allowed near the gymnasium and a complete embargo was placed on any photographs being taken of the bodies.

Irish Examiner photographer Denis Minihane arrived at the hospital after the bodies were brought from the site of the crash.

His dramatic photograph of some of the bodies at the hospitals temporary morgue was taken through a window.

It became the defining image of the disaster and was published in newspapers and magazines all over the world including LIFE magazine. In 1986 it won a news picture of the year award.

With waiting list numbers rising and more people waiting in A&E on trolleys, Gerard said he doesnt know if the hospital could cope if something like the Air India disaster happened in 2018.

Nowadays youd fear if you had the likes of a plane crash. A&E is so congested all the time, would they be able to cope with 50 or 100 people coming in at the one time?
The 41st president of America, the father of the 43rd president of America, a war veteran, a millionaire by 40, and yet it was the loss of a loved one that was the standout moment in this mans life, writes Joyce Fegan

Most peoples final words are: I love you. They were former US president George HW Bushs last words on earth, and after the Twin Towers came down in 2001, the text messages of the victims mostly said things like I love you always, I absolutely love you, and I just totally love you.

When George W Bush spoke at his fathers funeral this week, he spoke of the mans great struggles. They included nearly dying from an infection as a teenager, and being stranded alone on a life raft in the Pacific Ocean. He also spoke of his 94-year-old fathers failures, both in life and in politics.

However, none of his disappointments, said George W, could compare with one tragedy in his fathers life: The loss of three-year-old daughter Robin in 1953.

Loved this cartoon from @MarshallRamsey of George Bush reuniting with Barbara and daughter Robin. pic.twitter.com/VblxDngY9X  Lew Johns (@quietfirez) December 2, 2018

The 41st president of America, the father of the 43rd president of America, a war veteran, a millionaire by 40, and yet it was the loss of a loved one that was the standout moment in this mans life. Throughout his life, he prayed for her daily, and in death, looked forward to hugging Robin once again.

The girls final words in 1953 were something similar. During her treatment for leukaemia, there was a line from a poem she would recite often. It became a Bush family motto:

I love you more than tongue can tell.

George HW Bushs death followed the death of another nonagenarian, that of 95-year-old Harry Leslie Smith  the Second World War veteran who spent his final years visiting refugee camps and writing about it in best-selling books and in the likes of the Guardian.

We're heartbroken to hear of Harry Leslie Smith's passing. He was a brilliant polemicist and author, an inspiring activist, a loving father, and much more. Icon were incredibly proud to publish two of his books. The world is far poorer without him. #IStandWithHarry pic.twitter.com/VHhyutEwUE  Icon Books (@iconbooks) November 28, 2018

The two men died two days apart, Smith on November 28, and Bush on November 30.

Bush was arguably far better known, but Smith came to great prominence in the last eight years of his life, when the Englishman turned to writing to deal with the death of his wife and son.

An example of what Smith had to say: If you saw thousands of refugees wearily dragging their feet along the dusty roads of war in your youth, and now in your old age you see the same thing happening again to innocent people and do not raise your voice against it, youve got no humanity.

Smith not only fought in the Second World War but was born in the Great Depression and into great poverty. He was the son of a coalminer, and at seven years of age, after his father became unemployed, he supported his entire family working as a barrow boy for a beer bottler. He spent time sleeping in workhouses.

In his later years, having known the indignity of poverty, Smith became a vocal opponent of austerity. His experience as a child and as a soldier became the motivation behind, and the mission of, his writing.

I am one of the last few remaining voices left from a generation of men and women who built a better society for our children and grandchildren out of the horrors of the Second World War, as well as the hunger of the Great Depression, he wrote.

Sadly, that world my generation helped build on a foundation of decency and fair play is being swept away by neoliberalism and the greed of the 1%, which has brought discord around the globe. Today, the western world stands at its most dangerous juncture since the 1930s.

On his deathbed in Canada, (he had emigrated there with his wife Friede after the war), his son John tweeted some of their hospital conversations.

With concentrated oxygen being pumped through a tube to him in ICU, Harry asks me about the migrant caravan, wrote John, from his fathers Twitter account with more than a quarter of a million followers.

Having seen both gross poverty and brutal death in his youth, and then gone on to build a life and rear a family, it was love that sustained Harry throughout.

After his fathers death, John revealed the depths of his parents relationship. Five days before my mum died from cancer she said to me: Im glad I could give your father the love he needed to survive.  Friede had allowed Harrys heart to find a safe and loving harbour.

In a piece that Smith wrote for the Guardian last year, he urged people not to dread old age. As long as there is sentience and an ability to be loved and show love, there is purpose to existence, he said.

I know a 94-year-old woman. She is a mother to 10, a grandmother to nearly 20, and a great-grandmother to four. After the loss of her husband in her 70s, she took off to Australia with a cousin, and after the loss of both her sight and a dear friend in her early 90s, she kept on going.

Sometimes I try to elicit her wisdom, mine her life for gold, but being a woman of humble nature, shes modest in her answers.

Her secret? I try not to think too much and I dont want to be feeling sorry for myself.

At 94 years of age, shes surrounded by friends and family on a daily, if not hourly basis, and shes even made a new friend. They keep each other seats at lunch and dinner, and for the Late Late Show.

This week, as George HW Bush was eulogised in the Washington National Cathedral, two former presidents, Bill Clinton and Barack Obama, and two former first ladies, Hillary Clinton and Michelle Obama, sat side by side in a pew next to Donald and Melania Trump.

Dignity and respect resumed, if even just for an hour, as George W reminded us of our shared humanity and what matters most, to most people: Family, friends, and our love for both.
Professor of Law Shane Kilcommins explains the High Court ruling data retention, the implications it might have on Graham Dwyer's case and ongoing investigations.

The court ruling did two things: To begin with it held that the demands of a modern-day democratic society to guarantee the fundamental right to privacy prescribed by EU and European Court of Human Rights (ECHR) law for access to retained telephony data have not been met by the Data Retention Act of 2011, which requires all service providers to retain the telephony data for two years. It was in breach because access to such data was deemed to be overly general and indiscriminate. The 2011 act did not provide for sufficient safeguards to ensure effective protection of the data retained against the risk of abuse and against any unlawful access and use of that data.

In providing a remedy, the court rejected the submission made by the State that this declaration of incompatibility should be prospective only, in other words, that it should only apply from the date of Thursdays ruling.

This submission was based on the idea that the ruling would involve a significant disruption of the expectations legitimately based on the law as it stood.

The court rejected this argument holding that the decision could not be prospective only as it would deprive every person whose rights were allegedly violated by the application of the 2011 act of the possibility of seeking a remedy.

The court concluded that the legal system in Ireland can allow for an orderly consideration of the retrospective effects of the declarations on the adducing of evidence in each case according to the particular circumstances presenting.

What does this mean for Graham Dwyer?

Graham Dwyer has made submissions about the admissibility of his telephone records in his trial for murder, and in particular the compatibility of the Data Retention Act 2011 with EU Law. The trial court ruled that these records were admissible at trial. At the time of determining the issue, the Data Retention Act 2011 was good law. This judgment will allow Dwyer to advance the argument in the appeal of his murder conviction. It does not automatically follow that this data was accessed contrary to EU law and was used by the prosecution will lead to the quashing of his conviction for murder. This part of his appeal will now be interpreted in the light of a recent Supreme Court ruling on the exclusionary rule, JC, which relates to evidence gathered in breach of individual rights.

The assessment as to whether evidence was taken in deliberate and conscious violation of rights requires an analysis of the conduct and state of mind not only of the individual who actually gathered the evidence concerned but also of any other senior official or officials within the investigating or enforcement authority concerned who were involved either in that decision or in decisions of that type generally or in putting in place policies concerning evidence gathering of the type concerned. Such evidence can be admitted where the prosecution establishes that the evidence was obtained in circumstances where any breach of rights was due to inadvertence or derives from subsequent legal developments, which no doubt will be argued by the State in this case.

What does this mean for other cases?

Clearly the judgment applies retrospectively, so it can involve other cases where evidence was obtained under the 2011 Act. It will be determined on a case-by-case basis, with the court adjudicating on whether it is fair and right to adduce specific evidence obtained under the 2011 Act, having regard to the exclusionary rule.

Retrospectivity, however, is generally limited to those cases that had not reached finality. Once a case is finalised in the sense that there was no ongoing appeal or that he/she had finished serving their sentence when this decision was made, there is no redress. The general principle is that in a criminal prosecution where the State relies in good faith on a statute in force at the time and the accused does not seek to challenge this on any grounds that may in law be open to him or her, before the case reaches finality, on appeal or otherwise, then the final decision in the case must be deemed to be and to remain lawful notwithstanding any subsequent changes in the law.

What does this mean for current investigations?

The writing has been on the wall for the Act for some very considerable time now. In April 2017, Mr Justice Murray recommended that consideration be given to the extent that, if at all, statutory bodies should, as a matter of policy, continue to access retained communications data under the provisions of the 2011 Act.

Current investigations which have not yet reached trial are subject to this ruling. Any evidence obtained under the 2011 Act will now be challenged at trial.

The prosecution may still be able to argue that it was obtained prior to the ruling and therefore should be admissible on the basis that it did not constitute a deliberate and conscious breach of rights.

It will not be possible to make such an argument for any future evidence gathered under the 2011 act  that will now be accessed knowing that the legislation is incompatible with the rights of the individual. On October 3, 2017, the Government published the general scheme of the Communications (Retention of Data) Bill 2017. It remedies many of the shortcomings of the 2011 Act, but it is not yet law.

Professor Shane Kilcommins is Head of the school of law at the University of Limerick.
This Week in Review

A weekly review of the best and most popular stories published in the Imperial Valley Press. Also, featured upcoming events, new movies at local theaters, the week in photos and much more.
VANCOUVER, B.C., Dec. 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Ceylon Graphite Corp. (Ceylon Graphite) (TSX-V: CYL) (OTC: CYLYF) (FSE: CCY) today announced the discovery of three new, natural crystalline graphite veins over 15 cms in width between 68.93 meters and 69.53 meters downhole at its H1 site in the Hakbewa area in Sri Lanka. These veins were discovered in the normal course of drilling at the H1 site and samples from the discovery have been sent to the Sri Lanka Governments Geological Survey and Mines Bureaus laboratory for testing.

Coordinates of the drill location are E-130222, N-216410. The drilling azimuth is N30E and the dip is 55 degrees. This site is under the exploration license EL 222/R/2 .

The Company also announced that the length of its surface vein(seen below) at its P1 site is over 20 ft before it goes underground. Ceylon Graphite will continue trenching around the vein for another 10 to 20 ft to get a better perspective of the direction. The Company anticipates that there are additional similar sized or larger veins at lower depths and is planning to actively pursue its aggressive exploration and production plans for the P1 site.

We are delighted at another discovery, this is outstanding. We now have identifiable graphite at all four sites we are developing. said Bharat Parashar, Chief Executive Officer. This discovery coupled with the veins we discovered earlier in the year at the K1 and M1 sites clearly demonstrates that Ceylon Graphite has a large resource base. Our graphite veins are impressive by any standard. We continue to focus on our plan to start commercial production imminently and continue with a robust exploration program on our other grids. This is a great year end present.

Qualified Person



Robert Marvin, P. Geo (ONT) is a Qualified Person under National Instrument 43-101 and has reviewed and approved the geological information provided in this news release.

About Ceylon Graphite Corp.

Ceylon Graphite Corp, is a public company listed on the TSX Venture Exchange (CYL:TSX-V), that is in the business of exploration and development of graphite mines in Sri Lanka. The Government of Sri Lanka has granted the company exploration rights in a land package of over 120km. These exploration grids (each one square kilometer in area) cover areas of historic graphite production from the early twentieth century and represent a majority of the known graphite occurrences in Sri Lanka. Graphite mined in Sri Lanka is known to be some of the purest in the world, and currently accounts for less than 1% of the world graphite production.



FORWARD LOOKING STATEMENTS: This news release contains forward-looking information as such term is defined in applicable securities laws, which relate to future events or future performance and reflect management's current expectations and assumptions. The forward-looking information includes statements about Ceylon Graphites grids, Ceylon Graphites plans to undertake additional drilling and to develop a mine plan, Ceylon Graphites Mining License application and to commence establishing mining operations. Such forward-looking statements reflect management's current beliefs and are based on assumptions made by and information currently available to Ceylon Graphite, including the assumption that, the drilling exercises will confirm the presence of high quality graphite, sufficient financial resources will be available, the records from the drilling exercises prove to be accurate, there will be no unanticipated delays or costs materially affecting Ceylon Graphites exploration, development and production, there will be no material adverse change in metal prices, all necessary consents, licenses, permits and approvals will be obtained, including various Local Government Licenses and the market. 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. Risk factors that could cause actual results to differ materially from the results expressed or implied by the forward-looking information include, among other things, an inability to reach a final acquisition agreement, inaccurate results from the drilling exercises, a failure to obtain or delays in obtaining the required regulatory licenses, permits, approvals and consents, an inability to access financing as needed, a general economic downturn, a volatile stock price, labour strikes, political unrest, changes in the mining regulatory regime governing Ceylon Graphite, a failure to comply with environmental regulations and a weakening of market and industry reliance on high quality graphite. Ceylon Graphite cautions the reader that the above list of risk factors is not exhaustive.

These forward-looking statements are made as of the date hereof and, except as required under applicable securities legislation, Ceylon Graphite 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)

Further information regarding the Company is available at www.ceylongraphite.com

Bharat Parashar, Chairman and & Chief Executive Officer



Chairman & Chief Executive Officer

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.

Corporate Communications

(202) 352-6022
UAS degree at Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus first in the nation to offer beyond line of sight flight operations to students

Monday, Dec. 10, 2018



UAS students in the Advanced Fixed Wing Operations class perform a beyond visual line of sight flight, including a visual observer ensuring the airspace is clear and an air vehicle operator who is monitoring the aircraft at the ground control station. | Download this photo.





SALINA  Students studying unmanned aircraft systems at the Kansas State University Polytechnic Campus are receiving a rare flight experience in some of their courses that is positioning them at the forefront of the drone industry.



Kansas State Polytechnic's UAS flight and operations degree option is the first in the nation to introduce flying beyond visual line of sight into college curriculum. The campus has been granted a waiver from the Federal Aviation Administration to perform this type of unmanned operation. Currently restricted under federal regulations, only a handful of organizations in the United States have been authorized to fly UAS out of visual sight, with Kansas State Polytechnic receiving the first such waiver to a university by the FAA.



"It is a significant opportunity for our students to learn how to fly UAS beyond their visual line of sight because they are preparing their skills and knowledge for the future of the industry," said Kurt Carraway, UAS executive director of the Applied Aviation Research Center at Kansas State Polytechnic. "They also have a distinct advantage over their peers at other schools who don't have the authorization to do this yet, making them more marketable when they are ready to start their career."



This fall, two upper-division courses  Advanced Fixed Wing Operations and Flight and Field Operations  incorporated beyond visual line of sight into their flight labs. Considered a higher-risk operation, students' attention to detail and to safety were dramatically elevated.



"They first had to review the FAA waiver and understand how to fully comply with its specific requirements," said Travis Balthazor, flight operations manager of the Applied Aviation Research Center at Kansas State Polytechnic. "Students also learned new aspects of mission planning and how to best mitigate risk in the field, including using ADS-B software, which monitors other aircraft in their flight area."



In beyond visual line of sight, UAS are not flown manually, but instead by a ground control station linked to an autopilot system on the drone. In addition to training on these advanced technologies, students also had to learn about the behaviors of the entire unmanned system in a variety of scenarios in order to maintain control of the aircraft if any issues arise.



"In the long run, flying unmanned aircraft beyond visual line of sight is more practical and more efficient, so you're going to see operations like Amazon package delivery, mapping large quantities of farmland or inspecting several miles of power lines become more prevalent as regulations evolve," said Kurtis Liles, senior in UAS flight and operations, Wichita. "I'm proud to be a part of a program that already has the ability to perform this type of operation, and I'm excited to see how I can utilize my experiences in the industry after graduation."



The beyond visual line of sight waiver was first granted by the FAA to Kansas State Polytechnic's Applied Aviation Research Center this summer before being integrated into the UAS degree curriculum. Additionally, the campus has a waiver from the FAA to perform unmanned flight operations at night, which also has been added to several UAS courses.



For more information on Kansas State Polytechnic's unmanned degrees  UAS flight and operations, and UAS design and integration  contact the admissions office at 785-826-2640 or polytechnic@k-state.edu, or visit polytechnicexperience.com/droneexpert.






The first of three plumes of moisture (atmospheric rivers) is upon us and moderate rain is currently observed along the coast (see radar at ...
The Niger Delta Ambassadors for Change (NDAC) has distanced itself from alleged claim by Godsday Orubebe that the APC led government was making moves to rig 2019 elections

- The group also disowned Orubebe, the former minister of Niger Delta, over the statement

- NDAC, however, urged the national human rights commission to take note of the former minister's utterances

The Niger Delta Ambassadors for Change has disowned former minister of Niger Delta, Godsday Orubebe, over his alleged claim that the All Progressive Congress (APC) led government was making moves to rig 2019 elections.

Comrade Lucky Spiff, the national president of the group, in a statement, said Orubebe was quoted by several publications as making utterances to the effect that there would be dire consequences if the elections are rigged.

He said: The show of shame he put up at the headquarters of the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and on live television, in which he bodily tried to frustrate the announcement of results, was a last resort after he woefully failed to rig the election.

READ ALSO: Igbos in north banned from travelling during election

Elder Orubebe is aware that President Muhammadu Buhari, like our kinsman former President Goodluck Jonathan did, has instructed, all agencies and organisations involved in the conduct of the elections to allow the will of the people prevail, so there is no basis to suspect or conclude that the votes would be rigged.

What we cannot deny is that President Buharis performance to date gives him a significant edge over the closest opposition candidate, which would explain why Orubebe is out to discredit the election even before one ballot has been cast.

Spiff urged the nations relevant security agencies as well as the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) to take note of the utterances of Orubebe, with a view to establishing his motives for inflaming passions in the country at a sensitive time like this.

He added: We make this demand because there are talks that Orubebes spurious assertion is part of a well-choreographed plot to incite members of the opposition to violence and consequently truncate Nigerias Democracy.

But for the professionalism of the security agencies deployed to the INEC Headquarters in 2015, Orubebe would have succeeded in his mission after his principal lost the elections to President Buhari. He is back to undertake a similar mission.

''Orubebe, or anyone that engages in inflammatory utterances, must therefore be declared persona non grata, which would extend to his (their) being ineligible to be accredited as polling agent, collation agent, observer, monitor or any other clearance that places him at electioneering venues other than his registered polling unit.

PAY ATTENTION: NAIJ.com upgrades to Legit.ng: a letter from our Editor-in-Chief Bayo Olupohunda

We as members of Niger Delta Ambassadors for Change, and as representatives of our various communities and constituencies, dissociate ourselves and the entire Niger Delta from the views expressed by Orubebe.

''He speaks for himself in expectation of what he could make out of the people he is running errands for. Niger Delta people are now wiser because six years of Orubebe as a minister did not translate into anything meaningful for the region whereas President Buhari made progress in a short time with the East West Road that had languished when the former minister held sway.

''These are issues that President Buharis government addressed to a great extent, which is why he is the candidate to beat in the Niger Delta. So, if anyone plans to rig the elections it is Orubebe and his co-travelers.

Meanwhile, Legit.ng had reported that former minister of Niger Delta affairs and a member of the Peoples Democratic Party, Godsday Orubebe, who faulted the conduct of the 2015 elections, has warned against rigging in the 2019 general elections.

Orubebe, while speaking in an interview with Tell Magazine, said the alleged rigging in Ekiti and other governorship elections would not be allowed to be repeated in the 2019 elections.

NAIJ.com (naija.ng) -> Legit.ng. We keep evolving to serve our readers better.

We are honestly tired of Buhari and Atiku | Legit TV:

Source: Legit.ng
Photo by Justin Kase Conder for The Washington Post via Getty Images(BLADENBORO, N.C.) -- As questions continue to swirl amid allegations of election fraud in a critical North Carolina congressional race, the man at the center of the scandal, Leslie McCrae Dowless, is remaining mum for the most part.



Dowless declined to comment on the growing scandal when asked Friday by ABC News' Steve Osunsami.



"At this time I have no comment and you can contact my attorney," Dowless, who worked as a campaign consultant for Republican congressional candidate Mark Harris during the 2018 election, told Osunsami outside of his home in Bladenboro, North Carolina when asked about his role in an alleged scheme to submit fraudulent absentee ballots.



When asked to respond to people who say he rigged the election, Dowless responded with a "no comment."





Dowless has denied any wrongdoing to the Charlotte Observer.



Harris broke his silence on the ongoing controversy on Friday, tweeting out a video statement denying any knowledge of wrongdoing and expressing openness to a new election if the fraud is significant enough.



"Although I was absolutely unaware of any wrongdoing, that will not prevent me from cooperating with this investigation," Harris said, "However if this investigation finds proof of illegal activity on either side to such a level that it could have changed the outcome of the election, then I would wholeheartedly support a new election to ensure all voters have confidence in the results."



The North Carolina Board of Elections confirmed Friday in a statement that Dowless is a "person of interest in connection with an alleged absentee ballot operation in the congressional district."



According to several news reports and sworn affidavits from North Carolina voters, Dowless is alleged to have led an operation wherein he and others working for him went door to door in two rural North Carolina counties collecting at times incomplete absentee ballots from voters and then submitting them to state election officials.



Under North Carolina state law, only a voter, voter's near relatives or a voters legal guardian is legally allowed to drop off an absentee ballot.



The investigation is being led by chief investigator Joan Fleming, who specialized in fraud investigations during her 26-year tenure as an FBI special agent.



The board is set to hold a public hearing on the allegations of election fraud on or before December 21st, but an exact date has not yet been announced.



The Wake County District Attorney's office has also confirmed to ABC News that they have launched an investigation into the alleged fraud.



Harris' Democratic opponent, U.S. Marine Corps Veteran and solar energy entrepreneur Dan McCready, officially withdrew his concession to Harris on Thursday night, speaking exclusively with WSOC's Joe Bruno and tweeting out a video where he accused Harris of "bankrolling" the alleged wrongdoing and calling on him to "end his silence and tell us exactly what he knew, and when."



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 7)  A band and a crowd welcomed home former Senator and actor Bong Revilla Friday night.

This, after he was acquitted of plunder in relation to the pork barrel scam. Revilla was released from his four year detention in Camp Crame after posting bail for 16 other graft charges.

READ: Acquitted of plunder, Bong Revilla out on bail on graft charges

Speaking to the press on his behalf at their home Friday night, Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla said that her husband still couldn't believe what had just transpired.

"Ang una niyang sinabi, totoo ba to? Nangangarap ba ako," the former actress turned politician said.

[Translation: His first words were "is this real? Am I dreaming?"]

She added that the former Senator wants to celebrate Christmas with his family this year.

Speaking to CNN Philippines earlier that evening, Revilla said that her husband also plans to visit the Imus Cathedral to pray, visit his mother's grave and have dinner with his father and his family.

She added that her family suffered while the former Senator was in detention for four years.

"It is no joke to not have your husband beside you for 4 years... It was a very big sacrifice for our family," she said.

Bong Revilla continues to face 16 counts of graft, still related to the pork barrel scandal.

CNN Philippines' Carolyn Bonquin contributed to this story.
by Melynda Fuller , December 7, 2018

AMG/Parade announced the appointment of Corrine Barcia to vice president of integrated marketing earlier this week. Barcia, who has been with the company for over three years, was most recently its senior marketing director.

In her new role, Barcia will work across platforms to build and execute marketing programs that include video and integrated campaigns that connect the company with new business and partnerships.

Barcia will also work closely with the digital ad operations team.

Prior to working with AMG/Parade, Barcia spent several years at Rodale Inc., where she worked with the team responsible for rebranding and relaunching Prevention and Prevention.com, as well as launching Eatclean.com.

Barcia also spent time at American Media, Inc., developing marketing programs for Fit Pregnancy,FitPregnancy.com, Natural Health and NaturalHealthmag.com .

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Barcia will be based in New York.

Separately, Dirk Standen, editor-in-chief of Conde Nasts in-house branded content studio 23 Stories, now called CNX, announced this week he is leaving the company, as reported by Business of Fashion.

Standen, who was with the company for 15 years, 10 of those as editor of Style.com before it was shuttered in 2015, was the founding editor of 23 Stories. He built the division to become a pivotal part of the company, bringing in a much needed source of revenue. During Standens tenure at CNX, the division expanded from branded content to custom advertising and events.

According to the report, CNXs managing director Josh Deschner, who joined the company in November after Chief Experience Officer Josh Stinchcomb departed, will hire a replacement as he restructures the division.

Standens departure follows Conde Nasts recent announcement that CEO Bob Sauerberg is leaving the company. The company is also searching for a new CEO.
by Melynda Fuller , December 7, 2018

As part of The Media Insight Project, the American Press Institute recently revealed the results of a survey intended to find out how readers become subscribers

Surveying more than 4,000 recent subscribers at 90 local newspapers across four circulation categories, the study found nine types of readers. It takes more than 70% of them over a month to decide to subscribe to a publication. Almost 50% of respondents reportedly took at least a year.

The surveyors found the time it took varied across readers and was determined by their stage in life and interests.

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Types of readers included:

-Topic Hunters

-Locally Engaged

-Social Media and Mobile Discoverers

-Life Changers

-Coupon Clippers

-Print Fans

-Friends and Family

-Journalism Advocates

-Digital Paywall Converters

The in-depth report offers strategies to publishers looking to covert each type. For example, the report found that Digital Paywall Converters care most about unlimited access and were willing to subscribe after hitting their allotted number of stories. The suggestion for snagging a subscriber? Make the process as easy as possible across multiple devices and ways to pay.

According to the report, these types of subscribers can also be Topic Hunters, are usually young and male, and are likely to subscribe to large metro newspapers.

Coupon Clippers, who enjoy leafing through a publication and also hunting out discounts, were one of the smallest but most distinct groups uncovered. This group is best reached through bloggers and sites popular with coupon enthusiasts, skews female, suburban, Republican or Independent, and likely became a reader through a Sunday edition.

In addition to reader profiles, the results offer resources across nonprofit organizations and newsrooms that further clarify the mystery around locking in subscribers. The study is just a first step in getting to know and understand a publications audience and turn them into loyal subscribers.
by Ray Schultz , December 7, 2018

Nigerian email scammers have extended their operation into the UK, and are using legitimate data providers to locate targets, according to a study by Agari.

The group, known in security circles as London Blue, is a multinational gang that runs business email compromise (BEC) scams, using the tools of legitimate enterprises.

London Blue operates like a modern corporation, Agari writes. Its members carry out specialized functions including business intelligence (lead generation), sales management (assignment of leads), email marketing (semi-customized BEC attack emails), sales (the con itself, conducted with individual attention to the victim), financial operations (receiving, moving and extracting the funds), and human resources (recruiting and managing money mules).

Perhaps most alarmingly, London Blue utilizes so-called commercial data brokers to create target email lists.

The group has assembled over 50,000 potential victim profiles, with half located in the United States. Overall, the prospects are located in 82 countries.

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"What we're able to find is that this group is using legitimate sales leads services to identify potential targets in their campaigns, said Craig Hassold, Agaris senior director of research, during the Black Hat conference in London this week, according to the Register.

Hassold added: They're using services that businesses all round the world use from a legit sales perspective to ID companies they might wanna offer their services to.

The targets tend to be financial controllers, directors, senior managers and accountants, he continued.

Agaris study notes that Nigeria has long been a hub for scam artists, and that the Nigerian Prince swindle predates the internet era, having its origin in a 16th-century Spanish prisoner scheme.

Now, having set up shop in the UK, the London Blue combine is relying on the basic technique of spear-phishing  using specific knowledge about a targets relationships to send a fraudulent email  and turned it into massive BEC campaigns.

The report continues: Each attack email requesting a money transfer is customized to appear to be an order from a senior executive of the company. Conventional spear-phishing requires time-consuming research to gather the info needed for the attack to be successful  identifying individuals with access to move funds, learning how to contact them, and learning their organizational hierarchies.

It adds that commercial lead-generation services have allowed London Blue to short-cut gathering the necessary data for thousands of target victims at a time.
Here's something equally hilarious and sad for all the Avengers fans out there. The Avengers have a new enemy and this time it's not Thanos, it's Deadpool!

Yes, you read that right. In what seems to be a disappointing yet funny account of hacking done right, the 'Avengers: Endgame' URL redirects the users to the 20th Century Fox's website for 'Once Upon A Deadpool', the upcoming re-release of 'Deadpool 2'.

(c)Twitter

Just hours after Marvel announced the first trailer of 'Avengers: Endgame', fans rushed to the website to check out more information on the movie, only be taken to Fox's 'Once Upon A Deadpool' website.

The entire development is clearly a daredevil prank played by someone to mess around with the fans who were waiting for months in anticipation for the trailer of Endgame to come out.

(c)Walt Disney Studios

Needless to say, fans are still going helter-skelter trying to make the best of a bad situation by watching the newly released trailer a gazillion times just to figure out what is the most probable thing to happen in the movie.

Currently, though it's unclear who is behind the URL redirect but shortly after the trailer came out, a Twitter account with the handle @AGuyintChair tweeted that he owned the domain and he was asking for a pair of tickets in exchange for giving up on the prank! Talk about a fair barter, eh?

I own https://t.co/sQcc4R3sCq and https://t.co/spo7Bift9L. But I don't want them. I want to trade them for tickets to the #AvengersEndgame premiere in LA. A guy can dream, can't he?  Guy Inchair (@AGuyInChair) 7 December 2018

According to the records, the domain name was registered on Aril 27, the same day 'Avengers: Infinity War' released in theatres. Seems like this man has really thought this through to mess with the promotion of the film and earn himself some fame instead.

We're still sceptical about why this URL was created in the first place since the Avengers and Deadpool belong to two separate entities. One is part of the MCU while the other is from Fox's X: Men Universe. So, is there really a connection for the prankster to try and connect the dots on purpose here? Or is he just baiting for free tickets? Maybe the two studios are trying to enhance some sort of cross-promotion for both the releases and they really don't want to say it out loud. Who knows, right?

(c)Walt Disney Studios

We all know that Disney is in the process of acquiring 21st Century Fox, which obviously has the rights to Deadpool and other X-Men characters. To probably make the transition smoother, it looks like the promotion for Deadpool has started out with a bang and how.

Deadpool star Ryan Reynolds made a bunch of jokes on the same and said "Time to uncork that explosive sexual tension between Deadpool and Mickey Mouse." to a popular publication.

(c)20th Century Fox

Who is to know why this redirection came through. For now, we can just try and connect the dots and find different variables describing the so-called 'prank' better.

All we know is 'Once Upon A Deadpool' releases on December 12, 2018, while 'Avengers: Endgame' releases April 26, 2019.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 7)  Former Senator Jinggoy Estrada eyes an acquittal in the next two months, following the not-guilty verdict handed down to his friend Ramon "Bong" Revilla, Jr., a fellow accused in the controversial pork barrel scam.

Estrada, who's facing plunder and graft charges at the Sandiganbayan, revealed to CNN Philippines Friday that his camp may soon file a demurrer to evidence, or a motion to dismiss a case for lack of sufficient evidence.

"Probably early next year we'll file a demurrer to evidence. If the court will grant the demurrer to evidence then that's already tantamount to acquittal," Estrada said.

When asked if he expects the anti-graft court to reach this decision before the campaign season which starts February 2019, Estrada said, "Well, I hope so."

Both Estrada and Revilla are seeking a Senate comeback in the 2019 elections.

"I will leave my fate with the Sandiganbayan, but it's a big boost that my friend (former) Sen. Revilla was acquitted early this morning and I hope to follow suit," Estrada said.

The Sandiganbayan's first division on Friday ruled that there is "not a single direct evidence" that proved that Revilla pocketed P224.5 million from his Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF), also known as pork barrel or funds set aside for lawmakers' projects. Revilla walked free Friday night after more than four years in detention after posting bail on his 16 other graft cases.

Meanwhile, Estrada was temporarily released in September 2017 after the Sandiganbayan allowed him to post a 1-million bail for his plunder and graft charges. He was neighbors with Revilla at the Philippine National Police Custodial Center since 2014, accused of receiving 183 million in kickbacks from his PDAF.

When he filed his certificate of candidacy in October, Estrada said he was confident his alleged involvement in the multibillion-peso pork barrel scam would not affect his chances to win as senator in the 2019 elections.

"The first time I ran for senator in 2004 I also have a pending plunder case which has not been resolved by the courts. It did not affect me since I won during the 2004 elections. And I don't think it will affect now," Estrada told reporters at the Commission on Elections.

Former Senate President Juan Ponce Enrile, out on bail too on cases involving the PDAF scam, is also gunning for a Senate seat.

Estrada, Revilla, and Enrile are implicated in the PDAF scheme supposedly masterminded by businesswoman Janet Lim Napoles, who was convicted of plunder in her case with Revilla. She is accused of funnelling 10 billion of lawmakers' funds into bogus nongovernment organizations.
This week, our Legislature voted to restrict the powers of incoming state officials.

No matter whether you consider yourself a Republican or Democrat  or conservative, liberal or progressive  you should be concerned about these moves because they undermine the electorate.

You may not agree with the majority of voters who participated in the Nov. 6 election. Indeed, our area voted against proposals that the majority of Michigan favored, and the majority of us favored state and national candidates who lost their respective races.

But, there are times when we do agree with the majority of our fellow Michiganders. How would we feel in those instances if lame duck politicians took measures to undermine our decisions? We went to the polls and made our voices heard, yet they dont listen?

Heres a little glance at some of the actions our lawmakers have taken in recent days that fly in the face of what the majority of voters have wanted:

 The Michigan Senate voted to strip campaign finance oversight from the incoming secretary of state, thereby limiting the powers of that position.

"At no point did voters say they wanted the rules manipulated. At no point did they say they wanted bills rushed through a hasty lame-duck session," Patrick Schuh, state director for the liberal group America Votes, told the Associated Press. He questioned the timing, saying such a commission was not proposed until a Democrat is on the verge of leading the secretary of state office for the first time in two-dozen years.

 The Senate approved measures to implement a voter-approved constitutional amendment that allows same-day voter registration, over criticism that the legislation could conflict with the voters intent and should wait until after the lame-duck session.

 The House voted 58-50 for legislation allowing the Legislature to intervene in any lawsuit at any stage  a right thats already granted to the attorney general in the executive branch of our government. Its a move designed to strip the powers of the incoming governor and attorney general.

"The Legislature makes the laws, the executive branch enforces the laws and the judicial branch interprets the laws," State Rep. Robert Wittenberg of Huntington Woods told the Associated Press. "Let's be clear: This legislation would have never been introduced, much less put on the agenda, had we seen different results in the top-of-the-ticket elections less than a month ago."

 Lawmakers fast-tracked legislation that would delay a minimum wage hike and scale back paid sick leave requirements. Previously, the Legislature preempted efforts to prevent minimum wage and paid sick time ballot initiatives from going to the electorate last month. It would have been much more difficult to change minimum wage and paid sick time requirements if they had been approved by voters (and they would have been approved by the majority of the electorate). Lawmakers saw the writing on the wall and moved to approve minimum wage and paid sick time initiatives in September so they could alter them after the election with simple majority votes in each chamber.

State Rep. Darrin Camilleri of Brownstown Township told the Associated Press that gutting the minimum wage hike "would not only hurt thousands of workers in Michigan but would also betray the trust of millions more by ignoring the will of the people."

Not only does this legislation conflict with the will of the majority, it opens the door for lawsuits. And paid sick leave advocates have already vowed to launch a 2020 ballot drive if the Legislature successfully guts the law that made Michigan the 11th state to require employers to provide paid time off to workers who are sick or who have ill family members.

This all has been reported by the Associated Press in recent days. According to the AP, outgoing Republican Gov. Rick Snyder has not indicated whether he supports the campaign finance legislation or other measures that opponents contend would curb top Democrats elected last month.

Again, we may not agree with everything these new candidates believe in. But we believe in our democratic process, and its disappointing to see the Legislature once again take advantage of a lame duck sessions to advance interests that are contrary to the majoritys will.

We implore Gov. Snyder to put the will of the people ahead of party.
A day after the Pearl Harbor attacks, America's "man on the street" and a few women, shared their hope, fears and some conspiracy theories on the Day of Infamy that was to change their lives -- and the world -- forever.

A mother in Austin, Texas, said her son would now go into the Army, and if he had to die to defeat Imperial Japan, so be it. Her husband said "Wherever he's needed, he's ready to go."

A "merchant" in Bloomington, Indiana, said "I'm sure I was just an isolationist" before Dec. 7, 1941, but "it seems we are ready to do anything to stop this Japanese invasion."

An electronics technician in New York City saw something possibly sinister in the fact that the U.S. ships were lined up on "battleship row" in Pearl Harbor for the Japanese carrier warplanes to attack, rather than out at sea looking for the enemy. He said "My first thought was why were they there?"

Related: Pearl Harbor: Day of Infamy

The recorded interviews have been collected and preserved in the Library of Congress. In December 1941, before the attacks at Pearl Harbor, legendary folklorist Alan Lomax had 18 fieldworkers around the country collecting folk music for the Archive of American Folk Songs.

But when the attacks came on Dec. 8, 1941, Lomax told the fieldworkers to drop their assignments and instead do "man on the street" interviews.

In January and February 1942, a second set of interviews was conducted in which the participants were asked to address "Dear Mr. President" remarks to President Franklin D. Roosevelt. Some gave their names, and others were simply recorded as a "man on the street" in various locations around the country.

In his "Dear Mr. President" comments, Carlos Lopez, of Phoenix, Arizona, said he would be joining the Marines: "I, like any other American, would like to do my part in this war, and I believe the Marines will show me more action."

"As for the Spanish people born in the United States, I believe they all have the same opinion that I have," Lopez said. "We feel that we should fight and defend this country as soon as possible."

Some expressed fears of Japanese-Americans aiding Japan, while others said Japanese-Americans would prove themselves loyal.

A man in Burlington, North Carolina, said "They should just clean up all the Japanese in this country so they can't do us in the dirt. Not just through the duration of the war, but all of them. We just pen them up and keep them."

But William Patterson of Buffalo, New York, said he was encouraged by expressions of loyalty from Japanese-American citizens on the West Coast.

"No, I don't hate them," he said. "I was very much interested in a news flash I heard over the radio from the Japanese citizens on the West Coast expressing their loyalty to the president and their shock at the action that their country, original country, had taken."

In his "Dear Mr. President comments, Robert Heckly, of Tucson, Arizona, said "I'm planning my career, Mr. Roosevelt, but if I can do anything in between that time I would be glad to. Do not expect me to be in the Army because -- unless I'm drafted -- my mother and father will not permit it, as much as I would like to."

On Dec. 8, a man on the street was stopped in Washington, D.C., and asked "Well, how did you feel about it when we first heard about the Japanese war."

He responded: "Well, I felt, I'll be called into the draft pretty soon. I'm eligible, I'm in the 1-A classification and it hit me pretty bad. I was expecting something to happen, but this, even when it did come along, well it does surprise me. I didn't expect it so soon."

"How do you feel do you about the chances, I mean generally?" the interviewer asked.

"Well, I believe that the United States will eventually win out," the man said.

Then he was asked "What do you think it means in terms of the other Axis powers?"

The man responded: "Well, I believe that if we do defeat Japan it won't be the end, but we'll have to finish off the other Axis powers before anything else will be settled. Because the other Axis powers, I believe, will fight until either Japan is fixed up again or until they're defeated."

-- Richard Sisk can be reached at Richard.Sisk@Military.com.
The death of a Navy chief petty officer whose body was discovered in her Florida home in September has been ruled a homicide, leading authorities Friday to arrest the man to whom she was engaged, reports said.

Nearly three months after Andrea Washington, 37, was discovered dead in her home on Jacksonville's Northside, police charged 36-year-old Danny Ray Beard with her murder, First Coast News reported.

While a cause of death was not immediately released in September, investigators had said her death "was not from natural causes." No suspects were initially named.

A judge had granted the Navy chief a protective order about two weeks before her death due to "domestic violence at her home," the station reported.

Washington said she was pushed, kicked in the stomach and "had a gun pulled on her by a man she was living with" while arguing over household bills, First Coast News reported, citing the protective order filed Sept. 4.

She also filed a separate police report against Beard on Sept. 2 for aggravated assault after encouragement from a friend, the media outlet reported.

Washington was slated to appear in court on the protective order against Beard just hours after she was found dead, First Coast News reported. Beard appeared in court to defend himself and the order was dismissed because Washington, who was dead, did not attend.

Phantom McClendon, a family friend of Washington, told First Coast News that the mother of three was newly "pinned" as a Navy CPO.

"The goal of making chief is a major accomplishment and for her to make it after all these years," McClendon said, "and the simple fact (is) that she can't even enjoy it."

Fox News' Kathleen Joyce contributed to this report.
Soldiers assigned to the new Army Futures Command have both a new shoulder sleeve insignia and distinctive unit insignia. Both carry a central theme, an anvil, as a symbol of the unit's motto "Forge the Future."

The patch and unit insignia have black and white stripes stretching outward from the anvil, which is meant to represent fortitude, determination and perseverance, according to a recent Army press release.

"Symbols mean things just like words do," Robert Mages, the command's acting historian, said in the press release. "It's a reminder to the soldiers that wear the patch of the mission that they've been assigned, and of the responsibilities that come with that mission."

Army Futures Command was stood up in late August and charged with leading the Army's 10-year modernization effort.

Army leaders selected Austin, Texas as the home of AFC headquarters after an exhaustive screening of 30 major U.S. cities. The ideal location needed to have made significant investments in economic development, STEM, and research and development, as well as offer quality of life for Army personnel assigned to AFC headquarters, Army officials maintain.

The black, white and gold used in patch and unit insignia resemble the colors of the U.S. Army, the release states.

Army Futures Command is scheduled to be up and running at full operational capability by next summer.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
China's Sub Force Is Growing More Powerful. This Is What the US Navy Needs to Do to Stay Ahead
Soon after being tapped as the new Army chief of staff in 2015, Gen. Mark Milley made it clear that he wanted his service ready for the next war.

Since then, the gruff-speaking, former Special Forces soldier has hammered away to rebuild a war-weary Army and put it on a path to build a modernized force of soldiers and equipment capable of taking on high-tech foes on a future battlefield.

In his first major speech as chief -- long before the Russia and China were named the top two threats in the 2018 National Defense Strategy -- Milley made readiness his top priority to ensure soldiers were prepared to face Russia in combat.

"After modernizing its nuclear and conventional capabilities in 2008 and updating its military doctrine, Russia has launched on an aggressive foreign policy in the last seven years, attacking Georgia, annexing the Crimea, invading the Ukraine though surrogates, threatening other neighbors that are NATO allies and now militarily intervening in the Middle East to complicate an already complicated and tragic situation," he told an audience in October 2015 at the Association of the United States Army's annual meeting. "It certainly appears to me that Russia considers the United States and NATO to [be] its core interests."

A year later, Milley vowed to defeat Russia and other similar threats in ground combat.

With a reputation as a bold, outspoken leader, he is poised to become the next chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. President Donald Trump nominated Milley to succeed Gen. Joseph Dunford, who is set to retire.

If Milley's nomination is confirmed, he will be the first chairman to serve a four-year term instead of a two-year term as a result of recent changes to the National Defense Authorization Act.

Modernization Efforts

As Milley nears the end of his tenure as chief of staff, he has become known as one of the major drivers behind the Army's ambitious modernization effort. In October 2017, the Army launched a plan to replace its major combat vehicles and aircraft by 2028.

So far, the effort has resulted in the service standing up a new Army Futures Command, which will oversee every aspect of modernization.

But Milley, perhaps, is most well-known for his willingness to shoot straight with Congress, even if it means delivering bad news.

In late May 2017, Milley told lawmakers that he had serious doubts about the Warfighter Information Network-Tactical, the multi-billion-dollar backbone of the Army's tactical network.

WIN-T was part of the Army's Future Combat Systems effort in 2003. After FCS was canceled in 2009, the service tried to salvage the program as part of an effort to create secure battlefield communications for mounted forces on the move, an effort led by General Dynamics Corp. that has cost about $6 billion.

Milley told Congress he was concerned that WIN-T is unable to operate on the move or in large, complex urban areas and may be unable to survive on the future battlefield.

Four months later, Army officials returned to Congress with plans to halt procurement for WIN-T Increment 2 in 2018 and search for another system to deal with emerging threats.

Rep. Mac Thornberry, R-Texas, chairman of the House Armed Services Committee, said Saturday that he has appreciated Milley's "direct, insightful military assessments based upon his intellect and years of experience," according to a Dec. 8 statement from Thornberry's office.

Milley also revealed to Congress in May 2017 that the M4A1 Carbine's 5.56mm round can't penetrate modern enemy body armor plates.

Later that year in October, he pledged that the service's replacement for the M249 squad automatic weapon and the M4A1 -- both of which are chambered for 5.56mm -- will have a "10X improvement over any existing current system in the world."

In October of this year, Milley told reporters that the service is working on prototypes of new 6.8mm next-generation weapons that will likely penetrate any body armor on the battlefield.

A Varied Career

A native of Winchester, Massachusetts, Milley graduated and received his commission from Princeton University in 1980.

He has served in command and leadership positions from the platoon and operational detachment alpha level through corps and Army commands, including the 82nd Airborne Division and the 5th Special Forces Group at Fort Bragg, North Carolina; the 7th Infantry Division at Fort Ord, California; the 10th Mountain Division at Fort Drum, New York; the 2nd Infantry Division in Korea; the Joint Readiness Center at Fort Polk, Louisiana; the 25th Infantry Division at Schofield Barracks, Hawaii; the 101st Airborne (Air Assault) at Fort Campbell, Kentucky; and the 1st Cavalry Division and 3rd Infantry Division in Baghdad, Iraq, according to his official bio.

His operational deployments include Operation Just Cause, Panama; Operation Uphold Democracy, Haiti; Operation Joint Endeavor, Bosnia-Herzegovina; Operation Iraqi Freedom, Iraq; and three tours during Operation Enduring Freedom, Afghanistan.

In addition to a long list of awards and decorations, Milley is authorized to wear the Combat Infantryman Badge with star; Expert Infantryman Badge; Master Parachutist Badge; Scuba Diver Badge; Ranger Tab and Special Forces Tab.

Milley and his wife Hollyanne have been married for more than 30 years and have two children.

Trump's nomination of Milley starts a series of military leadership changes in coming months, including successors in 2019 for Adm. John Richardson as the chief of naval operations; Gen. Robert Neller as commandant of the Marine Corps; and Air Force Gen. Paul Selva as vice chairman of the Joint Chiefs, The Associated Press reported. Trump also will pick a replacement for Milley as Army chief.

-- Military.com's Richard Sisk contributed to this report.

-- Matthew Cox can be reached at matthew.cox@military.com.
The U.S. Air Force plans to refurbish Tyndall Air Force Base, Florida, in hopes of stationing three squadron's worth of F-35 Joint Strike Fighters at the base in the near future, officials announced Friday.

The service is recommending that Congress use "supplemental funding for rebuilding the base to prepare to receive the F-35 fighter at the north Florida installation," officials said in a release.

"We have recommended that the best path forward to increase readiness and use money wisely is to consolidate the operational F-22s formerly at Tyndall in Alaska, Hawaii and Virginia, and make the decision now to put the next three squadrons of F-35s beyond those for which we have already made decisions at Tyndall," said Secretary of the Air Force Heather Wilson.

The move would also help boost the number of F-22 aircraft that have been reassigned from Tyndall to other bases amid Tyndall's reconstruction. Squadrons may have the opportunity to plus-up their operational F-22 squadrons from "21 to 24 assigned aircraft," the release said, which may help the stifling fleet.

In July, the Government Accountability Office said the F-22 is frequently underutilized, mainly due to maintenance challenges and fewer opportunities for pilot training, as well as the fleet's inefficient organizational structure.

If Congress approves the decision and supplemental funding is allocated, the F-35 could be based at Tyndall beginning in 2023, Wilson said. The service added that basing already announced in Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, Florida, Texas, Utah, Vermont, and Wisconsin "will not be affected by this decision."

The Air Force in recent weeks announced it would relocate its Tyndall F-22 stealth fighter fleet, dividing the aircraft between Joint Base Langley-Eustis, Virginia; Joint Base Elmendorf-Richardson, Alaska; and Joint Base Pearl Harbor-Hickam, Hawaii, after Hurricane Michael severely damaged the base in October.

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Tyndall was home to the 325th Fighter Wing, comprised of two F-22 Raptor squadrons. One was operational and one was training. Eglin Air Force Base in Florida -- roughly 60 miles away from Tyndall in Florida's panhandle -- has accepted some of Tyndall's F-22s and T-38 Talon trainers. The Raptor schoolhouse for pilots in training has also been relocated to Eglin.

The U.S. Air Force in recent months has also been weighing the addition of another F-35 stealth fighter squadron at Eglin, possibly as soon as 2020.

The plus-up of the fifth-gen fighters would give additional resources to the busiest Air Force F-35 training wing, providing pilots necessary, enhanced equipment currently lacking in the pipeline, Col. Paul Moga, commander of the fighter wing, told Military.com in October.

Whether or not the decision to potentially move more F-35s to Tyndall will end up shifting the Eglin boost is too soon to tell, an Air Force official told Military.com on Friday.

The latest news comes as the F-35 has entered its formal operational test phase.

The Joint Program Office and the aircraft's manufacturer, Lockheed Martin Corps., announced Thursday all three F-35 variants belonging to the Air Force, Navy and Marine Corps will be field tested "for the purposes of determining the weapons systems' operational effectiveness and operational suitability for combat."

"The approval to formally begin Initial Operational Test & Evaluation demonstrates the confidence our customers have in the maturity of the F-35's design and performance," Lockheed spokesman Michael Friedman said in a statement Thursday.

"Formal IOT&E will test the system and identify areas for improvement in the most stressing operationally representative environments, and is expected to be complete late summer of 2019," Joint Program Office spokesman Joe DellaVedova said.

-- Oriana Pawlyk can be reached at oriana.pawlyk@military.com. Follow her on Twitter at @Oriana0214.
No American military engagement has undergone more post-mortems than the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. Between 1941 and 1946, various departments of the U.S. government conducted nine official inquiries. A tenth inquiry was held as recently as 1995, when the Department of Defense re-examined the culpability placed on Rear Admiral Husband E. Kimmel and Major General Walter C. Short for a lack of preparedness prior to the Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor. The investigation, issued as the Dorn Report, absolved Kimmel and Short of responsibility for the devastation caused by the attack and recommended posthumously restoring Kimmel and Short to the ranks they held prior to the attack.

The attack has spawned a heated debate over whether the Roosevelt administration had advance knowledge of the impending attack and allowed it to take place to create a pretext for U.S. entry into World War II. In September 1944, John T. Flynn, a co-founder of the America First Committee, published a 46-page booklet, The Truth About Pearl Harbor, in which he formally raised what historians have called the "advance-knowledge conspiracy theory." The debate still rages.

Historians have dismissed the theory as unsupported by historical fact, although there are plenty of vague references in government documents and personal correspondence pointing out the inevitability of a war with Japan and even welcoming such a prospect. Some historians have gone so far as to argue that Roosevelt's policy toward Japan was deliberately provocative and was intended to goad Japan into striking first at the United States.

There is also evidence, however, that by 1940, the Roosevelt administration had decided that war with Germany was inevitable and was already preparing for such an eventuality. In this case, a war with Japan was a distraction that would divert resources from the effort against Germany. Particularly intriguing, on this point, is the story surrounding the adoption of "Plan D."

Shortly after the 1940 presidential election, a campaign in which Franklin D. Roosevelt ran on the promise that "no American boys would be sent to fight in Europe," he received a briefing from Admiral Harold R. Stark, the Chief of Naval Operations, on the war situation in Europe. Stark told Roosevelt that without American aid Great Britain would inevitably be defeated by the Nazis, leading to German domination of Europe, Africa and the Middle East. About that time, Roosevelt also received a letter from Albert Einstein in which he warned that Nazi Germany was working on the development of an "atomic bomb" of enormous destructive power.

Stark subsequently laid out possible policy options to Roosevelt in a formal memo. The fourth option, titled "D," argued for a "Germany first" strategy regardless of any potential threat from Japan, and recommended that American assistance to Britain should also include the deployment of U.S. troops in North Africa and Europe. That policy recommendation, later dubbed "Plan D," was widely supported within the Roosevelt Administration, including by then-U.S. Army Chief of Staff, George C. Marshall. It was at that point, a year before the Japanese attack, that Roosevelt authorized joint talks between the British and American military chiefs of staff to implement "Plan D." The "Germany first" policy wasn't officially announced to the public until the "Arcadia Conference," a year later, between Roosevelt and Winston Churchill, held in Washington DC between December 22, 1941 and January 14, 1942.

U.S. Naval operations in the Atlantic over 1940 and 1941 were consistent with Roosevelt's focus on Germany. Following the start of WW II, Stark had ordered "Neutrality Patrols" in the Caribbean and in waters 200 miles off the coasts of both North and South America. Over the course of 1940, the Navy conducted "battleship sweeps" in the western Atlantic to deter German commerce raiders and U-boats from entering the neutrality zone. In 1941, the number of ships assigned to those sweeps doubled and their patrol zone was extended all the way to Iceland. In September 1941, U.S. Navy destroyers, in collaboration with the Royal Canadian Navy, began escorting Canadian and British merchantmen as far as Iceland. The America First Committee criticized the convoy escort activity as being deliberately provocative to Germany and accused Roosevelt of seeking a war with Berlin.

The history of the signal intelligence obtained by the U.S. in the period immediately prior to the attack has also encouraged the conspiracy theorists. American code breaking activities were very sophisticated and highly advanced. The U.S. had succeeded in breaking many, although not all, of the Japanese military and diplomatic codes. Nonetheless, the application of that intelligence was often haphazard. There was a widespread shortage of Japanese translators. Turnover among cryptographers and intelligence analysts was high. Both activities were considered dead-end jobs; ones that could stigmatize future career prospects.

Intelligence sharing was equally haphazard, with different government departments hoarding their signal intercepts. Ironically, the U.S. had broken the Japanese diplomatic code dubbed "Purple," which was used by Tokyo for important communications with its embassies. A 14-part message instructing the Japanese ambassador in Washington to advise the State Department that Tokyo was breaking off diplomatic relations with the U.S. had been decoded on December 6 and 7, and had been correctly interpreted by the War Department as indicating a Japanese attack at dawn somewhere in the Pacific. Unfortunately, the warning sent to U.S. military forces in the Pacific was, because of atmospheric conditions, dispatched by Western Union. The telegram arrived in Hawaii during the middle of the first wave of attacks.

The fact that some documents relating to the attack are still classified has also provided fodder to the conspiracy theorists. There is signal intelligence obtained by the British "Ultra" and the U.S. "Magic" programs relating to Pearl Harbor, for example, which is still secret. In addition, there are also reports of other documents, for example, a purported, explicit warning from military intelligence in the Dutch East Indies of an impending Japanese attack on Pearl Harbor, that are still classified. There is also the fact that many documents at Pearl Harbor were destroyed in the weeks following the attack for fear of an impending Japanese invasion.

One historical fact that is not open to dispute, however, is the mock raid that was staged on Pearl Harbor on February 7, 1932, as part of a military exercise designed to test Pearl Harbor's vulnerability to a surprise attack. In the period between the Washington Naval Conference in 1921, and 1940, the U.S. did not have a two-ocean navy. The main Pacific anchorages were in San Diego and San Francisco where the fleet could be deployed quickly in the defense of the Panama Canal or of the Hawaiian Islands. Its proximity to the canal also allowed for its rapid transfer to the Atlantic should it be needed there.

"Planners" at the War Department had been considering the possibility of war with Japan since at least 1906. The eventual strategy, dubbed War Plan Orange, anticipated that in the event of a war with Japan, the Philippines and American bases in the western Pacific would be either blockaded or overrun. In the interim, the U.S. Pacific Fleet would concentrate its strength along the West Coast until the ships had received their full complement of crew. During the 1930s, ships operated with only half of their allotted crew as an economy measure. Once the fleet had been readied, it would sail west to relieve the Philippines. With the Philippines secured, the fleet would proceed to blockade Japan and seek a decisive naval showdown with the Japanese fleet.

This strategy was consistent with the writings of American naval strategist Alfred Thayer Mahan who argued that future wars would be settled by decisive naval engagements. This view was widely shared among the world's naval powers, including Japan. Given the critical role of Hawaii in a Pacific campaign, the idea of beefing up U.S. Naval forces at Pearl Harbor was not new. It had been discussed since at least the end of World War I.

Since 1923, the U.S. Navy had conducted large-scale naval exercises, termed "Fleet Problems," during which U.S. Naval forces would engage in mock battles with a purported European or Asian attacker. Fleet Problem Number 13 was a mock attack by a "militaristic, Asian, island nation against the military base at Pearl Harbor." The exercise was designed to test Pearl's defenses and assess its vulnerability to an attack.

The attacking force was under the command of Rear Admiral Harry Yarnell. The admiral was a qualified naval aviator, one of the few admirals to have earned his aviator wings at a time when battleship command was still the path to promotions. In 1927, he took command of the aircraft carrier Saratoga and was instrumental in developing carrier tactics. At the time, carriers were classified as "fleet scouting elements." They were not valued as capital ships and were considered expendable.

Yarnell maintained that Japan "had always started operations by attacking before a declaration of war." Accordingly, he designed an attack plan that utilized carrier aviation to launch a surprise attack on Pearl Harbor. Pearl's defenders had anticipated that Yarnell would attack with his battleships. Instead, he left his battleships behind and advanced with the carriers Saratoga and Lexington to a point north-northeast of Hawaii. At dawn, on Sunday February 7, 1932, Yarnell launched his attack with a force of 152 planes from the two carriers. His attack force first attacked the airfields and then proceeded to attack the ships along battleship row.

Yarnell achieved total surprise. The airfields were put out of commission, with not a single plane getting airborne during the attack. The attacking force scored multiple hits, they dropped sacks of white flour to simulate bombs, on the battleships. The umpires declared that Yarnell's attack had been a complete success and declared him the winner. The Army and Navy brass, however, would have none of it. They complained that Yarnell had cheated. He had attacked at dawn on a Sunday morning, a time considered "inappropriate" for an attack. His attack vector from the north-northeast had mimicked planes arriving from the mainland. Most importantly, the Navy argued, low level precision bombing of battleships at anchor was unrealistic since "everyone knew that Asians lacked sufficient hand-eye coordination to engage in that kind of precision bombing."

Pressured by the War Department, the umpires reversed their decision and declared that the defenders had won the exercise. The Navy and its "battleship admirals" ignored Yarnell's contention that Pearl Harbor was vulnerable to an attack by naval air power. The exercise was widely reported in the press and was observed by Japanese naval officers at the Japanese consulate on Oahu. Some 10 years later, the Japanese Navy would launch an almost carbon copy attack on Pearl Harbor, utilizing six carriers and double the air power used by Yarnell.

The only significant innovation employed by the Japanese Navy was the use of air-launched torpedoes against the ships in Pearl lagoon. A year earlier, the Royal Navy had used slow Swordfish torpedo planes to attack the Italian fleet at its base in Taranto. The success of that attack was not lost on Tokyo. The U.S. Navy had dismissed its relevance to Pearl because Taranto's harbor was around 75-feet deep, almost double the depth of Pearl Harbor, and it did not believe that air launched torpedoes would work in shallow waters. The Japanese Navy solved that problem by modifying their torpedoes to give them a flatter glide path.

The definitive story of the attack on Pearl Harbor has not yet been written. Pearl still has secrets to disclose. What is not a secret, however, is the fact that the Japanese attack plan against Pearl Harbor had been designed a decade earlier by an American admiral.

Joseph V. Micallef is a military historian, bestselling author, keynote speaker, syndicated columnist and commentator on international politics and the future.
The Padres announced this evening that they have designated infielder Carlos Asuaje for assignment. His roster spot will go to righty Garrett Richards, whose previously reported two-year deal is now official.

Asuaje, 27, originally came to the organization as part of the multi-player package received in exchange for closer Craig Kimbrel. The left-handed hitter has appeared in each of the past three seasons with the Padres but will now make way for a more-hyped crop of middle-infield talent.

Though he showed promise at the plate in 2017, Asuaje struggled quite a bit last year. He finished with a .196/.286/.280 slash through 218 plate appearances, though he did have a much better showing during his time at Triple-A (.314/.386/.463).

Teams considering Asuaje may find some comfort in the underlying numbers. Asuaje boosted his walk rate to 11.0%, which could bode well for the future. And he carried only a .243 batting average on balls in play in the bigs. That was an unlucky figure, Statcast suggests, crediting him with a .288 xwOBA that dwarfs his .255 wOBA.

Of course, even Asuajes hypothetically deserved offensive output wasnt all that exciting. If hes to carve out a role, itll likely be as a utility player. Asuaje has hit much better against right-handed pitching, which limits him but also suggests he could be useful in a platoon role. Defensive metrics have not loved him in a limited sample, though hes generally considered a solid defender.

Theres some value in the fact that Asuaje is still optionable for another season. On the other hand, it doesnt help his cause that he has never been considered capable of playing shortstop, though he does have plenty of lower-level experience at third base and has also spent some time in left field. All told, its possible hell be claimed, but by no means a given.

As for Richards, hes still a long ways away from contributing on the field in San Diego, as his first priority will be to rehabilitate from Tommy John surgery. Hell reportedly receive a hefty $15.5MM guarantee in hopes that hell be able to get back to full strength and provide the Friars with a high-quality rotation piece in 2020.
First baseman Paul Goldschmidt, he of the career .297/.398/.532 line, was one of the most coveted assets on the offseason trade market. After a bitterly disappointing end to the Diamondbacks season, in which the club won just eight out of their final 28 games after staking a claim to top of the division on August 30th, a full-scale shuffling of parts was sure to be in order. The club was almost certainly set to lose ace Patrick Corbin, who this week signed a monster $140MM deal with Washington, plus center-field stalwart A.J. Pollock, who, despite several injury-marred campaigns, posted a robust 14.9 fWAR in his final five seasons with the team. And flimsy depth on the 25-man roster and in the upper minors paired with a system devoid of high-impact talent to offer a mostly inauspicious outlook in seasons to come.

Was it finally to time to cash in on the organizations most valued trade chip? The answer, in the end, was a resounding yes: On Wednesday, the organization finally agreed to a package with the 31-year-olds most oft-rumored suitor, the St. Louis Cardinals. 25-year-old right-hander Luke Weaver and catcher Carson Kelly, 24, are the two most notable pieces going back to Arizona in the deal; Andy Young, a 24-year-old minor league infielder, and a Competitive Balance Round B pick are also part of the return for the DBacks.

Goldschmidt, of course, is entering the final year of a contract that will pay him just $14.5MM in 2019. His presence figures to move defensive yo-yo Matt Carpenter back to his original home at third base, where the 33-year-old has, encouragingly, graded out as mostly above average with the glove in limited time over the last two years after a series of dreadful campaigns in the middle portion of the decade.

Infielder Jedd Gyorko and 1B/COF Jose Martinez, then, would seem to be left bench-ridden, and could be prime trade chips in the weeks to come. Speculatively, major bullpen upgrades could be in order  as a whole, the unit posted an abysmal 4.50 xFIP and 4.34 BB/9 last season, both of which ranked in the bottom five across the league. Though the departing package was significant, the Redbirds are left with a most prominent feather in their collective cap: with nine big-league-tested starting pitchers in the fold for next season, and a super surplus at catcher  the immortal Yadier Molina, plus top prospect Andrew Knizner  the Cards figure to lose very little in present-day value.

For the Diamondbacks, the return may have eclipsed even their wildest hopes, with one executive reportedly dubbing the package a boatload. Weaver and Kelly come with a combined 11 seasons of team control, and each should project around league average in the upcoming campaign. Kelly, a former top 50 prospect, seems especially intriguing  with the offensive baseline at catcher approaching its all-time nadir (catchers slashed a putrid .232/.304/.372 as a whole last season, for an 84 wRC+), the 24-year-old needs only to supplement his sterling defense with marginal offensive production to become an above-average big leaguer.

So, how would you grade this deal for each club?
To keep shelves stocked at licensed medical marijuana shops, state officials are promising they wont slap fines on businesses for buying marijuana from caregivers.

The states Medical Marihuana Licensing Board agreed to the new terms at its Friday, Dec. 7, meeting. Previously, licensed retail stores could be fined or lose their license for such activities.

It doesnt fix everything I would like to see fixed but it goes in the direction of providing product to patients who need it, said the boards chairman, Rick Johnson.

Board member Don Bailey was opposed to the resolution.

I believe people are still incarcerated for doing what were proposing right here, Bailey said

Marijuana grown by caregivers has already been fueling the medical marijuana industry in Michigan, as more than 100 dispensaries have been operating unlicensed in the state selling caregiver product.

A court case established that caregivers in Michigan could only sell marijuana to five registered patients with whom they have a relationship. There is no provision in state law that allows caregivers to sell to businesses.

During the past year, state regulators have agreed to not go after unlicensed dispensaries who sell marijuana grown by caregivers. But as state regulators try to push dispensaries to comply with the law and become licensed, the slow pace has meant theres not enough marijuana grown at licensed facilities to go around.

I have had many cases over the last eight years that alleged felony marijuana crimes for behavior that LARA just codified as a part of their system, said Michael Komorn, a criminal defense attorney and president of the Michigan Medical Marijuana Association. The takeaway it would suggest is that it has been realized now by the state that they need caregivers for the states medical marijuana program to work. They may not want to admit it, but this last play by LARA seals it.

Friday, the board approved 24 medical marijuana business license applications. There are now 26 large-scale grow operations and 45 retail provisioning centers licensed to operate in Michigan.

Notably, Friday the board denied preliminary approval of four license applications from former Detroit Lions Calvin Johnson and Rob Sims over Johnsons traffic tickets in Atlanta. The board claims they were issues since they were not addressed quickly. Court records show the issues have been resolved.

-- Amy Biolchini is the marijuana beat reporter for MLive. Contact her with questions, tips or comments at abiolch1@mlive.com. Read more from MLive about medical marijuana.
FLINT, MI  A Flint man who tried to take the gun of a sheriffs deputy who is about to sworn in as an elected member of the Michigan House of Representative faces up to life in prison on charges stemming from the incident.

Albert Smith, 36, is held at the Livingston County Jail in lieu of $1 million bond on charges he stole a mans minivan on Nov. 28, led police on a chase and then tried to take the gun of Deputy Mike Mueller during a fight.

Albert Smith

Smith is set to be back in court at 1:30 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 12 for a probable cause conference with Livingston District Judge Suzanne Geddis.

He faces felony charges that include carjacking, third-degree fleeing and eluding police, resisting and obstructing police involving injury, resisting and obstructing police, felonious assault with a dangerous weapon, attempting to disarm a police officer and attempted unlawful driving away of a vehicle.

The facts and circumstances justify the charges, said Livingston County Prosecutor William Vailliencourt. I cant comment about the specifics or the circumstances on the case.

The carjacking charge carries a penalty of up to life in prison, Vailliencourt said.

Smith allegedly stole a minivan and then tried to use the vehicle as a dangerous weapon on U.S. 23, officials previously said.

After a police chase, he then assaulted Livingston County Sheriffs Deputy Mike Mueller, who was working his last day before becoming a Republican state rep in the 51st District.

Vailliencourt said Smith also tried to take Muellers gun and injured the soon-to-be legislator while resisting arrest.

Smith was taken into custody with the help of Fenton police officers and Michigan State Police troopers, police said.

Both Smith and Mueller were taken to an area hospital for treatment.
NORTHERN MICHIGAN -- Two men caught taking wooden ribbing from a schooner that sank in Lake Michigan in 1886 have been sentenced to pay fines and perform community service.

Jacob Garris, 27, of Traverse City, and Joseph Frawley, 28, of Fort Lauderdale, recently were sentenced in Grand Traverse County District Court to nearly $2,500 in fines and restitution and ordered to perform 20 hours of community service.

Investigators with the State Department of Natural Resources say two recreational divers witnessed the theft and managed to take photos. The photos showed a boat registration, vehicle plate at a launch site and the two men removing the ribbing, which is the internal framework on a schooner.

The schooner was the 125-foot Metropolis, which sank in the East Grand Traverse Bay, offshore of Old Mission Point. The ship was abandoned in November 1886 after becoming lost in a snowstorm.

The shipwreck is part of the Grand Traverse Bay Underwater Preserve.

DNR Conservation Officer Sean Kehoe tracked down the two men seen taking the pieces. They admitted to the theft and cooperated in returning the pieces. They were sentenced for removing antiquities from state-owned bottomlands.
KALAMAZOO, MI  A new medical marijuana shop is now open in Kalamazoo.

Compassionate Care By Design opened at 401 N. Sage Street in Kalamazoo in the last week in November, with a grand opening on the weekend of Dec. 1.

Jason Mischen, 32, is the general manager of the business and Kristen Bearup is the owner. Bearup is also the co-owner of Kalamazoo Vapor Shop LLC, Mischen said.

Mischen said the business wants to help kick the stigma that is sometimes associated with marijuana.

To let people know, hey this isnt just a drug youll find on the streets, this actually is a very helpful medication, he said. A lot of people benefit from it. A lot of people dont know they can benefit from it.

Compassionate Care By Design is located off of a busy section of West Main Street and offers marijuana and marijuana-infused products to medical marijuana cardholders.

The company has consultation rooms where employees talk to customers about the choices available, and talk about reviews of the different products. The business has a nondescript waiting room, where an employee sits behind a desk checking in patients as they arrive. After waiting for their turn, customers are taken back into one of the rooms for a consultation and to buy products.

A row of glass jars displayed the marijuana flower for sale, while extracts and other products are kept under a glass counter or in a display refrigerator.

Grape Cola has been a popular strain choice for customers, employee Christy Chambers said. The business has heard good reviews of its smell and taste, she said, and it can help with pain and muscle spasms.

The only grow operation licensed by the state is located across the state in Chesaning, Mischen said, and has been the only option for a licensed shop like Compassionate Care By Design to get product.

However, Mischen said, state action taken on Friday, Dec. 7, means shops can obtain product from registered medical marijuana caregivers until the end of 2018.

With the change, Mischen said he is working to get more products for a better variety of offerings at the store.

We are making it a point to get new products and a variety of products on our shelves ASAP, he said.

Resolution to allow caregivers to continue to supply licensed provisioning centers through the end of December without action from @michiganLARA passes with a 3-1 vote of the board, with Don Bailey opposed and David LaMontaine absent https://t.co/7eqc4OryxR  Amy Biolchini (@amywrites_) December 7, 2018

Compassionate Care By Design will be open from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Saturday and noon to 5 p.m. Sundays.

The business is the first in Kalamazoo County to receive its state license, he said. It is the second dispensary currently operating in Kalamazoo County. Mischen said the company sent in its application to the state on the first day applications were accepted.

Lake Effect dispensary has operated in Portage for several years, though the state denied the business' application for prequalification, which is the first step in obtaining a state license. A pending court case to decide the fate of unlicensed medical pot shops means the business' future is uncertain, though the state said it would allow shops in that category to remain open through the end of 2018.
AUBURN, MI  Police are investigating a homicide in Bay County.

At 7:38 p.m. on Friday, Dec. 7, paramedics responded to a medical call at an Auburn home. They arrived to find a woman in her early 60s dead from at least one gunshot wound, said Sheriff Troy R. Cunningham.

Paramedics summoned police to the scene. Police later located a man at a different location and arrested him, Cunningham said.

The sheriff could not disclose additional details, such as the names of either person.

Michigan State Police troopers are assisting deputies in the ongoing investigation.
SAGINAW, MI  Michigan State Police detectives are investigating whether funds have been embezzled from Saginaw County Animal Control Care Center.

MSP Special 1st Lt. David Kaiser said on Saturday, Dec. 8, that Saginaw County prosecutors in September requested investigators look into some financial transactions at Animal Control.

Kaiser could not give an estimate on how much money is believed to be unaccounted for.

There is a lot of bookkeeping and accounting work there, he said.

Kaiser added the scope of the investigation is limited to embezzlement allegations and there is no indication animals at the facility were mistreated.

Once detectives complete their investigation, their reports will be forwarded to prosecutors for review.
GSK Pharma | Company reported lower profit at Rs 76.5 crore in Q2FY21 compared to Rs 502.7 crore, revenue fell to Rs 879 crore from Rs 882 crore YoY.

The fate of over 3,800 employees of GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare India (GSKCH) hangs in the balance after the company merged with Hindustan Unilever Limited (HUL) in deal valued at $3.8 billion early this week.

Moneycontrol learned from sources that there wouldn't be any rationalisation immediately at GSKCH as the deal may take at least four quarters to get all approvals.

"These are complicated deals. They don't close overnight. We will not leave our people in the lurch, as we have to run the business for next several quarters," said a person with knowledge of the matter.

"When two companies come together, they will of course discuss about human resources, if you see the portfolio of HUL, they are not there in the healthcare drinks. And therefore they don't have the expertise. It's a complete virgin territory for them. For them to understand and have people expertise will be very critical. Am I saying that they will take all of us, the answer is no," said the person quoted above.

Another source within GSKCH said while there may not be too many job cuts in manufacturing, employees in other support functions that have significant overlap may get impacted.

"There is concern among employees, despite assurances of no immediate job cuts," the source said.

Media reports quoted David Redfern, Chief Strategy Officer of GSK, saying that there is no clause in the deal for HUL to retain all GSKCH employees.

HUL declined to comment for the story. An email sent to GSK remained unanswered at the time of publishing this article.

Rationalisation inevitable

Staffing agencies say whenever such large mergers and acquisitions happen, it is inevitable that some people will lose jobs due to duplicity of functions.

Kamal Karanth, Co-Founder of staffing firm Xpheno, said GSK has a weaker presence in north and east, so there the overlap will be limited and so will be the impact on sales.

The roles that will be under scrutiny would be more functional in nature. HR, IT, Procurement, real estate optimisation, sales and marketing is the bread and butter, minimal disruption at mid-managerial and bottom of the pyramid would be expected as they carry the relationships with customers. In large mergers like these, the senior roles at CXO levels will see severance packages doled out like it happened at Vodafone-Idea merger, he added.

Rituparna Chakraborty, Executive Vice President, TeamLease Services, said mergers look at the ability to garner the merit of rationalisation of common resources. But whenever there is a consolidation, this is inevitable. It differs from one company to the other, but it can be avoided if a company takes a long-term view of future expansion."

Separation can be humane

Aditya Narayan Mishra, CEO, CIEL HR Services, says while the separation is inevitable, it can be done in a humane and transparent manner.

Companies holding the kind of reputation that they hold, I expect them to decide fast, communicate clearly and offer a separation process thats not only humane but also reduces the impact of job loss on the specific individuals. This process includes not only financial packages but also emotional support, professional assistance to help the individual find alternate work, Mishra added.

A senior human resource professional whose organisation works with FMCG firms said the actual numbers could be much higher once the actual merger is completed. While for senior level roles that will get redundant, the company could offer an outplacement service, for junior roles it may not be feasible from a cost perspective, he added. In a few organisations, he explained that senior HR heads would give advance to those employees so that they start looking out. Here, he said the company did not do it because it would have caused unnecessary panic.

Another issue is that for entry-level roles, the number of years of experience is also low. So, companies are also unable to make written provisions for them for retention in case of unwarranted business situations that may make their role redundant.

Sunil Goel, Managing Director, GlobalHunt, said in cases of mergers like these, when there is product integration in a merger, the sales and marketing jobs get impacted the most. If an employee completes at least five years in service, the organisation can either look at redeploying them to other roles within the company or even help them find a job, he added.
Indian Institute of Technology (IIT), Madras said it received the highest-ever number of job offers during placements made in its history. As many as 888 offers were made from 195 companies during the Phase I of Campus Placements alone, which concluded on December 8.

The total number of offers, including the 136 Pre-Placement Offers (PPO), stands at 1,024.

The Phase II of Placements will begin in the second half of January 2019. The previous high was during 2014-15 academic year when 1,019 offers, including for MBA, were received. The current years statistics are without MBA.

Around 1,300 students had registered for the campus placements during 2018-19. There were more than 490 job profiles from nearly 326 companies during Phase I of placements, held between December 1-8, 2018. Out of the registered companies, 195 companies visited IIT Madras for recruitment in Phase I.

Including the accepted Pre-Placement Offers (PPOs), a total of 844 students have already been placed at the end of Phase I Placements for 2018-19 Academic Year. This compares favourably with the same time last year (2017-18) when 766 students (114 PPOs) had been placed. The total number of companies in Phase I last year was also 195.

The top recruiters (in terms of job offers) during 2018-19 include:

S.No Company Name No. of Offers 1 Micron Technology, Inc 26 2 Intel Technology India Pvt Ltd 26 3 Microsoft 22 4 Citibank 22 5 Qualcomm 21 6 EY 18 7 L&T Construction 18 8 EXL Analytics 17 9 Flipkart 16 10 GE 14 11 Mahindra & Mahindra Ltd 14 12 American Express 13 13 CSS Corp 13 14 Eaton Technologies Private Limited 13 15 Indus Insights & Analytical Services Pvt. Ltd. 12 16 J.P Morgan Services India Pvt.Ltd 11 17 Oravel Stays Private Limited 10 18 HCL Technologies 10 19 RIVIGO Services Pvt. Ltd. 10 20 ANI TECHNOLOGIES 10 21 Capgemini Technology Services India Pvt ltd 10

Manu Santhanam, Advisor (Placement), IIT Madras, said, We had an excellent Phase I this year  in spite of the reduced duration of only 8 days  which saw us breaching the 1,000 offers mark (including PPOs). The demand for students in the computing and analytics sectors was strong. We expect more core companies to come in Phase II.

A sector-wise break-up of job offers is as follows:
Investors pulled billions from bonds and stocks this week as US bond movements triggered fears over global growth and a trade tussle between the United States and China heated up, strategists at Bank of America Merrill Lynch said on December 7.

This week's selloff was precipitated by the inversion of part of the US yield curve, which has previously been a reliable indicator of an impending recession.

It deepened on December 6 after the chief financial officer of China's Huawei was arrested on a US request, sending markets spiralling further as investors predicted a worsening of relations between the world's two biggest economies.

The anxiety drove investors to pull $5.2 billion from equity funds and $8.1 billion from bond funds, according to EPFR data cited by BAML.

"Markets starting to price in recession, but policymakers yet to price in recession," argued the BAML strategists.

Equity outflows were made up of opposite flows in ETFs and mutual funds, with $5.3 billion driven into ETFs while $10.5 billion was taken out of mutual funds.

But investors were continuing to edge back into emerging market stocks, which saw their eighth week of inflows with $2.7 billion.

This helped push BAML's "Bull & Bear" indicator of market sentiment up from 2.4 to 2.7 - "not yet an extreme bearish reading", BAML strategists said.

The starting point for a fall to lower equity allocations is high, they pointed out, with the world's largest sovereign wealth fund at 67 percent equity allocations.

Hedge funds are still at a net 35 to 40 percent net long, and BAML's fund manager survey shows cash levels under 5 percent.

The global consensus forecast is for 8.3 percent growth in earnings-per-share in 2019, which the strategists said was too high, predicting a "Big Low" in markets next year.

In bond flows investors were pulling out of corporate debt and into government debt, the EPFR data showed.

Some $15 billion flowed into government bond funds over the past eight weeks, while $49 billion flowed out of investment-grade, high-yield, and emerging market debt.

In equity sectors, a building preference for value stocks over growth inverted this week, as tech had its biggest inflows in 11 weeks and financials saw heavy outflows.

Healthcare, tech, energy, and real estate saw inflows while consumer stocks, utilities, and materials saw outflows. Financials were the least preferred with investors pulling $1.3 billion from the sector.
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Equity benchmarks ended the session on a positive note, with the Nifty ending well above 10,650-mark. Financials led the surge, backed by a huge jump in Kotak Mahindra Bank.

Meanwhile, automobiles and consumption names were the big gainers, while the Nifty Midcap ended flat.

At the close of market hours, the Sensex was up 361.12 points or 1.02% at 35673.25, while the Nifty was higher by 92.50 points or 0.87% at 10693.70. The market breadth was negative as 1077 shares advanced, against a decline of 1458 shares, while 155 shares were unchanged.

Investors awaited cues from exit polls of elections in five states.

Here a look at the top 10 stocks which moved the most in the week gone by:

ICICI Lombard General Insurance Company Ltd., up 5.67%

Share price of ICICI Lombard rose over 5 percent for the week. The company has set up a 'virtual company' called ICICI Lombard Digital within the company to spearhead insurance services through a purely digital platform. ICICI Lombard Digital will be a specialised digital arm that cuts across the entire value-chain and leverages partnerships throughout the modern-day internet-ecosystem.

In past one week, it outperformed the market by gaining 14 percent after private equity investor Warburg Pincus sold nearly three percentage point stake in the company through the open market.

Hindustan Unilever, up 4.01%

FMCG major HUL on Monday said its board has approved the merger with GlaxoSmithKline Consumer Healthcare (GSKCH India) through an-all equity deal, valuing the total business of the latter at Rs 31,700 crore. The transaction is an all equity merger with 4.39 shares of HUL being allotted for every share in GSKCH India, which sells consumer healthcare prodcts, including popular drink brand Horlicks. "HUL has reached a definite agreement with GSKCH India in this regard," the company said in a statement.

The stocks also hit new 52-week high of Rs 1854.80 per share on December 5, 2018.

Kotak Mahindra Bank, up 3.07%

Dutch financial major ING on November 15 sold 1.27 crore shares in Kotak Mahindra Bank for a little over Rs 1,440 crore through an open market transaction. ING Mauritius Investments, the investment arm of the Dutch bank, held 3.73 percent, or over 7.11 crore shares in the private lender at the end of September, data available with the stock exchanges showed.

According to a report by CNBC-TV18, Berkshire Hathaway is reportedly in talks to buy a stake in the private sector lender, which is the country's third largest by market capitalisation. Sources told the news channel that Berkshire Hathaway wants to buy at least 10 percent in Kotak Mahindra Bank and is looking to invest $4-6 billion, but that it has not decided to go through with the investment as yet.

However, the bank has informed the exchanges that it is unaware of any plans by Warren Buffett-owned Berkshire Hathaway to buy a stake in it.

Wipro, up 2.66%

Shares of IT major Wipro gained close to 3 percent for the week as the company and Alfresco expanded partnership to offer open source based digital transformation capabilities. Earlier this week the stock hit new 52-week high hitting the level of Rs 341 per share.

Infosys, up 2.3%

IT major Infosys added 2 percent for the week. On Thursday it announced inauguration of its new technology and innovation hub in Hartford in the US. The company also announced that it has hired more than 7,000 American workers in the last 18 months as a part of its ongoing commitment to accelerate the pace of digital innovation for American enterprises.

"The Hartford hub...will help Infosys work more closely with its clients in the region and will serve as the global Hub for Infosys' InsurTech and HealthTech efforts. The hub will feature living labs for the future of insurance, the future of healthcare and the future of manufacturing amongst others," Infosys said in a BSE filing.

Adani Ports, up 2.13%

Adani Ports rose 2 percent last week. Continued growth in export-import volumes for India and improving profits of shipping lines bode well for the Indian logistics ecosystem, according to Kotak Institutional Equities. The brokerage believes private port operators are better placed to capture the upside than container train operators. Kotak advised buying Adani Ports with a target price at Rs 390 as it believes that the company is better placed to benefit from the uptick in gateway and trans-shipment volumes.

Top losers

Sun Pharma, down 16.51%

Shares of pharma major Sun Pharma tanked over 16 percent for the week gone by related to overhang of corporate governance issues. Snalysts tracking the company said they still havent got full clarity on Rs 2,242 crore loans advanced to employees and others, and the benefit of the arrangement with the promoter-owned Aditya Medisales.

Investors are also concerned about a potential investigation by the stock market regulator the Securities and Exchange Board of India (SEBI) on a complaint by a whistleblower. The company said it hasnt received any communication from SEBI.

Sun Pharma has been trying to restore investor confidence, after a scathing note by Australian brokerage firm Macquarie and a whistleblower complaint to SEBI last week. The drug maker's stock has since dropped to one-fifth of its value.

Mahindra & Mahindra, down 8.83%

Mahindra and Mahindra November tractor sales missed estimates and the company acquired Carnation brand. The company said it has sold 25,949 units of tractors in November, higher by 13 percent compared to 22,994 units sold in same month last year. Domestic tractor sales increased 18 percent year-on-year to 25,159 units, but exports dropped 54 percent to 790 units in the month of November YoY.

Ashok Leyland, down 8.41%

Ashok Leyland shares declined as global brokerage house maintained its sell call on the stock after November sales data. The research house expects thestock to fall by 6.7 percent to hit a target price at Rs 100 as it sees significant downside risks to estimates if weakness continues. Citi expects commercial

vehicle (CV) sales to peak in FY20, with FY21 being a down-year.

Ashok Leyland sold 13,121 units in November 2018, lower by 9 percent compared to 14,457 units sold in same month last year. Sales were below analysts' expectations. Japanese brokerage firm Nomura had expected the company to sell 14,300 units in November.

Steel Authority of India, down 7.78%

Shares of steel firm Streel Authority of India (SAIL) were down for the week after global investment firm Citi downgraded the stock and cut price target. The research firm said steel prices should normalise in 2019 as demand in world's second largest economy China will slow down to negative 0.4 percent next year against 3 percent growth in current calendar year.

The brokerage house decided to downgrade SAIL to sell from neutral with target of Rs 40 per share.
This week was an interesting one for the technology industry in India, with the US making an important change to the way H-1B visas are granted and HCL Technologies making the largest-ever acquisition by an Indian IT company on Friday.

Fresh H-1B visa woes for techies

Last Saturday, the US immigration agency said it will require applicants of H-1B visa to register electronically instead of sending physical copies. It also said foreigners studying in the US will have a better chance of getting H-1B visas.

While the move is expected to have a negative impact on the Indian technology services industry, which has for long been a beneficiary of the H-1B work visa programme, it is likely to be an opening for Indians studying higher degrees in the US, experts Moneycontrol spoke to said.

NIIT Tech and MindTree in the news for reported stake sales

NIIT Technologies promoters were reported to be considering a stake sale and considering an exit from the mid-size IT firm, according to a report in the business paper The Economic Times.

Among private equity funds, the company has reportedly sounded out Bain Capital, Blackstone, Carlyle, Apax Partners and Advent for the purpose, ET reported. NIIT Technologies, however, denied the report and called it unsubstantiated.

The business paper Mint reported that another mid-sized firm, MindTrees largest investor and Cafe Coffee Day founder VG Siddhartha and a few other large shareholders are looking to sell their stake.

The company has previously denied similar reports but MindTree chairman told Mint that financial investors have the prerogative to monetise their stake based on their individual priorities.

Indian smartphone users set to double in five years

Cisco released a study that found that the number of smartphone users in India is expected to double to 829 million by 2022 from 404.1 million in 2017.

The growth in data consumption is complemented by the growing number of connected devices which is expected to go up to 2.2 billion by 2022 from 1.6 billion in 2017. A large part of this will come from smartphones, growing at an annual rate of 15 percent.

Cisco's Visual Networking Index (VNI) said the trend was visible from the data consumption trends in India, where Internet networks are expected to carry 646 petabytes of data per day by 2022, up from 108 petabytes of data per day in 2017.

HCL Technologies in the news-signs biggest ever deal by Indian IT firm worth $1.8 bln

On Friday, the company made the largest ever acquisition by an Indian IT firm- worth $1.8 billion- to buy seven products from IBM.

The two companies also have a long standing IP-partnership for five of the products acquired.

The deal, however, failed to enthuse investors as the market awaits greater clarity on the contours of the deal.

The stock fell as much as 7.6 percent after the deal announcement on Friday.

Analysts and industry watchers feel HCL will have to add significant capacity to be able to sell these products without the IBM banner.

Separately, HCL Technologies Australia head Michael Horton told Moneycontrol that the company is open to acquisitions and partnering with local companies in the region.

YouTubes annual trends report revealed that music, comedy, food/recipes, continued to grow in 2018, while learning and education, beauty, DIY [Do-It-Yourself] and dance emerged as the fastest growing verticals with many new subcategories.

Emerging and well-known YouTube stars made it big in the year's Top Trending Videos list, and it was found that 71 percent of online video viewers go first to YouTube to watch videos to learn something.

Ads and Bollywood videos also got major viewership on the video hosting platform.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 7)  Some of Bong Revilla's former colleagues in the Senate are divided on the Sandiganbayan's decision to acquit him of plunder charges in relation to the pork barrel scam.

Senate President Tito Sotto said he is happy with the court's decision, which will boost Revilla's campaign to return to the Senate.

"Its a booster to his candidacy," he said.

Senator Gringo Honasan believes the acquittal of the former senator is a breath of fresh air for lawmakers facing similar charges, like him.

Honasan is facing graft charges due to the scam.

"To me that it can allow us to move forward, move on na tayo [we can move on] as long as these two conditions are met: rule of the law and due process," Honasan said.

Senator Dick Gordon said the major takeaway from the anti-graft court's decision is that funds intended for government purpose should not be pocketed by senators.

Gordon said the pork barrel scam gave the Priority Development Assistance Fund a bad name, and affected a number of people in the province who need help but are not attended to by the national government.

"Kasi yun ang problema dyan, nagkakaroon ng interest ang mga congressmen, mga senator," Gordon said. "That is not the intention."

[Translation: The problem there is that congressmen and senators take interest in the funds, they take charge of the projects. That is not the intention.]

Gordon said government must be transparent on the disbursement and appropriation of these funds.

"I think we have to review the whole system, all over again. Pork barrel is not unique to Filipinos it is elsewhere. Reason for that is equalization of opportunity in term sof getting investment," he said.

Senator Ping Lacson, who has been a strong advocate against pork since his first senatorial term in 2001, said he is on the fence about the ruling.

"As a former colleague and friend, I am happy for ex-Sen. Bong Revilla. As a strong advocate against the pork barrel system, I feel weak and defeated," Lacson said in a message.

But as an incumbent senator, Lacson added he respects the court's ruling as it has "better appreciation of the evidence."

Senator Sherwin Gatchalian echoed Lacson's respect for the court ruling, saying Revilla can now have a chance to continue his public service.

"At for Senator Revilla, of course magkakaroon na siya ngayon ng panahon para ipagpatuloy yung kanyang gustong ipagpatuloy lalo na pagdating sa pagbibigay serbisyo sa publiko," he said.

[Translation: And for Senator Revilla, this will give him time to continue with what he wants to pursue, most especially public service.]

Opposition senator Francis "Kiko" Pangilinan is not pleased with the ruling.

"Paano naging guilty ang nanuhol pero not guilty ang sinuhulan? Mahirap unawain ang naging pasya," Pangilinan said, as alleged pork scam mastermind Janet Lim Napoles and Revilla's staff Richard Cambe were found guilty.

[Translation: How would the briber be guilty and yet the one bribed is not? It's hard to understand the decision.]

Pangilinan added the P124.5 million ordered to be returned from all those accused is a huge sum of money.

"Ang pinababalik na P124 million ay makakapagpasweldo ng 248,000 na minimum wage earner sa isang araw," he said.

[Translation: The P124 million can give wages to 248,000 minimum wage earners in a day.]

The verdict comes more than four years after the Ombudsman filed Revilla's plunder case, and is the first to be resolved among dozens of cases involving lawmakers' Priority Development Assistance Fund (PDAF). Revilla was accused of amassing P224.5 million-worth of kickbacks from Napoles when he was a senator.

Palace abides by Sandiganbayan ruling

Malacanang, in a statement Friday, said they are bowing to the Sandiganbayan's judgement.

"We have consistently respected the independence of the Judiciary and we will continue to do so in this case as we implement the final orders of the anti-graft court on the matter," Presidential Spokesperson Sal Panelo said in a statement.

Panelo added concerned or aggrieved parties may seek legal remedies.

He said the administration has taken note of lessons and issues involving public funds, and that government has implemented measures to ensure the integrity of the national budget.

Congress is current deliberating on the 2019 budget, where some senators decry the presence of pork barrel anew.
USA and China

The US International Trade Commission said on December 7 it made a final determination that American producers were being harmed by imports of common alloy aluminum sheet products from China, a finding that locks in duties on the products.

The ITC determination means that duties ranging from 96.3 percent to 176.2 percent previously announced by the US Commerce Department would be put in place for five years.

The department said last month the products were being subsidized and dumped in the US market.

The decision marked the first time that final duties were issued in a trade remedy case initiated by the US government since 1985. Usually, trade cases are launched based on a complaint from a U.S. producer or group of producers.

The Trump administration has promised a more aggressive approach to trade enforcement by having the department launch more anti-dumping and anti-subsidy cases on behalf of private industry.

There were contrasting reactions from trade organizations for aluminum producers and the recreational boating industry to the ITC move.

The decision "provides much-needed certainty and confidence to U.S. common alloy sheet producers, allowing them to invest, grow, and add jobs to the US economy," Aluminum Association President and Chief Executive Heidi Brock said in a statement.

The National Marine Manufacturers Association criticized the measure and urged the administration to "to back off their tariffs first trade policy."

"Boat builders are seeing a 30 to 40 percent price increase for aluminum sheet, even though the vast majority source the material domestically. In addition, the compounding tariffs on Chinese aluminum sheet have strained the global supply, making it difficult for our industry to find enough aluminum sheet to keep up with manufacturing demand," it said.

In 2017, imports of common alloy aluminum sheet from China were valued at an estimated $900 million. The flat-rolled product is used in transportation, building and construction, infrastructure, electrical and marine applications.

US aluminum industry firms, including Aleris Corp, Arconic Inc and Constellium NV, testified in the case last year about what they termed a surge in "low-priced, unfairly traded imports."
Preturile mondiale ale alimentelor au scazut in noiembrie pana la cel mai redus nivel din ultimii doi ani, conduse de declinul uleiurilor vegetale, lactatelor si cerealelor, a anuntat Agentia Natiunilor Unite pentru Alimentatie (FAO), informeaza Mediafax. Indicele preturilor la alimente FAO, care masoara modificarile lunare pentru un cos de cereale, oleaginoase, produse lactate, carne si zahar, a a scazut la 160,8 puncte luna trecuta, in scadere fata de 162,9 puncte in octombrie si cel mai redus nivel din mai 2016. In noiembrie, doar indicele preturilor la zahar a crescut, cu 4,4% fata de luna octombrie, a precizat FAO.

Indicele preturilor la cereale a inregistrat in SUA o medie de aproape 164 de puncte in luna noiembrie, in scadere cu 1,1% fata de luna octombrie. Preturile uleiului vegetal au scazut pentru a 10-a luna consecutiv, cu 7,6% in noiembrie, la minimul a 12 ani. Preturile la cereale s-au redus antrenate de evolutiile de pe piata orezului si a porumbului si a concurentei in crestere la export. Pretul uleiului de palmier s-a diminuat considerabil, alimentat atat de stocurile mari din tarile exportatoare importante. Soia si floarea-soarelui au resimtit recolta abundenta din SUA, UE si mai multe piete emergente si perspectivele pozitive de productie in regiunea Marii Negre. Preturile produselor lactate au scazut cu 3,3% fata de luna octombrie, al saselea declin lunar.

FAO a anuntat ca productia globala de cereale in 2018/19 a fost de 2,595 miliarde de tone, in scadere usoara fata de prognoza anterioara si cu 2.4% sub productia record de anul trecut. Prognoza FAO pentru productia mondiala de grau in 2018/19 a fost de 725,1 milioane de tone, cu 2,8 milioane de tone mai mica decat prognoza anterioara, reflectand estimarile reduse pentru recoltele din acest an in Turcia si in Federatia Rusa, a declarat FAO. Prognoza FAO pentru stocurile mondiale de cereale la finele sezonului agricol, in 2019, este de 762 milioane de tone, neschimbata din noiembrie.
Regia Nationala a Padurilor - Romsilva vinde, cu ocazia Craciunului, peste 65.000 de pomi, din care 53.040 sunt din specia brad, iar 12.610 sunt din specia molid sau alte specii rasinoase. Preturile ajung pana la 35 de lei bucata, informeaza Mediafax. "Din totalul de 65.650 de pomi, 26.170 sunt puieti ornamentali pentru Craciun proveniti din pepiniere proprii, iar 39.480 din culturi dedicate sub culoarele electrice, unde pot fi plantati doar pomi pentru Craciun, sau din lucrari silvice de ingrijire a padurilor, adica din extragerea arborilor tineri din culturi cu desime excesiva", se arata intr-un comunicat Romsilva.

Potrivit sursei citate, pomii de Craciun pot fi cumparati din pepinierele silvice cu radacina protejata sau direct in ghiveci, pentru a putea fi replantati dupa sezonul Sarbatorilor de iarna. "Cei mai multi puieti ornamentali pentru Craciun provin din pepinierele silvice ale Directiilor Silvice Suceava, cu 6.800 de pomi, Ilfov, cu 5.600, si Prahova, cu 3.400 de puieti ornamentali. Preturile de vanzare variaza intre 15 si 35 de lei, in functie de specie si inaltime, pentru pomii de Craciun recoltati in urma lucrarilor silvice, si intre 20 si 360 de lei pentru pomii de Craciun proveniti din pepinierele Romsilva, in functie de dimensiuni si conditiile de livrare", mai transmite Romsilva.

Reprezentantii Romsilva au precizat ca pomii sunt de obicei cumparati de persoane juridice (firme) care vand ulterior brazii in piete. De asemenea, pomii pot fi cumparati si de persoanele fizice.
December 07, 2018

Neocons Sabotage Trump's Trade Talks - Huawei CFO Taken Hostage To Blackmail China

CNN reports that White House chief of staff John Kelly is expected to resign soon. There have been similar rumors before, but this time the news may actually be true. That is bad for Trump and U.S. policies. Kelly is one a the few counterweights to national security advisor John Bolton. His replacement will likely be whoever Bolton chooses. That will move contFrol over Trump policies further into the hands of the neo-conservatives.

It was Bolton who a week ago intentionally damaged U.S. relations with China.

The U.S. Justice Department arranged for Canada to arrest the chief financial officer of Huawei, Meng Wanzhou, over alleged U.S. sanctions violations with regards to Iran. The case is not over the sanction Trump recently imposed, but over an alleged collision with the sanction regime before the nuclear deal with Iran. The details are still unknown.

Meng Wanzhou is a daughter of the founder and main owner of Huawei, Ren Zhengfei, and was groomed to be his successor. The company is extremely well regarded in China. It is one of its jewel pieces and, with 170,000 employees and $100 billion in revenues, an important political actor.

The arrest on December 1 happened while president Trump was negotiating with president Xi of China about trade relations. Trump did not know about the upcoming arrest but Bolton was informed of it:

While the Justice Department did brief the White House about the impending arrest, Mr. Trump was not told about it. And the subject did not come up at the dinner with Mr. Xi. Mr. Trumps national security adviser, John R. Bolton, said on NPR that he knew about the arrest in advance, ..

Bolton surely should have informed Trump before his dinner with Xi, in which Bolton took part, but he didn't.

It was a trap. The arrest is a public slap in the face of China and to Xi personally. It will not be left unanswered. Whatever Trump may have agreed upon with Xi is now worthless. John Bolton intentionally sabotaged the talks and the U.S. relations with China.

Huawei is Chinese manufacturer of telecommunication equipment. It is the world leader in 5G wireless technology that will soon replace the wireless networks we know today with much higher data capacities, faster response times and many new features.

After Huawei was founded in 1987 it copied technology from Cisco and other U.S. manufacturers. Today it is a technology power of its own. It is one of the leading inventor in the 5G field and over the last years filed thousands of patents related to it. Its success in the field is genuinely self made:

With 5G, Chinese companies started developing know-how early. Huawei has invested $600 million in 5G research since 2009, according to a company spokesman, and has committed an additional $800 million for this year. The company is testing 5G equipment with European telecom operators including BT, Deutsche Telekom and Vodafone. As of early 2017, 10 percent of the 1,450 patents essential for 5G networks were in Chinese hands, according to analysts with Jefferies, who wrote that they expected the figure to rise. That number includes intellectual property rights held by Huawei; another Chinese equipment maker, ZTE; and others.

Huawei's share in 5G patents has since risen further. Right now it is the only true 5G supplier that can build a complete network.

The company is still depending on computer chips manufactured in Singapore, Taiwan and the United States. But Huawei and other Chinese companies are now investing in their own chip manufacturing technology. They plan to use the 7 nanometer process which only few other companies in the world provide. Huawei is also investing in qantum computing.

The December 1 arrest of Meng Wanzhou and a number of other incidents on that day gave raise to a number of interesting conspiracy theories in the Chinese web sphere (via Peter Lee, links added):

Red @OmeletteRed - 19:09 utc- 6 Dec 2018 A great explanation of the Huawei Kidnapping, written by a comrade in the Deng Gang Central discord. There may be a lot more than meets the eye in Canadas shock arrest, at US behest, of Huaweis CFO and heir apparent Meng Wanzhou (link below). Chinese sources have assembled the following facts: April 2017: A director of Chinese tech giant Huawei personally escorted famed Shanghai-born physicist Zhang Shoucheng from the latters hotel in Shenzhen. Jackson & Wood Professor of Physics at Stanford University, Zhang was in town to attend an IT summit.

Sept. 2018: Prof. Zhang receives a European physics award, one of his many honors. His work in quantum physics is expected to revolutionize the global semiconductor industry. Yang Zhenning, the first Chinese scientist to receive the Nobel Physics Prize (1957), had predicted that Zhang would be the next one.

Dec. 1, 2018: Prof. Zhang and Meng Wanzhou are expected to attend a dinner in Argentina, where the G20 summit is being held.

Dec. 1, 2018: On her way there, Meng is arrested in transit by the Canadian government.

Dec. 1, 2018: Prof. Zhang falls to his death from a building in the US, allegedly a suicide. Said to be suffering from depression, he was 55.

Dec. 1, 2018: A nighttime fire breaks out at a factory of Hollands ASML, the worlds leading manufacturer of extreme ultraviolet (EUV) lithography technology. EUV is crucial to the production of the next generation of semi-conductors, which US and Chinese tech firms as well as Koreas Samsung are competing to be first to bring to market. Leading Chinese semiconductor producer SMIC is known to have ordered EUV technology worth US$120 million from ASML, for scheduled delivery early in 2019. After the fire, ASML announced that it expected delays in shipments of its products, notably early 2019.

Prof. Zhang was also a venture capitalist. He was a founding partner of a Silicon Valley-based fund investing primarily in early-stage technologies. Danhua Capital, also known as Digital Horizon Capital, holds shares in Silicons Valleys start-ups who work on artificial intelligence, cybersecurity, and drones. Danhua is backed by Zhongguancun Development Group, a state-owned entity funded by the Beijing municipal government. The company has come under scrutiny of the Committee on Foreign Investment in the United States (CFIUS) which suspects (pdf) that its purpose is to pilfer critical U.S. know how and to transfer it to China.

Zhang's family says that his death had nothing to do with U.S.-China tensions.

The U.S. spy services and military do not like Huawei. They can no longer easily hack the equipment it sells. Convincing Cisco or some other U.S. company to leave back doors in their equipment is quite simple. One can always threaten the management or board of these companies with some tax investigation or over other shady activities. That is not so easy when the company is hosted in China. It requires the NSA and others to use more expensive efforts to reach their aim:

The National Security Agency breached Huawei servers years ago in an effort to investigate its operations and its ties to Chinese security agencies and the military, and to create back doors so the National Security Agency could roam in networks around the globe wherever Huawei equipment was used.

The U.S. is lobbying various countries not to use Huawei equipment. It claims that the Chinese government could use it for spying. That thought was obviously born when the U.S. spies looked at what they are doing themselves. Australia, New Zealand and Japan already agreed to keep Huawei out. Today the EU tech commissioner Andrus Ansip also warned of using Huawei. Ansip was previously the prime minister of the U.S. protectorate of Estonia. He is known to be a U.S. mole and is not taken too seriously:

Germany, meanwhile, said it opposed excluding any manufacturers from the planned construction of 5G mobile networks.

Meng Wanzhou, the arrested Huawei CFO, will have her bail hearing in Canada today. It is likely that she will fight her extradition to the United States. Staying in full compliance with U.S. sanctions is difficult and Huawei may indeed have not always done so. Then again - U.S. allegations of sanction violations can always be made up from hot air.

They are certainly not the real reason why Meng Wanzhou has come under fire. The White House even admitted such.

Meng Wanzhou was taken hostage to be used as leverage in China trade talks. The 'leverage' could also be used to push Huawei into providing the NSA with back doors to its equipment. This is the policy style of Somali pirates or Saudi clown princes. The ruthlessness of this blackmail operation is breath taking. It is typical of neo-conservative behavior to use such extreme measures. Trump's foreign policy is run by neo-conservatives and they are again, like when they faked intelligence to lay the grounds to invade Iraq, creating huge damage:

Melania was right when she told an interviewer in Africa that her husband is surrounded by enemies within his administration. These are people who either opposed him during the 2016 campaign season or who signed up early in the campaign with an expectation that they could get jobs in a Trump Administration and in both cases understood that a president not accustomed to thinking seriously about other than business hustle could be manipulated or deceived in pursuit of their own agenda rather than his or that of the "deplorables." These people are the neocon incubi and succubi who seek an even more dominant hegemonic role in the world for the US. They are out and out imperialists of a kind not seen since the time of McKinley and the US-Filipino War.

...

Bolton, Pompeo, his new helpmate Mary Kissel, dozens and dozens of Obama globalist holdovers, and people who find Trump's boorish ways repulsive, they all are undermining the administration from within and Trump does nothing about it.

...

Is Trump competent in such matters as tax policy, regulatory reform and trade negotiations? I think he is, but he is allowing the neocons to destroy the possibility of rational political relations in Europe and the Middle East.

... and with China.

William Barr was just nominated as the new Attorney General. He already had that position during the G.W. Bush administration and believes in the 'unitary executive', the dictatorship of executive power. Kelly is leaving. Bolton and Pompeo have Trump's ear and will manipulate him into selecting one of their friends as Kelly's replacement. Secretary of Defense Mattis is the next one to get kicked out. When all of Bolton's selected persons are in place, U.S. foreign policy will become even more radical than it already is.

Taking the CFO of one of China's premier companies hostage to gain control over its technology and as leverage in trade talks is already an extreme measure which will have long term damaging effects on U.S.-China relations. Imagine what else can be done when the little that is left of lawful behavior and decency in U.S. foreign policy gets completely thrown out.

Posted by b on December 7, 2018 at 19:00 UTC | Permalink

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Merced County, CA  While Tuolumne County Sheriffs Deputies helped nab one of the suspects soon after a Snelling home invasion last week that erupted in gunfire and wounded two, his alleged accomplices were not captured until this week.

The armed robbery happened in the early morning hours on November 28, at a home in the 7000 Block of Merced Falls Road. Merced County Sheriffs officials have released new information regarding the break-in noting that there were four suspects, all wearing` ski masks and armed with firearms. As earlier reported here, the homeowner and one of the suspects struggled over a gun that went off. Detectives now detail that the homeowner was shot in the shoulder. Then one of the victims grabbed the gun and fired several shots at the suspects shooting at least one of the suspects in the shoulder, according to investigators.

That suspect, Nickolas Dunn, was arrested by Tuolumne County Sheriffs Deputies later that day after the thieves fled the scene together. Deputies found Dunn at a home in La Grange where he went for help after her was dumped on the side of the road in the La Grange area.

Since then, Merced Sheriffs detectives have been investigating and seeking the three still on the run. Their manhunt ended this week when the suspects, Max Macen, Joseph Fudge, and the get-a-way driver Kathleen Hanshew, where all arrested.

Macen and Hanshew were taken into custody after a short pursuit in Modesto on Monday (Dec. 3), according to Merced Sheriffs officials. Both face home invasion robbery charges. Macen is also charged with assault with a firearm and a parole violation.

Two days later (Dec. 5), Fudge, who had a gunshot wound to his lower back, was arrested by detectives in Montana. It is unclear if that injury is linked to this incident. Fudge is pending extradition back to California to face charges of home invasion robbery and assault with a firearm.
PLAINVIEW -- Keylynn Boyce vividly remembers rounding the hallway at Harral Memorial Auditorium as a freshman and catching a glimpse of the portraits of smiling young women in tiaras and the exhibit of historic photos.

"God spoke to me in that moment and said you will compete in this and win. I thought, 'That's exciting,' but I was scared. I felt like it was something to do later when you've had more time at Wayland," says Keylynn, a senior from Killeen. "I gave myself a few years to be present on campus and get involved and serving the community."

At that point, Keylynn said she signed up to compete in the Miss Wayland Baptist University pageant held Nov. 17 and came away the winner, earning the right to represent her school for the coming year. As Miss Wayland 2019, she says the role means way more than a crown: it's a lifestyle.

"I have put my heart and soul into everything I've done the past three years here, and I was going to do at Miss Wayland that as well. It's been pretty surreal. It makes me feel like I'm doing exactly what I'm supposed to be doing," she says. "When I first came I was pretty lost and not really sure what God had for me, and this place has helped me determine what my destiny could be."

Keylynn is honest about her next steps after graduation in May 2019. She'd love to travel overseas and perhaps teach English for a few years in Shanghai or Thailand, having visited China with speech professor Dr. Yahui Zhang and developing an affinity for the country she never imagined. Or she may go directly to graduate school pursuing a doctorate in communications with a plan to teach and start her own speech and debate team at another university.

In either instance, she'll be doing something she truly loves and found as her calling while here at Wayland. A communications major and Christian leadership minor, Keylynn first came to WBU after auditioning for the musical theatre program at the urging of sister Kierra, who was already a student at Wayland and wrestled during her time here. But soon after arriving on campus, she knew those days on the theatre stage were done and she dove into another area she'd enjoyed at Pflugerville's Hendrickson High School where she graduated.

"I loved theatre and music, and they exposed me to another world of public speaking and expression," she says, noting that she was particularly drawn to what speech teams called "Program of Oral Interpretation," which allows competitors to weave ideas and mediums together with a single theme. In common lingo, it's known as spoken word and has become a popular medium of expression. Keylynn has written many original pieces, so it was no surprise she chose it for her Miss Wayland talent competition.

"I love the vulnerability that I have to put myself in. I feel like at smaller schools it's often professional and you maintain an image. But in my spoken word I am able to really be myself and say things I haven't been able to say before. It allowed me to be my authentic self and get comfortable with my body and myself and be more confident," she says.

Keylynn's pieces often weave her strong faith in God into the message, such as overcoming adversity, controlling one's emotions, finding joy from within. She earned a third place trophy at the Texas Intercollegiate Forensics Association's state tournament in early November for one of her presentations, and she placed first in dramatic interpretation.

But perhaps her greatest pride comes from being able to help start the Forensics Union at Wayland during her time here. As a freshman, Boyce approached Dr. Tim Doty, her mentor and speech professor, with the idea to start a speech team, and he jumped at the chance to have a student help. When Anita Salazar joined as the second member, she brought connections to other schools that helped WBU network and get plugged into the greater community.

The Wayland team hosted a high school speech and debate tournament in November 2015 and have repeated that each year, with another coming in January 2019. Since the Wayland team is still small, they've relied on community volunteers to help with the hosting duties. Those opportunities presented challenges but Keylynn said they have all resulted in growth.

"Wayland really fosters relationships, and when you find mentors that are dedicated to your success it gives you an opportunity to do things we might not be able to do," she says. "We know how to stretch our resources and make things work for us."

Keylynn is the third of five children born to her parents and three long-time foster sisters. Her father works in business management in Killeen and her mother works in foster care.

"I get my witty personality and charisma from both of them," she laughs. "I had a great family life and had everything I needed and so much more than I deserve. I was super blessed."
A craft beer bar in the Stone Oak area, formerly known as Claude Hopper's, is on the market for $120,000.

The fully-furnished bar is located at the intersection of Blanco and Huebner roads in a densely populated area with plenty of rooftops, according to its sale listing on the Restaurant Realty Group website. It comes with indoor seating for 47 and outdoor seating for an additional 35.

"The owner invested over $400,000 on the Furniture, Fixtures and Equipment...and created one of the most attractive beer bars in San Antonio," the listing says. "This is a great opportunity to purchase a complete, turnkey beer bar at a fraction of the cost to build one."

Up until about four weeks ago, according to Restaurant Realty Group Founder Van Rinn, the location was home to Claude Hoppers, a small, independent, traditional craft beer bar with 48 beers on tap (and plenty more bottled), wine, a small food menu and a laid-back environment.

RELATED: List: Restaurants and bars that opened in San Antonio this year

In early September, around the same time the location was put on the market, Claude Hoppers announced on social media it would be changing to an events venue available for rent. It didnt make any additional announcements about closing and hasnt posted since.

The 1,800-square-foot interior includes audio, surveillance and point of sale systems, menu boards, custom wooden floors, murals, multiple types of seating and neon signs in addition to the bar and taps.

The back of the house has a small kitchen with two walk-in coolers, shelves, conveyor ovens and a small vent hood, prep tables, a three-compartment sink and a water heater. Outside, flowers and a wooden water wheel decorate the patio. Iron patio tables and chairs are covered with bright red umbrellas and red-and-white-striped seat cushions.

Interested buyers can learn more about the listing on the Restaurant Realty Group website.

S. M. Chavey is a breaking news and general assignment writer. Read her on our breaking news site, mySA.com and on our subscriber site, ExpressNews.com | sarah.chavey@express-news.net | @smchavey
Do you like mayo or mustard inside your discolored sandwich? Probably not, but that's just one of the unsanitary conditions noted by San Antonio health inspectors during this week's health reports.

Area restaurants were also found with violations such as dead roaches, old fries and no toilet paper inside a restroom and a troubling lack of soap at handwashing sinks.

To make the Express-News' list of dirtiest restaurants, an establishment must score 89 or below  or anything less than an "A"  during a random city health inspection over the past week.

FIND OUT FIRST: Get San Antonio breaking news directly to your inbox

Click through the slideshow above to see which San Antonio restaurants were cited by health inspectors this week, and what they were given demerits for.

The San Antonio Express-News examines hundreds of restaurant inspections each week conducted by the San Antonio Food and Environment Services division to bring you the eateries with scores of 89 or below.

Restaurants are graded on a 100-point system where "100" is a perfects score, and demerits are based upon the number of violations found during a regular food establishment inspection. There are three categories of demerits and each is assigned a demerit score of 3, 2, 1 points, according to the health division.

LAST WEEK'S INSPECTIONS: November 30, 2018

Scores and demerits listed are only representatives of the state of the restaurant at the time of the inspection and establishments are surveyed at random.

If you have questions about inspections or complaints about a food establishment, contact the Metropolitan Health District office by calling 3-1-1 or 210-207-6000. Be prepared to provide the name, location, date of incident and details of the incident.

Candice.Garcia@express-news.net
She had been strangled to death with a Tesco Bag for Life.

Mitesh Patel told police he had gone out to buy a pizza the night of May 14 when he came home to find his wife, Jessica, lying motionless in the living room. The plastic reusable shopping bag, named for a local grocery store, was deformed and dotted with Jessica's saliva. Duct tape was wrapped around her wrists and ankles and covered her mouth. And at first, Patel told the emergency operator, he didn't know if she was alive or dead.

"Oh hiya," he began on the emergency call, obtained by The Washington Post, from their home in Middlesbrough, in northeast England on the River Tees. "I think we've been burgled and my wife's been attacked."

The house, he said, had been ransacked. Clothes were thrown all over the floor in the couple's bedroom. The contents of every drawer and every shelf - papers, purses, makeup - appeared strewn haphazardly across the room.

But when police and paramedics arrived, the whole scene struck them as bizarre.

They found no evidence of forced entry. Patel's home was equipped with a security camera yet, oddly, they found the hard drive tucked into a suitcase underneath the bed and learned later that the tape had been cut just minutes before they arrived. In Patel's bedroom dresser, they found a single overturned photograph underneath the lining. It was of Patel and another man - who police would soon learn was at the center of everything.

The man in the photograph was an Australian doctor whom Patel met on Grindr, a dating app for gay men. His extramarital affairs with men he met on the app was perhaps his worst-kept secret. At the neighborhood pharmacy that he and his wife owned, coworkers would often find him scrolling through potential hookups behind the counter when she wasn't there. She would find out eventually herself, finding his "love you x" messages to the Australian doctor on his phone.

And police, too, would soon find all of them.

"Like you said, she's a leaseholder," Patel told his boyfriend in one message, comparing his wife to a short-term renter in their relationship, according to live coverage of the trial in the local newspaper Teesside Live. "One day that lease will expire."

On Tuesday, Patel was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum of 30 years for killing his wife so he could run off to Australia and start a new life with his Grindr lover. Prosecutors say he planned to cash in on $2.27 million (2 million euros) in life insurance policies taken out on his wife, and that he had been plotting her murder for more than five years. He had waited so long, prosecutors contended, because he was hoping in the meantime she would become pregnant and give birth to a baby - whom Patel planned to raise with his boyfriend.

"What are your thoughts if she goes earlier than you think?" Patel asked the boyfriend in text messages cited in court, referring to the hypothetical death of his wife. "Will you love it like your own?"

"I can love it," the doctor responded, "as long as there isn't anyone else involved."

Jessica never got pregnant, but could have. At the time of her death, she had been undergoing in vitrio fertilization treatment. When Patel took the stand, prosecutors suggested that perhaps Patel had thought, "you have the eggs and the embryos, you don't need Jess anymore."

"Did that cross your mind?" one prosecutor asked.

"No, it did not," Patel said.

Patel and Jessica had known each other since childhood, prosecutors detailed during the trial. The two of them grew up in the same Hindu community in West Yorkshire and later reconnected as adults while they were both studying at a university in Leicester. Patel was Jessica's first boyfriend, prosecutors said, and in 2008, Patel asked her father for his permission to marry her. The father said no, then changed his mind.

The couple ran a popular neighborhood pharmacy once profiled in Teesside Live as "giving more than just medication." It was the "heart of the suburb," the paper said.

But eventually, Patel's Grindr use, as well as his long evening phone calls with the Australian boyfriend, became a deep source of tension in their marriage, prosecutors said. In one text-message exchange in July 2017, the couple grappled with whether to go through with Jessica's IVF cycles if Patel was going to continue being dishonest about his Grindr relationships.

"Those texts and images tell me a different story to what you're saying," Jessica told him. "I did say you'll be forgiven. I want to be a mother and always have felt that since I got married. To have my own little family was my dream. I think it would be right to cancel for now."

"I think you're mad," Patel responded. "You can forgive me but I won't forgive you for this."

Patel's search history on his computer, prosecutors said, showed what he had in mind when he told Jessica they would be "parting ways" should she decide not to go through with IVF.

Among his searches: "I need to kill my wife," "plot to kill wife, why do I need co-conspirators," "does life insurance pay if you are murdered," and "Hindu funeral for a married woman." On YouTube, he watched a video titled, "how long does it take for a person to die from strangulation?"

Patel's DNA was found beneath his wife's fingernails. His neck was red with scratches when police arrived on the night of the murder, and no one else's DNA besides hers and her husband's was found on or near her body. Her voicebox had been crushed, her neck bruised just below the ears. Defense counsel suggested that perhaps an intruder was wearing latex gloves, leaving no trace of his attack.

But what Patel couldn't explain was the 42 minutes unaccounted for in his alibi.

That's where his iPhone Health app came in.

Patel claimed he last saw his wife alive before he went for a "long walk," paid a visit to the pharmacy and picked up a pizza. At 7:44 p.m., just before Patel was captured on video leaving his house, Jessica's Health app recorded 14 steps - the last movement it would measure. Once Patel left the home, her iPhone recorded no movement whatsoever.

Patel's Health app, meanwhile, recorded him frantically running up and down the stairs during the time his wife's app was motionless - during what prosecutors believe was Patel's attempt to stage a burglary.

"In an effort to disguise his crime and seek to fool the murder investigation team into believing that Jess had been murdered whilst Mitesh was out walking," Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Matt Murphy-King of Cleveland Police said in a statement. "Mitesh went to the extreme of staging the murder scene making it appear as though Jess had been murdered during a burglary, something which the investigation categorically proved to be a lie - one of the many lies which Mitesh spun to conceal his guilt and devious lifestyle."

Patel took the stand during the trial, admitting to his relationship with the Australian doctor and his use of Grindr, but telling the jury that everything was one horrible coincidence.

Asked to explain why he had watched a video instructing him how to fatally choke a person just before his wife died the same way, Patel said he knew it would look bad. He said he and his wife watched the video together.

"I have sat for the last six-and-a-half months in that prison cell," he said, "and one of the many, many things I have thought is, how ironic is this?"
President Donald Trump isnt very happy with former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson. Thats because Tillerson had some very candid comments about his time in the Trump administration.

After the Houston Chronicle ran a story Friday afternoon about Tillerson's recent public appearance at a local fundraiser for the MD Anderson Cancer Center, at which the former Secretary of State sat down with veteran CBS News journalist Bob Schieffer and made several surprising remarks about President Donald Trump, the president took to Twitter to voice his displeasure, calling Tillerson "dumb as a rock."

The tweet was in stark contrast to Trumps previous praise of Tillerson. Before picking the former Chairman & CEO of ExxonMobil to be Secretary of State, Trump tweeted that Tillerson is a world class player and dealmaker.

RELATED: Rex Tillerson makes rare public appearance in Houston

Trump's tweet on Friday, which posted at approximately 2:04 p.m., lashed out at Tillerson. It reads:

"Mike Pompeo is doing a great job, I am very proud of him. His predecessor, Rex Tillerson, didn't have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldn't get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!"

In yet another tweet, Trump announced Tillerson's firing from the White House in March, also naming Mike Pompeo as his replacement.

During the Houston MD Anderson charity event, Tillerson, 66, who is from Texas, told Schieffer and the audience that "Russia interfered with the 2016 U.S. election.

"What Russia wants to do is undermine our confidence and undermine the world's confidence in us," he added.

He also alleged that Trump often seemed ignorant of the law. "So often, the president would say here's what I want to do and here's how I want to do it and I would have to say to him, Mr. President I understand what you want to do but you can't do it that way. It violates the law," said Tillerson.

Trumps change in tune over Tillerson was not lost on the Twitterverse. I love how you used to say you only hired the best of the best and then turn around and say the people you hired were dumb, commented @vaine87.

@WorshipTheGrape wrote, Then lets have a battle of wits between #RexTillerson and @realDonaldTrump pay per view debate. Proceeds go towards deficit reduction. You can see more social media reaction in the gallery above.

When leaving his former position under Trump, Tillerson said Washington, D.C., can be a "very mean-spirited town." Apparently, that mean-spirit lives on in social media.

Marcy de Luna is a digital reporter specializing in social media, the famous, and food. You can follow her on Twitter @MarcydeLuna and Facebook @MarcydeLuna. Read her stories on our breaking news site, Chron.com, and on our subscriber site, HoustonChronicle.com. | Marcy.deLuna@chron.com | Text CHRON to 77453 to receive breaking news alerts by text message
Pilgramage to Four Missions 11 a.m. at Mission Concepcion. Procession starts at 11:15 to Mission San Jose, Mission San Juan and concludes at Mission Espada. Meditation at each mission for 10-15 minutes. Transportation available to each mission. Sponsored by San Jose Mission Neighborhood Association. Contact Terry Ybanez, 210-722-8629.

Christmas Boutique 1-5 p.m. Provincial House, 6019 Buena Vista St. The Salesian Sisters host their annual boutique with crafts, home decor, homemade cookies, pecan pies, peanut brittle and more for sale. Door prizes. Sale continues Dec. 10 from 9 to noon. 210-432-1919.

Ill Be Home for Christmas Concert 4 p.m. Shepherd of the Hills Lutheran Church, 6914 Wurzbach. Soprano Gail Wettstein, Mezzo Soprano Caroline Melcher, tenor John Hyland and baritone Jyron Joseph, along with pianist Debby Heitzke, will present Ill be Home for Christmas, featuring holiday and American standards along with tributes to service members and their families. Free concert. Donations accepted for the South Texas VA Fisher House and CAMMO (Center for Military Music Opportunities), an organization that provides music therapy to veterans and active duty service members. Public invited. Please contact Andrea Melcher at 210-215-2269 or amelcher@shlutheran.org.

Festival of Advent Lessons and Carols 5 p.m. St. Marks Episcopal Church, 315 E. Pecan. The choirs of St. Mark's perform.

German Choir 5:30 p.m., Parker Chapel at Trinity University, annual choral performance of Christmas songs in German presented by the San Antonio Deutsche Weihnachtsfeier Committee.

Wednesday

Listen to Journeys of Hope 8-9 p.m. Pilgrim Center of Hope, 7680 Joe Newton. Marys Journey to Elizabeth, Ein Karem, Jerusalem. Visit the place where the Virgin Mary visited with her cousin Elizabeth, the mother of John the Baptist. PilgrimCenterofHope.org; 210-521-3377.

Ongoing

Nar-Anon family groups meet at 7-8 p.m. Mondays; 6:30-7:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Fridays, Recovery Place, 10929 Nacogdoches; 8-9 p.m. Wednesdays, Northwest Hills United Methodist Church, 7575 Tezel Road. Nar-Anon is a support group for those affected by someone elses addiction. Nar-AnonSA@gmail.com .

Israeli dancing 7:30 p.m. Mondays, Barshop Jewish Community Center, 12500 Northwest Military Highway. All dance levels welcome. 210-302-6820, israelidancesa.org.

God encounter 9-11 a.m. Tuesdays, Kings Mission Fellowship, 610 Moursund. kingsmissionsa.com, 210-922-5366.

In-depth Bible study Wednesdays, Mayfield Park Church, 700 W. Hutchins Place, with Pastor Mike Sutton. Meetings with meal 5:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall; Bible study 6-6:45 p.m., followed by open discussion until 7:30 p.m. Child care available. Contact: 210-923-2241.

Farmers market and craft show 10 a.m.-3 p.m. Thursdays, Journey Fellowship Church parking lot, Interstate 35 North, Selma. Vendors sell vegetables, eggs, honey, nuts, plants, crafts and more. Contact Lance Tiner, 210-828-3053; Lance@4CityMarket.com

12-step recovery group for compulsive overeaters noon-1 p.m. Thursdays, Cresholme Presbyterian Church, 1602 Goliad. Small building behind church. Free. 210-977-8379.

City Base Cancer Support Group 7 p.m. Thursdays, Brookhill Baptist Church, 631 Utopia Lane. Contact: Brenda Fox, 210-415-2830.

Families recovering 7 p.m. Thursdays at Brookhill Baptist Church, 631 Utopia Lane. Free 12-step group program similar to Al-Anon. 210-863-1813 or 210-861-4161.

Recovering in unity 5:30 p.m. Fridays, Unity Heights Building Community Center, 8103 Broadway. Combines traditional 12 steps with spiritual empowerment; appropriate for those who dont subscribe to the idea of an anthropomorphic God. 325-245-3057.

Celebrate Recovery Fridays, Mayfield Park Church, 700 W. Hutchins Place. Free 12-step program for people struggling with hurts, hang-ups and habits. Meetings with meal 6:30 p.m. in Fellowship Hall. Large group time 7:15 p.m.; smaller groups 8:15 p.m. Child care available. Contact: 210-923-2241.

Free clothes closet every first Saturday at Brookhill Baptist Church, 631 Utopia Lane. Clothing distributed 9 a.m.-noon. 210-333-4947.

Trunk of Treasures 9 a.m.-2 p.m. every first Saturday, St. Benedict Catholic Church, 4535 Lord Road. Cars with their trunks open to sell garage sale-type items line parking lot. $10 for parking slot to sell items; free admission to shop. 210-648-0123.

New Life Cancer Support Team 7 p.m., third Monday of the month, Fellowship Building, New Life Baptist Church, 101 North St., Converse. Contact: 210-658-1972.

Calendar Deadline
Its not that modern times have made us extra sensitive.

Baby, Its Cold Outside is a cute song when Esther Williams and Ricardo Montalban sing it in the 1949 comedy Neptunes Daughter.

And its a cute song when the movies other stars, Betty Garrett and Red Skelton, sing it as he is making a slapstick dash for the door. Look up the movie trailer and its easy to see why it won the Oscar for best original song at the 22nd Academy Awards.

A smooth South American polo player  in a suit and tie, and with an accent that back in the 40s was still seen as romantic as opposed to that of an outsider  singing with a beautiful water dancer in a glamorous evening gown. Juxtapose that with an aggressive flirt singing to a slapsticky goof. All with the backdrop of Hollywood glitz and glamour.

If we are to believe the storytellers at Wikipedia, the song was written by Tony award-winning American composer Frank Loesser in 1944 as a song for his wife to perform with him at parties; the song was supposed to be a big hint for revelers that the party was wrapping up.

In this context, without the glitz, the goofiness or the accent, the song is a cheeky, clever way to end a party, an audio party favor to send guests off with a smile. No inappropriate shenanigans or lascivious overtures implied. At the very least, it is more polite than, Well! Hate to cut the evening short, but we have to be up early.

Fast-forward to 2018. Any song that includes the lines Whats the sense of hurting my pride? and Say, whats in this drink? are rightfully going to earn a side-eye.

Baby, Its Cold Outside has in past years become a Christmas classic on Christmas-music-till-the-26th stations and is the latest song to be banned by a handful of radio stations across America. For many, the lyrics are just a little bit too skeevy.

San Antonios Christmas station, 101.9, did not return a call asking if the song was still on the air, although it was earlier during the 2018 holiday season.

Outside the context of Neptunes Daughter and the married Loessers shooing long-lingering guests out the door, the song is about a man with his own place cajoling a woman who still lives with her family into sticking around for another drink.

He talks about getting closer and tells her not to hold out. She says her mother will start to worry, then she says maybe just a half a drink more and that her brother will be waiting at the door, and then she says the answer is no. He persists and asks how she can do this thing to him.

The narrative is uncomfortable. Theres a definite aggressor in this song, and she says she ought to say no, no, no, but the songs banter says no means yes if you just keep asking.

Yes, its just a song. But in its more modern versions that grace holiday playlists more than a half-century after Neptunes Daughter was released, its a song with an uneasy vibe. If the original version was a playful wink, todays versions are a head-to-toe leer that ends in a piercing stare. Its meant to play up the smolder of being coy while turning up the heat of the moment that follows the holiday party, and we know there are often two sides to that scenario.

And, yes, its no more naughty than a lot of the stuff that chart-toppers such as Cardi B or Ariana Grande perform. Start censoring and there might be nothing left to play.

Its not that Americans have become extra sensitive as much as the fact that Americans are more likely to hold one another responsible for their words and the actions those words accommodate. Words have always mattered, but context and subtext change things significantly.

You know what else brings change? Those buttons on the car radio.

mariaanglinwrites@gmail.com
On Dec. 31, CPS Energy will ring in the new year by shutting down one of its two coal-fired power plants.

Situated at Calaveras Lake in the deep Southeast Side of San Antonio, two looming coal plants sit like angry giants. From their bodies, streaming clouds of polluting smoke rise. This smoke, filled with microscopic pieces of poison, finds its way into everything: our land, our air, our water and our bodies. There is no crack too small, no resource too protected, no person too healthy to evade the poison that emits from these behemoths.

The poison from these coal plants greatly contributes to the facts that San Antonio leads the state in child hospitalization rates from asthma, is increasingly getting hotter, is experiencing more and more drought, and has air so polluted it no longer meets federal standards for air quality.

In general, coal contributes to an array of intensely harmful effects on public health, such as increasing chances of cardiovascular disease and the release of mercury and lead, which deteriorate the nervous and immune systems.

The good news is JT Dirty Deely will soon no longer be able to release poison.

There is a soot-colored line in this monumental news: The Spruce coal-fired power plant is staying open with no shut-off date set. While Deely has a total capacity for energy production at 932 megawatts, Spruces total capacity is 1,336 megawatts, and it runs more often. In a report released in 2013 called Americas Dirtiest Power Plants, Deely didn't make the list, but Spruce came in 67th place. While one polluting giant topples, another will continue, without any stop in sight, as confirmed in CPS Energys Flexible Path energy generation plan that projects burning one of Spruces two units into the 2040s and possibly even longer.

However, despite the continued use of Spruce, a celebration is in order. It is a celebration that grounds us in the accomplishments of now, while positioning us toward the horizon of progress still to be made. At this horizon stands a world with no coal plants and no natural gas infrastructure. A world where children never struggle to breathe, where workers have secure jobs in safe settings, where the planet and our bodies are free of pollution from fossil fuels. The timeline to reach this horizon is urgent, but it is a horizon that is within reach and comes with assurance of better and healthier lives for all life on our shared planetary home.

The Climate Action SA coalition  which consists of dozens of environmental and social justice organizations, including Public Citizen  is throwing a party to celebrate this amazing moment. Come ready to eat, drink and dance! We are coming together to celebrate cleaner air, water and land, for better health for the people and environment of San Antonio and the surrounding areas, and to start to realize the better world we know we could achieve through a rapid, just transition to renewable energy.

The Dirty Deely Coal Plant Shutdown Celebration will take place Dec. 15 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at Galleria Guadalupe, 723 S. Brazos St., in San Antonio.

Briauna Barrera is an organizer with Public Citizen and a member of Climate Action SA coalition.
Mitch McConnell just did our constitutional order an enormous favor by burying the so-called Robert Mueller protection bill, hopefully never to rise again.

Theres been much harumphing about how Republicans are in the tank for President Donald Trump by not getting on board the bipartisan bill, but it is a singularly misbegotten piece of legislation.

Plan A, i.e., passing the thing, would have been hard enough. But its supporters apparently didnt think through a need for a Plan B or C: Trump would have vetoed the bill if it passed Congress, and if it somehow passed Congress with a veto-proof majority, the Supreme Court likely would have struck it down.

The push for the bill again shows how, to this point, Trumps main threat to our constitutional system has been catalyzing a hysterical opposition. That opposition is willing to throw overboard legal and constitutional niceties to thwart Trump.

Hence, much of the #resistance judging regarding Trump measures. And hence the astonishing spectacle of U.S. senators, sworn to uphold the Constitution, advancing a blatantly unconstitutional bill.

The president is the chief executive, and like it or not, Trump is president. I conceive that if any power whatsoever is in its nature executive, James Madison declared, it is the power of appointing, overseeing and controlling those who execute the laws.

If the president can fire the attorney general (the ill-used Jeff Sessions attests that he can), he certainly can fire Mueller. The attorney general is a much more important position than the special counsel.

In compelling Senate testimony, Yale law professor Akhil Amar explained the constitutional problems with the Mueller protection bill. One is that to be constitutional, the special counsel must be an inferior officer. Otherwise, he has to be confirmed by the Senate, which Mueller wasnt. And if hes an inferior officer, he can be fired.

Mueller cant be an inferior officer in some respects and a hypersuperior officer in others, enjoying protections from his ouster that even Cabinet officials dont enjoy.

The Mueller protection bill would really represent a return to the constitutional anomaly of the old independent counsel statute. There is a Supreme Court decision that hasnt been directly overruled, Morrison vs. Olson, upholding that law. As Amar notes, though, the decisions credibility is in tatters. Commentators on both the left and right believe that Antonin Scalias lonely dissent in that case was prescient and sound.

The problem with the protection bill in terms of constitutional architecture also gets at the problem with the special counsel.

Yes, theres lots of criminal action in the Mueller probe  the Paul Manafort trial, the various plea deals  but current Justice Department guidance says that the president himself cant be indicted. That means that all Mueller can do regarding the president directly is produce a report that may well instigate congressional action, up to and including an impeachment probe. This preliminary investigative work should be the work of Congress alone, without the help of someone nominally working for the president hes targeting.

Indeed, if you want investigations of the president that the president cant stop or have influence over, you have to run them out of Congress. With the Democratic takeover of the House, such congressional probes are on their way.

This is a normal working of our system that doesnt require any extra constitutional exertions. Insofar as Mueller has been protected to this point, it has been via just this sort of basic political accountability.

Trump has huffed and puffed about Mueller, yet cooperated with his investigation. That could change at any time. But firing Mueller would lead to dire political consequences and now fail to achieve its end of truly shutting him down. If cashiered, Mueller would presumably show up in January as the first witness before Rep. Jerry Nadlers Judiciary Committee and spill all he knows.

Thats probably all the protection Mueller needs, and certainly all the protection he can legitimately be afforded.

comments.lowry@nationalreview.com
The current sexual abuse/cover-up crisis in our Roman Catholic Church is deeply troubling and causing great concern to many people of faith. The U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, or USCCB, in its Nov. 12 general meeting, reached a majority conscience decision to develop action items concerning the current and long-standing sexual abuse issue within the church.

The abuse problem has now developed into a cover-up at the Vatican level, as widely exposed by the U.S. and world official press. The validated abuse cases of young and innocent children are being handled/managed with no transparency concerning the church leaders who protected and transferred the child abusers without the required misconduct report to civilian authorities.

The Vatican response to the USCCB was to stop the bishops proposal on issues of abuse. The stalling is attributed to Pope Francis himself, who wants to delay the USCCB sexual abuse action items until he can arrange a future global meeting of all bishops.

This could end up in another decision-making process by committee that could go on and on for another year or more. The global Catholic bishops are known to have partisan considerations. We could see an endless continuation of the status quo, until another pope is elected.

The new pope, then, could ask another review, get it, and after some considerable decision time, ask for another Catholic bishops conference, and drag the decision until another pope is elected, and then another, and another, in continuum. In the meantime, many thousands of innocent children could be sexually abused by ordained members of our church.

This latest Vatican decision should not be considered appropriate nor accepted by the USCCB or by the U.S. faithful Catholic populace.

The abuse is a global issue, but according to a Nov. 13 New York Times article, For nearly three decades, and three papacies, the U.S. has been the focal point of the crisis, and the American bishops have been pushed to the forefront of the churchs response. But the Vatican has applied the brakes when the Americans have tried to take steps that have not been adopted by the global church.

Exactly that is the prominent fact that Cardinal Daniel DiNardo, USCCB president, should make to the Vatican in writing, respectfully, and stand firm in the USCCB decision to proceed with the sexual abuse action items.

Such decision would put Gods children above the self-interest of the church, which thus far has demonstrated to serve and protect itself instead of Gods children.

What would Jesus say about the church today? Jesus left no doubt where he stood in the protection of innocent children. He was unmistakably childrens defender throughout the Gospel. Jesus showed he was the true church reformer. He constantly rebuked the church leaders for their continuous hypocrisy and deception.

Jesus also instructed all of us when he said, Unless your righteousness surpasses that of the Pharisees (church leaders) and the teacher of the laws, you certainly will not enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

The recent validated Pennsylvania grand jury report, as well as the most recent national media disclosures, show how Catholic Church leaders have covered up repeated acts of sexual abuse. The reality now is that our Catholic Church, in her present form, although forgiven, has lost  in my informed opinion of conscience  her moral authority and spiritual credibility, and her ability to teach and lead the faithful.

The true and practicing members of the Catholic Church  and there are many of us, armed with faith, prayers and power of the purse  as J. Gilbert Quezada, author, writer and celebrated San Antonio historian, rightly pointed out on a recent Express-News column, must become the first responders on the sexual abuse/cover-up crisis and demand church reform now. Not tomorrow or next year.

What can the Catholic Church do to regain the lost trust, respect and loyal but informed obedience from the faithful?

First, allow the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops to continue the formulation of its action items on sexual abuse.

Second, delegate investigative authority to a council of Catholic and non-Catholic Christian men and women to:

1. Gather all available factual evidence of abusive priests and their current location.

2. Conduct a wide and deep search of all Catholic church leaders who have organized and approved cover-up relocation.

3. Identify, with full transparency, all known and remaining abusive priests and bishops still at large.

4. Bring all culpable priests and cover-up church leaders to legal justice with the appropriate ecclesiastical effects imparted by the Vatican.

5. Most important, provide rehabilitation and financial restitution to all victims and survivors of sexual abuse by the church ordained members.

6. Re-educate all priests, bishops and other church leaders that the status quo has been officially terminated and that a new and pro-active zero tolerance standard is now firmly in place and will be expediently and legally enforced.

7. Develop pastoral written procedures that allow all Catholic Church members to participate in a sincere, substantive and decisive church reform.

With guidance of the Holy Spirit, we and the Catholic Church will reform, and our church will again be the beacon of spiritual light and guidance that she was intended to be.

Joseph Zarbano is a 27-year Air Force veteran with considerable Catholic formation, with 40 years of combined service as a volunteer in Catholic ministries in the San Antonio community and other parts of the world during military deployments.
Monday marks the 70th anniversary of the adoption of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights.

Initially, the world took little notice of the documents proclamation in Paris in 1948 at the third session of the United Nations General Assembly.

However, over the decades, the declaration has grown in stature. In the eyes of many, it now ranks as a great legal document, along with the English Magna Carta (1215), the French Declaration of the Rights of Man and Citizens (1789) and the American Bill of Rights (1791).

Today, the Universal Declaration is the cornerstone of an increasingly important body of human rights law. Courses on that subject are taught in virtually every American law school and in countless other countries.

The Universal Declaration is the most widely translated legal text  presently accessible in more than 500 languages. The range of the documents impact is suggested by the fact that it has been cited in more than 700 American court decisions.

The writers of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights were responding to atrocities perpetrated during World War II. However, they were also looking to the future and contributing to the array of hopeful efforts that sought to build a better world out of the wreckage of the wars in Europe and the Pacific.

Those forward-looking efforts included the founding of the United Nations, the establishment of the International Monetary Fund and the World Bank, the creation of the Fulbright Scholar Program, the launching of the Marshall Plan to rebuild Europe, and the construction of a new legal regime to promote international commerce known as the General Agreement on Tariffs and Trade.

The common theme that ran through those great endeavors  and through the Universal Declaration  was that the nations and peoples of the Earth shared common interests, and that it was possible to build a world that would be more peaceful, prosperous, better educated and decent.

The United Nations oversaw the writing of the Universal Declaration. Former First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt chaired the drafting committee. However, the process was a true international effort. Some of the most important players hailed from Lebanon, China, France and Canada. The drafters searched the laws and teachings of many different traditions to define the essential core of human rights.

Recognizing the inherent dignity and equal and inalienable rights of all members of the human family, the Universal Declaration contains 30 concise articles. The provisions in the document are nonbinding, but they have transformed both international and domestic law and how we think about human rights.

On the one hand, the Universal Declaration catalyzed the enactment of more than 80 international agreements, such as the international conventions on the rights of children and women. These kinds of agreements require national reporting of compliance with human rights obligations and provide mechanisms for investigating alleged abuse. They have led to the improvement of laws and practices at the national level.

On the other hand, the Universal Declaration articulated with moral clarity the principles that should guide the treatment of all people, whether by governments or private actors. These eloquent provisions give reformers a solid foundation on which to stand when they argue for better practices.

The text firmly states, No one shall be held in slavery or servitude (Article 4), or subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment (Article 5) or to arbitrary arrest, detention or exile (Article 9).

Every person is entitled to equal protection against unlawful discrimination (Article 7) and to effective remedies from national tribunals (Article 8). Criminal charges must be adjudicated by an independent and impartial tribunal (Article 10), before which the accused is presumed innocent (Article 11).

All persons have a right to privacy (Article 12), a nationality (Article 15) and freedom of movement (Article 13), as well as the right to seek and to enjoy in other countries asylum from persecution (Article 14).

The Universal Declaration fully endorsed marriage equality at a time when interracial marriage was banned in parts of the United States. It states, Men and women of full age, without any limitation due to race, nationality or religion, have the right to marry and to found a family. They are entitled to equal rights as to marriage, during marriage and at its dissolution (Article 16).

Several provisions in the Universal Declaration parallel the First Amendment guarantees of the U.S. Constitution but are often more robustly expressed. Regarding religion, Article 18 says, Everyone has the right to freedom of thought, conscience and religion; this right includes freedom to change his religion or belief, and freedom, either alone or in community with others and in public or private, to manifest his religion or belief in teaching, practice, worship and observance.

Other articles recognize rights to opinion, expression, peaceful assembly, association and participation in government via genuine elections.

From an American perspective, the parts of the Universal Declaration that are the most surprising  and controversial  are those dealing with economic, social and cultural rights. According to the text, there is a right to social security (Article 22) and a right to work with free choice of employment and favourable remuneration (Article 23). There is also a right to rest and leisure, including reasonable limitation of working hours and periodic holidays with pay (Article 24). Likewise, there is a right to education (Article 26) and a right freely to participate in the cultural life of the community, to enjoy the arts and to share in scientific advancement and its benefits (Article 27). The Universal Declaration also states, Everyone has duties to the community (Article 29).

Drafted many years before America abolished segregation, the Universal Declaration bravely endorsed broad nondiscrimination principles. Article 2 states, Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language, religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.

By adopting the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the United Nations was boldly seeking to build a better world. Of the 58 states that were then members of the United Nations, 48 (including the United States) voted in favor and none against. Ten states abstained or did not vote.

The rights promulgated in the Universal Declaration have been elaborated and implemented in numerous international treaties, regional instruments and national laws. It has become easier to challenge oppressors and to protect the oppressed. However, the past 70 years of productive development might have been lost.

The drafters knew that the skies were darkening and that time was short. As the work on the Universal Declaration started, an Iron Curtain was descending across Europe and a lengthy Cold War was beginning. Had Roosevelts team not seized the moment, the development of international human rights law might have been delayed for decades or never have occurred.

Fortunately, in a triumph of the human spirit over nationalism and self-interest, the work succeeded. The discussion of human rights was elevated to a higher level.

Vincent R. Johnson, J.D., is South Texas Professor of Law at St. Marys University.
One of the most enduring stains of President Donald Trumps administration will be his hostility toward climate science, and open embrace of coal and carbon emissions.

By now, the presidents record on this issue is abundantly clear. He has called man-made climate change a hoax, vowed to withdraw from the Paris climate agreement and pushed to relax regulations to limit car pollution, as well as from coal-burning power plants.

He has done this despite report after report warning of the dire consequences of unchecked climate change: droughts, wildfires, intensified hurricanes, famine, diaspora, coastal flooding. These reports come from the United Nations, scientific groups and academic experts. They are expert warnings to be heeded.

But the presidents willful disdain for this information is most pronounced when the reports come from the federal government he leads.

And then theres the recently released National Climate Assessment, a 1,656-page report from the federal government that warns of the economic, humanitarian and environmental costs of unmitigated man-made climate change. It also undermines the presidents frequent talking point that mitigating climate change is bad for the U.S. economy.

On the contrary, the report says that by the end of the century, man-made climate change will cost the U.S. economy hundreds of billions of dollars annually because of heat-related deaths, sea level rise and infrastructure costs.

It warns that storms such as Hurricane Harvey, which battered the Texas coast and deluged the Houston area, will be the new normal in a warmer world.

Texas, in particular, is vulnerable to increasing temperature, extreme precipitation and continued sea level rise, particularly as infrastructure ages and populations shift to urban centers, the report says.

It also warns of trade disruptions due to such extreme weather, limiting exports and imports, as well as raising production costs. Agriculture production will be reduced to 1980s levels under the threat of extreme weather, including hotter temperatures and changes in rainfall.

The Trump administration did not make any changes to minimize this report. Numerous experts have said this lack of interference is a big deal because the report will be used in legal battles to argue against this administrations policies. But the administration also did everything it could to minimize attention for the report, releasing it on the afternoon of Black Friday,when most Americans are not following the news.

But whether or not people were paying attention to this assessment, the disconnect is jarring. In a stark and powerful scientific report, the federal government is ringing alarm bells for action. And the person leading that government continues to say the opposite, even tweeting  of course  in response to a recent cold snap, Whatever happened to Global Warming?

A weather event is not climate change.

The discussion at this point should be about carbon taxes and regulating carbon emissions to mitigate man-made climate change, not whether man-made climate change is real.

Future generations will be saddled with President Trumps poor choices. They will live with the wildfires, droughts, extreme weather, coastal flooding and famine. They will take the economic hit that comes with these challenges. And they will do so with the torturous benefit of hindsight.

That is, they will see clearly that at a critical moment for a warming world, the president of the United States dismissed climate change as a hoax and pushed for the burning of even more coal.
Re: Lawsuit targets release of migrants, front page, Dec. 1:

Here we go again. Our Republican leaders in Austin are once again telling local communities how we should govern ourselves. They are certain they can do a better job of governing our community than we unsophisticated taxpayers.

And to add insult to injury, this person, Attorney General Ken Paxton, has pending felonious charges of his own and is being so pious in chastising San Antonio for not following the letter of the law.

Jesse Ortiz

Rules broken

Re: Bush was more, Your Turn, Wednesday:

Bill Kriz states that the editorial staff dislikes Republicans, and he is critical of the papers coverage of former President George H.W. Bushs death.

I challenge Mr. Kriz to read the Editorial Boards recommendations for the 2018 midterm elections, where he will find a number of Republican endorsements.

Mr. Kriz feels that the paper isnt allowed to break the rules. Look no further than the endorsement of Greg Abbott for governor and Beto ORourke for senator  is that not breaking the rules?

Mark Angel Smith

A real leader

At this time in our nations history, we should all take a moment to reflect on what it looks like when a leader puts faith, family and service to others first. We should reaffirm our beliefs as individuals, and as a people, that our true success in life will be measured not by our accumulation of personal wealth and power but rather by our care for others.

God bless you, George H.W. Bush.

Roy E. Elizondo, Fair Oaks Ranch

Fund this need

Can anyone explain to me why they have spent millions on San Pedro Creek, to make it another River Walk, and we cant get money to fix Live Oak Slough, which actually does flood Von Ormy when it rains?

Might be time to sue Bexar County.

Charlie Brown,

Von Ormy
While watching and listening to the many tributes to President George H.W. Bush upon his passing, I kept hearing adjectives such as kind, humble, respected, liked, loved, compassionate and unselfish, and terms such as good man, good character, diplomat, war hero and dedicated family man.

These things were said by not only family and friends, but people of both major political parties. I could not help but wonder what will be said when Donald Trump passes.

Nancy Powlas

Whose rights?

I quit writing to the Express-New for a while because there is just too much to write about and it may be a little too much to the right for the left-leaning Express-News.

No doubt most still think this is still the greatest country on Earth. Also, there is no doubt we have our share of true racists, bigots, etc. However, there is a much, much larger group of us who are being misplaced into these groups. Im talking about the group of Americans  white, black, brown, etc.  who are simply sick and tired of everyones rights being shoved down our throats constantly.

Call us what you will when your transgender rights override our rights for privacy in the bathroom for our children. Call us what you will when we are cautious about calling Islam a peaceful religion when all we see on the news is death and destruction in the name of Islam. Call us what you will when you take away our Christian right to pray where and when we choose because it offends someone. Call us what you will when we say gun control will not stop the killing of innocents.

We are sick and tired of the rights of the few outweighing the rights of the many. The many are the ones who made this country great and there are still many of us. It is this same group of many who elected Donald Trump because no one was listening on either side of the aisle.

Johnny E. Smith, Selma

UTSA pandering

Re: UTSA leader cites endemic racism, Metro, Dec. 1:

OK, lets see! Student is rude, disrespectful and blatantly refuses to follow the professors instructions when asked to leave class. So the professor is disciplined and the student returns to class. Now professors at UTSA are racists.

This is the same old thing we see with any kind of authority figures. UTSA will never be a top tier university with this pandering!

Kate Andrew, Helotes

Apology owed

As a longtime subscriber (49 years) to the Express-News, I was outraged by the headline UTSA leader cites endemic racism, and the picture of Anita Moss.

It was UTSA President Taylor Eighmy who used those words to describe what is happening on campus and in communities around the nation. It would have been more correct to use his picture than that of Moss, who was found innocent of any racism. Yet by the placement of her picture, it implies she is a racist. Since the student, the students family, the students classmates, and the investigators concluded it was not a racial action that she was involved with, the picture was not supportive or necessary to the article.

I am hoping that the San Antonio Express-News publicly apologizes to Moss for the pain and unfair characterization of her by inappropriately using her picture to promote that article. The newspaper should also be required to use better judgment and be more fair in the use of headlines and pictures to gain readership.

Layman Hendrex

Racism thriving

The immigrant caravan issue does not bode well for the citizen Hispanic American. It strikes deep into the growing discrimination and racism emboldened by Donald Trump.

In the mid-80s, I was in South America on a technology transfer teaching assignment. At one country, then under military control, one of my students stood out as not typical. He was an older man and not dressed in the duty uniform. As it turned out, he was a high-level official there to make sure I didnt utter words or plant revolutionary thoughts counter to their government.

Within days, we became better acquainted, and during one of many casual conversations, he made an observation about racism against Hispanics in the U.S., which resonates to this day. He observed that during European immigrant waves, racism and discrimination occurred. In each case, assimilation diluted racism within a generation or two since all were Caucasians. Such has not been the case with Hispanic immigrants since the wave has never ended.

Further, brown-skin Hispanics are highly visible. Even though in the past 30 years education has leveled the playing field, the massive immigrant caravan and political rhetoric have emboldened white nationalists and their groupies to resurface. Hispanics are experiencing a renewed subtle level of discrimination regardless of education or economic status.

Al Dreumont

Voting wrong

Re: How Texas voted, Nation, Dec. 2:

This article cited our Republican senators voting on two important measures. Both voted against U.S. withdrawal from the Yemen war. While thousands are starving in this immoral war, our senators voted no to bring this measure to the floor. They voted yes for the Thomas Farr judicial nomination. This is a lawyer who worked over many years to restrict minority voting.

I am hopeful that Beto ORourke or Joaquin or Julian Castro will choose to run against Sen. John Cornyn in 2020. The voting records of our senators are shameful. We must regain the American values of human and civil rights.

Barbara Moschner

Double standard

Re: Sculley decides its time to retire, front page, Nov. 30:

Had City Manager Sheryl Sculley been a man, there would have been no questions about salary or benefits. Chauvinism, both male and female where women of great ability are concerned, is alive and well in San Antonio.

Sculley managed a budget of $2.5 billion capably, helping this city achieve a Triple A bond rating, making this one of the best-managed cities in the country.

Good luck, San Antonio, getting someone of her caliber as city manager who is willing to work for the peanuts mandated by Proposition B voted on by residents who listened to firefighters union leader Chris Steeles and Councilman Greg Brockhouses lies.

Eleanor Sprowl
Zimbabwe will not accept pressure to subvert the rule of law to pacify certain political interests and will uphold the Constitution in the conduct of its affairs, a senior Government official has said.

Government spokesperson Mr Nick Mangwana said under President Mnangagwas Second Republic, the country would respect its Constitution, particularly with regards to separation of powers between the Executive, the Judiciary and the Legislature.

He said this as Government and analysts slammed United States Deputy Assistant Secretary of State Mr Matthew Harrington for claiming that Zimbabwe was harassing political opposition and that authorities should drop what he termed spurious charges against MDC-Alliance vice chairman Mr Tendai Biti.

Mr Biti is facing charges of inciting post-election violence that led to the death of six people in Harare on August 1.

He is also facing charges of contravening Section 66A (1) of the Electoral Act Chapter 2:13, which prohibits the unofficial or false declaration of election results as he unlawfully declared opposition party leader Mr Nelson Chamisa as the winner of the July 30 presidential elections.

During a US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations Subcommittee on Africa and Global Health Policy, on Thursday, Mr Harrington suggested that there was harassment of members of the political opposition and said the Government of Zimbabwe should drop spurious charges against former finance minister and prominent opposition figure Tendai Biti and all those who have been arbitrarily detained for exercising their human rights and fundamental freedoms.

But Government and analysts yesterday pushed back strongly, slating the US for its interference and duplicity.

The Government cannot on one hand say no one is above the law and everyone should enjoy the benefit of due process as enshrined in our Constitution and statutes and on the other hand interfere with that due process, Mr Mangwana said.

Rule of law means that nobody is above the law regardless of their social station, including who their friends are within or outside the country.

Mr Mangwana said in line with its diplomatic thrust of re-engaging with the international community, Zimbabwe was willing to make friends, but would not brook lectures on the conduct of its domestic affairs.

Said Mr Mangwana: Government will continue to engage with those who we dont necessarily agree with us on some matters in order to find common ground. However, that does not include directives from those friends or allies on who to prosecute and who not to prosecute, who to appoint to certain positions or not. That would be contrary to the ethos which informs our sovereignty and independence.

Political analyst and media expert Professor Charles Pfukwa slammed the US, saying it was not only seeking to undermine the rule of law which it claims to champion, but to also disregard Zimbabwes sovereignty.

I would have preferred the US Foreign Relations to talk about Zimbabwe not fulfilling its foreign policy obligations but when they tinker about the bolts and nuts of the internal affairs of our country, I have a problem. It is no longer proper foreign policy or good international relations neither is it good diplomacy, said Prof Pfukwa.

No one has ever quarrelled about (US President Donald) Trump being a Republican or (former president Barack) Obama being a Democrat. It is not our business to do that because that is their sovereign right. We deal with the US as a nation and not individuals or political entities, he said.

Prof Pfukwa said the US was trying to introduce bullying tactics with an ulterior motive that emanated from Zimbabwes natural resources endowment.

He said if the US was sincere, it should have preoccupied itself with the Ebola crisis in the Democratic Republic of Congo, killings in Somalia and the killing of a journalist in Saudi Arabia.

Another analyst, Mr Goodwine Mureriwa, echoed similar sentiments.

They do not respect the principle of equality among states. That is why the George W. Bush administration imposed illegal sanctions on Zimbabwe that are tantamount to economic terrorism. They are doing all this to sustain their hegemony on other states.

 Herald

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The Zimbabwe National Liberation War Collaborators Association (Ziliwaco) has endorsed President Mnangagwa as the Zanu-PFs sole Presidential candidate in the 2023 harmonised elections showing confidence in his leadership and policies.

The move has been interpreted as a calculated move to frustrate Vice President Constantino Chiwenga who is strongly believed to be highly ambitious and gunning for the top job. Chiwenga has been touted in some circles as Mnangagwas successor, with suggestions that the Zanu PF leader will only serve one term.

The association affirmed its appreciation of the work being done by President Mnangagwa towards war collaborators welfare and castigated MDC Alliance Members of Parliament for disrespecting the Head of State in Parliament.

This come after the Zimbabwe National Liberation War Veterans Association also rallied behind President Mnangagwas candidature in 2023.

Addressing a press conference in Harare yesterday, Ziliwaco secretary for information Cde Felex Machando, who was flanked by the organisations national executive, yesterday said Ziliwaco was also in full support of the statement by leader of the House of Assembly Cde Ziyambi Ziyambi, who criticised the unethical behaviour by opposition MPs who refused to recognise the Head of State and Government while enjoying perks from the same Government.

Ziliwaco national leadership would like to express its gratitude towards the President, Cde ED Mnangagwa, for his care and concern towards the war collaborators. The effort he has shown so far towards solving issues pertaining to war collaborators is highly appreciated, he said.

General elections are over and people should now focus on economic and development issues as called for by the President. Ziliwaco is also greatly concerned by the behaviour of some of the MPs in Parliament. This circus should stop forthwith as it waste time and is costly for the general population.

Ziliwaco, he said, recommends the withdrawal of salaries and sitting allowances for such MPs. If this continues we will not have any other option besides storming Parliament to take out the political culprits.

Ziliwaco also suggested that those advocating for sanctions which cause suffering of innocent Zimbabweans be charged with high treason as they are enemies of the people of Zimbabwe who bear the ultimate cost.

Ziliwaco says no to a Government of National Unity arrangement as this will undermine the democratic principles of holding elections, he said.

Ziliwaco, as one of the organisations who participated in the armed liberation struggle, is fully aware that there are other African member countries who liberated themselves from colonial rule/bondage. Therefore, Ziliwaco is questioning the legitimacy and relevance of opposition political parties in African countries.

Backing the President recently, ZNLWVA secretary-general Cde Victor Matemadanda said war veterans being the bedrock and foundation of the State of Zimbabwe could not be seen doing the inconceivable and pitting themselves against President Mnangagwa, their patron.

Zanu PF is now split into three camps  Team Lacoste, Cosleg and G40 remnants.

Team Lacoste derives its name from Mnangagwa sobriquet Ngwena or crocodile while the moniker Cosleg is a fusion of two military investments that came about when Zimbabwe deployed almost half of the army in the late 1990s to defend the regime of slain Congolese leader Laurent Kabila against a rebel incursion backed by Uganda and Rwanda.

Cosleg is basically derived from Comiex Congo and Osleg  taken from the commercial arm of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces (ZDF) whose full name is Operation Sovereign Legitimacy.

Following the demise of G40, the military presence is Zanu PF is now pervasive.

Top army chiefs now wield considerable influence in the party, among them Constantino Chiwenga, who was retired from ZDF to take up the position of vice president and second secretary of the ruling party and government.

Sitting along with Chiwenga in the partys supreme decision-making organ in-between congresses, the politburo, are decorated former army chiefs, retired air marshal Perrance Shiri and retired lieutenant general Sibusiso Moyo, who are committee members.

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FORMER ZBC presenter Oscar Pambuka and ex-Zanu PF legislator Psychology Maziwisa will challenge that the High Court their conviction and sentence for fleecing power utility the Zimbabwe Power Company (ZPC).

Defence lawyer Jonathan Samkange told Harare magistrate Lazini Ncube Thursday that his clients would seek bail pending appeal at the High Court.

I believe there are prospects of success on both counts, Samkange said after his clients were sentenced.

Tears welled up Maziwisas eyes and he tried hard to stop them rolling down his cheeks as relatives took turns to comfort him after he was sentenced to six and half years imprisonment.

For his part, Pambuka appeared expressionless and unusually calm as his own sentence was passed.

The two were accused of fleecing ZPC of about $12,000, while pretending to be carrying out public relations work through ZBC on behalf of the power utility.

Court heard that, Maziwisa and Pambuka would bill ZPC each time news broadcasts on ZBCs platforms referenced the power utility, claiming they were responsible for the publicity.

Magistrate Ncube ruled that the State proved its case beyond reasonable doubt.

It is surprising that one would claim money claiming that they caused the broadcasting of news articles, the judge said Thursday.

The accused have not shown the court that they had any agreement with ZBC.

It is also not in dispute that they approached ZPC armed with a letter from the ex-minister Samuel Undenge authorising that they be paid.

The judge added; What this court has to determine is if the accused made any misrepresentations or not.

The courts findings are that ZPC was not supposed to be billed. The second accused (Pambuka) was not entitled to claim any money as he was already being paid by ZBC.

This courts view is that the State has managed to prove its case beyond reasonable doubt.

During trial, Maziwisa and Pambuka insisted that they indeed carried out work for ZPC in line with governments ZimAsset programme.

However, ZBC employees who testified against them told court that Pambuka  a news presenter  only read bulletins produced by reporters.

ZPC lost $12,000 paying the two through their company, Fruitful communications.

Prosecutor Michael Reza also proved that the power utility could have lost another $36,000 if investigations into their project had not started.

Court heard that two managed to defraud ZPC by hiding behind ex-minister Undenges name.

Undenge was convicted over the same case and sentenced to four years imprisonment. He is currently out of custody on bail pending appeal.

 NewZimbabwe

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SOLDIERS have a duty to safeguard the image of the nation, hence their conduct should always be beyond reproach, a senior army officer has said.

Addressing 107 officers drawn from the Zimbabwe National Army (ZNA), the Air Force of Zimbabwe (AFZ), the Zimbabwe Prison and Correctional Services (ZPCS) who graduated on Thursday at the Zimbabwe School of Military Police at Mzilikazi Barracks (formerly Brady Barracks) in Bulawayo, ZNA Director Training, Brigadier-General Godfrey Mupeta, said soldiers are ambassadors of the nation to the outside world.

People see Zimbabwe through you and you carry the brand of the Zimbabwe Defence Forces. This requires you to be level headed, intellect, fair, just and your conduct should be beyond reproach with zero tolerance to corruption, favouritism or criminal abuse of office, he said.

Brig Gen Mupeta said military police should be exemplary to fellow soldiers as they are mandated to ensure that security is fully maintained within cantonment areas as well as in the country at large.

As you go back to your units, you must never forget that you are the unit commanders first port of call in terms of cantonment security and turn out of our members. Remember all our security measures can only be strengthened by your diligent and professional conduct on duty. Enforcement of proper dressing as one enters and leaves the cantonment area is one of our primary duties, he said.

The officers completed the provost senior non-commissioned officers course, the provost senior investigation course, military police records and maintenance course, cyber and white collar crime investigation course, the provost warderers course and the regimental police course.

Brig Gen Mupeta said apprehending deserters and violent offenders calls for the necessary subduing skills that were imparted during training.

He said despite lack of resources at military schools due to the economic constraints, the schools continued to churn out well trained graduates.

I have been thoroughly briefed of all the logistical challenges that you encountered during your training. As you are aware that your school has not been an exception to the general resource shortages which is affecting the entire organisation, he said.

Our headquarters is aware of the schools logistical requirements and these would be addressed in line with the ZNA priorities against the backdrop of compressed resources.

Out of the 107 officers who graduated, there were eight females and Brig Gen Mupeta commended them for breaking the barriers of a male dominated profession in line with the ZDF gender policy.

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A bogus Central Intelligence Organisation (CIO) officer stormed State House and demanded to directly drop unidentified documents to President Emmerson Mnangagwa, a Harare magistrate heard yesterday.

Marshall Chirombe appeared before Harare magistrate Rumbidzai Mugwagwa charged with impersonation.

Mugwagwa remanded Chirombe in custody to December 19 and ordered that he be examined by a psychiatrist.

Allegations are that on December 4 and at around 8pm, Chirombe drove his Toyota Wish registration AEM 0668 along Chancellor Avenue and arrived at the north boom of the State House.

He identified himself as a CIO officer to one Constable Njerere who was manning the gate and that he was in a hurry to deliver some documents to Mnangagwa.

Knowing that Mnangagwa was not at State House but at Zimbabwe House, the court heard that Njerere removed the spikes and allowed him to drive through.

The court heard that Chirombe drove through and proceeded to the State House and upon arrival at the State House Westgate, he hooted for attention.

It is alleged that one Constable Soka attended to Chirombe who proceeded to introduce himself as Brigadier General Mashall sent by Mnangagwa to collect some documents on his behalf.

The court heard that Chirombe was asked to produce his identity card and failed to do so.

It was discovered that Chirombe was not a member of either the CIO or the Zimbabwe National Army and was subsequently arrested.

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Police have issued a stern warning against touts and kombi drivers who are in the habit of sexually harassing women at bus termini.

National police spokesperson Charity Charamba told delegates at an indaba against gender-based violence organised by Plan International that they want to increase the visibility of police so they can curb this scourge in public places.

The indaba was part of 16 Days of Activism Against Gender-Based Violence (GBV), whose 2018 theme is End Gender-Based Violence in the World of Work.

This years goal is to continue to target the institutions in which gender-based violence is perpetuated and push for systemic change and accountability.

The campaign takes place every year between November 25 and December 10 and is run by over 6 000 organisations in 187 countries.

The police are aware of random thefts, touting, uncouth conduct by commuter omnibus drivers that pose danger to the general public and affect women and children in particular, and we are conducting operations to curb such unruly behaviour, Charamba told the indaba.

She spoke amid widespread concern of sexual harassment by kombi crews, which include among others, making sexually coloured jokes or remarks, unsolicited comments and advances, commenting on a persons clothes or body structure, touching any part of a persons body without consent as well as physical harassment.

Women who use public transport grimly accept harassment as part of their daily lives, facing it as soon as they are out of the house.

Charamba said the current thrust in the ZRP is to deploy more police officers for operational duties with a view to increase police visibility in communities.

This will certainly go a long way in curbing some of these offences. We encourage anyone who is violated in public space to report so that some of these cases are on record, she said.

Charamba said they are currently carrying out intensive anti-GBV awareness campaigns.

The awareness campaigns are conducted at primary and secondary schools, institutions of tertiary education, church gatherings and other public fora.

We also use the print and electronic media to disseminate messages to the public so that they are empowered on the nature of many aspects of GBV, where to report and how to report.

We have also embraced social media as a vehicle of sharing information with the public.

Speaking at the same event, Plan International country director Tendai Musonza said their organisation is advocating for safer cities where women can move around without fear.

What we are advocating for is that we want safer cities. We want to make sure that women are given respect in public places. Violence in public places should not be normalised.

Another speaker at the event, Legal Resource Foundation representative Perpetua Nyakapiko, said penalties against violence on women in public places must be stiffer.

According to the World Bank, GBV or violence against women and girls is a global pandemic that affects one in three women in their lifetime which translates to 35 percent.

At home, Zimbabwe National Statistics Agency recorded that 8 069 women were raped in 2016 while recent statistics for the first quarter of 2018 released in May this year recorded that 7 394 rape cases were reported in 2017.

These narratives influenced the intense activism against GBV around the country with activists calling for a stop to these barbaric acts.

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Former Finance minister Tendai Biti has called on Parliament to rein in new Treasury chief Mthuli Ncube for not prioritising debate on the 2019 Budget instead prioritising foreign travel.

Describing the action as disrespect, Biti, who is also the opposition MDC deputy national chairperson, hit out at Ncube at the start of Thursdays debates in the National Assembly which focused on the 2019 National Budget.

The Harare East MDC MP said the minister should have at least sent in representatives to take notes on his behalf if he was not contemptuous of Parliament.

I am concerned that the minister of Finance and Economic Development has taken leave off the country during the week that Parliament is debating the countrys most important fiscal instrument  the budget, Biti  who was given the floor on a point of privilege  complained.

Acting National Assembly Speaker William Mutomba explained that Ncube sought leave of the House and had sent in his apologies. He said Ncube was away in the US on government business.

Mutomba said Parliament had noted Bitis concerns and also explained that Ncube had indeed sent in representatives from the ministry.

We have taken note of your point of order but could I just shed light on some of the MPs who are not aware that the minister actually is in New York at the moment and he has sent his apologies but, we do have in the House officers from the ministry of Finance and Economic Development who are taking notes, Mutomba said.

Biti shot back saying there are no officials from the ministry of Finance and Economic Development, they are not there.

After being called out, Mutomba suggested that the officials had been delayed by the rains that pounded the capital city that afternoon and claimed they were on their way.

It is just my hope that they have been delayed because of this rainfall. I believe that they are coming but, the position is that everything is being recorded in the Hansard but I will keep note of your concern, Mutomba assured Biti.

Biti had also accused Cabinet ministers of disrespecting MPs by not turning up for parliamentary business.

This is disrespect, utter contempt and utter abuse of this august House. It is the first time in the history of the country that a minister of Finance and Economic Development takes leave of absence when the budget is being debated.

It is not acceptable, it is not good enough and we as Parliament must reject that, Biti fumed.

Meanwhile, in an exclusive wide ranging interview with the Mail and Telegraph on Thursday in Harare, Biti described Finance Minister Mthuli Ncube as weak.

He said Ncube is a complete waste of time since he is not consistent in his policy announcements. Biti who served as Finance Minister during the Government of National Unity said Ncube lacks character. Said Biti:

He is an amateur and weak, this economy requires someone who is strong, someone who can look the beast in the eye because Zanu PF is a beast. They will not allow reforms and as a matter of fact, there is no regime that has ever reformed itself out of power. e is a complete waste of time.

Part of his problem is that he doesnt have character, he doesnt have honesty and he doesnt have consistency. He suffers from what I call foot and mouth disease which is a disease that you say something today and you reverse it tomorrow. His first announcement was that he is going to demonetise the bond note and he reversed that. He once said that the bond note can never be equal to the US dollar and he reversed the statement again.

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By Bill Black, the author of The Best Way to Rob a Bank is to Own One, an associate professor of economics and law at the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and co-founder of Bank Whistleblowers United. Jointly published with New Economic Perspectives

I cannot write many blogs during the fall semesters because I teach four classes (I co-teach one of them). The fall term of instruction at UMKC is now over so I am writing one piece before turning to grading. I have recently done additional research on a topic I know is of great interest  the prosecution of elite white-collar criminals. I have organized it in the form of a game in which the reader guesses who authored the quoted passage.

Which President described the elite banksters of his era as charlatans, chiselers and cheats? Which Vice President criticized prosecutions, enforcement actions, and even safety rules for the elite white-collar criminals of his era in these terms?

But the number of complex regulations is only half the problem. As President [deleted] has repeatedly emphasized, it is also the adversarial and seemingly mindless enforcement methods that really get under peoples skins. Business owners are sick of being treated like criminals. They see a government that just doesnt make sense, that charges them with safety violations when no one is in harms way.

[Note that enforcement action is supposed to be adversarial and that business owners need to be treated [as] [not like] criminals when they are criminals. A safety violation that does not cause injury because no worker is in the unsafe trench when it collapsed should be charged as a safety violation because it is. A well-run company with a strong safety record takes that approach to safety. The government must too.]

Which U.S. Attorney General offered the excuse for refusing to create a national task force to prioritize the prosecution of the elite banksters of his era that the fraudsters were merely white collar street criminals? Which U.S. Attorney General explained in these terms why he was working with the regulators because prosecutions of elite banksters require enormous sophistication and prioritization?

[T]hese investigations most often involve complicated paper trails leading to highly sophisticated schemes which disguise illegality under the veneer of legitimate business and financial transactions.

[Note that this AG understood the essential danger that makes control frauds uniquely damaging  the fact that the CEO finds it far easier to disguise illegality under the veneer of seeming legitima[cy].]

Which U.S. President met with the Nations U.S. Attorneys to emphasize in these terms the criticality of prosecuting elite banksters?

It takes a snake, a cold-blooded snake, to betray the trust and innocence of hard-working people, [deleted] said in a speech to his administrations U.S. attorneys in announcing his effort. And so, if we have to look under rocks to find these white-collar criminals, then we will leave no stone unturned.

Which U.S. President proclaimed I did not run for office to be helping out a bunch of fat cat bankers on Wall Street? Which FBI Director characterized the level of elite fraud in failed insured institutions as pervasive and explained that the fraud problem came from the top in these terms?

The American public relied upon banking institutions and financial institutions being soundly managed by people who were honest. Therefore, it is absolutely essential that this program go forward to the end no matter how long that takes.

He discounted past arguments that Texas economy was the root cause for the states financial crisis. Although it was the general economic downturn in Texas that surfaced the problem, it appears to the FBI as if a pervasive pattern of fraudulent lending activity began much earlier.

Which U.S. President told the Nations leading bankers My administration is the only thing between you and the pitchforks?

[Note that the President was characterizing the American people as a mob out to murder the banksters that caused the financial crisis  and stressing that his administration would safeguard them from accountability for their crimes.]

Which U.S. Attorney General explained in these terms how he began working with the new regulator the day after he was appointed to ensure the prioritization of the most elite banksters in the ongoing financial crisis they were both confronting?

I met with [deleted] Director of [deleted], the day after he assumed office to map out a joint effort between the regulatory agencies and the Department of Justice to winnow through the mass of referrals that had already been made to ensure that we were focusing upon the most significant cases as our first priority.

Which regulatory agency made the mass of [criminal] referrals the AG was referring to? How many criminal referrals did the agency make in response to its financial crisis? How many felony convictions of individuals did the Department of Justice (DOJ) obtain in major cases in response to these referrals? Which senior law enforcement agency warned in September 2004 that an epidemic of mortgage fraud was developing that would, he predicted, cause a financial crisis if it were not stopped? Which administration debated for months the advantages and perils of a criminal indictment against HSBC given an FBI investigation confirming the congressional finding that the bank, between 2001 and 2010, exposed the U.S. financial system to money laundering [by a leading drug cartel] and terrorist financing risks [by Saudis]? The U.S. Attorney General, at the urging of the Fed and the Comptroller of the Currency, refused to indict the bank or its senior officers who committed and profited from tens of thousands of felonies. What U.S. Attorney General testified to Congress in the following terms that the largest banks were too big to prosecute?

I am concerned that the size of some of these institutions becomes so large that it does become difficult for us to prosecute them when we are hit with indications that if you do prosecute, if you do bring a criminal charge, it will have a negative impact on the national economy, perhaps even the world economy.

Under which administration did Scott G. Alvarez, general counsel at the Federal Reserve successfully intervene with the SEC to weaken fraud penalties against some of the worlds largest banks? Under which administration did Timothy Geithner, then President of the NY Fed, successfully intervene with then NY Attorney General Cuomo to caution against vigorous prosecution of elite banksters? Did this harm Geithner and Cuomos careers? Which President unconstitutionally appointed the first Director of the Office of Thrift Supervision  after being warned that appointing him without the Senates advice and consent would be unconstitutional? Why did the President do so  and why did the Senate not protest the action? Which administration ended the career prospects of a top regulator they appointed when he had the audacity to bring an enforcement action against the Presidents son? Which U.S. Attorney General wrote: We are presently facing the largest financial disaster in American history grounded in the betrayal of public trust by flagrant self-dealing in other peoples money? Which U.S. Attorney General described the causes of the financial crisis he was investigating the biggest white-collar swindle in history?

For bonus points, these questions relate to a non-government party.

Who wrote the following  and made it public?

Our savings and loan industry has created the largest mess in the history of U.S. financial institutions, [deleted] said in a letter to the [industry trade association  the league]. The league responds to the savings and loan mess as Exxon would have responded to the oil spill from the Valdez if it had insisted thereafter on liberal use of whisky by tanker captains. [Deleted] blamed the league for constant and successful lobbying over many years that prevented government regulators from cracking down on S&Ls run by crooks and fools and persuaded regulators to use Mickey Mouse accounting. It is not unfair to liken the situation now facing Congress to cancer and to liken the league to a significant carcinogenic agent. Because the League has clearly misled its government for a long time, to the taxpayers great detriment, a public apology is in order, not redoubled efforts to mislead further.

Answers: (plus the President that appointed the official):
(Natural News) There is a saying alternately attributed to Mark Twain and Abraham Lincoln that says something to the effect, It is better to keep your mouth closed and let people think you are a fool than to open it and remove all doubt.

This might have come from Proverbs 17:28 in the Bible which says, in part, Even a fool who keeps silent is considered wise

No matter the origin of this phrase, its a very appropriate lesson for Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass., who may have destroyed any chance she had to viably win her partys 2020 presidential nomination.

Some weeks ago, and most likely in response to endless ribbing by POTUS Donald Trump, Warren decided to take a DNA test to prove that her longstanding claims to possess Native American blood were true.

But as it turned out, Warren has little Native American blood and, some say, the percentage (as low as 1/1,024th Native American) is statistically insignificant, as in, shes no more Native American than any other white European.

The fallout from releasing the results was swift and immediate. First of all, the Cherokee Nation, whose heritage she claimed, condemned her for it while an official, Cherokee Secretary of State Chuck Hoskin Jr., said in a statement that a DNA test is useless to determine tribal citizenship.

Current DNA tests do not even distinguish whether a persons ancestors were indigenous to North or South America, he added. (Related: REPORT: Elizabeth Warrens great-great-great grandfather was a member of the militia that ripped Cherokee from their homes, separating Native American families.)

POTUS Trump was also quick to ridicule Pocohantas Warren, tweeting, Pocahontas (the bad version), sometimes referred to as Elizabeth Warren, is getting slammed. She took a bogus DNA test and it showed that she may be 1/1024, far less than the average American. Now Cherokee Nation denies her, DNA test is useless. Even they dont want her. Phony! He also admonished her to apologize to the Cherokee Nation.

Pocahontas (the bad version), sometimes referred to as Elizabeth Warren, is getting slammed. She took a bogus DNA test and it showed that she may be 1/1024, far less than the average American. Now Cherokee Nation denies her, DNA test is useless. Even they dont want her. Phony!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) October 16, 2018

So much for 2020?

The criticisms were also justified, given that in her earlier days as an academic, she fudged about her heritage to land cushy positions at Ivy League schools.

But perhaps the greatest hand-wringing came from the Left-wing media and many within the Democratic establishment, all of whom believe she tanked her 2020 presidential bid.

The New York Times reported:

[B]ut two months after Ms. Warren released the test results and drew hostile reactions from prominent tribal leaders, the lingering cloud over her likely presidential campaign has only darkened. Conservatives have continued to ridicule her. More worrisome to supporters of Ms. Warrens presidential ambitions, she has yet to allay criticism from grass-roots progressive groups, liberal political operatives and other potential 2020 allies who complain that she put too much emphasis on the controversial field of racial science  and, in doing so, played into Mr. Trumps hands.

Even Warren thinks she screwed up. The Times noted that privately she has admitted to advisers that the test was a slip-up given the fact that she so obviously is not a descendant  not even close  of any Native American tribe.

The advisers say Ms. Warren will have to confront the issue again if she announces a presidential campaign, which is expected in the coming weeks, and several would like her to act soon to address it.

Not that it will matter.

Those who are fans of Fauxcohontas have either already forgiven her or will once she throws her hat in the ring for Democrat voters to decide. And her political opponents will never forget her DNA faux pas and will remind her of it early and often, POTUS Trump included  and thats even if she makes it out of what is expected to be a very crowded Democrat field.

Warrens best bet would have just been to let the issue alone, but instead she had to open her mouth and prove herself the fool.

Read more about the upcoming Elizabeth Warrens Native American hoax at LizWarren.news.

Sources include:

NYTimes.com

BostonHerald.com

TheNationalSentinel.com
(Natural News) Windi Thomas has plead guilty to the third-degree murder of her boyfriend, Keeno Butler. While Thomas is not the first person to kill their romantic partner, the killing of Butler has been highly publicized due to the nature of the murder: Thomas crushed Butler, using her own body as a weapon.

Butler, a 44-year-old man who weighed approximately 120 pounds, weighed less than half of Thomas 300 pounds. Prosecutors say that the murder took place in March 2018, at the couples own Pennsylvania apartment.

She has agreed to the recommended sentence of 18 to 36 years behind bars. Thomas court-appointed lawyer, Mark Del Duca of Pittsburgh, commented, Its a good result based upon the facts of the case. I think its fair for both sides.

Not everyone agrees. Sandra Butler, the victims sister, feels the sentencing should be harsher. I feel like she should have 40 or more. She deserved life, Butler stated.

Under a plea agreement, Assistant Erie County District Attorney Jeremy Lightner dropped multiple charges against Thomas, including aggravated assault, reckless endangerment, and possession of the instrument of a crime.

According to an affidavit, Butlers autopsy showed his death was caused by respiratory insufficiency secondary to blunt force trauma to the neck and thoracic compression, exacerbated by blunt force trauma to the head.

Essentially, he was simultaneously suffocated and crushed to death.

According to reports, Thomas was drunk and looking to smoke some crack when she and Butler began fighting. Thomas then stabbed Butler in the hand and hit him with a table leg, before smothering him with her body.

As police reportedly stated, Thomas told investigators that she cut Butler in the hand with a folding knife and struck him in the head with a table leg during a confrontation, then placed her head on the couch so a portion of her body would be on Butlers head.

Afterwards, Thomas called 911 herself and admitted over the phone that she had killed her boyfriend. Butlers dead body was on the floor when police arrived.

Its no secret that obesity kills, but this crime has taken things to a new level.

Another symptom of the obesity crisis?

While Butler may have been the victim of someone elses obesity, carrying too much extra weight is typically more risky for the individual than their friends and family. Obesity can lead to enlarged hearts, crushed lungs, strained joints and other health issues.

As a report by the Daily Mail reveals, one 26-year-old woman was prompted to shed the pounds after being suffocated by her own fat.

Melissa Dowell gained 5 stone (70 pounds) while away at college and subsisting on fast food meals three times a day. She graduated university weighing 15 stone (210 pounds), and says she was too embarrassed to leave her house or see old friends that knew her before the weight gain.

Dowell says that one night, while reclining on the sofa, she suddenly couldnt breathe: The extra fat she was carrying had caused her throat to close up, and she was suffocating.

After surviving this frightening incident, the young woman decided to turn things around and lose the weight.

I was literally suffocating under my own weight. I didnt want to be fat anymore  it just wasnt me. I realised then that I had to step up and do something, Dowell says. At that time, she was smoking a pack of cigarettes a day, didnt exercise, and would eat bags of junk food and take out daily.

The turning point came when I was sitting on the sofa and I just couldnt breathe because my neck was so fat. I had to sit up straight to breathe again, it was frightening, she said. Now, Dowell runs her own weight loss group to support others.

See more coverage of stories like this at Slender.news.

Sources for this article include:

Breitbart.com

ThisIsInsider.com

DailyMail.co.uk
A seven-year-old male sea lion was found dead from apparent gunshot wounds at Point Reyes National Park, according to park officials.

According to a post on social media, park visitors reported the dead sea lion to the parks visitor center staff.

Markings on the sea lion allowed our marine mammal stranding network partner, the California Academy of Sciences, to identify the male sea lion as 7 years old and born on San Miguel Island, the post said.

NOAA Fisheries Service researchers reported that he had been consistently seen around the island since he was born. Injuries to the sea lion were consistent with gunshot wounds. Thanks to the well-documented visitor reports, researchers were able to have his complete life story.

Scientists at the California Academy of Sciences have performed a necropsy and discovered six bullet holes in the sea lion's body.

We rely on visitor reports to learn about what is happening at Point Reyes National Seashore and to learn more about the threats (both human-caused and natural) affecting our wildlife, Point Reyes National Park officials said. If you come across a dead or sick/injured animal in the park, please take pictures and make notes about what you see and where you are and then notify our visitor center staff. But dont get too close to the animal. You are our eyes and ears out in the park and you can make a difference by reporting these sightings to us."

The post sparked outrage on social media, with many asking who could have done something like shoot a sea lion.
Firefighters battled a blaze that burned a home and several vehicles in Brentwood early Saturday morning, according to fire officials.

The fire broke out in the area of Lone Tree Way and Virginia Drive, according to the East Contra Costa Fire Protection District.

Firefighters were dispatched to the blaze at 4:20 a.m., according to the fire district.

Further information was not immediately available.
What to Know Dominique Crenn opened Atelier Crenn in 2011, serving a modern and artistic high-end menu

Three stars is the highest honor the Michelin Guide can give a restaurant

Of the 15 U.S. restaurants with three Michelin stars, Atelier Crenn is the only one with a female head chef

When we sat down to talk to her, Chef Dominque Crenn said she couldn't believe it had been a week since the phone call that had her jumping up and down, screaming uncontrollably.

"I'm French  I grew up with the Michelin," she said of the travel guide that sends anonymous inspectors to restaurants and rates them each year. "I'm very proud that a French guide will recognize me outside of France."

Crenn became the first female chef in the U.S. to receive two Michelin stars after opening her flagship restaurant, Atelier Crenn, in 2011. In the 2019 Michelin Guide, she'll again be blazing a trail as the first female head chef of a U.S. restaurant to be awarded three stars  the guide's highest honor.

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

"I've said in the past the star doesn't define me," Crenn said. "What defines me is what I do with it."

Crenn said she hopes the recognition she's receiving will serve as a platform on which she can help to level the playing field for women in the culinary arts  a field that's historically been male-dominated, especially in her native France. She said she receives countless emails from girls and young women who want to follow in her footsteps.

"I really work hard to make sure that people look at me as being a cook  not look at me as being a woman," Crenn said. "It doesn't matter what gender we are, we can do it too. Maybe better sometimes."

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

Crenn runs three restaurants in San Francisco and a farm in Sonoma County where she grows produce for the dishes she creates at Atelier Crenn. The name means "Crenn's Workshop," and is an homage to her father, whose paintings line the walls of the 8-table dining room.

It takes all day to prepare for dinner at Atelier Crenn, where prep cooks come in early in the morning to get ingredients ready for the kitchen crew that will take over in the evening. Some are young and some are veterans of the culinary world, but to Crenn, everyone on the team is important.

"I treat everyone with respect," she said. "I'm not better than anyone in my kitchen. But I told them they're not better than me either."

Pastry chef Juan Contreras, who's worked with Crenn since before the restaurant opened in 2011, said the team atmosphere has garnered a reputation for Atelier Crenn as a great place to work.

Jonathan Bloom/NBC Bay Area

"You come in, first person you say hello to is the dishwasher," he said. "We've had people start and work here from higher end restaurants, famous restaurants in Europe... It's always humbling to hear this is one of the easiest kitchens they've worked in."

Contreras oversees a spacious pastry kitchen at Atelier Crenn that serves Crenn's three restaurants, making desserts, chocolate candies and elaborate edible sculptures. He's been an integral part of the business since it began, though he credits Crenn for taking the initial leap.

"She's basically the risk taker," he said. "I would say we're like the yin-yang  where I'm always like, 'Oh, Chef, I wish you'd wait on this, or maybe some other time,' and she's more like, 'Let's do it!' I mean, we opened the restaurant because of her."

Dinner at Atelier Crenn, in San Francisco's Cow Hollow neighborhood, costs $335 plus tax and optional wine pairings. Next door, Bar Crenn offers more affordable options, and across town in Hayes Valley, Petit Crenn serves an ever-changing menu of more casual fare.
More priests of the Jesuit Order of the Catholic Church were accused of sexual abuse Friday. The accusations date back to the 1940s and reaches across California and other western states.

The Jesuits added those names to the list of former priests or brothers that had "credible claims of sexual abuse of a minor or vulnerable adult."

Eighty priests were assigned in the Bay Area at one point but were not necessarily accused here.

Out of the 80, 15 worked at Bellarmine College Prep in San Jose and 14 priests worked at Saint Ignatius College Prep in San Francisco.

On Friday, the school sent a message to its community to make them aware of the names.

The only connection to the Bay Area for nearly half of the 80 priests was time spent at Alma College, a seminary in the Los Gatos foothills that moved to Berkeley in 1969.

Of the living, seven live in the Sacred Heart Jesuit Center in Los Gatos.

"This is all about the bottom line of these organizations that harbor these people," said priest abuse survivor Will Lynch. "If you expose them, they're going to be forced to change their organization."

Lynch said one of those priests living there, Jarold Lindner, raped him when he was seven. In 2010, he found Linder and attacked him at the retirement home when Linder wouldn't sign a confession.

Lynch has been pushing for the church to release all of the names immediately.

The Jesuits sent out an apology Friday stating in part, "Its inconceivable that someone entrusted with the pastoral care of a child could be capable of something so harmful. Yet, tragically, this is a part of our Jesuit history, a legacy we cannot ignore."

The order noting this is a very small percentage of its priests and that it will release more names, if more cases are identified.
At least eight people were shot, one fatally, in citywide gun violence on Friday.

The only homicide occurred during the afternoon in the Brighton Park neighborhood on the Southwest Side, according to Chicago police.

Rigoberto Rodriguez, 23, was found in a gangway about 4:10 p.m. in the 3000 block of West 39th Place, according to Chicago police and the Cook County medical examiners office. He had been shot in the head, neck and torso. Rodriguez was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital, where he died at 4:53 p.m., authorities said. He was from the Chicago Lawn neighborhood on the South Side.

The most recent shooting wounded a 45-year-old man at night in the Humboldt Park neighborhood on the Northwest Side.

At 9:56 p.m., the 45-year-old was walking down the 3500 block of West Beach when three males got out of a vehicle and shot him, police said. The man was struck in the back and taken to Stroger Hospital, where his condition was stabilized, police said.

A 43-year-old man was also wounded from gunfire Friday, in the South Side Englewood neighborhood.

About 5:30 p.m., the man was walking down the street in the 6900 block of South Lafayette Avenue when he heard gunfire and realized he was shot, police said. He was struck in the leg and taken to the University of Chicago Medical Center in good condition.

In the afternoon, a 16-year-old boy was critically wounded in an afternoon shooting in the South Shore neighborhood.

The boy was walking about 3:45 p.m. when someone walked up to him and fired shots in the 7400 block of South Colfax, police said. He was taken to University of Chicago Medical Center in critical condition with a gunshot wound to the abdomen.

Also on the South Side, a woman was wounded in a shooting Friday afternoon in the Brainerd neighborhood.

The 44-year-old was a passenger in a vehicle when shots were fired shortly after 3 p.m. in the 9000 block of South Throop, police said. She was struck in the right leg and taken to Little Company of Mary Hospital in Evergreen Park in good condition.

During the morning a teenage boy was shot while walking outside in the Burnside neighborhood on the Far South Side.

At 1:32 p.m., the 14-year-old was with a group of people in the 9300 block of South Drexel Avenue when someone unleashed a hail of gunfire at them, police said. A bullet struck the 14-year-olds left leg and he was taken to Trinity Hospital, where his condition was stabilized.

Earlier on the West Side, a man was dropped off at a hospital in critical condition after he was shot in the Douglas Park neighborhood.

At 12:52 a.m., three males drove to Mount Sinai Hospital with the wounded 23-year-old inside their black sedan, police said. He had multiple gunshot wounds in the right side of his body. Detectives determined he was shot while in the 2700 block of West 15th Street.

In Fridays first shooting, a pair of robbers shot and critically wounded a 20-year-old man in the East Garfield Park neighborhood on the West Side.

At 12:36 a.m., two males walked up to the man standing on a sidewalk in the 600 block of North Homan and demanded his items, police said. They were both armed with handguns. During the robbery, at least one of the armed males fired his gun, striking the 20-year-old in the chest. He was taken to Mount Sinai Hospital in critical condition.

On Thursday, at least six people were shot within city limits.
Corina Demkowicz had already completed seven months in the dental assistant program at Brightwood College in Hammond.

"Our teacher and students were crying," she said. "It was sad."

She was just two months away from graduation.

"My daughter was so happy I was going to finish and she was like oh, mommy's gonna be a dentist and now,'" she said. "(Now I) cant finish."

On Wednesday Brightwoods parent company--Education Corporation of America--abruptly notified students and faculty that it had lost its accreditation and was closing its campuses nationwide.

Only students who completed their classes by Friday would be getting course credit.

In an email to students ECA's CEO wrote if you do not graduate by 12/7, we encourage you to continue your career training by requesting your transcript and contacting schools to determine transferability.

Demkowicz wishes she would have known ahead of time.

"If they knew this was happening that way we could look elsewhere and get enrolled into another program and have been more prepared," she said.

Demkowicz's mother, Debra, said it's the whole family was looking forward to Corina's graduation.

"My granddaughter ... she was going to be happy to see her mom in a cap and gown, you know, were crushed a little bit," she said.

Administrators say they will be available to students through late next week to answer questions and help with transcripts.

ECA did not respond to NBC 5's further requests for comment.
The Dark Lord has descended on Springfield just in time for the holidays, it seems.

The Chicago Chapter of the Satanic Temple announced Thursday it has installed a monument in the Illinois Capitol Rotunda along with displays from other religious groups.

The pitch-black statue, entitled Snaketivity, is of a womans hand, a serpent coiled around her arm, holding an apple. An inscription below the hand reads Knowledge is the greatest gift.

Illinois must abide by the First Amendment and allow temporary public religious displays in the capitol as long as theyre not paid for by taxpayer dollars, a sign in the rotunda explains.

Because the first floor of the Capitol Rotunda is a public space, state officials cannot legally censor the content of speech or displays, the sign reads.

The Satanic Temples Chicago chapter said it appreciates being able to contribute to the numerous religious viewpoints on display in the Capitol during the winter holiday season.

The Satanic Temple is a non-theistic religious organization determined to halt the dangerous encroachment of theocracy into American government, the statement reads.

The Illinois Family Action group, a nonprofit aiming to promote pro-family issues and candidates in Illinois, tweeted a sort of rebuke against Snaketivity.

They fail to realize that the little baby in the manger has CRUSHED Satan's head and the gates of hell will NOT prevail, the tweet reads.

Lux Armiger, the chairperson for the Chicago chapter of the Satanic Temple, said the organization is unconcerned with the "moral pronouncements" of Illinois Family Action.

"Rather, this holiday season, we choose to promote, and encourage Illinoisans to consider, a more spiritually rewarding message that 'Knowledge is the Greatest Gift,'" Armiger said.

Dave Druker, a spokesman for the secretary of state's office, said the states attorneys view the display as a First Amendment issue.

We accepted their permit, they filled out the form, he said. If you do something for one group to be consistent, dont you have to do it for everybody?

Druker said hes gotten a few calls from private citizens upset by the satanic display, but hes uncertain of how widespread that criticism is.

But its been somewhat loud, he said.

He said this was the first time he could recall a satanic presence at the Captiol Rotunda, but that many different religious and non-religious groups participate in the displays. One such organization is an anti-religion group from Madison, Wisconsin, he said, with a display that reads Religion is nothing but myth and superstition.

And we do have a menorah, he added.

The Satanic Temple also submitted plans in 2014 to have a statue of Baphometa deity with a mans body and a goats headto be included at the Oklahoma state Capitol after a display of the 10 Commandments was placed there in 2012.

The temple has 15 chapters across the country, it says.

Snaketivity will be on display until Dec. 29.
President Donald Trump announced Friday he's nominating State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert to be the next U.S. ambassador to the United Nations.

"Heather Nauert will be nominated," Trump said Friday before departing the White House on Marine One for an event in Kansas City. "She's very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she's going to be respected by all."

Trump also said he would nominate William Barr as attorney general. Barr held the same position under former President George H.W. Bush.

If she is confirmed by the Senate, Nauert, a former Fox News Channel reporter who had little foreign policy experience before becoming State Department spokeswoman, will replace Nikki Haley. Haley, a former South Carolina governor, announced in October that she would step down at the end of this year.

While Nauert would be a leading administration voice on Trump's foreign policy, a White House official told The Associated Press the administration is downgrading the diplomatic post to a non-Cabinet position. The official spoke on condition of anonymity to discuss the change.

Trump told reporters last month that Nauert was "excellent," adding, "She's been a supporter for a long time."

Plucked from Fox by the White House to serve as State Department spokeswoman, Nauert catapulted into the upper echelons of the agency's hierarchy when Secretary of State Rex Tillerson was fired in March and replaced with Mike Pompeo. Nauert was then appointed acting undersecretary of state for public diplomacy and public affairs and was for a time the highest-ranking woman and fourth highest-ranking official in the building.

Nauert, who did not have a good relationship with Tillerson and had considered leaving the department, told associates at the time she was taken aback by the promotion offer and recommended a colleague for the job. But when White House officials told her they wanted her, she accepted.

That role gave her responsibilities far beyond the news conferences she held in the State Department briefing room. She oversaw public diplomacy in Washington and all of the roughly 275 overseas U.S. embassies, consulates and other posts. She was in charge of the Global Engagement Center that fights extremist messaging from the Islamic State group and others, and she has a seat on the U.S. Agency for Global Media that oversees government broadcast networks such as Voice of America.

Just 18 months ago, she wasn't even in government.

Nauert was a breaking news anchor on Trump's favorite television show, "Fox & Friends," when she was tapped to be the face and voice of the administration's foreign policy. With a master's degree from Columbia University's Graduate School of Journalism, she had moved to Fox from ABC News, where she was a general assignment reporter. She hadn't specialized in foreign policy or international relations.

Shut out from the top by Tillerson and his inner circle, Nauert developed relationships with career diplomats. Barred from traveling with Tillerson, she embarked on her own overseas trips, visiting Bangladesh and Myanmar last year to see the plight of Rohingya Muslims, and then Israel after a planned stop in Syria was scrapped. All the while, she stayed in the good graces of the White House, even as Tillerson was increasingly on the outs.

White House press secretary Sarah Huckabee Sanders described Nauert in March as "a team player" and "a strong asset for the administration."
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 7)  The Philippine Air Force (PAF) may soon have more combat utility and attack helicopters in its arsenal.

Speaking to reporters Friday, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said that the Air Force's technical working group (TWG) has already recommended two helicopter types for purchase: the U.S.-made Sikorsky Black Hawk combat utility helicopter and the Turkish T129 ATAK attack helicopter.

"The PAF TWG has come up with recommendation that the Black Hawk is the best option that we will buy so we will pursue that," Lorenzana said.

With President Rodrigo Duterte having previously slammed the United States for refusing to sell attack helicopters in the Philippines, Lorenzana said that the Black Hawk is mainly used for transport.

"Black Hawk is actually not an attack helicopter. It's a combat utility transport. So pwede natin lagyan ng machine gun magkabila (We can put machine guns on both sides) but it's not really for attack, its for bringing air supply troops," he said.

With its limited budget of $240 million, Lorenzana estimates that they can purchase around 16 Black Hawks and 8 T129 ATAKs.
The wife of an ex-Customs and Border Protection officer imprisoned in a drugs and bribery case must serve 11 years for her role in the Texas trafficking scheme.

Ana Marie Hernandez was sentenced Thursday in El Paso. Hernandez must also pay a $100,000 judgment -- the amount prosecutors say she and Daniel Ledezma accepted in bribes.

Ledezma worked at the Paso de Norte Port of Entry. Investigators say both conspired to let cocaine be smuggled through the El Paso border crossing.

Hernandez in 2010 pleaded guilty to conspiracy to import a controlled substance and to aiding and abetting bribery of a public official. She fled before sentencing, was located in Mexico and extradited in October.

Ledezma pleaded guilty to the same charges and in 2011 was sentenced to 110 months.
What to Know George Papadopoulos pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries

He was sentenced to 14 days in prison

Papadopoulos attacked special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation as corrupt

George Papadopoulos, the first person sent to prison in the Russia investigation, has been released.

That's according to the Federal Bureau of Prisons.

The former Trump campaign foreign policy adviser was sentenced to 14 days in prison this year after he pleaded guilty to lying to the FBI about his contacts with Russian intermediaries. Special counsel Robert Mueller's team recommended incarceration for Papadopoulos because they said he begrudged his cooperation and his lies harmed the probe.

Papadopoulos took a remorseful tone during his sentencing hearing, but he has since attacked Mueller's investigation as corrupt.

Declassified documents show that Papadopoulos' foreign contacts during the presidential campaign prompted the FBI in July 2016 to open a counterintelligence investigation. That investigation was later taken over by Mueller.
A man suspected of illegally crossing into the United States on Wednesday drowned in a canal near the U.S.-Mexico border in Calexico, U.S. Customs Border Patrol said Friday.

CBP said Border Patrol agents saw the man and two others illegally entered the U.S. about two miles west of the Gran Plaza Outlet around 9 p.m. Wednesday.

The two men were quickly caught after swimming across the All-American Canal, which runs parallel to the Mexico-California border. The victim, however, was struggling to stay afloat in the canal.

Agents were not able to reach the man before he drowned, according to the CBP. Border Patrol Search Trauma and Rescue (BORSTAR) were called and quickly arrived on the scene to recover the man's body but had to call the operation off because of heavy rain and low visibility.

The man's body, which was found submerged about 150 yards from where he crossed, was recovered 10 a.m. Thursday, the CBP said.

This incident tragically illustrates how human smuggling organizations place migrants in perilous situations, Chief Patrol Agent Gloria I. Chavez said. This man put his trust in human smugglers and it cost him his life.

All-American Canal is federally owned but is managed by the Imperial Irrigation District. The water in the canal can move a quickly as 30 mph, which can be a challenge for migrants who aren't strong swimmers.

The district installed buoy lines along the 23-mile concrete-line portioned of the canal in 2011, according to the Associated Press. More than 500 migrants have died trying to cross into the U.S. through the canal.

Neither the identity of the man nor his national origin has been released. The two men traveling with the victim were El Salvadorans, the CBP said.
He survived the flames of Southern California's Woolsey Fire that ripped through his habitat in the Santa Monica Mountains, but a mountain lion known as P-64 has now been found dead of unknown causes, National Park Service officials said Friday.

P-64, who was dubbed the "Culvert Cat" for repeatedly using a culvert to cross the Ventura (101) Freeway in the Liberty Canyon area, was found dead Monday by a biologist tracking his movements using information from the lion's GPS collar.

NPS officials said a cause of death was unknown, but P-64's paws were "visibly burned."

The NPS had been tracking 13 mountain lions that live in the Santa Monica Mountains as part of a study of the cat's activities and survivability in the development- and freeway-locked environment.

Of those 13 cats, 12 were known to have survived the Woolsey Fire. A year-old cat dubbed P-74 is believed to have died in the fire, although his remains haven't been found. Nearly 90 percent of the National Park Service land in the Santa Monica Mountains was consumed by the Woolsey Fire, according to the park service.

According to the NPS, P-64 was in the Simi Hills just above Oak Park when the Woolsey Fire erupted on Nov. 8. He covered a course of several miles through the hills over the next few days, eventually settling down in a remote area.

On Nov. 26, his GPS collar showed P-64 was in a part of the Simi Hills that escaped the blaze. His collar last transmitted a location on Nov. 28, and a biologist hiked to the area on Monday in hopes of tracking the cat, but his remains were found instead. Park Service officials said the cat appeared to have been dead "for a few days."

"Its very unfortunate that he was seemingly so successful surviving in this fragmented landscape and then died in the aftermath of a devastating wildfire," said Jeff Sikich, a biologist for the Santa Monica Mountains National Recreation Area. "It's of particular interest that he chose to travel back through a fresh burn area rather than retreat through urbanized areas to escape the fire."

The roughly 4-year-old lion had been tracked for the past nine months, since he was captured in February at the Santa Susana Field Lab.

During the first two weeks he was being monitored, P-64 crossed the 101 Freeway three times and the Ronald Reagan (118) Freeway twice, researchers said. During the full nine month of tracking, the cat crossed the 101 and 118 freeways more than 40 times, generally using the culvert beneath the 101.

"P-64 was a fascinating cat to study because he crossed our notoriously deadly freeways dozens of times," Sikich said.

In addition to the Simi Hills, P-64 was known to roam the Santa Monica Mountains and the southern Santa Susana Mountains.

He is believed to have fathered four kittens born in May, although the paternity hasn't yet been confirmed with DNA testing.
What to Know The LA County Sheriff's Department has suspended the operations of a highway enforcement team that stopped thousands of innocent La

The county inspector general had launched an investigation into the activities of the Domestic Highway Enforcement Team.

Almost 70 percent of drivers stopped from 2012 through last year were Latino and two-thirds of them had their vehicles searched.

The Los Angeles County Sheriff's Department has suspended the operations of a highway enforcement team that stopped thousands of innocent Latino drivers in search of drugs on the 5 Freeway, prompting allegations of racial profiling, it was reported Friday.

The county inspector general had launched an investigation into the activities of the Domestic Highway Enforcement Team.

The probe followed a report in the Los Angeles Times that almost 70 percent of drivers stopped from 2012 through last year were Latino and that two-thirds of them had their vehicles searched -- a rate far higher than motorists of other racial and ethnic groups. County Supervisor Hilda Solis asked the inspector general and the Sheriff Civilian Oversight Commission to conduct the review of the enforcement team.

According to The Times, a day before the team's operations were halted, Inspector General Max Huntsman reported to oversight commission members that the unit was not properly supervised and had violated drivers' rights. Deputies on the team have denied racial profiling and insisted that they base their stops only on a person's driving and other impartial factors and former Sheriff Jim McDonnell has said he was proud of the team's work, which included confiscating 3,500 pounds of drugs and rescuing six victims of human trafficking.

McDonnell was ousted in the Nov. 6 election by retired sheriff's Lt. Alex Villanueva, sworn in earlier this week, but the decision to suspend the unit's operations was made on Nov. 16, while McDonnell was still in office, department spokeswoman Nicole Nishida told The Times, which first reported the decision to halt the unit's activities. Nishida told The Times that data on the team's work was being gathered and would be evaluated prior to any decision on resuming operations.
A man and woman were hospitalized Saturday morning after being shot in a car that crashed into a sign outside a YMCA in North Hollywood.

The shooting was reported at 7:45 p.m. Friday in the 5100 block of Tujunga Avenue, near Magnolia Boulevard, according to Officer Drake Madison of the Los Angeles Police Department's Media Relations Section.

"We got information from...witnesses that apparently this started at a fast-food restaurant not too far away from here, possibly the Taco Bell," LAPD Detective Sgt. Adolfo Godinez told reporters at the scene.

The car crashed into a sign outside the East Valley Family YMCA at 5142 Tujunga Ave.

Madison said when the call came in, one victim was reported to be inside the YMCA and the other in the car.

The man and woman were taken to a hospital for treatment, police said.

"He is not in a condition to speak, so he's not giving too much information," Godinez said. "Not saying that he's withholding information, just saying he's not able to speak right now. The female as well."

The woman reported that she had been shot in a leg, Madison said.

A red BMW may have been involved in the shooting, but that has not been confirmed, Madison said.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will be leaving his post at the end of the year, President Donald Trump told reporters outside the White House Saturday, amid an expected West Wing reshuffling reflecting a focus on the 2020 re-election campaign and the challenge of governing with Democrats reclaiming control in the House.

Kelly did not immediately respond to his boss' comment, but four sources had recently told NBC News that Kelly's departure would occur in the coming days.

Multiple officials had told NBC News that Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, was Trump's top choice to replace Kelly. However, after spending the weekend in conversation, Trump and Ayers could not come to an agreement over the timeframe for Ayers to serve as acting chief of staff, a source familiar with the conversation told NBC News Sunday.

The 36-year old multimillionaire, a stark departure from the 68-year-old, four-star marine general Kelly, has a reputation as a polarizing and hard-charging fixture in Republican politics.

Ayers tweeted Sunday that he will be leaving his job at the end of the year "but will work with the #MAGA team to advance the cause."

A formal announcement on Kelly's replacement was expected in the coming days, the president told reporters as he left the White House for the Army-Navy football game in Philadelphia.

The president's announcement comes one day after prosecutors filed three new documents saying former Trump lawyer Michael Cohen and former Trump campaign manager Paul Manafort continually lied to investigators.

Kelly answered questions in the special counsel's investigation as well earlier this year, NBC News reported Friday, according to two people familiar with the matter.

Kelly had been credited with imposing order on a chaotic West Wing after his arrival in June 2017 from his post as homeland security secretary. But his iron first also alienated some longtime Trump allies, and he grew increasingly isolated, with an increasingly diminished role.

Known through the West Wing as "the chief" or "the general," the retired Marine Corps four-star general was tapped by Trump via tweet in July 2017 from his perch atop the Homeland Security Department to try to normalize a White House riven by infighting and competing power bases.

"John Kelly will leaving  I don't know if I can say retiring  but he's a great guy," Trump said. "John Kelly will be leaving at the end of the year. We'll be announcing who will be taking John's place  it might be on an interim basis. I'll be announcing that over the next day or two, but John will be leaving at the end of the year. ... I appreciate his service very much."

Kelly had early successes, including ending an open-door Oval Office policy that that had been compared to New York's Grand Central Station and instituting a more rigorous policy process to try to prevent staffers from going directly to Trump.

But those efforts also miffed the president and some of his most influential outside allies, who had grown accustomed to unimpeded access. Kelly's handling of domestic violence accusations against the former White House staff secretary also caused consternation, especially among lower-level White House staffers, who believed Kelly had lied to them about when he found out about the allegations.

Lauding Kelly, House Speaker Paul Ryan, R-Wis., said the country was "better for his duty at the White House." He called Kelly "a force for order, clarity and good sense."

Trump and Ayers were working out terms under which Ayers would fill the role and the time commitment he would make, the White House official said. Trump wants his next chief of staff to agree to hold the job through the 2020 election. Ayers, who has young triplets, had long planned to leave the administration at the end of the year, but he has agreed to serve in an interim basis through the spring of 2019.

The official spoke on the condition of anonymity to discuss sensitive personnel matters.

Word of Kelly's impending departure comes a day after Trump named his picks for attorney general and ambassador to the United Nations, and two senior aides shifted from the White House to Trump's campaign.

In any administration, the role of White House chief of staff is split between the responsibilities of supervising the White House and managing the man sitting in the Oval Office. Striking that balance in the turbulent times of Trump has bedeviled both Kelly and his predecessor, Reince Priebus.

White House aides say Trump has developed confidence in Ayers, in part by watching the effectiveness of Pence's largely independent political operation. Ayers also earned the backing of Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner, the president's daughter and son-in-law and senior advisers, for taking on the new role, White House officials said.

The Georgia native's meteoric rise in GOP politics included a successful stint at the Republican Governors Association, time as campaign manager for former Minnesota Gov. Tim Pawlenty's failed White House bid and consultant work for dozens of high-profile Republicans, including Pence.

Ayers, 36, would be the youngest chief of staff since 34-year-old Hamilton Jordan served under Jimmy Carter. Kelly is 68.

Trump had discussed replacing Kelly on multiple occasions, including following the negative publicity surrounding Kelly's handling of domestic violence accusations against then-White House staff secretary Rob Porter. Some lower-level White House staffers believed Kelly had lied to them about when he knew of the allegations and when he made clear to Porter that he'd have to leave.

Trump had often tossed around potential replacements, but sensitive to charges that his administration has been marked by record turnover, he said in July that he would keep Kelly in the job through 2020.

But inside the White House, it was viewed largely as an attempt to clamp down on speculation about Kelly's fate during the midterm elections, rather than a true vote of confidence.

Kelly, too, made no secret of the trials of his job, and often joked about how working for Trump was harder than anything he'd done before, including on the battlefield. In private, Kelly, whom friends said took the job out of a sense of duty to his country, cast himself as safeguarding the public from an impulsive and mercurial president. Reports of those conversations infuriated the president, who is especially sensitive of attacks on his competence and perceptions he is being managed.

At an event celebrating the 15th anniversary of the Department of Homeland Security, Kelly joked that he missed everyone in the department "every day," offering a deadpan eye roll and smile that drew laughs and applause.

"At six months, the last thing I wanted to do was walk away from one of the great honors of my life, being the secretary of Homeland Security, but I did something wrong and God punished me, I guess," he joked.

Kelly, who had threatened to quit on several occasions, told friends he would be happy if he lasted until his one-year anniversary: July 28.

Associated Press writers Michele Salcedo and Catherine Lucey contributed to this report.
To help make sure you stay informed on the most shared and talked about stories in San Diego County, each Saturday we'll revisit five stories from the previous week and capsulize them in this digest with the most recent updates.

Brightwood College Permanently Closes 3 Local Campuses

Brightwood College closed its doors Wednesday after new requirements from the Accrediting Council of Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS) became challenging, according to the president and CEO of Education Corporation of America. There are 74 campuses of the private, for-profit school across the nation. The Kearny Mesa campus was one of three Brightwood College locations in the San Diego area. The other schools were in Vista and Chula Vista.

All Brightwood College campuses in San Diego were abruptly shut down after the non-profit behind the school's CEO blamed "tougher standards." NBC 7's Joe Little has more.

Former Employees Allege San Diego County Migrant Youth Shelters Put 'Profits Over Care'

Southwest Key Programs has received millions of dollars in federal funding to house migrant youth but former employees say while the funding has increased over the last few years, resources at the San Diego County shelters were sub-par. Five former employees for Southwest Key told NBC 7 Investigates that recently, it appears those contracts are not centered around care, they center around profits.

Southwest Key Programs, which runs shelters across the county, saw an increase in federal funding, but former employees said its resources were sub-par. NBC 7's Melissa Adan has more.

Child Born in San Diego Day After Migrant Mother Crosses Border Illegally

A young woman who spent weeks traveling with a caravan of Central American migrants while pregnant gave birth in San Diego after illegally crossing the U.S.-Mexico border to request asylum. The family trekked across the countries of Guatemala and Mexico, traveling north by foot and by bus until they reached Tijuana, Baja California, Mexico. "He was born here in San Diego," the baby's mother said holding her 8-day-old son -- a United States citizen by birth -- in an interview with NBC 7's sister station, Telemundo 20. Read the article here.

Video of Overcrowded GUHSD Bus Sparks Outrage, Changes

Video showing students sitting in the aisle of an overcrowded Grossmont Union High School District school bus sparked outrage earlier this week. The video shared with NBC 7 showed students packed in a school bus aisle traveling from Granite Hills High School with some sitting three to a seat and others sitting on the floor. At one point, a student hops over another to move within the cabin.

Students in the Granite Hills School District were riding school buses so crowded some were sitting in the aisles. NBC 7s Liberty Zabala reports.

Swastika Painted on Poway Home Hours After Hanukkah Decorations Put Up

Hours after Debbie Seibert put up decorations to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah on Sunday, the Poway resident found a swastika spray-painted on her home and a liquid that smelled like kerosene on her sons car. San Diego County Sheriffs Department investigators say the vandalism, which they classify as a hate crime, occurred sometime after 11 p.m. on Sunday. On the following day, NBC 7's Artie Ojeda reported that Seibert's neighbors held an impromptu vigil to show support for the family.

Right now. Impromptu vigil on Poway Rd at Community Rd after vandals spray paint swastikas on a nearby home. The owner had just put up decorations to celebrate the first night of Hanukkah. #nbc7 pic.twitter.com/k96rBsSQYJ  Artie Ojeda (@ArtieNBCSD) December 4, 2018

NBC 7's Omari Fleming reports from the Poway street corner where neighbors gathered to let the city know that hate won't be tolerated.
The original text of this story named a third person in the car, who later pleaded no contest to the charges of possession and transportation of a controlled substance. His case has been sealed by the courts upon his successful completion of a drug rehabilitation program -- Ed.

Three people were arrested on drug charges after sheriffs department investigators recovered large amounts of ecstasy, Xanax, cocaine, meth and mushrooms from a home in Poway earlier this week.

Our redesigned local news and weather app is live! Download it for iOS or Android  and sign up for alerts.

The San Diego County Sheriffs Department said deputies pulled over a car for a vehicle code violation on Wednesday and seized illegal drugs.

Detectives then obtained search warrants they served at a home on Choctaw Way where large quantities of the aforementioned drugs were found along with evidence of illegal drug sales and over $20,000 in cash.

One of the people in the car was arrested and charged with possession and transportation of a controlled substance, but Victoria Lin, 34, and Luan Quach, 44, both Poway residents, were charged with possession and sales of a controlled substance.

Neighbors were shocked to learn that Quach was arrested, telling NBC 7 he had lived in the neighborhood for nearly a decade and was the treasurer of their HOA. Neighbors also say Lin was Quachs fiance.

"This person is on our board," neighbor Lydia Rose said. "I have worked with him closely."

Rose said Quach never displayed suspicious behavior and that she and other neighbors are in "total shock."

"He is a smart man, helps us make decisions for our community and for our planning here," she said.

The Poway Criminal Apprehension Team assisted in the investigation, the SDSO said.
When William Vaughan passed away 20 years ago, he left behind a tradition of decorating his house in Arlington, Virginia, for the holidays.

Decking out the house for the holidays was a way to Vaughan bonded with his 10 children, but it was too much work for the family keep up after he died.

This year, volunteers with Decorate a Vet stepped up to make sure the tradition returned. They strung lights, hung garland and wrapped ribbon at the home.

This is just in memory of him and its just bringing back a lot of good memories, Vaughan's daughter Tamila Vaughan said tearfully.

Decorate a Vet is a non-profit organization vowed to assist veterans in Northern Virginia to make repairs, beautify their house and decorate their homes for the holidays.

Arlington County first responders were among those helping out.

"It brings joy to my heart. I love it. We're here not only to protect, but to serve and I think it's good we remember that," said Arlington County Police Sgt. Al Taber.

Vaughan was a veteran and was deployed to Vietnam twice before he returned home injured.

"He was just an amazing man. Amazing," Tamila said.
What to Know Carla Stefaniak was scheduled to return home last Wednesday, but has not been heard from since speaking with her family late Tuesday night.

A body has been found on the property in Costa Rica where a missing South Florida woman had been staying during a birthday trip to the Central American country, authorities said Monday.

Officials with Costa Rica's Judicial Investigation Department said the body was discovered behind the Airbnb property where Carla Stefaniak had been staying in the the San Jose neighborhood of San Antonio de Escazu.

Walter Espinoza, a spokesman for the agency, said during a press conference Monday that canine search dogs found the decomposing body half-buried and covered with plastic bags in a wooded area. Espinoza said officials haven't confirmed the identity of the remains but noted it was of a woman.

Autopsy results are expect to be released Tuesday, officials said.

Espinoza also said authorities found stains in Stefaniak's Airbnb, Villa Buena Vista, that were "compatible with blood," though further testing was being conducted.

Stefaniak has been missing for more than a week after traveling to Costa Rica with her sister-in-law April Antonieta. Her sister-in-law returned to the United States last Tuesday, a day before the 36-year-old was expected to board a flight back to the U.S.

Her family said they last heard from her around 8 p.m. on Nov. 27. She didn't show up for her 1 p.m. flight home on Nov. 28.

Stefaniaks brother, Mario Caicedo, drove from Orlando to Miami to speak with FBI agents on the case while other family members have flown to Costa Rica to help in the search.

Mario Caicedo told NBC 6 sister station Telemundo 51 that investigators in Costa Rica believe Stefaniak was kidnapped because she checked in for her flight but never boarded. FBI officials have not confirmed that information.

On Monday, Stefaniak's father, Carlos Caicedo, told reporters outside a Florida U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement office that he also believed Stefaniak had been kidnapped.

"I am convinced that she is kidnapped," he said. "I'm sure that they must have already been made contact to ask for ransom or some thing of that type."

Caicedo petitioned the agency to allow him to travel to Costa Rica because of his immigration status, according to Telemundo 51. ICE authorized his request, the station reported. The status of Caicedo's immigration standing was not immediately clear.

Stefaniak, who last posted on her social media page Monday, was staying in San Jose at the time, at the Airbnb Villa Buena Vista.
The Justice Department says that President Donald Trump directed illegal payments to buy the silence of two women whose claims of extramarital affairs threatened his presidential campaign, the first time prosecutors have connected Trump to a federal crime.

In a court filing, prosecutors said former Trump lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen arranged the secret payments at the height of the 2016 campaign "in coordination with and at the direction of" Trump. Cohen has previously said Trump was involved in the hush-money scheme, but court documents filed ahead of Cohen's sentencing made clear prosecutors believe Cohen's claim.

The filing stopped short of accusing the president of committing a crime. Whether a president can be prosecuted while in office remains a matter of legal dispute.

But there's no ambiguity in Friday's filing that prosecutors believe Cohen's act was criminal and Trump was directly involved, a remarkable disclosure with potential political and legal ramifications for a president dogged by investigations. The payments are likely to become a target for House Democrats gearing up to investigate the president next year. It's unclear whether Trump faces legal jeopardy over his role.

Federal law requires that any payments made "for the purposes of influencing" an election must be reported in campaign finance disclosures. The court filing Friday makes clear that the payments were made to benefit Trump politically.

In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight criminal charges, including campaign finance violations, and detailed an illegal operation to stifle sex stories and distribute hush money to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal, who had both claimed they had affairs with Trump. Trump has denied having an affair.

Daniels, whose real name is Stephanie Clifford, was paid $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement signed days before the 2016 election and is currently suing to dissolve that contract.

Trump denied in April that he knew anything about Cohen's payments to Daniels, though the explanations from the president and his attorney, Rudy Giuliani, have shifted multiple times since then.

Another attorney for the president, Jay Sekulow, did not immediately return a call for comment.

After Friday's filing, Trump tweeted: "Totally clears the President. Thank you!"

In August 2016, the National Enquirer's parent company reached a $150,000 deal to pay McDougal for her story of a 2006 affair, which it never published, a tabloid practice known as catch and kill. In 2015, the company's chairman met with Cohen and Trump and "offered help with negative stories" about Trump's relationships with women by buying the rights to the stories, prosecutors said.

After McDougal contacted the Enquirer, the chairman of its parent company, American Media Inc., contacted Cohen about the story. After Cohen promised the company would be reimbursed, the Enquirer paid McDougal $150,000, according to court documents.

An audio recording released by Cohen in July appeared to capture Trump and Cohen discussing buying the rights to McDougal's story from the Enquirer's parent company. Trump's lawyers have said the payments were never made.

Legal experts have said the issue of whether Trump violated the law would come down to whether Trump tried to influence the election and whether he knew it was legally improper.

Former Sen. John Edwards, who sought the Democratic presidential nomination in 2008, was indicted in 2011 in connection with payments made on his behalf by a wealthy campaign donor to keep Edwards' mistress quiet, which prosecutors argued amounted to illegal campaign contributions.

Edwards argued the payments were meant to keep his wife from learning about the affair  not to protect his campaign  and were therefore not political donations.

A jury acquitted the North Carolina Democrat of one charge and deadlocked on the rest in 2012. The Justice Department did not retry the case.
They haven't spoken in days, not since President Donald Trump called to congratulate Nancy Pelosi on Democrats' election night win.

But they don't really need to. Trump and Pelosi go way back, from the time she first showed up at Trump Tower fundraising for the Democrats long before he would become president or she the House speaker. Two big-name heirs to big-city honchos  Trump and Pelosi each had fathers who were political power players in their home towns  they've rubbed elbows on the Manhattan social scene for years.

And despite daily barbs in Washington, he's always "Mr. President" to her, and she's one prominent politician he has not labeled with a derisive nickname.

Not quite friends, nor enemies, theirs is perhaps the most important relationship in Washington. If anything is to come of the new era of divided government, with a Republican president and Democratic control of the House, it will happen in the deal-making space between two of the country's most polarizing politicians.

The day after their election night phone call, Trump and Pelosi did speak again, indirectly, across Pennsylvania Avenue.

"I really respected what Nancy said last night about bipartisanship and getting together and uniting," Trump said in a press conference at the White House. "That's what we should be doing."

Pressed after his unusual public lobbying for Pelosi to become House speaker, Trump insisted he was sincere.

"A lot of people thought I was being sarcastic or I was kidding. I wasn't. I think she deserves it," he said. "I also believe that Nancy Pelosi and I could work together and get a lot of things done."

Pelosi sent word back a few minutes later from her own press conference at the Capitol, which she delayed for nearly an hour as the president conducted his.

"Last night, I had a conversation with President Trump about how we could work together," Pelosi said, noting that "building infrastructure" was one of the items they discussed.

"He talked about it during his campaign and really didn't come through with it in his first two years in office," she nudged. "I hope that we can do that because we want to create jobs from sea to shining sea."

Despite all the campaign trail trash talk, both Trump and Pelosi have incentive to make some deals.

The president could use a domestic policy win heading into his own re-election in 2020, alongside his regular railing against illegal immigration, the "witch hunt" of the Russia investigation or other issues that emerge from his tweets.

Democrats, too, need to show Americans they can do more than resist the Trump White House. It's no surprise that two of the top Democratic priorities in the new Congress, infrastructure investment and lowering health care costs, dovetail with promises Trump made to voters, but has not yet fulfilled.

"I do think there's opportunities to pass legislation," said former White House legislative director Marc Short.

Trump has long viewed Pelosi as both a foil and a possible partner, and she sees in him the one who can sign legislation into law.

The president has told confidants that he respects Pelosi's deal-making prowess and her ability to hang on to power in the face of a series of challenges from the left wing of the party, according to four White House officials and Republicans close to the White House. The officials were not authorized to publicly discuss private conversations and requested anonymity.

He told one ally this month that he respected Pelosi "as a fighter" and that he viewed her as someone with whom he could negotiate.

"The president respects her," said Short.

Short described the interaction between Pelosi and Trump during a 2017 meeting with other congressional leaders at the White House to prevent a government shutdown. "They were throwing pros and cons back at each other," he said.

"The question I can't answer is to what extent will Democrats give Pelosi political bandwidth" to strike deals, Short said. He pointed to potential areas of agreement like infrastructure, drug prices and prison reform.

But part of Trump's push for Pelosi to return to power was more nakedly political. Pelosi has long been a popular Republican target, spurring countless fundraising efforts and attack ads. And Trump has told advisers that, if needed, he would make her the face of the opposition in Democratic party until the 2020 presidential field sorts itself out.

Pelosi's name draws some of the biggest jeers at his rallies and he believes that "she could be Hillary" in terms of a Clinton-like figure to rally Republicans against, according to one of the advisers familiar with the president's private conversations.

At the same time, Trump has not publicly branded Pelosi with a mocking nickname. She's no "Cryin'" Chuck Schumer, as he calls the top Senate Democrat, or "Little" Adam Schiff at the Intelligence Committee or "Low IQ" Rep. Maxine Waters of California, who will chair the Financial Services Committee.

On whether Trump likes Pelosi as ally or adversary, Short said, "I don't think those are mutually exclusive."

Pelosi, perhaps more than her Republican counterparts  outgoing Speaker Paul Ryan or Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell  became an early observer, and adapter, to the Trump style of governing.

When Trump and Democrats were trying to broker an immigration deal in September 2017, she suggested he could tweet his assurances to the young Dreamers. And he did.

Around the same time when Trump and congressional leaders convened at the White House to avoid a federal government shutdown, Republicans and Trump's own Cabinet team pressed for their preferred solution. But Pelosi kept asking a simple question: How many Republican votes could they bring to the table? When it was clear they could not bring enough for passage, Trump intervened and agreed with Democrats "Chuck and Nancy," as he came to call them.

Votes, Pelosi explained later, were the "currency of the realm." Trump, as a businessman, she said, got it.

Pelosi is poised to become House speaker again if she wins her election in January. Asked this week how Trump might react to having a woman in power, Pelosi recalled the first time she held the office, when George W. Bush was president, in 2007.

Bush would call her "No. 3," she said, a reference to the speaker's spot in the presidential succession line, after the president and the vice president.

"He treated me and the office I hold with great respect," she said. "I would expect nothing less than that from this President of the United States."
Flash flooding hit a wildfire-scarred area of Northern California on Thursday, forcing officials to quickly deploy swift water rescue teams to save people stranded in vehicles after a downpour near the Paradise area, officials said.

It was not clear how many people were trapped, but authorities received reports of flooding on roads and of downed trees and utility poles.

The roots and the bottoms of the utility poles are just kind of swimming, said Rick Carhart, a spokesman with the California Department of Forestry and Fire Protection. It rained really hard in a short amount of time and this whole thing came up really quickly.

The storm brought 1 inches of rain in an hour, toppling trees and trapping motorists in flooded roads downstream, said National Weather Service meteorologist Craig Shoemaker.

This is heavy rain in a short period of time and thats the worst thing that can happen in the burn scar, he said.

The Butte County Sheriffs Department ordered evacuations but could not say how many people were affected. The water rescues were in an area of Chico, which is downhill from Paradise, and a city where many of the wildfire evacuees have been staying since the town of 27,000 was destroyed just three weeks ago by a deadly wildfire.

Butte County Sheriffs Sgt. Brad Meyer told television stations KHSL/KNVN in Chico that about a dozen homes were affected and rafts were being used to rescue people from water that was a couple of feet deep.

It is serious. The water is coming up so we want to make sure we get everybody out that we can, Meyer told the station.

Emergency response crews earlier cleared a tree that toppled in the town of Magalia, but no other reports of damage had been received after an inch of rain fell overnight in the burn zone about 140 miles (225 kilometers) northeast of San Francisco.

Paradise has been under mandatory evacuation orders for nearly three weeks since a wildfire killed at least 88 people and destroyed nearly 14,000 homes.

Residents could begin returning early next week, but only if the storm doesnt hinder efforts to clear roads and restore power, said Sheriff Kory Honea.

No major problems were reported in burn zones in Southern California early Thursday, but numerous traffic accidents occurred on slick Los Angeles-area freeways and most vehicles traveling in the mountains were ordered to put chains on their tires.

On the coast near Big Sur, the California Department of Transportation closed a 12-mile (19-kilometer) stretch of Highway 1 because of potential instability.

The scenic route perched between towering mountainsides and the ocean has been dogged by slides since 2016. But the one that hit in May 2017 was monumental, requiring extensive work to rebuild the highway.

In Southern California, residents were urged to voluntarily evacuate a string of neighborhoods about 45 miles (70 kilometers) southeast of Los Angeles along a flank of the Santa Ana Mountains where a fire burned thousands of acres last summer. Mandatory evacuations were ordered for a small section of the city of Lake Elsinore beneath a burn zone.

West of Los Angeles, rain fell heavily at times in vast areas burned by fires this month and last December  an area where there are strong memories of a January downpour that unleashed devastating debris flows through the community of Montecito that killed 21 people and left two missing.

In the zone that burned this month, the city of Malibu warned of rocks falling on canyon roads and Pepperdine University closed its campus.

The weather service also issued a backcountry avalanche warning for most of the central Sierra, including the Lake Tahoe area.

Associated Press writers Janie Har, Christopher Weber, John Antczak and Scott Sonner contributed to this report.
A piece of a battleship destroyed during the Pearl Harbor attack of World War II is coming to Rhode Island.

The Providence Journal reports the World War II Foundation is set to receive salvaged steel from the USS Arizona.

The battleship sunk during the Japanese attack on a U.S. naval base in Hawaii on Dec. 7, 1941 and is now a national memorial. More than 2,400 servicemen and civilians were killed in the surprise attack that thrust the U.S. into World War II.

The newspaper reports that the five-by-four-foot piece from the USS Arizona's superstructure will be displayed at the entrance of the foundation's center in Wakefield when it arrives in a few weeks. At least two people from Rhode Island died when the battleship sunk.
What to Know Trump announced his presidential candidacy in June 2015, and by that November, the Russians were reaching out about "political synergy"

The campaign finance violations Cohen committed came "in coordination with and at the direction of" Trump, according to the new filings

After Manafort pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government, prosecutors say he continued to lie

Key pieces of special counsel Robert Mueller's Russia investigation appear to be falling into place.

In three court filings Friday, prosecutors for the first time connected President Donald Trump to a crime involving hush money payments to a porn actress. They revealed new details about outreach from Russia early in Trump's presidential campaign. They detailed how they say two central figures, lawyer Michael Cohen and onetime campaign chairman Paul Manafort, were continually tripped up by lies.

Some takeaways from the latest round of court documents from Mueller's investigation:

EARLY RUSSIAN OUTREACH

Trump announced his presidential candidacy in June 2015. By that November, the Russians were reaching out about "political synergy."

The court papers provide new details about one of the earliest known contacts between Russia and a Trump campaign associate. In fall 2015, Cohen was months into his work on a proposed Trump Tower in Moscow when an unidentified Russian national proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. This person, prosecutors say, claimed to be a "trusted person" in Russia who could offer the Trump campaign "political synergy" and "synergy on a government level."

This person sought to connect the Trump business project with the campaign, saying the meeting could have a "phenomenal" impact on the proposed tower in Moscow. There is "no bigger warranty in any project than the consent of" Putin, the person told Cohen.

Prosecutors say Cohen didn't follow up and that the meeting never occurred.

The outreach is more evidence that Russia was eager to build relationships with the campaign and tried to use Trump's business as an opening.

TRUMP DIRECTED COHEN'S CRIME

Prosecutors didn't mince words: The campaign finance violations Cohen committed came "in coordination with and at the direction of" Trump, according to the new filings.

Those violations stemmed from payments Cohen made to buy the silence of porn actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal. Both women alleged they had affairs with Trump, which the White House denies. Daniels was paid $130,000 as part of a nondisclosure agreement signed days before the 2016 election.

Trump has denied knowing anything about the Daniels payment. But the filing directly contradicts that claim. It also, for the first time, directly ties Trump to a federal crime. Campaign finance law requires candidates to report any payments made to influence the election. The Trump campaign failed to report the payment at the time.

Prosecutors don't say Trump broke the law and the Justice Department has maintained that a sitting president cannot be indicted.

PUBLIC STATEMENTS MATTER TO MUELLER

At least such statements did matter to Mueller when Cohen lied to Congress, and that could have implications for other episodes under investigation in the Russia investigation.

Cohen has admitted lying to Congress about how long he worked on the Trump Tower Moscow project and repeating the falsehoods to the media. But Mueller's team doesn't just consider this self-protection. It was a "deliberate effort" to publicly present a "false narrative" in the hopes of limiting the scope of the various Russia investigations, prosecutors say in the court papers.

Mueller's focus on public assertions and their impact on witnesses, lawmakers and ongoing investigations could serve as a warning to Trump.

The president also has spread falsehoods about his campaign's ties to Russia. The special counsel has questioned witnesses about a statement Trump dictated on Air Force One last year that omitted several details about a June 2016 Trump Tower meeting with a Russian attorney.

The filing suggests Mueller intends to hold witnesses accountable for the statements made privately and publicly. If the lies are meant to influence the investigation, they may factor into Mueller's investigation into whether Trump has tried to obstruct the probe.

Federal prosecutors filed papers in court alleging former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort violated his previous plea deal.

TRUMP ADMINISTRATION CONTACTS

Despite their criminal cases, the Trump administration just can't leave Manafort or Cohen behind, according to prosecutors.

In Cohen's case, Mueller's team said he has provided "relevant and useful" information about his contacts with people connected to the Trump White House in 2017 and 2018. With Manafort, prosecutors say he also had several recent administration contacts and lied about them.

After Manafort pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with the government, prosecutors say he told them he had "no direct or indirect" contact with people in the administration. But that was a lie, they say.

Instead, they found evidence, including electronic documents, showing contacts with multiple administration officials. That included communication with a "senior administration official" through February 2018. Manafort also directed a person to speak with an administration official on his "behalf" on May 26.

Neither Cohen's nor Manafort's filings detail the content of the conversations or identify the officials. Manafort has contended he was truthful with Mueller's team.

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NOT JUST COHEN'S WORD

Since his guilty plea, Trump has attacked Cohen as a liar who is telling "stories" to get a reduced prison sentence. But prosecutors revealed Friday that they're not just taking Cohen's word for it.

The information Cohen told prosecutors in seven separate interviews "has been credible and consistent with other evidence obtained" in Mueller's investigation, they note in the sentencing recommendation.

Some of that information from Cohen, prosecutors say, concerns "certain discrete Russia-related matters" at the "core" of Mueller's investigation, particularly those involving his contact with Trump Organization executives.

'LUCRATIVE' MOSCOW DEAL

Trump and his lawyers have played down the Trump Tower Moscow proposal. The president has said he never put any money into it and ultimately decided not to do it. But Mueller's team reveals that if he did, they believe they know the windfall.

According to Cohen's filing, the deal could have yielded "hundreds of millions of dollars from Russian sources in licensing fees and other revenues."

They also note that the project's success likely hinged on Russian government approval, which Cohen sought.

___

Associated Press writer Michael Balsamo contributed to this report.
Strawberry Hill medical centre ranked bottom for cervical cancer screening

MORE than a third of women eligible to be screened for cervical cancer at one medical practice in Newbury have missed smear tests, figures have revealed.

Strawberry Hill Medical Centre needed to screen 584 women last year to meet the target set by the NHS  which wants 80 per cent of women aged 25 to 49 to be tested every three years.

The body also wants the same proportion for those aged 50 to 64 to be screened every five years.

Strawberry Hill scored an average of 65 per cent in screening women in the lower age category, according to figures collated by Public Health England, which examined screening coverage at GP practices within Clinical Commissioning Groups (CCGs) across the UK last year

The findings  which are collated quarterly by Public Health England  rank the centre on Old Bath Road as one of the lowest-performing among 11 local surgeries within the Newbury and District CCG.

In the 50-64 age range, the centre scored 74 per cent to rank it ninth in the list of local surgeries, comparing the number of women who received adequate cervical screening tests against the total number of women at each surgery who were eligible to be screened in 2017.

Eastfield House Surgery on St Johns Road was also ranked near the bottom, with a screening average score of 68 per cent for women aged 25 to 49.

GPs across the country are trying to improve take-up rates as the figures show up to half of women under the age of 50 in some areas have not had a cervical screening in the recommended time frame.

Nationally, screening rates are at their lowest for two decades, including some London boroughs, where little more than half of eligible women under 50 had a test within the past three-and-a-half years.

 #CervicalScreening#SmearTests aren't easy for everyone, so if you have concerns or would like to get more information, call our helpline on 0808 802 8000. pic.twitter.com/5z5f3aGpDY coverage has fallen. The biggest drops were among

women aged 25-29 (61.1%) and 60-64 year olds (68.8%). We know  Jo's Trust (@JoTrust) November 27, 2018

The Burdwood Surgery in Thatcham scored the highest locally for screening women in the standard age groups.

In the category for women aged 50 to 64, the surgery on Wheelers Green Way exceeded the NHS target, with 82.61 per cent of 50 to 64-year-olds receiving adequate screening over the past fiveand-a-half years.

Nationally, Burdwood placed just outside the top 500  with a ranking of 511  out of 7,569 CCGs included in the data, which was compiled in March 2017.

Other top-performing surgeries within the district were Kintbury and Woolton Hill, which was ranked second across both categories, while Chapel Row Surgery in Bucklebury was placed third.

Strawberry Hill Medical Centre said it was disappointed by the findings, but ensured the appropriate measures were in place to encourage women to attend screenings.

The centre sends out invitations to patients and then follows up with a reminder, as is standard with most practices.

A third reminder is then sent out to anyone who has not made contact.

A statement from Strawberry Hill read: Cervical screening is very important and any positive message we can give to encourage patients to make appointments with our practice nurses is to be welcomed.

We have recently been involved in training for all of our staff in encouraging and promoting screening, including breast and bowel screening.

Again, these screening invites are arranged by other NHS Agencies which we very much endorse.

We very strongly recommend all eligible patients to take up the offer of screening when they are invited.

Public Health Englands latest report shows 1,773 women across nine CCGs across Newbury and District who were eligible to be screened missed tests last year.

Thank you @Helen_Whately for asking a question about #cervicalscreening in PMQs today. Vital to raise awareness & encourage uptake to reduce risk of #cervicalcancer@JoTrust  Rob Music (@robmusic_) December 5, 2018

Jos Cervical Cancer Trust chief executive Robert Music said: It is worrying to see such a high number of women in Newbury are not attending cervical screening.

Cervical screening provides the best protection against cervical cancer, so it is a really important test, yet attendance is at a 20-year low in England.

We need to understand the reasons causing women to delay and work out how to address them in order to reverse this downward decline in attendance.

If you have any questions or concerns about cervical screening then call our free helpline on 0808 802 8000.

Last month, it was revealed that 40,000 women in England did not receive information regarding cervical cancer screening between January and June this year, after a failure to send out letters by the NHS.
The double Michelin star holder cooked alongside The Vineyards executive chef Robby Jenks

ONE of the UKs most celebrated chefs joined the team at The Vineyard recently for an evening of food and wine.

Michael Caines, chef and proprietor at Lympstone Manor, Exmouth, helped create a stunning seven-course dinner, which was enjoyed by more than 50 guests at the wine hotel in Stockcross on Wednesday, November 21.

The double Michelin star holder cooked alongside The Vineyards executive chef Robby Jenks as they took turns to deliver the next mouthwatering dish.

Each course was served with paired wines from the hotels 30,000-bottle cellar, selected jointly by both TheVineyard and Lympstone Manors head sommeliers.

The evening was topped off when Mr Caines showstopping white chocolate candles lit up the restaurant during the dessert course.

It was the second time the two chefs have cooked together, with Mr Jenks having trained under Mr Caines for five years at Gidleigh Park Hotel during his early culinary career.

When asked about his former mentor, Mr Jenks said: I owe Michael a lot.

His nature is inspiring, enthusiastic, infectious and ambitious, while at the same time nurturing and encouraging.
TRUMBULL  A second teen was charged Friday for his role in an attack on a 60-year-old Trumbull resident in Twin Brooks Park in late November, and police said one more arrest is expected.

Holger Jarrin, 19, of Elbertson Street in Elmhurst, N.Y., was charged with criminal attempt to commit second-degree robbery, criminal attempt to commit second-degree larceny and second-degree assault of an elderly person. He was held on a $15,000 bond and is expected in court on Dec. 17.

Police said Jarrin turned himself in on the active warrant for his arrest.

Jarrin is the second of three assailants to be charged in this incident, Capt. Keith Golding.

On Monday, police charged 18-year-old Cristofer Fuentes-Salguero, of Rose Street in Bridgeport, was charged with second-degree robbery, second-degree larceny and second-degree assault of an elderly person. He was held on a $150,000 bond and is expected in court on Dec. 10.

The investigation became the departments top priority after the victim was attacked and dragged into the roadway in Twin Brooks Park on Nov. 24, Golding said.

He said Trumbull detectives were able to identify the suspect vehicle involved, and driven by Fuentes-Salguero, during the incident.

The victim reported he was walking along the sidewalk on Twin Brooks Drive near the wooded area of the park when an car stopped and one of the three people in the car got out and punched him in the head, knocking him to the ground while demanding money.

The victim said he didnt have money with him. Police said the victim pushed him into the road before driving off.
Kent Memorial Library will hold a program with Marty Podskoch and Marge Smith, who will share stories about the book Connecticut 169 Club: Your Passport and Guide to Exploring Connecticut, Dec. 12 from 6:30 to 8:30 p.m.

Copies of the book will be available to purchase and Podskoch and Smith will be available to sign copies.
Altered peptides from a South American wasps venom can kill bacteria but are nontoxic to human cells

The venom of insects such as wasps and bees is full of compounds that can kill bacteria. Unfortunately, many of these compounds are also toxic for humans, making it impossible to use them as antibiotic drugs.

After performing a systematic study of the antimicrobial properties of a toxin normally found in a South American wasp, researchers at MIT have now created variants of the peptide that are potent against bacteria but nontoxic to human cells.

In a study of mice, the researchers found that their strongest peptide could completely eliminate Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a strain of bacteria that causes respiratory and other infections and is resistant to most antibiotics.

"We've repurposed a toxic molecule into one that is a viable molecule to treat infections," says Cesar de la Fuente-Nunez, an MIT postdoc. "By systematically analyzing the structure and function of these peptides, we've been able to tune their properties and activity."

De la Fuente-Nunez is one of the senior authors of the paper, which appears in the Dec. 7 issue of the journal Nature Communications Biology. Timothy Lu, an MIT associate professor of electrical engineering and computer science and of biological engineering, and Vani Oliveira, an associate professor at the Federal University of ABC in Brazil, are also senior authors. The paper's lead author is Marcelo Der Torossian Torres, a former visiting student at MIT.

Venomous variants

As part of their immune defenses, many organisms, including humans, produce peptides that can kill bacteria. To help fight the emergence of antibiotic-resistant bacteria, many scientists have been trying to adapt these peptides as potential new drugs.

The peptide that de la Fuente-Nunez and his colleagues focused on in this study was isolated from a wasp known as Polybia paulista. This peptide is small enough -- only 12 amino acids -- that the researchers believed it would be feasible to create some variants of the peptide and test them to see if they might become more potent against microbes and less harmful to humans.

"It's a small enough peptide that you can try to mutate as many amino acid residues as possible to try to figure out how each building block is contributing to antimicrobial activity and toxicity," de la Fuente-Nunez says.

Like many other antimicrobial peptides, this venom-derived peptide is believed to kill microbes by disrupting bacterial cell membranes. The peptide has an alpha helical structure, which is known to interact strongly with cell membranes.

In the first phase of their study, the researchers created a few dozen variants of the original peptide and then measured how those changes affected the peptides' helical structure and their hydrophobicity, which also helps to determine how well the peptides interact with membranes. They then tested these peptides against seven strains of bacteria and two of fungus, making it possible to correlate their structure and physicochemical properties with their antimicrobial potency.

Based on the structure-function relationships they identified, the researchers then designed another few dozen peptides for further testing. They were able to identify optimal percentages of hydrophobic amino acids and positively charged amino acids, and they also identified a cluster of amino acids where any changes would impair the overall function of the molecule.

Fighting infection

To measure the peptides' toxicity, the researchers exposed them to human embryonic kidney cells grown in a lab dish. They selected the most promising compounds to test in mice infected with Pseudomonas aeruginosa, a common source of respiratory and urinary tract infections, and found that several of the peptides could reduce the infection. One of them, given at a high dose, could eliminate it completely.

"After four days, that compound can completely clear the infection, and that was quite surprising and exciting because we don't typically see that with other experimental antimicrobials or other antibiotics that we've tested in the past with this particular mouse model," de la Fuente-Nunez says.

The researchers have begun creating additional variants that they hope will be able to clear infections at lower doses. De la Fuente-Nunez also plans to apply this approach to other types of naturally occurring antimicrobial peptides when he joins the faculty of the University of Pennsylvania next year.

"I do think some of the principles that we've learned here can be applicable to other similar peptides that are derived from nature," he says. "Things like helicity and hydrophobicity are very important for a lot of these molecules, and some of the rules that we've learned here can definitely be extrapolated."

Source: http://news.mit.edu/2018/repurpose-wasp-venom-antibiotic-drug-1207
Chan Zuckerberg Initiative funding brings together interdisciplinary experts to accelerate understanding

Ivan Marazzi, PhD, Assistant Professor of Microbiology at the Icahn School of Medicine at Mount Sinai, was awarded $2.5 million in funding by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative (CZI) to further the understanding of the underlying causes of neurodegenerative disorders such as Lou Gehrig's, Alzheimer's, and Parkinson's diseases. The award is part of a $64 million commitment by CZI to fund early-career investigators and collaborative science teams to launch the CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network. This new network brings together experimental scientists from diverse research fields--neuroscience, cell biology, biochemistry, immunology, and genomics.

"I am honored to receive this prestigious award and look forward to working closely with my colleagues in an effort to reach scientific breakthroughs that will help millions of people suffering from these diseases," said Dr. Marazzi. "CZI recognizes the importance of cross-disciplinary approaches to study neurodegenerative disorders and improve health for mankind."

"To fill gaps in our understanding of neurodegenerative diseases, we need to support new approaches, explore new ideas, and help experts connect across disciplines," said CZI Head of Science Cori Bargmann. "We're excited to welcome the first group of CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network grantees. Together, their work will increase our knowledge of the basic biology of these diseases--and we need that knowledge to develop better treatments."

Dr. Marazzi studies epigenetic- and chromatin-mediated mechanisms, the heritable alterations that cause genes to turn on or off, and the cellular response to pathogens or cellular differentiation. The major focus of his research is the unique and shared molecular pathways underlying inflammatory, infectious, and neurodegenerative diseases. His work in neurodegeneration has provided a new paradigm for how mutations can confer both susceptibility to infection and predisposition to neurodegeneration. Building on this groundbreaking discovery, he aims to elucidate the relationship between seemingly unrelated diseases and find effective therapeutic interventions.

Neurodegenerative disorders, including Alzheimer's disease, Parkinson's disease, Huntington's disease, and amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (also known as ALS or Lou Gehrig's disease), are a class of diseases that affect millions of people worldwide. Alzheimer's disease alone is the fifth most common cause of death for Americans above age 65, and the number of people with Alzheimer's and related dementias is predicted to nearly triple--from 5 million to 14 million people--by 2060. Meanwhile, the causes of most neurodegenerative diseases are only partly understood, and there are still no effective therapies to cure, prevent, or even treat most of these disorders.

The CZI Neurodegeneration Challenge Network seeks to address these gaps by launching a collaborative network that will bring together scientists, physicians, and engineers to focus on neurodegenerative diseases as a broad class of disorders, with shared features and potentially shared solutions. Challenge Network researchers will focus on understanding the fundamental biology of what causes these diseases and how they progress, with an aim toward future development of new strategies for treatment and prevention.

"Despite tremendous investment and progress in understanding these diseases, there remains a surprising amount of very basic information about their biology that we don't know," said CZI Science Program Officer Katja Brose. "By supporting these interdisciplinary collaborations and generating shared tools, resources, and platforms, we hope to inspire a new approach to tackling neurodegenerative disease--one that leverages the combined power of basic science and technology to accelerate progress towards clinical goals."

In February 2018, CZI issued an open request for applications to the Neurodegeneration Challenge Network.

CZI's Ben Barres Early Career Acceleration Awards, named for the late Ben Barres, MD, PhD, an American neurobiologist and fierce advocate for young scientists, women, mentorship, and diversity in science, will support early-career academic investigators, especially those who are new to the field of neurodegeneration. CZI is awarding a total of $55.25 million for these awards. Each of the 17 selected investigators will receive $2.5 million, and will benefit from the scientific and professional mentorship and collaborative support of the Challenge Network.

CZI's Collaborative Science Awards will support small groups of interdisciplinary collaborations focused on the fundamental biology of neurodegeneration. Each collaborative group includes at least one physician. CZI believes that fostering new models of collaboration between physicians, engineers, computational biologists, and scientists studying basic biology will allow them to reach breakthroughs faster. CZI is providing more than $9 million for these awards. Each of the nine selected groups will receive $1.05 million each.
A new book is the first to encompass the vast history of how living things procreate, from the banks of the ancient Nile to the fertility clinics of today.

The first book to take in 3,000 years of baby-making shows how women functioned as "vessels" in early ideas of creation, until the ancient Greeks established theories of "dual contribution" - whether two seeds or two souls - that dominated beliefs about how everything multiplied for centuries to come.

This notion of "generation", when two individuals combine to produce new life, was understood as an "active making of humans, beasts, plants and even minerals". Likened to artisanal processes such as baking and brewing, say researchers, it shaped cultural and religious doctrine right up to the 19th century.

From the 1740s, new science promoted a fresh concept: reproduction. The book's authors show how this more abstract view gave us the sperm and egg, "test-tube" conception outside bodies, and all the language and ethical dilemmas we live with today - from population anxieties to surrogate mothers.

Published by Cambridge University Press, Reproduction: Antiquity to the Present Day is the first major synthesis of decades of scholarship comprising millennia of human attempts to make (and not make) more of ourselves, other animals and plants.

Led by three University of Cambridge academics, and pooling the expertise of historians from across Cambridge and around the world, the book is the culmination of a five-year project funded by the Wellcome Trust.

"When we talk about major issues facing global society today, from climate change and migration to childcare and medical ethics, then to a large extent we are talking about reproduction: how it happens and how it should," says Professor Nick Hopwood, from Cambridge's Department of History and Philosophy of Science.

"Reproduction has always been important, but in different ways. To provide a long-term perspective, we wanted to look deep into the history of reproductive practices and beliefs."

Hopwood co-edited the book with Cambridge colleagues Professor Lauren Kassell and Dr Rebecca Flemming. Over its 44 chapters and 40 'exhibits', the lavishly illustrated volume features contributions from nearly 70 leading researchers.

Flemming, from Cambridge's Faculty of Classics, directs the first section, which takes the reader from antiquity to the early middle ages, and tells the story of the "invention of generation".

"The framework of 'generation' produced in classical Greece gave important, if unequal, roles to both women and men. This contrasted with the exclusive emphasis on masculine potency creating life and the cosmos that dominated Egypt and the ancient Near East," says Flemming.

Women and procreation became an integral part of the thriving Greek medicine - the "Hippocratic gynaecology" - of the fifth and fourth centuries BC. Female "seed" and blood provided vital contributions, and the child "grew like rising bread dough" in the womb. Cures for infertility and instructions for safe birthing were prominent.

Philosophers including Aristotle grappled with "coming to be" in all its manifestations, along with the ideal population size for a state and how to achieve it, while farmers applied burgeoning livestock techniques.

As different areas of the Mediterranean world converged, so too did ideas of generation. Greece gave way to Rome, and, according to Flemming, "the imperial metropolis of the second century AD was where the physician Galen put seeds, womb and menstrual blood into their most influential arrangement". This would hold through the religious and political changes of the next centuries.

Societies were still highly patriarchal, however. Romans mapped male physiology onto female bodies, says Flemming: ovaries were women's testicles, the uterus was a deflated scrotum and a weak female 'sperma' was designed to lock in male seed. "Women were viewed as inferior versions of men due to their apparent 'mutilations' for accommodating babies."

Lauren Kassell of Cambridge's Department of History and Philosophy of Science oversees the medieval and early modern periods, when theories of 'generation' expanded. Scientific inquiry was applied to distant lands and microscopic structures, and women and artisans joined in debates.

"Numerous Greek works were translated into Arabic from the eighth century. Scholars from Asia and Egypt reworked theories about the importance of the female seed and the formation of the fetus - challenging older authorities," says Kassell.

Following the devastation of the Black Death, Christian clergy were instructed to counsel parishioners about sex to encourage "fruitful marriages". Influenced by sex-positive attitudes from Arabic texts, church law supported spousal obligations to "honour each other's desire for sexual gratification".

Lineage, paramount to social order, was threatened by women having children outside marriage, although men were free to do so - with theories of family resemblance invoked in cases of disputed paternity. While unwed women feared pregnancy, Kassell says that moral and medical advisors continued to be more interested in promoting rather than limiting fertility.

"Questions about pregnancy defined early modern medical encounters. Seventeenth-century medical casebooks reveal diagnostic approaches for female fertility that are superficially familiar to modern readers, such as observing changes to a woman's body and examining her urine, as well as the more otherworldly interpretations of the positions of the stars."

Within households, fertility was the business of men as well as women. Some husbands charted their wives' menstruation cycles. The book features diary sections written by the mathematician and occult philosopher John Dee, in which he recorded his wife Jane's periods alongside notes about meetings with Elizabeth I.

Hopwood guides readers into the era of 'reproduction': a long revolution not just in society and culture, thought and technology, but also in terminology. The word is older, but its modern use began in earnest in the 1740s, when experiments to regenerate tiny freshwater animals after cutting or sieving provided a model for reproduction in general.

It was not until the 1870s, however, that a scientific consensus emerged on the roles of eggs and sperm in fertilization. (In 1827, the same year he discovered the mammalian egg, embryologist Karl Ernst von Baer named 'spermatozoa' but dismissed them as parasites.)

"As European birth-rates fell, reproduction became linked to worries about the quality as well as the quantity of populations, including nationalist fantasies of racial vigour," says Hopwood. These would result in some of humanity's darkest hours.

People in industrialized countries increasingly limited the size of their families in the early 20th century, while governments initially fought contraception and abortion. Some worried that state control of reproduction would lead doctors to create humans "as farmers breed their beasts". Others were more concerned that maternal mortality stayed stubbornly high.

As reproduction moved centre stage after World War II, science and medicine took ever more important roles in childbirth (now safer), contraception (now respectable), and attempts to alleviate infertility. Feminist activists campaigned against "battery births" and for "a woman's right to choose". Environmentalists promoted population control.

Hopwood contributes a chapter on the strange history of artificial fertilization, taking in horse-semen thieves,test-tube sea urchins, experiments to produce human-orangutan hybrids, and fertility magnates promising Nobel Laureate sperm. More routinely, over five million IVF babies have now been born around the world, though assisted conception is provided through the market more than by states.

The book closes with contemporary phenomena, from egg freezing and "repro-travel" to food security and infant mortality, and the media debates that shape attitudes towards them. "Today, reproduction happens on screens as well as in bedrooms, clinics and barns," says Hopwood.

The editors hope the book's extraordinary chronological range will give readers new insights into the past and prompt reflection on current challenges. "Long views reveal continuities we miss by focusing on a mere century or two, but the very similarities direct attention to the specifics of change," Hopwood adds.

Source: https://www.cam.ac.uk/reproduction
Research led by oncologists Roberto Leon-Ferre, M.D. and Charles Loprinzi, M.D. of Mayo Clinic has found that the drug oxybutynin helps to reduce the frequency and intensity of hot flashes in women who are unable to take hormone replacement therapy, including breast cancer survivors. These findings were presented at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium.

"Hot flashes are a common symptom of menopause and can be even more severe in breast cancer survivors than they are in the general population," says Dr. Leon-Ferre. He says several factors contribute to the increased severity of hot flashes in breast cancer survivors including exposure to chemotherapy, which may bring on early menopause; the use of antiestrogen drugs, such as tamoxifen or aromatase inhibitors; and the use of medications or procedures to suppress the function of the ovaries. Hormone replacement therapy, which is sometimes used to treat hot flashes, is generally not recommended for breast cancer survivors. "Hot flashes not only impact a patient's quality of life, they are associated with patients prematurely discontinuing breast cancer treatment, which may increase the risk of breast cancer recurrence and mortality," says Dr. Leon-Ferre. "It is important for physicians to have effective options to treat hot flashes."

Dr. Leon-Ferre says previous research had suggested that hot flashes may be relieved with oxybutynin, an anticholinergic agent which interferes with the activity of a neurotransmitter in the brain and in the peripheral nervous system. The drug is most commonly used to treat urinary incontinence.

In this study, researchers sought to determine whether oxybutynin was more effective than placebo in treating hot flashes and in improving patients' quality of life. The researchers enrolled 150 women who had experienced at least 28 hot flashes per week over more than a month, and who were bothered enough by them to want medication. Sixty-two percent of the women were on tamoxifen or an aromatase inhibitor for the duration of the study. There were three arms in the trial with patients in two arms receiving different dosages of oxybutynin and patients in the third arm receiving a placebo.

The study found that patients on both oxybutynin doses saw decreases in hot flashes compared to the women who took the placebo. The women in both oxybutynin arms also reported decreased interference of hot flashes in their work, social activities, leisure activities, sleep, and improvement in their overall quality of life.

"This study, in addition to previously published work in this area, establishes that oxybutynin is an effective drug for treatment of hot flashes in patients who have relative or absolute contraindications to hormone-based therapy," says Dr. Leon-Ferre. "We were surprised by the rapidity of the response and the magnitude of the effect, considering the relatively low dose of the drug." He says that oxybutynin does not interfere with the metabolism of tamoxifen, which is an important consideration for breast cancer survivors, as some of the most effective non-hormonal treatments for hot flashes (e.g. antidepressants) are thought to potentially decrease the efficacy of tamoxifen.

Dr. Leon-Ferre said that since oxybutynin is already available for other indications, physicians could potentially prescribe it off-label. However, he says the study did not address long-term toxicities of oxybutynin. Previous research has indicated that long-term use of this type of drug may be associated with cognitive decline. These possible side effects should be further researched and taken into consideration when physicians counsel patients.
A group of researchers at the University of Sao Paulo's Medical School (FM-USP) in Brazil recently published the results of a study on the links between alcohol and drug use and the occurrence of violent deaths.

The study supported by Sao Paulo Research Foundation - FAPESP quantifies these links for the case of Sao Paulo, Brazil's largest city. It shows that the consumption of alcohol or at least one type of drug correlated with more than half (55%) the violent deaths that occurred in the city between June 2014 and December 2015.

The study resulted from the postdoctoral research of epidemiologist Gabriel Andreuccetti, supervised by Heraclito Barbosa de Carvalho, a professor in FM-USP's Department of Preventive Medicine, in collaboration with the same university's Department of Legal Medicine and the University of California Berkeley (USA) and with the support of Sao Paulo's Forensics Institute (IML) and funding from FAPESP. The article was published in the journal Injury.

To obtain data for the study, Andreuccetti used a probabilistic sampling method with the city of Sao Paulo as the target population. "We studied fatally injured adult victims who had a sudden, unexpected, violent or otherwise nonnatural cause of death, taking samples from the main forensic medical facilities that serve the city of Sao Paulo and its 96 districts," he told.

Under Brazilian law, the body of anyone who dies suddenly, unexpectedly or violently must be autopsied by a medical examiner. Some 7,000 deaths matching this requirement occur annually in Sao Paulo, mostly homicides (26%), traffic-related deaths (20%) and suicides (12%).

To obtain a representative sample of violent deaths in Sao Paulo, Andreuccetti collected blood from bodies during autopsies at morgues across the city on different weekdays and at different times of day during a 19-month period in 2014-15.

Victims who had received six or more hours of medical treatment for injuries or survived for a similar period before succumbing were excluded from the sample.

"Many seriously injured people die in the hospital and are taken to the morgue," Andreuccetti said. "In many cases, the fatal injury occurred suddenly or violently, and the victim may have been under the effect of drugs at the time of the accident, crime or suicide, but if they're hospitalized for more than six hours, the alcohol and drugs in their bloodstream may have been affected since the traumatic event. These cases were therefore excluded from the study."

The final sample comprised 365 bodies taken to the morgue after violent, sudden or unexpected death due to homicide (104 or 28.5% of the total), accident (56 or 15.3%), suicide (44 or 12.1%), falling (26 or 7.1%) or poisoning (21 or 5.8%). Violent or sudden death due to other causes accounted for 114 cases (31.2%).

"Owing to various government measures implemented at the start of the decade [2010], road traffic mortality in Sao Paulo has fallen considerably, and homicide mortality has fallen since the previous decade. Today, the death rate from homicide is higher than that from traffic mortality.

However, Sao Paulo is an exception. In Brazil overall, these fluctuations have been far smaller, and the death rate from these two causes remains high," Andreuccetti said.

Male and young

Having established the situations in which the deaths occurred, the next step was to identify the victims with alcohol and/or drugs in the bloodstream. This process entailed subjecting blood samples from all victims to comprehensive screening for the use of a range of drugs and alcohol-related compounds.

Blood alcohol concentration was measured by headspace gas chromatography. The presence of other drugs, including amphetamines, barbiturates, benzodiazepines, cannabis, cocaine, opioids/opiates (methadone, morphine, and heroin, among others) and phencyclidine (angel dust), was detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and quantified by mass spectrometry.

Of the 365 victims, 55.3% (202) had consumed alcohol or drugs before dying: 63 had used only alcohol and 92 only drugs, while 47 had used both. "One in two victims had alcohol and/or drugs in their blood. So half used alcohol or drugs, or both, shortly before they died," Andreuccetti said.

Alcohol was the most prevalent substance found, followed by cocaine, cannabis, and benzodiazepines. More specifically, among the 202 victims with alcohol and/or drugs in their blood, 30.1% had used alcohol, 21.9% cocaine, 14% cannabis and 11.5% benzodiazepines, while 16.2% had used both alcohol and one of these drugs. "We hadn't expected such a high prevalence of drug use in the sample. For every five victims who used drugs, four used cocaine or cannabis. This is cause for concern," Andreuccetti said.

In the case of traffic-related deaths, 42.9% of the victims had used alcohol, while one in five (21.4%) had used two or more drugs. "Interpersonal violence tends to be influenced more by drug use, whereas traffic accidents are influenced more by alcohol use," Andreuccetti said.

In the case of homicides, drugs or alcohol were found in no fewer than 59.6% of the blood samples analyzed, with 16.3% containing both alcohol and cocaine.

Suicides used alcohol less than all other categories: only 9.1% of the samples from suicides were found to contain alcohol. On the other hand, benzodiazepine use was among the highest in this group, accounting for 18.2%.

Men were far and away the majority among victims who were alcohol and drug users, and a significant proportion were young: nine in ten of the 202 victims in question were male, and roughly one in three were under 30. "This is the age group with the largest proportion of homicide victims in Brazil, and in our study, the use of other drugs, alone or with alcohol, was also most prevalent in this group," Andreuccetti said.

A breakdown by ethnicity shows that half the victims (50.3%) were white and the rest (49.7%) were brown ("pardo"), black or classed in another ethnic category. The study also found that 60.5% of the deaths examined took place between 6 pm and 6 am. More people die violently at night than during the day in Sao Paulo City.

Criminal record

A revealing finding is that 15.9% of all the victims sampled had a criminal record. Alcohol and drug use combined was higher among these than it was among victims with no criminal record.

Whenever possible, Andreuccetti noted the city district where the victim's fatal injury occurred. As a result, the study inferred that most violent deaths while the victims were under the influence of drugs occurred in the city center or the outlying suburbs, areas where most commerce establishments and most low-income households are located, respectively.

"This suggests there's a socioeconomic component, but a specific study would be needed to find out more," he said. "On the other hand, alcohol use associated with these deaths appears to be more disseminated throughout Sao Paulo City.

"Knowledge of these statistics is important, he added, to any effort to reduce the number of violent deaths linked to alcohol and drug use in Sao Paulo and other large cities. "All these deaths are extremely harmful to society in terms of the cost of hospital and emergency services, not to mention the suffering they cause families and the significance of losing to violence a person who could have continued working, studying and producing," he said.
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New Delhi:

Are you not satisfied with the CAT 2018 Answer Key? Do you think some of your answers were correct but according to the CAT 2018 Answer Key, they are incorrect? If you have any doubt about CAT 2018 Answer Key, this is your chance to raise an objection as the deadline is nearing close. The Indian Institute of Management (IIM) Calcutta has issued a notification that those who appeared for the CAT 2018 entrance examination can file their objection on the official CAT 2018 Answer Key by December 2018. The IIM Calcutta had released the official answer key for CAT 2018 entrance examination on December 7.

The candidates who have any doubts in the answer key, they are advised to first consult with the fellow test takers or teachers and if the doubt remains, they can raise them in a three-day objection filing window.

Also Read | NEET PG 2019 admit card issued on NBE website, more details inside

How to raise an objection on CAT 2018 Answer Key?

If you think that there is any discrepancy in the CAT 2018 Answer Key, you can raise an objection till December 10. To raise an objection, you will have to log in to your CAT 2018 students account where objection raising window is available. To register your objection in the CAT 2018 Answer Key, click on objection form and a new window will open. Then you will be asked to enter the details of your exam shift, section name, question id, nature of the objection, and remarks.

In case you need to upload any documents, you can upload them in jpg/ jpeg/ png/ pdf format. Once done, pay the charges and hit the submit button. Your objection in the CAT 2018 Answer Key has been raised with the concerned department.

Also Read | NIOS Class 10, 12 October results 2018 to be released soon, more details inside
New Delhi :

He is one of the biggest stars of Hindi film industry, but Dharmendra had his fair share of struggles during his initial days in the movies. The actor says his career-defining moment was when legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy felt he was good enough to play Devendra in Bandini. The actor, who turned 83 on Saturday, reveals he was transfixed and could not eat his food when Roy casually broke the news that he was doing "Bandini", over a shared meal of "maach" (fish).

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The anecdote finds mention in an upcoming biography of the actor, "Dharmendra: Not Just a He-Man", by Rajiv Vijaykar.

Dharmendra (Dharam Singh Deol) had went to Bombay, as Mumbai was called in the 1950s, tried luck and even left for home unsuccessful. Five years later, still dreaming of making a mark in showbiz, he returned to participate in the Filmfare-United Producers' contest for new entrants when luck shined on him.

"I remember restlessly waiting for the results on the day of the final test during the Filmfare contest. The great Bimal Roy was one of the judges, and his assistant Debu Sen (who later directed Roy's 1968 production 'Do Dooni Chaar') was very fond of me. Debu sized me up and simply said, 'Hai baat! (There is something special in you)' while I waited," the actor is quoted as saying in the book.

A little later, Sen called him inside, stating that Bimal Da wanted to see the newcomer.

"I went in, and Bimal Da said, 'Come, come, Dharmendu' the name he stubbornly called me (by) stating that he was saying Dharmender in his Bengali way 'Your boudi (sister-in-law) has sent maach (fish)'," he said.

Dharmendra recalled that he was unable to swallow his food, as he was tense about the results and a few minutes later, Roy casually stated, "Aur Dharmendu, tum Bandini kar rahaa hai (And Dharmendra, you are doing 'Bandini')!"

"Now I was unable to eat because I was so happy!" quipped Dharmendra, according to the book.

"There is always that moment that comes after months and years of struggle that you catch and do not want to let go! All my years of struggle coalesced into that one moment! I wanted to live it forever!" he added.

However, since Bandini took a while to launch, it finally became his sixth movie to release. But that short role which begins and ends in the first half of this iconic film is extremely dear to the actor.

"Getting a role in a Bimal Roy film was not a small thing, and my other director was to be Guru Dutt, but that film, sadly, never happened. But I was starting out with the best!" Dharmendra said.

Also Read | Kedarnath Day 1 Box-office collection: Sushant Singh Rajput, Sara Ali Khan-starrer hits a moderate start

The book, by Rupa Publications, also reveals that two different climaxes were shot for the 1963 film which starred Nutan and Ashok Kumar.

"See the beauty of the story!" the book quoted Dharmendra as telling the author during an interview a few years ago.

"I, a doctor who also visits a jail, fall deeply in love with the girl prisoner (Nutan), the Bandini, despite coming to know everything about her past, as well as the fact that she is in jail for killing the wife of her lover. She also feels for me, but does not wish to spoil my life, which is just taking off," the actor said.

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New Delhi :

Sara Ali Khan and Sushant Singh Rajput-starrer Kedarnath released with a moderate box-office collection. The Abhishek Kapoor film hit the theatres on Friday and despite being the solo Bollywood release of the week, the film only managed to register an opening of around Rs 7 crore, as stated by Boxofficeindia.com. Trade analyst Taran Adarsh took to his Twitter handle to state the numbers.

Also Read | Sara sported the 'Short-Dress' look like a star!

The analyst tweeted, #Kedarnath takes a healthy start... Biz picked up during the course of the day... Sat and Sun biz crucial... Fri a 7.25 cr. India biz.

#Kedarnath takes a healthy start... Biz picked up during the course of the day... Sat and Sun biz crucial... Fri a 7.25 cr. India biz.  taran adarsh (@taran_adarsh) December 8, 2018

Kedarnath is a romantic flick which revolves around the disastrous 2013 Uttarakhand floods. Soon after the trailer was launched, the film landed in a pit of troubles when Teerth purohits (priests) of the shrine town of Kedarnath in Uttarakhands Chardham demanded that a blanket ban is imposed on the movie stating that it hurts the Hindu religious sentiments and promotes Love Jihad.

Sushant Singh Rajput is playing the role of a pithu, who carries pilgrims on their backs and is a Muslim by religion while Sara plays a role of a Hindu girl who falls in love with him.

Sara, who made her Bollywood debut, with this love saga was lauded by the critics and audiences across the country, for her outstanding performance. As reported by Hindustantimes.com, film exhibitor Akshaye Rathi said, On the business front, Kedarnath should bring around Rs 5 crore on day one and then it would entirely depend on the merit of the films content. Since there is no star like Salman, Shah Rukh or Ranbir who can draw the audience on face value, its a film which is as good as its content.

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If you go by what we have seen of Sara Ali Khan in her interviews, public appearances, reality shows, Koffee With Karan and everywhere else, a lot of people are clearly very excited about this new young talent that has ..arrived. Lots of people are looking forward to the launch of Sara Ali Khan and that may possibly become the USP of the film, added the exhibitor.

Produced by Ronnie Screwvala's RSVP and Pragya Kapoor's Guy In the Sky Pictures, Kedarnath is directed by Abhishek Kapoor.

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New Delhi :

Sara Ali Khan has become one among the most talked about debutantes in Bollywood. After the release of her debut film Kedarnath, co-starring Sushant Singh Rajput, the actor is already recognised as the next big thing in the industry. Sara has established her acting prowess with the Abhishek Kapoor film and managed to raise brows with her exquisite fashion sense and glamour quotient. However, what may come as a shock or surprise to many, even though she has become the talk of the B-town so soon, father Saif Ali Khan had not watched it till wife Kareen Kapoor Khan forced him to.

Also Read | Ranveer Singh shares fun-animated 'Simmba' poster, adding more to the 'masala'

Saif has always sported to be a caring and supportive father. As per a report by Bollywood Hungama, Saif was finding it difficult to watch the film. "He is just petrified to watch Sara on screen. Kareena keeps urging him to watch Kedarnath. But, Saif keeps putting it off", the website quoted.

However, after a day of the films release, Saif stepped out with wife Kareena to watch the special screening of Kedarnath. We hope that daddy dear loved the work of his princess!

Also Read | 'PadMan' producer Prerna Arora arrested for alleged fraud of Rs 16 crore

Kedarnath is a romantic flick which revolves around the disastrous 2013 Uttarakhand floods. Sushant Singh Rajput is playing the role of a pithu, who carries pilgrims on their backs and is a Muslim by religion while Sara plays a role of a Hindu girl who falls in love with him.

Sara, who made her Bollywood debut, with this love saga was lauded by the critics and audiences across the country, for her outstanding performance.

The actor will soon be seen on the big screen opposite Ranveer Singh in Simmba, directed by Rohit Shetty. Produced under the banner of Karan Johars Dharma Production, the film is slated to hit the theatres on December 28.

For all the Latest Entertainment News, Bollywood News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday responded to Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khans statement, saying India knew Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba's (LeT) involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack, and it doesnt not need anyone endorsing the complicity of Islamabad. On Thursday, Imran Khan, in an interview to The Washington Post, his first to a foreign publication, had acknowledged that the terror attack was perpetrated by Pakistani terror group Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Speaking to news agency ANI, General Rawat said: "We know who did it (the 2008 Mumbai terror attack). I don't think we have to get anymore statement from anybody. The international community knows who did it."

The Army Chief, however, praised Khan's statement saying that "acceptance is good."

In the interview, the Pakistan Prime Minister said his country wants "something done about the bombers of Mumbai," while tacitly acknowledging that the attack of November 2008 originated from the Pakistani soil.

"I have asked our government to find out the status of the case. Resolving that the case is in our interest because it was an act of terrorism," he said.

On November 26, 2008, 10 Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) terrorists sneaked into Mumbai through sea route and opened fire indiscriminately, killing 166 people.

Nine of the attackers were killed by police while lone survivor Ajmal Kasab was captured and hanged after handed down death sentence by an Indian court.

Perpetrators of the 26/11 attack, including its mastermind and banned Jamat-ud Dawa (JuD) chief Hafiz Saeed, continue to roam freely in Pakistan, indicating that Islamabad is not serious in bringing them to justice. The JuD is believed to be the front group for the LeT. The US has offered a USD 10 million bounty for Saeed.

After taking charge as prime minister in August this year, Khan said he was ready for peace talks with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

Pakistan sent a proposal in September to hold foreign ministers' level talks in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly.

India, however, accepted and then rejected the proposal, blaming Pakistan for killing a security personnel in Jammu and Kashmir and accusing it of glorifying terrorism.

(With inputs from agencies)

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New Delhi :

Six days after the Bulandshahr violence and killing of a cop, district SSP Krishna Bahadur Singh was removed from his post and transferred to the DGP Headquarters in Lucknow, news agency ANI reported. The Uttar Pradesh Police has appointed Sitapur SP Prabhakar Chaudhary as the new police chief of Bulandshahr district where the violence had taken place. Subodh Kumar Singh, the SHO of Shyana police station in Bulandshahr district of Uttar Pradesh, was fatally shot at a point-blank range above his left eye allegedly by Jeetendra Malik alias Jeetu Fauji, a serving armyman, during violent protests against the alleged cow slaughter in the area.

Singh had received inputs of stone pelting in the area. When he reached there, a stone hit him on the head and he fell unconscious. When he was being taken to the hospital, the mob again attacked their jeep. The policemen who accompanied him fled the scene and he was shot dead.

Also Read | General Bipin Rawat on armyman Jeetu Fauji: He will be produced before police if there is evidence

The family of the deceased cop alleged a pre-planned conspiracy and claimed that Singh was killed because he was investigating the Akhlaq case. Rajini Rathore, the wife of the police officer, even threatened to commit suicide by shooting herself if the perpetrators behind his husbands murder go unpunished.



Reacting to the allegations against Jeetu, Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday assured full cooperation to the police and said that he will be handed over to them if any evidence of his involvement is found.

"If there are any evidence and police feel that they suspect him, then we will produce him before them. We will fully cooperate with police," news agency ANI quoted General Rawat as saying.

Also Read | Bulandshahr Violence: Murdered UP cops wife threatens to commit suicide if guilty not punished



The statement from the Army Cheif came after reports of Jeetu's detention by the Uttar Pradesh police. Jeetu Fauji, a serving member of Indian Army, was named in one of the FIRs registered in the Bulandshahr violence case. He is suspected to be responsible for shooting Police Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh during the Bulandshahr violence.

For all the Latest India News, Download News Nation Android and iOS Mobile Apps.
New Delhi:

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Rajya Sabha member Subramanian Swamy on Friday said that he will topple the government if the Centre or Uttar Pradesh government tries to oppose the construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya, news agency ANI reported.



While addressing a gathering at the Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU) Subramanian Swamy said, "If our matter (Ram temple) is listed in January, we will win it in two weeks. Because my two opposing parties are the central government and Uttar Pradesh government. Do they have the guts to oppose me? If they do, I will topple the government. Though I know that they won't do it."

Subramanian Swamy: If our matter (#RamTemple) is listed in January, we'll win it in 2 weeks. Because my 2 opposing parties are central government & UP government; do they've the guts to oppose me? And if they do, I'll topple government. Though I know that they won't do it. (7.11) pic.twitter.com/mzhVpvFdqQ  ANI (@ANI) December 7, 2018

"The Muslims I meet personally tell me that they will not have any objection on the construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya," he said.

"Sunni Waqf Board filed a case claiming that the land that was captured by Mughal ruler Babar is ours. They never said that they want to re-construct Babri. They just said it's our title. Hindu parties like Ram Janmbhoomi Vyas and Nirmohi Akhada said that there were two temples of which they were trustees, and should be given to them. The Allahabad High Court heard their suit and said it's Ram Janmbhoomi, two gumbads will go to Hindus, one to Muslims," Subramanian Swamy said.



ALSO READ | Poll Of Exit Polls: Congress claims Rajasthan, close fight in MP, setback for BJP in Chhattisgarh

"Sunni Waqf board challenged it because the land was given to Muslims and not them. The matter was then not heard from 2010-2017. I went to the Supreme Court, and that is why the date was not being fixed by the court. First, they ousted me asking what my stake is (in the matter)," he said.



Earlier, Subramanian Swamy had said that no one can stop the construction of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya if the Hindus unite. It was the fundamental right of Hindus to offer prayers at the birthplace of Ram and added that even the Supreme Court would agree on the issue of their faith, he said.

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New Delhi :

Cheered up with the exit poll predictions for the Assembly elections in Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Rajasthan, Telangana and Mizoram, the ecstatic Congress on Friday said that the take away from the outcome of most post-poll surveys was that people have endorsed the party as an alternative and that the BJP was on backfoot. It is very easy to see that the BJP is in back foot in all these five state assembly polls and the Congress is giving an alternative which most people are endorsing and that is the take away from these exit polls, Congress leader Sachin Pilot, who is in the race of chief minister in Rajasthan, said.

Pilot, a former union minister, said that people were angry with the BJP over several issues such as agrarian crisis, price rise, and the economic mess and they accepted the Congress partys blueprint.

The anger was very palpable against the BJP in these elections and people were willing and happy to accept the blueprint given by the Congress. People want answers for questions which they have avoided for the last five years as price rise, farmers in distress, economy is collapsing, he said.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), however, believed that the happy feeling the Congress is having will not last long as exit polls have been consistently under-projecting the BJPs tally in all elections since 2014.

The Congress can bask in gloat on exit poll results but this happy feeling would be short-lived, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said.

The exit poll conducted by News Nation predicted a clear majority for the Congress in Rajasthan and a neck and neck fight in Madhya Pradesh. The exit poll for Chhattisgarh Assembly elections suggested that the Congress may emerge as the single largest party in a hung house with Ajit Jogi playing the king makers role. Our survey predicted that the Congress-TDP alliance in Telangana will also put up a tough fight against the TRS, but gave a slight edge to the ruling party. Although in Mizoram, the Congress looked on the verge of losing its last northeastern state.

Madhya Pradesh Exit Poll 2018:

After 13 years in office, Bharatiya Janata Party's Shivraj Singh Chouhan is gearing up for a fourth straight term in Madhya Pradesh. According to News Nation Exit Poll, the BJP will bag 108-112 seats to retain power in the state yet again in 2018. In a neck-and-neck fight with the incumbent BJP, the Congress will get 105-109 seats.

Chhattisgarh Exit Poll 2018

BJP's Raman Singh is likely to lose Chhattisgarh this time. According to News Nation Exit Poll, the BJP is likely to get only 38 to 42 Assembly seats. The Congress is likely to emerge as the single largest party with 40 to 44 seats. Congress rebel Ajit Jogi along with Mayawati's BSP can play a role of the kingmaker. The Jogi-led JCC and BSP alliance is likely to get 4 to 8 seats in the Assembly.

Rajasthan Exit Poll 2018

Rajasthan is likely to go with its decades' old tradition of voting the incumbent out. According to the News Nation exit poll, Congress is likely to get a clear majority with 99-103 seats against the BJPs 89-93. Vasundhara Raje-led BJPs vote share is expected to be 39 per cent while the Congress, taking a giant leap forward, is predicted to win 44 per cent of the total vote share in the desert state.

Telangana Exit Poll 2018

K Chandrashekhar Rao-led TRS is predicted to emerge as the single largest party in Indias youngest state Telangana, according to News Nation Exit Poll. With 53-57 seats, the post-poll survey projected TRS ahead of the Congress-TDP-led mahakutumi" grand alliance. The alliance is likely to win 51-55 seats. Asaduddin Owaisis AIMIM is projected to bag 3-7 seats.

Mizoram Exit Poll 2018

The Mizo National Front (MNF) looks headed for facile victory in the 40-member Legislative Assembly of Mizoram which went to poll on November 28, the News Nation Exit polls predicted. While the survey gave 16-20 seats to the MNF, Congress is projected to win 10-14 seats. The Zoram Peoples Movement (ZPM) and the BJP may get 5-9 and 0-4 seats respectively in the state.

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New Delhi:

Lt. Gen. DS Hooda (retd) on Friday said that the constant hype around surgical strike was 'unwarranted', news agency ANI reported. Gen Hooda was the Northern Army commander when the surgical strikes were carried out on September 29, 2016. General Hooda was speaking during a panel discussion on the topic, 'Role of Cross-Border Operations and Surgical Strikes,' on the first day of Military Literature Festival 2018 in Chandigarh. The discussion was attended by Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore along with other former Generals and Army Commanders.



ALSO READ | J-K: Army soldier, BSF jawan killed in ceasefire violation by Pakistan



"I do think there was too much hype over the surgical strike. It was important and we had to do it. Now how much should it have been politicised, whether it was right or wrong is something that should be asked to the politicians, he said.

General (retired) D S Hooda: I do think there was too much hype over it (surgical strike). The strike was important & we had to do it. Now how much should it have been politicised, whether it was right or wrong is something that should be asked to the politicians. (7.12) pic.twitter.com/8v0QJ1tzK5  ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2018

"It isnt good to have political dissonance in military matters and all parties need to come together on a common platform at least in the strategic arena. In this case, there was too much political banter on both sides, he said.

"The trend of politicians questioning the Army at public forums is the biggest threat to military operations and needs to be guarded against, former Army Chief Gen VP Malik (retd) remarked.

"The excessive publicity of the September 2016 strikes, which had in fact been a retaliatory strike conducted after the Pathankot and Uri attacks, had set a dangerous benchmark for the Indian political dispensation, which they would find difficult to maintain in the eventuality of future terror attacks, said Defence commentator Colonel (retd) Ajai Shukla.



Nearly 10 days after the Uri attack that claimed 18 jawans, India carried out surgical strikes in Pakistan Occupied Kashmir, inflicting heavy casualties on terrorists and indicating a change of stand on the rules of engagement on the disputed line of control.

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New Delhi:

Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi after Lt General (retd) DS Hooda said the constant hype around the surgical strikes was 'unwarranted', alleging that the PM used the military action for "political capital". Speaking during a panel discussion on the 'Role of Cross-Border Operations and Surgical Strikes' on the first day of Military Literature Festival 2018 in Chandigarh, General Hooda said: "I do think there was too much hype over the surgical strike. It was important and we had to do it. Now how much should it have been politicised, whether it was right or wrong is something that should be asked to the politicians.

The discussion was attended by Punjab Governor VP Singh Badnore along with other former Generals and Army Commanders.

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said: "Spoken like a true soldier General. India is so proud of you. Mr 36 has absolutely no shame in using our military as a personal asset.

"He used the surgical strikes for political capital and the Rafale deal to increase Anil Ambani's real capital by 30,000 Cr. #SurgicalStrike (sic)."

Spoken like a true soldier General. India is so proud of you. Mr 36 has absolutely no shame in using our military as a personal asset. He used the surgical strikes for political capital and the Rafale deal to increase Anil Ambanis real capital by 30,000 Cr. #SurgicalStrike https://t.co/IotXWBsIih  Rahul Gandhi (@RahulGandhi) December 8, 2018

Congress' chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala thanked Lt Gen (retd) Hooda for "exposing the petty politicisation by PM Modi".

"No one can use the valour & sacrifice of our brave soldiers to score cheap political points Modiji is squarely guilty of compromising National Security & Strategic Interests by unwarranted chest thumping!" he wrote on Twitter.

Lt Gen (retired) DS Hooda who was the Northern Army Commander when the operation was carried out on September 29, 2016 across the Line of Control (LoC). He saw the live video feed of the surgical strike, which was launched in retaliation to the Uri terror attack in which 19 Indian soldiers were killed by Pakistani terrorists.

The Pakistan-based terror outfit Lashker-e-Taiba (LeT) was severely hit in the cross-LoC surgical strikes on terror launch pads carried out by the Indian Army with assessment reports of radio intercepts indicating that around 20 of its militants were killed.

In a well-calibrated operation, on the intervening night of September 28-29, the Indian Army moved across the LoC and smashed four launch pads that were under the guard of a Pakistani post located 700 metres from the LoC.

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New Delhi:

Launching a scathing attack on those demanding a Ram Temple in Ayodhya, former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah on Saturday said ayoua are not fighting on the issues that matter to people, and questioned whether Lord Ram will solve the farmersa problems. A

aToday, look at secular democratic India. Youare not fighting on the issues that matter to people. Youare fighting for Ram. Is Ram going to come from heaven and give farmers something better? Or unemployment will disappear in a day because Ram is coming? They are fooling people, news agency ANI quoted Abdullah as saying.

Farooq Abdullah: Today, look at secular democratic India. Youare not fighting on issues that matter to ppl. Youare fighting for Ram. Is Ram going to come from heaven&give farmers something better?Or unemployment will disappear in a day because Ram is coming. They are fooling ppl. pic.twitter.com/NiNKyKvFKG a ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2018

Several Hindu organisations, including the RSS, the VHP, the Shiv Sena, have been asking the government and the BJP for an early settlement of the issue. A

On Saturday, BJP spokesperson GVL Narasimha Rao said hisA party was committed to constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya and would wait for the Supreme Court's verdict on the issue.



The BJP leader said there was a demand from a section of leaders to bring an ordinance on the temple issue and added that the party understands the "sentiments" of the people.



"As far as the issue of construction of the grand temple for Lord Ram is concerned, our party's position has been consistent. We have always favoured the construction of grand temple in Ayodhya. That is the aspiration and sentiment of crores of people, Hindus in this country," he said.



VHP Chief Mohan Bhagwat on Thursday in Nagpur during his annual Vijayadashmi address said the government should clear the path for construction of the Ram temple in Ayodhya through an appropriate and requisite law.



The BJP leader alleged that some of the Congress leaders have been trying to put roadblocks in the construction of the temple by trying to delay Supreme Court judgement by using their own "lawyer-politician" to create huddles in the court processes.



The Ayodhya case is currently before the Supreme Court and the next hearing is scheduled for October 29.



Last month, Abdullah asked why a Ram temple should be built in Ayodhya as Lord Ram is omnipresent and belongs to the world.

(With PTI inputs)

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New Delhi:

Dharmendra Malik, the brother of army jawan Jeetendra Malik alias Jeetu Fauji, who has been named in an FIR for his alleged involvement in the killing of an inspector during the Bulandshahr violence on Monday, on Saturday alleged conspiracy to trap his brother, and claimed that he has evidence to prove that Jeetu wasn't present at the incident site.

During the violence, inspector and Shyana police station SHO Subodh Kumar Singh and a youth, Sumit Kumar, lost their lives. Jeetu has been named as one of the prime suspects in the killing of the cop.

My brother is being trapped in some conspiracy. He's not involved in the killing of Inspector. I have evidence to prove that my brother wasn't present at the site where the incident took place. I request chief minister (Yogi Adityanath) to help me, Dharmendra Malik, who is also in the Indian Army, told news agency ANI.

Dharmendra Malik,brother of army jawan named in #Bulandshar FIR:My brother is being trapped in some conspiracy,he's not involved in the killing of Inspector. I've evidence to prove that my brother wasn't present at the site where the incident took place. I request CM to help me. pic.twitter.com/AiaOTj146e  ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) December 8, 2018

His statement came hours after Army Chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday said if evidence is found against Jeetu, he will be handed over to the police.

Also Read | General Bipin Rawat on armyman Jeetu Fauji: He will be produced before police if there is evidence

"If there are any evidence and police feel that they suspect him, then we will produce him before them. We will fully cooperate with the police," Rawat said.

Subodh Kumar Singh was fatally was reportedly shot at a point-blank range above his left eye allegedly by Jeetu Fauji during a violent protest against the alleged cow slaughter in the area.

Singh had received inputs of stone pelting in the area. When he reached there, a stone hit him on head and he fell unconscious. When he was being taken to the hospital on a police jeep, the mob again attacked the vehicle. While the policemen who accompanied Singh fled the scene, he was shot dead allegedly by Fauji.

The family of the deceased cop alleged a pre-planned conspiracy and claimed that Singh was killed because he was investigating the Akhlaq case. Rajini Rathore, the wife of the police officer, even threatened to commit suicide by shooting herself if the perpetrators behind his husbands murder go unpunished.

Also Read | Bulandshahr violence: SSP Krishna Bahadur Singh removed after cop Subodh Kumar Singh's murder

My husband was killed in a planned manner as part of a conspiracy. If the guilty go unpunished, I will commit suicide by shooting myself. I want a CBI probe to reveal the actual facts and reasons behind my husbands death," Rajini had said.

Meanwhile, Bulandshahr SSP Krishna Bahadur Singh has been removed from his post and transferred to the DGP Headquarters in Lucknow. He was replaced by Sitapur SP Prabhakar Chaudhary, who took over as the new district police chief.

Jeetus mother Ratan Kaur said she could not identify her son from videos of the mob attack.

She said the police had raided her house around 1 am on Tuesday, assaulted her daughter-in-law, vandalised the house and picked up her husband, Rajpal Singh.

"Jeetu is in Kargil and if any evidence like a picture or a video emerges showing he killed the policeman then I will kill him myself. I'm not so heartless, I'm equally pained by the death of the policeman and the other boy from Chingrawathi and also for what the entire village and its people are going through," news agency PTI quoted her as saying to a TV news channel on Friday.

"Both of my sons are in the Army. They are not here, they on duty," his mother Ratan Kaur told PTI.

NDTV reported that other family members of Jeetu, however, confirm that he was present when the mob killing took place and left for Kargil after the incident.

"He came from the spot and said, 'see the drama' and left for Kargil the same evening," said Chandravati, Jeetu's aunt.

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Contributed Photo / Connecticut State Police / Contributed Photo

DANBURY  Connecticut State Police took to the skies recently to follow up on complaints of aggressive driving on Interstate 84 in the Danbury area.

A helicopter was sent out on Thursday, state police said Friday, in a joint enforcement effort with troopers from Troop A, the Traffic Services Unit and the Aviation Unit.
NEW MILFORD  Town and school employees could soon switch to the state health insurance plan in a move that officials estimate could save thousands, if not millions of dollars.

New Milford currently has a self-funded plan for the school and town employees but as costs continue to rise, officials are mulling a switch to the state partnership plan.

On paper, the move will save about $339,000 in next years budget, but Mayor Pete Bass said the actual savings is closer to $2.5 million because by switching plans the town would avoid paying the $2.2 million, or 17 percent increase, expected for next year under the current plan.

Several officials said the health care increases were among the biggest budget drivers.

This town is in one of the most cost-effective plans right now, Arch Henderson, New Milfords health insurance consultant told the school board, finance board and Town Council at a recent joint meeting. But the state partnership plan is cheaper so thats why were looking at it.

He added the bulk of New Milfords costs are in the claims.

Henderson said a lot of towns are now part of the state plan and the larger pool helps keep the costs down.

The self-funded plan was the cheaper option until last year when the state option became about $420,000 cheaper compared to New Milfords actual costs, according to Hendersons presentation.

All three boards unanimously approved a memorandum of understanding that allows them to negotiate the plan with their respective unions. The hope is it will be signed off on soon so that they can enter it in time for the next fiscal year.

This is probably the biggest no brainer Ive seen since I was elected, said Councilman Tom Esposito.

At least 75 percent of the 586 employees will have to agree to the state plan for New Milford to make the switch.

Henderson said its better to have all of them accept though.

We want to be one big group, he said.

Bass said that the plan not only saves money, but also expands coverage for a wide swath of employees.

The state plan also has a wellness component that requires preventive health screenings for certain ages and penalizes those who dont complete them.

Interim Superintendent of Schools Stephen Tracy said he was on the plan for a bit and described the wellness requirements as sensible.

Theyre trying to get us to be doing what we should be doing, he said.

School board member Tammy McInerney, who was also on the plan, said the insurance companies give enough notice so the screenings can be completed.

The memorandum of understanding approved also includes an exit strategy, which would use the internal reserve fund.

The MOU is well written and puts escape clauses in there if something should go wrong, said school board member Joseph Failla.

One of the concerns raised about the plan was making sure the secretarial union doesnt have to pay more because its year runs with the calendar and not along the July to June schedule the other unions have. The union president said she was willing to work with the school officials so that it could be phased in.

School Board Chairman David Lawson said theyve been reviewing the switch for a year now and considering the new plan.

Im very proud of it, he said.

Bass added, Its a great benefit for the town.
Now that Democrats will soon control one branch of Congress, President Donald Trump is again signaling that infrastructure could be an area of compromise. We agree, but if the president wanted to earn Democratic support in the Senate, any infrastructure bill would have to include policies and funding that help transition our country to a clean-energy economy and mitigate the risks the United States already faces from climate change.

For too long, Congress has failed to act in a meaningful way to combat the threat posed by climate change. Powerful special interests have a stranglehold on many of my Republican colleagues; some GOP legislators even refuse to acknowledge that climate change is happening. So despite the immense size of the problem, despite wildfires that sweep through the West and hurricanes that grow more powerful over the years, real action on climate change has been stymied by the denialism of the president and too many Republicans in Congress. While notable progress was made during the Obama administration to stimulate renewable-energy technology and fashion international agreements to reduce carbon emissions, the Trump administration has shamefully undone much of that progress and appears unwilling to take any new steps to combat climate change. Worst of all, the administration is pulling the United States out of the Paris climate accord, giving a green light to countries such as China and India to increase carbon emissions by unacceptable amounts.

In the 116th Congress, however, Democrats will have an extraordinary opportunity to force action on climate change. Not only will House Democrats have the power to propose, debate and pass progressive legislation on the subject, but Senate Democrats will have substantial leverage as well. For any legislation to pass the Senate, 60 votes are required.

One area where there's an opportunity to do something on climate change is an infrastructure bill, since Trump has repeatedly named infrastructure as a potential area of compromise in the new Congress. Truthfully, infrastructure investment has been a priority for Democrats for decades. That's why Democrats last year proposed a trillion-dollar infrastructure bill, which the president ignored. Our plan suggested bold new investments in clean energy and climate resiliency, one step on our path to a 100 percent clean-energy economy. And we could finance the bill entirely by reversing the worst giveaways in the Trump tax bill, those gifted to multinational corporations and the wealthiest of the wealthiest.

That's why I'm sending a letter to President Trump on Friday that describes the kinds of policies Democrats expect in an infrastructure bill. For example, we should make massive investments in renewable-energy infrastructure, especially in exciting new technologies such as battery storage. We also must make our infrastructure more climate- resilient, particularly the electrical grid and our water and wastewater systems. Those items belong in any infrastructure bill - indeed they were all included in the Senate Democratic proposal last year - but we can and should go further.

We should provide permanent tax credits for clean-energy production and storage, electric vehicles, and energy-efficient homes. We should invest in conservation, wildlife and deferred maintenance on our public lands, because this can both mitigate the impacts of climate change and grow the outdoor economy. We should significantly reduce the release of methane pollution from domestic energy production. And we have to reduce the amount of carbon we release into the atmosphere. All of these policies can and will create good-paying green jobs.

No doubt, a single infrastructure bill alone will not solve our climate problem. But it is an important and necessary first step to include at least some, if not many, of these ideas. Without them, Trump should not count on Democratic support in the Senate.

It's impossible to overstate the urgency with which America needs to confront climate change. Even the Trump administration, which officially denies humankind's role in climate change, released a report last month outlining its current impacts and warning of dire consequences in the near future. Without drastic intervention, more powerful storms, floods and fires, as well as billions of dollars in damage to our economy, await the next generation of Americans.

Two weeks ago, I was blessed with the birth of my first grandchild. I want him to grow up and grow old in a world that's safe and healthy - a dream I know every American has for their children and grandchildren. In the next Congress, Democrats have to force the issue. An infrastructure bill in the new Congress could be one of the first opportunities we get. We intend to take it.

---

Schumer, a Democrat from New York, is Senate minority leader.
China and Tesla both have a lot to gain by working together and they can each fix the others problems and weaknesses. I have written about this in a recent article, but I wanted to simplify my case. It happens to be a Tesla bull market case and is pro-China, but the point is that major global problems can be fixed and millions of lives can be saved with this alliance.

China views Elon Musk as a Steve Jobs class innovator and technologist. China views Teslas brand like Apples brand.

China has problems in the following priority:

1. They have a massive dependence on foreign oil. They are using 13 million barrels per day and this level is growing quickly. They importing about 9 million barrels per day and can make about 3.5 million barrels per day.

This 70% dependence on foreign oil is a huge strategic weakness. Ask Japan and Germany during World War 2, how well a country does with massive foreign oil dependence.

2. China has a massive air pollution problem. This kills 1.1 million people every year. This is an early death because of heart and lung disease. If you make everyone smoke 6 cigarettes a day including oil people, babies and asthmatics then you will increase hospitalization and deaths. The evidence of the correlation is from hundreds of studies over many decades and from the fact that when the air is worse more people go to the hospital that day and even that hour. The cause and effect is tight and immediate.

China is rapidly growing its middle class. Those middle class and affluent people are demanding cleaning air. They have coughing up black for decades and they can see their air. They do not need to ask a scientist what their problem is.

3. China wants more high tech jobs and they want to have more high-end products to export.

Tesla and Elon Musk have the following problems and priorities:

1. Tesla needs to produce more cars and make more money. Tesla is still facing huge financial risks because of the production levels and production problems they still have.

2. Elon Musk is driven to change the world with batteries, electric cars and his other solutions. Elon wants to make a maximum impact.

3. Elon Musk can come up with more ideas, than he can build. Tesla has had problems scaling up and building all the new products that Elon Musk wants to make.

These interests align with electric cars and batteries.

However, I am going mostly to skip over the important and profitable question of electric cars.

Elon, Tesla and China both win if the first Gigafactory in China is completed in 6 months and reaches maximum 500,000 car per year production within 2-3 years. China has the production capability to help Tesla ensures this happens. Tesla would have worries about production problems go away if this happens.

Tesla Semi Would be Huge for Both

The Tesla Semi is the most important product for both of them. China has the most trucks in the world. China has over half of the worlds trucks. They have about 22 million and they are buying 1.3 million big trucks and another 1 million smaller trucks. Big trucks use 40 times the fuel as a passenger car. All Chinas big trucks have about half of overall air pollution and 70% of the particulates. Particulate pollution is the main cause of the deaths.

Making 40-80 Gigafactories would require the staffing level of Foxconn. Foxconn make the iPhones and iPads. The production in China for Apple products supplies the world.

Making the factories and supply chain is exactly the kind of things that China excels at. Need to drain a lake or make massive amounts of lithium, then China can do it and will literally level mountains to make it happen.

Batteries for the Grid

Tesla Powerwall batteries and utility scale batteries can be used to modernize Chinas powergrid. They would fit in even with Chinas pumped hydro.

Problems Fixed

These solutions at scale means China uses 3-4 million barrels per day less oil. This is like doubling domestic oil production. It reduces oil dependence towards 50% foreign. Initially, it will mean more coal usage to supply the electricity.

The electricity will be produced around Mongolia and then sent to the cities via 1.1 megavolt power grid connections. China has ultra-high voltage cross country lines. Those lines can transmit 200GW of power. Building more as needed is not a problem.

The air pollution reduction keeps the middle class, affluent the poor people happy.

Elon Musk becomes a trillionaire and Tesla stock goes up 10X or 20X.

There will be China copycat companies but Tesla will get a huge chunk.

Support for a US technology company without directly forcing technology transfer would be a huge win.

The Chinese companies will have to achieve technology transfer the traditional way by poaching employees and waiting the one-year non-competes to expire.
Business Networking Breakfast

DERBY  The Connecticut Gay & Lesbian Chamber of Commerce will hold a Business Networking Breakfast from 8-9:30 a.m. Dec. 13 at Twin Peaks Counseling, 111 New Haven Ave.

For information or to register, visit http://members.ctglc.org/events.

Women Redefining Retirement to meet

MILFORD  Women Redefining Retirement will meet at 7 p.m. Dec. 10 at Golden Hill Rehabilitation Pavilion, 2028 Bridgeport Ave.

This month, members will assemble festive headbands for the holiday season, while singing along to holiday carols. Monetary donations will be collected to benefit Boys and Girls Village. Food donations will benefit the Milford Senior Center.

New members welcome. Visit wrrofmilford@google.com.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 8)  The historic Balangiga bells, seized by American soldiers from a church in Eastern Samar in 1901, are on their way home.

Photos released by the United States Embassy on Saturday showed two of the bells' journey home after being removed from display at an air base in the western U.S. state of Wyoming to being loaded onto a truck for transportation.

The bells left Wyoming on November 15, the same day these were formally turned over to the Philippine government in a ceremony led by Philippine Ambassador to the United States Jose Manuel "Babe" Romualdez and U.S. Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Romualdez then said that the two bells will be shipped to a facility in Philadelphia for restoration, before sending it to South Korea, where the third bell is located in a U.S. military museum.

The bells are scheduled to arrive at Villamor Air Base in Pasay City on December 11, where a "simple ceremony" will be held, Defense Secretary Delfin Lorenzana said.

He said President Rodrigo Duterte "will be there," contrary to earlier reports that he would not be attending the arrival ceremony.

"The program is like this. So the aircraft that will be bringing the three bells will arrive before lunch in Villamor Air Base. They are going (to) unload and then they are going to remove it from the crate, put it in the display," Lorenzana said in a chance interview on Friday.

Historians believe one of the bells signaled the attack the Filipinos launched against American troops stationed in Balangiga town in Eastern Samar on September 28, 1901. The attack, which killed 48 American soldiers, was reportedly in retaliation for oppressive treatment that Filipinos received from the foreign soldiers.

The American soldiers retaliated, destroying the town and killing thousands of Filipino soldiers and locals in what came to be known as the Balangiga Massacre, historical accounts said. The American soldiers seized all three bells from the Balangiga Church, and a 1557 cannon as war booty.

President Rodrigo Duterte resurrected a decades-old fight for the return of the Balangiga bells during his second State of the Nation Address in 2017.

"Give us back those Balangiga bells. They are ours. They belong to the Philippines. They are part of our national heritage," Duterte said in his speech.

READ: How Balangiga bells were given back to PH

Although some U.S. officials earlier opposed plans to return the bells, the U.S. Department of Defense notified Congress as early as August 2018 that it intends to repatriate the bells.
HAMDEN - After shifting funds to address a multi-million dollar deficit, the town is expecting to end the 2017-18 fiscal year in the black, according to Mayor Curt B. Leng.

In a Nov. 30 memo to council members and town staff, Leng said the FY 2018 budget had been balanced despite what was unquestionably a year of challenges... largely caused by the State of Connecticuts mid-year, unexpected multi-million dollar cut of annually received State revenue.

The community decreased expected spending by more than $7 million to find the funds to balance the budget, Leng said.

In the memo, he said the town secured the money in a number of ways, including instituting spending and hiring freezes, collaborating with the Board of Education, and cutting planned pension and capital expenses.

Most of the money came from the latter two categories.

The towns 2017-18 budget called for $17.7 million to be put toward the town pension liability; that was cut to $12.7 million.

More than $3.7 million was swept out of the capital budget, as the town closed out, scaled back, and in some cases, canceled projects to address its financial challenges.

These actions did not need Legislative Council approval, according to Leng, as they considered an administrative function, rather than a budget transfer.

The Legislative Council did sign off on $1.7 million of transfers at its Monday meeting, which, among other line items, covered $752,000 of pension expenses, $253,366 of police overtime costs, $275,000 in previously-projected attrition savings, and $192,934 in substitute firefighters.

According to Clerk Kim Renta, council members Lauren Garrett and Cory OBrien voted against the transfers, as did Justin Farmer and Harry Gagliardi. Councilor Athena Gary abstained.

In interviews conducted after the meeting, Garrett and OBrien voiced concerns about using planned pension funds and capital expenses to balance the budget, as using bonded money to pay for operating expenses incurs interest; sweeping capital funds prevents infrastructure work from being done.

These practices keep the community from addressing its debt burden, they said, which, in part, is to blame for the town tax rate.

(The debt is) one of the reasons we have to have a high mill rate. Its one of the reasons were financially distressed, said Garrett. (A)dding to our debt to plug holes in our budget  its just very irresponsible.

OBrien and Garrett would like to see the town focus more on long-term sustainability in its financial practices and zero in on what they consider overly-high revenue estimates.

The town has historically looked to short-term fixes, such as those implemented this year, to alleviate financial pressure instead of considering the long-term ramifications of its actions, OBrien said.

Its just a mindset change, said OBrien. Thats the only way were going to get ahead of this and really get things under control.

Michael McGarry and James Pascarella, the current and former council presidents, said that the capital sweep and diminished pension payment were the best of a series of bad options, not advisable practices. McGarry said other possibilities included further borrowing or a supplemental tax.

Pascarella noted the towns fund balance  which stood at $2.98 million at the end of the 2017 fiscal year, according to its audited financials  would have been overdrawn if the deficit was not mitigated, opening the community up to receivership.

I think all those involved did the best they could, said Pascarella.

This, obviously, is not the way we want to be closing the budget, said McGarry. We played the best hand we could.

In a statement, Mayor Curt B. Leng said the approach he took was recommended by financial professionals. Legislation at the state level allowed the town to reduce its pension payment, but further efforts were needed to avert a deficit. Without them, residents would have been hurt, he said.

I sincerely believe that our residents wanted their local government to respond to these challenges in a manner which preserves the community they know and love, protects the services they expect and deserve and works to hold the line on further taxation, which would have been unfair and harmful to hard working residents and our business community, said Leng. The simple truth of the matter is that alternative approaches would inflict real harm on our Towns financial stability. Our residents would suffer in the short and long term.

Spending and hiring freezes, cost (reduction) efforts taken throughout the year, the closing of some capital projects, utilization of grant funding and more was essential to delivering a balanced budget in well-reasoned and responsible manner.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
NORTH HAVEN  Town officials and residents voiced their support for Danielle Morfi and her family at Thursdays meeting of the Board of Selectmen and decried the harassing letter she recently received.

First Selectman Michael Freda, Second Selectman William Pieper and Third Selectman Sally Buemi all condemned the letter Thursday, which threatened to expose Morfi in unspecified fashion, noted her history of advocacy against installing an artificial turf field at North Haven Middle School, and said that a group had been watching you for the past months.

Residents also spoke against the sentiments found in the letter and said the political culture in North Haven needed to change.

A number said hostile, bullying conduct had marred town discourse when hotly contested issues were considered in the past.

Theresa Ranciato-Viele, a member of the Planning & Zoning Commission and former state representative candidate, said the sender of the letter should reflect on their conduct. The issue of the turf field was settled, she noted.

I was so proud of this board tonight, when the three of you spoke up against this hate speech  this un-American activity of trying to quash a persons First Amendment rights. It just has no place in this town, in this state, in this country, said former Selectman Alan Sturtz, who noted the issue of civility as he ran against Freda for first selectman.

Our voices, when respectful and (not inciting) violence, should never be silenced  either by elected officials, by omissions in the press, or by acts of intimidation, said Nancy Barrett. Anonymous letters, email posts and vandalism intended to inflict emotional distress and silence opposition are acts of cowardice and reflect a weakness of character.

The attempt to silence Danielle is an insult  and an attempt to silence all of our rights, said Mary White. Children are watching; children are listening; children will copy. We have a moral obligation to behave and set good examples for the next generation.

Former Board of Education member Jennifer Caldwell said the over the groups discussion of the mascot at North Haven High School, a Native American, was so dramatic it did not vote.

More News North Haven woman claims intimidating letter sent over politics

She said such conduct, as it had been effective in the past, had become part of the towns culture and called for addressing it.

This is not an isolated incident, said Jill Maller-Kesselman, who said she was surprised by the rancor when the town discussed the construction of the Slate School. While condemnation, I applaud ... I think thats only part. The first step is acknowledging that this is a bigger problem in our community than we might like to admit.

She called for residents to be vigilant against bullying and to support victims.

Morfi said last week that her mailbox was also damaged near the time the letter was received, which she believes was an act of vandalism.

Freda and Buemi said they had dealt with vandalism in the past, as well, as did resident Lisa Burton, who said she had signs damaged and destroyed in her yard.

As the evening drew to a close, Morfi and her husband, Christopher Perrotti, shared their thoughts.

Perrotti called on the Board of Selectman to stand against and put a stop to these sorts of threats. He said he believed Freda was building a fantastic North Haven, but, to safeguard it, this sort of behavior needed to end.

Let us build a community that will be a pillar of safety and trust for generations to come, said Perrotti. Being safe and comfortable in our town is a right, not a privilege. You are in control of this.

Morfi thanked the speakers for their support and their comments.

I just hope that we work on, as Chris said, the stigma of this intolerance in North Haven, said Morfi. We should all be community. I am humbled to hear the support for our family about this  and I thank you all for coming out and speaking out.

A police investigation into the letter was concluded without an arrest, Deputy Chief Kevin Glenn said Thursday.

william.lambert@hearstmediact.com
An intoxicated teen who pulled away from cops in a stolen car last year and slammed into the back of a tractor trailer moments later, killing a friend, was sentenced to 14 years in prison Friday.

Isaiah Buchanan of Cinnaminson pleaded guilty in October to first-degree aggravated manslaughter for the death of Kassidy Bush, a 15-year-old sophomore at Palmyra High School. The plea was part of an agreement with the Burlington County Prosecutors Office which called for a 14-year prison term.

Burlington County Judge Terrence R. Cook made it official Friday for the now 19-year-old Buchanan, who authorities say had cocaine, marijuana and Xanax in his blood during the on Nov. 15, 2017 crash.

Buchanan was behind the wheel of a BMW reported stolen in Cinnaminson that township police had spotted and attempted to stop on Route 130. Buchanan sped away instead, and crashed into the rear of a tractor trailer at Riverton Road, in Cinnaminson.

In January, Bushs mother, Jennifer Kirkwood-Buch, posted the following on an obituary memorial site for her daughter:

My Dear Baby, Happy 16th Birthday. You are a beautiful soul, in which I cant ever replace....It was snowing when you were born and the Eagles were playing, pretty cool time for a star to be born...I look into the sky, and everywhere around me, and I know you will be there. I Love you Kassidy, my angel, my butterfly gone to soon. Light up the skies beautiful.

Burlington County Prosecutor Scott Coffina, in a statement, said: There are no words available, nor a fitting resolution to this case, that can alleviate the immensity of the heartbreak Kassidys loss has so obviously caused for her parents, brother and friends."

We hope that Kassidys family can experience some comfort and healing now that this case has concluded and a substantial sentence has been imposed upon the person responsible for her tragic and senseless death," he said.

Assistant Prosecutor Courtney J. OBrien handled the case.

Kevin Shea may be reached at kshea@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter@kevintshea. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
Princeton University and borough police say they are investigating a report that a menorah was damaged inside one of the elite institutions private eating clubs during this weeks celebration of Hanukkah.

We are aware of the report and are gathering information at this time, read a statement Friday from university spokesman Ben Chang. We take this report very seriously and will pursue any violations of University policies.

Anti-Semitism and offensive acts such as the destruction of a menorah have no place at the University, the statement added.

Chief Nick Sutter of Princeton Police Department said his department had received a complaint of the incident Thursday and was investigating.

According to (the) report, someone in the club  possibly a member  threw a plastic Menorah in a fireplace, Sutter wrote in an email.

The Charter Club is one of the 11 private eating clubs grouped along Prospect Avenue, a public street that runs through Princetons sprawling campus. The clubs serve as a combination mess hall, social club and lifetime membership organization, akin to fraternities or sororities but with a few key distinctions.

Unlike fraternal organizations, Princetons eating clubs are co-educational, and membership in some of them, including Charter, are based on a neutral selection process, including a lottery or first-come, first-served basis. Charter is housed in a stone mansion with a gracious exterior typical of the clubs.

The incident was first reported by The Daily Princetonian, the campus newspaper and website, which said the damaged menorah was found sometime after 2 a.m. on Thursday, and that it normally stood on a table in the clubs front atrium.

The Princetonian quoted a joint email sent to Charter Club members Thursday by the clubs president, Conor OBrien, a Princeton senior, and its president-elect, Justin Hamilton, a junior.

We under no circumstances condone any sort of hate action, nor this absolute disrespect for a culture, the Princetonian quoted the email as saying. Our only goal is to ensure the safety, comfort, and happiness of our membership, and so we intend to pursue this investigation with all the resources that are available to us.

Neither of the two responded to requests for comment.

The possible act of anti-Semitism at one of the nations elite universities comes at a time when reports of hate crimes against Jews have been on the rise in New Jersey and the nation, a phenomenon some observers have attributed to the harsh rhetoric of President Donald Trump.

Princeton insisted in the statement from Chang that it was committed to creating and maintaining an educational, working, and living environment that is free from discrimination and harassment for every member of our community.

Steve Strunsky may be reached at sstrunsky@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @SteveStrunsky. Find NJ.com on Facebook
HOBOKEN -- New York Waterway is expected to begin fueling and maintenance operations at the old Union Dry Dock property after obtaining a permit from U.S. Army Corps of Engineers on Thursday, an apparent victory for the company after local officials and residents have voiced their opposition to the plan for months.

Within a matter of weeks, the ferry company that brings passengers between New Jersey and New York  could be set to bring its fueling and maintenance station to the parcel located along Frank Sinatra Drive between Maxwell Place Park and the Castle Point Skate Park, NY Waterway spokesman Pat Smith said. The Hoboken station would replace one in Weehawken.

This action is critical to our ability to provide vital mass transit service on a daily basis, enriching the lives of New Jersey commuters and adding value to waterfront property, said Arthur E. Imperatore, president and founder of NY Waterway.

The permit came after it was determined the proposed plan would not be in contrary to the public interest, according to a statement the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers sent to NY Waterway.

Even though the former Union Dry Dock has operated for years as a marine repair and maintenance facility, residents and local officials have vehemently opposed the new plans for the site, primarily arguing the detrimental impact a fueling station would have on the environment.

" I am incredibly disappointed, but for me, this fight is far from over. I am re-doubling my efforts to ensure that this property will be a public park, not a ferry maintenance and refueling depot," Hoboken Mayor Ravi Bhalla said in a statement.

"Before NY Waterway is given permission by Gov. (Phil) Murphy to ravage our waterfront and environment, I invite the governor and NJ Transit to visit the site so they can see firsthand the detrimental impact this will have on the families and children of our community.

The city conducted an alternative site study in September that produced five other locations NY Waterway could use as its fueling and maintenance station, one of which is Hobokens own Lackawanna Terminal at 1 Hudson Place. Other locations were the former MOT site in Bayonne, the Binghamton ferry site in Edgewater, Union Dry Dock and the Port Imperial ferry terminal in West New York.

Hoboken had offered NY Waterway $11.6 million for the property earlier this year, but the ferry company chose not to sell. The city flirted with the idea of acquiring the site through eminent domain, but decided against it when NJ Transit said it would buy the property and lease it to NY Waterway. NJ Transit then backed off its plan, leaving NY Waterway still as the owner.

Bhalla is expected to meet with Murphy next week to continue the conversation about other possible solutions.

In the near future, Mayor Bhalla will be meeting with the governors administration to ensure a solution is found that prevents a refueling station from being located at Union Dry Dock, said Vijay Chaudhuri, Hobokens communications manager.

Councilwoman Tiffanie Fisher said the decision to grant NY Waterway a permit to operate at the former Union Dry Dock is unfortunate.

This is so frustrating and unfortunate for Hoboken, which has worked for decades to protect its waterfront.
Staffing is a perpetual challenge for restaurants in New Jersey struggling with cost constraints, the head of a business trade association said on Friday.

When everybody else is off is when were the busiest, said Marilou Halvorsen, president of the N.J. Restaurant and Hospitality Association.

The staffing issue is receiving attention amid a viral uproar over a restaurant in Ewing whose manager and owner initially appeared to rebuff a college students request for a day off to attend a friends funeral.

Halvorsen was unfamiliar with the controversy at Cafe 72, whose owner clarified that the unnamed student was not fired and apologized via a Facebook post for a text message exchange involving his wife and co-owner, indicating she might lose her job.

The hostess first asked for coverage for her shift to attend the funeral but the owner, identified only as Katie, says she doesnt feel bad.

I have a business to run at the end of the day. And a family....If you cant work and there is no one to cover the shift in order to operate the restaurant I have to let you go. Sorry, the owner wrote.

Later, co-owner Ben, posted an apology on social media.

We carelessly let the stresses of family and business replace the professionalism, respect and empathy that every employee and person deserves, he wrote in part.

Theres a reason for that stress in the restaurant business, said Halvorsen, whose organization represents 18,000 businesses.

She discussed some of the challenges that can lead to stressful situations and awkward conversations in the industry.

Right now, restaurants are facing a huge staffing issue, Halvorsen said.

Halvorsen said customers often do not understand, for example, upon arriving at a restaurant and seeing a half-dozen empty tables, only to be told that theres still a wait to be seated.

Thats because theres no one there to wait on them, she said.

Halvorsen explained that the relatively low unemployment rate - it hit a 10-year low in New Jersey in July - reduces the available pool of applicants for waiters, cooks and other positions essential to the operation.

Its a labor-intensive industry that takes a lot of people to run it, she said, adding that the jobs often go to part-timers such as college students.

Halvorsen said employers generally try to accommodate the needs of their workers, in terms of a day off, but that some days inevitably are harder than others to accommodate.

When people all try to call out on a Friday night, sometimes you cant make those accommodations because its the busiest night of the week, she said.

The margin between staying in business, and having to close up, is thin. She said restaurants average between a 3 percent to 9 percent profit margin, with large chains generally faring better than independent eateries.

For every dollar that is made, 35 percent goes to food costs, 37 percent goes to labor. Then theres insurance and other costs," she said.

While waiters and other part-timers typically lack the full range of benefits, such as bereavement days, Halvorsen noted that New Jerseys new paid sick leave law, which took effect Oct. 29, offers some leeway.

The law does not specify time off to attend a funeral, but Halvorsen said it is very loosely defined and the expectation is that workers will use it for a variety of reasons.

Restaurant owners would love to pay people more and offer them more time off. Theres just not enough cents to cover that, she said.

Rob Jennings may be reached at rjennings@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @RobJenningsNJ. Find NJ.com on Facebook.
A woman died Friday after she was hit by a vehicle in Ocean County, police say.

The woman, who police described as elderly but did not provide an age, walked into the eastbound lane of Haines Street just before 7 p.m. when she was hit by a vehicle, a Lacey Township Police Department press release said.

The woman died from her injuries at Community Medical Center, according to the press release.

The collision, which occurred near the intersection of Oak Hill Court, is under investigation, and no further information was released.

NJ Advance Medias calls to the department seeking more information were not returned Saturday morning. Police ask anyone with information to call Officer Michael Verwey at 609-693-6636 ext 2598.

Cassidy Grom may be reached at cgrom@njadvancemedia.com Follow her at @cassidygrom. Find NJ.com on Facebook.Have a tip? Tell us. nj.com/tips
A senior member Gov. Phil Murphys inner circle will leave the administration next month, two sources confirmed to NJ Advance Media.

Pete Cammarano, who serves as the freshman governors chief of staff, plans to leave after Murphys State of the State address, according to the sources, who requested anonymity because they are not authorized to discuss the matter publicly.

The chief of staff serves as the governors right-hand man, and the position is one of the two most senior jobs in the administration. Cammarano has the most working knowledge of Trenton among Murphys mostly unseasoned senior staff as the Democratic governor tries to negotiate with an often hostile state Legislature over big-ticket items such as legalizing marijuana and raising the minimum wage.

Cammarano told Murphy earlier this week he was planning to leave, according to the sources, who have direct knowledge of the conversation. But Cammarano didnt give a specific date.

But as of Friday, it was agreed he would stay on through Murphys speech on Jan. 15, the sources said.

A Murphy spokesman declined comment Friday. Cammarano didnt respond to a request for comment.

Cammaranos exit comes as Murphys administration is under the Legislatures microscope over its response to an accusation by Katie Brennan that a former top Murphy official, Albert J. Alvarez, raped her during the campaign last year.

Lawmakers announced a joint legislative investigation on Oct. 16, two days after The Wall Street Journal published a story that detailed Brennans claim.

Brennan, now a Murphy staffer, said she went to the newspaper after she exhausted official channels for months to have her claim heard and Alvarez removed from the administration.

In a four-hour hearing on Tuesday, Brennan told lawmakers a half-dozen members Murphys inner circle knew for months that she accused Alvarez of raping her in April 2017. Murphy, however, insists he didnt learn about the allegations until just before they became public in October.

Cammarano was among the governors closest staffers who knew there was a sexual assault accusation against Alvarez (but did not know it was made by Brennan), according to The Wall Street Journal. The governors chief counsel, Matt Platkin, was also aware, according to Brennan.

The scandal shook the administration and has called into question exactly when the governor was made aware of Brennans allegation. It also sparked speculation in Trenton there could be a shakeup of top Murphy staffers.

But the sources with knowledge of Cammaranos plans said he started mulling a departure prior to the Wall Street Journals report.

Murphy went on a 9-day business mission to Germany and Israel just after the story broke. Cammarano was slated to join the governor in Israel. But the controversy in New Jersey kept him stateside.

Cammarano has spent decades in Trenton.

He was a lobbyist and mayor of Metuchen prior to joining Murphys administration. Before that, he served as chief of staff to former Gov. Richard Codey. He was Codeys chief of staff in the state Senate for a decade before Codey became governor in the wake of former Gov. Jim McGreeveys resignation.

New Jersey Globe was the first to report Cammaranos departure.

Matt Arco may be reached at marco@njadvancemedia.com. Follow him on Twitter @MatthewArco or Facebook.
1. Federal prosecutors accused Paul Manafort, President Trumps former campaign chairman, of lying to them about his contacts with Trump administration officials and other matters.

After signing a plea agreement in September, Mr. Manafort, above, stated he had no direct or indirect communications with anyone in the administration, prosecutors working for the special counsel, Robert Mueller, wrote in a memo to a judge.

But, they said, Mr. Manafort concealed information about his contacts with administration officials, telling multiple discernible lies.
Belisario Betancur, a Colombian president in the 1980s whose efforts to end a guerrilla war in his country were undermined by a spectacular rebel attack on the Palace of Justice in Bogota that led to more than 100 deaths, died on Friday in a hospital in Bogota. He was 95.

His death was announced by the hospital, Fundacion Santa Fe de Bogota.

Mr. Betancur (pronounced bet-an-CUR) was an unusual figure in Colombian politics. He came from a working-class family in the provinces, rather than from the Bogota elite. During the period of dictatorship in the 1950s, he was repeatedly jailed on political charges.

Mr. Betancur failed to win the presidency three times before succeeding in 1982. In office, he introduced programs that provided low-cost housing and education, a successful literacy campaign and other reforms. He ceaselessly promoted peace initiatives, both at home and abroad.

His legacy in politics, in our history, in culture is an example for all future generations, President Ivan Duque tweeted.
Selma Wynberg Engel, who escaped a Nazi extermination camp after a prisoner uprising and was among the first to tell the world about the camps existence, died on Tuesday in East Haven, Conn. She was 96.

Her daughter, Alida Engel, confirmed the death, at an assisted living facility.

A Dutch Jew, Mrs. Engel was among 58 prisoners who escaped from the secret Sobibor extermination camp in Eastern Poland and lived to see the end of the war. Only one other former Sobibor prisoner, Semyon Rozenfeld, of Israel, is believed to be alive today.

When the Germans invaded the Netherlands in 1940, Mrs. Engel was forced into hiding. In 1942, they seized her during a roundup of Jews and sent her to two concentration camps in succession before shipping her to Sobibor in April 1943. It was one of the Nazis camps used solely for the purpose of exterminating Jews.

Most prisoners sent to Sobibor were instantly gassed or shot to death, but Mrs. Engel, who was 20, was selected to sort the clothing of the dead and thus spared.
One can envision maybe some other small parties  a party organized around gun control, say. But that would probably be the basic lineup on the broad left. Now, what about the right?

Party Five A white ethnonationalist party organized around opposition to immigration, low taxes, a strong military and traditional values. There are parties like this across Europe. And, um, while were at it, theres one like it in the United States.

One question here is whether the more avowedly Christian evangelical portion of this coalition would branch off and form its own party to place more emphasis on social issues. History tends to suggest, though, that the forces of the right hold together for strategic purposes, while the forces of the left do not. On the right, at least in America, they lean toward emphasizing the things they agree on, while on the left, they elevate the disagreements. (Its a long story.)

Party Six As Party Five would essentially be the Trumpist party, it seems likely that an anti-Trump party of the right would arise, committed to free trade and somewhat more modern attitudes toward, oh, race and the Constitution, for starters. This party would have numerous adherents among conservative pundits. Among actual politicians, however, the record suggests that the numbers would be exceedingly small.

As on the left, there might be a few offshoot parties. There might be a Second Amendment party; there might even be a white supremacist party, which rejected the cleansing euphemisms that most racists have learned to adopt. But these would be minuscule, rarely winning a single seat.

Now, lets look back over this list. If Im right, the Democrats would split into four parties, and the Republicans into two, although the second one would be tiny. In other words: The Trump-era Republican Party already is in essence a parliamentary party. This will be especially so in the next Congress, given the retirements of some of the last Republicans who could plausibly be called moderates (Charlie Dent of Pennsylvania) and the defeat of others (Mike Coffman of Colorado).

The Democrats, however, are an unruly bunch. Theres a lot they agree on in terms of broad principles  doing something about climate change, raising wages, expanding health care. But boy do they disagree on how to go about doing them. Some of these fights will inevitably define the 116th Congress. Medicare for All provides a perfect example. There are going to be perhaps 235 Democrats in the new Congress, and just over half that number has co-sponsored the Medicare for All bill. The other near-half is against.
As with Septembers memorial services for John McCain, expressions of mourning for George H.W. Bush  extolling the 41st presidents humility, loyalty, temperance, decency, bravery and devotion to public service  have contained thinly veiled rebukes of the current president. The sharpest one, I thought, came in Alan Simpsons splendid eulogy at Washington National Cathedral.

He never lost his sense of humor, the former senator from Wyoming said of his friend of more than 50 years. Humor is the universal solvent against the abrasive elements of life. Thats what humor is. He never hated anyone. He knew what his mother and my mother always knew: hatred corrodes the container its carried in.

Did Donald Trump catch any of this as he sat there in the first pew? Lindsey Graham, the episodically spineful Republican from South Carolina, has claimed that, in private, the 45th president is funny as hell and has a great sense of humor. If so, its a better kept secret than his tax returns.

In public, Trump has almost no humor, even when the moment calls for it. At the Al Smith dinner in 2016, on the eve of the election, Trump turned an occasion for good-natured ribbing into a full-on assault of Hillary Clinton, peppered by dashes of self-pity. He was better at the Gridiron Club dinner in March, though the event wasnt televised and his best jokes landed at the expense of his wife and his son-in-law. And he has already twice skipped the White House Correspondents Dinner  the first president voluntarily to do so since Jimmy Carter.
On Friday, federal prosecutors in Manhattan and the special counsel, Robert Mueller, delivered a potentially devastating one-two punch against President Trump. Coming late in the day, they made for bracing end-of-the-week reading.

Calling on the court to impose a sentence of substantial imprisonment against Michael Cohen, the presidents former personal attorney, prosecutors in the Southern District of New York stated that Mr. Trump, the Trump Organization and the campaign were all directly involved in an illegal scheme to silence two women who claimed they had affairs with Mr. Trump. Prosecutors wrote that payments made by Mr. Cohen and other actions were taken with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election and pursued in coordination with and at the direction of Individual 1  that is, Mr. Trump.

The Trump Organizations reimbursements to Mr. Cohen for payments were fraudulently disguised as legal fees  and, according to the memo, were approved by senior executives at the organization. The New York prosecutors also disclosed that they are investigating additional unspecified matters involving Mr. Cohen and, presumably, the Trump Organization. In light of these disclosures, the likelihood that the company and the Trump campaign face charges is now high.

Although President Trump may avoid a similar fate because the Justice Department is unlikely to indict a sitting president, he could be named as an unindicted co-conspirator, as was President Richard Nixon, or charged if he leaves office before the statute of limitations runs out (most likely in 2022).
That should give the Senate, in its confirmation hearings on Mr. Barr, pause. Having been confirmed before will likely smooth the process for the former attorney general. If the past two years have taught the nation anything, however, its that the Trump administration needs an attorney general who welcomes more, not less, transparency and accountability for its actions  a legal officer who can provide assurances that the federal government works for the American public and not for any one person.

To that end, Mr. Barrs writings and constitutional thinking are illustrative and can guide lawmakers as they vet his nomination and determine how he sees the relationship between the Justice Department and the White House, where he feels the departments priorities should rest, and how he now regards important moments during his last appointment to lead the agency.

It is heartening that Mr. Barr hasnt come out swinging against Morrison v. Olson, the Supreme Court decision that upheld the legality of the independent counsel law, since lapsed, that gave way to the Justice Department regulations now governing the work of the special counsel, Robert Mueller. But the Republican Party and conservative thinking on independent counsels and special prosecutors have evolved dramatically since the 1980s and 90s  Justice Brett Kavanaugh, a maximalist on matters of presidential power, has said that hed put the final nail in the Morrison precedent. A number of Republican senators, in opposing a bill to protect the Mueller investigation, have said that the ruling is no longer good law.

The Senate will surely press Mr. Barr on his views on Mr. Muellers work as special counsel, and it would be wise to try to extract a vow from him that he will not risk public confidence in the rule of law by undercutting the investigation. Thats what the Senate Judiciary Committee did in 1973 with Elliot Richardson. During Mr. Richardsons confirmation hearing for attorney general, he promised not to impede the work of the Watergate special prosecutor, Archibald Cox  only to find himself forced out by President Richard Nixon when he refused an order to fire Mr. Cox.

At the end of President Bushs term, Mr. Barr had a hand in several misguided pardons related to the Iran-contra scandal, a precedent that has had lasting consequences, including under Mr. Trump. How does he judge those decisions now? Does he regret any of them? Do they inform how he sees the Russia investigation?
One woman who helped collect ballots, Ginger Eason, told a local news station that she was paid to collect the ballots and didnt actually return those ballots to the state. Instead, she said she gave them to L. McCrae Dowless Jr., a Harris campaign contractor.

The states extensive voter data, which is among the best in the country, is consistent with the pattern of conduct described.

Bladen and Robeson Counties had unusually high numbers of absentee ballot requests. They also had unusually high numbers of voters who didnt return their absentee ballots. Put it together, and the two counties stand out for anomalously high numbers of voters who requested ballots and never voted.

The results themselves are also consistent with the possibility that the anomalies in absentee ballots had an effect on the outcome of the election. Thats because throughout the Ninth District, Mr. McCready did an average of 30 points better in the mailed absentee votes than in votes cast in person. Bladen is the only county where Mr. McCready did worse in the mail absentee vote, and Robeson was the county where Mr. McCready had the smallest overperformance, at just six points. The political and demographic characteristics of the returned absentee vote in Robeson and Bladen Counties dont look unusually Republican.

But its hard to assess the magnitude of the effect on the result.

For illustrative purposes, one could assume that voters should have returned ballots at the same rate as everywhere else (which would add several hundred absentee votes to the total), and assume that the overall absentee vote would have been 30 points more Democratic than the non-absentee vote, as was the case in the rest of the district. This back-of-the-envelope estimate would yield a net of 700 votes for Mr. McCready, erasing most of Mr. Harriss 905-vote lead.
The United States Air Force missed six opportunities to alert law enforcement authorities about an airmans history of domestic abuse that would have stopped him from legally buying firearms that he used to kill 26 people in a Texas church in 2017, according to a government report released this week.

The 131-page report, by the inspector generals office of the Department of Defense, found that the airman, Devin P. Kelley, had been convicted of domestic violence by an Air Force general court-martial but that his fingerprints and the final disposition of the case were never forwarded to the F.B.I. as policies required.

Those oversights allowed him to pass mandated background checks and to buy four firearms from a federally licensed firearms dealer. Mr. Kelley used three of those weapons when he opened fire on the First Baptist Church in Sutherland Springs, Tex., on Nov. 5, 2017, according to the report, which was dated Thursday. The shooting left 26 people dead and 22 others wounded.

Mr. Kelley, 26, was dressed all in black and wearing a skull-face mask when an armed bystander outside of the church fired at him. Mr. Kelley, who was struck in the leg and torso, made it back to his car and led the bystander and another man in a chase that ended in a crash, with Mr. Kelley dead behind the wheel. He had shot himself in the head, officials said.
Eric Trumps jab was retweeted more than 15,000 times. But it received more than twice as many replies, many reminding him of his fathers own indiscretions. If he thinks thats horrible, the comedian Jimmy Kimmel said on his show, wait until he hears what Daddy and Auntie Stormy did to his step-mommy Melania. Talk about disrespectful.

Inside the West Wing, however, Mr. Trumps decision to tweet about one of Washingtons most discussed marriages was greeted as a welcome defense of one of the presidents longest-serving aides, according to multiple White House officials.

In fact, while Mr. Conways criticisms of the president have made him something of a cult figure among progressives and never-Trump conservatives, his voice has also created an internal moat of support around his wife.

If his motivation was ever to encourage her to leave an administration he despises, Mr. Conway so far has had the opposite effect, binding Ms. Conway more closely to the president and in particular his family members, who have come to see her as a more sympathetic figure because of it. Speaking to law enforcement agents in Kansas City, Mo., on Friday, the president singled out Ms. Conway for praise for her work on fighting the opioid epidemic, asking her to stand up and calling her a very special person.

For her part, Ms. Conway has told friends that she viewed Eric Trumps tweet favorably, seeing it as motivated not by a desire to knife her husband, but to defend her in public. She has also made clear what she thinks of her husbands criticism of her boss, telling The Washington Post in an interview last summer: I think its disrespectful. I think it disrespects his wife.
Colleagues from her cable news days said she was among the more serious reporters who appeared on Fox Newss morning lineup. Its no more unusual than a businessman ending up as president, said Greta Van Susteren, a former Fox anchor. Shes smart, shes traveled the world, and she can talk to people, and thats essentially what we need at the U.N.

Ms. Nauert would not be the first television journalist to be sent to the United Nations. President Richard M. Nixon appointed John A. Scali, an ABC News correspondent, to be his special consultant for foreign affairs and communications in 1971 and then two years later made him ambassador to the United Nations.

At the time, there was criticism, but Mr. Scali had spent years covering foreign affairs and even played a crucial role as a secret intermediary between the United States and the Soviet Union during the Cuban Missile Crisis in 1962.

Ms. Nauert is one of numerous television personalities with roles in Mr. Trumps as-seen-on-TV administration. Mr. Bolton was a Fox contributor, and Bill Shine, a former Fox co-president, serves as deputy chief of staff. Larry Kudlow, a longtime CNBC host, stars as the presidents chief economic adviser.

Ms. Nauert, 48, had to overcome a steep learning curve and a rocky relationship with her first boss, Rex W. Tillerson, the former secretary of state, who viewed her as a White House spy and did not take her on many trips. She repeatedly talked about quitting. But she developed a bond with Mr. Tillersons successor, Mr. Pompeo, who has promoted her within, and some former colleagues said she was a hard worker and quick study.

She is also a favorite of Ms. Trump and Mr. Kushner, who pushed for her selection. Heather is smart, strong and strategic, Ms. Trump said in a statement. We are grateful for her continued service to our nation and administration.

Critics were less generous, pointing to gaffes during her State Department tenure. On a trip to Saudi Arabia in October, Ms. Nauert posted on Instagram a smiling selfie outside a government complex in Riyadh, a discordant image given that the purpose of the visit was to discuss the brutal murder of the Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi.
WASHINGTON  President Trump said on Friday that he would nominate William P. Barr, a skeptic of the Russia investigation who served as attorney general in the first Bush administration a quarter century ago, to return as head of the Justice Department.

Mr. Barr, 68, would become the nations top law enforcement official as Mr. Trump and his associates are under investigation by the special counsel, Robert S. Mueller III, for whether they conspired with the Russian government to interfere in the 2016 election and help elect Mr. Trump. Mr. Barr would oversee the inquiry as key aspects of it are coming to a close.

Known for his expansive vision of executive power, Mr. Barr has criticized Mr. Mueller for hiring too many prosecutors who donated to Democrats and has cast doubt on whether Trump campaign associates conspired with Russians. Mr. Barr has also defended Mr. Trumps calls for a new criminal investigation into his defeated 2016 opponent, Hillary Clinton, including over a uranium mining deal the Obama administration approved when she was secretary of state.

His nomination comes at a time of more than usual turbulence in the Trump White House, where John F. Kelly, the presidents second chief of staff, is expected to end his stormy 16-month tenure as early as this weekend. Nick Ayers, the vice presidents chief of staff, is seen as a leading candidate to succeed Mr. Kelly, although Mr. Ayers has enemies on the White House staff and is not universally beloved by Republicans.
Several of the ranchers and farmers I met, as well as some in southeastern Saskatchewans energy industry, went further, wondering aloud whether Canada should do anything at all. They argued that any action from a country that accounts for about 1.6 percent of global emissions verges on the symbolic when China produces about 30 percent of the worlds carbon dioxide.

That case, however, ignores that China has already reached its carbon reduction commitment for 2020, a target many experts believe that Canada wont hit by the deadline.

Andrew Scheer, the federal Conservative leader, has become as focused on eliminating carbon pricing as Mr. Trudeau has on introducing it. And while Canada is unlikely to see anything like the yellow vest violence of France, its highly likely that the debate over carbon pricing will figure prominently in next years federal vote.

Read more:

Justin Trudeaus Carbon Tax Push Finds Critics on All Sides

Yellow Vest Protests Shake France. Heres the Lesson for Climate Change.
So he began doing research and found that odd-size stones  say 1.47 carats, not the complete 1.5 carats  cost a bit less and fit into the ring setting and his budget of about $15,000. But he acknowledged that he was out of his depth when it came to knowing why similar stones were priced so differently.

Despite different budgets, Mr. Taira and Mr. Fennerty shared a trait: fear of getting ripped off in the notoriously opaque diamond market. Both turned to Rare Carat, a two-year-old website that uses an algorithm to value different diamonds based on their qualities  size, cut or clarity, for example.

The site has also recently added a tool that finds the best price for a particular diamond, because diamonds from one supplier can be offered across multiple retailers at vastly different prices.

Consumers are walking into stores blank, said Apeksha Kothari, chief operating officer of Rare Carat, which aims to be the diamond version of Kelley Blue Book. We want to empower our customer with information. They know so little about what theyre buying.

Like the travel site Kayak, Rare Carat is paid on a per-click basis; it does not make money off the final sale of a diamond.

Two separate reports confirmed that buyers should be anxious when it comes to the price they are paying for a diamond. That exact diamond can often be found somewhere else for less.

Katja Seim, professor of business economics and public policy at the Wharton School at the University of Pennsylvania, used the Gemological Institute of America certificate number on diamonds to search for price differences on the three leading online retailers  Blue Nile, James Allen and Brilliant Earth. Her research found that on average the price for the same diamond can be 12 to 21 percent higher on those platforms than at smaller retailers.
The Africa Museum has experienced problems returning objects before, Mr. Gryseels said. Between 1976 and 1982, it sent back 114 objects to Congo. The country was then ruled by Mobutu Sese Seko, a dictator who renamed the country Zaire in a break with its colonial past. But after Mr. Mobutus regime collapsed and the country fell into civil war, most items went missing and are assumed to have found their way onto the black market. Mr. Gryseels said he is sometimes alerted about items for sale.

Mr. Gryseels admitted that by highlighting such issues he could make himself unpopular among those seeking to return objects. But he said he should not be misunderstood: Objects should be returned where possible. Its not normal that 80 percent of African heritage is in Europe. We need to do something about it, he added.

Mr. Gryseels said that in some cases it is better to first talk about long-term loans, or helping Congo build its own museums and staff to conserve objects.

For this weekend at least, Mr. Gryseels is more focused on his museum reopening than the restitution debate. Sitting in a meeting room in the museums small offices, he said will know the renovation is a success if Belgian visitors learn something new about Africa.

They dont necessarily have to walk away saying colonialisms a bad thing, but theyve reflected on it and they understand the consequences of it, he said. Thats what I want: A reflection.
ROME  Mussolini is invading Italys bookstores.

For weeks, Antonio Scuratis M, a doorstop of a novel about the rise of the dictator, Benito Mussolini, has sat on Italian best-seller lists. The book is set to be adapted into a major television series by Wildside, the same production company that is co-producing the HBO series based on Elena Ferrantes My Brilliant Friend. And this fall, it conquered Frankfurts book fair, where HarperCollins snapped up the English rights to the book.

In the Italian imagination, Mussolini remains a kind of totem, a figure of great charisma, a kind of perverse national father whom we have repressed, Scurati, 49, said in a recent interview. This book has brought him out of that repression.

The unexpected popularity of M has also provoked a debate in Italy on Mussolinis legacy. Scuratis cheerleaders says his book is a much-needed reminder of the evils of fascism, particularly for young people. But critics say the resurrection and repackaging of Mussolini for the 21st century presents dangers in a time when right-wing governments are being elected around Europe, including in Italy. (For what its worth, Jonathan Burnham, president and publisher of the Harper division of HarperCollins said, it is compelling reading for anyone interested in 20th century history. He called the book a timely investigation of how fascism can take root in a society.)

The book, clocking in at 839 pages, gives the impression of heft, as does its Spartan cover art of a black M against a white background. Although it has been marketed as a novel, it blurs the lines between novel and history textbook. It consists of short, detail-laden chapters interspersed with excerpts from historical telegrams, newspaper articles, letters and police reports. The chapters feature an omniscient narrator, but focus largely on the perspectives of Mussolini and his collaborators.
Women want their dress to get a second life and they want a cause they can connect to, said Drew Edwards, the chief executive of Brides Against Breast Cancer, which collects wedding dress donations. Theyve spent a lot of time shopping with their mom and friends, and they want someone to get that same joy they did.

Here are five charities that accept worn wedding dresses.

Brides Across America: Since 2008, the group has provided more than 20,000 wedding dresses to brides who are in the military or emergency workers. It says it receives more than 3,500 dresses annually, with original price tags ranging from $1,600 to $10,000. Twice a year the charity hosts Operation Wedding Gown, a nationwide bridal dress giveaway, and it holds 15 to 20 pop-up events annually. For those who cant make any of these, we will find a store that helps us out, or women can come to our showroom, said Theresa Brumley, who has been on the board of directors since the groups inception. Recently a woman in the National Guard couldnt get to any of our events, Ms. Brumley said. She drove from Savannah, Ga., to our headquarters in Andover, Mass., to get a free dress. This is a way to honor these women and say thank you.

Adorned in Grace: This charity is dedicated to helping survivors of human and sex trafficking. It has three boutiques  two in Oregon and one in Washington State  that sell bridal dresses, formal wear and accessories. The eight-year-old organization has received more than 3,500 dresses from around the world, including Germany and Israel. The average price for a designer dress it sells is $250 to $300, and like most of these charities, all of the proceeds from the sales are put back into the organization.

Brides Against Breast Cancer: Started in 1997, the organization is one of the oldest programs focusing on wedding dresses. For the last two decades, it has been selling pre-owned dresses to raise money, and awareness, for early cancer detection. More than 50,000 dresses have been donated to its centers in Atlanta and Las Vegas. The foundation has a large online store presence where shoppers can click and purchase; currently there are more than 800 dresses from which to select. The group also has one of the shortest time-frame requirements: Dresses must be two years old or newer, and have been originally purchased for at least $1,000.

Success in Style:The organization, established in 2001, helps people in crisis in the Baltimore and Washington, D.C., area get jobs. When it learned the most profitable area was donated bridal attire, it created Cherie Amour, a store dedicated to selling gowns, dresses and other wedding accessories. The shop opened in 2013 in Savage, Md., once a historic cotton mill. More than 350 new or lightly used dresses are available for perusal for soon-to-be brides, with about 100 dresses being donated monthly. Prices range from $100 to $2,000 with a 50 percent mark down. Donated dresses can be as old as 10 years, and no cleaning is required.

The Brides Project: The Project is part of the Cancer Support Community of Greater Ann Arbor, Mich. The dress donation program started in 2011 as a fund-raising initiative so the organization could continue to provide support for families struggling with cancer, and it really took off, said Bonnie Dockham, the executive director of the program. Currently it has an inventory of more than 1,000 dresses, with about 300 donated yearly. Prices vary from $100 to $1,500. (The group will clean your five-year-old or newer item for you  you just have to send $25 with your dress to cover expenses.) Recently, a bride from Kansas drove here with her mother, sister, and mother-in-law, Ms. Dockham said. She lost her dad to cancer. She bought her dress here and it was very meaningful. It made their wedding day mean something more. They spent the whole day with us.
Calls for transparency stem from concerns that researchers ties to the health and drug industries increase the odds they will, consciously or not, skew results to favor the companies with whom they do business. Studies have found that industry-sponsored research tends to be more positive than research financed by other sources. And that in turn can sway which treatments become available to patients. There is no indication that the research done by Dr. Burris and the other doctors with incomplete disclosures was manipulated or falsified.

Journal editors say they are introducing changes that will better standardize disclosures and reduce errors. But some have also argued that since most researchers follow the rules, stringent new requirements would be costly and unnecessary.

The issue has gained traction since September, when Dr. Jose Baselga, who was the chief medical officer of Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center in New York, resigned after The Times and ProPublica reported that he had not revealed his industry ties in dozens of journal articles.

[Read more about doctors at Memorial Sloan Kettering and their financial relationships with companies.]

Dr. Burris, president of clinical operations and chief medical officer at the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, referred questions about the payments to his employer. It defended him, saying the payments were made to the institution, although The New England Journal of Medicine requires disclosure of all such payments.

Other prominent researchers who have submitted erroneous disclosures include Dr. Robert J. Alpern, the dean of the Yale School of Medicine, who failed to disclose in a 2017 journal article about an experimental treatment developed by Tricida that he served on that companys board of directors and owned its stock. Tricida, which is developing therapies for chronic kidney disease, had financed the clinical trial that was the subject of the article.
BERLIN  On Friday Germanys Christian Democratic Union, meeting in Hamburg, elected Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer to succeed Angela Merkel as the center-right partys leader. Given the partys dominant  if recently weakened  position in German politics, Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer will also succeed Ms. Merkel as chancellor by 2021 at the latest.

Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer  or AKK, as she is often called, because even German tongues stumble over that name  won in a tight race against two other candidates: Friedrich Merz, who returned to the political stage after a decade of absence, and the youthful conservative minister of health, Jens Spahn.

Neither of AKKs contenders would have radically changed Germanys role in Europe or the world; nor will she. She wont change the face of German conservatism, either. And yet, Friday felt like a new beginning, for the party and for the country.

The past weeks of intense campaigning by the three conservatives demonstrated both the possibilities and limits of creating a new identity for a big-tent conservative party in a world haunted by right-wing populism and fractured political systems. We are the last unicorn in Europe, Ms. Kramp-Karrenbauer said in a speech on Friday before her election, by which she meant: The Christian Democratic Union is one of the worlds last big-tent parties that can still live up to the name. How true.
Its also not clear what this arrest means for upcoming trade talks. If the administrations aim is to build pressure and create leverage against China, this approach is unlikely to work. In his comments to NPR, the public radio network, on Thursday, John R. Bolton, President Trumps national security adviser, was reluctant to directly discuss the arrest. Instead he emphasized issues like intellectual property  signaling a seriousness about tackling structural problems on trade. This is a worthy goal, but it is unlikely that Ms. Mengs arrest will, by itself, produce much leverage. Taking aim at a single company, even one as valuable as Huawei, is unlikely to shift deep-seated interests and practices in the Chinese economy.

The administration would instead be wise to more assertively send the message that the arrest is a law enforcement action separate from trade talks. Suggestions by anonymous administration officials that Ms. Mengs arrest could be used as leverage in upcoming trade discussions undermines the message about national security and, frankly, seems like an afterthought.

If Ms. Meng and Huawei violated the law, then the United States has every right to seek her arrest and bring her to trial. Suggesting that this principle is for sale would cheapen the idea that the United States cares about playing by the rules. It would also signal to American allies and to China that American concerns about technology theft or violations of sanctions against Iran can simply be traded away for other priorities. Using the arrest for political ends could also encourage China and other nations to employ more heavy-handed tactics against American businesses in the future.

The arrest also has some potential second-order effects. Although Beijings public response to the Huawei arrest has so far been measured, Chinese social media forums are already full of suggestions for potential retaliatory moves. If tensions escalate, there could be new risks for American executives working abroad.
For five weeks, the world has had no idea where Lu Guang is.

Lu Guang is an internationally acclaimed photographer from China, and he has been my friend for more than 15 years. Im proud that the agency I co-founded represents and distributes his work. We first met in Beijing in 2002. He was already a well-known and widely awarded documentary photographer in his country, and he would soon win a slew of international awards, including some of the worlds most prestigious.
In a simpler world, Amazon Prime might be an uncomplicated bright spot amid Americas vastly inadequate health care and elder care system. But in the past few years, the constant stream of negative reports about the company  poor working conditions in its warehouses, its ruthless white-collar work culture, what my dad called the corporate bribery resulting in two new headquarters  makes it feel like a deal with the devil. Before my dad joined academia, he was a factory worker and a union organizer for nearly two decades; he sang Solidarity Forever to me as a lullaby. Each one-click purchase feels like a teensy betrayal of my dads past, a cruel reminder that hes now reliant on a monopolistic corporation with an atrocious labor record . (That record isnt resolved by its recent $15-an-hour minimum wage announcement).

My sister Kim faces this irony, too. Last year, just before her 60th birthday, she found out she had breast cancer. The chemo wreaked havoc on her immune system, and she took a seven-month leave from work. Afraid of making her health worse during a historic flu season, she barely left the house and started ordering the most prosaic products on Amazon Prime in bulk: tissues, a fleece jacket, a lemon squeezer, dinner forks, deodorant. As her cancer treatment ramped up, the red badges signaled other items: wig caps, pill organizer, the Book of Common Prayer, a St. Peregrine patron saint of cancer medal. When her chemo resulted in a raging case of hemorrhoids, she was grateful not to have to ask our brother, who was caring for her, to fetch her sitz bath salts and witch hazel pads. After her reduced disability pay began to catch up with her, she used Amazon for the discounts. She once ordered 27 rolls of toilet paper for just $16.97.

My sister spends her days as a social worker in hospice, giving her a front-row seat to the travesty of end-of-life care in the United States. A bleeding-heart liberal, shed been known for fierce Facebook posts on things like President Trump and gay marriage. When she was going through treatment, her heart was bled dry. When I was in survival mode, I couldnt think of anything else but feeling better, Kim told me. I really wasnt thinking globally.

I wondered how many other people were also in this kind of survival mode: perhaps the one in seven American adults with a disability affecting their mobility, or the 60 percent who have a chronic condition, or the three-quarters of workers who live paycheck to paycheck, or the more than 90,000 who work in Amazons fulfillment centers in the United States because they have no better options.

If I wanted to quit the service forever because it offends my values, I could probably do that without upending my life. But even for someone like me, who isnt sick or disabled or poor or living in a rural area, Amazon Prime helps alleviate the pressures of a sped-up economy. I dont use it just because Im lazy and love to stream Transparent. I use it (and other timesaving apps like Seamless and Uber) because Im overworked and one-click ordering spares me time.
For a sense of this political shift, one need only look at the guest book at Yad Vashem. The memorial is an important stop on the tour for visiting dignitaries, and in the past half-year they have included the nationalist Hungarian prime minister, Viktor Orban, one of the most prominent faces of the new political wave, which Mr. Orban calls illiberal democracy. Another was President Rodrigo Duterte of the Philippines, who once compared himself to Hitler and meant it as a compliment to Hitler and to himself . Brazils new populist president, Jair Bolsonaro, has said on e of his first foreign trips will be to Israel, which means that Yad Vashem can expect him soon. Matteo Salvini, the nationalist deputy prime minister of Italy, is expected in Jerusalem this month.

Employees at Yad Vashem arent allowed to speak to the media without permission, and permission to discuss these sensitive matters hasnt been forthcoming. One senior researcher cut off our conversation as soon as I explained what interested me. The institutions chairman was not made available for an interview and a spokeswoman simply emailed: Yad Vashem is not party to the formulation or implementation of Israelis foreign policy.

But inside the offices and archives at Yad Vashem, the argument is getting louder.

There is distress here, and even anger, a staff member told me, because many of us see a collision between what we believe are the lessons of the Holocaust and what we see as our job, and between the way Yad Vashem is being abused for political purposes.

Staffers at Yad Vashem, which receives 40 percent of its budget from the government, are asking themselves and each other questions like: What role should they be playing in the realpolitik practiced by their state? At what point does that role damage their other roles in commemorating and teaching the Holocaust? And how should a memorial to the devastation wrought in part by ethnic supremacism, a cult of personality and a disregard for law handle governments flirting with the same ideas?

The tension inside Yad Vashem broke into public view in June, in the part of the memorial known as the Valley of the Communities, where stone walls commemorate towns whose Jews were murdered by the Nazis and their collaborators. The Austrian chancellor, Sebastian Kurz , was passing the names of Austrias lost communities when his guide mentioned that some of these very places had recently seen anti-Jewish incidents involving members of the Austrian Freedom Party. That party, whose first two leaders were former S.S. officers, is a coalition partner in Mr. Kurz s own government.
Any communications he had with the White House about the testimony would have been important only insofar as there was a discussion of its content. The president would have had a keen interest. It is exceedingly unlikely that he did not know what members of his staff and his lawyers learned about what Mr. Cohen was prepared to say. We also know that Mr. Cohen lied about the Moscow hotel project.

While in his plea agreement Mr. Cohen noted that he understood and sought with his lies to bolster one aspect of the presidents public messaging on Russia  namely, that he had no business dealings with the Putin government  he did not say anything inconsistent with the possibility that the president knew that Mr. Cohen planned to lie to Congress. Did Mr. Trump encourage Mr. Cohen directly, or through others, to lie about the hotel project, to protect his public account? Or did the president, knowing Mr. Cohen would tell a lie, acquiesce in the false testimony  signaling with this silence approval, or at least acceptance?

A similar question is presented in the case of Paul Manafort. The memorandum filed by prosecutors set out Mr. Manaforts breach of his cooperation agreement. Contrary to his express representations to the government, he was in contact with the White House, with a senior administration official, in 2018. The prosecutors make clear that they have evidence of multiple contacts. Who was Mr. Manafort communicating with, and about what? That he was bidding for a pardon is one possibility. Another is that he was making sure that the president knew that he was holding the line  against telling the truth about the matters under investigation.

In the same week we learned that Michael Flynn, unlike Mr. Cohen and Mr. Manafort, was actively cooperating. Its not yet in the public record, but one issue on which he is certain to have come clean are the circumstances in which he lied to the F.B.I. about discussions in December 2016 with the Russian ambassador. It is known that Sally Yates, then the deputy attorney general, briefed the White House counsel promptly about the problem with Mr. Flynns F.B.I. interview, and Mr. Trumps press secretary later assured reporters that the president was immediately briefed about the situation.

Yet weeks passed before the president fired Mr. Flynn, and when he did he did so, he cited lies told to the vice president, not investigators. In other words, Mr. Trump steered clear of holding Mr. Flynn responsible for the criminal offense. Mr. Flynn may have light to shed on the presidents motives for this reticence. Mr. Trump might have avoided addressing publicly the lie to the F.B.I. if he had any part in it  either by encouraging Mr. Flynn to lie, or because he has been willing to wait out the situation and see if Mr. Flynn could get away with it.
The Wisconsin Assembly speaker, Robin Vos, a Republican, said the quiet part out loud this week when he told reporters that it was a blatant power grab for his lame duck chamber to pass legislation that weakens the incoming Democratic governor, Tony Evers.

We did have an election, Mr. Vos said on Tuesday. Whether everyone here likes it or not, I respect the fact that Tony Evers is the governor and hes going to be starting on Jan. 7. But hes not the governor today, and thats why were going to make sure the powers of each branch are as equal as they can be.

Unless they acted, Mr. Vos warned, we are going to have a very liberal governor who is going to enact policies that are in direct contrast to what many of us believe in.

Mr. Evers, that very liberal governor, w on the election with 29,227 more votes than the incumbent, Gov. Scott Walker, a Republican, so more Wisconsinites seem to believe in his policies than in those of the departing governor. Mr. Evers, the state schools superintendent, ran on an agenda that included increased school spending, a middle-class tax cut and a more humane stance on undocumented immigrants.
Kyle Doheny and Michael Anderson are licensed gun owners who live in different states but have a few things in common. Both are black men who have worked in public safety or national defense. And both say that when they carry their guns , some people dont respect their Second Amendment rights.

The two were among the more than 100 people who responded when we asked black gun owners to tell us about their interactions with law enforcement, other authorities and the general public.

Since July, at least three black men in the United States have been shot by police in separate incidents while trying, according to witnesses, to stop an active shooting.

A quarter of black men and women in a 2017 Pew survey said they own guns.

Some of those who wrote us said they have had no issues with authorities or the general public. Others said they have faced fearful store owners and had confrontations with law enforcement over guns they carried legally; and explained why, despite the stereotyping and sometimes outright hostility they face, they still carry a gun.
When Lonesome George, the only survivor of the Pinta Island tortoises of the Galapagos, died in 2012, the news landed with a blow.

Rationally, people had time to prepare for the reality that George would one day fade away, and with him, an entire lineage. He had lived for a century or more, a common life expectancy for giant tortoises, and all attempts to mate him during his last few decades were unsuccessful.

But emotionally, its hard to brace oneself for the realization that something that was once there is finally, completely gone. Its the kind of stuff that makes you ponder life, our fleeting stint in the universe and the unrelenting, forward march of time.

Similar feelings drive longevity research. Recently, a team of scientists turned to George for help in this search, mining his genetic code for clues to his long life span.
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Every summer during my childhood, my family would take a road trip from Southern California to visit my grandparents in rural Texas. They had a modest house in the country. I remember spending our days sitting on the front porch, with the sun-bleached metal rocking chairs, the melting Popsicles, my grandmother braiding our hair.

The porch was simple. Concrete. Two steps. Covered. It was where I learned about black life in the South  its folklore, traditions and spiritual foundations. It was where I learned about myself.

This week, my colleague Audra D.S. Burch wrote about the porch and its significance in the African-American imagination.

Audra went to Detroit with Germane Barnes, an African-American architecture professor at the University of Miami whose current research explores the historical role that the front porch has played in shaping black identity, and interviewed black homeowners about their porches.
A cardinal dispatched by the Vatican to Algeria has held an unusual beatification ceremony for 19 monks, nuns and other Roman Catholics who were killed during Algerias civil war in the 1990s.

The ceremony, on Saturday in the western city of Oran, was the first in the Muslim world, according to Algerias religious affairs minister.

It came after Pope Francis recognized all 19 as martyrs in January, paving the way for the ceremony. Beatification is a step in the process of being declared a saint.

The cardinal, Angelo Becciu, who is prefect of the Congregation for the Causes of Saints, celebrated Mass at the Notre Dame de Santa Cruz basilica as the popes special envoy.
CARMEN DEL EMERO, Bolivia  In this remote indigenous village in Bolivia, the rule has been the same for generations: Leaders can be re-elected only once. After that, they must hand power to someone else.

So it came as a shock to Nelo Yarari, the leader of Carmen del Emero, a community of indigenous Tacana people in the Bolivian Amazon, when President Evo Morales said he would be running for a fourth term.

Bolivias Constitution barred him from doing so, and Mr. Morales lost a referendum two years ago that would have allowed him to run again. Instead of giving up, he leaned on the courts, which then threw out the countrys term limits.

One thing especially stung for Mr. Yarari: As Bolivias first indigenous leader, Mr. Morales had vowed to champion native values from the presidential palace.
Mr. Trump agreed in Buenos Aires to defer plans to raise tariffs on $200 billion a year in Chinese goods on Jan. 1.

In the United States on Sunday, Robert Lighthizer, the trade representative who is leading the American talks with China, made clear that he considered March 1 a hard deadline for the negotiations. When I talk to the president of the United States, he is not talking about going beyond March, Mr. Lighthizer said on the CBS program Face the Nation, adding, If there is a deal to be gotten, we want to get it in the next 90 days.

Mr. Lighthizer also said that the trade talks should not be affected by the arrest of Ms. Meng. This is a criminal justice matter. It is totally separate from anything that I work on or anything that the trade policy people in the administration work on.

Chinas leaders are coincidentally preparing to observe this month the 40th anniversary of the countrys post-Mao economic overhaul by calling for a series of moves to open up the economy to more trade and foreign investment, people familiar with Chinese policymaking said.

The anniversary, heavily promoted in official propaganda and the subject of Sundays conference at Tsinghua University, offers Mr. Xi a chance to take market-opening measures sought by the United States without seeming to give in to American pressure.

The final list of moves is still the subject of considerable discussion within the Chinese bureaucracy. But some options under serious consideration include further reducing tariffs on imports from all over the world and encouraging broader foreign investment in the slowing Chinese economy.

China made some moves in these directions this year, however, and it is unclear how much further the Beijing leadership is willing to go. By Beijings calculation, Chinas average tariffs have already fallen to 7.5 percent from 9.8 percent at the start of this year. By comparison, average tariffs in the United States are 3.5 percent, while the European Unions are 5 percent.
WELLINGTON, New Zealand  A man in Auckland, New Zealand, will be charged with the murder of a British backpacker who was last seen entering a hotel a week ago, the day before her 22nd birthday, the police in New Zealand said Saturday.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard said officers had not found the body of the victim, Grace Millane, but had concluded that she had been killed.

A 26-year-old man, whose name was not released, will appear in the Auckland District Court on a murder charge on Monday.

Inspector Beard said Ms. Millane was last seen on the night of Dec. 1, entering the CityLife Hotel in downtown Auckland with a man. The inspector told reporters that closed-circuit television footage showed the two had spent time together at a number of places earlier that evening.

Ms. Millanes family in England became worried when she did not contact them the following day. After arriving in New Zealand on Friday, her father, David Millane, said his daughter had never been out of contact for this amount of time and had bombarded the family with pictures and stories from her trip. British media reports described Mr. Millane as a millionaire property developer.

The police in Auckland began investigating Ms. Millanes disappearance on Wednesday, after her family reported her missing. Family members posted on social media during the week, appealing to the public for information.

It was her birthday on Sunday but we hadnt heard from her, Michael Millane, the victims brother, told Sky News. One of us would usually have a chat or a text every day.

Ms. Millane, from Wickford, in Essex, had planned to spend a year traveling the world following her graduation in September from the University of Lincoln. After a six-week tour of Peru, she arrived in New Zealand alone on Nov. 20, planning a two-week stay before traveling to Australia.

She had been staying at a hostel in Auckland, New Zealands largest city. Both the hostel and the hotel where she was last seen are in a busy downtown area.

On Friday, the police first said they had spoken to a man in relation to her disappearance. Inspector Beard said on Saturday that officers had found a vehicle of interest and were investigating where it had been.

He said that an examination of the vehicle and of a room at the hotel where Ms. Millane was last seen had led officers to conclude that she was dead.

We still do not know where Grace is, Inspector Beard said. We are determined to find her and return her to her family.

New Zealands annual murder rate is in the double figures, and deadly attacks by strangers are rare.

In 2008, Karen Aim, a 27-year-old tourist from Scotland, was killed in the city of Taupo by a local teenager. And in 2005, Birgit Brauer, 28, was found dead in a national park near the city of New Plymouth. She was killed by a man who picked her up while she was hitchhiking.
ROME  At least six people were killed and about 40 others were injured, more than a dozen of them seriously, in a stampede early Saturday at a nightclub in central Italy where a popular rapper was scheduled to perform, officials said.

Panic broke out after midnight at the Lanterna Azzurra club in Corinaldo, a town near the city of Senigallia on the Adriatic coast. One unidentified witness interviewed by RAI News, the national news channel, said that pepper spray had been fired inside the club, setting off panic. But investigators did not confirm that.

Reports said that five of the people killed were minors, and that another was the mother of one of the young fans who had gone to the club to hear a concert by Sfera Ebbasta, an Italian rapper.

Luca Cari, a spokesman for the national fire department who was at the scene, said by phone that the situation had been dramatic and that it was still unclear how the events unfolded.
MOSCOW  A nearly 20-year taboo on reporting in the Russian news media about President Vladimir V. Putins personal life has unraveled  just a little  with an interview broadcast on state television with a woman who has been described as his daughter.

The interview suggested some softening of Mr. Putins steely image and the prospect that his two adult daughters may be easing into public life.

Russia has no enduring tradition of a public first family, and Soviet and post-Soviet leaders have taken various approaches. Mr. Putin, a former spy, has mostly kept his daughters out of sight.

He has occasionally spoken with affection of his daughters, and last year announced that he was a grandfather. Still, throughout his tenure Mr. Putin has insisted that his family life remain private  even as state television has lavished coverage on his leisure time spent alone in the Siberian outdoors, hiking or horseback riding, sometimes shirtless.
MADRID  The Spanish city of Cadiz will undertake what some may see as a Sisyphean task: relocating 5,000 pigeons hundreds of miles away after a complaint that the birds are driving away tourists from the terraces of cafes in the most visited part of the southern port city.

Carrier pigeons probably date back to ancient Persia. But under a plan announced last month by Cadiz officials, the pigeons themselves will be carried: They will be captured and transported next year to a thinly populated countryside location in eastern Spain. There, they will find a new home in a dovecote near the town of Ribarroja del Turia.

The exile solution to pigeon overcrowding is being presented as a more animal-friendly approach than that taken in other places, where pigeons are treated like flying rats to be culled or fed contraceptive pills that may also be consumed by other species.

The city will use the most respectful and sustainable method to keep its pigeon population under control, Alvaro de la Fuente, the city official in charge of environmental policy, said in a statement.
As the killing set off a firestorm around the world and American intelligence agencies concluded that it was ordered by Prince Mohammed, Mr. Kushner became the princes most important defender inside the White House, people familiar with its internal deliberations say.

Mr. Kushners support for Prince Mohammed in the moment of crisis is a striking demonstration of a singular bond that has helped draw President Trump into an embrace of Saudi Arabia as one of his most important international allies.

But the ties between Mr. Kushner and Prince Mohammed did not happen on their own. The prince and his advisers, eager to enlist American support for his hawkish policies in the region and for his own consolidation of power, cultivated the relationship with Mr. Kushner for more than two years, according to documents, emails and text messages reviewed by The New York Times.

A delegation of Saudis close to the prince visited the United States as early as the month Mr. Trump was elected, the documents show, and brought back a report identifying Mr. Kushner as a crucial focal point in the courtship of the new administration. He brought to the job scant knowledge about the region, a transactional mind-set and an intense focus on reaching a deal with the Palestinians that met Israels demands, the delegation noted.

Even then, before the inauguration, the Saudis were trying to position themselves as essential allies who could help the Trump administration fulfill its campaign pledges. In addition to offering to help resolve the dispute between Israel and the Palestinians, the Saudis offered hundreds of billions of dollars in deals to buy American weapons and invest in American infrastructure. Mr. Trump later announced versions of some of these items with great fanfare when he made his first foreign trip: to an Arab-Islamic summit in Riyadh, the Saudi capital. The Saudis had extended that invitation during the delegations November 2016 visit.
Dr. Howard A. Skip Burris III

President-elect of ASCO, the American Society of Clinical Oncology

Corporate affiliations: In recent years, several major drug companies that develop treatments for cancer  including AstraZeneca, Genentech and Novartis  have paid his employer, the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville, for his speaking and consulting work. He was also a principal investigator for a number of clinical trials, which drug makers sponsored and paid nearly $8 million to his employer, the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville.

Disclosure lapses: In more than 50 journal articles, Dr. Burris said he had no financial disclosures despite his work with several companies. The Sarah Cannon institute defended the omissions, saying the companies did not directly pay him. But many journals require all payments to be reported.

Recent corrections: The institute said he would submit updated disclosures for a number of articles. And on Dec. 6, the New England Journal of Medicine posted his corrections and updated disclosures, which listed affiliations with 30 companies.

A journal article correction filed this week by Dr. Burris discloses grants and other payments from 30 companies. New England Journal of Medicine







Dr. Robert J. Alpern

Dean, Yale School of Medicine

Corporate affiliations: On the board of directors of Tricida, a company that is devising treatments for chronic kidney disease. Its lead product, TRC101, is swallowed but not absorbed by the body, removing acid as it goes through the digestive tract. Dr. Alpern also holds stock in the company.

Disclosure lapses: In an article in the Clinical Journal of the American Society of Nephrology published last year, Dr. Alpern reported that he was a consultant for Tricida but did not reveal his role on the board or his stock ownership. The study itself was sponsored by Tricida.

Recent corrections: Dr. Alpern was initially told by journal editors that no additional disclosure was needed. After The New York Times and ProPublica inquired, the journals editor said the article would be corrected and the journal would begin an audit of some of its recent articles. The editor also said that none of the articles 12 authors fully disclosed their corporate ties.







Dr. Carlos L. Arteaga

Director, Harold C. Simmons Comprehensive Cancer Center in Dallas

Corporate affiliations: Received tens of thousands of dollars in recent years from drug makers that are developing cancer treatments, including Eli Lilly, Genentech and Novartis.

Disclosure lapses: Said he had nothing to disclose in a 2016 article in The New England Journal of Medicine about a study of the Novartis breast cancer drug Kisqali. That study eventually led to the drugs approval in 2017. Dr. Arteaga collected more than $14,000 from Novartis during the three-year disclosure period.

Recent corrections: Dr. Arteaga corrected his disclosures with the journal, and described his failure as an inexcusable oversight.







Dr. Denise Yardley

Senior investigator, the Sarah Cannon Research Institute in Nashville.

Corporate affiliations: Drug companies paid her institution tens of thousands of dollars for her consulting and speaking work, including manufacturers like Genentech, Eisai and Novartis.

Disclosure lapses: Dr. Yardley failed to disclose any potential conflicts in the same New England Journal of Medicine study as Dr. Arteaga and Dr. Burris. Her institution was paid more than $105,000 during the three-year disclosure period for her consulting and other work for drug companies, including more than $31,000 from Novartis.

Recent corrections: The New England Journal of Medicine corrected the disclosures on the Kisqali study on Dec. 6. Dr. Yardley noted relationships, research and otherwise, with 37 companies.







Dr. Jose Baselga

Former chief medical officer, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Corporate affiliations: Received millions of dollars from companies involved in treating and diagnosing cancer, from advising biotech start-ups to serving on the board of the major drug company Bristol-Myers Squibb. He resigned from the board of Bristol-Myers in September.

Disclosure lapses: Omitted his financial ties from dozens of journal articles in recent years, including in major publications like The New England Journal of Medicine and The Lancet. He also failed to disclose relationships in articles published in Cancer Discovery, while he served as one of two editors-in-chief.

Recent corrections: He has since corrected his disclosures in a number of studies, including in The New England Journal of Medicine and in Cancer Discovery.







Dr. Jedd Wolchok

Pioneering immunotherapy researcher at Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Corporate affiliations: He has disclosed relationships with more than 30 companies, from large manufacturers like Merck to start-ups like BeiGene. The ties range from receiving consulting fees to owning stock to being a co-founder of a company.

Disclosure lapses: He failed to disclose these relationships in more than a dozen articles and letters to the editor in The New England Journal of Medicine and other publications.

Recent corrections: Dr. Wolchok has since updated his disclosures, and said that he believed they were adequate when he submitted them. But after reviewing his publications this fall, he decided to make the corrections out of an abundance of caution.







Dr. Craig Thompson

Chief executive, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center

Corporate affiliations: A founder of the cancer start-up Agios Pharmaceuticals and served on the board of the drug maker Merck as well as Charles River Laboratories, another health care company. He resigned his board positions in October.

Disclosure lapses: Did not include a conflict-of-interest statement in an article published earlier this year in the Journal of Clinical Investigation.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 8)  Former Senator Ramon "Bong" Revilla Jr. is experiencing a "period of adjustment" after finally walking free from jail following his acquittal for plunder.

This is according to his wife, Bacoor City Mayor Lani Mercado-Revilla, who recalled on Saturday a moment when her husband suddenly felt the urge to hide his phone when he saw a closed-circuit television camera in their house Friday night. She said Revilla found it funny that he thought using a phone is still prohibited.

She also shared this anecdote with the media Friday night, shortly after coming home to Cavite from Camp Crame, where Revilla was detained in 2014 on plunder and graft charges. The Sandiganbayan acquitted him of plunder and accepted his P480, 000 bail for graft, granting him temporary liberty.

READ: Acquitted of plunder, Bong Revilla out on bail on graft charges

"So nahawakan na niya finally ang cellphone. Para siyang meron pang phobia 'pag may hawak siyang phone, natatakot siya baka merong may mag bawal sa kanya," Mercado-Revilla said, laughing.

[Translation: "So he finally got hold of his cellphone. He seems to have a phobia when he holds his phone. He's scared that someone might prohibit him."]

It can be recalled that Revilla's cell phone was confiscated in June hours after he posted a selfie on Facebook from his jail cell. The actor-turned-lawmaker, who is accused of conspiring with businesswoman Janet Napoles in the multi-billion peso pork barrel scam, posted a photo of himself then to mark his fourth year in detention.

READ: Police confiscate Bong Revilla's phone after jail selfie

The Sandiganbayan convicted Napoles and Revilla's staff Richard Cambe, saying it is "morally certain" that they conspired to commit plunder. Meanwhile, it said there is "not a single direct evidence" that proved that Revilla pocketed millions of pesos from his Priority Development Assistance Fund, also known as pork barrel, or funds set aside for lawmakers' projects.

First day out on bail

Revilla shared on his Facebook page on Saturday his first breakfast with his family as a free man.

"Matapos ang 4 na taon, nakasama ko na rin silang mag-breakfast ulit sa aming tahanan! Ang bawat sandali kasama sila ang nagbibigay-inspirasyon sa akin para mabuhay, maglingkod at magmahal," Revilla said in the caption.

[Translation: After four years, I finally joined them for breakfast at home. Every moment being with them inspires me to live, serve and love.]

Revilla, along with his wife and children, visited the mausoleum of his late mother, staying there for around 10 minutes.

Mercado-Revilla said her husband wants to prioritize time with his family ahead of the campaign period for the 2019 elections.

Revilla is eyeing a Senate comeback, along with former Senators Jinggoy Estrada and Juan Ponce Enrile, his fellow co-accused in the pork barrel scam. They are all out on bail.

READ: Jinggoy Estrada hopes for acquittal by February 2019

CNN Philippines' Makoi Popioco contributed to this report.
New Hartford, N.Y.  A New Hartford man was arrested for having sexual intercourse with a child.

Clayton Hunt, 19, of New Hartford was charged on Dec. 7 with second-degree rape, a class D felony after police say he engaged with sexual intercourse with a female child under the age of 15 while in the town of Westmoreland. Oneida County Sheriffs Office Sergeant Melissa Bolton, who is assigned to the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, made the arrest.

Hunt is currently being held pending arraignment at the Centralized Arraignment Court at the Oneida County Correctional Facility. The victim has been offered services through the Child Advocacy Center.
Bengaluru: Two South Africans test positive for COVID-19 as threat of new variant looms

Congress Manifesto 2019: Consultation on 'Infrastructure and Mobility sector' held in Bengaluru

Bengaluru

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Bengaluru, Dec 8: The Indian National Congress held a manifesto consultation on 'Infrastructure and Mobility sector' in Bengaluru on Friday. The consultation discussion was chaired by Prof. Rajeev Gowda, Rajya Sabha MP.

Former Union Minister Kumari Selja, Congress MLC L Hanumanthaiah, Harris Nalpad (MLA Shanthinagar constituency), participated in the discussion along with a range of experts from the Infrastructure and Mobility sector.

Congestion and pollution:

Sowmya Rao, from Uber, emphasised on solutions to congestion and pollution highlighting the need to increase the utilisation capacity of vehicles, car pooling permit to larger capacity vehicles and a sustainable public transport.

Solid waste management:

Mukunda from Citizen Action Forum spoke about solid waste management at the source and at ward level; improve water supply by rejuvenating and interconnecting lakes in Bengaluru, and implementing rain water harvesting, while making urban local bodies made financially self reliable. He also advocated to improve mobility through a fully functional commuter rail, and encouraged implementation of a comprehensive urban policy by improving tier 2 and 3 cities like Davangere, Hubli, and other cities away from Bengaluru.

Kathyayini Chamaraj, founder of Civic, suggested for improvements in social infrastructure such as the need to increase the number of Anganwadis, to address malnutrition through policy interventions, and upgradation of schools to reduce dropouts of girl children.

Heritage conservation:

As far as Heritage conservation is concerned, Kathyayini Chamaraj suggested the '4 Ps' formula- Protection, Preservation, Promotion, and Popularisation. She also spoke about the importance of identification and documentation of monuments and conservation through coordination of offices of ASI, Railways and DC offices.

Integration of public transport:

Rajkumar Dugar, Resident Welfare Association from Vasanthnagar, stated that BMTC bus services needs to be improved and integration between various modes of public transports like BMTC, Namma Metro and Railways.

Vinay Srinivas, from Alternative Law Forum, emphasized the need to eliminate the interference of central government in local governance, and provisions of master plans at ward levels and not by foreign consultants.

People can send their inputs:

The Manifesto Committee, under the Chairmanship of former Union Minister P Chidambaram, has been holding consultation events for the last one month. Prof. Rajeev Gowda is the Convenor of the committee. The committee already completed many consultation events like Ex-Servicemen, MSME's, Education, Environment, SC/ST and OBC, Healthcare, Food Security and Nutrition, and Banking in cities like Aligarh, Bangalore, Chandigarh, Mangalore, Guwahati, Pune, Nagpur, Mumbai, Delhi, Kolkata, Chennai, Vishakapatnam, and other cities across the country.

Also, the party urged the public to send their inputs to manifesto@inc.in or through its website: manifesto.inc.in. for the preparation of "People's Manifesto".

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 13:57 [IST]
7th Pay Commission: Variable DA for CG employees hiked, all you should know

7th Pay Commission: Here is why basic monthly pay of CG employees will not increase

7th Pay Commission: When will the new DA hike be effective from

7th Pay Commission: There is some good news on the retirement income scheme

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

New Delhi, Dec 8: Amidst talk regarding the 7th Pay Commission, there is some good news on the retirement income scheme.

In a bid to make retirement income scheme more attractive for central government employees, the government has agreed to chip in a higher 14 per cent of the basic salary of an individual as its contribution to the National Pension System (NPS), a top source said.

7th Pay Commission: A salary hike of Rs 10,000 on the cards

The move would benefit over 36 lakh central government employees.

Also, individual contributions, which will continue to be capped at a maximum of 10 per cent of the basic salary, will be exempt from taxable income.

National Pension System (NPS) is a government-sponsored pension scheme that was launched in January 2004 for government employees. However, in 2009, it was opened to all sections.

The scheme allows subscribers to contribute regularly in a pension account during their working life. On retirement, subscribers can withdraw a part of the corpus in a lump sum and use the remaining corpus to buy an annuity to secure a regular income after retirement.

Currently, the minimum employee contribution in NPS is 10 per cent of basic pay and an equal contribution is made by the government.The Cabinet at its meeting Thursday cleared raising the government's share to NPS to 14 per cent, the source said.

It also cleared tax incentives under Section 80C of Income Tax Act for employee contribution of up to 10 per cent towards NPS. The tax measures are likely to come into effect from April 1, 2019.

Central government employees had approached the government seeking tweaking of the terms of the current 'contribution' based NPS.

Also, the Cabinet has given more flexibility to the government employees to withdraw the amount from NPS corpus at the time of retirement.

7th Pay Commission: A big pay hike on its way in January 2019

Once the changes are notified, central government employees can commute up to 60 per cent of the NPS fund accumulated, up from 40 per cent at present.

Sources said if an employee decides not to commute any portion of the accumulated fund in NPS at the time of maturity and transfers 100 per cent to annuity scheme, then his pension would be more than 50 per cent of his last drawn pay.

Also, employees will have the option to decide on investing their annuity either in fixed income instruments or equities, sources said.

While the government is yet to decide on the date of notification of the new scheme, sources said many of the changes require amendment to the Income Tax Act and hence will come into effect from April 1, 2019.

This formula for changes in the NPS was worked out by the Finance Ministry based on the recommendation of a government-appointed committee, sources said.
Bipin Rawat refuses to comment on ex-Army officer's remark on surgical strike

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

New Delhi, Dec 8: Army Chief Bipin Rawat refused to comment on General (retired) DS Hooda's remark on surgical strike across the LoC, saying the 'These are individual person's perceptions'.

Bipin Rawat, said, "These are individual person's perceptions so let's not comment on them. He was one of the main persons involved in conduct of these operations so I respect his words very much."

Also, GOC Northern Command, Lt Gen Ranbir Singh did not comment on the General (retired) DS Hooda's remark. He said, "Surgical strike is one of the options available to Army. It had a positive effect on country, we have been able to curb terrorism to a great extent."

Surgical strikes: Was the hype needed, no says ex-Army officer part of operation

Two years after the surgical strike carried out by the Army across the Line of Control, Lt Gen (retd) D S Hooda Friday said it was natural to have an initial euphoria over the success but the constant hype around the operation was unwarranted. Gen Hooda was the Northern Army commander when the surgical strike were carried out on September 29, 2016 across the LoC as a response to a terrorist attack in Uri earlier that month.

Bulandshahr violence:

When asked if there is any update on Army soldier Jitendra Malik, a suspect in Bulandshahr violence, he said, " If there is some evidence and police feels that they suspect him, then we will produce him before them. We will fully cooperate with police."

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 14:22 [IST]
BJP president discusses post poll strategy with top party leaders; confident to win

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 8: Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) national president Amit Shah has met with some of the party general secretaries to take stock of the situation post election in five state especially in view of exit polls showing the BJP in a poor shape. The BJP president met with those general secretaries who were given important responsibilities in these elections.

However, the party still believes that it will come out successful in these states and its own survey suggest contrary to what is being shown in the exit poll. They claimed that it would be more accurate to the result and the BJP will be in a position to form the government.

Biggest surveyor Shivraj Chouhan says BJP will win in Madhya Pradesh

Sources said that in the presence of national general secretary (organisations) Ram Lal and other general secretaries Bhupendra Yadav, Arun Singh and Anil Jain, the meeting threadbare discussed chances of the BJP in every state.

If sources are to be believed that they have also discussed that in case if the party falls short of numbers anywhere who could be their probable allies.

Amit Shah has reportedly convened this meeting in view of different television channels showing that the BJP almost loosing everywhere in all the five states. Ram Lal had been taking care of the responsibility of booth management in every state with the help of BJP and the RSS workers at the ground level while Anil Jain was looking after rallies of the party president.

BJP in state of extreme panic, sensing defeats in Assembly polls: Congress

Bhupendra Yadav is one of the trusted general secretaries of the party president so he was also present in the meeting. The meeting has discussed constituency wise detail that how the BJP is faring in these elections but the party president is confident of forming the government.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 19:02 [IST]
BJP to make formal complain against Sharad Yadav with election commission for his comment

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 8: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is planning to take the matter of former Union minister Sharad Yadav making comment against Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje to the election commission. The party also plan to protest the comment made by him who is a serial offender for making derogatory remarks against women. During a meeting in Alwar, Sharad Yadav called Vasundhara Raje Moti (fat).

Sharad Yadav has always courted controversy be it making comment on the then Union Human resource development minister Smriti Irani when Yadav said in Parliament, "I know what you are," which stunned the house. His comment against women during debate for reservation to women in Parliament or Assemblies and now making comment on Rajasthan chief minister Vasundhara Raje. Last year, he made a strange connection between the "honour of a vote and a daughter's honour". "The integrity of a vote is bigger than the integrity of a daughter. If a daughter loses honour, the village loses its honour. But if a vote is sold, the nation will lose its honour," he had said. In 2015 in Parliament, Yadav, while participating in a debate, went off on a tangent and started describing the beauty of 'saanvli (dusky)' South Indian women.

"Feel insulted", says Vasundhara Raje on Sharad Yadav's remark calling her 'obese'

But the comment against Vasundhara Raje has not only been retorted by the Bharatiya Janata Party but also by Raje herself. Raje said that comment made by Sharad Yadav is not only derogatory to her but also to the entire community. She has also demanded the election commission to take action against Yadav to set a precedence. Actually Sharad Yadav called her a fat women while addressing an election rally.

After casting her vote she said, "I am astonished to hear such derogatory comment because this is not just my but humiliation of every woman. Such comment is not expected from a senior leader like him. I am not only feeling hurt but humiliated for the statement made on me."

Sharad Yadav body-shames Vasundhara Raje, says 'Bahut moti ho gayi hain, pehle patli thi'

But Sharad Yadav tried to brush aside the matter by saying that he was making joke and he did not mean it. "I have a very old relation with her and there was no intention to hurt her. I said it to her whenever I had met her that she has gained weight," said Yadav.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 10:59 [IST]
Bengaluru: Two South Africans test positive for COVID-19 as threat of new variant looms

CAG report: BJP dares Kumaraswamy to order probe against Siddaramaiah

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Bengaluru, Dec 8: Karnataka BJP has levelled allegations against former chief minister Siddaramaiahof based on CAG report findings and demanded probe into the matter.

Former minister Shobha Karandlaje dared Chief Minister HD Kumaraswamy to order a probe into the financial irregularities. She tweeted, " CAG Report finds 35,000cr account not available in 2016-17 financial year. This is a huge scam under Siddu stewardship. 'CONgress' rule which is synonymous to Corruption & it has once again lived up to its reputation. Will CM HDK dare to order an enquiry into this mega scam?."

CAG Report finds 35,000cr account not available in 2016-17 financial year.



This is a huge scam under Siddu stewardship. CONgress rule which is synonymous to Corruption & it has once again lived up to its reputation.



Will CM HDK dare to order an enquiry into this mega scam???  Shobha Karandlaje (@ShobhaBJP) December 7, 2018

SC seeks replies from Centre & Karnataka on PETA's plea against Kambala race

BJP on Thursday released a booklet, which is a compilation of audit objections and observations made by the CAG in its report for 2016-17 that was tabled recently.

"Chief Minister Kumaraswamy tabled the CAG report. We now urge him to act against his predecessor Siddaramaiah for the irregularities," BJP MLC N Ravikumar told a press conference.

"The CAG report says there was a 19% mismatch in the state's receipts and expenditure, which translates into Rs 35,000 crore of public money that is unaccounted for," he said.

However, Siddaramaiah has dismissed BJP's allegation. "The BJP alleges that corruption has taken place during my administration. Siddaramaiah accused BJP of distracting people's attention from failure and incompetence of Narendra Modi government."

Allegations by @BJP4Karnataka about the corruption, during my stint as CM, are baseless. They are just misleading people to deviate from the issues of inefficiencies of @narendramodi govt. pic.twitter.com/hkC78LjNYW  Siddaramaiah (@siddaramaiah) December 8, 2018

Responding to Siddaramaiah's clarification, BJP MLA CT Ravi, asked, "Why is former CM @siddaramaiah shying away from an investigation into the 35,000 crore Funds that remain unaccounted during his Corrupt durbar. Unlike Siddaramaiah who cleverly slept through his term, PM @narendramodi is working round the clock for #TransformingIndia."
Congress claims doubting EVMs as an election strategy worked for party in MP and Rajasthan

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 8: The Congress raised the issue of electronic voting machine (EVM) in the Madhya Pradesh elections again and again so that anti-incumbency against the Madhya Pradesh government could be made more pronounced.

And the most interesting story is that the Congress has gradually made a momentum that those who are against the EVM are also against the BJP. This was very interesting experiment of the Congress that seems to have worked for it if the claims made by the Congress is to be believed.

BJP president discusses post poll strategy with top party leaders; confident to win

The Congress feels that suspicion created against EVM in the Madhya Pradesh Assembly elections has traveled to Rajasthan elections as well and had helped the Congress there as well. How far foolproof EVM could be but the Madhya Pradesh elections have made it clear that not only the common voter but even the government employees have been doubting them. Even such employees doubted the EVM who were involved in the election process.

Election analysts say that this is a matter of concern as it affects all the efforts made towards conducting free and fair polls. It was the responsibility of every official and government to tell that free and fair elections through EVM is possible but they did not do it.

Election commission of Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan have done a lot on more voting but they did not do anything to clear the air that free and fair election is possible through EVM which was a big issue in the Assembly elections. Voter-verified paper audit trail (VVPAT) is also being used in these elections so the voters can get assurance that their vote had gone to the party they wanted to vote for still it failed to do much on this.

Election commissioner of Madhya Pradesh Kanta Rao said that no stone left unturned to clear the doubt of political parties about EVMs. According to him, this is no more an issue. But elections have been altogether different as a big section of voter was of the view that EVMs always remain within the reach of the ruling party which can temper with it as per its wishes. Call it a campaign of the Congress or understanding of voters, they did not hesitate to say that so what if you vote for the choice of your candidate but EVM is managed by the particular party.

This was also very interesting that despite doubting EVM people came out to vote in big number. The Congress leaders are saying that to unite their voters and encourage more voting their complain about EVM worked a lot.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 20:25 [IST]
Would you be able to render services in case of another COVID third wave: HC to Delhi govt

Delhi HC to hear PIL seeking entry of women into Nizamuddin Aulia Dargah

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Dec 8: The Delhi High Court will hear the Public Interest Litigation (PIL) seeking entry of women in sanctum sanctorum of Nizamuddin Dargah on December 10.

The public interest litigation, which is likely to come up for hearing next week, has claimed that there is a notice put up outside the 'dargah' -- a shrine built over the grave of a religious figure -- clearly stating in English and Hindi that women are not allowed inside.

The law students, in their petition, have contended they made several representations to the authorities, including the Delhi Police, but no response was received and therefore, they moved the high court.

The plea, filed through advocate Kamlesh Kumar Mishra, has sought directions to the Centre, Delhi government, police and the trust managing the shrine, to frame guidelines for ensuring the entry of women into the dargah and declare the bar on entry of females as "unconstitutional".

The petitioners, who are law students from Pune, have contended that when the Supreme Court has allowed females of all ages to go to Sabarimala shrine in Kerala, women in the heart of the national capital were being discriminated against by being prohibited from entering the dargah.

According to the petition, the law students came to know of the bar on women's entry at the dargah when they visited the shrine on November 27 to offer prayers.

"Nizamuddin Dargah by its very nature is a public place and prohibition of entry of anyone in a public place on the basis of gender is contrary to the framework of the Constitution of India," it said.

It also said various other shrines like Ajmer Sharif Dargah and Haji Ali Dargah did not prohibit entry of women.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 18:33 [IST]
Dictator or democracy: When does India have a better chance to resolve ties with Pakistan?

India

oi-Vikas SV

New Delhi, Dec 8: Dealing with Pakistan has always been tricky for India. The main issue is that the democratically elected government in Pakistan has limited freedom to take foreign policy related decisions, especially when it comes to ties with India. It is known for decades now that the military in Pakistan functions as a separate entity and even when the political establishment wants to engage with India, it is the army which dictates terms.

The democratically elected government in Pakistan may want better ties with India, but then the military has an agenda of its own and that is to 'bleed India with thousand cuts. Pakistan military's strong anti-India stand, its support to the extremist elements and insurgency in Kashmir, tacit support to infiltration and terrorism, are some of the areas in which the political establishment has no control.

The reason why the Pakistani Army has been able to sustain its grip on power and influence is because of the widespread perception and propaganda that India is an existential threat. Under these circumstances, who should India be talking to? Even if the army is the decision maker, the Indian government cannot directly talk directly to the Pakistan army.

OneIndia spoke to defence and strategy matters expert Colonel Jaibans Singh and he said that no bold decisions can be taken by the political establishment in Pakistan concerning India when there is army acting as a separate entity.

Newly elected Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, said on several occasion that he wants better ties with India. Col Singh said that even if Imran Khan wishes to change things, there is not much that he can do. He said that Khan may enjoy some degree of freedom to tinker with the economic policies of the country, but his scope in terms of altering the foreign policy remains limited.

When asked if the chances of ties improving between the two countries are better if the is a Pervez Musharaff-like dictatorial government in Pakistan, Col Singh said India and Pakistan almost came to the last line of resolving the Kashmir issue during Musharaff's time.

"Historically, Pakistan had a better relationship with India or a more stable relationship with India when there has been a dictatorship. That is because the dictator does not have to keep looking behind his shoulders when talking to politicians in India. He takes political as well as military decisions. So that is why Musharraf was more aggressive as far as the resolving the Kashmir is concerned. India and Pakistan almost came to the last line of resolving the issue during his time. We could never reach that far after that," he told OneIndia.

"Whether it is Nawaz Sharif or Imran Khan, they cannot take a decision. The better way to do this whole thing is for the Indian Government to talk to the chief of army staff but that is not possible. He is the one who is going to decide, but he is also not the head of the state. But in case of Musharraf, it was not difficult for him to take political as well as the military decision," Col Singh added.

[Can Imran Khan be trusted?: Here is what Army veterans have to say]

During Musharraf's regime, India and Pakistan did, in fact, held multiple rounds of talks to resolve the long pending issues, but in the end, the talks failed.

Agra Summit and India-Pakistan relations during Vajpayee:

The Agra summit was a historic two-day summit meeting between India and Pakistan which lasted from 14-16 July 2001. It was organized with the aim of resolving long-standing issues between India and Pakistan. After much diplomatic efforts, the Agra summit started amid high hopes of resolving various disputes between the two countries including the five decades old Kashmir issue.

Various rounds of one-to-one talks were held between President Musharraf and Prime Minister Vajpayee. On the first day, a 90-minute one-on-one session was held and the two leaders discussed the Kashmir issue, cross-border terrorism, nuclear risk reduction, release of prisoners of war, and commercial ties. There were high hopes in Pakistan that both the leaders would arrive at an agreement and a joint statement or declaration would be made at the end of the summit as the two leaders plunged into serious talks.

The talks and peace process, however, collapsed and no signatures were attained for the Agra treaty. The talks faced a number of obstacles. Reports say there were three major reasons for the Indian government's reluctance in accepting Pakistan's assurances at face value. First, the Vajpayee government did not trust President Pervez Musharraf and the establishment that he represents in Islamabad. In India alone, it was widely felt that it was Musharraf who sabotaged joint peace efforts of Pakistan Prime minister Nawaz Sharif and India's then Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at the Lahore Summit in 1999.

Second, India was not satisfied with Pakistan's pledge to halt cross-border infiltrations; thirdly the Indian government had plans for holding regional elections in Kashmir in October 2002. Similarly, Indian leadership considered Musharraf's refusal to give up support to the cross-border insurgency in Kashmir as the reason behind the failure of the Agra Summit in June 2001.

Conclusion:

Whether the dictator rule or political regime, the anti-India sentiment deeply ingrained in the psyche of Pakistan is at the core of bitter ties between the two nations. The best option for India is to keep its vigilance levels high and thwart any attempt by Pakistan to disrupt peace. India's has a firm stand that terror and talks cannot go hand in hand. India took this stand after trying for years to resolve conflicts through dialogue. Things will not change in Pakistan as long as the army remains a powerful entity which is hell-bent to 'hate India. India can only hope that a day will come when a strong political government would be able to rein in the army.
Kapil Sibal backs Robert Vadra, says government is falsely accusing him'

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Dec 8: Congress leader Kapil Sibal on Saturday launched a scathing attack on Prime Minister Modi over the recent raids conducted on Robert Vadra and associates.

Addressing a press conference Sibal said people in power especially PM is thinking that the exit polls would be proved right and therefore they are scared.

"The people in power especially PM is thinking that the exit polls are right and are scared. People in opposition are being targetted by sending IT, ED. I want to ask Modi Ji rather blame him why such things are happening in his rule, he said.

Why is the ED catching up to Robert Vadra

"Never in the history of India have I heard that if there's no FIR against someone, no complain from the Directorate of Enforcement (ED); you just walk into people's houses without identifying yourself, or carry a warrant. People are getting arrested without a warrant," he added.

"People are being harassed, held practically under arrest in their houses, raided without any notice. Is this the kind of change Modiji advocated for in 2014 elections," Sibal asked.

"The government is falsely implicating. Is this the change Modi wanted? The BJP is panicking after exit polls. This is being done by the Prime Minister of India and who is he to send anyone to jail?"

ED raids places linked to Robert Vadra; Congress accuses BJP of "vendetta"

Sibal further defended Vadra and accused ED of being illicit saying, "There is no FIR against Robert Vadra. Officers just come and without any intimation start raiding. Does ED investigate without any law?"

Earlier in the day, the Enforcement Directorate conducted a raid at the residence of Congress worker Jagdish Sharma.

Sharma, who is believed to be a close aide of businessman Robert Vadra, has also been taken to the Enforcement Directorate office for questioning.

On Friday, the ED conducted raids at the premises of some close associates of Robert Vadra, son-in-law of UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi for allegedly receiving money from defence suppliers, according to sources in the investigating agency. The raids were conducted at three places in Delhi and Bengaluru.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 21:37 [IST]
Pinjra Tod activist Natasha Narwal granted interim bail to perform last rites of father

No bail for Sanjiv Bhatt in drug bust case

India

oi-Vicky Nanjappa

Ahmedabad, Dec 8: A court in Banaskantha district of Gujarat has rejected a bail application filed by former IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt.

Additional sessions judge of Palanpur court P S Brahmbhatt refused to grant relief to Bhatt, who is behind bars since September this year in connection with a 22-year-old drug seizure case.

Campaign launched to raise funds for dismissed IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt's legal aid

Bhatt, who was sacked in 2015, was superintendent of police in Banaskantha district in 1996.

The district police had arrested Sumersingh Rajpurohit, a lawyer, in 1996, claiming to have seized drugs from a hotel room in Palanpur town where he was staying.

However, the Rajasthan Police said later that Rajpurohit was falsely implicated by Banaskantha Police to compel him to transfer a disputed property located at Pali in Rajasthan.

Former police inspector I B Vyas moved the Gujarat High Court in 1999 demanding thorough inquiry into the matter.

Palanpur drug planting: Why is dismissed IPS officer Sanjiv Bhatt being probed

In June this year, the high court handed over the probe to the state CID.

Bhatt was sacked by the Union home ministry in August 2015 on the grounds of "unauthorised absence" from service.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 6:22 [IST]
Kumaraswamy to attend Ashok Gehlot's swearing-in on Dec 17: These are other leaders who would attend

Rajasthan CM and Dy CM to discuss names of ministers with senior leadership in Delhi

Rajasthan assembly polls: Only 5 won with more than 30 per cent margin

Rajasthan elections: Two officials suspended after ballot unit found lying on road

India

oi-Vikas SV

Jaipur, Dec 7: Two officials have been suspended for negligence after a ballot unit was found lying on road in Baran district of Rajasthan, said reports. Rajasthan went to polls on Friday.

The ballot unit was found lying on road in Shahabad area of Kishanganj Assembly Constituency.

Abdul Rafiq and Nawal Singh are the two officials who have been suspended.

Two officials have been suspended in connection with the incident where a ballot unit was found lying on road in Shahabad area of Kishanganj Assembly Constituency in Baran district of Rajasthan. #RajasthanElections pic.twitter.com/FvCOgdkgof  ANI (@ANI) December 8, 2018

Rajasthan went polls on Friday, with voting done on 199 Assembly seats out of a total 200 in the state. The results for Rajasthan elections and four other key polling states (Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Mizoram and Telangana) are slated for December 11.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 10:36 [IST]
SC refuses to postpone Tripura municipal elections: 'If we do it then it will set a wrong precedent'

This is the national capital, what message are we sending: SC on Delhi air pollution

Rath Yatra row: West Bengal BJP files caveat in Supreme Court

India

oi-Deepika S

Kolkata, Dec 8: The West Bengal unit of Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday filed a caveat in the Supreme Court in connection with the order passed by Calcutta High Court division bench on BJP's 'rath yatra'.

Mamata Banerjee-led Bengal government will now have to give notice to BJP if they move an application to SC against the HC bench order.

The Calcutta High Court on Thursday refused to give permission to the BJP 'rath yatras' scheduled to be flagged off by party president Amit Shah on Friday.

Ruling on a BJP petition, the court said the proposed rallies had the potential of creating communal tension in West Bengal.

In a scathing attack on the West Bengal government under Mamata, BJP chief Amit Shah accused the administration of being a roadblock. "A democratic process (Rath Yatra) has been suppressed in West Bengal with rampant misuse of power. The CM is following this trend, this is non-democratic," he said.

"I want to tell Mamata Banerjee that by not giving permission to BJP programs, you will only invite the ire of people in your state. She (Mamata) is scared that if BJP takes out all these three rallies in the state of West Bengal and assemble in Kolkata then the foundation of a complete change will be laid down. So she attempted to stop all these yatras."

The West Bengal unit of the BJP had scheduled three rath yatras beginning Friday, which were proposed to travel across all 42 Lok Sabha constituencies of the State.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 17:03 [IST]
Sharad Yadav expresses regret over his fat remark on Vasundhara Raje

India

oi-Deepika S

New Delhi, Dec 8: Former JD (U) leader Sharad Yadav on Saturday expressed regret over his controversial remarks on Rajasthan CM Vasundhara Raje's appearance.

"I saw her statement. I have very old family relations with her. If my words hurt her, I express my regret. I will also write a letter to her," Yadav was quoted as saying by ANI.

The former JD (U) leader had on Thursday stoked a controversy after he called the Rajasthan chief minister "fat", while appealing to voters in the poll-bound state to not vote for BJP.

Calling Raje a daughter of Madhya Pradesh, he said people need to give her some rest as she was very tired. She was thin earlier, and was now fat, he is heard as saying.

BJP to make formal complain against Sharad Yadav with election commission for his comment

Vasundhara Raje on Friday demanded action against former JD(U) leader Sharad Yadav for body shaming her during an election rally, saying she felt insulted by his comments and the Election Commission must take cognisance.

"I feel insulted. This is the insult of women," Raje told reporters in Jhalawar. adding that she was "absolutely shocked" and did not expect such a comment from an experienced leader.

It is important, the chief minister asserted, that the Election Commission takes cognisance of this and sets an example so people don't repeat such a thing in future.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 17:56 [IST]
Special 16 in Madhya Pradesh to indicate which party to form the government

India

oi-Vinod Kumar Shukla

New Delhi, Dec 8: After the suspense of exit polls getting over and Satta Bazar has their own predictions, the Congress and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) are keeping their eyes set on 16 important seats that would be decisive for them in the formation of the government in Madhya Pradesh. They are being called as 'Special 16' in the state.

Strategists of both the principal political parties are looking at every permutation and combination that which way these 16 seats may go. Actually there is a myth about these 16 seats that whosoever had won them in the Assembly elections that party had formed the government in the state. In the past six elections this myth remained intact.

Exit Polls 2018 Madhya Pradesh: Congress puts up tough fight

Political analysts call these seats as Bellwether for Madhya Pradesh Assembly polls that indicates which way the result might go. They include every region of the state. These seats include Susner, Jawad, Badnagar, Manawar, Khargaun and Sendhwa seats from the Malwa-Nimar region. Gwalier (east), Saunsar, Nariawali, Hosangabad, Ghoda, Dogri, Baitul, Nepanagar and eastern Madhya Pradesh's Bijawar, Badwara and Niwas are included in the 'Special 16'.

Both the political parties have put some extra efforts to decide names of candidates on these seats because politicians in Madhya Pradesh too believe on this myth or superstition. There are four such seats in the state that is continuously with the ruling party from the past 37 years as from the past nine elections whichever party has won these seats had formed the government. They are Khargon, Nepanagar, Sendhwa and Niwas.

Instead of passive protest, BJP workers actively helped the Congress to defeat their party in MP

There are three such seats which are with the ruling party from the past 34 years that is eight elections. They are Manawar, Sausar and Nariawali. In the Special 16, six seats are such that they are with the ruling party from past 29 years that is seven assembly elections.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 9:42 [IST]
State vs national issues: Key lessons for the BJP to learn in Jharkhand, Maharashtra, Haryana

Stalin set to meet Sonia Gandhi to strengthen ties ahead of 2019 polls

India

oi-Deepika S

Chennai, Dec 8: DMK chief MK Stalin will meet former Congress president Sonia Gandhi in New Delhi on Sunday to invite her for a ceremony to unveil statues of former Tamil Nadu chief ministers Muthuvel Karunanidhi.

The meeting assumes significance in the run-up to the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. Sources from the DMK said Stalin would also attend the 'United Opposition' meet organised by N Chandrababu Naidu.

Tamil Nadu has the most number of Lok Sabha seats, 39, after Uttar Pradesh (80), Maharashtra (48), West Bengal (42) and Bihar (40). The DMK and Congress have been in alliance in the state along with some smaller regional parties and are likely to contest the upcoming polls together.

Ahead of Dec 10 opposition meet, BSP keeps all guessing

Sonia is also certain to join the opposition gathering on December 10, which will take place a day before the assembly election results are out.

Gandhi has accepted the invitation extended to her to attend the event at the DMK headquarters here, expected to be held in the presence of a galaxy of national level leaders of various political parties.

"Unveiling his statue at your party headquarters will be a fitting tribute to Kalaignar (Karunaidhi). It is an honour for me to accept your invitation," she said in a letter to DMK chief and Karunaidhi's son M K Stalin.

Karunanidhi passed away on August 7 this year aged 94 following prolonged illness.
Surgical strikes: Was the hype needed, no says ex-Army officer part of operation

India

oi-Madhuri Adnal

New Delhi, Dec 8: Two years after the surgical strike carried out by the Army across the Line of Control, Lt Gen (retd) D S Hooda Friday said it was natural to have an initial euphoria over the success but the constant hype around the operation was unwarranted.

Gen Hooda was the Northern Army commander when the surgical strike were carried out on September 29, 2016 across the LoC as a response to a terrorist attack in Uri earlier that month.

The Army had said its special forces inflicted "significant casualties" on terrorists waiting there to cross into Indian territory.

Gen Hooda was speaking during a panel discussion on the topic, 'Role of Cross-Border Operations and Surgical Strikes,' on the first day of Military Literature Festival 2018 here.

The discussion was attended by Punjab Governor V P Singh Badnore amongst a battery of former Generals and Army Commanders. Many war veterans cautioned against "politicisation" ofthe military operations, as per a Punjab government release.

Lt Gen Hooda said it was naturalto have initial euphoria about the success but the constantmaintenance of hype around the military operations wasunwarranted, the release said.

Responding to a question from the audience, General Hoodasaid in hindsight, it would have been better had we done it (surgical strikes) secretly. The aim of any such offensive had to be not only tactical but strategic too, which substantially hampers enemy morale,he said.

Citing the example of the 1981 Israeli air strikes onIraqi nuclear sites, which had caused considerable damage, Lt General (retd) N S Brar underscored the need to ensure long-term impact on the enemy before undertaking any such operation in the future.

Cautioning the political masters against being adventurists, General Brar asked if the political masters would have taken responsibility had there been any causalities in the strike, the release said quoting him.

Earlier, a two minute silence was observed in the memory of the brave soldiers who laid down their lives in the service of the nation.

Punjab Governor and Chandigarh AdministratorV P Singh Badnore inaugurated the MLF.

Notably, MLF, which is into its second edition this year,is organised to raise awareness among people about the legacy of the armed forces, and rekindle among youth the motivating spirit to join the Indian Army.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 9:51 [IST]
Rape victim dies in Delhi hospital after being 'set afire' by kin of accused in UP's Bulandshahr

Uttar Pradesh: Bulandshahr police chief transferred over cop's killing

India

oi-Chennabasaveshwar P

Lucknow, Dec 8: Six days after a police officer and a civilian were killed in mob violence over cow carcasses in Uttar Pradesh's Bulandshahr, the top officer in the district has been transferred. Sitapur SP Prabhakar Chaudhary has been appointed as SSP Bulandshahr. He replaced Krishna Bahadur Singh who has now been transferred to DGP Headquarters, Lucknow.

Two cops shown the door after report on Bulandshahr violence

The action was taken after a high-level meeting was presided over by the Director General of Police (DGP) OP Singh, who had handed over the report to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on his arrival from New Delhi.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was briefed on the key findings of the report on Bulandshahr violence prepared by ADG (Intelligence) SB Shirodkar.

Army Jawan seen in videos may have shot inspector dead, say reports

After this, two Bulandshahr police officers - Circle officer Shama SP Singh and Chingrawathi police outpost incharge Suresh Kumar - were shunted out, said reports. Both have been removed on prima facie charges of negligence in assessing and handling the situation on December 3, a CNN-News18 report said while quoting sources.
Khashoggi was killed with US backing, says Iran President Rouhani

Will continue to sell oil, Iran says on the day US sanctions get reimposed

Two days after quitting from post via Instagram post, Iranian foreign minister rejoins work

US is the real 'leader of world terrorism': Iranian President Hassan Rouhani

Iran's President Hassan Rouhani denounces US sanctions as 'economic terrorism'

International

pti-PTI

Tehran, Dec 8: President Hassan Rouhani on Saturday warned Western countries that they will face a massive influx of drugs if Iran becomes weakened by US sanctions.

Rouhani spoke in Tehran at a six-nation conference on fighting terrorism attended by parliament speakers of Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, China and Russia.

In remarks broadcast on state TV, Rouhani said a weakened Iran would be less able to fight drug trafficking.

"Weakening Iran by sanctions, many will not be safe," he said. "Those who do not believe us, it is good to look at the map." Iran lies on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe and the Persian Gulf states.

Afghanistan is the world's largest producer of opium with its Helmand Provinamce being the biggest opium-producing region. Opium is the raw material for heroin and Afghan farmers harvest about 80 per cent of the world's supply, according to UN reports.

Iran's economy is reeling after the US re-imposed sanctions lifted under Tehran's nuclear deal with world powers. President Donald Trump withdrew the US from the deal and began restoring sanctions. Rouhani called the US sanctions as "economic terrorism".

Iran pays a heavy price to fight drug trafficking, with a number of border guards killed in fighting drug smugglers every year. Every year, the country burns about 100 tons of seized narcotics as a symbol of its determination.

Iran has also complained about accusations that it violates human rights by executing convicted drug smugglers, who make up 73 per cent of executions in Iran.

In 2013 alone, Iran spent more than USD 26 million to dig canals, erect walls and embankments, create new outposts and set up barbed wire along its 2,000-kilometre border with Afghanistan and Pakistan, according to government statistics.

Until 2016, Iran annually spent some USD 2.5 billion to fight drug trafficking, officials say.
Benjamin Netanyahu says he spoke to Biden about COVID, Iran

Exit polls indicate no clear winner in Israeli elections: Will it end the Netanyahu era?

Sara Netanyahu grilled on new fraud allegation

International

oi-Madhuri Adnal

Jerusalem, Dec 8: Police were questioning Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu's wife Sara on Friday on new suspicions of fraudulently misusing public funds, Israeli media reported.

Public radio said Sara Netanyahu arrived at the headquarters of the National Fraud Squad, near Tel Aviv, late in the morning.

There was no immediate confirmation from police, who have issued statements on previous interrogations of the Netanyahus on a raft of different graft allegations only after the day's questioning was over.

Trouble on board: Israel police recommend indicting Netanyahu in third graft probe

On Sunday, police recommended charging the premier and his wife for bribery and other offences.

It was the third such recommendation against them in recent months. Netanyahu denied the accusations, but the cases against him have led to speculation that they could eventually force the long-serving prime minister to step down.

Sara Netanyahu went on trial in October for allegedly using state funds to fraudulently pay for hundreds of meals.

Haaretz daily said Friday that the latest allegation against her relates to fraudulent presentation to a government watchdog of receipts for charitable donations.

It said that if the suspicions are verified, they would be added to evidence in her existing trial.

The case put forward by police on Sunday is a separate matter, which centres on regulatory benefits allegedly granted to telecommunications firm Bezeq in exchange for positive coverage of Netanyahu from a related media company.

Police in February recommended indicting Netanyahu in two other corruption investigations.

The attorney general must decide whether to file charges.

In the findings announced Sunday following a long-running investigation, police said there was evidence to indict Netanyahu with bribery, fraud, breach of trust and unlawful acceptance.

They recommended Sara Netanyahu go on trial for bribery, fraud, breach of trust and obstruction of justice.

The premier has repeatedly called the allegations against him a plot by his political enemies to force him from office.

The recommendations in February involved separate cases of alleged bribery.

In one, allegations against Netanyahu include seeking a secret deal with the publisher of Israel's top-selling newspaper Yediot Aharonot to ensure positive coverage in return for pushing forward a law that would have limited the circulation of a rival.

The other case involves suspicions the premier and his family received luxury gifts from wealthy individuals in exchange for financial or personal favours.

Hamas announces ceasefire with Israel after severe escalation of violence

The alleged gifts -- including cigars, jewellery and champagne -- had an estimated value of around one million shekels (USD 270,000), police say.

Netanyahu has been prime minister for a total of more than 12 years, from 1996 to 1999 and again since 2009.

Polls suggest he would still win if elections were to be held now despite the accusations.

He could next year surpass the record set by Israel's founding father David Ben-Gurion, who spent more than 13 years in office.

He is not legally required to step down if indicted -- only if he is convicted with all avenues for appeal exhausted.

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Story first published: Saturday, December 8, 2018, 6:46 [IST]
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 8) - Following recent tirades against the Catholic Church, President Rodrigo Duterte on Saturday said he joins the faithful in commemorating the Feast of the Immaculate Conception.

In a message from Malacanang signed by the President, he hailed Virgin Mary, the mother of Jesus Christ, for her simplicity, kindness and humility.

"Let us emulate Mary's qualities as a humble and caring person and remain guided by her faithfulness as we strengthen our devotion and nurture our lives with unconditional love and good deeds that will benefit the Filipino people," the message read.

It added that Mary's acceptance of the invitation to conceive and bear Jesus should be a constant reminder of selflessness for Filipinos.

Mary "has been an epitome of faith and a source of inspiration for our people, especially during times of challenges and uncertainties," Duterte said.

Duterte's message comes after he drew flak for controversial statements against the Catholic Church, including calling on people to kill "useless" bishops who criticize his government. Malacanang shrugged off concerns over Duterte's remark, saying the public "should be getting used to" the President's exaggerated statements which are only meant for "dramatic effect."

READ: Panelo on Duterte's 'kill bishop' remark: He wants to kill them with kindness

Duterte in 2017 signed Republic Act No. 10966, declaring December 8 of every year a special non-working holiday in the entire country to commemorate the Feast of the Immaculate Conception of Mary, suspending classes and work for the Catholic feast. The Catholic Church urges its members to attend mass every December 8 to celebrate the Solemnity of the Immaculate Conception, "a time to celebrate the great joy of God's gift to humanity in Mary."
Gladiators Fight For Prizes In Quickspin's Tiger's Glory Slot

Published December 8, 2018 by Arthur M

Tiger's Glory is a slot from Quickspin that sees Roman gladiators battle tigers across 6 reels. A special free spins feature sees tigers locked in place for extra rewards.

Tiger's Glory is a 6-reel slot from Quickspin that sets the action in the Coliseum of Rome, where gladiators fight tigers in an epic battle. Players can win up to 12,000x their bet during a special Tiger Battle feature.

Quickspin are a Swedish developer that's part of the Playtech group and Tiger's Glory follows on from a number of successful slot releases this year including Eastern Emeralds, Big Bot Crew and Ark of Mystery.

Gladiators, Ready!

Symbols are in 4 rows across the 6 reels, and with winning combinations formed by matching symbols in any places on reels from left to right, players will have 4,096 ways to collect a prize. The reels are framed in Roman columns and topped off with a stone-effect roof, while the huge Coliseum rises up behind them and a dramatic soundtrack adds to the excitement.

Playing card symbols carved into the reels, will pay the lower value prizes, while 4 brave gladiators risk their lives to bring players some high paying combinations. A snarling tiger is the most valuable symbol, returning 10x the stake when it crosses all 6 reels. A golden wreath of laurels is the wild symbol that can substitute for any of these if needed, although it isn't worth anything on its own.

Let Battle Commence

The wild can't substitute for the bonus symbol, as this triggers the Tiger Battle free spins round when any 3 or more are seen. Up to 20 bonus games are awarded, depending on how many bonus symbols appeared. During these, the Enraged Tiger symbol is added to the mix, paying out in any positions and adding extra free spins when it defeats a gladiator. All Enraged Tiger's also lock in place for any remaining bonus games.

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Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Market Forecast 2018-2024 with Key Players 3D Robotics, Inc., AeroVironment, Inc., Aurora Flight Sciences, BAE Systems PLC, DJI, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd

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Global commercial unmanned aerial vehicle drones market is expected to grow from USD 3,672.79 million 2017 to USD 12,642.65 million by the end of 2024, at a Compound Annual Growth Rate (CAGR) of 19.31%.Global Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Market Size, Status and Forecast 2024, incisive report recently added to the wide-ranging database of Qurate Business Intelligence, offers a panoramic view of the global market. Prognosis associated with the market values over the approaching years of forecast period are based on methodical research and figures composed through both primary and secondary sources. The reliable processes followed to exhibit several features of the marketplace makes the data superior quality in context to time period and industry.Request for Free sample copy of this report@Prominent players profiled in the report are: 3D Robotics, Inc., AeroVironment, Inc., Aurora Flight Sciences, BAE Systems PLC, DJI, Israel Aerospace Industries Ltd., Lockheed Martin Corporation, Parrot SA, Textron Inc, The Boeing CompanyThis report is vastly informative with addition of all-inclusive market data related to the noteworthy elements and subdivision of the Global Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Market that most likely to decide upon the course of growth scenarios of the industry. The study laudably helps trades and decision makers to address the barriers and to gain benefits from exceedingly viable Global Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Market.Global Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Market is investigative report of unique nature which involves statistics in relation with chief regional markets. This includes key regional areas such as North America, Europe, Asia-Pacific, etc. and the foremost countries such as United States, Germany, United Kingdom, Japan, South Korea and China.For Enquiry OR Any Query? Ask to our Expert @The Global Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Market report aims to shape acquaintance of the market through sharing rudimentary information in relation with the features such as definitions, classifications, applications and market overview, product specifications, manufacturing processes, cost structures, raw materials and more. In addition, it aims to evaluate the substantial regional markets, including the product price, profit, capacity, production, supply, demand and market growth rate. It also focuses on forecast for the same. The study settles with new project SWOT analysis, investment feasibility analysis, and investment return analysis.Furthermore, this study recognizes comprehensive analysis of competitive landscape and assists readers to establish competitive edge over others. It distributes a remarkable data and insights in relevance with factors fueling or preventing the growth of the market. It fetches a nine-year forecast estimated on the basis of how the market is antipated to perform.Get 50% Discount on this Report@This report of optimal quality presents accurate assessment of the global market for Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones, conversing various market domains such as the production capacity, product pricing, the dynamics of demand and supply, sales volume, revenue, growth rate and more.Table of Content:Global Global Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Market Research Report 2018-2023Chapter 1: Industry OverviewChapter 2: Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones International and China Market AnalysisChapter 3: Environment Analysis of Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle DronesChapter 4: Analysis of Revenue by ClassificationsChapter 5: Analysis of Revenue by Regions and ApplicationsChapter 6: Analysis of Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Revenue Market Status.Chapter 7: Analysis of Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Industry Key ManufacturersChapter 8: Sales Price and Gross Margin AnalysisChapter 9: Marketing Trader or Distributor Analysis of Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones MarketChapter 10: Development Trend of Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Industry 2018-2023Chapter 11: Industry Chain Suppliers of Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones with Contact InformationChapter 12: New Project Investment Feasibility Analysis of Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle DronesChapter 13: Conclusion of the Global Commercial Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Drones Market Research ReportAbout 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
Beverage Refrigeration Market 2018-2024 Trend & Regional Revenue By Top Manufacturers Whirlpool Corporation, GE, Haier, Electrolux, Dover Corporation.

North America Beverage Refrigeration Market

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North America Beverage Refrigeration Market is anticipated to surpass USD 1 billion by 2024. This can be credited to escalating consumption of refreshment drinks and technological improvements in refrigeration systems. In addition, government encouraging utilization of energy-efficient and eco-friendly technologies in refrigerators.Beverage Refrigeration Market to reach USD 4.5 billion by 2024. Escalating demand for refrigerators to store and serve drinks for social gathering and private events, is a key factor driving beverage refrigeration market growth. Ongoing technological advances to reduce the overall cooling time and consumer demand for distinctive features such as bottom freezer drawer and powerful filtered water will boost beverage refrigeration market.Request for a sample copy of this report @Manufacturers are anticipated to invest in new product development to comply with new energy standards implemented by the regulatory bodies. Further, increasing penetration of refrigerators that employ specific features such as modifiable shelves to accommodate bottles and cans will boost product sales.Increasing consumer preference for packaged drinks which are convenient to consume at home will support the product demand. According to recent statistics, the global consumption of packaged drinks was estimated more than 1.05 trillion liters in 2016 and Chinese consumption amounted to about 178.6 billion liters.Beverage Refrigeration Market, By Producto Under counter beverage refrigerator Gliding door Swing Dooro Countertop beverage refrigerator Gliding door Swing dooro Storage beverage refrigeratoro Milk coolersMake an Inquiry for purchasing this Report @Under counter beverage refrigerator was valued at over USD 1 billion in 2016. Product offering such as stainless-steel body or custom panel-ready fronts are stimulating the demand. In addition, better shelving and temperature control will support segment penetration over the forecast period.Rising demand to preserve milk in dairy shops will propel coolers demand over the projected timeframe. Diary companies are upgrading their existing capacities, and setting up cold storages along with the processing plant. This will generate the overall revenue over the forecast period.Asia Pacific market holds over 20% of overall industry share in 2016. According to industry estimates, the region is anticipated to account for more than two-thirds of the global beverages consumption by 2020. The region accounts for 60% of the world population and increasing consumption will provide lucrative opportunities for manufacturers.Browse Report Summery @Global Beverage Refrigeration Market is fragmented in nature. Key industry players are Electrolux, Daikin Industries, Avanti, Dover Corporation, KingsBottle, Whirlpool Corporation, Edgestar, Haier, Ford and General Electrics. Other Industry participants are Koolatron, Coca-Cola, Danfoss, Gamko, Liebherr, Marvel, Kegco, Danby, Johnson Controls, U-line, HABCO, Allavino, Kenmore, Marvel, United Technologies Corporation and Illinois Tool Works.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:
Global Tax Preparation Software Market and Key players like: TurboTax, QuickBooks, TaxAct, CompleteTax, Jackson Hewitt

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Tax Preparation Software manufacturers and is a valuable source of guidance and direction for companies and individuals interested in the industry. Tax Preparation Software Market simplifies the process of filing tax through tax forms and also automatically calculates a company's or individuals tax compulsions/obligations. The objective of this software is to provide the user with a simplified solution to calculate tax payment and minimize any associated human error. Tax Preparation Software Market offers numerous opportunities for countries that intend to invest in developing new technological features in various industries.Get Sample Copy of this Report @A growing demand for popular products that are being used for oral and other applications such as household and hospital has been carefully drafted in the scope of the report. Of Tax Preparation Software Market While the threat of substitutes and technological risks could have an unfavorable impact on the global market, potential applications and opportunities from emerging regions have been anticipated to raise the hopes of industry players.Top Key Vendors in Market:TurboTax, QuickBooks, TaxAct, CompleteTax, Jackson Hewitt, H&R Block, TaxAct, Liberty Tax, TaxSlayerAsk for discount@Tax software market are increase in the penetration of tax software, rise in investments in digital solutions, and adoption of electronic accounting. Vendors across regions are investing in the development of advanced technology to provide tax preparation software market solutions. For instance, banks and insurance companies are most heavily hit by identity theft and lose billions of dollars each year as a result. Therefore, the banking sector is adopting tax software in order to avoid losses.The global Tax Preparation Software Market holds a core aspect of its demand scales on the rate of patients falling ill or suffering trauma or injuries. Of these, the accelerating spread of contagious diseases is the top factor driving the demand for medical devices. Among the number of device types categorized in the market, in vitro diagnostic devices are among the leading ones dominating the market. This is partly due to the growing demand for noninvasive diagnostic.Table of Content:Tax Preparation Software Market Research Report 2018-2023Chapter 1: Tax Preparation Software IntroductionChapter 2: Tax Preparation Software Market OverviewChapter 3: Global Tax Preparation Software Analysis by Key PlayersChapter 4: Tax Preparation Software Market Size and Type by ApplicationChapter 5: Global Tax Preparation Software Development StatusChapter 6: Tax Preparation Software Market Effect Factors Analysis.Chapter 7: Production, Revenue by RegionChapter 8: Tax Preparation Software Market ForecastChapter 9: Distributor Analysis of Global Software MarketChapter 10: Tax Preparation Software Market Industry 2018-2023Chapter 11: Telemetry Monitoring System Market with Contact InformationChapter 12: Feasibility Analysis of Tax Preparation Software MarketFor 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. Where counting on a legitimate board company for your selections will become critical. Research N Reports specializes in enterprise evaluation, marketplace forecasts and as a result getting great reports overlaying all verticals, whether be it gaining angle on modern market situations or being in advance inside the cut throat Global opposition.Contact:(Research N Reports)10916, Gold Point Dr, Houston, TX, Pin - 77064,Sunny Denis(Sales Manager),+1-8886316977,sales@researchnreports.com
Blockchain Government Market Growing at CAGR of +84% by 2023: Know About Technology and Services, Application, Future Outlook, Competitive Analysis  Forecast 2018 to 2023

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There are so many blockchain projects were under way in many countries. On the other hand, the speed of expansion of blockchain government projects led by the government all over the world is amazing. For example, Estonia has used blockchain technology to broadcast Electronic identification for identity verification of its citizens. Additionally, electronic voting systems based. In blockchain they are being built in many countries, including Ukraine, Estonia and Australia. Honduras and Georgia tried to introduce blockchain technology to manage their lands US records is working to incorporate blockchain technology to record and share medical information, and the United Kingdom is conducting research and development to apply Blockchain technology for public services.Blockchain government market expected to grow at CAGR of +84% from 2018 to 2023.Get Sample Report PDF Just by One Click @Top Key Players:IBM (US), SAP (Germany), Microsoft (US), Oracle (US), Deloitte (US), AWS (US), Infosys (India), Bitfury (the Netherlands), Auxesis Group (India), Cegeka (the Netherlands), Factom (US), BTL (Canada), SpinSys (US), OTC Exchange Network (US), ModulTrade (UK), Blocko (South Korea), Symbiont (US), brainbot technologies (Germany), Guardtime (Estonia), BigchainDB (Germany), Somish (India), RecordsKeeper (Spain), Intel (US), Accenture (Ireland), and Blockchain Foundary (Singapore).Analysis tools such as Porters five forces analysis and SWOT analysis have also been utilized for analyzing the market data. The major strategies adopted by the already established players for a better penetration in the global blockchain government market also form a key section of this study. This market report offers a comprehensive analysis of the global market.The report studies the global blockchain government market with the primary focus on Europe, North America, Asia-Pacific, Middle East & Africa Latin America.By company type: Tier 1: 20%, Tier 2: 45%, and Tier 3: 35%By designation: C-Level: 48%, Director Level: 37%, Managers 15%By region: North America: 22%, Europe: 45%, APAC: 26%, and RoW: 7%Get Upto 60% Discount on Report @The data comprised in the blockchain government market research report has been taken by accessing case studies, and by taking contributions from top diligence leaders. The chief sections of the market have been highlighted. These segments have been presented by giving information on their present and prophesied state by the end of the forecast. This information would help the upcoming players to estimate the investment scope within the segments and sub-segments of the global blockchain government industry.In this study, the years considered to estimate the size of blockchain government market are as follows: History Year: 2013-2018 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year 2018 to 2025Table of Content:Chapter 1. Market Overview of Global Blockchain Government MarketChapter 2. Competition Analysis by PlayersChapter 3. Company (Top Players) ProfilesChapter 4. Market Size by Type and ApplicationChapter 5. US Market Status and OutlookChapter 6. EU Development Market Status and OutlookChapter 7. Japan Market Development Status and OutlookChapter 8. China Market Status and OutlookChapter 9. India Global Blockchain Government Market Status and OutlookChapter 10. Southeast Asia Market Status and OutlookChapter 11. Market Forecast by Region, Type and ApplicationChapter 12. Market DynamicsChapter 13. Market Effect Factor AnalysisChapter 14. Research Finding/ ConclusionChapter 15. AppendixKnow More before Buying Full Report @About Us:Report Consultant - A global leader in analytics, research and advisory that can assist you to renovate your business and modify your approach. With us, you will learn to take decisions intrepidly. We make sense of drawbacks, opportunities, circumstances, estimations and information using our experienced skills and verified methodologies.Our research reports will give you an exceptional experience of innovative solutions and outcomes. We have effectively steered businesses all over the world with our market research reports and are outstandingly positioned to lead digital transformations. Thus, we craft greater value for clients by presenting advanced opportunities in the global market.Contact us:Rebecca Parker(Report Consultant)Akasaka biz tower,5-3-1 akasaka minato-ku,Tokyo, JapanContact No: +81-368444299sales@reportconsultant.com
Tramadol Market 2018-2025 | Estimated By Top Key Players CSL Limited, Grnenthal GmbH, Mundipharma, Hexal AG

Tramadol Market 2018-2025 | Estimated By Top Key Players CSL Limited, Grnenthal GmbH, Mundipharma, Hexal AG

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Tramadol Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period.Get Exclusive FREE Sample Copy Of this Report @ https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/requested_sample/34303UpMarketResearch offers a latest published report on Global Tramadol Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 delivering key insights and providing a competitive advantage to clients through a detailed report. The report contains pages which highly exhibit on current market analysis scenario, upcoming as well as future opportunities, revenue growth, pricing and profitability.Tramadol Market research report delivers a close watch on leading competitors with strategic analysis, micro and macro market trend and scenarios, pricing analysis and a holistic overview of the market situations in the forecast period. It is a professional and a detailed report focusing on primary and secondary drivers, market share, leading segments and geographical analysis. Further, key players, major collaborations, merger & acquisitions along with trending innovation and business policies are reviewed in the report. The report contains basic, secondary and advanced information pertaining to the Tramadol Market global status and trend, market size, share, growth, trends analysis, segment and forecasts from 2018  2025.The scope of the report extends from market scenarios to comparative pricing between major players, cost and profit of the specified market regions. The numerical data is backed up by statistical tools such as SWOT analysis, BCG matrix, SCOT analysis, PESTLE analysis and so on. The statistics are represented in graphical format for a clear understanding on facts and figures.For More Information On This Report, Please VisitThe generated report is firmly based on primary research, interviews with top executives, news sources and information insiders. Secondary research techniques are implemented for better understanding and clarity for data analysis.The report for Tramadol market analysis & forecast 2018- 2025 is segmented into Product Segment, Application Segment & Major players.Region- wise Analysis Global Tramadol Market covers: North America Europe China Japan India Southeast Asia Other regions (Central & South America, Middle East & Africa)The Major players reported in the market include: CSL Limited Grnenthal GmbH Mundipharma Hexal AG Labopharm Pliva Pharma Nippon Shinyaku Atoz Pharmaceuticals Rompharm Company Amneal Pharmaceuticals Par Pharmaceutical Kosher Pharmaceuticals CSPC Xinhua Pharmaceutical Tianlong Shiye Southwest PharmaceuticalGlobal Tramadol Market: Product Segment Analysis: Oral Type Injection TypeGlobal Tramadol Market: Application Segment Analysis: Hospital Pharmacy Retail Pharmacy Online PharmacyTo Buy This Report and Get It Delivered In Your Inbox Within 24 Hours @ https://www.upmarketresearch.com/buy/tramadol-market-researchTramadol Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 report helps the clients to take business decisions and to understand strategies of major players in the industry. The report also calls for market- driven results deriving feasibility studies for client needs. UpMarketResearch ensures qualified and verifiable aspects of market data operating in the real- time scenario. The analytical studies are conducted ensuring client needs with a thorough understanding of market capacities in the real- time scenario.Global Tramadol Market: Key Stakeholders: Tramadol Manufacturers Tramadol Distributors/Traders/Wholesalers Tramadol Subcomponent Manufacturers Industry Association Downstream VendorsIn this study, the years considered to estimate the market size of Tramadol are as follows: History Year: 2013-2017 Base Year: 2017 Estimated Year: 2018 Forecast Year 2018 to 2025Key Reasons to Purchase: To gain insightful analyses of the market and have a comprehensive understanding of the Global Tramadol Market Analysis and Forecast 2018- 2025 and its commercial landscape. Learn about the market strategies that are being adopted by your competitors and leading organizations. To understand the future outlook and prospects for Tramadol market analysis and forecast 2018- 2025.Avail Discount On this Report @https://www.upmarketresearch.com/home/request_for_discount/34303Customization 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.You can also ask for region wise market research report, as below: Tramadol - Global Market Status & Trend Report 2013- 2025 Top 20 Countries Data Tramadol - North America Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Tramadol - South America Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Tramadol - Europe Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Tramadol - EMEA Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Tramadol - Asia Pacific Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Tramadol - China Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Tramadol - India Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025 Tramadol - United States Market Status and Trend Report 2013- 2025About UpMarketResearch:The UpMarketResearch () 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 States.
CHARLOTTESVILLE, Va. - An avowed supporter of neo-Nazi beliefs who took part in the violent and chaotic white-supremacist Unite the Right rally in this city last year was found guilty Friday of first-degree murder for killing a woman by ramming his car through a crowd of counterprotesters.

A jury of seven women and five men began deliberating Friday morning and took just over seven hours to reach its decision that James Fields Jr., 21, of Maumee, Ohio, acted with premeditation when he backed up his 2010 Dodge Challenger and then roared it down a narrow downtown street crowded with counterprotesters, slamming into them and another car. Heather Heyer, 32, was killed and 35 others were injured, many grievously. Fields was also found guilty on eight counts of malicious wounding.

When Fields was brought into the courtroom Friday evening, he nodded slightly toward his mother, who was sitting nearby. As the clerk read the verdict, his face betrayed no emotion.

The deadly attack in the early afternoon of Aug. 12, 2017, culminated a dark 24 hours in this quiet college town. It was marked by a menacing torchlight march through the University of Virginia campus the night before, with participants shouting racist and anti-Semitic insults, and wild street battles on the morning of the planned rally between white supremacists and those opposing their ideology.

As the sounds and images of brutal beatings, bloodied faces and hate-filled chants spread across the country and around the world, this city quickly became identified with the emergence of a new order of white supremacy that no longer felt compelled to hide in the shadows or the safety of online anonymity.

Many in their emboldened ranks shouted fascist slogans, displayed Nazi swastikas and Confederate battle flags and extended their arms in Sieg Heil salutes. Many also wore red Make America Great Again hats, saying they were encouraged in the public display of their beliefs by President Donald Trump, who came under intense criticism when he said later that there were "very fine people" on both sides of the demonstration.

Fields' conviction followed six days of testimony in Charlottesville Circuit Court, where Heyer's deadly injuries were detailed and survivors of the crash described the chaos and their own injuries. Jeanne Peterson, 38, who limped to the witness stand, said she'd had five surgeries and would have another next year. Wednesday Bowie, a counterprotester in her 20s, said her pelvis was broken in six places. Marcus Martin described pushing his then-fiancee out of the Challenger's path before he was struck.

Susan Bro, Heyer's mother, sat near the front of the crowded courtroom every day watching the proceedings overseen by Judge Richard Moore. Fields' mother, Samantha Bloom, sat in her wheelchair on the other side, an island in a sea of her son's victims and their supporters.

For both prosecutors and Fields' defense lawyers, the case was always about intent. Defense attorneys Denise Lunsford and John Hill did not deny Fields drove the car that killed Heyer and injured dozens. But they said it was not out of malice, rather out of fear for his own safety and confusion. They said he regretted his actions immediately, and pointed the jury to his repeated professions of sorrow shortly after his arrest and his uncontrollable sobbing when he learned of the injuries and death he had caused.

"He wasn't angry, he was scared," Lunsford told the jury in her closing argument.

Early in the trial the defense said there would be testimony from witnesses concerning Fields' mental health, but those witnesses were never brought forward.

Prosecutors, though, said Fields was enraged when he drove more than 500 miles from his apartment in Ohio to take part in the rally - and later chose to act on that anger by ramming his two-door muscle car into the crowd. They described Fields "idling, watching" in his Challenger on Fourth Street and surveying a diverse and joyous crowd of marchers a block and a half away that was celebrating the cancellation of the planned rally.

They showed video and presented witnesses testifying that there was no one around Fields' car when he slowly backed it up the street and then raced it forward down the hill into the unsuspecting crowd. In her final address to the jury Thursday, Senior-Assistant Commonwealth's Attorney Nina-Alice Antony showed a close-up of Fields in his car to rebut the idea that he was frightened when he acted.

"This is not the face of someone who is scared," Antony said. "This is the face of anger, of hatred. It's the face of malice."

Jurors were shown a now-deleted Instagram post that Fields shared three months before the crash. "You Have the Right to Protest, But I'm Late for Work," read the post, accompanied by an image of a car running into a group of people.

As he looked down the crowded street Fields saw a chance, Antony told the jury, to "make his Instagram post a reality."

Jurors also saw a text exchange shortly before the rally in which Fields told his mother he was planning to attend, and she told him to be careful. "We're not the one who need to be careful," Fields replied in a misspelled text message on Aug. 11, 2017. He included an attachment: a meme showing Adolf Hitler.

Lunsford dismissed the significance of the Hitler photo and Fields' Instagram post and asked the jury to ignore how they felt about Field's political views when deciding whether to convict him.

"You can't do that based on the fact that he holds extreme right-wing views," she said.

April Muniz, 50, was on Fourth Street when Fields drove into the crowd. She escaped physical injury but is still traumatized by witnessing the violent act and seeing so many people she was celebrating with one moment suffer horrific injuries the next. Muniz attended every day of the proceedings and said the trial helped her "pull the shattered pieces of that day together."

After the verdict was read and the judge ended proceedings, victims and their supporters hugged quietly, some crying softly. Bro embraced each of the prosecutors, followed by a line of well-wishers.

Muniz said she had made friends during the criminal process and felt "relieved that they have the justice they've been seeking and I hope they continue to heal."

Later, activists gathered outside the courthouse to celebrate the verdict. They chanted "Whose streets? Our streets."

Fields, who also was convicted of failure to stop at the accident, is set to return to court Monday for a sentencing hearing before the same jury. Bro said she would not comment until that phase of the proceeding has ended.

The guilty verdict for Fields is not the end of his legal troubles. He still faces a federal trial on hate crimes that carries the possibility of the death penalty.

The guilty verdict does not bring an end to this city's misery. The legacy of that hate-filled weekend hangs over the city, a cloud that refuses to blow away. The physical and psychic injuries are slow to fade. The trial surfaced painful memories and emotions for many in this small city who were in the streets that day or have friends and acquaintances who were injured.

The city became the focal point for white supremacists when city council members voted to remove statues of Confederate Gens. Robert E. Lee and Thomas J. "Stonewall" Jackson from downtown parks. The statues were erected in the 1920s during the Jim Crow era. After the August violence, the council voted to sell both statues, but they remain in place for now under a court injunction. Confederate heritage supporters sued the city, saying a Virginia law prohibits removal of the statues.

"A lot of people have worked hard for August 12 not to feel like every day of our lives," said Seth Wispelwey, a local minister who helped form Congregate Charlottesville, a faith-based group formed in advance of a Ku Klux Klan rally and the Unite the Right rally here last summer. "This trial acutely and minutely relived that weekend, so that has been very difficult for many folks."

Though Fields' trial has been the most extensively covered, there are more trials and lawsuits to come, including one against Jason Kessler, a city resident and one of the rallys organizers. And the fate of the two Confederate statues - the original spark for the violence of 2017 - is scheduled to be decided in a court here in January.
One of six age-discrimination lawsuits filed against Oregon retailers for refusing to sell guns or ammunition to young adults under 21 went down in flames this week.

Airion Grace wanted $1.01 million from Bi-Mart. He says he was 20 when a Hillsboro employee refused to sell shotgun shells to him because of a new store policy to limit the sale of guns and ammunition.

But Washington County Circuit Judge Charles Bailey refused to award Grace any damages, saying he couldnt determine if the young man actually tried to buy the ammunition on March 6, a few days before he filed suit. The judge cited factual problems with Graces testimony and inconsistencies between his testimony and that of his girlfriends.

Three similar lawsuits are headed toward trial in Lane, Jackson and Josephine counties. Two other lawsuits have settled for undisclosed amounts with Fred Meyer and Dicks Sporting Goods, which owns the Field & Stream chain.

Oregon courts and state regulators have been asked to rule on the legalities of policies enacted by major retailers in the weeks after the mass shooting in Parkland, Florida, on Feb. 14. Seventeen students and staff died after a 19-year-old former student opened fire at Marjory Stoneman Douglas High School.

The stores said they have a social responsibility to go beyond local and national gun control laws by adopting more restrictive limits on who they sell guns to or what guns they sell.

Federal law bans firearms retailers from selling handguns, but not rifles or shotguns, to anyone under 21. Oregon law allows residents to buy shotguns or rifles starting at age 18.

By mid-March, two weeks after Fred Meyer enacted a 21-and-over policy, the chain took things a step further by announcing it was phasing out the sale of firearms and ammunition to people of all ages.

Young adults have pushed back, saying the stores that are refusing to sell to them violate Oregons anti-discrimination law, which prohibits discrimination based on a host of characteristics, including race, religion, sexual orientation and age.

In addition to the six lawsuits, six other young adults have filed complaints with officials at the Oregon Bureau of Labor & Industries. While the labor bureau is still in the preliminary or investigatory stages of most of those cases, it has made a recommendation in one of them:

That Walmart should pay $5,000 in damages for physical, mental and emotional distress to Hannah Brumbles, who at age 18 in March went to the St. Helens Walmart in Columbia County and was denied when she tried to buy a rifle.

The labor bureau alleged that Walmart violated state anti-discrimination law in doing so. An administrative law judge is set to hear the case and make a ruling in January.

Randy Hargrove, a Walmart spokesman, said the retailer believes it has the right to set its own policy and that doesnt conflict with Oregon law.

We stand behind our decision, our policy, Hargrove said Friday.

The labor bureaus recommendation doesnt mean that its commissioner, Brad Avakian, believes its a bad idea to keep 18-, 19- and 20-year-olds from buying guns and ammunition. He plans to introduce a bill in the next legislative session that raises Oregons gun- and ammo-buying age to 21, said bureau spokeswoman Christine Lewis.

The bill also would include an exception to the states anti-discrimination law, stating its not illegal to deny the sale of guns and ammunition to those under 21. The exception would be similar to clauses written in the law that prevent people under 21 from buying alcohol or marijuana, Lewis said.

In Washington County, where Grace went to trial against Bi-Mart, the judge was sympathetic to many of Graces arguments. Bailey said he thought it was up to the Legislature and not individual retailers to set the legal age for buying guns and ammunition.

But Bailey said he wouldnt order Bi-Mart to retract its policy based on Graces claim because he found the case to be riddled with problems.

Grace, who turned 21 last week, said he was deeply embarrassed when he asked a clerk at the gun sales counter to sell him some federal 12-gauge shotgun ammunition and she apologized, pointing to the stores new 21-and-older policy.

I felt quite lesser than, and it made me feel like a second-class citizen, Grace testified during his trial Thursday. ... I just left empty-handed.

Grace said he started counseling last month and hes hoping it will help with his embarrassment.

It gave me just feelings of anxiety, Grace said, noting there were other people around him when he was denied. There were -- what I felt like -- some prying eyes.

Grace said hed successfully bought shotgun ammunition at the gun sales counter at least five times before.

But Bi-Marts lawyer, Samuel Anderson, called on a Bi-Mart executive who said the chain doesnt sell ammunition at its gun sales counters. Rather, customers must make the purchase at the front registers.

Its clear from his testimony that he was not truthful, Anderson told the judge.

Grace also testified that he next went to Fred Meyer and was denied there, too. He went home without buying any ammunition that day, he said. But Graces girlfriend, Lilia Roberts, testified that she was with him and they went to Big 5 Sporting Goods after that and that Grace bought ammunition there.

Grace and his attorney, Max Whittington, left the courtroom clearly disappointed. Grace declined comment, saying he just wanted to go home.

Whittington said there will be other battles. In January, Whittington will represent another client in trial against Walmart: Tyler Watson is suing a Walmart in Grants Pass for $10,000, claiming the store rejected his attempt to buy a rifle.

In March, Whittington is scheduled to go to trial in the case of Brandy Dalbeck, who filed a $10,000 lawsuit after she claims Bi-Marts Florence store refused to sell her a 20-gauge, duck-hunting shotgun that she tried to buy when she was 18 in June.

Another client, Timmothy Kochen, hasnt been scheduled for trial yet. He is suing Walmart, claiming that its Medford store in August refused to sell him shotgun shells and some clay pigeons for target shooting. Kochen was 20 years old at the time.

-- Aimee Green

agreen@oregonian.com

o_aimee
A simple question for the elected leaders of Multnomah County and City of Portland. I just returned from Dallas-Fort Worth, Texas which is the fourth largest population, according to the U.S. census. Why does a mega community in Texas, a state with the lowest contribution to Medicaid or social services, not have a massive homeless problem?

The economy in both Oregon and Texas are booming, but Oregon schools and community services are among the worst in the nation. While crowded at rush hours, Texas toll roads and freeways were moving. Is it time to throw out all the elected -- and ineffective -- leaders in the Portland area? And Oregon wants $2 billion more? So much for Oregons great society.

Wes Bell, Gresham
An organization overseeing Jesuit operations in 10 states released the names Friday of 111 Jesuit priests who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse against minors. Twenty of the priests worked in Oregon at least part of their careers.

The alleged cases of abuse date back to 1950. Eighty-three of the 111 accused are dead.

Nine of the 111 spent time at Jesuit High School, the exclusive westside private school.

We did this out of a desire for transparency, said Tracey Primrose, director of communications for Jesuits West, which is based in Portland. We hope this will allow the victims to heal.

The Jesuits are an influential order of priests numbering more than 16,000 worldwide. Jesuits also operate several high schools and universities, including St. Louis University and Marquette University.

The Jesuits have previously settled lawsuits across the country, including a $166 million settlement involving about 500 abuse claims in Oregon in 2011, which was one of the largest settlements involving clergy abuse allegations.

Since the first cases of widespread clergy sexual abuse in the early 2000s, the Jesuits say they have significantly modified how they deal with accusations of abuse. Jesuits West says it has adopted a zero-tolerance policy for credible allegations made against Jesuits involving minors or vulnerable adults and stringent procedures to ensure the safety of minors. No Jesuit who has a credible allegation of sexually abusing a minor is allowed to remain in public ministry, the group claims.

Jesuits West said its review of priest behavior is not over. The group has hired Dr. Kathleen McChesney, a former senior manager at the FBI, to go through its files in the spring of 2019. If additional cases of Jesuits with credible allegations of abuse are identified, the group says, it will release those names as well.

Jesuit High School President Thomas Arndorfer said in a letter to parents that protecting students will always be our foremost priority. He noted that of the nine alleged abusers who worked at the school, the most recent employee left 25 years ago in 1993. Of the nine individuals accused, seven are now deceased, one has been removed from ministry and lives in California, and one was dismissed from the Jesuits in 1974.

Anyone who feels victimized by a Jesuit is urged to contact both Mary Pat Panighetti, Advocacy Coordinator for Jesuits West, at 408-893-8398, and appropriate law enforcement and child-protective agencies.

Among the 111 names in the Jesuits West report are several with Oregon connections. Their names are below, along with their local work histories, when available.

The Rev. Arnold Beezer -- Jesuit High School, St. Luke Church, Woodburn, several Portland-area hospitals, 1966-1980.

The Rev. William Bischoff -- Campion Hall, Portland, 1967-68

The Rev. Francis Callan -- St. Marys, Pendleton, 1957-68

The Rev. James McDonough -- Jesuit High School, 1974-78

The Rev. Francis Duffy -- Jesuit High School, St. Luke

The Rev. James Hurley -- Jesuit High School, St. Marys Pendleton, 1973-1985

The Rev. James Jacobsen -- Oregon State Penitentiary, 1980-2005

The Rev. Gordon Keys -- Jesuit High School, St. Vincents Hospital, 1965-90

The Rev. David King -- Jesuit High School, 1965-1993

The Rev. Leonard Kohlman -- Campion Hall, Portland, 1954-55

The Rev. John Leary -- Provincial Residency, Portland, 1991-92

The Rev. Gabriel Menager -- St. Ignatius, Portland

The Rev. John P. OBrien -- Sheridan

The Rev. Paul OConnor -- Campion Hall, Portland, 1959-60

The Rev. Peter OGrady -- St. Ignatius

The Rev. Patrick J. OReilly -- N/A

The Rev. Sylvester Penna -- St. Katherines, Enterprise, 1972-73

The Rev. James E. Poole -- Jesuit High School, 1964-65

The Rev. Edmund Robinson -- St. Luke, Woodburn, 1985-86

The Rev. Theodore Hilaire, Jesuit High School, 1961-64

The Rev. Ignatius Jakes, Jesuit High School, 1968-72

-- Jeff Manning, The Oregonian/OregonLive
A Gresham woman is accused of stealing more than $400 in items from a Walmart in Wood Village while several Multnomah County deputies were in the store for a charity toy drive.

Jamie Lutz, 29, was walking out of the store around 10:45 a.m. Saturday, pulling a rolling duffle bag, when she set off the security alarm, a probable cause affidavit said. A sheriffs sergeant was standing nearby, and told Lutz to stop, but she kept walking away.

The sergeant ran up to Lutz, grabbed her by the arm, and she pulled away, causing her to drop the duffle bag and her purse. The sergeant was able to grab onto her again and pushed her, the affidavit said. She fell to the ground, and he detained her.

Lutz told the sergeant the items in the duffle bag were for a drug dealer to whom she owed money, the affidavit said. She also said she stashed other items for herself in her purse, the court papers said.

Lutz took mostly clothing, according to the county sheriffs office. She had leggings, hoodies, boots and other items.

Lutz was booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center on suspicion of third-degree theft and resisting arrest.

The Walmart on Northeast Sandy Boulevard has been hosting the toy drive every weekend from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. since Nov. 24. People are encouraged to bring or buy new unwrapped gifts that will be later donated to East County families. Deputies will also be at the store Saturday and Sunday.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey
Six months ago, Gov. Kate Brown called lawmakers back to Salem to vote on what she described as an urgent matter of fairness: extending a state tax break for business owners to sole proprietors, allowing them to reduce their state tax bills by up to $11 million.

Democrats were divided, with more than a few dismayed at the prospect of voting to expand a tax policy they believed was benefitting wealthy doctors, lawyers and other professionals rather than growing small businesses as promised. Meanwhile, Browns staff struggled to find any examples of Mom n Pop sole proprietorships that would benefit from being added to the policy.

An analysis by economists in the nonpartisan Legislative Revenue Office showed would mostly benefit higher-income earners. Still, most Democrats and Republicans in the Legislature ultimately voted to pass Browns tax cut in a one-day special session on May 21.

Now, a month after she won re-election, Brown is calling for lawmakers to partially undo that tax cut and significantly trim the broader original policy passed in 2013 as part of then-Gov. John Kitzhaber and the Legislatures so-called grand bargain. That could net the state an additional $45.9 million, according to Browns 2019-2021 budget proposal released Nov. 28.

Its just one of the tax increases Brown is proposing. To fund Oregons Medicaid program, she wants to raise roughly $700 million from a variety of tax and fee increases over the next two years and even more in future biennia when a $2-a-pack cigarette tax hike would take full effect. And the governor wants to raise the minimum state taxes that corporations must pay, which would result in businesses paying an estimated $31.3 million more in taxes as Oregon Public Broadcasting has reported.

Separately, Brown wants the Legislature to raise $2 billion in new business taxes so the state can spend more on its mediocre education system. She has not said what type of tax or taxes lawmakers should use to get to get that money. But her administration is discussing ideas privately with legislative leaders and a group called the Coalition for the Common Good, composed of the states public employee unions and a handful businesses.

The governors desire to slash the business tax break is not entirely surprising: in her last budget proposal two years ago, she said the Legislature should end it completely. House Democrats passed a bill in 2017 to restrict eligibility for the benefit, after early analysis showed wealthy doctors and lawyers were taking advantage of it; the bill died in the Senate.

She was aggressively running for re-election against Republican Knute Buehler during the time she called the special session to expand the tax break. Through her spokeswoman, Brown indicated on Friday that the original tax break was excessive and her new limits are much more reasonable.

Currently, the state allows people with at least one employee and income from so-called pass-through businesses such as S corporations and partnerships to pay lower rates on that income, up to $5 million. For example, someone with income from such a business would pay 7 percent tax on income up to $250,000, a marginal rate otherwise reserved for joint filers with income up to $17,400.

Browns new plan is to phase out the tax break above $1 million of income.

The governor also wants to limit the tax break for people who work in certain sectors including health care, legal and financial services, although Browns 491-page budget plan did not say what she wants the limit to be.

Despite its length, the document lacks other basic information about the tax cuts, such as whether the $45.9 million revenue estimate from trimming the pass-through and sole proprietor tax break is for one or two years. Kate Kondayen, the governors spokeswoman, was unable to say on Friday which it was.

Chris Allanach, the states legislative revenue officer, said that based on state economists previous analysis of potential changes to these tax rates, it is likely an annual revenue figure. For example, the Legislative Revenue Office has estimated the state could bring in an additional $17 million a year in taxes if it capped the tax benefit at $1 million, and another $20 to $25 million annually by reducing the industry sectors eligible, Allanach said.

-- Hillary Borrud

hborrud@oregonian.com

503-294-4034; @hborrud
Portland police say officers fired at a man inside and then outside a Starbucks attached to a Fred Meyer grocery store in Northeast Portland on Friday, wounding him after he harassed baristas and displayed a handgun once authorities arrived.

Four officers opened fire on the 34-year-old man at the coffee shop in the same building as the Hollywood district Fred Meyer at 3030 N.E. Weidler St. after 5:05 p.m., according to Portland police spokesman Sgt. Pete Simpson. The man was taken to a hospital for treatment and is expected to survive, he said.

The wounded mans identity has not yet been released by police. Simpson said he has a federal warrant for his arrest on suspicion of escape. A firearm believed to have been in the wounded mans possession was seized by officers, Simpson said. He added that its not yet clear if the gun was fired, nor has it been confirmed if it is real or a replica.

No one else was injured. The four officers involved have not yet been identified, and they will be placed on paid administrative leave.

Fred Meyer remained open after the shooting and was still serving customers as of 8:40 p.m. There is no entrance into the Starbucks from inside the grocery store.

A large section of the parking lot near Northeast 30th Avenue and Broadway was blocked off with several rows of yellow police tape, but customers outside the tape came and went from the store using another entrance and shopped as usual.

A few customers shopping in the store at the time of the shooting told The Oregonian/OregonLive that they heard three to eight gunshots and initially werent sure where they were coming from. Employees in the store said they were told not to speak to anyone other than police about the shooting.

Tamara Siuda said she was walking toward a Chase bank ATM in the shopping complex to deposit a check when when she heard shouting and saw police officers with guns running in that direction. She slowed down and considered heading back to her car, but decided that it might not protect her if a shooting were to occur.

She decided to stay on the side of the building. Two Fred Meyer employees stopped her from heading into the store, and the three of them speculated about what could be going on to draw armed officers there.

We yelled at several people in cars to not go near the store, and the gunfire began, Siuda said. I cant say there was much time to think.

The three huddled against the building and ducked down, she said. Siuda credits prior martial arts training in helping her keep her composure during the shooting.

She was not sure how many shots she heard.

Once there is that much gunfire, though, the only smart thing to do is get out of the way, she said.

Siuda said they saw officers drag a man onto the sidewalk from near the Starbucks entrance, and then she and the Fred Meyer employees decided to head into the grocery store.

Customers were being directed to leave through the garden area entrance. Police put up caution tape around the area, she said.

Siuda said she later asked to get her car, which was parked in the cordoned-off section, and was eventually allowed to leave.

She was surprised how quickly the shooting unfolded. She said she sent a text about seeing police with guns at the store at 5:18 p.m. and replied that she was safe six minutes later. She saw an ambulance leave at 5:39 p.m. and got home by 6:23 p.m.

Siuda said after looking at the timestamps on her phone, she felt everything occurred over a much longer period of time. She later learned that the man shot was going to survive.

I am very glad that it wasnt much worse than it was, she said. I think it could have been, easily.

Some possible witnesses at one point were led out of the store by officers and onto a TriMet bus parked in the cordoned-off section of the parking lot. Police staff individually took their pictures while on the bus and then took them into cars nearby and interviewed them.

Portland Police Chief Danielle Outlaw was among the officers at the shooting scene. She said in a statement that an investigation of the shooting is underway.

Im thankful there was no loss of life during this volatile situation, she said.

According to Simpson, the 34-year-old man appeared under the influence of alcohol or drugs when he came into the Starbucks and began yelling at workers. He then went behind the counter, causing the employees to go into a back room and lock the door.

The man tried to get inside the room, and someone called 911. Officers saw the man with the gun when they arrived, prompting them to shoot at him inside the coffee shop, Simpson said.

The man then went outside the Starbucks, was shot at again and fell down after being hit, Simpson said. He then struggled with officers as they tried putting him in handcuffs, according to Simpson.

He was taken to a hospital in Portland for treatment. Its not yet clear how long he will be in the hospital. He will likely be booked into the Multnomah County Detention Center afterward.

Simpson said he didnt immediately have any more details on the mans prior federal case. He said he didnt know how many workers were in the Starbucks when the shooting occurred and added that investigators believe customers left soon after the man arrived.

Simpson said more information related to the shooting will possibly be released Saturday.

Update, 12/8: This story has been updated with additional witness account.

-- Everton Bailey Jr.

ebailey@oregonian.com | 503-221-8343 |@EvertonBailey
An overhaul of a plan to allow more duplexes, triplexes and four-plexes in Portlands residential neighborhoods would result in more new homes than the old version, a new report found.

The Residential Infill Project is an initiative launched under former Mayor Charlie Hales to increase density in neighborhoods mostly filled with single-family houses and in doing so help reduce the cost of housing. The Portland City Council approved the concept in 2016, but the city is still working to write it into city code.

The first version of the plan, however, managed to disappoint both housing activists, who said it wouldnt go far enough in increasing density, and neighborhood groups, who said it would create an incentive to demolish older homes and crowd their neighborhoods.

The effort to add housing units in long-established neighborhoods was undercut by home- and lot-size restrictions that made triplexes and four-plexes mostly infeasible.

An analysis of the newest proposal, commissioned by the city from Portland housing economist Jerry Johnson, found it would create 24,000 new homes over the first 20 years the policy was in place. The previous version would only have created about 200.

A lot of the redevelopment under the previous model was one-for-one, Johnson said. By removing a single-family home and putting up a new single family home, you were getting a lot of construction activity but not a lot of added density.

Thats because under the previous version of the proposal, it would have been easier or more profitable to build one larger single-family house or two split-lot skinny houses, oft maligned for their lanky style by neighbors but popular among homebuyers looking for a less expensive option.

The new rule would allow duplexes, triplexes and four-plexes on more lots, increasing the odds that a multi-unit house would be the most profitable for a developer will pursue. The new version also would increase building size allowances for added units.

And the new version expands the policy to cover most of the city. Previously, it was limited to what were considered high-opportunity housing areas with close access to amenities, schools and jobs.

The resulting units would rent for something approximate to the market average for a newly constructed apartment today  about $1,800. Under the old version, most new rentals would have been single-family houses that would rent for $3,000.

The forecast found the new zoning would result in an 8 percent increase in redevelopment of existing houses, which is likely to be unpopular with neighborhood groups that have rallied against home demolitions. Groups have also opposed the deconstruction of traditional single-family house zoning.

The Multnomah Neighborhood Association of Southwest Portland has already petitioned the Oregon Court of Appeals to overturn a section of the citys comprehensive plan to block the Residential Infill Project. Briefs in that case are due to be filed this month.

The Portland City Council is expected to hold hearings on the infill project code next summer.

-- Elliot Njus

enjus@oregonian.com; 503-294-5034; @enjus
Mayor Ted Wheeler announced Friday that Portland will no longer charge crime victims for copies of their own police reports after an investigation by The Oregonian/OregonLive found people face high fees and long waits to get them.

Wheelers announcement came minutes before a scheduled interview with an Oregonian reporter, who had told the mayors staff he would inquire about the citys response to the investigation. It also came after most city commissioners had told The Oregonian/OregonLive that crime victims should not pay for their documents and recommended additional changes.

In the interview Friday, Wheeler said he was surprised that his Police Bureau did not already have a plan in place to eliminate fees for crime victims and credited the newspaper with spurring the change.

When I heard you were going to ask me about that I was a little surprised we didnt already have a plan in place to execute on that, Wheeler said.

Eileen Park, the mayors communications director, said aides had been working on it but without the mayors knowledge.

Wheeler also said he will enact other changes to keep him in the loop when some records are withheld from journalists.

The Oregonian/OregonLives October investigation found people seeking Portland police reports must pay at least $30 up front and face long delays, even if they are seeking the report as a victim. In 2017, the average wait for a police report was 133 days. In contrast, Seattle is able to turn around most reports in under a week. It charges about $1 per report and doesnt charge victims.

Though Wheelers announcement means crime victims will be able to receive police reports free of charge, it doesnt guarantee they will get them quickly. Several crime victims The Oregonian spoke to for its investigation said the long delays harmed their abilities to move forward with their lives.

Its unclear how or whether the Police Bureau will tackle its deep backlog of requests that results in weeks or months of delay -- a central shortcoming revealed by The Oregonian/OregonLives investigation into police records policies.

Park said the mayors office is preparing a budget proposal for next year that would add money to the bureaus records unit and seek efficiencies. Commissioners Nick Fish and Amanda Fritz had already told The Oregonian theyd support hiring more records employees to shorten the backlog.

In preparing to follow up on its investigation, The Oregonian asked each of Portlands city commissioners for their thoughts. All but Commissioner Chloe Eudaly responded, and most urged the Police Bureau to make sweeping reforms.

Portlanders are waiting too long for Police Bureau records, and the city is not meeting community expectations around transparency and accountability, Commissioner Nick Fish said in a statement.

In this next budget, I want the bureau to tell us what it will take  whether its better training, better technology, or more people  to improve service, especially for victims, he said.

Fritz said she would support a one-time funding allocation to help the agency dig out of its backlog, with the goal of achieving a one-week turnaround for simple police reports.

A police spokesman could not be reached Friday for comment for this story. Its unclear whether Chief Danielle Outlaw or other Police Bureau leaders coordinated with the mayors office on the upcoming change in records policy. Wheeler said it will take effect Jan. 1.

Commissioner Dan Saltzman, who used to be police commissioner, told The Oregonian/OregonLive that while its easy to say crime victims should get reports, the bureau will expect funding to cover those costs.

As it is, the Portland Police Bureau largely views public records as an extra service for which the the public must help it recoup costs, not a core part of its mission as an organization.

Some Oregon public agencies and government entities in other states view providing access to documents as a cost of doing business for the public  not a service for which reimbursement is required. But Oregon law allows state and local agencies to reimburse for the actual cost to find, compile, review and release government records.

Washingtons strict laws, which punish agencies for delaying records, are the reason the Seattle Police Department deploys enough staffers to be able to turn around simple police reports in under one week and for less than $1, its director of transparency and privacy told The Oregonian.

The problem extends well beyond crime victims access. The Oregonian/OregonLive also wrote about how activists struggle to get information, which can stymie civic engagement on issues the city has declared a high priority, such as pedestrian deaths.

In a recently released report on records access in Oregon, the states public records advocate wrote that agencies need to view fulfilling records requests as a core function, not an afterthought. Better-funded records departments would curb the need to charge high fees for public records requests, she wrote.

When public bodies are not adequately funded, then requesters are expected to make up the difference to cover the costs of public records requests, advocate Ginger McCall wrote. Public bodies ability to procure necessary technology and staff depends on buy-in from leadership.

Wheeler made another records-related announcement during the interview: He said he intends to direct city bureaus under his control not to deny members of the press access to documents without his knowledge and city attorneys go-ahead.

If they are going to withhold records from the press, I personally want to know why they are withholding records and I want somebody upstairs in the legal department to sign off on it, the mayor said.

He cited as the impetus for the change a mid-level managers decision to keep records from a reporter, which spurred an appeal to the Multnomah County district attorney, who ordered the city to release the documents because they were withheld improperly.

That as mayor is disappointing to me because it undercuts the publics faith and trust in government, Wheeler said, bemoaning the colossal waste of my time and my staffs time to explain that misstep.

That change has implications only for the bureaus Wheeler directly oversees as a commissioner-in-charge. But that includes bureaus that frequently withhold information from the press and general public, including the Police Bureau.
On Nov. 21, Summerville-based legislators, Sen. Sean Bennett (left) and Rep. Chris Murphy (second from left) present a $100,000 check to Dorchester Childrens Advocacy Center. Left to right: Bennett, Murphy, DCAC Director Kay Phillips, DCAC Board Chair Russ Touchberry.
The Axia Institute recently hosted "Pharma Forum: Value Beyond Compliance" to help leaders from across the pharmaceutical industry explore opportunities created by their efforts to meet upcoming regulations.

Beginning Nov. 28, pharmaceutical manufacturers are required by the federal government's Drug Supply Chain Security Act to serialize prescription drugs to enable traceability. Over time, DSCSA requirements will expand to pharmaceutical repackagers, wholesalers and dispensers, with a goal of achieving unit-level traceability across the entire pharmaceutical supply chain by 2024.

Meeting DSCSA regulations requires investments in capabilities that have the potential to go well beyond compliance. The forum led participants in an exploration of that potential, especially in light of breakthrough capabilities being developed by researchers at Michigan State University, enabling forum attendees to put their organizations in position to generate substantial, long-lasting value, the Axia Institute stated.

The forum took place Nov. 2 at the Midland Country Club. The Axia Institute, based in Midland, brings together MSU's world-renowned value chain expertise with leading businesses and other organizations to serve as a premier research and education organization. Axia's mission is to be the "top-of-mind" value chain center of excellence, leading the world in high-impact solutions to revolutionize value chains.

Axia researchers joined senior serialization leaders from large pharmaceutical manufacturers including Eli Lilly, Bristol-Myers Squibb, Abbott and LFB USA in the daylong forum. Keynote speaker Shari Diaz, program director for IBM Watson Supply Chain, addressed the ongoing transformation of the supply chain. Diaz stressed the importance of three themes during her presentation:

 Being connected is essential for smarter supply chains. The Internet of Things and vast networks of connected devices enable organizations to do things never done before. Diaz used the example of connected shipping containers to illustrate the insights that can result from this type of enablement.

 Smarter supply chain partners collaborate in new and deeper ways. The use of multi-enterprise business networks is encouraging collaboration across the supply chain and nurturing adoption of promising new technologies, including enterprise blockchain.

 Planning is important, but smarter supply chains manage disruption with ease. Emphasizing the importance of artificial intelligence, Diaz also discussed the advancements Watson is helping IBM make in a number of fields.

MSU faculty who presented at the forum included professors from the Eli Broad College of Business, the College of Engineering, the School of Communication Arts and Sciences, the School of Packaging, and the Center for Anti-Counterfeiting and Product Protection.

Axia principal investigators presented their current research and advancements in the field of smart packaging and the potential applications within the pharmaceutical industry. Attendees participated in discussions facilitated by William Donohue, distinguished professor of communication, on current opportunities and challenges regarding serialization and supply chains.

"Our Pharma forum was certainly a success," said Katherine Franz, executive director of the Axia Institute. "We brought senior leaders from some of the world's largest pharmaceutical manufacturers together discuss some of the industry's most pressing problems. Using Axia's neutral platform we look forward to proposing solutions to address opportunities that exist beyond compliance to improve patient safety across the pharmaceutical value chain."
Lorna Stautman and Lynne Engwis, both members of Midland Civitan Club, which sells fruitcake this time of year, offers opposing columns on about their fondness for the candied treat.

Oh Yes, I Love Fruitcake

by Lorna Stautman

Not only do I love the experience of eating fruitcake at any time of day, but I have many lovely memories associated with fruitcake. I grew up in western Canada where people were very serious about having the very best fruitcake recipe. But we did not call it "fruitcake." It was called "Christmas cake" at Christmas time and "Wedding cake" when baked for weddings.

Baking Christmas cake was one of the first Christmas activities because once it was baked in brown paper lined pans, wrapped in cheesecloth and soaked with brandy, it was saved until a couple weeks before Christmas and then served at all of the special family and community gatherings. Each person's Christmas cake was different. I remember that there were very few people's cake that I actually liked. Most put "peel" in their cake. I think the peel was a sort of candied lemon and orange rind, which for some reason, was a necessary addition to the cakes. My mom did not put peel in hers and I thought it was the best Christmas cake ever. In my opinion, the more nuts, the better the cake. The Dark Claxton Fruitcake is as close to my Mom's as I have had for a long time.

All wedding cakes were made of fruitcake. Most people we knew made their own cake and then took the layers to the cake decorator. Everyone had a set of square fruitcake pans. They are about five inches high and three different sizes  perfect for a three-tiered wedding cake. Along with the cake to be decorated, an additional amount of cake was made. This was covered in marzipan, and royal icing (optional). This cake was cut into small rectangular pieces, wrapped in plastic wrap, then a paper doily, tied with ribbon matching the wedding colors and placed in a basket. At the wedding reception the bride and groom would distribute a piece of cake to each guest. The guests were supposed to put it under their pillow that night and make a wish. My piece very rarely made it home. Fruitcake with marzipan topping is very hard to resist!

To this day, when I think of Christmas, fruitcake is one of the necessary treats. What we don't eat at Christmas, we keep and have as a special treat in the evening, or any time we feel like a little "pick me up."

When asked by the Civitan group if I had any good recipes to use up fruitcake, I did, reluctantly, try a recipe I found in The Canadian Living Christmas Book, published in 1993, for Fruitcake Truffles, which I will share with you. It is quite delicious. But I must tell you that when I told my husband I was giving out a recipe on how to use fruitcake, he said, You just EAT it!". He and I are of the same mind. Love that fruitcake!

Fruitcake Truffles

In a saucepan, melt 6 ounces chopped semisweet chocolate, 3 T whipping cream and 3 T butter over very low heat until smooth.

Stir in 2 T orange liqueur or orange juice and 1 cup fruitcake crumbs. Chill for 2 hours or until firm.

Shape into 1-inch balls. Chill for at least 20 minutes. (Truffles can be prepared to this point, wrapped well and refrigerated or frozen for up to 3 weeks.)

Roll in icing sugar (powdered sugar) and chill for at least 20 minutes. Makes about 30 truffles.

Oh No, Not Fruitcake

By Lynne Engwis



When I was a little girl until adulthood,I hated fruitcake, even though I'd never tried it. All that candied fruit made my head spin.

My sister and I would roll our eyes at each other when the annual fruitcake arrived from our grandfather. We loved him so we said, we "loved" it. We tried everything to get rid of it.

Now, as adults, we are both Civitans! Think of how we felt when we learned we were going to have to sell fruitcake! Again we rolled our eyes at each other, and we sold for years without even trying it.

After several years, I got brave and made the Fruitcake Cookies for our Civitan Christmas party. They were delicious, much to my and my sister's surprise! And they went like hotcakes. Even my husband  another diehard fruitcake hater  ate them.

So listen up all you fruitcake haters, stop using it as a doorstop or passing it around to family members for years. Claxton fruitcake is good! The cookies are wonderful and recipe follows  this from a diehard hater!

Claxton Fruitcake Cookies

1 pound Claxton fruit cake

1 box Duncan Hines spice cake mix

4 egg whites

1/2 c Wesson oil

Preheat oven to 350. Line cookie sheets with parchment paper. Mix all ingredients together, mixing well. Spoon onto cookie sheet and bake for nine minutes.

(I frost mine: Use Vanilla Frosting Glaze  squeeze out of tube and add a few drops of rum flavoring and brush on top of cookies.)

Here's how to get your fruitcake from Midland Civitan Club

Midland Civitan Club supports local organizations that offer care and support for individuals with disabilities.

Each year Midland Civitan Club provides scholarships for some adults with disabilities to attend a summer camp, youth to attend a leadership camp, and students to attend college.

Civitan also contributes to local programs within Midland County, including Tall in the Saddle, The Christmas Closet and Backpack Kids. The club plans to sell 960 pounds of fruitcake to help with this effort.

The club has Claxton Fruitcake ready to purchase in both Regular and Dark cake. The price is $5.50 per one (1) pound bar, or $15 for a three (3) pound box. Call 989-835-7289 to order. The club delivers locally.

Other ideas for recipes: Fruitcake Trifle, Fruitcake French Toast, Fruitcake Bread Pudding and Chocolate covered Fruitcake Nuggets

Civitan International operates in about 50 countries and is devoted to improving the lives of children and their families. The organization supports a research center at the University of Alabama-Birmingham, which does research now primarily focused on the brain and nervous system. The facility is the first institution of its kind in the United States to be solely dedicated to research on developmental disabilities.
To the editor:

I am astonished at the ignorance of many Americans on the electoral college system in our country. Two recent letters by Jocelyn Benson and Ralph Forsberg are representative of this.

Mr. Forsberg alleges that the present system is the product of our elitist Founders who had nefarious motives for preferring such a system, just a crusty old relic of dead men serving their own selfish purposes.

Heres a little history: The Founders were 100 percent against a purely democratic system because densely populated areas could singlehandedly elect a president, making the votes of the average Joe elsewhere null and void. Hillary Clinton won the popular vote against Trump by 2.8 million votes. California alone gave her a 4 million vote margin over Trump and New York a 1.7 million vote edge. Thus, California alone would have elected her to office. This is the very tyranny our brilliant Founders foresaw.

James Adams said, Remember, democracy never lasts long. It soon wastes, exhausts, and murders itself. There never was a democracy yet that did not commit suicide. James Madison wrote that Democracies have been found incompatible with personal security or the rights of property. And, John Marshall (our fourth Chief Justice) opined, Between a balanced republic and a democracy, the difference is like that between order and chaos. Ben Franklin defined democracy as two wolves and a lamb voting on what to have for lunch.

John Adams, Alexander Hamilton, Fisher Ames, Benjamin Rush, George Washington, to name but a few, all disdained a democracy featuring a popular vote system. We cannot return to what we never had. We have a republic, not a democracy. Its regrettable that so many Americans dont know the difference.

ALLAN PAYNE

Cincinnati, Ohio,

formerly of Midland
The joint session with the SBL Digital Humanities program unit was in many ways the highlight of this years activities by Traditions of Eastern Late Antiquity. The presentations covered a range of projects with outputs as diverse as 3D printed replicas of cuneiform cones and cylinders, to photography, transcription, and collation of manuscripts from Ethiopia.

Bradley Ericksons presentation on digital cuneiform could be summed up under the heading of Digital Clay. The project he described began with an encounter with a collection at UNC known as the Curiosities Cabinet. It was a largely ignored selection of cuneiform inscriptions, dating from the 25th through 6th centuries BCE. They were stored in a locked vault that, at the time Erickson began his project, had only been accessed a few times since they were acquired. A challenge for transcribing and studying cuneiform tablets is the 3-dimensionality of the artifacts that it is simply impossible to do justice to using 2D print. 3D digital technology, on the other hand, gives both researchers and students unprecedented access to material culture. Those present learned about photogrammetry and the use of gypsum printers. While 3D models are a major improvement, it is nonetheless important to remember that they are not reproductions but interpretations of the physical objects in question. Erickson shared challenges and successes encountered in the process of photographing the tablets, and also his use of replicas in the classroom. Students often assume cuneiform inscriptions are very large, and were surprised when he passed them around in class. Although the sample he brought to show and pass around was not easily readable, it will be when painted. Erickson also shared his concerns about the use of this technology for forgery creation, and indicated that his scan data is currently not downloadable because of precisely this concern. He also noted that there is no current standard platform for scholarly sharing of 3D printing templates and scans of artifacts.

The presentation by myself and Charles Haberl on the Mandaean Book of John as Digital Humanities project provided an opportunity to look back on the ways that technology allowed us to surpass prior scholarly efforts at engagement with this text, both in terms of the textual base and linguistic efforts to decipher obscurities within the text. The Mandaean Book of John, for those who may not be familiar with it, is roughly 1/3 the size of the Quran, or 1/7 the size of the New Testament. For reasons that are not obvious, there have been more copyists involved in the chain of transmission of the Book of John than of the Great Treasure (Ginza Rba), the latter being the most central text in Mandaeism. The work in its present form has one internal date, which Haberl has worked out to be Tuesday, 7 June 680 CE. This detail itself benefited from technology, as it was surprisingly straightforward to create a script that will convert Mandaean calendar dates to our own system. The creation of the date converter involved a partnership with the data science department at Rutgers  with the right expertise, this is not that difficult to do even in Excel. The projects digital engagement with the language allowed Haberl to work on Mandaic linguistics in ways that are not currently possible through graduate teaching, since courses at Rutgers require a minimum enrollment of 15 students, and finding that many who wish to study Mandaic is unlikely to ever happen. And so Haberl found he benefited from the effort instead to create an automated parser that could mine linguistic data from the text. They say that you learn something well only when you teach it, and teaching software to analyze the language can function in this way just as human students can. This effort also led us to ask questions of the text that we would not have thought of otherwise. Digital Humanities approaches do not only provide new ways to answer questions that researchers come up with beforehand. The very analytic possibilities provided by digital engagement leads to new insights and new lines of questioning. Haberl also talked about using the SIL Field Work software, which is usually used to document living languages. Haberl also talked about the creation of the font by Ardwan Alsabti. Fonts had been created previously, but Mandaeans had consistently found them to be ugly and inadequate representations of their script, which had previously only been written by hand. The process of creating a typed version of a script is something that lies so far back in our history that what is involved in identifying the Platonic ideal of handwritten forms of letters can prove surprising. This was a joint paper, and so I added some thoughts about blogging, digital dissemination of drafts ad well as the end product, open access, and the use of digital tools to preserve cultural heritage.

James Walters presented on the Digital Syriac Corpus, explaining how they started with searchable Word documents and soon recognized the inadequacies thereof. Walters talked about other projects such as Syriaca.org and how his own project differs from those. The entire site is open access, and the project invites help with editing the corpus of texts. While one can go there simply to read, there is a Corrections button for when a reader spots a typo, making it as easy as possible for people to help improve what the site offers. The site allows one to toggle between different Syriac fonts, and once can still search in Syriac even if they do not have relevant font installed. Proximity and other searches allow for research on the contents of texts, even though the texts are not morphologically tagged at present.

Stephen Delamarter spoke about three projects: The Ethiopic Manuscript Imaging Project, The Textual History of the Ethiopic Old Testament, and The Social Lives of Ethiopian Psalters. Funding from a grant allowed more than 5,000 items to be photographed and digitized, some in Ethiopia, others in the United States. Delamarter spoke about the use of what is referred to as the catch and release method. They rented manuscripts just long enough to digitize them, then returned them to their owners. Electronically searchable metadata is much harder to produce than the digital images themselves. As yet, there are very few critical editions of the books of the Christian Old Testament in Ethiopic. The presentation itself used technology effectively, utilizing the site screencast-o-matic.com to show the projects interaction with documents and software platforms in short videoclips rather than merely as static images. This was particularly helpful when Delamarter talked about generating dendrograms to clarify textual relationships. In this project too, data visualization was crucial not just to convey conclusions drawn at the end of the project, but to crystallize understanding along the way. The projects also drew attention to and studied paratextual features such as quire numbers. Aspects of the text that have often been invisible to those reading critical editions are fascinating and deserve study in their own right  for instance, the fact that the name Mary was consistently written in red ink in Ethiopic manuscripts of the Bible, whereas it is only in the 17th century in the northern part of Ethiopia that the word God also starts to be written in red ink.

For some reason that is still unclear, Jennifer Hart did not attend the session and present her paper. I was particularly disappointed by this, as I think the research area she was scheduled to present about  the role of technology in creating virtual communities for minority groups scattered from their historic homelands, such as is the case with the Mandaeans, is an extremely important and interesting one.
Dauphin County District Attorney Fran Chardo has filed the legal equivalent of an eviction notice on state Rep. Vanessa Lowery Brown, who has thus far refused to leave her seat in the Pennsylvania Legislature despite a conviction and sentencing this fall on a bribery charge.

Brown was sentenced Nov. 30 to 23 months probation for accepting $4,000 in cash payments from an undercover informant posing as a lobbyist. The payments were intended to secure Browns help with various state issues and projects.

The case was part of a larger, and long-dormant legislative sting operation in 2010-11 aimed at testing the influence of money in politics. The cases wound up being prosecuted in Dauphin County courts, where most of the payments took place, and resulted in the mid-term resignations of three other sitting members of the state House.

While Brown, a Democrat from Philadelphia, was not sentenced to prison, the conviction on bribery is in itself an explicit disqualifier for holding public office in Pennsylvania under the state Constitution, and Brown would appear to have little legal standing to retain her seat in the 2019-2020 legislative session.

Attempts to reach Browns attorneys about Chardos action were not immediately successful.

Chardo, in building his case, asserted in a court filing that Brown is continuing to act as as if the seat is hers, to the point of attempting to sponsor a condolence resolution on the passing of a community leader in her West Philadelphia district as recently as this week.

House officials, however, did not accept the resolution, have already suspended her pay, and have suggested that if Brown attempts to return to the Capitol on swearing-in day for the new session on Jan. 1, 2019, she will likely face a motion to keep her from being seated.

Ratcheting up the pressure, Chardo also filed a companion motion Friday asking Dauphin County Judge Scott Evans to modify his sentence order to include, as conditions of probation, that Brown file a formal letter of resignation to the Speakers office.

Once served with Chardos quo warranto motion, Brown would under court rules have 20 days to respond. That could presumably set the stage for a civil hearing, but its likely that that would occur after the resumption of the legislative session.

A spokesman for House Speaker Mike Turzai, R-Allegheny County, said Friday Turzai is supportive of the district attorneys motion.

We believe this was an appropriate step taken by the district attorney, said Neal Lesher. Ultimately, we hope that Vanessa Brown will simplify this process, do the right thing, and submit a letter of resignation as soon as possible.

Brown has been mostly silent about her intentions since last Fridays sentencing, other than noting through her attorney that she does plan to appeal her conviction on the bribery and related conflict-of-interest charges on grounds ranging from selective prosecution based on political party affiliation, that the investigations targets were mostly members of the state legislatures Black Caucus, and legal issues like entrapment.

A Philadelphia Inquirer columnist, however, earlier this week quoted Lowery Brown as saying that she did not intend to try to serve in the coming term, and others have suggested she was simply waiting till after the end of her fifth term in the state House, also Nov. 30, to formally step down so she could, in the event of a successful appeal, qualify for a state pension worth about $25,700 per year upon retirement.

Im just very grateful I was able to get probation, Brown told the newspaper. I still have some things to work on. Its not over yet. My legal team hasnt given up on me, and theyre deciding what the next course of action would be for me.

The Associated Press contributed to this report.
WILLIAMSPORT - Cutting and pasting material from county court documents into federal court filings is not the way it should be done, a judge has told a Lackawanna County attorney.

U.S. Middle District Judge Mathew W. Brann Friday made that clear in an opinion in a suit brought by Grigoriy N. and Vera Vorobey of North Towanda, New York.

The litigation stems from an Aug. 3, 2016, four-vehicle, chain-type accident on Route 15 in the Blossburg area of Tioga County in which two people were killed.

Grigoriy Vorobey was among those injured in the accident that occurred when a truck driven by Keith W. Bryson of Watsontown, Northumberland County, struck the rear of one of the vehicles to start the chain reaction.

The Vorobeys have sued Bryson and his employer, Cleveland Brothers Equipment Co. Inc., that has facilities throughout the state including the Harrisburg area.

The "cut and paste" issue arose when the defendants sought to have the second amended complaint either stricken or the Vorobeys required to provide a more definitive statement as to the violations they allege.

Brann describes the couple's brief in opposing the motion to strike submitted by the couple's attorney, Paul T. Oven of Moosic, as "colorful" and "heavy in inflammatory rhetoric and light on precedent."

In it, the Vorobeys disclose their complaint tracks nearly word for word one filed by a different attorney in Luzerne County court for a couple also involved in the crash. It is one of three suits filed in that county from the crash.

The Vorobeys contend the defendants should respond to their complaint by "cutting and pasting" their answers from the other cases.

"Plaintiffs tactic of copying nearly word for word a complaint filed in state court by other counsel is neither a preferred nor suggested practice in this court," Brann wrote.

He cited the difference between the federal rules of civil procedure and state court requirements.

The judge granted the defense motion to dismiss the Vorobeys complaint but gave them 14 days in which to file a new one.

Brann advised them it should include specific details of which U.S. Department of Transportation regulations Bryson and Cleveland Brothers are alleged to have violated.
By Eugene Robinson

This just in: Black men are still being killed by police officers for no good reason.

But you knew that.

Anyone who has remotely been paying attention should be aware that unjustified police killings of African-American men continue unabated. In far too many police departments, the unwritten rule for encounters with black men is shoot first, ask questions later.

The most recent tragic example is the Thanksgiving night slaying of Emantic E.J. Bradford Jr., 21, at the Riverchase Galleria shopping mall in Hoover, Alabama, a Birmingham suburb.

The city has been roiled by protests since Bradfords killing -- for good reason.Amid a crowd of holiday bargain-hunters, at least two men got into a fight and shots rang out. According to the version of events that police originally told, a Hoover police officer working as a security guard at the mall responded, saw that Bradford was brandishing a gun, confronted him and took him down.

As you may have guessed by now, that is not what actually happened.

It turns out that Bradford, who had no criminal record, was not one of the men who were arguing and had nothing to do with the original shooting. When the officer encountered him, Bradford was trying to lead bystanders to safety; he was legally armed with a handgun, though some witnesses have said the weapon was holstered.

According to an independent autopsy conducted at the behest of Bradfords family, the officer shot him three times from the rear -- in the back, neck and head.Hoover police acknowledged that their initial story about the killing was wrong, then went mum.

They have declined to name the officer involved or publicly release any documentary evidence, saying they do not want to compromise an ongoing investigation of the incident.A 20-year-old man named Erron Martez Dequan Brown was subsequently arrested and charged with attempted murder.

A judge ruled Wednesday that prosecutors must turn over any body-camera and surveillance footage from the incident to Browns attorneys, meaning that the truth will almost surely come out.

There are some truths, however, that we have long known.

It remains true that almost any activity is dangerous if you are African-American and male. Walking home from a Florida convenience store. Standing on a Staten Island sidewalk. Playing with a toy at a Cleveland playground. Driving with a broken taillight in the Lowcountry of South Carolina.

To the long list of capital offenses -- for black men only -- we must now add deciding, after Thanksgiving dinner, to get a jump on Black Friday deals at an Alabama mall. Bradford appears to have been guilty of shopping while black, and he paid for that transgression with his life.

It remains true that African-American men effectively have no Second Amendment rights. Remember Philando Castile, the Minnesota man who was pulled over by police and tried to explain, as politely as possible, that he was legally carrying a firearm? Shot and killed. Remember Jemel Roberson, the armed Illinois security guard who was subduing a gun-wielding assailant -- and wearing a hat that said SECURITY -- when police arrived? Shot and killed.

Now we have Bradford, who by witness accounts was the good guy with a gun that the National Rifle Association praises as the solution to gun violence. Shot and killed. Where is the maximum-volume NRA outrage? Where is the wall-to-wall coverage on Fox News? Oh, thats right, Bradford is black, and therefore ineligible for good guy status

.It remains true that the first impulse of police who wrongly kill an African-American man is to close ranks and lie. We have to assume that the Hoover police departments original false account of the Bradford shooting is based on what the officer on the scene reported to superiors.

It is not a stretch to also assume that the officer believed black man with a gun were magic words that would almost surely absolve him.A vitally important trial is under way in Chicago. Earlier this year, Officer Jason Van Dyke was convicted of second-degree murder in the slaying of Laquan McDonald, 17, who was shot 16 times although he was armed only with a knife and dash-cam video showed clearly that he posed no immediate threat.

Now, three other officers are being tried for conspiring to back up Van Dykes false account of the incident. The blue wall of silence must be bulldozed if these cold-blooded killings of black men are ever to cease. Only truth can set us free, or at least keep us alive.

Eugene Robinson is a columnist for The Washington Post. His work appears on Saturdays on PennLive Opinion.
By Hugh Hewitt

Against the backdrop of deep savagery in the world  the Syrian genocide, the Islamic States mass executions, Chinas concentration camps for Muslim Uighurs, the genocide of Myanmars Rohingya  complaints about homegrown incivility in the United States seem quaint, even silly. But they are not. The descent of much of the countrys political conversation into venom and hate is accelerating and disturbing.

When casual cruelty entered the lifeblood of the United States is impossible to say. Newspapers in late-18th-century America were brutal, partisan weapons, and by the time of the Civil War, even the great Abraham Lincoln was mocked as a barbarian, Scythian, yahoo, or gorilla. Politics has, from the time of recorded history, been full of condemnations, invective and insults, even to the point of provoking murder occasioned by the duels they instigated.

But what might have been fatal in eras gone by is simply deeply wounding now, and it was far less prevalent in daily life in the 20th century than it is today. (McCarthyism being the exception, not the rule.)

Cruelty is a sin, of course, and no world religion holds it up as other than a sin. But todays culture rewards it. Mightily.

The creep of cruelty into our everyday lives probably began with television, and the gentle chiding of the first late-night hosts and their monologues. Slowly, but turn after nightly turn, again and again, the staple of the monologue became one-liners that could be stapled to public figures.

We grew used to this. We all laughed. From Steve Allen to Jack Paar to the incomparable Johnny Carson, on to Jay Leno and David Letterman, deeper and deeper into slicing and dicing.

The launch of Saturday Night Live took the verbal acid and began throwing it about liberally, and when Comedy Central brought us The Daily Show and Stephen Colbert, another rung down the ladder was reached.

Then came Twitter, and the bottom fell out.

The monetization of cruelty and of playing to ever smaller but more loyal slices of the nearly 330 million Americans in the potential television-viewing audience means that the trend isnt going to be reversed soon. Speaking to me in the 90s about sexuality in the culture generally and pornography specifically, Charles W. Colson counseled that, no matter how large a body of water is, enough pollution pumped into it could kill all the life within. What was true of porn is true of the poison of invective. Programmers, hosts, pundits and performers are responsible for this. Every one of us.

The general reverence for former president George H.W. Bush this week reminded us how far we have traveled down this road in the quarter-century since he left office, tilting toward invective and away from debate, from reason to mere denunciation. Of course, social media is the accelerant. The gentle humor of Alan Simpson and Jon Meacham in the eulogies they delivered Wednesday at the state funeral of 41 was wonderful, but they were museum pieces.

Comments will accumulate quickly below this essay online blaming President Trump, but whether they are beings or bots, the commenters blame is misplaced. The president does launch cruel attacks, but his are not unique. They are part of a tapestry of brass-knuckled commentary that is everywhere and relentless. Blame whomever you wish. The guilt is shared.

There isnt a cure to the global warming of invective, just mitigation and adaptation. Some tech wizard will build a new Twitter that somehow blocks anonymity and thus slows the acceleration of the slandering. But that will be only a refuge, not a rollback.

The real requirement is moral regeneration of that part of the collective national consciousness that condemns and punishes in the marketplace the ever-growing venom in the public square. That is a tall order. It would require churches, synagogues, mosques and temples to remind people, if not of hell, than at least of purgatory as the payback for cruelty. So quaint and old-fashioned an idea as the sinful nature of cruelty and its threat to immortal souls first requires the idea of immortal souls to resurface.

There are no ordinary people, C.S. Lewis wrote. You have never talked to a mere mortal.

Nations, cultures, arts, civilization  these are mortal, and their life is to ours as the life of a gnat, he continued. But it is immortals whom we joke with, work with, marry, snub and exploit  immortal horrors or everlasting splendors.

That idea was in George W. Bushs farewell to his father. An immortal soul ascended to join 43s mother and sister  a start perhaps, but probably, sadly, just an interruption. Who knows? Everyone from all parts of the political spectrum should cheer it, though, as a beginning  and could emulate it to the great good fortune of us all.

Hugh Hewitt, a conservative author and radio host, is a columnist for The Washington Post. His work appears frequently on PennLive Opinion.
Local bookstores face shortages but still ready for holiday shoppers

Local and independent bookstores are gearing up and asking customers to do their holiday shopping earlier than ever this year due to supply shortages.
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(Reuters)  North Carolinas board of elections identified political consultant Leslie McCrae Dowless as a person of interest on Friday amid a probe of possible absentee ballot fraud in a disputed U.S. congressional election.

The board has refused to certify Republican Mark Harris as the winner of the Nov. 6 election for a seat in the U.S. House of Representatives as it investigates possible fraud involving absentee ballots from two rural counties.

In a statement, the board said it has assigned four investigators to the probe and issued subpoenas to the Red Dome Group, a consulting firm that Dowless performed work for, along with the Harris campaign committee and the campaign for a local Bladen County sheriff candidate.

Residents in rural Bladen County have provided sworn affidavits that people came to their homes to collect absentee ballots they had not filled in. In North Carolina, it is illegal for a third party to turn in absentee ballots.

Two women have told WSOC-TV in North Carolina that Dowless paid them to collect absentee ballots and deliver them to him. Dowless worked for the Red Dome Group, the station reported. Neither Dowless nor Red Dome has responded to requests for comment.

If fraud is uncovered, the board could order a new election. Harris edged out Democrat Dan McCready by 905 votes last month, but McCready on Thursday withdrew his concession.

Harris, in a video posted on Twitter on Friday, said: I was absolutely unaware of any wrongdoing.

The Republican said his campaign was cooperating with the state investigation and he would support a new election if the probe finds proof of illegal activity that could have changed the outcome of the vote.

(Reporting by Grant Smith in New York; Writing by John Whitesides in Washington; Editing by Colleen Jenkins, Dan Grebler and Jonathan Oatis)
By Nathan Layne and Brendan Pierson

WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters)  Federal prosecutors on Friday asked a judge to sentence Michael Cohen, U.S. President Donald Trumps former personal lawyer, to a substantial prison term for paying an adult film star hush money on Trumps behalf and evading taxes.

Cohen, who has been cooperating with U.S. Special Counsel Robert Muellers probe into possible collusion between Russia and Trumps 2016 election campaign, pleaded guilty to the charges in August in New York. He also pleaded guilty to lying to Congress in a separate case handled by Mueller.

In a separate filing, Muellers office said on Friday that it would not take a position on Cohens sentencing, scheduled for next Wednesday.

It noted that Cohen cooperated with its probe but described his lies to Congress about his efforts to build a Trump skyscraper in Moscow as deliberate and premeditated.

Mueller said Cohen continued to work on the Moscow project and discuss it with Trump well into the 2016 presidential campaign.

Mueller said Cohens untruthfullness about the project was material to its ongoing investigations particularly because it occurred at a time of sustained efforts by the Russian government to interfere with the U.S. presidential election.

The federal prosecutors in the New York case described Cohen in their filing as being motivated by personal greed and said he repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends in pressing the judge to reject Cohens request he be spared prison.

They said Cohen should receive some credit for his cooperation with Mueller, but noted that he had not entered into a cooperation agreement with their office. They said his sentence should reflect a modest reduction from the four to five years they said federal guidelines would suggest.

Cohen is scheduled to be sentenced next Wednesday by U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan on all of the charges to which he pleaded guilty, including his admission of lying to Congress which was handled by Muellers office. Cohens lawyers have asked that he receive no jail time, saying he has cooperated extensively with Mueller and New York prosecutors and has taken responsibility for his actions.

Mueller is also scheduled on Friday to submit details about alleged lies by Trumps former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, to investigators, in a separate case in a federal court in Washington.

Mueller accused Manafort last month of breaching a plea bargain agreement by lying to his prosecutors.

Manafort, who maintains he has been truthful with Mueller, managed Trumps campaign for three months in 2016.

The Mueller probe has infuriated Trump, who has regularly issued tweets criticizing the special counsel and his team.

The president has denied any collusion between his campaign and Russia, and accuses Muellers prosecutors of pressuring his former aides to lie about him, his election campaign and his business dealings. Russia has denied meddling in the 2016 U.S. election.

The president has called Cohen a liar and weak person.

In new tweets on Friday, Trump again questioned prosecutors and accused federal investigators and senior officials of having conflicts of interest, without offering any evidence.

Trump said his lawyer, former New York City Mayor Rudy Giuliani, would release a response to the report that Mueller is expected to finalize in the coming months.

We will be doing a major Counter Report to the Mueller Report, Trump tweeted.

Representatives for the U.S. Justice Department and Muellers office declined to comment on Trumps tweets.

(Reporting by Nathan Layne; additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Lisa Lambert, Richard Cowan Roberta Rampton and Makini Brice; editing by Jeffrey Benkoe, Paul Simao and Jonathan Oatis)
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Prosecutors recommended a substantial prison term for Michael Cohen as they stated that Cohen committed crimes under the supervision and direction of Trump.

Prosecutors painted Cohen as a career criminal:

NEW: Federal prosecutors have filed their sentencing memo on Michael Cohen. It's not kind. They say his crimes "were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life." pic.twitter.com/sfIPlvDCVE  Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 7, 2018

Federal prosecutors in New York say Michael Cohen should receive a "substantial term of imprisonment," even after giving him some credit for his cooperation with Mueller's investigation. pic.twitter.com/wPuoq0aLmp  Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 7, 2018

The jaw-dropper is that prosecutors say that Cohen committed campaign finance violations at the direction of Donald Trump:

This is new. Federal prosecutors have said for the first time in a court filing that Cohen committed campaign finance crimes "in coordination with and at the direction of" President Trump. pic.twitter.com/mOYvdMqHS7  Brad Heath (@bradheath) December 7, 2018

The felony campaign finance violations are the payments to Stormy Daniels

Each time the Mueller investigation takes center stage, the other scandal that could be even more deadly to Trumps political career jumps back into the picture. The reason why the White House is more worried about the damage that Michael Cohen can do is because there is direct evidence that Trump directed Cohens crimes.

Trump has now been named by prosecutors in a felony criminal case

Democrats in the House are going to be investigating the illegal payments to Stormy Daniels. The Cohen sentencing document is just the beginning of Trumps problems. Once Democrats take power in the House, the American people should expect to see David Pecker, Michael Avenatti, Daniels, Michael Cohen, and a whole cast of characters lay out Trumps felonies.

Michael Cohen, not Robert Mueller, may end the Trump presidency.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.
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New Robert Mueller court filings yesterday in the Michael Cohen case seem to provide evidence of illegal collusion between Russia and Donald Trumps presidential campaign.

On Friday, special counsel Mueller filed sentencing documents in the cases against both Cohen and Paul Manafort. But it is the filings in the Cohen case that are most interesting.

The Cohen filings say that Russians reached out to Trump in November of 2015, at the early stages of his campaign. They were offering synergy which appears to be another word for illegal help with Trumps efforts to become president. And if the Russians illegally helped Trump become president, that would fit within the definition of collusion.

Collusion itself is not a crime. Instead, it is a term used to describe the crime of conspiracy against the United States.

Even though Trump has always denied collusion with Russia to win the presidency, Muellers new filings seem to say otherwise.

If Muellers final report contains proof that Trump had synergy (i.e., collusion, or conspiracy) with Russia, Democrats in the House of Representatives will have to respond in a forceful way with their own hearings. And if the evidence supports it, they may have to begin impeachment hearings against the president.

Mueller disclosed yesterdy that Michael Cohen was not only in contact in 2015 with the Russian who offered political synergy, but he also proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The court filings also describe more (previously undisclosed) contacts between Trump associates and Russian intermediaries.

This small amount of information Mueller has revealed so far clearly shows that the Kremlin attempted to influence Trump and his campaign. And this happened shortly after Trump announced his candidacy in 2015.

There now appears to be evidence of a classic Russian influence operation, where they tried to recruit Trump  through Cohen  to help them. They did this by playing to both Cohens and Trumps weaknesses: their political and personal business goals.

Trump and Cohen both wanted more political power, and more money, and the Russians knew it. So thats how Putins people recruited them to work to achieve Russian goals: they offered Trump and Cohen both money and political power.

A new article in The Daily Beast says that there is no doubt that Mueller has evidence of illegal Trump/Russia collusion. According to the article:

In the face of what Mueller has revealed, there is little question where this is going. Mueller may still be only showing us part of his hand, but its a damn good hand. He has signaled to us hes found collusion. It definitely appears that Mueller has found collusion with Russia in the Trump campaign, and he is sending signals to that effect with the filings.

Mueller has found definitive proof that Trump was compromised by a hostile foreign power during the election.

Mueller is coming. And he is clearly coming for Trump, the story says.

The trickle of information being released by Bob Mueller is like Chinese water torture to Donald Trump. The steady drip of more and more details of the evidence that the special counsels office has compiled, proving the crimes of Trump and his closest associates, must be driving the president crazy.

Its only a matter of time now until more evidence is released by Mueller about Trump crimes. Which means it is probably only a matter of time until Donald Trump resigns. It is the only logical end to this sad story of the Trump presidency.
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Donald Trump threatened Americas European allies on Saturday morning, saying that they need to pay up to protect Europe from future world wars.

The idea of a European Military didnt work out too well in W.W. I or 2, the increasingly unhinged president tweeted. All we ask is that you pay your fair share of NATO.

The idea of a European Military didnt work out too well in W.W. I or 2. But the U.S. was there for you, and always will be. All we ask is that you pay your fair share of NATO. Germany is paying 1% while the U.S. pays 4.3% of a much larger GDP  to protect Europe. Fairness!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2018

Of course, the Trump line about NATO allies not paying enough to uphold the alliance is stale and old. Its one he made repeatedly during the campaign and continues to make now.

But the person who never grows tired of it is Vladimir Putin, the man who would love to see the NATO alliance evaporate into thin air.

This is another Trump distraction

Picking a fight with American allies over a potential future World War III only serves one purpose for Trump right now  to distract from the increasingly threatening Mueller investigation.

What the special counsel court filings showed this week is not, as Trump said, that he is totally cleared. Instead, as Democratic Rep. Ted Lieu pointed out on Friday night, it further proves that we have a sitting President of the United States who committed two felonies while running for President.

Right now, we have a sitting President of the United States who committed two felonies while running for President. @tedlieu on Trump. #Hardball pic.twitter.com/gyEXuOIgsk  Hardball (@hardball) December 8, 2018

Not to mention, as PoliticusUSAs Leo Vidal noted on Saturday, Muellers new filings also seem to contain evidence of illegal Trump collusion with the Russians.

Whether its whining about NATO or attacking the Paris agreement  which he also did on Saturday  Trump is running out of ways to distract from a federal investigation that is quickly closing in on him.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 8)  The Filipina whose body was found in a river in Malaysia could be a victim of homicide, the Department of Foreign Affairs (DFA) said Saturday.

In a statement, the DFA said a plantation worker found the body of Madelyn Asuncion floating in Pengalan River in Sabah, Malaysia on November 28.

Philippine Ambassador to Malaysia Charles Jose said "there was enough evidence to classify the case as a possible homicide" based on reports from authorities.

The Philippine Embassy in Kuala Lumpur is waiting for the official report and autopsy results, the DFA said.

The agency expressed its condolences to Asuncion's family.

Asuncion is a Zamboanga City native, but had been living with her father in Malaysia for the past 10 years, according to the DFA.
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Trump lost it on Twitter and began attacking Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) after the former prosecutor said that Trump and his family can be indicted.

Blumenthal said, The pieces of the mosaic or the puzzle are coming into place, and the walls are closing in on Donald Trump, and his inner circle, including his family.I may be in the minority, but I believe the president could be indicted and the trial could be postponed until after he finishes service.I think the report will be extraordinarily damning, whether or not theres an indictment.

Video:

This is the clip of Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-CT) saying that Trump can be indicted that caused the president to lose his mind on Twitter. https://t.co/dImqBMI3nX pic.twitter.com/5lmB5E1HPk  Sarah Reese Jones (@PoliticusSarah) December 8, 2018

Blumenthals comments caused Trump to blow a gasket on Twitter:

Watched Da Nang Dick Blumenthal on television spewing facts almost as accurate as his bravery in Vietnam (which he never saw). As the bullets whizzed by Da Nang Dicks head, as he was saving soldiers.  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2018

.left and right, he then woke up from his dream screaming that HE LIED. Next time I go to Vietnam I will ask the Dick to travel with me!  Donald J. Trump (@realDonaldTrump) December 8, 2018

Trump is terrified that he and his family will be indicted

Trump is scared stiff that Donald Trump Jr. is going to be indicted. Sen. Blumenthal clearly hit a nerve. Its not that Trump is worried about guilt or innocence, because that ship sailed long ago. The man who led crowds in chants of lock her up directed at Hillary Clinton is terrified that he is going to be sent to prison.

Donald Trump is guilty. He knows that he is guilty. Outside of repeating his mantras no collusion and witch hunt, he has provided no evidence of his innocence. The Cohen sentencing memo laid it all out. Donald Trump committed felonies while campaigning for the presidency. The man got deferred out of serving in Vietnam due to bogus bone spurns can attack Blumenthal all he wants, but it doesnt change the fact that the someone with the last name of Trump is probably heading to prison.

For more discussion about this story join our Rachel Maddow and MSNBC group.

Follow Jason Easley on Facebook.
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Former federal prosecutor Paul Butler said on Saturday that it is now clear that the president of the United States is a criminal. The only remedy, he said, is impeachment.

The president, Donald Trump, is a criminal, Butler said. If he were not a president of the United States, he would be under federal criminal indictment today.

Since Trumps powerful position is protecting him from a federal criminal indictment, the ex-federal prosecutor said Congress must follow legal precedent and impeach the president, like they did when Richard Nixon and Bill Clinton were in the White House.

Video:

Paul Butler says Trump would be under federal criminal indictment if he wasnt president. #ctl #p2 pic.twitter.com/czgM6QMizg  PoliticusUSA (@politicususa) December 8, 2018

Butler said:

The president, Donald Trump, is a criminal. If he were not president of the United States, he would be under federal criminal indictment today. The constitutional remedy is impeachment when someone  when a president has committed high crimes and misdemeanors. And as weve heard, when the Department of Justice has developed evidence against other presidents that they have been implicated in crimes, they have been impeached. So when that evidence was developed against Richard Nixon, he was impeached. When that evidence was developed against Bill Clinton, he was impeached. Based on the legal precedent, President Trump should be impeached.

Impeachment is the only option

Most Democrats have been reluctant to move forward with impeachment proceedings, fearing that voters will punish them for overreaching just as they did when Republicans went after Bill Clinton in the 1990s.

But we are quickly reaching a moment when it would and should be politically perilous for lawmakers who fail to act, particularly as it becomes increasingly clear that Donald Trump committed crimes to win the presidency.

If congressional Republicans have any shred of honor left  and its unclear if they do  then they will join the growing number of Democrats who are declaring that nobody, not even the president, is above the law.

Follow Sean Colarossi on Facebook.
A columbarium lines a scenic path at the Mepkin Abbey. The columbarium was placed on the grounds of the Mepkin Abbey several years ago for those wishes to have their cremated remains placed there.
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The state Department of Consumer Affairs says South Carolinians have been scammed out of at least $750,000 this year, mostly from robocall scams. File/Staff
Hannah Alani is a reporter at The Post and Courier covering race, immigration and rural life across the Palmetto State. Before graduating from Indiana University and moving to Charleston in 2017, her byline appeared in The New York Times.
The Post and Courier provides a forum for our readers to share their opinions, and to hold up a mirror to our community. Publication does not imply endorsement by the newspaper; the editorial staff attempts to select a representative sample of letters because we believe its important to let our readers see the range of opinions their neighbors submit for publication.
Nikki Haley, shown here with Clemson University Jim Clements in 2017 at Memorial Stadium, will have more time to attend football games at her alma mater after leaving the United Nations. Gwinn Davis / Special to The Post and Courier
Political Reporter

Caitlin Byrd is a political reporter at The Post and Courier and author of the Palmetto Politics newsletter. Before moving to Charleston in 2016, her byline appeared in the Asheville Citizen-Times. To date, Byrd has won 17 awards for her work.
U.S. Sen. Tim Scott talks minority business owners about business strategies as a minority and breaks down how each concrete change in the new tax plan will affect small businesses. Brad Nettles/Staff
Wolfram to speak at A Time for Women

Robin Wolfram will be the featured speaker Thursday at "A Time for Women" at Autumn Ridge Church.

Wolfram will share a devotional entitled "Gods Help in Difficult Times." She also will share a demonstration on "Making Christmas Special."

"A Time for Women" meets from 6:30 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. in the Summit Room of Autumn Ridge Church, 3611 Salem Road SW, in Rochester.

For more information, call or text 507-269-7653, go to Facebook at www.facebook.com/a.time.for.women. There are no fees or reservations required.

There also will be a craft day from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 15. You can bring a personal project, or help with our project for Compassion Hospital in Guinea, Africa.

Oak Hills welcomes public to Christmas Carol Sing

The public is invited to a "Christmas Carol Sing" at Oak Hills Wesleyan Church at 6 p.m. Sunday.

Choose your favorite carols to sing, much like an old-fashioned hymn sing.

Oak Hills is located at 410 28th St. SW in Rochester. For more information, call 507-288-6053.

Cowboy Christmas service rescheduled for Sunday

SPRING VALLEY  Youre invited to join the Cherry Grove Cowboy Church in the Christmas spirit at 6 p.m. Sunday. The service, which was rescheduled because of last weekends inclement weather, will feature Christmas favorites old and new.

Cowboy church is nondenominational and another way of spreading Gods message through music. The service includes a mix of country, Christian country, cowboy, southern gospel and bluegrass music.

Cherry Grove United Methodist Church is at 18183 160th St. in Fillmore County.

Womens Connection to celebrate with Christmas luncheon

The Rochester Christian Womens Connection will hold its annual Christmas Celebration Luncheon at 11:45 a.m. Tuesday at the Eagles Club, 917 15th Ave. SE.

Special speaker Jan Henryson of Sioux City, Iowa, who will deliver the message "Finding Value in a Cracked Pot."

Admission is $15 and includes lunch. Reservations are made by calling 507-288-1144.

Organ concert precedes St. Marks community supper

LAKE CITY  The public is invited to a community supper from Wednesday at St. Marks Episcopal Church.

Beginning at 4:15 p.m., there will be "Christmas Pipes Performance" on the St. Marks pipe organ, featuring musical arrangements of Christmas Advent and Christmas carols. The community supper will follow at 5 p.m. to 6:30 p.m.

The menu includes three casseroles  wild rice, scalloped potatoes and ham, and tater tot hot  as well as vegetables, dinner rolls, desserts and beverages.

The church is at 110 S. Oak St. in Lake City. Please enter at the side entrance located at the end of the parking lot. This is handicap accessible and leads into McNair Hall, where the supper will be served.

Supermarket Saturday is Dec. 15

Oasis Church will hold Supermarket Saturday, in partnership with Channel One Food Shelf, from 10 a.m. to 11:30 a.m. Dec. 15.

You must present a photo ID with birthdate to pick up food at Oasis Church. You can visit only one Channel One food site per month. If you have any questions, call 289-8596.

Oasis Church is at 1815 38th St. NW in Rochester.
Theres no question that students should get back to learning five days a week considering instructional time, for a third school year now, ha Read more
IN TROUBLE: The Huawei logo is pictured outside the company's research facility in Ottawa, Ontario, Canada, Dec. 6. Huawei has been locked out of the U.S. market. Chris Wattie/Reuters
NORRISTOWN  A Pottstown teenager, originally charged with robbery for his role in a home invasion that resulted in the gunshot slaying of a borough woman, saw charges upgraded to murder and will be prosecuted as an adult.

Camren Xavier Williams, 17, of the 800 block of North Franklin Street, was arraigned Friday before District Court Judge Edward C Kropp Sr. on charges of criminal homicide, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the 6:40 p.m. Nov. 18 gunshot slaying of Sylvia Williams, 38, inside a residence in the 300 block of North Washington Street.

With the general homicide charge, authorities alleged Camren Williams intentionally, knowingly, recklessly or negligently caused the death of Sylvia Williams. The general homicide charge potentially could include various grades of homicide including second- and third-degree murder or manslaughter.

Camren Williams and the victim were not related, officials said.

With the charges, authorities alleged Camren Williams was an accomplice of Aaron Joseph Taylor, 18, of the first block of West Second Street, Pottstown, who allegedly fired the fatal shot. Camren Williams also was armed with a gun during the home invasion, according to court documents, and is charged with homicide under accomplice liability theories.

Taylor previously was arraigned on charges of second- and third-degree murder, robbery, conspiracy to commit robbery and possessing an instrument of crime in connection with the alleged incident.

Taylor and Camren Williams each face preliminary hearings on the charges at 1 p.m. Dec. 18 before Kropp.

Second-degree murder, a killing committed during the course of another felony, such as robbery, carries a mandatory sentence of life imprisonment upon conviction. Third-degree murder, a killing committed with malice, carries a possible maximum sentence of 20 to 40 years in prison.

At the time of Taylors arrest, District Attorney Kevin R. Steele said tips from the public as well as video surveillance cameras in the home and in the borough helped solve the crime.

If people are thinking about committing crimes in Pottstown, they should know that there is an intricate camera system throughout the borough. Commit a crime and count on it being captured on camera, said Steele, who announced the arrests with borough Police Chief Michael J. Markovich.

An investigation began about 6:43 p.m. Nov. 18 when borough police responded to the residence to investigate the activation of a security alarm. As officers arrived at the scene, they observed a male jump from the second floor of the home and he told police that his girlfriend, Sylvia Williams, was injured and still inside the residence.

When police entered the residence they found Sylvia Williams, with a bleeding wound to her head, dead in a second-floor front bedroom.

At the time they arrived on the scene, police also observed a light-colored compact car leaving the area at a high rate of speed, according to the criminal complaint filed by county Detective John Wittenberger and Pottstown Detective Mark Wickersham.

An autopsy determined Sylvia Williams died from a gunshot wound to the head and her death was ruled a homicide.

Sylvia Williamss boyfriend told detectives he was on the second-floor of the residence when he heard yelling. As he started to descend the stairwell to the first-floor, Sylvia Williamss boyfriend observed a male, wearing a mask and armed with an automatic handgun, according to the arrest affidavit.

According to detectives, the victims boyfriend said he ran to his bedroom, which also was occupied by the victim, and he closed the bedroom door, holding it closed with his feet while lying on the floor. Sylvia Williams then handed her boyfriend an alarm remote and a panic alarm was activated, detectives alleged.

Sylvia Williams then assisted her boyfriend in holding the door shut.

(The boyfriend) stated the suspect tried to get into the bedroom by striking the door before (the boyfriend) heard one gunshot, Wittenberger and Wickersham alleged in the arrest affidavit.

The boyfriend reported it got quiet, following the gunshot and he noticed the victim was not moving and was bleeding from her head, according to the arrest affidavit.

Three other people, including two juveniles, also were inside the home at the time of the shooting, court documents indicate. One of the witnesses, a repairman who was changing the front door lock, told detectives two armed males entered through the door while he was changing the lock.

One of the masked men pointed a gun at the repairman and stated, stay where you are, according to the criminal complaint. The repairman stated he heard a commotion upstairs and heard a pop, court papers indicate. The two armed males then fled the residence.

A witness told detectives he overhead one suspect utter, there aint nothing here as they left the residence.

Detectives learned Sylvia Williamss boyfriend had a home surveillance system that captured the home invasion and shooting on videotape and photographs of the suspects were released to the public as authorities sought to identify the alleged culprits.

A review of surveillance footage from Pottstown street cameras revealed a light-colored Honda Civic was observed in the area at the time of the homicide. Detectives traced the vehicle to a Reading address and subsequently linked Camren Williams to the vehicle.

When he was interviewed by detectives, Camren Williams admitted to participating in the home invasion robbery with Taylor. The teenager claimed he and Taylor targeted the residence because they believed the home was that of a big drug dealer, however, they left without any cash or property, according to court documents.

Camren Williams told detectives he was armed with a BB pistol and Taylor was armed with a Ruger .22-caliber pistol. A projectile retrieved from the victims body was consistent with that of a .22-caliber, detectives alleged.

Camren Williams told detectives he remained on the first-floor of the residence while Taylor went upstairs. The teenager said he watched Taylor fire a single gunshot while on the second-floor stairway, according to the criminal complaint.

The teenager told police that during the getaway he discarded the pistol, shoes, jacket and the T-shirt which was used as a mask to cover his face, according to the arrest affidavit.
The government filed two sentencing memos late yesterday afternoon in the cases brought against Michael Cohen. The Special Counsel referred the investigation of the largest basket of Cohens misconduct to the Office of the United States Attorney for the Southern District of New York (the prosecutors, as I will refer to them). The 38-page sentencing memo filed by the prosecutors is below. It is a biting document. Despite his plea agreement with the prosecutors and with the Special Counsel in a second case involving false statements to Congress, he is not deemed a cooperating witness. Cohens assistance to the Special Counsel is nevertheless acknowledged as a mitigating factor in sentencing.

Cohen is a disgusting sleazeball of the first order. As we saw previously when Cohen pleaded guilty, Trump figures prominently in the prosecutors recitation in the form of Individual-1. To say the least, he and his services reflect poorly on Trump.

In the New York case Cohen pleaded guilty, inter alia, to two campaign finance charges involving schemes to procure nondisclosure agreements from Stormy Daniels and Karen McDougal. These charges implicate President Trump (who had the constitutional right to fund his own campaign) and the Trump campaign. The schemes underlying the campaign finance charges to which Cohen pleaded guilty are discussed at pages 11-14, 22-25 and 36-37. Oh, what a tangled web we weave.

Insofar as one can ascertain from the memo, however, the Trump Organization rather than Trump himself paid the related expenses. At page 16, the prosecutors lament that Cohen only met with them about the participation of others in the campaign finance crimes to which Cohen has already pleaded guilty  not about his other past criminal misconduct, if any (they graciously add).

I am omitting discussion of Cohens other offenses here. We will be hearing much more about the campaign finance aspect of this case, which the prosecutors place at the feet of Individual-1. The sentencing memo serves as a sort of preview of coming attractions. I will take up the Special Counsel sentencing memo in a second post.

Michael Cohen sentencing me by on Scribd
The Special Counsel referred his investigation of Michael Cohen in part to the Southern District of New York. The Special Counsel entered into a plea agreement with Cohen to one count of false statements to Congress. Both the Special Counsel and the US Attorney for the Southern District filed sentencing memos late yesterday afternoon. I discuss the 38-page sentencing memo filed by the Southern District prosecutors in the adjacent post.

In the case brought by the Special Counsel Cohen copped a plea to one count of making false statements to Congress. The seven-page sentencing memo filed by the Special Counsel in that case is below. Cohen has pleaded guilty to false statements minimizing the involvement of then candidate Trump on the Trump Organizations Moscow Project and the timing of its abandonment.

Cohen has met with the [Special Counsel Office] on seven occasions, voluntarily provided the SCO with information about his own conduct and that of others on core topics under investigation by the SCO, and committed to continuing to assist the SCOs investigation. The information he has provided has been credible and consistent with other evidence obtained in the SCOs ongoing investigation. The memo sets forth four significant respects in which Cohen has assisted the Special Counsels ongoing investigation (footnotes omitted):

First, the defendant provided information about his own contacts with Russian interests during the campaign and discussions with others in the course of making those contacts. For example, and as described above, the defendant provided a detailed account of his involvement and the involvement of others in the Moscow Project, and also corrected the record concerning his outreach to the Russian government during the week of the United Nations General Assembly. The defendant also provided information about attempts by other Russian nationals to reach the campaign. For example, in or around November 2015, Cohen received the contact information for, and spoke with, a Russian national who claimed to be a trusted person in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign political synergy and synergy on a government level. The defendant recalled that this person repeatedly proposed a meeting between Individual 1 and the President of Russia. The person told Cohen that such a meeting could have a phenomenal impact not only in political but in a business dimension as well, referring to the Moscow Project, because there is no bigger warranty in any project than consent of [the President of Russia]. Cohen, however, did not follow up on this invitation. Second, Cohen provided the SCO with useful information concerning certain discrete Russia-related matters core to its investigation that he obtained by virtue of his regular contact with Company executives during the campaign. Third, Cohen provided relevant and useful information concerning his contacts with persons connected to the White House during the 20172018 time period. Fourth, Cohen described the circumstances of preparing and circulating his response to the congressional inquiries, while continuing to accept responsibility for the false statements contained within it.

What we have here is a sort of preview of coming attractions that seem to me to mask the absence of collusion, although the memos tact makes it impossible to know.

Mueller Cohen sentencing memo by on Scribd
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-08 00:28:01

Global Mayors' Forum & 2018 Urban Innovation Conference and the 4th Edition of Guangzhou Award Opens

Bruce Li

bruceli@gdtengnan.com

02066884110

On December 7, 2018, the Global Mayors' Forum & 2018 Urban Innovation Conference and the 4th Edition of Guangzhou Award kicked off in Guangzhou. More than 700 guests and representatives from 105 cities and local governments in 39 countries attended the opening ceremony and Wen Guohui, mayor of Guangzhou, chaired the opening ceremony.

He Wei, Vice-Chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC) National Committee, said in his speech that, in the face of such problems as unbalanced, inadequate and uncoordinated development, we need to achieve transformation and development through our reform and opening-up, promote joint development through mutual exchanges and cooperation, and facilitate the building of a community of human destiny through a mechanism based on extensive consultation, joint construction and shared benefits.

In her video remarks, Maimunah Mohd Sharif, United Nations Under-Secretary-General and Executive Director of UN-Habitat, said that UN-Habitat strongly advocates making cities safe, inclusive, resilient and sustainable and believed that the Global Mayors Forum would encourage in-depth dialogue among cities.

Ma Xingrui, Governor of Guangdong, said that Guangdong would participate more actively in the exchanges and cooperation of global urban governance innovation, and work together with the counterparts to discuss good governance practices, build cooperation platforms and share development achievements.

Song Jingwu, Vice President of the Chinese People's Association for Friendship with Foreign Countries (CPAFFC), said that the Global Mayors' Forum is established with the purpose of further implementing the United Nations SDGs and the New Urban Agenda, and encouraging cities worldwide to participate in global governance and to contribute insights to a more fair, sound and balanced global governance mechanism.

Emilia Saiz, UCLG Secretary-General, and Rudi Vervoort, Representative of the World Association of Major Metropolises (METROPOLIS), Minister President of Brussels Capital Region, Belgium, addressed the opening ceremony and expressed their hopes for cities around the world to have more mutual exchanges and cooperation and share experiences in urban governance.

The theme of the forum is titled Global Openness and Inclusive Innovation. Five cities are awarded as the winning cities of the 4th Edition of Guangzhou Award: Milan of Italy, Guadalajara of Mexico, Wuhan of China, Mezitili of Turkey and New York City of the United States. Surabaya of Indonesia received the largest number of votes to win the Online Popular City. The Guangzhou Declaration at the Global Mayors Forum is also released.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-08 17:30:57

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RADNOR, PA / ACCESSWIRE / December 8, 2018 / Kaskela Law LLC announces that a class action lawsuit has been filed against Jianpu Technology Inc. (NYSE: JT) ("Jianpu" or the "Company") on behalf of investors who purchased the Company's American Depository Shares ("Shares") pursuant and/or traceable to Jianpu's initial public offering ("IPO") of Shares on or about November 16, 2017.Additional information about this action may be found at http://kaskelalaw.com/case/jianpu-technology-inc/ Investors who purchased Jianpu's Shares and suffered an investment loss in excess of $50,000 are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC (D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq.) at (888) 715  1740, or skaskela@ kaskelalaw.com , to discuss this action and their important legal rights and options.On or about November 16, 2017, Jianpu completed its IPO by selling 22.5 million Shares to investors at $8.00 per share. The investor complaint alleges that the Company's IPO offering materials contained inaccurate statements of material fact and/or omitted material information required to be disclosed in order to make such statements not misleading. The complaint further alleges that on November 21, 2017, just days after the IPO, several news sources reported that China's Financial Stability and Development Committee ("FSDC") had issued an urgent notice to provincial governments urging them to suspend regulatory approval of new internet micro-loan companies. Thereafter, the price of Jianpu's Shares fell more than 38% during the three-day period ended November 24, 2017, to close at $4.90 per Share.IMPORTANT DEADLINE: Investors who purchased Jianpu's Shares pursuant and/or traceable to the Company's IPO may, no later than December 24, 2018, seek to be appointed as a lead plaintiff representative of the class.Investors who purchased the Company's Shares and suffered an investment loss in excess of $50,000 are encouraged to contact Kaskela Law LLC to discuss this action and their important legal rights and options. Kaskela Law LLC exclusively represents investors in state and federal courts throughout the country. For additional information about Kaskela Law LLC please visit www.kaskelalaw.com CONTACT:D. Seamus Kaskela, Esq.KASKELA LAW LLC201 King of Prussia RoadSuite 650Radnor, PA 19087 (484) 258  1585(888) 715  1740skaskela@ kaskelalaw.com SOURCE: Kaskela Law LLC
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-08 02:26:52

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VANCOUVER, BC / ACCESSWIRE / December7th, 2018 / PROGRESSIVE PLANET SOLUTIONS INC.(PLAN-TSX:V) ("Progressive Planet", "PLAN" or the "Company") ispleased to announce the successful closing of its fully subscribed non-brokeredprivate placement announced December 6, 2018 of 5,500,000 units (the "Units") at aprice of $0.05 per Unit for aggregate gross proceeds of $275,000 (the"Offering").Each Unitis comprised of one common share (a "Share") and one Common Sharepurchase warrant (a "Warrant") of the Company.Each Warrant will entitle the holder topurchase one Share (a "Warrant Share") at a price of $0.06 per Warrant Sharefor period of 12 months from the date of Closing. Thewarrants are subject to an acceleration clause, which states that the issuerwill have the right to accelerate the expiry date of the warrants if, at anytime, the average closing price of the shares is equal to or greater than 10cents for 10 consecutive trading days. In the event of acceleration, the expirydate will be accelerated to a date that is 30 days after the issuer issues anews release, announcing that it has elected to exercise this accelerationright.The Company did not pay anyfinders' fees in relation to the private placement.Proceeds from the financingwill be used for general corporate purposes and for continued product researchand development."We are very pleased not onlywith how quickly the financing was filled but also, with just under 50% of thefinancing taken by insiders, it demonstrates their belief in and commitment tothe Company." states Stephen Harpur, CEO.Progressive Planet is aCanadian based mineral exploration company with its flagship Z1 Zeolite Mine inBritish Columbia, an equity interest in Snow Lake Resources, a 5% interest inthe Lac Gueret Extensions Graphite Project in Quebec and a 100% interest in theBuckingham Graphite Project in Quebec.ON BEHALF OF THEBOARDSigned "Stephen Harpur"Stephen Harpur,CPA, CGA, CEOFor furtherinformation or investor relations inquiries, please contact us:1-800-910-3072Investors@ progressiveplanet.ca Forward-Looking Statements:Neither the TSX Venture Exchange nor its RegulationServices Provider (as that term is defined in the policies of the TSX VentureExchange) accepts responsibility for the adequacy or accuracy of this release.SOURCE: Progressive Planet Solutions Inc.
PR-Inside.com: 2018-12-08 03:01:01

Superb Crew invited Vesper Hu, Marketing & Corporate Communications Manager APAC of Heilind Electronics Inc. for an exclusive interview about the marketing and branding strategy of Heilind Electronics in APAC.

Vesper Hu Introduces the Marketing and Branding Strategy of Heilind Asia Pacific

Media:

Sarah Luo

sarah.luo@heilind.com

This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005

(Photo: Business Wire)

Media: Superb Crew

Interviewee: Vesper Hu, Marketing & Corporate Communications Manager APAC, Heilind Electronics Inc.

SuperbCrew is a tech news website covering innovative tech and internet companies. SuperbCrew delivers latest insights and interviews from startup community.

1. Could you provide our readers with a brief introduction to Heilind Electronics and DAC Group Company?

Heilind Electronics, the first DAC Group Company was founded by Bob Clapp in 1974, with the focus on interconnect and electromechanical products. In 1982 he started D.B. Roberts Company with an emphasis on specialty fastener products. The same year the DAC group was established.

From its founding in 1974, Heilind has grown to become the industry's pre-eminent interconnect distributor, with the largest inventory of connector products in North America. The company was built on the ideals of deep inventory, flexible policies, responsive systems, knowledgeable technical support and unsurpassed customer service and today supports original equipment and contract manufacturers in all market segments of the electronics industry.

DB Roberts is a recognized leader in fastener distribution. Since inception, it has been focused on providing solutions for fastener applications in Sheet Metal Fabrication, Metalworking, and Industrial Electronics.

Heilind has over 40 facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Europe, Hong Kong, Singapore and Mainland China. As part of Heilind global expansion, Heilind Asia Pacific was officially launched on Dec 12th, 2012. Covering primarily Heilind product categories, Heilind Asia Pacific mainly focuses on connectors, relays, switches, thermal management & circuit protection products, terminal blocks, wire & cable, wiring accessories and insulation & identification products and sensor products distribution business.

Heilind Asia Pacific now has 21 locations throughout Asia. By replication of Heilind successful North American business model of a strong commitment to inventory to deliver the highest levels of service possible in the Asian market place, it insists on the belief of Distribution As It Should Be.

2. Heilind has been very successful in the field of electronic component distribution. For a growing enterprise, in addition to the company's technical strength, branding is also increasingly important. What's your understanding of brand building? How does Heilind build the brand in APAC? And whats your plan to build brands for hardware and fasteners that Heilind plans to introduce in APAC?

Generally speaking, brand is the definition customer made from overall perception of our business, and brand building is a long process getting our target audience to know who we are and what they could expect from us. Through storytelling, we build our reputation and make our brand recognized & loved.

Brand building is quite influential for developing business. According to Nielsens Global New Product Innovation Survey, nearly six-in-ten global consumers (59%) prefer to buy new products from brands familiar to them, and 21% say they purchased a new product because it was from a brand they like. A reputable brand could be one of the most valuable wealth a company owns.

The first step we start for Heilind brand building in APAC is to determine the target audience and our uniqueness which differentiate us from other competitors, delivering the right content to the right group on right platformsas the interconnect specialist, with the mission to insist the core value of distribution, we carry connector inventory in breadth and depth supporting original equipment and contract manufacturers in all market segments of the electronics industry.

Then we outline the competitive advantages and key benefits to providefranchised for 100+ world leading manufacturers, No MOQ/MLV, professionals of interconnect and electromechanical products, completed set of value added services, design in support, multicurrency, local support in 21 locations all around Asia

Under the clear brand image with plan externalized, we integrate Heilind brand into as many aspects as possible of our business, such as the print, signage, website, advertising, searching engine optimization, online & offline events, content marketing, press release, social media, souvenirs and customer service.

Brand building is not a one-step project and it doesnt happen in a few days or even in a few months, which is a long term relationship management with stakeholders and the public. It has to be consistent in image, communication and experience, thus, it would be always on-going and transitional which moves forward in everyday operation details.

We will follow the same successful branding process for the hardware and fastener brands. Penn Engineering is the first dedicated hardware/fastener supplier we are adding into our Marcom program. At the same time we will include Heyco, Panduit and RAF into this marketing initiative. We will continue to add complementary lines regularly to enhance our presence in this product category.

As we mentioned earlier, all our hardware/fastener brands are grouped under DB Roberts, a recognized leader in this field. We plan to use our existing Heilind infrastructure to support the branding, marketing and sales of these product lines in Asia.

3. What do you think is the most effective marketing activity you or your company undertakes?

It depends on different phases we experience. In Asia we have 3 main marketing phases for Heilind:-

I Transition Phase - at the very beginning, our target was to enhance Heilind market presence in Asia and transit the brand image & business model from North America; in this phase we built Asia website, made corporate video, conducted lots of interviews and attended many large-scale tradeshows of electronics industry.

II Consolidation Phase- Brand image delivery was the key goal. We had our local language website and unified Chinese brand name for Greater China, we created Heilind mascot, completed social media platforms and developed many interesting promotions such as online game program, 3D video display set etc.; accordingly, we continued to attend large-scale tradeshows and also held press conferences.

III Growth/ Segment Focus Phase- When stepping into the growth phase, with the e-commerce becoming a trend, we started to focus on vertical & internet marketing. In this phase our promotions were more specific on products & applications. With new VR promotion method, we attended lots of small-scale professional tradeshows, forums & seminars and held many customer workshops. At the same time, more resources were allocated on searching engine marketing and 3rd party inventory listing.

4.In NA, DB Roberts is a recognized leader in fastener distribution, Heilind Electronics is one of the world's leading distributors for interconnect, electromechanical, and sensor products; will it be the same branding in Asia?

In North America, as an AS9120 and ISO 9001:2015 registered company, DB Roberts is a recognized leader in fastener distribution focusing on providing solutions for fastener applications in Sheet Metal Fabrication, Metalworking, and Industrial Electronics. And the manufacturers DB Roberts represents are the best in the respective industries. Its "Superior Customer Service" and "Commitment to Excellence" has proven to be a winning formula fueling innovation and rapid growth year after year. This is much similar to Heilind ideals of deep inventory, flexible policies, responsive systems, knowledgeable technical support and unsurpassed customer service.

As mentioned in the previous point, due to the fact that target audience is relatively similar, both Heilind and DB Roberts product ranges will be marketed and sold under one Heilind Asias product portfolio.

5. What is the biggest challenge youve faced in Marketing and Communications, how did you overcome it?

From my perspective there are 2 main challenges:-

Although we are the largest interconnect distributor in North America for more than four decades history, and had been awarded the Best Distributor for 6 consecutive years by Bishop and Associates, when we first launched Heilind Asia in 2012 we were practically unknown to the market which was already crowded with competitors.

The other main challenge is Asia Pacific covers many countries/regions, in which the market situation & culture is quite different and hard to figure out the most suitable promotion ways/platforms in a limited time. For example, some countries have strict restricts on media and customs policy, or smaller consumer group, in such cases the promotion plans could be varied from one region to another.

However, with a lot market research, we integrated Heilind branding into as many aspects as possible of our business year by year, flied to varied regions visiting and carried out tradeshows, seminars & workshops, actively tried rising promotion methods and tripled the news amount in just two years... Over time, our perseverance pays off and we are today recognized as a creditable channel partner in Asia market, with a well-defined business model and the capacity to take calculated risks to improve our business offering. Having received more than 20 awards from media, suppliers and customers all over Asia, we will continue to work on enhancing these good relationships.

About Heilind Electronics:

Founded in 1974, Heilind Electronics, Inc. (http://www.heilind.com) is one of the world's leading distributors of connectors, relays, switches, thermal management & circuit protection products, terminal blocks, wire & cable, wiring accessories, insulation & identification, fastener/hardware and sensor products. Heilind has over 40 facilities in the United States, Canada, Mexico, Brazil, Germany, Hong Kong, Singapore and China.

Heilind Asia Pacific (http://www.heilindasia.com) commenced operations in Dec 2012, and now has 21 locations throughout Asia. Its industry leading service offering to customers in Asia Pacific is the result of a commitment to the belief of Distribution As It Should Be.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005
Nothing has shown how lean President Muhammadu Buharis media team is like the effect of the relatively old conspiracy theory about the presidents supposed body double rumored to be at the helms of affairs in Aso rock. The conspiracy theory first came to light when Nnamdi Kanu, leader of the separatist IPOB group, said the president had died and had been replaced by a certain Jubril from Sudan.

Although the theory didnt gain much traction when it surfaced as it was confined within the circles of IPOB members and their online apologists, it dominated social media timelines weeks ago and then newspaper pages days ago when a prominent cleric made allusion to it during a sermon, quoting authoritative sources.

Much has been said about the incident and many have condemned those who peddle the narrative. But something fundamental has not been addressed: why the rumour thrived in the first place. Perhaps what many columnists do not want to say is that the rumour thrived because of the lean nature of Mr Buharis media team.

Now I must make it emphatic that the point here is the lean (say inadequate if you wish) nature of the team and not their competence or otherwise on the job. Of course a team cant be said to be incompetent if it parades Tolu Ogunlesi, one of Nigerias most gifted columnists; Femi Adesina, model journalist and editor; Garba Sheu, ace journalist and media trainer; Bayo Omoboriowo, celebrated photographer and many others. So the operative word is l-e-a-n and heres why.

Mr Buhari, known for his austerity, operates some of leanest media team on this side of Africa. Of course, there is no better way to detect corruption than by merely looking at the size of a presidents media team. So in keeping with his mantra of change and frugality, the president maintains just six media aides. Just one, two, three, four, five six. Just six, aside Mr Omoboriowo and his team. They include the trio of Messrs Ogunlesi, Adesina, and Sheu; Laureta Onochie, Shaaban Sharada and Bashir Ahmad.

I have always known that those guys would have their necks choked because of their lean size and thats happening already as we see in this case of Jubril from Sudan conspiracy theorywhich the small team, apparently, couldnt contain and spin effectively.

Now, frankly, there is a part of me that is tempted to suggest that Mr Buharis perennial absence and annoying insouciance created the atmosphere for the Jubril theory to flourish in the minds of Nigerians. The president, no doubt, has alienated himself so much from the people that they can believe anything written against him since they dont see him anyway. Since he assumed power, he has had just one media chat. He speaks to Nigerians only through foreign media, often when in United Kingdom or some other European countries, and crawls back into Aso Rock upon arriving Nigeria. Mr Buharis invisibility created fertile ground for the mischief.

On the flipside, SATIRE SATURDAY opines that such rickety conspiracy theory wouldnt have blossomed if plotted against, say, a Yemi Osinbajo. The VP has been jumping from one market to another all over the country, sharing cash to traders, warts and all. Pray, how would anyone confuse traders who saw and interacted with the vice president last month in Oje market, Ibadan, that he is not the real Osinbajo but some Ukeyepeirereh from Mozambique? Its almost impossible.

But again, this column opines that because Mr President, at least among his e-supporters, is infallible, we cannot claim that he erred. So the root cause still remains the lean presidential media team. And for God and country, it is important that the media team is beefed up so that Messrs Adesina et al would have aides that could help ease their works. And, trust me, they all need new aides, all of the media aides. I will explain.

First, Mr Garba Sheu is one of the most senior among the aides. But the man didnt get the position based on mere seniority; he earned it by his professional antecedents spanning decades. And what stands Mr Shehu out among the lot is his strategic thinking: how he creatively thinks through a communication problem and solves it effortlessly. Take for instance the rat invasion of Mr Buharis office used as alibi sometime ago; reports traced it to Mr Shehuthe ingenuity of that idea had no other persons trademark. And, boy, it worked wonders! So you imagine what has happened to Mr Shehus famed strategic prowess on this Jubril Al-sudany theory only to realise the man must have been overworked and got carried away by other concerns.

And so, SATIRE SATURDAY suggests that he should be provided an aide whose role would only be to remind him whenever there is something important to spin. Like this body double issue, which he didnt notice. The new aide, whose gender is irrelevant, only needs to wield a placard with the small caption: Its time to spin itits time to spin it.

Mr Adesina, on his part, has shown that he has the most engaging aura in the media, both on television and radio. Beyond his gift of writing flawless prose, he has shown how effectively he can engage journalists and presenters on issues. But because there are so much to do with no assistance from anywhere, due to fatigue, whenever he appears on air, Mr Adesina sometimes wants to make you shut down your television set with his logic. Curiously, on Jubril Alsudany, he hasnt said anything remarkable thus far. Thats some good news.

SATIRE SATURDAY only hopes that that culture of dignified silence he has maintained, especially on some issues his responses are capable of worsening, could be sustained. To ensure total compliance, one hopes that an aide would be hired to help with routine advice and instructions. The new aides role every morning would simply be to wield before him a placard carrying the inscription: Please dont talkyou do less damage when you dontplease dont talk

Mr Ogunlesi is easily one of the most engaging of Mr Buharis aides, especially on Twitter where he wields considerable influence. The problem with him is that he is the only media aide that does not speak. He only tweets. There is a tendency that he does not understand the relief his little interventions do to public perception. SATIRE SATURDAY thinks it is apposite to suggest that he gets new aide who would advise him on why he would do better for his principal by speaking up often. What about an aide tasked with the responsibility of sending him a message with the words Please speak out more speak out speak out every morning?

Bashir Ahmad, the presidents aide on digital media, does not really need an aide. Maybe just someone, anyone, to remind him always that Nigeria is bigger than his twitter page and thats all. Ditto Mr Omoboriowo.

By far the presidents media aide in most need of another aide is Mrs Onochie, the presidential media aide on fake news no, sorry, on social media. We can never tell but it appears Mrs Onochies discreet job description upon being appointed is to officially throw the nation into chaos with fake news, insensitive broadcast and uncouth languages.

Not once, not twice, she has been busted sharing fake news and she never apologized, suggesting it was deliberate. Its quite an irony, however, that security operatives have hounded other Nigerians over what they categorized as injurious contents yet Mrs Onochie, who should ordinarily be a regular guest, has never been apprehended.

But more importantly, SATIRE SATURDAY opines that the woman needs help. And, for God and country, the presidency must intervene and help her. A starting point would be to supply her an aide whose only job would be to help monitor her online engagements. But because of Mrs Onochies stubborn love for pedestrian narrative and gutter language, the aidepreferably a man with deep, husky, scary voicewould not use placards and inscriptions. Neither would he have to send text messages. Mrs Onochies case, more than anyone else in the media team, is beyond dire. So to attain much more impact, this column would suggest that anytime Mrs Onochie wields her phone, the new aide would be tasked to scream, in his husky and scary voice: This is fake news fake news destroysthis is fake news!

For God and Country.
U.S. President Donald Trump has hit back at his former Secretary of State Rex Tillerson, calling him dumb as a rock.

Mr Trump was responding to Tillersons claim that the president was undisciplined, doesnt like to read and tries to break the law.

Mr Trump tweeted: Mike Pompeo is doing a great job, I am very proud of him.

His predecessor, Rex Tillerson, didnt have the mental capacity needed. He was dumb as a rock and I couldnt get rid of him fast enough. He was lazy as hell. Now it is a whole new ballgame, great spirit at State!

Mr Tillerson, while speaking on Thursday night in Houston at a fundraiser for the MD Anderson Cancer Center, said he often had to push back against Mr Trump, telling him that some of his requests would violate the law.

So often, the president would say heres what I want to do and heres how I want to do it and I would have to say to him, Mr. President, I understand what you want to do but you cant do it that way. It violates the law.

Id say heres what we can do. We can go back to Congress and get this law changed. And if thats what you want to do, theres nothing wrong with that.

I told him Im ready to go up there and fight the fight, if thats what you want to do, Mr Tillerson said. (NAN)
The Federal government said oil marketers would be paid N236 billion out of N348 billion approved by the National Assembly as outstanding subsidy claims on Friday, December 14.

The Chief Operating officer, Nigerian National Petroleum Corporation (NNPC) Downstream, Henry Ikem-Obih, disclosed this to journalists in Abuja on Saturday.

The Debt Management Office (DMO) will by next week, precisely on Dec. 14th, pay oil marketers first part of the subsidy arrears of N236 billion as agreed by both parties.

We agreed that after the first tranche is paid, the marketers will form committee to work on details of how the next tranche will be paid in 2019 and the last paid in 2020.

Government is fully committed to pay(ing) the first tranche as promised and will be paid through promissory note that will be issued by the DMO, he said.

Mr Ikem-Obih said that oil marketers equally owed the government some debt which would not be deducted from the first tranche of payment.

He said that it was unfortunate that Depot and Petroleum Product Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN) had issued a counter statement from what was agreed at the meeting held with all stakeholders on Thursday.

DAPPMAN on Friday issued a counter-statement saying that there was no agreement reached with the government because it failed to reach legitimate demands of the association which were that the claims should be paid in cash instead of through the promissory notes.

He said that Independent Marketers Association, DAPPMAN, Major Oil Marketers (MOMAN), CBN, PPPRA, among others were part of the meeting.

Government is committed to doing what we agreed on and that is why they get the first tranche by next week.

We have told marketers that what government is doing now is honest and highly transparent, he added.

Mr Ikem-Obih urged Nigerians not to panic as the NNPC and all other stakeholders will ensure that there was no scarcity of the product throughout the yuletide season.

Currently, we have 55 days of Premium Motor Spirit (PMS) storage in the country which translates to 2.8 million litres in volume and 90,000 metric tonnes of diesel.

The 90,000 metric tonnes is supplied by NNPC and its subsidiary PPMC and we will continue to import, he added.

He said that apart from imported products, the Warri refinery had on Thursday started refining products and the Port Harcourt Refinery would soon kick off refining.

This, he said, would continue to boost the quantity of product in the country.

In an interview, some marketers who spoke to News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) commended the government and assured that they would support efforts towards ensuring smooth supply and distribution of petroleum products in the country.

Aliyu Said, Managing Director of AA Rano filling station, said that national interest must be upheld and it would be wise for DAPMAN to give the government a chance.

We have enough products and we will not shut down for any reason, we do not want Nigerians to suffer during this period and that is why we are supporting government effort, he said.

Also, the managing director of AYM Shafa filling station, said that they would work to ensure that there was no scarcity of products in the country during the yuletide season.

We will support government efforts to ensure smooth supply and distribution of products especially during the Christmas season, he added.

NAN reports that other marketers who promised to ensure a free flow of the product in the country include Obat oil PLC, ED Tonimas Nigeria Limited, among others.

(NAN)
Billions of naira worth of water projects in Osun and Ogun states have failed to materialise or are in bad shape after being abandoned or poorly excuted, an investigation by UDEME, an accountability project of the Premium Times Centre for Investigative Journalism, has shown.

The projects were awarded between 2012 and 2016 for over N5 billion as part of capital projects in the South West. Some started as state government projects but were expanded by the federal government.

Most of the projects were awarded by the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority. But years after, many of those projects have not been implemented. The few that have been executed were so poorly done that they are already falling apart just after a few years, this newspaper found.

The Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Abeokuta, is one of the River Basin Authorities established under Decree No. 35 of November, 1987, to pursue the objectives of harnessing, developing, conserving available land and water resources in the River Basin.

This was done to improve the standard of living and quality of lives of people living within the catchment area, through irrigation agronomy, livestock, fishery and forestry and supply of water for both human and animal consumption, through continuous cost reduction, efficient communication and better services.

Under this legal mandate, the river basin authority has powers to award water project contracts for the benefit of residents of the area. But while billions of naira have gone into enforcing that mandate, there is quite little to show as results, as the experiences of residents of the area show.

In Olode community of Osun state, as an example, 63-year-old Funke Agboola, who sells roasted maize cannot afford to sleep beyond 4 am each day because she must walk for over two kilometres with her two kids, Amina and Bashira, to fetch water for domestic use.

Also, waking up as early as 4.am has also become a routine for Rashida Biliaminu, who sells pap and Akara. She walks some three kilometres for water, or she must be ready to spend N500 daily to buy water from vendors.

At the local stream, it is a survival of the fittest among residents. Whoever gets there first, gets the cleanest water. They use the water for bathing, washing, drinking and other domestic chores.

Since I got to this town seven years ago, I must wake up early and go to the stream to fetch water, Mrs Agboola said to this reporter. I must wake my daughters up as early as possible so we can join our neighbours to go to the stream. That is where all of us in this village get water.

But just 50 metres from Mrs Agboolas house is a huge reservoir of about 1000 litres capacity, built to supply water to the community.

Residents told this reporter the reservoir was erected some years ago when some people came to them, saying they wanted to provide potable water for the village, from the federal government. Community members were happy.

However, their joy was short-lived as the spree of poor project execution and abandonment by the Ogun-Osun water basin authority was extended to Olode community, a town of over 50,000 inhabitants.

63-year-old Funke Agboola, who sells roasted maize

The women (Agboola and Rashidat), as well as many of the residents this reporter would later interview, wished the multimillion-naira water project inaugurated several years ago would work, but, unfortunately, the water supply scheme functioned for only two months.

It is over 10 years they erected that reservoir in Aye Oba. We have no good water to drink. We have also been living in darkness for even seven years, Mrs Agboola said.

The dam has dried up and the whole community has been suffering from the lack of water and electricity. A lot of politicians have come around, promising to help us, but it is all same story.

Every day, for us to get water to drink and other purposes, we have to trek to far away Igbalo (about 5 kilometres from here). There is a river there.

This place is located on the mountain top, so theres no well that will supply water, no matter how we dig the ground.

We can only rely on the government to help us with intervention like the water supply, but then, it just worked for two months, in the last six years.

Whenever there is no water, we usually pay. We also buy water from Hausa men who sell a 25-litre keg of water for N100. So, if you need water that will last you or a whole month, you will spend an average of N10, 000 monthly on water, she said.

Abandoned reservoir in Aye Oba

If we give them three jerry cans (we pay like N300. I usually send my small children to fetch most times because I dont have the strength to carry it (the water). Instead of that water project they wasted money on, they should give us more boreholes, Mrs Agboola said.

Millions of naira spent with no result

Built with N192 million, the Olode water supply scheme was supposed to serve the community and adjoining villages; but it did not function beyond two months after it was commissioned.

The contract, handled by the Ogun Osun River Basin Development Authority, was for the improvement of Olode water supply scheme in Ife South LGA, Osun State and was awarded to a company in 2009 for N200 million.

According to the 2016 audit report, documents revealed that the contract was 95 per cent completed after a total of N192 million was certified paid to the contractor.

Olode Water Supply

The audit report revealed that the concrete work done was damaged and the river bank was eroded beyond its normal level, and another contract was awarded at N40 million in September 2014.

As at when this reporter went to track this project, it was observed that the concrete work done on the water project was badly damaged and the river bank had eroded beyond its normal level. As a result of the damage, water could not build up to the level where the intake structure could extract water.

The auditor general report said another N40 million was, in 2014 awarded to the project, to correct the damaged river bank with two months completion period.

However, as at the time this reporter visited the site of the project in September 2018 (four years after) it was observed that there was no significant work executed on the project, while residents continued to suffer for lack of water.

A big reservoir, which was supposed to house water pumped from the water dam, is dried up and the office where the machines are have been deserted.

The site has been turned to a mechanic workshop.

Pumping Machine left to ruin in Olode

About four pumps, which have never served the functions for which they were erected, stood at different locations as symbols of hope of potable water, for the villagers.

An official of the Osun State water corporation who does not want to be named (for fear of victimisation), expressed disappointment in the government on the way the project was handled.

This project has been on for a long time here in Olode. We once enjoyed it for few months. We, the water supply workers, are not happy.

Initially, it was a project conceived by the government of Osun State. It was commissioned in 2004. The expansion work done by the federal government is more like a total waste of money. If you go to the machine room, you will see a lot of machines, wasting away. I have personally approached my boss to proffer solutions, but they would not listen.

Ifewara Water Supply Scheme

This reporter arrived Ifewara in Osun State, with the notion that an earth dam, which was captured in the 2015 budget, would be a landmark.

However, some structures were identified in a very bushy location.

Ifewara inside Bush

Kabiru Salawu, who led this reporter to the site, said his friend was employed four years ago when the construction work started and that he was not sure if his friend was still working there.

At the project site, the gate to the dam was under lock, in a scene that seems the place had not been put to use for many years.

A few pipes, which have never served the functions for which they were erected, stood at different locations from the reservoir.

Bushy entrance to Ifewara Water supply

When this reporter got to the community, away from the dam, residents were full of unpleasant narratives about the abandoned project and how it has remained there for many years, without serving its purpose.

The narrative from Ifewara community was the same as that given by the residents of Olode community. This same water supply scheme was implemented by Ogun Osun river Basin development. However, as is apparent, the purpose for implementing such projects seem to have been defeated.

A resident who identified himself as Engineer Ademola, narrated his experience about the water situation in the community and expressed displeasure on the quality of work done on the water supply scheme.

Engineer Ademola in Ifewara

When they introduced the project, we were happy that the challenges of water in the town will be over but it was not so, unfortunately, he said.

The water supply was not properly implemented. Many years ago, when the project was commissioned, the water it supplied was not clear, it was as dirty as palm oil.

It was until recently that we saw some people come from Abuja to repair it. Even when they came, they just painted the tap and left, the water worked for a day and ever since, we have been suffering, especially during dry season.

Even though we have like 10 rivers surrounding us, locating those rivers is always not a pleasant experience and they are located far away from here.

Tap stand in Ifewara

Oluwole Komolafe, a native of Ifewara in Osun State, expressed disappointment in the project.

It worked for some months and since then, it stopped working. We never get to enjoy water. The project just functioned for a day, and ever since, it has not supplied water for us, he said.

We only get water from the river or sometimes, we just had to buy water during dry season. We thank God for some people who can afford to dig well in their homes, thats another source of water for us.

Ours is a forgotten community, we have no good schools, teachers in those schools are not sufficient, drug supplies in our health care centre has disappeared, we are just on our own and the government seem unconcerned about us.

A major problem with the contractors is that they never carried residents along while they were working on the project, according to Kabiru Adelaja, another resident.

They only come here without explaining to citizens who are beneficiaries of the project to explain what they need. They just come and do the job shabbily without solving our water problem, he said.

Anytime we ask them how far about the project, they will always frown and reply that they are not answerable to us but the government that awarded the contract.

Now, they have come and gone. The government is not here and our problems of water scarcity remain unsolved, Mr Adelaja lamented.

Ifewara resident, Oluwole Komolafe

N20 million was allocated in the budget of the agency to construct the IFEWARA water supply scheme between 2013 and 2017. Yet, residents are unable to obtain potable water.

N50 million earth dam project abandoned

The Iragbiji earth dam in Osun State is another failed project in Osun state being implemented by OORBDA..

The Iragbiji earth dam

Ahmed Marouf, the motorcycle rider who rode this reporter to the site, complained bitterly on the state of the road leading to the land.

They have stopped working here for a while now. I used to bring some workers here when the project was still ongoing, he said.

This newspaper observed that there was no signpost to indicate the project, and there was no one on the land set aside for the project.

The only thing done on the land is a bridge separating two roads and an excavator used to carry out the project.

When contacted by telephone, Abdullahi Ajiboye, who functions as the personal assistant to the king, told this reporter that the government had failed to carry the elders in the community along, on the project.

We are not aware of the reason why they stopped. I will ask the King. So call me back tomorrow by 10am. The king will be around, he said.

PREMIUM TIMES and the UDEME team later spoke directly with the king on the abandoned project.

You see, Dam is in stages. The first stage is digging, the second stage is construction of treatment plant, reservoir and electricity. The third stage is reticulation on how the water will supply the community. They have only completed the first stage. While others have not been done. Thats how far they have gone, the monarch said.

Bridge separating two road

PREMIUM TIMES and UDEMEs investigation also revealed that as part of the budgetary allocations for capital projects in the South-West between 2013 and 2017 in the national budget, approximately N84 million has been allocated for the construction of earth dam in Iragbiji which, obviously, has been left uncompleted for years.

N26 million flood and erosion control project missing

Oteda is along Oshogbo road and I do not think there is any flood and control work done or ongoing in this community. A community must first be disturbed by flood before you think of construction about flood control. No project of such is in Oteda, a resident of the community who simply identified himself as Mr Sola said as his wife helped this reporter to get motorcycle leading to Oteda.

I did my PhD thesis on flood control and I know exactly what you are talking about. If it is in Oteda, no project of such but I will direct you to the place to see things for yourself, he added.

Oteda is a road side community along Owode-Ede road, Ede North Local Government Area in Osun State.

Ahmed Sodiq, the motorcycle rider, strutted the road for several minutes, trying to locate where the acclaimed flood control work was located.

All efforts were unsuccessful.

At Oteda, some of the residents who spoke with PREMIUM TIMES and UDEME said there was nothing of such in the past and presently did not have an idea of a flood control project by the government.

Oteda Village

You are in Oteda, starting from that side to the other end, a resident said pointing from left to right. For many years now, we have not been disturbed by flood.

Awere suffers flood despite allocation

At Awere, loogun-egbeda road, Ede South Local Government Area in Osun West, same senatorial district with Oteda, it was realised that despite the funds allocated, some parts of the area were flooded.

After a heavy downpour, this reporter was unable to cross the main bridge with flood walls that led to the outskirts of the community, as a result of the flood.

Mr Sodiq said the bridge has been in existence for over two years and that the flood walls have been constructed before the presentation of the constituency projects being tracked by this reporter.

Documents obtained through a freedom of information request revealed that N26 million has been released for the construction of food and erosion control work at Awere and Oteda communities in Osun West Senatorial district, Osun State. All attempts to get the location of the project were unsuccessful.

As with situation in Oteda, there was no signage to indicate any flood control project located in Awere.

At the time the auditor general released his report, the public relations officer of the Ogun-Osun River Basin Development Authority, Saliu Niyi, told PREMIUM TIMES he could not comment on the findings. He directed this reporter to the head of audit of the agency, identified as Mr Asore, who did not respond to calls and text messages to his phone.

Daniel Iyiola, the assisant director for works and service, also declined to comment on the project. He advsised this reporter to write an official letter to the agency stating his complaint.

Flood in Awere

However, one of the engineers in the procurement department of the agency who asked not to be named said contractors were back to site on most of the projects identified by this reporter.

Let me clear that of Irabigi. I was the one who inspected it of recent. It has been completed. Olode, I was also there, it is also ongoing. So all those ones, none of them is abandoned. If you went to interact directly with the community, the community is not likely to give you the fact because such projects they will always be in hurry to get it completed, but not much fund is released from federal government, as expected in other to quickly complete these projects, but all these ones you are talking about they are all ongoing, they are not abandoned.

You may want to come to the head office and see the file for yourself, you will see the last minute on those files, the files will talk for themselves.

We are also working tirelessly to ensure all ongoing projects are completed but the only thing I think we can do is to keep pressurizing the ministry of water resources to help us fastrack releasing funds to complete these projects.

You see, some of these completed water projects that refuse to supply water despite completion, the fault sometimes lies with state water corporation of those states because when we completed these projects, it has to be handed over to the state so that the state now complete whatever they are to do there. But if we complete our own, it is now left for the state that is if there is provision, to take over and do the needful to the community concerned.

So the community just have to be patient because we are not the one taking these decisions here, we are just like the middleman, If fund is released, definitely it will be completed.
The claim by the Buhari administration that normalcy has been restored to the north east of the country is a lie, the chairman of the House of Representatives Committee on Humanitarian Affairs, Sani Mohammed, has said.

The lawmaker, a member of the ruling All Progressives Congress (APC), said the region has failed, and he feared such failure could affect other parts of the country.

Mr Mohammed spoke while briefing his colleagues on his experience after visiting some states in the region. A video of the speech was published by Oak TV.

We just returned from an oversight function from Borno and Yobe states and I can say that the description that the northern part of Nigeria is under siege by Hon. Chika is an understatement, the lawmaker said in a rare frank comment about the situation in the region still facing a deadly Boko Haram crisis.

The Northern part of the country is failing. Actually, it has failed in so much part of it. My fear is that this grave situation will have a contagious effect on other parts of the country.

On Thursday when we went to Maiduguri. Upon arrival, Boko Haram insurgents launched an attack on an IDPs camp called Dalori 2 which is just opposite the University of Maiduguri. They burned down a substantial part of that camp, killed eight people and abducted women and ran into the bush unchallenged, the lawmaker said.

We went to Bama. The second most important town in Borno state which is also the exit point to three other countries; Chad, Niger and neighbouring Cameroon.

Apparently referring to the ruling governments positive references on the war, Mr Mohammed said the statements that stabilisation has been restored to the region was only a lie.

The Buhari administration has consistently said that Boko Haram insurgents had been technically defeated before saying they have been degraded.

Stepping up the rhetoric, Mr Buhari in his 2018 New Year speech said the armed forces have since beaten Boko Haram.

Addressing troops in the garrison town of Monguno in July, Mr Buhari said Boko Haram fighters were surrendering willingly.

President Muhammadu Buhari

Its evident that we are in a post-conflict stability phase, which has been made possible by the good work of our armed forces, he added.

The president and his aides have several times received backlashes for such claims as Nigerians question why a defeated group keeps perpetrating deadly attacks.

Recently, mulitple attacks by the group has cost the lives of over a hundred soldiers.

Like many other Nigerians, Mr Mohammed believes the governments acclaimed defeat does not reflect the true situation on ground.

There are no 200 persons in Bama today. The talk of safety being restored, the talk of normalcy and stabilisation being restored in part of North-East is a farce, is a ruse. Its not correct. Its a lie, the lawmaker said.

He recounted the experiences he and other committee members had in Borno and Yobe states.

Before you will be escorted to any of those parts Im talking about, you need almost a platoon of soldiers. Even the soldiers themselves, in spite of the encouragement we give them, the truth of the matter is that they are not confident.

On Saturday, we travelled to Gashua in Yobe State. On our way back we were at Damaturu at exactly seven o clock, we could not move to Maiduguri which was just a distance of one hour. By six o clock, up till now there is no movement into Maiduguri. I wonder that my colleagues are not painting this picture on the floor of this parliament.

So, we had to stay back in Maiduguri (Damaturu) with the only clothes we had. No towels, no brushes, until the following day when we were allowed by the security forces, including our escorts.

Mr Mohammed said the committee could not go to Chibok due to security situation in the town.

Part of our assignment would have been to travel to Chibok. Chibok is a no-go area. Only three days earlier, they raided a village where the Chief of Army staff comes from, killed people and went back unchallenged. The fact of the matter is that these insurgents are also in control of some territories, he said.
Oil marketers on Saturday said they did not reach an agreement with Federal Government on the N800 billion subsidy arrears, saying their ultimatum to cease depots operations on Monday remained unchanged.

Olufemi Adewole, Executive Secretary, Depot and Petroleum Products Marketers Association of Nigeria (DAPPMAN), said in a statement in Lagos that offers by the government failed to meet the demands of the association.

We did not sign the purported document with government as claimed. We still stand by our ultimatum which will expire on Monday, the group said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) recalls that the Federal Ministry of Finance on Dec. 6 said that the Federal Government and petroleum marketers had agreed on the settlement of outstanding claims.

The ministry, in a statement issued by Paul Abechi, spokesman for the Minister of Finance, Zainab Ahmed, in Abuja, assured that operations at all depots and sales would continue until further notice

NAN also recalls that the oil marketers had on Dec. 2 given the federal government a seven-day ultimatum to settle outstanding N800 billion subsidy payment debts, failing which they would cease depots operations.

However, the oil marketers said: We refer to the press release from the Federal Ministry of Finance following the meeting with marketers under the aegis of DAPPMAN, MOMAN and IPMAN and most respectfully refute its contents with the following clarifications.

DAPPMAN reiterates that there was no agreement reached because offers by government failed to meet the legitimate demands of the association and we did not sign the purported document.

Hence, our ultimatum stands as we cannot continue to borrow from banks to pay staff salaries.

DAPPMANs demands made to the FG through the Honourable Minister of Finance and Debt Management Office was to pay cash and the total sum of indebtedness to marketers within the time frame.

This was expressed in communications with the government, Ministry and other relevant office.

According to the marketers, this is to enable them continue in business, pay staff and not rely on facilities from banks which are no longer forthcoming.

We affirm that of all stakeholders, MOMAN, IPMAN and DAPPMAN that participated in the PSF scheme, DAPPMAN has the largest debt exposure in the downstream sector.

DAPPMAN has alerted the FG to this dire situation and specifically to the challenge our member companies face, leading to our inability to pay December 2018 salaries to our teeming work force without the immediate settlement of the debts owed by the FG.

Most unfortunately, this has not been heeded.

Since government globally is recognised as a continuum, FG is obliged to settle all legitimately incurred and verified Sovereign debts due to marketers promptly, the oil marketers said.

The marketers stressed that those debts owed to them actually belonged to banks, their shareholders, depositors and other Federal Government Agencies such as PPPRA, PEF-M-B, AMCON.

The marketers said banks, in compliance with extant banking regulations of the CBN, recently swooped on marketers with non-performing loans, taking over their depots and also cutting off any form of trading loans to them.

As a result, thousands of families have lost their means of livelihood.

Many more marketers will follow suit in the event that FG does not settle these debts to marketers.

Unfortunately based on the FG, failed promises to address the sovereign debt which was then less than N350 billion, it has grown to over N800 billion and still Federal has yet to pay.

December 2018 makes it 18 months after FEC approval for this payment and three months after the National Assembly (NASS) approval, yet marketers have not been paid.

We emphasise that FGs proposed payment of promissory notes is not acceptable to DAPPMAN. Will want our money paid in cash.

This will adversely affect the financial system taking due cognisance of the futuristic nature of this proposed mode of financial.

Therefore, as from today, our work force, save for security operatives, will effective, 7th December 2018 cease to be on our payroll pending payment of the debt owed by the Federal Government, they said.(NAN)
The social media has gained grounds in modern times with its ability to shape perceptions, worldview and initiate social change. Apart from being an interactive communication platform, it also facilitates the creation of ideas and the sharing of information.

It however, has its own downsides with many abusing it for their own peculiar reasons. One of the features that makes social media attractive is its accessibility, usually anonymously to a large extent. This ultimately makes it easy to monitor the activities of persons.

Nowadays, people tend to monitor social media activities via comments, user engagements, online chats, threads, likes and shares. Social media monitoring is a process of using social media channels to track, gather and mine the information and data of certain individuals or groups. It is also aimed at assessing their reputation and discerning how these are perceived online.

Who Is Likely Monitoring You?

Parents

Parents are very much concerned about the usage of social media by their wards. According to a study in 2016 by Pew Research Center survey, parents take a wide range of actions to monitor their teens online lives and to encourage their children to use technology in appropriate and responsible manners.

Other findings revealed by Pew included:

1- 61 per cent (of parents) have checked to see which websites their teens have visited.

2- 48 per cent have examined call records or text messages on their teens mobile phones.

3- 48 per cent know their teens email passwords, while 43 per cent know the passwords to their cellphones.

4- 39 per cent use parental controls to block, filter or monitor their teens online activities.

5- 16 per cent use parental controls to restrict their teens cell phone use.

6- 65 per cent have digitally grounded their teens by taking away their cellphones or Internet access.

7- 55 per cent say they limit the amount of time their teens can spend online each day.

8- 95 per cent have spoken with their teens about appropriate media for them, such as television, music, books and magazines, with 36 per cent doing so frequently.

9- 95 per cent have discussed appropriate content to be viewed online, with 39 per cent doing so frequently.

10- 92 per cent have discussed online behaviour toward others, with 36 per cent doing so frequently.

Security Agencies

One area that has implication for the national security of a country is its citizens engagement on the use of social media.

Some countries have ordered its security agencies on massive surveillance on its citizens social media accounts, which have caused serious concerns about free speech, racial and religious profiling, and privacy.

In August 2017, The federal government ordered the military to start monitoring Nigerians on the social media to check hate speech, anti-government and anti-security information.

The director of Defence Information, John Enenche, told Channels Television that the move became necessary in the light of troubling activities and misinformation capable of jeopardizing the unity of the country.

Mr Enenche, a major general, put Nigerians on notice about the tracking programme after Mr Buhari himself expressed concerns about emerging tone on social media.

I was distressed to notice that some of the comments, especially in the social media have crossed our national red lines by daring to question our collective existence as a nation, the president in a nationwide address August 21.

In the United State of America, security agencies like the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are collecting and analyzing content from Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites of all immigrants in the countryeven green card holders and naturalized U.S. citizens.

The Department of Homeland Security (DHS) use social media surveillance for situational awareness, intelligence, and other operations.

The Secretary to the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), John Kelly, On February 7, in a statement issued at the House Homeland Security Committee hearing, said that DHS could require non-citizens to provide the passwords to their social media accounts as a condition of entering the country.

The American Civil Liberties Union Foundation and the American Civil Liberties Union Foundation of Northern California (together, the ACLU) on May 2018, filed a Freedom of Information Act (FOI) request to find out how agencies like the FBI and the Department of Homeland Security are collecting and analyzing content from Facebook, Twitter, and other social media sites.

Spouses

Most couples surf through their partners social media messages. A 2012 study by Derby, Knox and Easterling found that about two-thirds of participants admitted to surreptitiously looking through a partners private messages, including social networking sites and texts on their phones.

In other words, these people had checked a partners phones or social networking sites without that persons consent.

However, the risk that comes with checking your partners private correspondence is that you may find material that causes you to feel jealous.

Exes

This is a former sexual or romantic partner, or a former spouse. Some go the extra length of monitoring their previous partners.

Breakups are supposed to be the end of a relationship. Whether the end came via a fight or a mutual agreement between both partners, some exes take to social networking sites to keep digitally connected to their former partner.

Before the advent of social media sites, people relied on updates from friends if they wanted information about an ex without directly contacting them.

According to a report on DailyExpress in a study conducted by www.VoucherCodesPro.co.uk, it revealed that the average Briton for instance looks at an ex-partners social media profile three times per week, despite being in a new relationship with someone else.

Employers, Human Resources Personnel

Employers may monitor employees to track their activities especially engagement with workplace-related tasks.

A business using employee monitoring devices on a computer can measure productivity, track attendance, ensure security and collect proof of hours worked.

However, majority of workers believe their boss is spying on their activity, using tactics such as tracking their location, monitoring time spent away from their desk and tracking their internet browsing, according surveys.

Thanks to modern technology, companies can monitor almost 100 per cent of employee activity and communication, including:

1- Internet and app usage

2- Email

3- Computer screen recording

4- Phone use

5- Video/audio surveillance

6- GPS tracking by vehicle

7- Location tracking by access badge

According to a 2007 Electronic Monitoring & Surveillance Survey from American Management Association (AMA) and The ePolicy Institute, more than one-fourth of employers have fired workers for misusing e-mail and nearly one third have fired employees for misusing the Internet

According to a report published by The Independent, almost two-thirds of employees thought the increase in use of technology for surveillance is likely to breed distrust and discrimination.

The reports also found that workers believed managers were tracking their moods using facial recognition software.

A third of the 2,100 workers polled said they thought their social media activity was being snooped on outside work hours.

Cyber-stalkers

This is a form of harassment, with the culprit tracking down a persons social media platforms like Facebook, Twitter and even Instagram. These are potential hunting grounds for stalkers.

According to the research report by WHOA (Working to Halt Online Abuse) in 2013, on Cyberstalking, the statistics show that in America women are more often victims of cyber-stalking compared to men with a ratio at 60 per cent women to 40 per cent for men.

Embassies

Although this is yet to be proven, many believe that embassies can snoop on visa applicants social media accoounts in the course of verifying the suitability of such applicants to enter their respective nations.

BBC recently reported that the Trump administration approved plans to ask US visa applicants for details of their social media accounts.

It said visa seekers, whether visitors or would-be immigrants will be asked to provide details of their activites online via a new questionnaire.

Similarly, Russia added a number of intrusive new questions to its already lengthy visa application forms, which includes details of applicants Facebook and Twitter accounts.
Law Graduates Forum of the National Open University of Nigeria (NOUN) on Saturday praised President Muhammadu Buhari for signing the NOUN Amendment Act. 

A statement by Carl Umegboro, who is the chairman, NOUN Law Graduates Forum, said the amendment would resolve the protracted crisis that had lingered over half a decade, a development that had particularly affected law students of the university.



The News Agency of Nigeria ( NAN) reports that Ita Enang, the Special Adviser to the President on National Assembly Matters, had on Friday in Abuja, disclosed to State House correspondents, the presidents assent to the bill.

Mr Enang had said, President Buhari has also assented to National Open University Amendment Act, which allows the National Open University to operate as all other universities, having the same power and functions and the same administrative structures.

The group expressed joy that the protracted crisis had been resolved by the president and that by so doing, the law school admission crisis, as well as NYSC issues, had now been laid to rest.

By the Presidential assent, which has replaced the hitherto correspondence in the Act to now Full-Time programme, which was the basis on which the Council of Legal Education refused to admit law graduates of the university to the Nigerian Law School, it is apparent the quagmires have been finally laid to rest and admission quota imminent.



According to Mr Umegboro, although the crisis began during the reign of previous administrations, nothing was done to assuage the situation until the advent of the Buhari administration in 2015.



In the light of this, we hail Mr. President for his understanding, trustworthiness and commitment to education and masses welfare in general, he said.

NAN reports that prior to the presidential assent, NOUN law graduates had been refused admission into the Nigerian Law School and excepted from NYSC, a situation the law graduates had described as unjust and discriminatory.

They had taken to the courts in search of justice.

Justice Hilary Oshomah of the Federal High Court, Port-Harcourt on October 4, 2017, decided to hands-off the matter to allow the academia to resolve it. (NAN)
Ahead of the International Anti-corruption Day on December 9, a group of civil society organisations in Nigeria led by Civil Society Legislative Advocacy Centre (CISLAC) has decried the slow pace of the fight against the scourge in Nigeria.

The International Anti-corruption Day has been observed annually across the globe since the United Nations Conventions Against Corruption was passed on October 31, 2003. It aims to raise public awareness of corruption and what people can do to fight it.

According to the project manager of CISLAC, Okeke Anya, the organisations said Nigeria has not fulfilled a majority of the 14 commitments it made as part of the Open Government Partnership effort.

It further lamented that the President Muhammadu Buhari administration has not discharged any of the 20 commitments it made during an anti-corruption conference in London in 2016.

According to Mr Anya, public contracting remains in utter confusion and there remains a lack of transparency.

Furthermore, he said, the National Assembly has hopelessly stalled crucial asset recovery legislation, such as the proceeds of crime bill as well as the much needed public procurement reform, while key appointments for the National Procurement Council (NPC) have not commenced.

The National Assembly has delayed the confirmation of 60 nominees for leadership positions across various institutions, including agencies vital to fighting corruption. The failure to screen and confirm nominees from the Executive is undermining governance and complicating the on-going fight against corruption in the country.

These failures, he said, contribute to the deterioration of public patience and perception about the ability of government to fight corruption in Nigeria.

On the judiciary and anti-corruption convictions, Oche Edeh, Director of YES project, said there is a reason to suspect that the judiciary is either not able or willing to prosecute VIP cases of senior public servants, including elected politicians who have either directly or indirectly ravaged the Nigerian state resources.

He said Nigeria has fallen to become the nation with the highest number of people living under extreme poverty in the world because of monumental corruption and kleptocratic governance.

Despite some acceleration in the rate of repatriation and confiscation of the proceeds of corruption, we still do not see the investigations, prosecutions and convictions at the highest levels of our political class, he said.

The Director-.General of Lawyers Network Against Corruption (LAWNAC), Ezenwa Anumunu, identified the so-called security votes as one of the most durable forms of corruption in Nigeria.

Commenting on the illicit financial flows, he said Nigeria still loses an enormous amount of resources to illicit financial outflows.

It is estimated that around $35 billion are annually lost to illicit financial flows. These indirect and dodgy movements of monies earned in Nigeria and leaving the country through the back door pose a great challenge to our development and economy, Mr Anumunu said.

It is, therefore, astonishing to note that Nigerias newly independent Financial Intelligence Unit has been unable to secure one single conviction in 2017 out of the 3587 Suspicious Transactions Reports which banks and financial providers flag as potential money laundering cases.

He said the integrity and transparency of elected representatives and public officials need to be scrutinised as never before as the presidential, gubernatorial and legislative elections draw near.

The Programme Coordinator, Centre LSD, Uchenna Arisukwu, read out the demands of the CSOs.

These include:

Cases in court that deal with PEPs should be expedited and cases should not be thrown out on technicalities that hinder the judiciary from carrying out their judicial responsibilities.

The NFIU should be proactive by following up on the Suspicious Transactions Reports which banks and financial providers flag as potential money laundering cases.

Our security agencies and personnel should be equipped to defend the nation and porous borders that allow inflow of illicit weapons and money laundering.

Investigation should be carried out especially where there is evidence of abuse of power by political leaders and there should be adequate transparency in the procurement of military equipment as necessary.

The organisations also requested a ban on security vote for public officers.

The electoral processes at the federal and sub-national level need to be free of political profiteering and manipulation. The Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) should set up mechanisms of monitoring section 91 of the Electoral Act 2010 As Amended that deals with maximum limit of election expenses, he said.

In conclusion, the organisations said they would continue to support the governments effort in the fight against corruption and ensure the government walks its talk in the fight.
Muhammad Babandede, Comptroller-General, Nigeria Immigration Service (NIS), said the service retrieved over 700 voters cards from non-Nigerians living in the country.

He disclosed this at the 2018 NIS award presentation in Abuja on Saturday.

Mr Babandede said that the service was fully involved in the election process to ensure that no foreigner voted during the 2019 general elections.

This year, we have retrieved over 700 voters cards from non Nigerians. We will be there during elections to ensure that non-Nigerians dont participate.

We will make sure that they dont vote and they are not voted for.

During the election, we will ensure the borders are secured so that nobody can enter the country during the days of election, Mr Babandede said.

Immigration service has changed for the better.

We have built the capacity of personnel and improved on structures and contributed to Nigerias security and prosperity in many ways, Mr Babandede said.

He said such areas included the Ease of Doing Business whereby the service had assisted businessmen to get visas as quickly as possible without hurdles.

We have trained so many officers. There has never been a time Nigeria Immigration Service has gotten better structures than now.

The approval of the technology building worth N7.1 billion by President Muhammadu Buhari will serve all law enforcement agencies where we will share such information online with partners.

I thank President Buhari for approving the unique project for the NIS. That has never been done since inception in 1958.

We became independent in 1963. Since that time, we have not gotten a centre to coordinate all our operations until this year when the President approved the technology building.

Julius Berger has already started work on the site. It was launched by the Minister of Interior last week, Babande said.

He said that with the support of the NIS board, the bad guys were punished in 2018.

We dismissed many officers, retired officers and reduced the rank of officers.

Today is a day for the good officers, he said.

The comptroller-general also said that as part of its effort on better service delivery, the NIS usually constructed two new commands annually.

Last year, we did two in Jigawa and Kano. This year we will commission two in Abia and Plateau.

We thank government for supporting building of infrastructure, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 26 officers across the country received various awards ranging from Service, Minister and Comptroller-General Awards.

The award was based on gallantry, exemplary leadership and meritorious service, among
A former governor of Jigawa State, Sule Lamido, has said Nigerias political system is going through strange and challenging times, and has claimed those in power are using poverty to intimidate and woo opposition members to their fold.

The former governor said the former governor of Akwa Ibom State, Godswill Akpabio, and former defence minister, Musiliu Obanikoro, were victims of the menace, as both men defected from PDP because APC planned to arraign them before a court of law, after revealing their bank account balances to them.

Mr Lamido was speaking on Thursday while inaugurating the election campaign committee in Dutse, Jigawa State capital, in an arena filled with people.

His claims were massively acknowledged by the crowd.

Now in this current political dispensation, if you steal public funds and stash them in the bank and you are a member of opposition, they will tell you to come back to APC. They will forgive you, but if you refuse, they will prosecute you. That is how Messrs Akpabio and Obanikoro were forced to leave PDP for APC, Mr Lamido said.

Messrs Akpabio and Obanikoro could not be immediately reached for comments.

Mr Lamido said the ruling party, APC, was using poverty as a weapon to weaken the opposition.

Nigerians are suffering. For three years, they did not do anything. Now that they sense defeat, they have started giving out money.

This is not the type of politics we learnt. Previously, it is the people who financed their own cause and if a leader disagrees with the people, they will call him to order. Now, politics has become a business venture for politicians to make money, Mr Lamido said.

He also broke his silence over the defection of the aggrieved members of the party to APC, in Jigawa State.

Mr Lamido urged PDP defectors to return to the party.

He said the aggrieved members of the PDP should remember what the party has done for them, reconsider their decision, and return to the party in order to rescue the state.

Go and meet them, notify them that power, wealth and authority comes from God Almighty. Remind them of the position they held during PDPs reign. Ask them to refresh their faith. It is not by their power that makes them what they are, but the will of God.

Let them know that the young ones are learning from their actions and words. Let us not teach the next generation the habit of betrayal and disrespect, but love, trust and respect, Mr Lamido said.

He said the aggrieved members should know that they have been together for long.

We are one people, with one historical background, in the same state. Let us work once again to rescue Jigawa, he said.

Mr Lamido also urged PDP members in the state to desist from campaigns of thuggery and violence, but rather, engage their opponents in an issue based campaign.

Show them what PDP has done in the state. Let them know we are all one family, irrespective of political affiliation.

Mr Lamido charged the members of the committee to work for the success of PDP in the state and its presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakar.

Also it is your responsibility to go and woo Governor Muhammad Badaru to PDP because he will not survive the task ahead, he said.

Eight election campaign committees were inaugurated at the event.

They are expected to work under the apex committee chaired by Ahmad Algazali while Sule Lamido, Aminu Ringim, Salisu Mahmuda among others, will serve as members.
The Nigerian Air Force (NAF) says it would soon take delivery of 12 newly acquired aircraft from the United States as part of renewed efforts to end the insurgency in the Northeast.

The Chief of Air Staff (CAS), Saddique Abubakar, stated this while inaugurating Modular Theatre at the 465 Nigeria Air Force Hospital in Kano on Saturday.

He said the Air Force is also expecting six gunship helicopters from Italy, saying the aircraft and helicopters will enhance the operational capacity of the force.

I have just inspected the hanger here at the NAF base where three of our aircraft are being reactivated.

It is in line with our commitment to have a professional Air Force which also has the necessary equipment to enable it discharge its duties effectively, he said.

He commended President Muhammadu Buhari for his continued support to the service pointing out that the Federal Government had within the last three years procured 18 brand new aircraft for NAF.

He said NAF would continue to support its personnel with the view to enable them to continue to provide the necessary security for Nigeria and Nigerians.

On the Modular Theater, the Air Chief said its commissioning showed how committed the present administration is in meeting the healthcare needs of its personnel.

While calling on the hospital management to make the facility available to civilians around the area, Mr Abubakar urged NAF personnel and their families to take advantage of the facilities provided.

The facility will go a long way in improving health care delivery to both NAF personnel and communities around the hospital, he said.

Earlier, the Chief of Medical Services, NAF headquarters, M. E. Shaaibu said with the inauguration, injured personnel from the theatre operation in the Northeast could be evacuated to the hospital for treatment.

Although the theatre was built six years ago, it was neither fully completed nor equipped so could not be put to use.

However, realising the importance of the hospital in support of our operation in the Northeast, CAS directed that the theatre be completed, equipped and put to use immediately, he said.

He said that the theatre comprised of offices, reception, lecture, common and recovery rooms and two operating suites.

He added that it is also equipped with modern anesthetic machine, operating tables, theatre lamps, C-arm machines and operating microscopes.

He commended CAS for providing funds for the maintenance of the equipment in the Radio diagnostic department of the hospital in addition to employing seasoned consultants. (NAN)
Paris looked like a ghost town early on Saturday, with museums, department stores and the metro closed as riot police braced to meet yellow vest protesters in the capital and other French cities.

This is the fourth weekend of confrontation over living costs.

In what should have been a festive pre-Christmas shopping day, tourists were few and residents were advised to stay at home if at all possible.

Dozens of streets in central Paris were closed to traffic, while the Eiffel Tower and world-famous museums such as the Musee dOrsay, the Centre Pompidou and the Louvre were closed.

Many shops were boarded up to avoid looting and street furniture and construction site materials have been removed to prevent them from being used as projectiles.

Anthony, a fruit stall vendor in the residential left bank, who declined to give his surname, said, I hope they dont make it as far as here.

He added that 11 other open-air food markets across the city had been closed.

About 89,000 police were deployed across the country.

Of these, about 8,000 were deployed in Paris to avoid a repeat of last Saturdays mayhem when rioters torched cars and looted shops off the famed Champs Elysees Boulevard.

The rioters defaced the Arc de Triomphe monument with graffiti directed at President Emmanuel Macron.

By about 0845 GMT police said there were about 1,500 protesters on the Champs Elysees.

However, there were no reports of violence.

We have come here for a peaceful march, not to smash things, we want equality, we want to live, not survive, Guillaume Le Grac, 28, who works in a slaughterhouse in the town of Guingamp in Britanny, said. (Reuters/NAN)
Boko Haram fighters killed three civilians in a pre-dusk attack in Rann, Borno State, on Thursday, triggering fresh concerns about the security arrangement in a community the military said had been fortified following repeated havoc on its civilian population.

The insurgents also carted away unascertained quantity of food and medical supplies before setting the rest ablaze in the attack targeted at a market and a health centre run by the United Nations, military sources told PREMIUM TIMES.

Although there are military outposts in the community, the terrorists aimed the attack on killing and plundering resources amongst civilians, in what seemed a foraging mission that marked a noticeable shift in strategy from the recent onslaughts targeted almost exclusively at military assets.

The Nigerian Army responded timely to the attack, which occurred at about 6:00 p.m., forcing the insurgents back into their hideouts, military sources said. It was not immediately clear whether soldiers were able to neutralise some of the militants, but sources said they were able to get away with the stolen items.

The attack has raised new fears about the vulnerability of Rann, a community that houses one of the largest camps of the internally-displaced victims of the nearly 10-year-old insurgency.

The Daily Trust reported Friday that the United Nations has implemented evacuation of some aid workers from Rann in the wake of the attack, although a spokesperson for the world diplomacy body could not immediately confirm the statement to PREMIUM TIMES Saturday afternoon.

The village earned worldwide sympathy when the Nigerian Air Force said it mistakenly dropped a massive explosive on civilians taken shelter in the IDP camp there in January 2017, killing around 170 civilians.

Boko Haram compounded the security misery of Rann residents when its fighters targeted humanitarian facilities earlier this year, kidnapping some Red Cross staff members in an overnight raid. Two of the aid workers, Saifura Khorsa and Hauwa Liman, were killed in September and October, respectively.

The Nigerian government responded to the attacks with outrage, and promised the military would be adequately supported to prevent further devastating attacks in Rann and its surrounding communities, which, like most others in Borno State, have sustained the brunt of the insurgency.

The Defence Headquarters and the Nigerian Army did not return separate enquiries seeking comments about the latest security breach in the community.

Insurgents also returned to Jakana

In a separate attack on December 7, Boko Haram fighters also stormed Jakana, about 25 kilometres from Maiduguri, the state capital. The town is along Maiduguri-Damaturu Highway.

Details of the attack were still hazy as of Saturday morning, but military sources said it occurred around 6:15 p.m. and soldiers swiftly responded to prevent a carnage.

Houses burnt in Boko Haram attack on Rann Community Houses burnt in Boko Haram attack on Rann Community Boko Haram attack on Rann Community Houses burnt in Boko Haram attack on Rann Community Houses burnt in Boko Haram attack on Rann Community

Jakana was attacked on July 26 by Boko Haram, whose thugs killed policemen, soldiers and civilians, while still managing to escape with massive food items from the town.
Two anti-graft officers from the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission were at the home of former presidential aide Doyin Okupe in Lagos, the politician said on Saturday.

Mr Okupe said in a tweet at about 4:30 p.m. that the EFCC agents stormed his house in Ilupeju neighbourhood without bearing any invitation document or arrest warrant.

In a follow-up discussion over the development, Mr Okupe told PREMIUM TIMES the agents said he had done something that violated the Cybercrime Act, a repressive law enacted shortly before President Goodluck Jonathan left office in 2015.

They knocked and I told them to come in, but when they identified themselves as being from the EFCC, I asked for letter of invitation or arrest warrant, but they could not provide either, Mr Okupe said. I immediately said I cannot follow them that they should give me time and also go back and obtain a warrant or invitation letter.

Mr Okupe, a member of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party, told PREMIUM TIMES the two officers came from the anti-graft offices Lagos field office in Ikoyi.

They said they are looking for me for cyberstalking, he added. But they have now left my house and I did not follow them.

A spokesperson for the EFCC could not immediately confirm details of the operation when reached for comments Saturday evening.

Mr Okupe was a public affairs adviser to Mr Jonathan until the administration was voted out at the 2015 general elections.

He was amongst those initially questioned by the EFCC on suspicion of benefitting from questionable use of public funds, especially in the arms purchase scandal that has dominated the headlines since mid-2015.

Mr Okupe denied allegations of fraud after being grilled in 2016, and the matter subsequently went lulled.

The politician has been an ardent critic of the current government, and he has played critical role in the ongoing campaign by the PDP to dislodge Mr Buhari and return to power in 2019.

Mr Okupe frequently offers some of his harshest critiques of the Buhari administration on Twitter, and it was unclear whether one or two of his latest attacks drew the attention of the EFCC.

Although established to concentrate on curbing endemic corruption for which Nigeria has been infamous for decades, the EFCC has found itself going after citizens on allegations of cyberstalking, which was derived from Section 24 of the Cybercrime Act.

The agency detained Abubakar Usman, a pro-government blogger, in August 2016 over a story he published against Ibrahim Magu, the acting-chairman of the EFCC.

Mr Usman was detained for several days, before being freed on administrative bail, although nothing has been heard about the case ever since.

While rights advocates strongly frowned at EFCC action against Mr Usman, they have expressed even more grievous concerns about how the police are deploying cyberstalking as a tool of repression.

Dozens of Nigerian citizens, especially journalists and bloggers, have been detained since Cybercrime Act came into force, which coincided with Mr Buharis assumption of office.

The most recent case appeared to be the one involving Deji Adeyanju, a political activist whom the police detained at a federal prison for a week.

Mr Adeyanju was arrested with two others during a November 28 parade against partisan conduct of security chiefs, and he was immediately slammed with two cyberstalking cases brought separately at two different courts by the police and the Nigerian Army.

He was released on December 6 after posting a bail, with the two trials expected to resume in January 2019.
The Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) said on Saturday that the bank accounts of its vice-presidential candidate, Peter Obi, had been frozen by the Buhari administration, saying the development followed relentless harassments of the politicians family members by supporters of the ruling All Progressives Congress.

But the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC) and the Independent Corrupt Practices and other related offences Commission (ICPC), Nigerias leading anti-graft departments, denied freezing Mr Obis account, with the EFCC spokesperson telling PREMIUM TIMES on Saturday night that there was no truth in the claim.

The PDP spokesperson, Kola Ologbondiyan, said in a statement that the opposition party decried the stoppage of transactions on all accounts belonging to Mr Obi, his wife, his family members and their businesses by agencies of the Muhammadu Buhari administration.

Mr Ologbondiyans statement was silent on the specific agencies responsible for the purported restrictions, and his telephone line failed to connect after repeated attempts by PREMIUM TIMES Saturday night.

Although the EFCC emphasised that it should not be suspected as the department responsible for the alleged freeze, especially as the PDP failed to mention any agency, it nonetheless emphasised its commitment to professionalism in the course of curbing endemic corruption in the country.

There is no where the EFCC is mentioned in this statement. The EFCC is a law abiding agency and committed to ridding the nation of economic and financial crimes. That, we would not relent to do.

But let nobody cry wolf where non exist. Please direct your question to the author of the statement; and please let us not speak in parables. And let the media not interpret out of context, EFCC spokesperson Tony Orilade said in a statement to PREMIUM TIMES.

Rasheedat Okoduwa, a spokesperson for the ICPC, also said the agency was not responsible for any purported blocking of accounts run by Mr Obi.

Although the EFCC has since inception in the early 2000s been known to regularly freeze bank accounts of persons identified in corruption investigations, there have been wrong claims about restrictions on bank accounts of politicians.

In the run up to the governorship election in Osun State, PDP candidate Ademola Adeleke raised false claims that the familys bank accounts were frozen.

Some PDP governors have also made claims, without supporting evidence, that their states bank accounts were blocked by the EFCC, only for the anti-graft office to strongly deny the claim.

Mr Ologbondiyan in his statement said the restriction placed on Mr Obis accounts capped a string of harassments he had endured since emerging as the runningmate to Atiku Abubakar in mid-October.

Since his nomination, Peter Obi, apart from facing series of failed attempts by the APC to destroy his reputation, has also continued to receive all manners of threats and blackmail, including threats to his life and those of his wife and children, the PDP said.

Mr Ologbondiyan said the Buhari administration would be embarking on a futile endeavour if it believes stringent investigation of Mr Obi would yield anything meaningful for prosecution, saying the presidential candidate ran a frugal government and left over N75 billion in state account as governor of Anambra State between 2006 and 2014.
The Majority Leader of the Senate, Ahmad Lawan, on Saturday said there was nothing to worry about in President Muhammadu Buharis decision to withhold assent on the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill 2018.

Mr Lawan told the News Agency of Nigeria(NAN) in Abuja that the Electoral Act (2010) was good enough for the conduct of the 2019 general elections.

He said the presidents decision should not be misinterpreted, adding that it was done in the interest of the country.

That the President declined assent to the bill was no big deal.

We can still use the Electoral Act, 2010, that was used in 2015 general elections.

This is to allay the fears of the citizens, who might think that the 2019 elections would not be well conducted without the amendment.

What we need to do is to look at the few lapses, especially in terms of administration which does not need any legal backing.

INEC conducted a very good election in 2015 with the existing act.

So, I believe that we can use that and nobody should start thinking that the elections will not be free and fair.

The 2015 elections were free, fair and transparent. All over the world, we were commended for conducting such a credible election.

It is not like the current act is so defective that we cannot use it, he said.

The leader said the bill could be worked on, to be used in elections beyond 2019.

He pointed out that: If we cannot use the current amendments in 2019, who says we cannot use it in the 2023 elections and elections in between 2019 and 2023.

So, national interest is of utmost importance and not the noise being made by some people. So, there is no reason for worry or agitation.

Mr Lawan said the president, as an elder statesman, had the interest of the country at heart and his action should not be misconstrued to mean selfishness.

According to him, the president cares for the masses, the progress, stability, and development of the country and would not take any decision that would impact the nation negatively.

The president believes in due process and as such he will do anything possible to ensure that our election processes are transparent.

For me, Mr President took his time with his advisers to study the bill before coming up with the decision.

We are all working in the interest of the nation and as such nobody should claim to be more patriotic than the President.

The president has his track records. This is a president that his whole life has been devoted to public good.

He has never shown selfishness or done anything to enhance his personal status.

All he does is for Nigeria to be better. So, I want to say that he cannot be forced to sign something as important as the electoral bill, Mr Lawan said. (NAN)
The Federal Ministry of Power, Works and Housing on Friday opened the Ijora 7Up Bridge which was closed to traffic for repairs in July, after undergoing rehabilitation works.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the ministry has also began rehabilitation works on the Third Mainland Bridge and Alaka Bridges.

While opening the Ijora Bridge to traffic, the Federal Controller of Works in Lagos, Adedamola Kuti, said that the damaged bridge was closed for repairs about five months ago.

Mr Kuti said that all the expansion joints on the bridge were bad, saying that some other deteriorated portions made the bridge unsafe; hence, its closure for repairs.

This is about the third bridge in Lagos that we have completed maintenance work on. Earlier on, we completed that of Marine Beach.

We completed Coconut Bridge and now, this is the third one, Ijora 7Up Bridge.

Hopefully, in a couple of months, we should be completing the Leventis Bridge.

Tomorrow, Saturday, we shall be starting off with the maintenance of Alaka Bridge in Lagos, he said.

Haim Halle, Chief Executive Officer of Hallekem Ltd., the contractor that handled the repairs, told journalists that the bridge was badly damaged due to lack of drainage channels.

Mr Halle explained that the bridge deck was lifted by six centimetres and further strengthened while replacing the expansion joints.

He noted that some bearings giving support to the piers of the 326-metres bridge were also changed.

All the expansion joints are Alga products from Italy. We have used original products that will allow the bridge last up to 30 years, if properly maintained.

We saved the bridge. Everything was rotten for several years because of lack of drainage; so we just created the drainage.

We recovered the bridge; not just the asphalt but the overlay which we started in July and finished in November. We finished the work in five months instead of the one year period for the contract, Halle said.

While inspecting repairs on the Third Mainland Bridge on Friday night, Mr Kuti said repair of the bridge began about two weeks ago, noting that measures were adopted to avert gridlock.

The controller explained that the repairs were being done at night on the Third Mainland Bridge to avert gridlock and minimise hardship for road users.

We work on the bridge at night when there is less traffic and only shut the section we are working on and allow cars to go on the other lane. We continue work through the night till about 5:00 a.m., he said.

Mr Kuti listed other roads that were repaired to include Agege Motor Road, Herbert Macaulay Way, Alagomeji Road, among others.

We want to thank Lagosians for their patience with us. This is just a necessity.

The government is very responsive and government is trying its best under the leadership of the Minister of Power, Works and Housing, Mr Babatunde Fashola, who has given us opportunity to fix all these bridges in Lagos, he said.

Dvirh Hirsch, Project Manager, Reynolds Construction Company Ltd., said that heavy vehicular movement coupled with reckless driving affected construction works on the Third Mainland Bridge. (NAN)
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.





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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.




LUXEMBOURG, Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Constellation Oil Services Holding S.A. ("Constellation" or the "Company"), formerly known as QGOG Constellation S.A., has been involved in discussions and negotiations with certain holders (and investment managers for certain holders) (each, a " Noteholder ") of the 9.00% Cash / 0.50% PIK Senior Secured Notes due 2024 (the " 2024 Notes ") issued by the Company pursuant to that indenture dated as of July 27, 2017 by and among the Company, the subsidiary guarantors party thereto from time to time and Wilmington Trust, National Association, as trustee, paying agent, transfer agent and registrar.

Discussions with Members of the Ad Hoc Committee

Following the execution of confidentiality agreements entered into as of October 18, 2018 (the " Confidentiality Agreements ") with certain members of an ad hoc committee of Noteholders (the " Ad Hoc Committee "), representatives of the Company and the Company's financial and legal advisors (the " Company Representatives ") met in person and by telephone with representatives of the Ad Hoc Committee and the Ad Hoc Committee's financial and legal advisors (the " Ad Hoc Committee Representatives ") to discuss the terms of a possible consensual restructuring, recapitalization, reorganization, refinancing and/or amendment of the 2024 Notes and related matters (a " Potential Transaction "), and exchanged proposals representing the terms of a Potential Transaction (each, a " Proposal "), which the Company is required to make public under the Confidentiality Agreements (such materials, collectively, the " Cleansing Materials ").

Subsequent to these discussions, the Company has reached an agreement in principle with a majority of the 2024 bondholders, subject to definitive documentation and approval by the parties to that certain plan support agreement entered into in connection with the restructuring proceedings.

The Cleansing Materials are set forth in a consolidated written presentation of each Proposal described above (collectively, the " Cleansing Presentation "). All information contained in the Cleansing Presentation is accurate as of the date of when delivered to such stakeholders, and has not been updated since such date of delivery. Such information should not be relied upon for any purposes. In accordance with its obligations under the Confidentiality Agreements, the Company has posted the Cleansing Presentation on a section of its website that is readily accessible to the public. The Proposals of each of the Company Representatives and the representatives of and/or financial and legal advisors to the Ad Hoc Committee each represent the last best term sheet or similar document in respect of any Proposal(s) made by or on behalf of such party and delivered to each of the Company and the Ad Hoc Committee Representatives.

Certain Other Important Information

In addition to the disclaimers and qualifiers set forth in the Cleansing Materials, all statements made in the Cleansing Materials are in the nature of settlement discussions and compromise, are not intended to be and do not constitute representations of any fact or admissions of any liability and are for the purpose of attempting to reach a consensual compromise and settlement. Nothing contained in the Cleansing Materials is intended to or shall be construed to be an admission or a waiver of any rights, remedies, claims, causes of action or defenses. The information contained in the Cleansing Materials is for discussion purposes only and shall not constitute a commitment to consummate any transaction, or otherwise take any decisions or actions contemplated in the Cleansing Materials.

Furthermore, the contents of the Cleansing Materials shall not be construed as guidance by the Company in relation to its future results, and the Company does not assume and expressly disclaims any responsibility to update such contents or information at any time.

This press release is neither an offer to sell nor the solicitation of an offer to buy any security. This press release is also not an offer to purchase or a solicitation of an offer to purchase with respect to any security, nor is this press release a solicitation of any consent to any amendments with respect to the 2024 Notes or any other security.

NOTICE REGARDING FORWARD-LOOKING STATEMENTS

This press release contains "forward-looking statements" within the meaning of Section 27A of the Securities Act of 1933, as amended, and Section 21E of the Securities Exchange Act of 1934, as amended, which are intended to be covered by the safe harbor created by such sections and other applicable laws. Where the Company expresses or implies an expectation or belief as to future events or results, such expectation or belief is expressed in good faith and believed to have a reasonable basis. However, such statements are subject to risks, uncertainties and other factors, which could cause actual results to differ materially from future results expressed, projected or implied by the "forward-looking statements." The Company undertakes no obligation to release publicly revisions to any "forward-looking statement," including, without limitation, outlook, to reflect events or circumstances after the date of this news release, or to reflect the occurrence of unanticipated events, except as may be required under applicable securities laws. Investors should not assume that any lack of update to a previously issued "forward-looking statement" constitutes a reaffirmation of that statement. Continued reliance on "forward-looking statements" is at investors' own risk.

SOURCE Constellation Oil Services Holding S.A.
TOKYO and MUNICH and BASKING RIDGE, N.J., Dec. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited (hereafter, Daiichi Sankyo) announced that updated safety and efficacy data from the ongoing phase 1 study with [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan, an investigational HER2 targeting antibody drug conjugate (ADC), were presented for a subgroup of patients with heavily pretreated HER2 low expressing metastatic breast cancer during a Poster Session at the 2018 San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) (#P6-17-02).

The updated analysis of 43 evaluable patients with HER2 low expressing metastatic breast cancer (IHC 2+/ISH- or IHC 1+), who received [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan at a recommended expansion dose of 5.4 or 6.4 mg/kg, demonstrated a confirmed overall response rate of 44.2 percent (19/43 patients) and a disease control rate of 79.1 percent (34/43 patients). Preliminary estimate of median duration of response was 9.4 months (range: 1.5+, 23.6+), and median progression-free survival was 7.6 months (95 percent CI: 4.9, 13.7). A total of 54 patients with heavily pretreated (median 7.5 prior anticancer regimens) HER2 low breast cancer have received 1 dose [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan 5.4 or 6.4 mg/kg in the study and 23 patients remain on treatment as of data cut-off on October 12, 2018.

"While anti-HER2 therapies play an important role in the treatment of HER2 positive breast cancer, they historically have not demonstrated effectiveness against tumors that express lower levels of HER2," said Shanu Modi, MD, Breast Medical Oncologist, Memorial Sloan Kettering Cancer Center and study investigator. "These data offer preliminary evidence of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan activity in HER2 low expressing breast cancers, and based on further study, we are beginning to consider the implications for how we classify and treat these patients."

A further subgroup analysis of 38 evaluable patients whose disease was also hormone receptor (HR) positive demonstrated a confirmed overall response rate of 47.4 percent (18/38 patients) and a disease control rate of 81.6 percent (31/38 patients) with [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan. Preliminary estimate of median duration of response was 11.0 months (range: 1.5+, 23.6+), and median progression-free survival was 7.9 months (95 percent CI: 4.4, 13.7) in this patient subgroup. A total of 45 patients with HR positive, HER2 low breast cancer have received 1 dose [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan 5.4 or 6.4 mg/kg in the study and 21 of these patients remain on treatment as of data cut-off.

"There are no anti-HER2 therapies currently approved for HER2 low expressing breast cancer, which represents about half of all breast cancers," said Gilles Gallant, BPharm, PhD, Vice President, DS-8201 Global Team Leader, Oncology Research and Development, Daiichi Sankyo. "Based on these data, plans for a phase 3 trial in patients with HER2 low metastatic breast cancer are underway, adding to our broad development program evaluating [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in HER2 expressing breast cancers and other tumor types."

Updated overall safety data as of October 12, 2018 for all breast cancer patients in the ongoing phase 1 study were also reported at SABCS. Among 170 patients who received at least one dose of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan 5.4 or 6.4 mg/kg for advanced breast cancer in the dose expansion or dose escalation part of the study (regardless of HER2 status), the most common adverse events (30 percent, any Grade) included nausea (79.4 percent), decreased appetite (54.1 percent), alopecia (46.5 percent), vomiting (45.9 percent), fatigue (42.4 percent), anemia (40.0 percent), constipation (38.2 percent) and diarrhea (38.2 percent). A total of 50.0 percent of the breast cancer patients experienced a Grade 3 adverse event and 22.9 percent had a serious adverse event, including 2.9 percent of patients who experienced an adverse event that lead to death.

ILD Data in Metastatic Breast Cancer Presented

An independent committee evaluates any reported cases of interstitial lung disease (ILD)/pneumonitis in the [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan clinical development program.The first analysis of ILD data, including adjudicated case results, in patients who received [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan for metastatic breast cancer across trials was presented at SABCS 2018 (Poster #P6-17-06).

Among 510 trial patients who received [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan for metastatic breast cancer at one of seven dose levels, there were fifty-four (54) investigator-reported ILD cases of any grade (10.6 percent) including four (4) Grade 5. Thirty-three (33) cases were adjudicated and twenty-eight (28) were considered to be drug-related ILD, including four (4) Grade 5 events.

Among 269 trial patients who received [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan for metastatic breast cancer at a 5.4 mg/kg dose, which is the recommended dose for continued development in HER2 positive breast cancer, there were fifteen (15) investigator-reported ILD cases any grade (5.6 percent) including one (1) Grade 5. Seven (7) cases were adjudicated and five (5) were considered to be drug-related ILD, including one (1) Grade 5 event.

A third data set was also presented for all patients with advanced solid tumors who received at least one dose of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan across seven ongoing global studies. Among the 665 patients, there were sixty-six (66) investigator-reported ILD cases any grade (9.9 percent) including five (5) Grade 5. Thirty-eight (38) cases were adjudicated and thirty (30) were considered drug-related ILD, including four (4) Grade 5. Of the reported potential ILD cases from all studies, most were mild to moderate in severity, with 80.3 percent (53 of 66)  Grade 2. The median time to onset of ILD was 149 (16596) days. The study reflects all cases that occurred as of October 15, 2018.

Dose Justification in HER2 Positive Breast Cancer Presented

Research establishing 5.4 mg/kg as the recommended dose for continued development of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in advanced HER2 positive breast cancer was presented at SABCS (Poster #P6-17-10). A comprehensive analysis of observed data and exposure-response parameters from the phase 2 DESTINY-Breast01 trial in HER2 positive breast cancer and the ongoing phase 1 trial in multiple types of HER2 expressing tumors was conducted. Efficacy results for a total of 140 patients with HER2 positive breast cancer were included in the exposure-efficacy analysis, and safety results for a total of 276 patients with any tumor type were included in the exposure-safety analysis. Based on the benefit/risk profile, 5.4 mg/kg was chosen as the recommended dose for continued development in HER2 positive breast cancer for DESTINY-Breast01 and in phase 3 trials DESTINY-Breast02 and DESTINY-Breast03.

About HER2 Low Expressing Breast Cancer

Breast cancer is the most common cancer and the most common cause of cancer mortality among women worldwide.1 There were approximately 1.67 million new cases of breast cancer diagnosed in 2012.1

About one in five breast cancers (20 percent) are HER2 positive (IHC3+ or IHC2+/ISH+).2 HER2 is a tyrosine kinase receptor growth-promoting protein found on the surface of some cancer cells that is associated with aggressive disease and poorer prognosis.3,4 A number of HER2 targeting therapies are approved to treat HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer and have improved survival rates.5 The remaining 80 percent of breast cancers are classified as HER2 negative; however, about half still express some level of HER2 as a cell surface antigen.6 No anti-HER2 agents are indicated for these low expressing tumors, which may be defined as IHC 2+/ISH- or IHC 1+, and there is no targeted treatment paradigm for HER2 low expressing breast cancer.7 HER2 low expression has not been evaluated in clinical practice or in other clinical trials.

About the [Fam-] Trastuzumab Deruxtecan Phase 1 Study

An open-label, two-part phase 1 study is currently evaluating [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in patients with advanced/unresectable or metastatic solid tumors that are refractory or intolerant to standard treatment, or for whom no standard treatment is available. The primary objective of the dose escalation part of this study was to assess the safety and tolerability of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan and determine the maximum tolerated dose. Data from this part of the study were published in the Lancet Oncology.8

In the dose expansion part of the phase 1 study, [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is given in one of two doses (5.4 mg/kg and 6.4 mg/kg) to patients with HER2 positive advanced or metastatic breast cancer and gastric cancer, HER2 low expressing breast cancer and other HER2 expressing solid tumors. Overall, 292 patients have been enrolled into this phase 1 study of [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan. For more information about the study, visit ClinicalTrials.gov .

About [Fam-] Trastuzumab Deruxtecan

[Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan (DS-8201; [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan in U.S. only; trastuzumab deruxtecan in other regions of world) is the lead product in the investigational ADC Franchise of the Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise. ADCs are targeted cancer medicines that deliver cytotoxic chemotherapy ("payload") to cancer cells via a linker attached to a monoclonal antibody that binds to a specific target expressed on cancer cells. Designed using Daiichi Sankyo's proprietary ADC technology, [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is comprised of a humanized HER2 antibody attached to a novel topoisomerase I inhibitor payload by a tetrapeptide-based linker. It is designed to target and deliver chemotherapy inside cancer cells and reduce systemic exposure to the cytotoxic payload (or chemotherapy) compared to the way chemotherapy is commonly delivered.

A broad and comprehensive development program with [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is underway in North America, Europe and Asia. [Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is in phase 3 development versus ado-trastuzumab emtansine (T-DM1) (DESTINY-Breast03) and versus investigator's choice post T-DM1 (DESTINY-Breast02) for HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer; pivotal phase 2 clinical development for HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer resistant or refractory to T-DM1 (DESTINY-Breast01); pivotal phase 2 development for HER2 positive advanced gastric cancer resistant or refractory to trastuzumab (DESTINY-Gastric01); phase 2 development for HER2 expressing advanced colorectal cancer; phase 2 development for metastatic non-squamous HER2 overexpressing or HER2 mutated NSCLC; and, phase 1 development in combination with nivolumab for HER2 expressing metastatic breast and bladder cancer.

[Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan has been granted Breakthrough Therapy designation for the treatment of patients with HER2 positive, locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer who have been treated with trastuzumab and pertuzumab and have disease progression after T-DM1, and Fast Track designation for the treatment of HER2 positive unresectable and/or metastatic breast cancer in patients who have progressed after prior treatment with HER2 targeted therapies including T-DM1 by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). [Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan has received SAKIGAKE Designation for the treatment of HER2 positive advanced gastric or gastroesophageal junction cancer by the Japan Ministry of Health, Labour and Welfare (MHLW).

[Fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan is an investigational agent that has not been approved for any indication in any country. Safety and efficacy have not been established.

About Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise

The mission of Daiichi Sankyo Cancer Enterprise is to leverage our world-class, innovative science and push beyond traditional thinking to create meaningful treatments for patients with cancer. We are dedicated to transforming science into value for patients, and this sense of obligation informs everything we do. Anchored by three pillars including our investigational Antibody Drug Conjugate Franchise, Acute Myeloid Leukemia Franchise and Breakthrough Science, we aim to deliver seven distinct new molecular entities over eight years during 2018 to 2025. Our powerful research engines include two laboratories for biologic/immuno-oncology and small molecules in Japan, and Plexxikon Inc., our small molecule structure-guided R&D center in Berkeley, CA. Compounds in pivotal stage development include: [fam-] trastuzumab deruxtecan, an antibody drug conjugate (ADC) for HER2 expressing breast, gastric and other cancers; quizartinib, an oral selective FLT3 inhibitor, for newly-diagnosed and relapsed/refractory FLT3-ITD acute myeloid leukemia (AML); and pexidartinib, an oral CSF1R inhibitor, for tenosynovial giant cell tumor (TGCT). For more information, please visit: www.DSCancerEnterprise.com.

About Daiichi Sankyo

Daiichi Sankyo Group is dedicated to the creation and supply of innovative pharmaceutical products to address diversified, unmet medical needs of patients in both mature and emerging markets. With over 100 years of scientific expertise and a presence in more than 20 countries, Daiichi Sankyo and its 15,000 employees around the world draw upon a rich legacy of innovation and a robust pipeline of promising new medicines to help people. In addition to a strong portfolio of medicines for hypertension and thrombotic disorders, under the Group's 2025 Vision to become a "Global Pharma Innovator with Competitive Advantage in Oncology," Daiichi Sankyo research and development is primarily focused on bringing forth novel therapies in oncology, including immuno-oncology, with additional focus on new horizon areas, such as pain management, neurodegenerative diseases, heart and kidney diseases, and other rare diseases. For more information, please visit: www.daiichisankyo.com .

Contact

Jennifer Brennan

Daiichi Sankyo, Inc.

[email protected]

+1 908 992 6631 (office)

+1 201 709 9309 (mobile)

References

1 World Cancer Report 2014. WHO IARC. 2015.

2 Sledge, et al. J Clin Oncol. 2014;32:1-8.

3 American Cancer Society (ACS) Breast Cancer Overview 2018

4 Tandon et al. J Clin Oncol. 1989;7:11208

5 Mendes et al. Breast Cancer Research. 2015; 17:140.

6 Schalper K A et al. Arch Pathol Lab Med. 2014;138:213-219

7 NCCN Clinical Practical Guidelines in Oncology. 2017.

8 Doi T, et al. Lancet Oncol. 2017. 18(11);151222.

December 2018 Job Code: ONP/18/0037

SOURCE Daiichi Sankyo Company, Limited

Related Links

http://www.daiichisankyo.com


MONTREAL, Dec. 6, 2018 /PRNewswire/ - Boralex Inc. ("Boralex" or the "Corporation") (TSX: BLX) is pleased to announce commercial commissioning of the Noyers Bucamps (10 MW), Hauts de Comble (20 MW) and Coteaux du Blaiseron (26 MW) wind farms, all in Northeastern France. Our Le Pelon (10 MW) wind farm, in the French Department of Deux Sevres, will be commissioned on January 1, 2019.

"These newly commissioned facilities confirm the strong development of our French operations and support responsible and rational growth. Boralex continues to commission its wind farms on time and on budget. Three other wind farms in France: Sources de l'Ancre (24 MW), Basse Thierache Nord (20 MW) and Catesis (10 MW) are scheduled to be commissioned in the first half of 2019," said Patrick Decostre, Vice-President and General Manager of Boralex Europe. "On behalf of Boralex, I'd like to congratulate the teams, with whose support, as of January 2019, the Corporation will operate 898 MW in France and 1,919 MW worldwide," added Mr. Decostre.

The Noyers Bucamps and Hauts de Comble wind farms are expected to generate 1.5 million (or C$2.25 million) and 4.5 million (or C$6.75 million), respectively, in annualized EBITDA(A) for Boralex. The Coteaux du Blaiseron and Le Pelon wind farms are expected to contribute 3.5 million (C$5.25 million) and 1.6 million (C$2.4 million), respectively, to Boralex's annualized EBITDA (A).

The Noyers Bucamps, Hauts de Comble and Coteaux du Blaiseron wind farms have 15year indexed power purchase agreements with Electricite de France ("EDF"), with effective dates of November 1, 8 and 9, 2018, respectively. Our Le Pelon wind farm has a 15-year feed-in premium agreement with an effective date of January 1, 2019.

About Boralex

Boralex develops, builds and operates renewable energy power facilities in Canada, France, the United Kingdom and the United States. A leader in the Canadian market and France's largest independent producer of onshore wind power, the Corporation is recognized for its solid experience in optimizing its asset base in four power generation types  wind, hydroelectric, thermal and solar. Boralex ensures sustainable growth by leveraging the expertise and diversification developed over the past 25 years. Boralex's shares and convertible debentures are listed on the Toronto Stock Exchange under the ticker symbols BLX and BLX.DB.A, respectively. For more information, visit www.sedar.com, www.boralex.com and the new page dedicated to Boralex's operations in France at www.france.boralex.com/en. Follow us on Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter.

SOURCE Boralex Inc.

Related Links

www.boralex.com


MIAMI, Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- National arts and culture organization Mana Contemporary hosted a wide variety of exhibitions and events for Miami Art Week 2018. This installment marked the organization's fourth year in Wynwood, and the second time that the arts collective has activated its properties along Downtown Miami's historic Flagler Street.

Ranging from massive site-specific installations to intimate performances, the week's events not only showcased the breadth of talent associated with Mana, but also the organization's mission to unite artists and creators across all disciplines and mediums.

"This year, we focused on connecting emerging creative practitioners with longer-established artists. Especially during Miami Art Week, it is vital for community builders and leaders to foster dialogue between artists of all kinds and gallerists, collectors, local residents, and national and international visitors." said Eugene Lemay, Artistic Director of Mana Contemporary. "And with Mana's growing concentration Downtown and in Wynwood, we anticipate building on our success in years to come."

Photos and additional descriptions of the week's top Mana events can be found below:

Jonah Bokaer and Rachel Libeskind, Double Helix

Where: Mana RC Cola Plant, 550 NW 24th Street

What: Internationally celebrated choreographer Jonah Bokaer and artist Rachel Libeskind stunned VIP guests with an immersive environment of image, video, and dance in this one-night-only performance. Throughout the roughly hour-long live work, Bokaer and fellow dancer Szabi Pataki interacted with a video installation by Libeskind, resonating with the fluid nature of art and the benefits of cross-pollination between typically distinct mediums. Hosted in Wynwood's iconic RC Cola Plant, the epicenter of the neighborhood's beloved street art movement, the performance marked the venue's first event as a permanent performance space.

Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ml4cc2ozqr0thsl/AABtquexWv33UI_WcrqWnkF1a?dl=0

VIP Screening of The Price of Everything

Where: Olympia Theater, 174 E Flagler Street

What: Mana Contemporary, together with Centennial Bank and Miami Herald, hosted the screening of the HBO documentary in Miami Downtown's historic Olympia Theater. The film, which explores the status of art and creativity in late capitalist society, was followed by a Q-&-A with producers Debi Wisch and Jennifer Stockman.

"Climb to Glory" Unveiling

Where: 30 E Flagler Street

What: Mana Contemporary partnered with New York-based artist and filmmaker Z Behl to present an interactive installation modelled after a forty-foot climbing wall. The work, sponsored by Equinox, was erected on Flagler Street in the heart of Downtown Miami. Guests were invited to climb the surface, serving as a physical metaphor for artists' arduous climb to success.

Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/j2ez4m2rzqtp6k5/AACX7_LTQjLQrxeQ7zs1SgA_a?dl=0

Ad Astra

Where: Mana Wynwood, 2217 NW 5th Avenue

What: Pinta Miami and Mana Contemporary presented a new exhibition on the nature of creative achievement. Curated by Ysabel Pinyol Blasi, the show featured works including Focal Point, a sound-and-light installation by Mark Niskanen and Jani Matti-Salo, alongside projects by Augustina Woodgate, Camila Caneque, Stefania Strouza, and others.

Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/ezarvno5gm70w4d/AABDZoBPaBBQMkI4ROorZhwSa?dl=0

Mana Contemporary at 777 International Mall

Where: 777 International Mall, 145 E Flagler Street

What: Mana partnered with local and visiting arts organizations to present a full week of events, from boutique exhibitions to fashion shows to musical installations, in Miami's historic 777 International Mall. Events included mundo mio, an immersive puppetry experience by Poncili Creacion; and Lucky Me! Tschabalala Self's site-specific installation at Lee's Oriental Market & Deli.

Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/2bow68szw7maa5n/AACgOZrdt--2L59oauc4NFG4a?dl=0

Juxtapoz Clubhouse in collaboration with Mana Contemporary

Where: 32 SE 1st St. and 200 E Flagler Street

What: For the second year, Mana collaborated with Juxtapoz Magazine to bring extraordinary installations to historic Flagler Street in Downtown Miami. Installations included works by First Amendment, Martha Cooper, Nychos, 1UP Crew, Pt. 2 Gallery, Lucy Sparrow, Saved Union, Subliminal Projects, Superchief Gallery, Keiichi Tanaami, Laurence Vallieres, Axel Void and Void Projects, and Marina Zumi, plus a Juxtapoz Projects pop-up show by JakPrints, a pop-up lounge by The Flower Shop, and an all-Mexico City group exhibition.

Photos: https://www.dropbox.com/sh/m3p5kb4y3khdcq1/AADBPNrmJAUbVEPf3-g3gvKMa?dl=0

Additional programs and information can be found on Mana's website at manamiamiartweek.com.

ABOUT MANA CONTEMPORARY

Founded in 2011, Mana Contemporary is dedicated to providing a platform for contemporary art and artists through exhibitions, studio programs, and public programs. Mana's community network began in New Jersey and has since expanded to include Mana Chicago and Mana Miami. Mana Contemporary continues to create new partnership opportunities that explore the intersection of contemporary art, design, new technologies and music.

For more information, visit manacontemporary.com.

PRESS CONTACT

Taylor Cavazos, ZMPR

[email protected]

+1 305-372-2502

SOURCE Mana Contemporary
EAST HANOVER, N.J., Dec. 8, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Novartis today announced data from subgroup analyses of the three pivotal Phase III MONALEESA trials showing that Kisqali (ribociclib) plus endocrine therapy extended progression-free survival (PFS) compared to endocrine therapy alone, regardless of the presence of visceral metastases in pre-, peri- and postmenopausal women with hormone receptor positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor-2 negative (HR+/HER2-) advanced breast cancer1. These data will be presented today at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) (Abstract #P6-18-07).

"Nearly 60% of patients enrolled in the MONALEESA clinical trials had visceral metastases, and all benefited from treatment with ribociclib in combination with endocrine therapy," said Denise Yardley, MD, Principal Investigator, Sarah Cannon Research Institute. "These results, coupled with the NCCN and ABC4 recommended treatment guidelines for HR+ advanced breast cancer patients with visceral metastases, support the use of ribociclib combination therapy as a standard of care in this patient population."

In patients with visceral metastases, Kisqali plus endocrine therapy extended median PFS by 11.5 months in MONALEESA-2 (24.9 months vs 13.4 months) and 13.4 months in MONALEESA-7 (23.8 months vs 10.4 months) compared to endocrine therapy alone. Median PFS for patients with visceral metastases in the MONALEESA-3 trial still has not been reached compared to 16.5 months median PFS in patients receiving endocrine therapy alone1.

Kisqali plus endocrine therapy demonstrated consistent efficacy across the MONALEESA trials in patients with and without visceral metastases. In patients with visceral metastases and measurable disease, the overall response rate (ORR) in patients who received Kisqali plus endocrine therapy compared to endocrine therapy alone was 53% vs 40% (MONALEESA-2), 50% vs 38% (MONALEESA-7) and 48% vs 31% (MONALEESA-3). Patients without visceral disease showed an ORR of 59% vs 35%, 52% vs 32% and 49% vs 39% in the respective MONALEEA-2, MONALEESA-7 and MONALEESA-3 trials1.

"Patients living with HR+/HER2- advanced breast cancer who have visceral metastases often have a poorer prognosis and are at higher risk for treatment resistance and disease progression than those without," said Samit Hirawat, MD, Head, Novartis Oncology Global Drug Development. "These sub analyses reaffirm that it is critical to treat HR+ advanced breast cancer with a CDK4/6 combination therapy, such as Kisqali plus fulvestrant or an aromatase inhibitor, to give all patients, especially those with visceral metastases, the strongest option for delaying disease progression."

Adverse events for patients with visceral metastases were consistent with those observed in the overall study populations and generally manageable through dose interruptions or reductions1.

About Kisqali (ribociclib)

Kisqali (ribociclib) is the CDK4/6 inhibitor with the largest body of first-line clinical trial evidence demonstrating consistent, superior and sustained efficacy compared to endocrine therapy alone4.

Kisqali is a selective cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor, a class of drugs that help slow the progression of cancer by inhibiting two proteins called cyclin-dependent kinase 4 and 6 (CDK4/6). These proteins, when over-activated, can enable cancer cells to grow and divide too quickly. Targeting CDK4/6 with enhanced precision may play a role in ensuring that cancer cells do not continue to replicate uncontrollably4.

Kisqali was initially approved by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) in March 2017 and by the European Commission in August 2017, as initial endocrine-based therapy for postmenopausal women with HR+/HER2- locally advanced or metastatic breast cancer in combination with an aromatase inhibitor based on findings from the pivotal MONALEESA-2 trial. In July 2018, Kisqali was approved by the FDA for the treatment of pre-, peri- or postmenopausal women in the US, and indicated for use in combination with fulvestrant as both first- or second-line therapy in postmenopausal women. In November 2018, the Committee for Medicinal Products for Human Use (CHMP) of the European Medicines Agency (EMA) adopted a positive opinion recommending an expanded indication for Kisqali based on the MONALEESA-3 and MONALEESA-7 data. Regulatory filings are underway with other health authorities worldwide4.

Kisqali is approved for use in more than 70 countries around the world, including the United States and European Union member states. Kisqali is not currently approved for use in combination with fulvestrant or in premenopausal women in Europe. Kisqali was developed by the Novartis Institutes for BioMedical Research (NIBR) under a research collaboration with Astex Pharmaceuticals4.

Novartis is continuing to reimagine cancer by investigating Kisqali in early breast cancer (EBC). The NATALEE study is a Phase III clinical trial of Kisqali with endocrine therapy in the adjuvant treatment of HR+/HER2- EBC being conducted in collaboration with Translational Research In Oncology (TRIO)4.

About Novartis in Advanced Breast Cancer

For more than 30 years, Novartis has been tackling breast cancer with superior science, great collaboration and a passion for transforming patient care. With one of the most diverse breast cancer pipelines and one of the largest numbers of breast cancer compounds in development, Novartis leads the industry in discovery of new therapies and combinations, especially in HR+ advanced breast cancer, the most common form of the disease.

Kisqali (ribociclib) Important US Safety Information

KISQALI (ribociclib) is a prescription medicine used in combination with an aromatase inhibitor as the first hormonal-based therapy to treat pre/peri- and postmenopausal women and in combination with fulvestrant as the first hormonal-based therapy or following disease progression on hormonal therapy in postmenopausal women with hormone receptor (HR)-positive, human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-negative advanced or metastatic breast cancer. It is not known if KISQALI is safe and effective in children. KISQALI can cause a heart problem known as QT prolongation. This condition can cause an abnormal heartbeat and may lead to death. KISQALI is not indicated for concomitant use with tamoxifen due to an increased risk of QT prolongation. Patients should tell their health care provider right away if they have a change in their heartbeat (a fast or irregular heartbeat), or if they feel dizzy or faint. KISQALI can cause serious liver problems. Patients should tell their health care provider right away if they get any of the following signs and symptoms of liver problems: yellowing of the skin or the whites of the eyes (jaundice), dark or brown (tea-colored) urine, feeling very tired, loss of appetite, pain on the upper right side of the stomach area (abdomen), and bleeding or bruising more easily than normal. Low white blood cell counts are very common when taking KISQALI and may result in infections that may be severe. Patients should tell their health care provider right away if they have signs and symptoms of low white blood cell counts or infections such as fever and chills. Before taking KISQALI, patients should tell their health care provider if they are pregnant, or plan to become pregnant as KISQALI can harm an unborn baby. Females who are able to become pregnant and who take KISQALI should use effective birth control during treatment and for at least 3 weeks after the last dose of KISQALI. Do not breastfeed during treatment with KISQALI and for at least 3 weeks after the last dose of KISQALI. Patients should tell their health care provider about all of the medicines they take, including prescription and over-the-counter medicines, vitamins, and herbal supplements since they may interact with KISQALI. Patients should avoid grapefruit or grapefruit juice while taking KISQALI. The most common side effects (incidence 20%) include white blood cell count decreases, nausea, infections, tiredness, diarrhea, vomiting, hair loss, headache, constipation, rash, and cough. The most common Grade 3/4 side effects (incidence >5%) were low neutrophils, low leukocytes, abnormal liver function tests, and low lymphocytes. Abnormalities were observed in hematology and clinical chemistry laboratory tests.

Please see full Prescribing Information for KISQALI, available at www.kisqali.com.

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 "potential," "can," "will," "plan," "expect," "anticipate," "look forward," "believe," "committed," "investigational," "pipeline," "launch," or similar terms, or by express or implied discussions regarding potential marketing approvals, new indications or labeling for the investigational or approved products described in this press release, or regarding potential future revenues from such 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 the investigational or approved products described in this press release will be submitted or approved for sale or for any additional indications or labeling in any market, or at any particular time. Nor can there be any guarantee that such products will be commercially successful in the future. In particular, our expectations regarding such products 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, payor 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 is reimagining medicine to improve and extend people's lives. As a leading global medicines company, we use innovative science and digital technologies to create transformative treatments in areas of great medical need. In our quest to find new medicines, we consistently rank among the world's top companies investing in research and development. Novartis products reach nearly 1 billion people globally and we are finding innovative ways to expand access to our latest treatments. About 125,000 people of more than 140 nationalities work at Novartis around the world. Novartis Pharmaceuticals Corporation, a US affiliate of Novartis, is located in East Hanover, NJ.

Novartis is on Twitter. Sign up to follow @Novartis at http://twitter.com/novartis and @NovartisCancer at https://twitter.com/novartiscancer

For Novartis multimedia content, please visit www.novartis.com/news/media-library

For questions about the site or required registration, please contact [email protected]

References

Yardley D, Chan A, Nusch, A et al. Ribociclib + endocrine therapy in patients with hormone receptor-positive, HER2-negative advanced breast cancer presenting with visceral metastases: Subgroup analysis of Phase III MONALEESA trials. Presented at the San Antonio Breast Cancer Symposium (SABCS) (Abstract #P6-18-07) on December 8, 2018 . National Cancer Institute. Dictionary of Cancer Terms. Available at: https://www.cancer.gov/publications/dictionaries/cancer-terms/def/visceral. Accessed November 2018. Harb, WA. Management of patients with hormone receptorpositive breast cancer with visceral disease: challenges and treatment options. Cancer Manag Res. 2015;7:37-46. Novartis Data on File.

SOURCE Novartis

Related Links

http://www.novartis.com


NEW YORK, Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The China Fund, Inc. (NYSE: CHN), a closed-end investment company (the "Fund"), announced today that at a Special Meeting of its stockholders held today, Matthews International Capital Management, LLC ("Matthews Asia") was approved as the Fund's new Investment Manager by over 95% of the shares voted at the Special Meeting. It is expected that Matthews Asia will commence managing the Fund's portfolio on or about January 1, 2019.

The Fund is a diversified closed-end investment company, which seeks long term capital appreciation primarily through investments in China companies. Shares of the Fund are listed on the New York Stock Exchange under the ticker symbol "CHN."

For further information regarding the Fund and the Fund's holdings, please call (888)-CHN-CALL or visit the Fund's website at www.chinafundinc.com.

SOURCE The China Fund, Inc.

Related Links

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WASHINGTON, Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- The U.S. Department of Justice yesterday issued a statement describing the guilty plea of Zuckerman Spaeder client Kassim Tajideen that misleadingly linked Mr. Tajideen to financial support of Hezbollah. As DOJ well knows, Mr. Tajideen was never charged with funding of Hezbollah and his guilty plea, by the government's admission and by the Court's acknowledgment, had nothing to do with Hezbollah.

The DOJ release mentioned Hezbollah 13 times. Among other things, it quoted a DEA agent as stating that the plea is "the latest example of DEA's recent successes against Hezbollah's global criminal support network." It is one thing for the Department to congratulate itself on a litigation victory. It is quite another for it to claim that this case in any way affects Hezbollah. This indictment was not about Hezbollah or the financing of Hezbollah. The DOJ lawyer responsible for the case specifically stated, on the record in open court, that "The Court is not going to hear the government come in and say your Honor, the defendant is a supporter of Hezbollah or words to that effect at sentencing."

The prosecutor's comment was an affirmative statement that, although the original indictment mentioned Hezbollah, it did not actually charge Mr. Tajideen with financial or other ties to the organization. When Mr. Tajideen asked for facts or documents that supported the reference to Hezbollah, the government steadfastly refused to produce any, insisting that they were irrelevant. Still, after Mr. Tajideen's repeated demands, DOJ removed all references to Hezbollah from a superseding indictment and agreed it would make no argument that Mr. Tajideen was a supporter of Hezbollah.

Mr. Tajideen pleaded guilty to what he admitted, that is wiring money to United States companies as part of commercial transactions (i.e., the purchase of frozen chicken from suppliers in the United States) while he was included, wrongly in his opinion, on an OFAC list. Mr. Tajideen wanted to prove that his designation on the list was wrong, but the government thwarted those efforts, arguing successfully to the court that Mr. Tajideen was not entitled to evidence of whether the designation was correct or to contest the designation in the case. The resulting charges were highly technical and had nothing to do with the funding of terrorist groups. Specifically, as the government explained to the court, its theory was that Mr. Tajideen did business with U.S. companies without the U.S. companies' first obtaining a license. Mr. Tajideen, who had been held without bail for a year and a half, ultimately determined that accepting a plea to one of these technical charges was warranted.

It is important that the public understand the truth about this case and not be misinformed, as some apparently have been, that Mr. Tajideen was charged with and admitted to funding Hezbollah or otherwise aiding terrorism.

SOURCE Zuckerman Spaeder LLP
"The launch of Huobi Russia will bring the Huobi's leading technology and trading expertise to Russian users," said David Chen, Huobi Senior Business Director. "Huobi Russia gives Russian traders and cryptocurrency enthusiasts access to Huobi's unmatched safety, stability, and user experience."

Huobi Russia CEO Andrei Grachev says: "Despite the current market, the trading volume of Huobi Russia is growing, and recently exceeded US $20 million in a single day. This shows the high interest and popularity of the Huobi Russia exchange with the Russian community. Huobi Russia will also be looking into providing blockchain and business development services for the local Russian users, such as education, project management, and negotiating deals."

Huobi Russia and Huobi Cloud collaborated with the VEB Digital Transformation Center in the fields of training, legislative & regulatory initiatives, and blockchain research.

Demin Vladimir Igorevich, chairman of the VEB Innovation Fund, said, "Russia is actively promoting the blockchain market. As a well-known bank owned by the Russian government, VEB seeks to play an important role as a leader in blockchain research and legislation."

"In the field of digital asset trading, Huobi is one of the world's largest digital asset trading platforms, with advanced technology and mature experience, security, and trading experience. VEB will continue to expand and cooperate with Huobi in the fields of development and education."

VEB Bank was founded in 1922 as the first international bank in the Soviet Union. In 2007, Russia passed a law stipulating that VEB should support and develop the Russian economy and manage Russia's national debt and pension funds.

As part of Huobi Group's global expansion strategy, Huobi Cloud will seek out the most suitable partners to open local offices. By working with local partners, Huobi Cloud can quickly adapt to local culture and expand into local markets to better meet the needs of our users. Huobi Cloud is a one-stop solution for the digital asset exchange by Huobi. It enables our partners to quickly build secure and stable digital asset exchanges and OTC services using Huobi's expertise and system. Partners can enjoy Huobi Global's order matching system, wallet system, asset management, and clearing system to share the depth, liquidity, and market data on Huobi Global.

Official Huobi Russia website: www.huobi.com.ru

About Huobi:

Consisting of ten upstream and downstream enterprises, Huobi Group is the world's leading blockchain company. Established in 2013, Huobi Group's accumulative turnover exceeds US $1 trillion. It proudly provides safe, secure, and convenient cryptocurrency trading and asset management services to millions of users in 130+ countries.

For enquiries please contact: [email protected]

SOURCE Huobi Group

Related Links

http://www.huobi.com.ru


NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Former Attorney General of Louisiana, Charles C. Foti, Jr., Esq., a partner at the law firm of Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC ("KSF"), announces that KSF has commenced an investigation into PG&E Corporation (NYSE: PCG).

In October 2017, eighteen wildfires devastated Northern California, seventeen of which investigators found were caused by the Company's equipment with eleven showing safety regulation violations. Then, on November 8, 2018, another wildfire began in the town of Pulga, California, becoming the deadliest and the most destructive wildfire in California history, killing at least 79 people with approximately 700 missing. The Company subsequently filed two incident reports for occurrences the morning of November 8th, the first citing an outage near Pulga, the second, a failed circuit in Concow. Notably, the second report was not filed until the day after investigators announced a possible second origin of the fire, in Concow.

The Company has been exposed to significant financial losses for the 2017 and 2018 fires, including as much as $30 billion in potential liabilities, an ongoing securities class action lawsuit relating to the 2017 wildfires for failing to disclose material information to investors in violation of federal securities laws, and recently, a class action lawsuit brought by victims of the fires.

KSF's investigation is focusing on whether PG&E's officers and/or directors breached their fiduciary duties to PG&E's shareholders or otherwise violated state or federal laws.

If you have information that would assist KSF in its investigation, or have been a long-term holder of PG&E shares and would like to discuss your legal rights, you may, without obligation or cost to you, call toll-free at 1-877-515-1850 or email KSF Managing Partner Lewis Kahn ([email protected]), or visit https://www.ksfcounsel.com/cases/nyse-pcg/ to learn more.

About Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

KSF, whose partners include Former Louisiana Attorney General Charles C. Foti, Jr., is a law firm focused on securities, antitrust and consumer class actions, along with merger & acquisition and breach of fiduciary litigation against publicly traded companies on behalf of shareholders. The firm has offices in New York, California and Louisiana.

To learn more about KSF, you may visit www.ksfcounsel.com.

Contact:

Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Lewis Kahn, Managing Partner

[email protected]

1-877-515-1850

1100 Poydras St., Suite 3200

New Orleans, LA 70163

SOURCE Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC

Related Links

http://www.ksfcounsel.com


United Nations, Dec 8 : UN Secretary-General Antonio Guterres has asked the international community to prevent rather than react to genocide as the crime does not happen overnight.

"Genocide is deliberate and premeditated and requires serious preparations that take time. Those preparations should give the world time to act," Guterres said on Friday an event to mark the 70th anniversary of the Convention on the Prevention and Punishment of the Crime of Genocide and the international day to commemorate genocide victims, Xinhua reported.

The Genocide Convention is preventive at its core, and punishes specific acts that are committed with the intent to destroy, in whole or in part, a national, ethnic, racial or religious group, he said.

These acts include killing members of the group; causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group; deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its physical destruction in whole or in part; imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group; and forcibly transferring children of the group to another group.

Preventing genocide means paying close attention to these provisions, said Guterres.

"Tragically, the international community has sometimes failed to heed the warning signs and take early and decisive action. Rather than preventing genocide, we are still reacting to it, often too late."

Since the end of World War II, the international community has failed to prevent genocide in Cambodia, Rwanda, and Srebrenica in the former Yugoslavia, he noted.

In the past two decades, the world has at least started to hold perpetrators to account, he said. The International Criminal Tribunal for the Former Yugoslavia, the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda, and the Extraordinary Chambers in the Courts of Cambodia have all convicted perpetrators for the crime of genocide.

The work of these courts reflects a welcome resolve to punish perpetrators of genocide, he said.

The UN General Assembly in September 2015 designated December 9 as the International Day of Commemoration and Dignity of the Victims of the Crime of Genocide and of the Prevention of this Crime.

December 9 is the anniversary of the adoption of the 1948 Genocide Convention.

The Genocide Convention was the first human rights treaty adopted by the United Nations. It embodies a collective determination to protect people from brutality and to prevent the repetition of the horrors witnessed by the world during World War II, said Guterres.

The convention has been ratified or acceded to by 149 states; 45 member states have not become party to it, noted Guterres. "I urge those 45 states to consider becoming party as an urgent priority. Universal participation will send a unifying signal of resolve in this 70th anniversary year."
Washington, Dec 8 : US President Donald Trump has announced the nomination of State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert to succeed Nikki Haley as US ambassador to the UN.

"She's very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she's going to be respected by all," Trump told reporters at the White House on Friday.

The US President praised Nauert for the "great job" she has done as State Department spokeswoman, Efe news reported.

Friday's announcement followed weeks of rumours that Nauert, a former Fox News anchor, would be Trump's choice, though the administration was said to be considering other candidates, including the current US envoys to France, Jamie McCourt; Canada, Kelly Knight Craft; and Germany, Richard Grenell.

Haley said in October that she would be stepping down at the end of the year.

She would spend her final weeks at the post helping to prepare Nauert to take over, Trump had said.

Nauert, 48, joined the State Department in April 2017 and served till October 2018 as the acting under secretary for Public Diplomacy and Public Affairs.

The nomination is subject to confirmation by the Senate, where Trump's Republican Party has a majority.
Washington, Dec 8 : US President Donald Trump's ex-lawyer has given substantial help on how Russian nationals tried to affect the 2016 election, a legal memo has revealed.

Michael Cohen's help is detailed in the memo from Robert Mueller, who is heading the probe into alleged Russian collusion with the Trump team, BBC reported on Saturday.

The memo is mainly to guide sentencing for crimes Cohen has admitted.

A second Mueller memo sets out the case against ex-campaign chief Paul Manafort for breaching a plea bargain deal.

Cohen and Manafort are among a number of Trump aides being investigated in Special Counsel Mueller's probe.

Both have been co-operating with his team but Mueller now accuses Manafort of lying.

In a separate court filing on Friday, prosecutors in New York made their case for the length of Cohen's sentence when it is delivered on Wednesday.

They say he should serve a "substantial" jail term after admitting violating campaign finance laws, committing tax evasion and lying to Congress.

President Trump has repeatedly denied there was any collusion with Russian officials, calling the investigation a "witch hunt".

The White House said Friday's memos offered nothing new or damaging about the president.

Trump tweeted: "Totally clears the President. Thank you!" although it was unclear to what he was referring.

Cohen had admitted making false statements about a Trump property deal, out of loyalty to the president.

The memo says that although this crime was serious, any sentencing should be served concurrently with the New York prosecutors' recommendations on other crimes.
Vienna, Dec 8 : The Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries (OPEC) and allied producers agreed to lower their production of crude oil by 1.2 million barrels per day for a six-month period.

The measure, which was spearheaded by Russia, will come into effect on January 1.

The OPEC's decision was announced to the press by Iran's Oil Minister, Bijan Zanganeh, at the end of the meeting between 24 oil producing countries, Efe news reported on Friday.

Zanganeh added that he was satisfied by the fact that Iran remained exempt from the commitment to reduce oil production.
New York, Dec 8 : US prosecutors have said that Michael Cohen, Donald Trump's former attorney, acted at the President's direction when he committed two election-related crimes during the 2016 presidential campaign.

The revelations came in a set of court filings on Friday in which the prosecutors in New York said Cohen should receive a "substantial" prison sentence of roughly four years for tax fraud and campaign-finance crimes, and as Special Counsel Robert Mueller's office accused the President's former attorney of lying about his contacts with Russia, CNN reported.

Mueller's disclosures also exposed deeper entanglements than previously known between Trump, his campaign apparatus and the Russian government, including that a Russian national who claimed to be well-connected in Moscow spoke with Cohen in 2015 and offered "political synergy" with the Trump campaign.

The pair of memos from two sets of prosecutors reflected competing views of Cohen's utility to the federal investigations ahead of his scheduled sentencing on December 12.

"In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1," the prosecutors from the Manhattan US attorney's office said.

Individual-1 is the term prosecutors have been using to refer to the President.

In their filing, they knocked Cohen's "rose-coloured view of the seriousness of his crimes", noting his years-long willingness to break the law.

"He was motivated to do so by personal greed, and repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends."

In August, Cohen pleaded guilty to eight federal crimes after being charged by the Manhattan federal prosecutors.

The crimes included tax fraud, making false statements to a bank and campaign-finance violations tied to his work for Trump, including payments Cohen made or helped orchestrate that were designed to silence women who claimed affairs with the then-presidential candidate.

Trump has denied those claims, CNN reported.

Cohen was subsequently charged last week by Mueller's office with one count of lying to Congress about the Moscow project.

He pleaded guilty, disclosing that talks about the effort in Moscow had extended through June 2016, after Trump had become the presumptive Republican nominee for President, and that both Trump and his family members had been briefed on the discussions.

Cohen's attorneys have asked the judge to spare their client jail time, asserting that he has shown "fortitude" by cooperating with the Mueller probe.
Washington, Dec 8 : US President Donald Trump has signed a two-week spending bill to extend federal government funding, averting a partial shutdown and delaying an expected partisan fight over the proposed border wall.

The legislation, which would keep the Homeland Security Department and several other government agencies open through December 21, came on Friday, reports Xinhua news agency.

The prospect of a partial government shutdown was raised by disagreements among lawmakers over Trump's proposed US-Mexico border wall, for which he has demanded $5 billion.

Senate Democrat leader Chuck Schumer has said that his party members were only willing to agree to a $1.6 billion budget to bolster border security instead of building a physical wall.

Republicans currently hold 51 seats in the Senate and need nine Democratic votes to pass a spending bill.

Trump had threatened to force a partial government shutdown if the Congress did not give him enough funding for the wall.

The White House and congressional leaders agreed to the two-week funding extension in light of the death of former President George H.W. Bush last week.

On Thursday, both the House of Representatives and the Senate passed the continuing resolution to extend the federal government funding.

The US Congress had already passed spending bills for five government agencies for the fiscal year 2019, which began on October 1, and it still needs to decide on the funding for seven more agencies, including the Homeland Security Department, Justice Department and Agriculture Department.

The federal government was briefly shut down twice this year due to lawmakers' discrepancy on immigration issues.
New Delhi : The Congress deserves two cheers for recovering from being down in the dumps in 2014 to a position where it is believed to be posing a credible challenge to the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh.

Earlier, the Congress had won several by-elections in Karnataka, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh to show that it has been able to pick itself up from the floor. Its success in forming a coalition government in Karnataka, although the BJP emerged as the single-largest party, is also a feather in its cap.

What is intriguing about these outcomes is that there has been no evidence that the Congress has succeeded in rejuvenating its customarily lethargic organisational structure or that its leaders have been able to present themselves as genuine hopes for the future.

Neither Rahul Gandhi nor the party's leaders in Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Karnataka are seen by the average voter as being capable of ushering in a new era of progress and prosperity.

All that they have been able to do is to present themselves as alternatives to the present ruling dispensation in Karnataka and the three northern states. Yet, that achievement has been enough to make the Congress more confident than before.

The apparent reason for the self-assurance probably has less to do with wide popular approval for the Congress than with the affliction of the anti-incumbency factor for the BJP.

If the Congress is benefitting from the BJP's discomfiture, it means that the party has been largely able to overcome the damaging taint on its reputation as a result of the multiple scams and the government's policy paralysis which brought it crashing down four years ago.

It is not that public memory is short, but the experience of some of the government's present inadequacies are stronger. Among them is the continuing joblessness, whose impact is perhaps all the greater because it was the promise of a buoyant economy fostering employment which was behind the BJP's success in the last general election.

Along with unemployment, it is possible that the dismay among the middle-class caused by the troubles affecting well-regarded institutions like the Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) and the Reserve Bank of India (RBI) has been damaging for the BJP.

The realisation that the BJP is no longer on as strong a wicket as before appears to have made the Hindutva camp led by the Rashtriya Swayamsevek Sangh (RSS) revive the temple movement and even assert that it will not hesitate to start the kind of agitation which marked the movement in 1992-93 if construction work does not immediately begin on the temple.

The BJP so far has been reticent on its intentions -- the party is probably waiting for the results from the three BJP-ruled states, as also of Telangana, before revealing its hand -- but how the Congress will respond if a bill on the temple's construction is brought before parliament is unknown.

The uncertainty is due to the fact that the Congress's recovery has been accompanied by instances of back-sliding such as playing the "soft" Hindutva card which has brought the party close to the BJP, as in the Sabarimala episode in Kerala.

Like the somewhat hazy stance on secularism, the Congress's economic outlook is also unclear with Rahul Gandhi's emphasis on loan waivers for farmers suggesting that the party remains stuck in the old populist mode which was the hallmark of the Sonia Gandhi-led National Advisory Council (NAC) which hobbled Manmohan Singh's economic reforms.

It was Narendra Modi's promise to continue the reforms which was behind his victory. And it is his backtracking, presumably under pressure from protectionist saffron outfits like the Swadeshi Jagran Manch and to counter Rahul Gandhi's "suit-boot ki sarkar" jibe, which is one of the reasons why the BJP is now on the back foot.

But if the Congress wants to re-establish its image of the immediate post-independence years as a modern, secular party, it will have to stop playing footsie with Hindutva or don the NAC's crypto-communist cap.

Any gains it is making at the moment is almost entirely due to the BJP's failings on the economic and social fronts, where the misery caused by the lack of jobs and agricultural distress has been compounded by the violent antics of the gau rakshaks and targeting of minorities via the erasure of the Muslim names of towns.

But except for the Congress's diehard supporters, a return to the NAC's "socialism" minus secularism will not be a welcome development. To gain wider support, the Congress will have to reiterate its commitment to both economic reforms and secularism.

The party's leaders and spokespersons will also have to display sobriety and grace while referring to their opponents -- attributes which are singularly absent in the latter, who appear to revel in vitriol.

Unless the Congress marks itself out as completely different from the BJP, it will be difficult for the party to project a clear alternative to the BJP's quasi-religious politics with is focus on widening the Hindu-Muslim divide and the erosion of institutional autonomy.

(Amulya Ganguli is a political analyst. The views expressed are personal. He can be reached at amulyaganguli@gmail.com )
Lucknow, Dec 8 : A Hindu seer was found dead in the temple town of Mathura in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday, police said.

The victim, identified as Bhappi Baba, had been living in an ashram for many years.

According to the police, he was hacked to death with a sharp-edged weapon.
New Delhi : The controversy surrounding Navjot Singh Siddhus pilgrimage to Kartarpur Sahib must have amused President Ram Nath Kovind whose visit to Pakistan in August 2003 as part of a 30-member delegation of political leaders and journalists was one of the most high profile visits in the history of exchanges between the two countries. Kovinds fellow BJP comrade in the delegation was Balbir Punj, whose sense of wonder at the warmth and hospitality from the official to the street level was one of the features I remember. Restaurants would offer food gratis, shops would not accept payments from "our guests from India".

Even though the delegation had been invited by the South Asia Free Media Association, President Pervez Musharraf's Foreign Minister Khurshid Mohammad Kasuri was the unmentioned behind the scenes.

From the Indian side, the All Party Goodwill delegation was part of Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's push towards tranquilizing the Line of Control in Kashmir. That was the period when the two countries moved towards the only feasible arrangement -- territorial status quo but movement of people and goods across the line.

The "goodwill" part of the visit was boosted sky high by the sheer presence of Lalu Prasad in the delegation. It became something of a mobile comedy from the moment Lalu was mobbed as soon as he crossed Wagah. Which other leader would create a traffic jam in the middle of a vegetable market comparing prices of potatoes, onions, radish, etc, on both sides of the border -- and with complete authority of the rural economy. With his lilting Bihari speech and folksy humour Yadav monopolised prime time TV across the board and front pages of all newspapers without exception.

The BJP duet coped with the Lalu show in ample humour, but the Congress MP from Karnataka, Margaret Alva, was livid. When President Musharraf, fascinated by the Lalu circus, seated him on his right at the banquet, Alva threw a fit. She represented a party with 110 seats, she declared for everyone to hear. "And you have promoted in the seating order the leader of a party with only seven seats in Parliament?" Alva's tandav caught everyone by surprised. Lalu saved the situation by exchanging seats with her. This dramatic act of humility became a cause celebre. Alva's tantrum and Lalu's humility became prime time fare all over again.

The delegation's visit, a huge public relations success, was followed up in January 2004 by Vajpayee himself. Yashwant Sinha, as Foreign Minister was able to issue, not an agreement but only a press statement which contained the crucial commitment: "President Musharraf reassured Prime Minister Vajpayee that he will not permit any territory under Pakistan's control to be used to support terrorism in any mannerA"

The contents of the press note had to be tentative in nature. The Pakistan bureaucrat, receiving impulses from Army Headquarters, was aware of the gamble involved. General elections were round the corner in India. Pakistan's hesitations would in retrospect appear to be justified: Vajpayee lost the election.

Having travelled with Vajpayee on most of his foreign trips, including his journeys as Minister for External Affairs (1977-80), one observation is unmistakable. For a leader as thoughtful as him, he was often persuaded by his secretariat to undertake foreign initiatives without a careful study of the pros and cons of the proposed visit that the Indian embassy in the country to be visited may have prepared. Sometimes these assessment were made by outstanding ambassadors. The result of underprepared visits were often disastrous. Sometimes the host country was inadequately prepared for a meaningful dialogue.

Take, for instance, Vajpayee's much touted bus journey to Lahore in February 1999. It was never a journey to Lahore. I was in that bus. I should know. Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif and his Information Minister Mushahid Hussain received Vajpayee in the no-man's-land between the two border gates. A helicopter flew the two Prime Ministers to the Government House in Lahore. The Pakistan establishment could not risk driving Vajpayee because of anti-India demonstrations in Lahore organised by the Jamat e Islami. In other words, public opinion in Pakistan had not been prepared for a visit which New Delhi was advertising as "historic".

As a great symbolic gesture of embracing the idea of Pakistan, Vajpayee even visited Minar-e-Pakistan. Jamaat volunteers washed the Minar that afternoon. The official banquet at the Lahore Fort was delayed by hours because demonstrators disrupted the traffic.

There will be great willingness in the present mood in India to blame the disastrous visit on the persistent anti-Indian venom in the Pakistan psyche even at the street level. It would be a flawed conclusion. The moral of the story is that Vajpayee turned up in Lahore with Indian intelligence not having it ears close to the ground on how divided the Pakistan establishment was on the Lahore visit. The visit was in February; Kargil happened in May. Musharraf, the author of Kargil, later had a change of heart. How else does one explain his fruitless visit to Agra in July 2001? Vajpayee's visit in 2004 did not set the Ravi on fire because the hosts knew that Indian elections were due in few months. Islamabad did not quite swallow the "Shining India" pitch.

Vajpayee's visit as External Affairs Minister to China in February 1979 was likewise a casualty of South Block not having heeded words of caution from the embassy in Beijing. When China decided to teach Hanoi "a lesson" and initiated a war without as much as a hint to the Indian External Affairs Minister who happened to be their guest. The next morning the Indian delegation, their faces in the lower mould, caught the passage to Hong Kong and thence to New Delhi.

Kartarpur Sahib was not by any stretch of the imagination a comparable diplomatic initiative. But it does give clues to a post-election look at possibilities that one or other of the coalitions in New Delhi might be tempted to explore. It makes logical sense that the one party habit of looking at Indo-Pak tension as a useful ploy for vote consolidation would be a matter of the past in the expected era of balancing coalitions.

(A senior commentator on political and diplomatic affairs, Saeed Naqvi can be contacted at saeednaqvi@hotmail.com . Views expressed are personal)
Srinagar, Dec 8 : A soldier allegedly involved in the Bulandshahr firing in Uttar Pradesh in which a police Inspector and a civilian were killed was detained by his unit in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, Army sources said.

Jitendra Malik alias Jeetu Fauji was detained by the 22 Rashtriya Rifles in Sopore town.

A special investigation team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh Police was expected to reach here later to take him into custody.

Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh and a civilian, Sumit Kumar, were shot dead in Bulandshahr in mob violence last week.
Chandigarh, Dec 8 : A high-level parliamentary committee in Canada has asked the government to take action against extremists within its borders who are posing a threat to India's security.

The committee's report, however, is a double-edged weapon as it concurs with the allegation of a top intelligence official of the country on the "orchestrated attempt by India to embarrass the Canadian government".

"Canada must investigate, prosecute or disrupt extremists who, from within our borders, pose a threat to the security of a foreign state -- in this case India, a democratic country with which Canada has strong relations," the special report of the National Security and Intelligence Committee of Parliamentarians (NSICOP) has stated.

The committee recently submitted the report while looking into allegations associated with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau's official visit to India in February 2018.

The report, a major part of which is redacted, saying that "disclosure of which would be injurious to national security or international relationsA", has come out with observations which are contrary to what the Canadian National Security and Intelligence Adviser (NSIA) Daniel Jean, in a sensational and unprecedented "off the record" background briefing to media on February 22, 2018, had blamed "rogue Indian operatives" for the controversy around the presence of convicted criminal Jaspal Atwal (a Canadian national) at the the Canadian Prime Minister's official events during the India visit.

Clearly casting aspersions on the lax functioning of the RCMP (Royal Canadian Mounted Police) and CSIS (Canadian Security Intelligence Service), who were aware of Atwal's visit to India a week ahead of Trudeau's but chose to "ignore the information despite his past criminal record and conviction". The report stated that even the possibility of Atwal being a threat to Trudeau's security was grossly overlooked.

"On February 20, Atwal attended a reception in Mumbai hosted by the Prime Minister as an invited guest of the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). There he was photographed with the Prime Minister's spouse, a Minister and a Member of Parliament. Those photographs surfaced in Indian and Canadian media and raised questions of how Mr Atwal, convicted of the attempted murder of a Punjab Minister and with a past association with Sikh extremism in Canada, could have been invited to the event in Mumbai and to a reception planned in Delhi on February 22. Acting on information provided after the Mumbai event, the Prime Minister's Office directed Global Affairs Canada to rescind Mr Atwal's invitation for the Delhi reception, which it did on February 21," the report said.

Prime Minister Trudeau travelled from February 17 to 24 to India. His delegation included six ministers, four of them of Indian origin, and was accompanied by 16 parliamentarians (mostly Indian origin), who travelled independently to India to participate in portions of the itinerary. The trip included numerous meetings with local, state and national officials, business contacts and community groups at multiple locations in five cities.

While pointing out that India had raised its concerns regarding extremist elements based in Canada carrying out anti-India activities from Canadian soil, the NSICOP recommended: "In the interest of national security, members of the House of Commons and the Senate should be briefed upon being sworn-in and regularly thereafter on the risks of foreign interference and extremism in Canada."

"This request is a key part of joint Canadian-Indian efforts to address more effectively India's growing concerns regarding the rise of extremism. The NSIA discussions with Indian National Security Advisor (Ajit) Doval focused on developing a joint statement with language on a strong and united India and cooperation against terrorism," the report said.

The committee, in reference to social media activities of certain Canadian ministers (of Indian-origin), stated: "Cabinet Ministers should be reminded of the expectations described in the government's 'Open and Accountable Government', including that Ministers exercise discretion with whom they meet or associate, and clearly distinguish between official and private media messagingAA.and be reminded that, consistent with the Conflict of Interest Act, public office holders must always place the public interest before private interests."

One of the most intriguing chapters is on "Findings with respect to allegations of foreign interference" (meaning India). The heavily redacted chapter, which indicates that the committee had evidence of alleged foreign interference by India which, if released, would have caused disruption of relations between the two countries.

Sources in Ottawa revealed that, in recent months, Canadian agencies have been monitoring activities of the Indian High Commission and its staff there. Officials of Canadian security agencies have been routinely calling on members of Indian diaspora who frequent the Indian High Commission, or are invited to High Commission functions.

"The Committee conducted a special review which considered the various allegations raised in the context of the Prime Minister's visit to India. These allegations related to foreign interference in Canadian political affairs, risks to the security of the Prime Minister, and inappropriate use of intelligence. In that respect, the Committee made a total of 18 findings and five recommendations to the Prime Minister and the Ministers of Foreign Affairs, and Public Safety and Emergency Preparedness," the report said.

The report said that "the RCMP also admitted that mistakes were made".

"The RCMP stated that the errors were a result of not following existing procedures and were addressed in meetings with relevant RCMP officials," it added.

Atwal was convicted in 1986 of the attempted murder of an Indian minister (from Punjab). Following his release from prison, he was charged three times, including for violence-related sections of the (Canadian) Criminal Code, such as uttering threats and assault.

"Atwal's repeated involvement with the criminal justice system over a long period of time should have raised security concerns about his participation at events during the Prime Minister's official trip to India in February 2018," the report added.

(Jaideep Sarin can be contacted at jaideep.s@ians.in )
Bengaluru/San Francisco, Dec 8 : Online ride-hailing platform Uber has announced to double its workforce in the product and engineering departments -- from over 500 to more than 1,000 'technologists' -- at its Bengaluru and Hyderabad facilities next year.

Uber India aims to hire full-stack teams that include product managers, product designers, data scientists, user researchers, mobile, front-end and back-end engineers, as well as Machine Learning (ML) and Artificial Intelligence (AI) experts, the company said in a statement late Friday.

"In 2018, our tech teams grew by 150 per cent and we are focused on doubling down again in 2019," said Apurva Dalal, Head of Engineering, Uber India.

According to the company, its tech centres in Bengaluru and Hyderabad are critical to the global mission of developing urban mobility solutions for everyone.

"Engineers are working on exciting areas of Customer Engagement, Rider access (next billion riders), Uber Eats, Maps, Marketplace and Data platforms," informed Dalal.

Uber said it will continue to hire talent from top engineering universities in the country.

Uber Engineering India has developed some key innovations such as Uber Lite which is a lighter and faster version of the main app.

Uber currently operates in 31 cities in the country and aims to take its services to other, deeper parts of the country.

Meanwhile, the cab hailing app has filed paperwork for its initial public offering (IPO), The Wall Street Journal reported on Saturday citing people familiar with the matter.

The details of Uber's filing, including the exact day of filing the paperwork, were not known.

According to reports, the company's most recent private valuation was $76 billion, when it sold a roughly $500 million stake to car maker Toyota.

The Uber's IPO move came a day after Lyft, its main competitor in the US, deposited paperwork with the Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) for an IPO.
Addis Abeba, Dec 8 : Italy will donate 1 million euros of humanitarian assistance to Ethiopia, including drugs, medical equipment, seeds for planting and agricultural equipment, the Foreign Ministry said.

Italy's Deputy Foreign Minister Emanuela del Re announced the aid package during a visit to Addis Ababa, a government statement said.

The medicines and medical devices will be distributed by the Red Cross to refugees sheltering on the border region where ethnic conflicts that erupted in April displaced over one million people.
Canberra, Dec 8 : Thousands of student demonstrators took to the streets of Australias main cities on Saturday in their latest protest against the planned launch of a coal mine in Queensland state by Indian conglomerate Adani.

The protesters called on the Australian government to halt the coal mining project, whose construction according to Adani would begin "imminently", Efe news reported.

Protest Organizers, Stop Adani, estimated that 15,000 people had joined the marches across the country, while the Australian Youth Climate Coalition said that 5,000 people had marched in Melbourne alone.

The rallies followed last week's demonstrations urging action on climate change, which saw 15,000 school students walk out of class.

Students and activists then staged a sit-in at Parliament House in Canberra on Wednesday to confront Prime Minister Scott Morrison, who had criticized the student protest movement.

"Kids should go to school. We do not support our schools being turned into Parliaments," Morrison said in November. "What we want is more learning in schools and less activism in schools."

Australia has pledged to reduce total emissions to 26-28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2030, but a recent UN report revealed no improvement in the country's climate policy since 2017.

The document said the latest projections published by the government indicated that emissions would remain high rather than being reduced in line with the 2030 targets.

Climate change has historically been a thorny issue in Australia, which has seen several of its governments make policies on eliminating taxes on polluting gases or the national energy plan.

This responds to a strong conservative political sector that seeks to keep up the exploitation of fossil fuels, arguing that alternative energies or measures to mitigate climate change will raise electric tariffs.
Mumbai, Dec 8 : The Centre has outrightly rejected Maharashtra's plea to extend the upcoming Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train corridor via Nashik, according to recent RTI replies received by a Mumbai activist Jeetendra Ghadge here on Saturday.

Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis had written separately to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Railway Minister Suresh Prabhu on January 13, 2016 urging the inclusion of Nashik in the first-ever High Speed Rail project, or Bullet Train, to be implemented in India.

"The alignment now recommended by the consultants covers only three cities in Maharashtra: Mumbai, Thane and Boisar (in Palghar district). I think that the state will truly benefit from the HSR Project if the network is extended to other important cities in the state," said Fadnavis' letter.

Buttressing his plea, the Chief Minister pointed out that during his (official) visit to Japan earlier, he had explored the possibility of extending the HSR Project to include Nashik, which is already a part of the ambitious Mumbai-Howrah Diagonal on the proposed HSR Diamond Quadrilateral.

"I therefore request you to consider the Mumbai-Nashik HSR Project as the first phase of the proposed HSR Quadrilateral Network to be developed by the High Speed Rail Corporation of Indian Railways. I would be grateful if this project is announced in the forthcoming Railway Budget of FY 2016-2017," Fadnavis had pleaded.

While Modi and Prabhu did not respond to the plea, only the Minister of State for Railways Manoj Sinha replied to the letter.

Much to the state government's shock, Sinha categorically rejected its request to include Nashik on the grounds of 'feasibility'.

However, the MoS Railways assured that Nashik would be considered in the proposed feasibility study of the Mumbai-Nagpur Bullet Train project being planned.

"The fact that the Maharashtra Chief Minister requested to connect Nashik proves that the state has no practical benefit of the Bullet Train Project as currently proposed. It seems like the state government is forced into accepting the project since it is the Prime Minister's pet project which will benefit his home state Gujarat," Ghadge said.

In planning since 2010, the HSR Project materialized with the grand announcement of the Ahmedabad-Mumbai Bullet Train proposal in 2014.

It will be built at a cost of around Rs 1.10 lakh crore, with nearly one-fifth of the amount coming as a long-term soft loan from Japan.

On the first-ever Ahmedabad-Mumbai corridor, there will be eight stations in Gujarat - Vapi, Billimora, Surat, Bharuch, Vadodara, Anand, Ahmedabad, while Maharashtra will get around three.
London, Dec 8 : Weekends are usually peaceful days at Westminster. But the ongoing Brexit debate has changed Britains ground zero of power.

The Big Ben and other towers are covered with polythene sheets to shield the public from viewing the ongoing restoration work at the seat of mother of all parliaments. But it's the government in the seat of power which needs a restorative touch.

As Parliament prepares to vote on Brexit next Tuesday, the day India looks with bated breath at the poll results from five states, there is massive lobbying in the British corridors of power to fortify the different camps. The empty corners of Westminster are occupied by TV crews from all over the world.

The British public too is watching with bated breath as new twists appear every day on the Brexit drama in Parliament. The limelight is on Prime Minister Theresa May along with her cabinet; Opposition Leader Jeremy Corbyn; seasoned politician Sir Vince Cable; maverick former Foreign Secretary Boris Johnson; Tory chief Brandon Lewis; and Sir Graham Brady, chairman of the 1922 Committee, formally known as the Conservative Private Members' Committee.

The list of main characters, of course, keeps changing with the addition of new figures. The focus, of course is on the 650 members of the House of Commons as every vote is precious in this crucial battle. The next few days will define the legacy of May's premiership. It could see Parliament wresting control from the ministers on the future direction of the UK's departure from the EU.

While, the ministers are busy visiting constituencies to convince their electorate about the deal and senior politicians are hopping from one TV studio to another to win the support of audiences. Despite the threat from alliance partner Democratic Unionist Party (DUP), May is going ahead with the vote on December 11. It will be among the most contentious in recent history with MPs divided on all sides of the House.

It comes after five days of intense debate, which was preceded by the government being found in contempt of Parliament for the first time in history. The numbers appear to be against the Prime Minister, and with amendments from across the Brexit spectrum being tabled, the vote could produce a variety of outcomes -- an attempted renegotiation, a no-deal Brexit and even a second referendum.

The European Court of Justice (ECJ) on Monday will release its judgment in a legal challenge over whether the UK can unilaterally withdraw its Article 50 notification on leaving the EU. The ECJ's chief legal expert, Manuel Campos Sanchez-Bordona, has said that Britain should be able to cancel Brexit without needing the consent of the other EU member states. He also rejected the contention that Article 50 only allows the possibility of revocation following a unanimous decision of the European Council.

If the court's judgment follows the advocate's opinion, it would be a blow to May just 24 hours before MPs have their meaningful vote on the Brexit Withdrawal Agreement. The judgment is due at 8 a.m. UK time (1 p.m. IST) on Monday.

The Prime Minister and her close team members are rejecting all the pleas and going ahead with the vote. As the opposition to the deal gathers momentum, the vote could be defeated by a 200 plus margin. But the TINA (there is no alternative) factor and the probability of extreme-left wing Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn grabbing power are dithering the Conservative fold.

Sir Graham Brady, the likely consensus candidate to replace May, is trying to preserve the party unity behind the Prime Minister. He conveyed a backbenchers' appeal to consider delaying the vote. But Downing Street remains adamant despite growing cabinet unease.

After the vote on Tuesday, attention will turn to Strasbourg on Wednesday as MEPs hold a debate on the outcome of the Commons' vote. EU Chief negotiator, Michel Barnier, made it clear that May's deal is the only opportunity for the UK to leave the European Union in an orderly fashion. That means, if the Parliament reject the deal, Britain may exit EU without a deal. The Bank of England already predicted a grim picture if the country exits EU without a deal. The economy will be the worst victim in this battle.

Brexit has already taken its toll on community ties. Immigrant pockets are worried about the aggressive debate over Brexit. The Indian community is also divided over the issue. Rami Ranger, chairman of the Conservative Friends of India (CFI), a prominent businessman, is backing the Prime minister.

"Brexit is not about my way or highway! It is about cooperation and collaboration as a sovereign nation. Britain's economic strength underpins our sovereignty," Ranger said. "Totally wrong to assume that Britain will be under foreign powers with May's Brexit deal. In fact, cooperation and collaboration underpins our sovereignty," he added.

"The objective is not to scupper the PM's Brexit deal, instead it should be to protect the economy, jobs and influence in the world when we no longer have an empire to dictate our terms to others. Our economy is already shrinking," he said.

Meanwhile Virendra Sharma, the Labour MP from Ealing Southall, is leading the opposition campaign.

"The way the Prime Minister has handled the negotiations with the European Union over the past two years has been disastrous," Sharma said. "We are now facing a situation where we have a bad deal that does not work for our country and is unlikely to be endorsed by Parliament. This is a result of the government's failure and refusal to adopt the kind of approach I have been calling for that could have safeguarded jobs and the economy."

Still there is no clear picture about the outcome of Brexit. Good, bad or ugly, the vote on Dec 11 will decide the fate of Great Britain.

(Azeez Anasudhin is the Editor of Asianlite. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at md@asianlite.com)
Imphal, Dec 8 : A former member of the banned Lamphel group of Kangleipak Communist Party, who had laid down his arms last year, was gunned down here early on Saturday while taking a morning walk, police said.

S. Modhuchandra, 44, was killed near his house. The killers escaped.

Modhuchandra had come to stay at his home in Thangmeiband Wathem Leirak from his designated camp in Bishnupur district when he was attacked.

The police said he was one of the insurgents who laid down weapons in July 2017. No one has claimed responsibility for the killing.
New Delhi : Two days ago, Dharmendra was in his bungalow in Juhu (these days he spends most of his time on his farm in Lonavala, where he is busy writing poetry in Urdu) and knowing that it was his 82nd birthday on December 8 I asked him if he had any one dream unfullfilled.

He grew extremely emotional and said: "God has been very kind to the poor driller from Sanival in Punjab who had come to Bombay with the dream of becoming an actor after I had seen only one film of Yusuf Sahaab. I had to struggle and even starve at times. I even went back to Punjab after seeing that I was not being considered even for a side role. It was kind of great filmmakers like Arjun Hingorani, Mohan Kumar, Hrishikesh Mukherjee, Bimal Roy and O.P Ralhan who gave me the kind of roles that made me what I am today." (He was growing more emotional and took off his dark glasses, which he wears these days, to stop his tears from flowing)

He had still not answered my question and I had to remind him about it in different ways. He finally answered and said it was his only real dream to work in a film with Dilip Kumar which sometimes almost became a reality, but some "jinx" came in the way and he couldn't fullfill his dream of working with the actor who had inspired him and who had treated him like a part of his family on the very first night he met him through the kindness of his sister who was a journalist working with the film magazine, Filmfare and who always treated him like a "Bade Bhai". But he kept waiting for that one opportunity to work with him.

Some time in the 1980s, he almost saw his dream come true. B.R Chopra was planning a film called "Chanakya Chandragupta" and had cast Dilip Kumar as Chanakya and Dharmendra as Chandragupta. The industry was agog with excitement about Chopra's announcement and his passion to make the film showed when he made the producer spend over a lakh of rupees in those days when he sent the Hollywood trained make-up man Sarosh Mody to London only to design the bald Cape in which Dilip Kumar would be seen in throughout the film. Dharam was doubly excited when Chopra and his team of writers included him in all the discussion when it came to the script. Everything was finalised and the film was about to go on the floor when the producer faced a sudden financial crises and had to shelve what could have been a memorable film. More than that, it could have been a dream come true for Dharmendra, who still laments the loss of that "golden opportunity".

There were other times when it looked like Dharam could have seen himself cast with the "actor for whom I could give up my life anytime". The one chance he had was when someone from the south was planning to make "Aadmi" with Dilip Kumar and another big hero of the times, but the role ultimately went to Manoj Kumar, another great fan of Dilip Kuma. Dharam did not mind losing out to Manoj because they were very good friends and Manoj had stopped him from going back when he couldn't find any work.

Dharam had to wait for several years for a chance to come close to his dream. The last big chance was when Dilip Kumar himself decided to direct his first film called "Kalinga". Dharmendra "literally moved heaven and earth" to find a role in the film, but it took Dilip Kumar several days to make Dharam understand that there was no role for him in the script as he would have to play his (Dilip's) eldest son which would not suit him. Dharam somehow wanted to be associated with his idol's first film as a director and asked Dilip Kumar to cast his son, Sunny Deol as the son in the film and it was okay for Dilip Kumar, But Sunny who was a ruling romantic and action hero of the time refused to do the role as it had negative shades and a new actor had to be taken for the role.

Dharam never stopped trying to be a part of any film Dilip Kumar was doing, even if he knew that the role that would be offered to him would not be the role he would like to do. He had come to Bombay (now Mumbai) with the dream of "being another Dilip Kumar" but his dream was still-born.

And when he realised that Dilip Kumar had fallen very sick and would never be able to work again, he spent several days in a state of near depression and even thought of giving up working in films.

Dharam however has always been like a part of the Dilip Kumar and Saira Banu house. He has always been the first to call on Dilip Kumar on his birthday and their wedding anniversary in October. There was a time when some anti-Dharam elements tried to spread stories about Dharam having an affair with Saira, but all the three involved in the wild stories took the rumours in their stride and Dharam was still a part of the family.

It was only some time ago that Dharam came to know that Dilip Sahaab was now so sick that he could not remember any names and could not even recognise his best friends and people close to him that Dharam cried and asked: "uppar wala itna beraham kyu hota hain kabhi kabhi?". He has now stopped visiting the house like many others because he feels there is no meaning of his visiting him if he doesn't recognise him, the Dharam who was his "chote bhai".

(Ali Peter John is a Mumbai-based film journalist. The views expressed are personal. He can be contacted at 09819291548)
New Delhi, Dec 8 : Congress and Communist parties instigated some apex court judges to openly criticise the then Chief Justice of India, claims a new book about Prime Minister Narendra Modi as it seeks to knock down the so-called "ruckus" about intolerance, stating that a majority of those in the forefront of the intolerance protest were "Congress retainers and Left-oriented darbaris (courtiers)".

Clearly a hagiography about the Prime Minister, the book, 'Narendra Modi: Creative Disruptor - the Maker of New India' by political analyst R. Balashankar, says that Modi as Chief Minister of Gujarat was convinced that only he could bring about a "tectonic shift in the polity" and a great opportunity would be lost if he was not chosen as the party's Prime Ministerial candidate.

As expected from a former national convenor of the Bharatiya Janata Party and a self-confessed follower of safron politics, Balashankar says that Modi has chance of creating history and establishing India as an economic superpower of the 21st century if he wins the 2019 Lok Sabha election and his policy initiatives deliver the projected benefits.

"Non-NDA parties, particularly the Congress and Communists, have been creating such a ruckus about intolerance under the Narendra Modi government. They even targeted the Supreme Court and wanted to move an impeachment motion against the Chief Justice of India, which was unprecedented. They could not succeed because they did not have the numbers in Parliament," he says.

The author, without any evidence, says the Congress and the Communists "instigated some apex court judges to openly criticise the Chief Justice of India and these four judges held a press conference to make their differences public, which again was a first in the apex court's history", says the book.

Four Supreme Court judges - Justice Jasti Chelameswar (since retired), Justice Rajan Gogoi (now Chief Justice of India), Justice Madan B. Lokur and Justice Kurian Joseph (since retired) - had held a press conference on January 12 this year in which they aired their grievances over the roster system and allocation of cases in the apex court.

The book says that if one were to recollect the incidents over which the intolerance debate occurred, it would be "laughable" because none of these were happening in India for the first time, nor the last.

"Murders of writers, the so-called progressive thinkers, robberies in churches, killing of a man from the minority community and burning of the hut of a Dalit-these and much worse have happened during six decades of Congress rule.

"With regular frequency Hindu-Muslim riots have happened all over the country, with the majority community taking the brunt of the attack. People have been butchered worse than cattle and yet none had spoken up. If one were to go into the details of each of these incidents, it would be clear that stray, concocted events were joined together to create a mirage, whose only purpose was to tarnish the image of the Modi government," says the book.

No criticism of Modi can be found in the book, which seeks to imbue the Prime Minister with abilities and powers that are extraordinary. There is no word on how over one thousand Muslims could have died in communal attacks in 2002 -- while Modi was the Chief Minister.

In the preface to the book, which will be released by BJP chief Amit Shah on Monday, Balashankar recalls his meeting with Modi in 2012 when he was the Gujarat Chief Minister.

"He (Modi) was convinced that he only can bring about the tectonic shift. He was fully aware of his immense popularity and he knew India was waiting for him. Had the Sangh Parivar not decided, he expressed the fear that a great opportunity may be lost," he said.

Balashankar says Modi was neither a dodger nor prevaricator. "I once asked him as to what is the secret of his success. His reply was eloquent: Mein swayam ko mitane ki kshamta rakhta hun. (I possess the capacity to even destroy myself in pursuit of my aim)," says Balashankar.

The book has been published by Konark Publishers.
New Delhi, Dec 8 : Police said on Friday that they had arrested three criminals from the Kapil Sangwan gang when they were planning to eliminate members of a rival gang led by Manjit Mahaly.

Tarun Kumar, Nakul Sangwan and Rohit Gahlawat were arrested on a tip from the residence of Kapil Sangwan in Najafgarh on Friday, Deputy Commissioner of Police Anto Alphonse said.

"Sensing police presence outside the residence, the three panicked and opened fire on the police party in a bid to escape. But none of the police personnel were hurt as they had bullet proof jackets," Alphonse said.

The three, from Haryana, were later overpowered.

Nakul Sangwan, a cousin of Kapil Sangwan, disclosed that he and the others were planning to provide security to his brother (Kapil) in a Gurugram court as they feared that the rival gang would carry out an ambush in the court, the officer said.

So they decided to carry out an attack in advance to create terror.

Kapil Sangwan is lodged in Bhondsi jail in Gurugram.

A pistol made in Turkey and two pistols with 40 live cartridges were recovered from the three arrested men.
Stockholm, Dec 8 : American economist and 2018 Nobel laureate William Nordhaus said on Saturday that participation in climate agreements needs to be mandatory for all countries.

Nordhaus, a 77-year-old economics professor at Yale University, was awarded this year's Nobel Prize in Economic Sciences for inventing macroeconomic analysis models that take into consideration the effects caused by climate change and the corrective policies that can be used to counter its damage.

In an interview to Efe news, Nordhaus criticized previous climate agreements such as the yearly UN Climate Change Conferences, the Kyoto Protocol, the Copenhagen Agreement and the Paris Agreement.

The American economist said none of them had imposed any kind of responsibility and instead were completely voluntary, which he described as the main reason they had made no effect.

Nordhaus said that, in his view, countries should have certain obligations, responsibilities and commitments in order to obtain results from a climate deal.

Nordhaus said this obligation had to "go beyond being mandatory" by also imposing punitive sanctions on the countries refusing to participate in an agreement.

He added that he was keeping an eye on the ongoing Katowice climate change conference (COP24), in which key aspects of the Paris Climate Agreement were set to be implemented.

Nordhaus is currently in the Swedish capital, Stockholm, where he will receive the Nobel Prize alongside fellow American economist Paul Romer at an official ceremony on Monday.
Jaipur, Dec 8 : A ballot unit box was found lying unattended on National Highway 27 near Shahabad town in Rajasthan's Baran district on Friday night, police said on Friday.

Villagers who spotted the box alerted the police. The ballot unit had Kishanganj 194 and R-149 written on it.

District Election Officer S.P. Singh said two officials, Abdul Rafeeq and Naval Singh, were found guilty and suspended following the episode.

As per protocol, the machine was to be sent to the district headquarter to be kept in the strongroom, he said.

Rajasthan voted on Thursday to elect a new state Assembly. The two main contenders for power are the ruling BJP and the main opposition Congress.
Kochi, Dec 8 : Union Commerce & Industry Minister Suresh Prabhu on Saturday urged Kerala to host an international summit on fishing for the crucial sector to make a steady development in the coastal state.

"The Centre will provide all the support needed for such a summit that can feature exports to countries like Korea and Japan that are major consumers of Indian seafood. Value added products will play an increasingly decisive role in the growth of the fishing sector.

"India is aiming at a 60-million-dollar turnover of agricultural exports in the next five years. The fish farmers should eye the international market and fulfill international business parameters," he said, while inaugurating a pioneering multi-species aquaculture complex built by the Marine Products Export Development Authority (MPEDA) at Vallarpadam island near here.

Spread over nine acres, the Rs 7.26 crore state-of-the-art unit facilitates production of marine food from disease-free breeds, featuring a hatchery for black tiger shrimps and six nurseries.

The project will cater to the demand from aquaculture farmers in Kerala as well as the neighbouring states.

The Union Minister asked fish farmers to rely on sustainable technology, adding that MPEDA will offer help on this front.

"India's fishing sector is facing multiple problems, also owing to climate change. That gives fresh vitality to aquaculture using inland water-bodies. Exports should be the ultimate aim of each aqua farmer and they should ensure that the aquaculture produce is sustainable and meets the export quality norms. MPEDA will offer all kinds of assistance in this direction," said Prabhu.

Kerala Fisheries Minister J. Mercykuty Amma said the MPEDA complex will boost Kerala's fishing sector.

"Aquaculture in the state should focus more on inland water-bodies," the Minister said.
Mumbai, Dec 8 : The Indian equity indices dipped over concerns of slowing world economy and fears on a resurgence of US-China trade tensions after the arrest of Huawei's Global CFO over alleged violation of US sanctions on Iran.

Additionally, outflow of foreign funds along with uncertainty over the outcome of Assembly elections in five states also weighed on investor sentiments.

Consequently, the S&P BSE Sensex lost 521.05 points, or 1.43 per cent, to close at 35,673.25, whereas the 50-share NSE Nifty declined 187.05 points, or 1.71 per cent, to settle at 10,693.70 points.

"After rallying for six consecutive sessions, domestic markets looked weak in the later part of the week as market participants turned cautious in the run up to the outcome of the state elections," said SMC Investments and Advisors' Chairman and Managing Director D.K. Aggarwal.

"Also, the weak global cues dented the confidence of the market participants. Meanwhile, the RBI's Monetary Policy Review meeting was along expected lines."

Besides, crude oil prices remained volatile amid expectations of supply cuts by OPEC, the group of world's top 15 oil producers.

According to Mustafa Nadeem, CEO, Epic Research: "Amid a number of global events like the OPEC meeting, the arrest of Huawei's Global CFO has unnerved investors. Also, Assembly election outcomes due on Tuesday may fuel short-term volatility."

However, in the past week, the local currency gained Rs 1.21 from its previous week's close of Rs 69.59. The rupee closed at 70.80 a dollar on Friday.

"Markets corrected sharply this week from a high of 10,941 points. A bounce back towards the end of the week helped to curb the losses. Nifty ended with W-o-W losses of 1.68 per cent," said Deepak Jasani, Retail Research Head, HDFC Securities.

"Market breadth was negative in all the five trading sessions of the week. The top sectoral gainer for the week was the IT index. The top losers were pharma, auto and PSU bank indices."

In addition, Foreign Institutional Investors (FII) were net sellers during the review as it off-loaded a total of Rs 865.52 crore worth shares, while Domestic Institutional Investors (DII) sold scrip worth Rs 2,266.64 crore, provisional data from the BSE showed.

On stock specific basis, IT major Infosys gained 7.42 per cent, the most on Sensex during the week followed by IndusInd Bank with 6.70 per cent while Mahindra and Mahindra, Reliance Industries and HDFC advanced in the range of 5 to 6 per cent.

Lending major Kotak Mahindra Bank gained steeply on Friday amid reports of Berkshire Hathaway Inc buying stakes in the bank.

Stocks fallen out of favour with investors were Yes Bank, shedding over 13 per cent during the week, followed by ONGC, Sun Pharma, Tata Motors and Tata Motors(DVR) whose share prices declined 5-7 per cent.

Pharmaceutical major Sun Pharma suffered heavy losses as investors distanced themselves, owing to the probe by SEBI on several charges of corporate disclosure and insider trading levied on pharma major. Tata Motors, too bore the brunt of downgrades by major rating agencies.

(Ravi Dutta Mishra can be reached at ravidutta.m@ians.in and Rohit Vaid at rohit.v@ians.in)
Kolkata, Dec 8 : At a time when some vernacular languages are being "threatened" by the gaining popularity of a foreign language, Nepali and Indian writers on Saturday called for greater "literary exchange" through translations of their literature and writing into regional languages for strengthening mutual collaborations.

They also emphasised on the need of promoting sub-continental languages within the region to showcase the high heritage and cultural exchanges of Nepali and other languages.

"Because of the technological development in the present and coming days, local languages are being taken over gradually by some of the international languages. We are proud of local languages - be it Hindi, Bengali, Nepali, Assamese. We have to promote these regional languages by creating mutual collaborations with each and every community," said Bharat Kumar Regmi, Charge d'Affairs of Embassy of Nepal in India.

Governments in the regions should also concentrate on use of regional and local languages as a medium of communications for public purposes, he said, adding that literature written in a local or regional language should be translated into other regional languages.

"Currently, number of translation of these literature is nominal and it needs to be improved," he said.

Inaugurating the third International Nepali Literary Symposium here, Nepal Academy's Chancellor Ganga Prasad Uprety said: "New global scenario created new challenges to the region and regional identity on literature culture and civilisation is in danger. Our identity should be addressed collectively so that we can save and update our identity."

"There is a need to exchange literature through translation," Uprety said.

Rabindra Bharati University's former Vice Chancellor Pabitra Sarkar said all the regional languages except one or two are being "threatened" by a world language - English.

He also called for exchanges of regional literature.
Jaipur, Dec 8 : Exit polls have given a clear edge to the Congress in the Rajasthan Assembly election, but the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) says it is still confident of retaining power in the state.

Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, after attending a meeting at the BJP office on Saturday, told the media: "The BJP shall form its government in the state and no party worker should be worried on this count."

Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, who is also a convener of the BJP's Election Management Committee in the state, was equally confident.

"The exit polls have failed many times earlier too," he said.

Meanwhile, former Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot said he was sure the Congress would unseat the BJP in Rajasthan by gaining a "complete majority" in the Assembly.

Another Congress veteran, Sachin Pilot, also felt that his party was on the winning track.

Ghanshyam Tiwari, a six-time MLA who quit the BJP to form his own party Bharat Vahini, said: "We were confident the BJP will be routed."

While not totally agreeing with exit poll predictions of a Congress victory, he said: "It is final that the Congress is emerging as the biggest party."
Mumbai, Dec 8 : Filmmaker Aditya Dhar, who is making his directorial debut with his film "Uri: The Surgical Strike", has said that his film hasn't shown Pakistanis in poor light and he hoped they too will appreciate the movie.

Aditya was interacting with the media to promote the movie here on Saturday.

"Uri: The Surgical Strike" is based on the 2016 Indian Army's surgical strike on terrorist camps in Pakistan in retaliation for the terror attack on an Army camp in Uri in Jammu and Kashmir.

Asked if his film would be released in Pakistan, he said: "It doesn't bother me. I have made this film for our country, citizens of this country and our Army. If Pakistani audience trusts us and if they will watch the film, they will realize that we haven't spoken anything negative about Pakistani citizens.

"Whatever statement we have made in this film is about terrorism. If they realize that we are only fighting against terrorism and not against any country or its citizens, then they will really appreciate the film."

The trailer of "Uri: The Surgical Strike" crossed 13 million views on social media within four days of its release.

Aditya said: "I never expected such overwhelming response to the trailer. It's amazing, wonderful and great.

"I hope people come to theatres to watch the film and appreciate it. I want the audience to realize how much sacrifice the Indian Army does for the citizens."

He added: "I have made this film only to pay tribute to the Army."

The film will see Vicky Kaushal playing the role of an Indian commando who is involved in the 2016 surgical strike. It also stars Yami Gautam.

It also features Kirti Kulhari and Paresh Rawal in lead roles. Produced by RSVP movies, "Uri: The Surgical Strike" will hit the theatres on January 11, 2019.
New Delhi, Dec 8 : The Enforcement Directorate on Saturday denied that it searched the prermises of persons linked to Congress President Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra without an FIR or search warrant, saying its action was within "prescribed procedure".

An ED statement said: "ED conducted Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA) investigations in certain cases relating to ownership of undisclosed assets abroad.

"And as part of these investigations, the ED carried out search operations on December 7 at a number of premises in Delhi-NCR and Bengaluru by issue of search warrants under Section 17 of PMLA.

"These searches have been carried out as per the prescribed procedure," it added.

The statement said that documents and digital evidence were seized during the searches and were being examined.

The ED searched several places in Delhi and questioned four persons, including a Congress activist and two employees of Vadra, in connection with unspecified defence deals.

Earlier in the day, an ED team raided the residence of the Congress worker and Vadra's close aide Jagdish Sharma. Sharma was questioned and let off.

The ED has also questioned Manoj Arora, Ramesh Sharma and another person whose identity has not been not disclosed.

The ED on Friday also questioned three persons and raided their houses in Delhi, Noida and Bengaluru.

While being taken by the ED officials, Jagdish Sharma told reporters on Saturday: "Robert Vadra is being framed. The Modi government wants to trap him. Searches are on at my residence. What will they get when there is nothing? They are taking me to ED office for questioning."

The Congress termed the ED action as "blind vendetta" by the government to score political points.

According to the ED, the suspects are linked to the firms of Vadra and are linked to alleged commissions received by some suspects in defence deals. The agency refused to share details of the defence deals.

Vadra had earlier this week alleged that the corruption probe against him was the result of a political witch-hunt aimed at "besmirching his dignity and reputation".
New Delhi, Dec 8 : Stepping up its attack on the Modi government over the searches at the premises of people linked to Congress President Rahul Gandhi's brother-in-law Robert Vadra, the Congress on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of misusing the investigating agencies.

The Congress also alleged that actions by these were being carried out on opposition leaders at the behest of the Prime Minister.

Addressing a press conference, Congress leader Kapil Sibal said: "The Prime MInister thinks that the exit polls are correct and he is in a state of panic. Opposition is being targeted with Income Tax, ED or arrests.

"Attacks on opposition are being carried out across the country without any complaint, warrant and they take away records or documents and forcefully make people to sign on blank papers," he alleged.

The Congress leader said the ED team came to "Vadra's office" in Sukhdev Vihar without any warrant and searched the place. "There were four employees and they were kept there till 4.30 a.m."

He said there was no FIR, ECIR against Vadra and the ED reached his offices without any warrant. They did not reveal their names and broke into the office and broke almirahs and cabins. "Under which provision this is being done? Why this is being done?" he asked.

"If on exit poll results this is what your reaction is, then what will happen when your exit comes closer?"

Sibal said: "The other day Modiji was saying that we have played such a game that we have sent Karti Chidambaram to jail. We want to ask from Modiji how are you going to send him to jail?

"It is the law and the Constitution which will decide who shall be sent to jail. And as Prime Minister has said that I had sent them to jail then it means that he has accepted that all the actions are being done on his behest."

He said the government was misusing its agencies also in Andhra Pradesh, West Bengal and Haryana.

He alleged that ED officers Sanjay Kumar Mishra and Jasbir Khichad were harassing employees of Vadra at the Prime Minister's behest.
New Delhi, Dec 8 : Union Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju on Saturday told a visiting group of 40 Indian Diaspora youths to act as ambassadors of India's growth story and spread the good word about their experience in this country on their return.

The group from eight countries is in India as part of a 25-day visit under the 49th 'Know India Programme' (KIP) being organised by the Ministry of External Affairs in partnership with the Andhra Pradesh government.

The KIP is an initiative to engage young Indian Diaspora in the age group of 18 to 30 years and make them feel a sense of connect with their motherland.

Interacting with the participants from Fiji (11), Guyana (6), Myanmar (6), Trinidad and Tobago (6), South Africa (6), Suriname (3), the Netherlands (1) and Sri Lanka (1) here, Rijiju said: "The government recognizes the importance of the Indian Diaspora and has a well laid down policy for engaging with the Diaspora community."

Rijiju invited the Indian Diaspora youths to avail scholarship programme GIAN (Global Initiative for Academic Network), VAJRA Faculty Scheme which aims to bring a strong international connect to the R&D ecosystem of India, Mission Shodh GANGA (Global Alliance for New Generation Acceleration), Scholarship Programme for Diaspora Children (SPDC) and Indian Technical and Economic Cooperation (ITEC).

Besides Andhra Pradesh and Delhi, the 25-day tour will also takes them to Agra. They will also meet senior functionaries in the Central and state governments.

Since 2004, the MEA has conducted 48 editions of KIP with participation of 1,612 overseas Indian youths.
Metro Manila (CNN Philippines, December 8)  A former Bulacan town vice mayor has been arrested on Friday after nearly twenty hours of standoff with authorities.

Former Marilao Vice Mayor Andre Santos, a mayoral candidate for the May 2019 elections, is now in police custody after resisting arrest and barricading himself inside his house.

Santos is facing charge of qualified theft for allegedly stealing at least 10 million. The charge was filed by the son of gambling consultant Charlie Atong Ang, his brother in law, and a casino partner in Paranaque City.

Special Weapons and Tactics officers raided Santos' home, following failed attempts to bring him to face arrest.

Authorities also lobbed tear gas into his second-floor bedroom and fired warning shots to flush him out.

"Kagabi pa 'yan nag-start, mga alas otso. Umabot tayo ng ano dahil pinipilit natin siyang to give up peacefully," Senior Superintendent Chito Bersaluna, Bulacan Police provincial director, said.

[Translation: It started at around 8:00 last night. It lasted long because we asked him to surrender peacefully.]

Police recovered two handguns, several pieces of live ammunition, and a grenade from Santos' home.

He was brought to Camp Alejo Santos in Malolos, Bulacan Friday evening.

When asked why he resisted arrest, Santos only said, "Ang pinaglalaban ko boss 'yung bagong sistema, isang tao lang makakagawa nito, ang kriminal na may puso."

[Translation: What I'm fighting for is a new system, and only one person can do it--a criminal with a heart.]

Police are also exploring the possibility that Santos may have been using illegal drugs and is emotionally disturbed.

"According na rin sa family, gusto na nilang ipa-rehab, so definitely, parang, gumagamit talaga siya." Bersaluna said.

[Translation: His family said they have been wanting to send him to rehab, so it seems he is really using illegal drugs.]
Panaji, Dec 8 : Police busted a marijuana plantation run by a Russian couple in Siolim village in North Goa, while also raiding a makeshift laboratory where the drug was being processed, an official said on Saturday.

LSD, a popular party drug was also seized by the police during the raid.

"We have arrested Viacheslar Terekhin and Anna Asharova, both Russian nationals aged 38," police Inspector C.L. Patil told reporters here.

The total cost of the drugs seized, he said, was Rs 15 lakh in the international market.

Last month, the police had busted another drug laboratory operated by an Austrian national in North Goa, seizing drugs worth Rs 1 crore.
New Delhi, Dec 8 : Army chief General Bipin Rawat on Saturday told the media to not "prejudge" things without proof in the alleged involvement of a soldier in the Bulandshahr violence in which a police officer and a civilian were killed.

"Do not prejudge events without evidence. Please come out with facts. If you have facts available, then judge," Gen Rawat said when asked for his comments after a soldier, Jitendra Malik. was accused of shooting the police officer dead during mob violence on December 3.

"Lot of times you people (media) have given evidence and based on that evidence investigations have been done. But do you have any evidence against that 'jawan' (Jitendra) so far?" the Army chief asked while speaking on the sidelines of the Delhi Horse Show.

Meanwhile, Jitendra Malik alias Jeetu Fauji was detained by his unit in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday, Army sources said.

He was detained by the 22 Rashtriya Rifles in Sopore town. A special investigation team (SIT) of the Uttar Pradesh Police was expected to reach Sopore to take him into custody.

Inspector Subodh Kumar Singh, the Station House Officer (SHO) of Syana, and a civilian, Sumit Kumar, were shot dead in Bulandshahr in mob violence on December 3. The violence has been blamed on rightwing Hindu groups which were protesting against cow slaughter.
New Delhi, Dec 8 : India and Iceland discussed cooperation in geothermal energy among other areas during a bilateral meeting between External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj and Icelandic Foreign Minister Gudlaugur Thor Thordarson here on Saturday.

"The two Ministers noted that in the areas such as geothermal energy, fisheries, IT, pharmaceuticals and tourism, both countries could establish strong partnership," the External Affairs Ministry said in a statement following the meeting.

"The Icelandic Minister appreciated growing opportunities for Icelandic companies in the fast-growing Indian economy," it stated.

"The two Ministers expressed satisfaction at the ongoing cooperation at multilateral and international forums."

Ahead of the meeting, Thordarson told IANS that his country was keen to share its experience in generating geothermal energy.

"Geothermal energy is a renewable source of energy and we want to share our experience with India," he said.

Geothermal energy is thermal energy generated and stored in the earth. Thermal energy is the energy that determines the temperature of matter.

India has been working on renewable energy initiatives with New Delhi setting up the International Solar Alliance (ISA) following the 2015 Paris Climate Agreement.

Thordarson, who arrived here on Friday on the inaugural WOW Airlines flight that connects New Delhi with Iceland's capital Reykjavik, said that his country wants more bilateral trade with India, especially through the export of high quality seafood.

He also said that with the launch of the new New Delhi-Reykjavik flight, Iceland wants to attract Indian tourists and referred to the song "Geruwa" from the Shah Rukh Khan-Kajol starrer "Dilwale" that was shot entirely in Iceland.

Thordarson believes a smoother visa regime will boost tourist flow both ways.

"Icelandic people are very adventurous," he said. "India has very good publicity in Iceland."

According to the External Affairs Ministry statement, Sushma Swaraj and Thordarson also discussed the possibility of enhanced cooperation in the Arctic Council, an inter-governmental forum of Arctic states where India has an observer status.
Visakhapatnam, Dec 8 : Telugu Titans registered their first win in their home turf as they defeated Jaipur Pink Panthers 36-26 in an inter-zonal challenge match of the Pro Kabaddi League (PKL) at the Rajiv Gandhi indoor stadium here on Saturday.

Titans witnessed an all-round performance as both their defenders and raider s contributed in the victory.

Nilesh Salunke (8 points), Rahul Chaudhari (8 points) were the leading raiders whereas Abozar Mighani and Anil Kumar led the defensive charge.

For Jaipur Pink Panthers, it was a disappointing night as their defence struggled to contain Titans' raiders. Deepak Niwas Hooda was the lone ranger for Jaipur as he scored 10 points.

Nilesh made a brilliant super raid in the 4th minute to give Telugu Titans 5 -4 lead. Deepak responded with a two-point raid in the next minute to give Jaipur 6-5 lead.

The raiders from both teams picked up points in the next few minutes as it w as all square at 8-8 after 10 minutes.

Rahul got a two-point raid in the next minute to give Titans 10-8 lead. Jaipur forced a super tackle in the 12th minute to take back the lead. The match was swinging like a pendulum in both teams' favour.

In the 17th minute, the first all out of the match was inflicted by Titans as they led 16-13. Titans went into the break leading 17-13.

Titans were in command of the match as after 25 minutes they enjoyed a seven-point lead. Ajinkya Pawar tried to revive the Pink Panthers' hopes with a couple of quick raids but Titans were in no mood to relinquish their lead.

With less than five minutes to Titans inflicted an all out to lead 31-20 and were assured of the first win of their home leg.

It was a comfortable win in the end for Titans as they got the first home win.
New Delhi, Dec 8 : Indian Naval Ship Sunayna, deployed on anti-piracy patrol in the Gulf of Aden, on Saturday seized arms and ammunition from an illegal fishing vessel off Somalia, officials said.

The ship detected a suspicious fishing vessel, approximately 25 nautical miles off the coast of Somalia, in the vicinity of Socotra island.

Upon investigation, it was found that the vessel was engaged in illegal fishing in the area and was also in possession of four high caliber AK-47s and one Light Machine Gun, along with ammunition for these weapons.

"INS Sunayna seized the arms and ammunition from the vessel, under the authority accorded by UNSCR 2383 (2017). The vessel was thoroughly searched and allowed to proceed, after confiscation of the arms and ammunition, to prevent their illegal use later by the crew for piracy related activities," Navy Spokesman Captain D.K. Sharma said here.

"This incident reiterates the commitment of the Indian Navy towards ensuring safe seas for Indian, as well as international, seafarers in the Indian Ocean region, particularly the Gulf of Aden and off the coast of Somalia," he added.
Washington, Dec 8 : India is expected to receive a total remittance of $80 billion in 2018, said the latest edition of the World Bank's Migration and Development Brief, released on Saturday.

"Among major remittance recipients, India retains its top spot, with remittances expected to total $80 billion this year, followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each), and Egypt ($26 billion)," the brief said.

"As global growth is projected to moderate, future remittances to low and middle-income countries are expected to grow moderately by 4 per cent to reach $549 billion in 2019. Global remittances are expected to grow 3.7 per cent to $715 billion in 2019."

According to the brief, remittance flows rose in all regions and was driven by a stronger economy and employment situation in the US and a rebound in outward flows from Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC) countries and the Russian Federation.
Jerusalem, Dec 9 : Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu and Russian President Vladimir Putin agreed on Saturday to soon arrange a meeting between security delegations of the two countries.

The agreement was reached during the earlier phone talks between the two leaders over the current Israeli operation on its border with Lebanon, according to a statement issued by the Prime Minister's Office.

A meeting between the two leaders would also be coordinated, the statement noted.

Netanyahu reiterated Israel's policy to prevent the establishment of an Iranian presence in Syria and to act against Iranian and Hezbollah aggression.

Earlier in the day, the Russian Embassy to Israel tweeted that Putin emphasized during the phone talks the necessity to improve the Russian-Israeli interaction in the military sphere.

Russia stressed the need to ensure stability along the line separating Israel and Lebanon in strict compliance with UN Security Council resolution 1701, the embassy said.

On Tuesday morning, the IDF said it launched the Operation Northern Shield to "expose and thwart" attack tunnels that cross from southern Lebanon into northern Israel, which were constructed by Lebanon's Hezbollah.
Rabat, Dec 9 : Morocco's navy coast guards have rescued 72 illegal immigrants in the Mediterranean, the Moroccan Army said.

The rescued included 53 sub-Saharan Africans and 19 Asians, Xinhua quoted the Moroccan Army as saying on Saturday.

The migrants, among them women and children, were brought safely to the port of Nador, the army said.

Morocco has witnessed a significant hike in illegal immigration attempts in 2018.

According to the Moroccan Interior Ministry, the authorities have foiled over 76,000 illegal immigration attempts between January and November 2018.
Books can pass along elders stories long after theyre gone. However, many kids these days are spending more time on social media, which means less time reading books. In many cases, this means theyre missing out on their familys stories. To encourage children to unlock their imaginations and enjoy the art of storytelling again, theres Hindu on the Bindu.

The Hindu on the Bindu book introduces multi-cultural storytelling, non-violent problem solving, and comes with a comforting plush doll. The doll, also known as the Hindu on the Bindu, encourages tranquility and happiness by its sweet appearance. The Hindu on the Bindu exists to bring a positive and calming atmosphere to your childs environment.

The figure Hindu on the Bindu serves as the inner child of an old storyteller, says David Euler, Owner of Ohmatopoeia. He is a companion that wants to preserve the individual stories within us all, as well as record the stories of our family. Im so excited to be working with AsSeenOnTV.pro and shining a light on the Hindu on the Bindu.

The Hindu on the Bindu is a reminder that life is good, says Lisa Vrancken, Vice President of Business Development at AsSeenOnTV.pro. Each child should have a companion that teaches cultural importance and companionship the way that Hindu on the Bindu does.

As part of its DRTV campaign with AsSeenOnTV.pro, Hindu on the Bindu will be appearing in 60 second spots set to air nationwide and feature the original Shark himself, Kevin Harrington. AsSeenOnTV.pro is comprised of an award-winning team of producers, writers, videographers, and editors as well as industry veterans dedicated to finding the latest, most innovative products and ideas, and putting them on the DRTV map.

About AsSeenOnTV.pro

Headquartered in South Florida, AsSeenOnTV.pro is a full-service production, branding, and marketing company that specializes in direct response television, short- and long-form commercials, and brand building. Based out of a 25,000+ sq ft, state-of-the-art studio, the companys creative team handles every aspect of production from script to screen to airing. For nearly two decades, AsSeenOnTV.pros veteran staff of writers, producers, videographers, and editors has amassed more than 50 Telly Awards, thousands of prestigious clients, and over $20 million in television placements.

About Kevin Harrington

As the inventor of the infomercial, founder of As Seen on TV, and one of the original Sharks on Shark Tank, Kevin Harrington has worked with some of the worlds biggest celebrities and launched some of the best-selling DRTV campaigns in history. Since producing his first 30-minute infomercial in 1984, Harrington has been involved in over 500 product launches that have resulted in over $4 billion in sales. Now, in his latest venture with AsSeenOnTV.pro, Harrington is on the hunt for the best new products and ideas, bringing them to homes everywhere through personalized DRTV campaigns featuring the Shark.

For more information on Hindu on the Bindu, please visit http://www.hinduonthebindu.com.
We are extremely proud to have secured a preferred lender position with Checkers & Rallys, the largest drive-through restaurant brand in the country

Balboa Capital, a leading direct lender that specializes in franchise financing and franchise business loans, is now recognized by Checkers & Rallys as a Preferred Lender for its nearly 900 franchise owners in the United States. This affiliation gives single-unit and multi-unit Checkers & Rallys franchisees access to funding provided by Balboa Capital to finance reimaging initiatives, and furniture, fixtures and equipment (FF&E). Balboa Capitals franchise financing team will also work with Checkers & Rallys franchise owners who need to obtain franchise working capital to cover daily operational expenses.

We are extremely proud to have secured a preferred lender position with Checkers & Rallys, the largest drive-through restaurant brand in the country, said Tyler Pratt, Business Development Manager at Balboa Capital. Making an informed decision is critical when it comes to selecting a lending company, and we are confident that our industry experience, aggressive rates, flexible terms, and quick turnaround times will instill confidence among Checkers & Rallys franchise owners who are seeking growth capital.

About Balboa Capital

Balboa Capital is a technology-driven financing company that provides business owners with fast, hassle-free solutions to fuel their growth and success. The company specializes in small business loans, equipment financing, commercial financing, equipment vendor financing, and franchise financing. Balboa Capital developed an intuitive online platform that simplifies the entire financing process. Calculators provide instant estimates, applications can be completed and submitted in a matter of minutes, and sophisticated credit scoring technology provides instant decisions. To learn more, visit https://www.balboacapital.com.

About Checkers & Rallys Restaurants, Inc.

Based in Tampa, Fla., Checkers & Rally's Restaurants, Inc., an iconic and innovative drive-thru restaurant chain known for its "Crazy Good Food," exceptional value, and people-first attitude, operates and franchises both Checkers and Rally's restaurants. With nearly 900 restaurants and room to grow, Checkers & Rally's is a proven brand with flexible building formats that is aggressively expanding across the country. Checkers & Rally's is dedicated to being a place where franchisees and employees who work hard can create opportunity for themselves, their families, and their communities. In recent years, the brand has been awarded several of the industry's most prestigious awards including: Ranking #140 on Entrepreneur's 2018 Franchise 500, Top Food and Beverage Franchise by Franchise Business Review, 2016, 2017 and 2018 Best Franchise Deals, "Best Drive-Thru in America" by QSR Magazine, the "Hot! Again" award from Nation's Restaurant News, and "#1 Most Craveable Fries" by Restaurant Business. For more information about franchise opportunities with Checkers & Rally's, please visit http://www.checkersfranchising.com.
With all the ups and downs of a roller coaster, if the past few days have taught us anything its that the market and emotions have no business affecting each other. Its already hard enough to find long-term positions in a market this volatile without worrying about the Presidents latest Tweet.

Bill Poulos, President and Co-Founder of Profits Run, Inc., announced that although it is unclear the outcome of the meeting between the United States and China, the best way for investors to approach the market is by making decisions based upon facts. This past Saturday, December 1, 2018, the President of the United States, Donald Trump, and Chinas President Xi Jinping met to discuss the current trade battle. For the next 90 days, the two men agreed to halt all new tariffs for the next 90 days as the countries pursue negotiations. Bill Poulos shared, Now that sounds like great news, right? Well it would be, if that was the whole story. The markets which jumped up in response to the favorable sentiments being made by White House representatives quickly turned sour. Per Larry Kudlow, the trade deal devolved into a tentative commitment. Using words like maybe and presumably. Secretary of the Treasury Steven Mnuchin, meanwhile, commented that Im taking President Xi at his word, and his commitment to President Trump. But they have to deliver on this.

Poulos continued, The complete lack of response from China over this change in sentiment is ominous, to say the least. President Xi Jinping traveled to Europe after the G20 Summit with no clear indication on when he would actually give negotiations with the U.S. the time of day and investors took a beat to realize all their excitement might be based on absolutely nothing. As JPMorgan said this Tuesday, It doesnt seem like anything was actually agreed to at the dinner and White House officials are contorting themselves into pretzels to reconcile Trumps tweets (which seem if not completely fabricated then grossly exaggerated) with reality.

Profits Runs President went on to explain, A high ranking contact within the White House said, nobody knows what the deal is to the Washington Post. Meanwhile, another government official is quoted by the Washington Post as saying the Chinese are puzzled and irritated by Trumps tweets and his own administrations unwillingness to agree with them.

Poulos then revealed, The Chinese Minister of Finance was crystal clear with their feelings on Wednesday when they called the meeting Saturday very successful, stating that 90 Days is sufficient time to complete negotiations. At least we can count on China for some clarity as to the state of things, a clarity which may actually lead to a reduction of current tariffs in the long run.

In conclusion, Poulos stated, With all the ups and downs of a roller coaster, if the past few days have taught us anything its that the market and emotions have no business affecting each other. Its already hard enough to find long-term positions in a market this volatile without worrying about the Presidents latest Tweet. When it does happen, though, its best to take a beat, wait for the facts, and then act on them.

Bill Poulos is the president and co-founder of Profits Run. He is a retired automotive executive with a passion for philanthropy. He holds a bachelors in engineering and a Master of Business Administration, with a finance major. He has written many books about successful trading and now lives with his wife in Michigan. Poulos is a regular contributor on Investing, Medium, and Pulse.

About Profits Run, Inc.

Profits Run, Inc. was founded by the father and son duo, Bill and Gregory Poulos in 2001. Traders often say, "Cut your losses and let your profits run." This popular saying is where Profits Run's name derives from. The company's mission is to educate people on safer and simpler ways to invest while properly managing risk.
Cube Revenue Management is happy to announce the official launch of its Business Advisory Board consisting of two distinguished members of the worldwide pricing community, namely:

Ray J. Almeida Jr.: Ray is currently Vice President, Renal Therapies Group Sales Operations at Fresenius Medical Care North America. Prior to joining Fresenius, Ray spent more than 20 years in various leadership positions at Boston Scientific Corporation where he pioneered the Contracting Operations and Sales Analytics function. In addition to his vast experience in sales operations, analytics and cross-functional projects, he led the implementation of a US centric contract and revenue management solution supporting the optimization of sales forecasting and execution, pricing and contract management as well as contract performance metrics.

Nico Bacharidis: Nico has been working for Pfizer for over 13 years, most recently as the Country Lead in Pfizer Essential Health in Switzerland. He brings a broad range of experiences and a strong network within the pharmaceutical industry and has a strong track record of driving commercial innovation, building and leading high-performing teams and implementing change. Nico personally led the global team at Pfizer responsible for the management of the worldwide tender & contracting business and the continuous improvement of tender processes, capabilities and policies. This also included the development and worldwide roll-out of a specialised global tender & contracting tool to plan, manage and track tenders on a global scale.

Most large companies in many industries, from life sciences, to technology and retail, face everyday many of the challenges that Ray and Nico successfully addressed throughout their career such as identifying the optimal price per customer and efficiently managing the sales process including Tenders, Quotation, and Contract Compliance.

These are also core parts of Cube Revenue Managements solution. In that context, insights and expertise coming from the market are an important driver for the continuous and successful development of Cube Revenue Managements product offering as our CEO, Costas Economopoulos mentioned: We feel both honoured and privileged to be working closely with two distinguished professionals like Ray and Nico. We are committed to use their vast knowledge, especially concerning the tendering and pricing processes of large organizations of the Life Sciences, to further develop our offering to the benefit of our customers in this important market.

Ray commented regarding his advisory role at Cube Revenue Management: Throughout my career I was many times challenged with sales process inefficiencies, rising price erosion issues and timely access to critical contract performance metrics resulting in significant loss of time and money to the enterprise. Effectively addressing these challenges is extremely important for a successful pricing excellence journey. I look forward to advising how the Cube Revenue Management team can continuously evolve their unique software offering and machine learning models to help organizations successfully navigate their pricing excellence journey.

Nico referred to his new role: Having already launched a tender & contracting management initiative for one of the largest pharmaceutical companies in the world, I have seen first-hand the benefits and the value it can bring  especially by doing it on a global scale. I look forward to working with the Cube Revenue Management team on this exciting and highly relevant topic.

About Cube Revenue Management

Cube Revenue Management (http://www.cuberm.com) offers an enterprise software suite including an intuitive Tender Management and CPQ (Configure Price Quote) system and integrated price guidance through sophisticated machine-learning models, which helps companies to create and evaluate tender proposals, efficiently manage sales quotes, and identify optimum pricing. The company already has a successful track record including Fortune 500 enterprise customers and a user base of thousands of sales people in more than 20 countries across Europe.
At DEUTZ, we believe in partnering with likeminded organizations that share our vision of ingenuity and industry-leading customer support.

DEUTZ Corporation hosted its annual distributor meeting at the Secrets Royal Beach resort in Punta Cana, Dominican Republic during the week of November 12, 2018. At this important function, DEUTZ staff and distributor personnel had the opportunity to exchange open dialogue, learn about new products in the pipeline and share perspectives on the year ahead. DEUTZ also took advantage of the meeting to recognize its top-performing distributors in various categories.

We look forward to this event every year, said Robert Mann, president and CEO of DEUTZ Americas. We work closely with our distributors day in and day out, but having this time together in a fun, casual setting gives us the opportunity to really communicate. And, were also able to celebrate those distributors who have truly gone above and beyond, setting the pace for even greater success in 2019.

At the meeting, DEUTZ recognized distributors for their achievements in the following categories:

DEUTZ Service Team of the Year Award:

McDonald Equipment of Willougby, OH and Portland, MI.

While other distributors also scored high in the service category, McDonald Equipment excels in service in an important region, keeping DEUTZ in high favor among contractor and rental customers alike.

DEUTZ Parts Team of the Year Award:

MarIndustrial of Montreal, ON, Moncton, NB and Mississauga, ON.

Marindustrials Xchange remanufactured engine sales were up an impressive 40 percent from the previous year, and the distributor is also developing a program to stock Xchange engines for rental companies. Marindustrial utilized DEUTZ stock order programs to ensure timely parts delivery to keep its customers as productive as possible. The distributor continues to grow profit margins and market share while expanding into Ontario and pursuing new opportunities in engine and parts sales.

DEUTZ Sales Team of the Year Award:

Stewart & Stevenson, locations throughout the U.S.

Stewart & Stevenson have taken advantage of a rebounding oil and gas market, and theyve also developed carry-over installations as the Transition Program for Equipment Manufacturers (TPEM) winds down. This program allows equipment manufacturers to delay installing engines that comply with current Tier 4 standards for up to seven years if they comply with certain production limitations and requirements.

DEUTZ Engineering Team of the Year:

MarIndustrial of Montreal, ON, Moncton, NB and Mississauga, ON.

Throughout 2018, MarIndustrials engineering team has been busy developing and validating the highest number of direct OEM customer applications. In fact, MarIndustrial already has three OEM customer applications in process for 2019.

DEUTZ Distributor of the Year:

MarIndustrial of Montreal, ON, Moncton, NB and Mississauga, ON.

Recognized in multiple other categories, Marindustrial continued to set new standards for distributor performance in 2018, representing DEUTZ with distinction even after taking on additional sales territories. With a new and additional facility in operation during 2018, they have kept their targets in focus and scored well in every area of measurement.

Were extremely pleased with our distributors and their efforts over the past year, Mann said. At DEUTZ, we believe in partnering with likeminded organizations that share our vision of ingenuity and industry-leading customer support. We couldnt accomplish our goals without the help of our distributors and all their employees, and we look forward to even greater achievements in 2019.

To learn more about DEUTZ Corporation and its complete line of diesel and natural gas engines, visit http://www.deutzamericas.com.

ABOUT DEUTZ CORPORATION:

For more than 150 years, DEUTZ engines have supplied customized, cost-effective power to a broad array of machine types and market segments. The nine-millionth DEUTZ engine was produced in 2015. From its headquarters in Norcross, GA, DEUTZ Corporation, a subsidiary of DEUTZ AG, supports its product range of 25- to 830-hp diesel and natural gas engines. The company is committed to providing optimized power solutions from the drawing board to prototype to production release. The organization serves as a sales, service, parts, and application engineering center for the Americas, employing nearly 300 people. DEUTZ Corporation also operates a value-added production facility for some of its key OEM partners, as well as an engine remanufacturing facility in Pendergrass, Georgia. Strategically located DEUTZ Power Centers and Service Centers are designed uniquely support both OEM partners and end users. For more information, visit http://www.deutzamericas.com.
Mexicos award-winning resort group, El Cid Vacations Club has played a pivotal role in the tourist development of Mazatlan for over 45 years. Now, Mazatlan has received one of the highest honors in the hospitality industry: The World Travel Award for the best tourist destination in Mexico, Latin America, and Central America.

Considered the Oscars of the tourism industry, The World Travel Awards have recognized and celebrated the best hospitality companies and vacation destinations in the world since 1993. Mazatlan received this incredible distinction at the World Travel Awards Latin America Ceremony held in Guayaquil, Ecuador on September 15th, 2018. Accepted by Monica Copp, the Secretary of Tourism of Sinaloa, Mazatlan earned this honor based on its tropical neoclassical architecture, superb hospitality, and gorgeous beaches. Mazatlan advanced to the next round of competition and competed on a global scale with other regional winners on December 1st at the Grand Final Gala Ceremony held in Lisbon, Portugal at the historical Patio da Gale.

El Cid Vacations Club members can discover this award-winning citys vibrant culture and beautiful beaches when staying at its three luxury properties (El Cid El Moro, El Cid Granada Hotel, or El Cid Marina Beach) all centrally located to the best Mazatlan has to offer. Since 1972, El Cid has welcomed guests to explore the city of Mazatlan and enjoy its natural beauty.

2018 has been a successful year for El Cid Vacations Club and the city of Mazatlan. In April, Mazatlan was the host city for Tianguis Turistico; the largest tourism event in Mexico and El Cid Resorts three Mazatlan properties were selected as the host hotels for the event. In addition to winning prestigious tourism accolades and hosting events, vacationers from the United States and Canada now have more flight options into the city as the winter travel season heats up.

El Cid Vacations Club has been recognized as a global leader in hospitality not only in Mazatlan, but in other popular tourist destinations in Mexico including Cancun and Cozumel. El Cid Vacations Club is led by a team of industry experts who put guest satisfaction first and offer the most luxurious accommodations possible at all of its properties.

For more information about El Cid Vacations Club in Mazatlan please visit: https://www.elcidvacationsclub.com/mazatlan

About El Cid Vacations Club

El Cid Vacations Club is a global leader in the vacation ownership and resort industry, delivering a wide variety of memorable vacation experiences for members. El Cid Vacations Club continually strives to enhance its member services and guest experiences. Members are invited to take advantage of downloading the complimentary El Cid Vacations Club Member mobile app available on both the App Store and Google Play (keyword ecvc). This application allows members to stay up to date on the most recent news, make reservations, and always stay in contact with El Cid Vacations Club. This is the perfect opportunity for El Cid Vacations Club members to plan their next dream vacation at one of the many stunning El Cid properties. For more information, visit http://www.elcidvacationsclub.com.
Symptoms of heart disease in women can differ greatly from the symptoms that men experience.

Cardiologist Ernst von Schwarz, MD says that women can experience unique warning signs of heart disease which can be mistaken for other issues or ignored completely by their doctors. This can be especially dangerous in younger women who may not realize that they are at risk," he says. "Fortunately, women can educate themselves on symptoms that are unique to women so they may become better advocates for themselves when seeking medical advice.

Dr. von Schwarz, MD appears in an interview on ABC 7 news Los Angeles with his patient and health reporter Denise Dador to show how heart disease in women is often misunderstood and misdiagnosed, largely because women often experience symptoms that differ from the symptoms typically reported by male patients.

Link to the story: https://youtu.be/hg_XGR1JWSg

Dr. von Schwarz' patient Tara, 40, first learned she had heart disease at age 29 after going misdiagnosed for several years although she was experiencing symptoms including chest pains and a racing heart. Tara was told by doctors that she was just "too stressed" or was "drinking too much coffee." Eventually Tara ended up in a hospital emergency room in shock from a pain medication she used for the first time. In the ER, Taras heart function was found to be "extremely low" and Dr. von Schwarz was called in to assess her. Tara ultimately underwent several procedures including having a pacemaker implanted and a later surgery to repair a damaged heart valve.

About a year after her heart valve surgery Tara learned that she was pregnant. She was advised by her primary care physicians that her pregnancy would present a serious risk to her health, but Tara was determined to have at least one child with her husband. When her doctors were reluctant to care for her during her pregnancy she turned to Dr. von Schwarz who saw her through to term. Tara beat the odds, ultimately giving birth to healthy twin boys who are now 8 years old.

Ernst von Schwarz, MD, PhD, is a triple board certified internist, cardiologist and heart transplant cardiologist. Dr. von Schwarz practices in Los Angeles, Culver City, Beverly Hills and Murrieta / Temecula, CA. Visit http://www.drernstschwarz.com
Client receiving Rose Quartz Goddess Facial Skincare trailblazer and Master Facialist to a client roster that includes Sting, Helena Christensen, Minnie Driver and Erin and Sarah Foster, Parisian trained esthetician Angela Caglia adds another heavenly spa service to her repertoire of coveted spa experiences

Skincare trailblazer and Master Facialist to a client roster that includes Sting, Helena Christensen, Minnie Driver and Erin and Sarah Foster, Parisian trained esthetician Angela Caglia adds another heavenly spa service to her repertoire of coveted spa experiences. Creating custom formulations to help clients attain breathtakingly radiant skin fueled Angelas passion to create her own luxury skincare line. The recently launched Angela Caglia collection of small-batched, highly active natural skincare can already be found globally in luxury retailers Saks Fifth Avenue, Neiman Marcus, NET-A-PORTER, and SpaceNK.

Her Rose Quartz Goddess Facial is the epitome of luxury and a treatment experience like no other. Clients relish in a cocoon of rose quartz love stones designed by Angela herself and receive a collection of state-of-the-art skin treatments performed in the tranquil oasis of the Angela Caglia Skin Spa located in Bel Air, California. Pampered with an array of products from the Angela Caglia Skincare collection, clients experience the luxury line of responsibly sourced and small-batched naturals first hand.

This 80-minute Rose Quartz Goddess Facial escape pulls out all the stops to grant clients with an otherworldly complexion. Like all Angela Caglia treatments, this facial begins with a detailed skin analysis to target problem areas and overall skin health and needs. The long list of treatments to follow include face reflexology, gua sha, LED lights, micro-photo treatment, micro current treatment, Angelas signature customized peel and ultrasonic and oxygen infusion.

No Angela Caglia facial is complete without a French-style face, neck and decollete massage and a rose quartz self-love amplifying experience. From Angelas Dual Rose Quartz Crystal Massage to her custom designed and hand beaded Rose Quartz Goddess Mask, the soothing and nurturing power of rose quartz infuses the body, mind and spirit with love, compassion and relaxation. Angelas final step infuses the skin with a proprietary blend of efficacious botanicals including her hero ingredient Meadowfoam Seed Oil, for the ultimate lifted, hydrated, and dewy complexion.

Angela Caglia's 24-year expertise as a Parisian trained esthetician will not only be your quick fix, but a long-term solution to a healthy glow.

PRICE & AVAILABILITY: $550 for the 80-minute appointment. Available at the Angela Caglia Skin Spa in Bel Air, CA and select pop-up locations.

ABOUT ANGELA CAGLIA (@angelacagliaskincare)

Named by WWD/BeautyInc as one of 2017's "Skin Care's Rising Stars," Angela Caglia is a leading celebrity esthetician, skincare trailblazer and anti-aging pioneer. Her innovative yet natural approach to beauty was inspired by two decades of experience, from formal training with celebrated French anti-aging experts, to perfecting her craft at the most acclaimed spas in New York City and Los Angeles.

Calling her Bel Air, California flagship spa home, her facials have become the secret weapon of myriad A-list celebrities who refer to her as Hollywood Glow Girl. Now, Angela Caglia Skincare empowers everyone to achieve the coveted glow of celebrity skin at home. Her eco-luxe line meticulously blends powerful natural ingredients for age-defying results and can be found at NET-A-PORTER, Neiman Marcus, Saks, Violet Grey, SpaceNK, Dermstore, Anthropology, Mecca and Revolve.

http://www.angelacaglia.com | http://www.Instagram.com/angelacagliaskincare | http://www.facebook.com/angelacagliaskincare | http://www.twitter.com/acagliaskincare

#likeafacialist

#smileyouareglowing

PRESS CONTACT:

pr@angelacaglia.com
Caring.com, the nations most visited website for senior living reviews, has named Medical Guardian a leading provider of innovative medical alert systems, to its list of top medical alert systems for 2019. The medical alert provider was recognized as the Best for Premium Features.

Medical Guardian was one of fourteen companies that qualified for the list based on its demonstration of excellent customer service, transparency and affordability. With a variety of medical alert systems on the market, this list was developed to help seniors and their loved ones easily identify those with the highest overall value. As a part of the review process, Caring.com also identified key features to look for in a system such as waterproofing, fall detection technology, location monitoring and mobile help button.

We are committed to providing a life-enhancing service with product features that inspire older adults to remain safely and securely in their own homes, for as long as possible, said Medical Guardian Founder and CEO, Geoff Gross. This recognition reinforces that innovation is at the forefront of our company. We are proud to introduce a product like Freedom Guardian that can fit every type of lifestyle, discreetly and with style.

According to the CDC, one out of four older adults fall every year with 20 percent of those falls resulting in broken bones or head trauma. A medical alert system enables seniors to get immediate help in the event of an emergency and provides their loved ones with peace of mind. To see the complete list of top medical alerts systems, visit https://www.caring.com/caregivers/best-medical-alert-systems

ABOUT MEDICAL GUARDIAN

Founded in 2005, Medical Guardian is a leading provider of innovative medical alert systems that empower people to live a life without limits. Medical Guardian is headquartered in Philadelphia and provides support to more than 125,000 people across the country who are ready to take on the next chapter of life while remaining safe living in their own home. Whether its an in-home system, mobile device with GPS/Wi-Fi capabilities, or an all-in-one wearable medical alert smartwatch, Medical Guardian has the personal medical alert device to meet an array of needs and lifestyles. Learn more about Medical Guardian by visiting http://www.medicalguardian.com and following on LinkedIn, Twitter, and Facebook.

ABOUT CARING.COM

With millions of website visitors, Caring.com is a leading senior care resource for family caregivers seeking information and support as they care for aging parents, spouses, and other loved ones. Applying cutting-edge technology to its social mission, Caring.com provides helpful eldercare content for caregivers and comprehensive senior living and senior care directories for the United States -- with more than 200,000 consumer reviews and a toll-free referral line at (800) 325-8591. Senior living communities and in-home care agencies may also visit our industry blog for further information: https://partners.caring.com/

Media Contact:

Medical Guardian:

Amanda White

Amanda.white@medicalguardian.com

215.977.8000 x141


PayLease's San Diego employees

PayLease, a leading Fintech provider for the property management and Homeowner Association (HOA) industry, today announced it was featured on the Best Places to Work Multifamily list, a program sponsored by the Multifamily Leadership Summit. The list showcases property management companies and vendors serving the multifamily industry that offer outstanding employee benefits and workplace cultures. PayLease ranked #28 on the list.

The program is part of a long-term initiative to encourage growth and excellence throughout the Multifamily Apartment Industry and to attract new leaders to the industry. Companies who competed for a spot on the Best Places to Work Multifamily underwent a rigorous assessment process that evaluated each organizations employee policies and procedures. Most importantly, employees at each organization were given an anonymous survey that allowed them to rate their satisfaction with the company overall, and key workplace factors like career opportunities, compensation, benefits, work/life balance, senior management, as well as culture and values.

If you want to know if it's a great place to work, you ask the people who work there, says Patrick Antrim, Founder and CEO of Multifamily Leadership. Employee engagement is actually a much more powerful indicator of organizational success than the size of the company, as employee engagement is tied to behavior and higher performance," he added.

There are a number of great companies in the multifamily industry, and we are extremely honored to be recognized for our work environment, said Kristin Runyan, PayLeases Senior Vice President, Talent. PayLease has always believed in the Power of Culture and this award reinforces our commitment to attracting, engaging and retaining the best and brightest employees, she added.

For a complete list of companies featured on Best Places to Work Multifamily, visit http://bestplacestoworkmultifamily.com/2019-best-places-to-work-in-multifamily.

About PayLease

PayLease provides online payments, billing, and utility expense management tools to HOAs and property management companies. Property managers use PayLease to improve their business operational efficiencies and boost net operating income. Our solutions are easy to use and are bolstered by the highest levels of security and customer support. Since our inception in 2003, PayLease has grown to serve thousands of property management companies nationwide and is now among the fastest growing technology companies in the United States. For more information, please visit http://www.PayLease.com.


Eaton Square congratulates Ranbury Management Group, a leading Queensland-based Project Management company, on their merger with Project Support, which was announced this week.

Warren Riddell, Eaton Square Principal in Sydney advised Ranbury on this merger.

Ranbury Management Group

Ranbury is one of Australias most progressive, independent project advisory and delivery consultancies. They oversee and deliver project outcomes for clients in the Transport, Property & Building, and Resources & Energy sectors. They have a resource depth of over 90 professionals, with offices in Brisbane, Sydney and Mackay.

Ranbury Managing Director Brett Magnussen said the merger would enable diversification into additional sectors, services, and geographies, adding strength and resilience to the businesses.

It provides the opportunity to expand an already established presence in Sydney, Melbourne and North Queensland and take advantage of the ongoing demand for local knowledge and expertise, he said.

With the help of Eaton Square, we identified Project Support who share the same vision as Ranburys. Warren Riddell has provides us with strategic advice every step of the way ensuring that our expansion goals were met, and more importantly, that both parties achieved the best outcome possible, said Brett Magnussen.

We are excited for this step forward in our vision to become the leading Australian project advisory and delivery consultancy that provides value for clients and contributes positively to the transport, property and building, and resources and utilities sectors.

Project Support

Since 2000, Project Support has delivered some of Australias most important infrastructure projects. With their extensive contract and project management expertise, Project Support advises every stage of the project life cycle, from concept feasibility through to design, procurement, construction and operations.

Peter Driml, Managing Director, said: Like us, Ranbury is a fiercely independent project advisory and delivery consultancy, which means the united company will continue to provide quality, independent advice to our clients.

The merged company will have over 100 staff and turnover of approximately $24 million per annum, with head office in Brisbane and offices in Mackay, Townsville, Sydney and Melbourne.

Eaton Square

Eaton Square is an international cross-border M&A and capital service provider with operations in 15 offices with over 50 M&A and capital professionals across US, Canada, China & Hong Kong, Australia, UK, Switzerland, Singapore and Israel.

We are focused on four key opportunities:

1. Mergers and Acquisitions - buy side, sell side, mergers

2. Capital Raising - growth capital, bank debt, private equity, second round of capital raising

3. Public Markets - full or partial new market listing, reverse listing with capital raise

4. Transaction Readiness - market attractiveness, transaction preparations and organisation shaping, business and capital strategy, execution

Over the past 18 months, Eaton Square:



Reviewed >300 potential deals

Signed >50 client mandates

Closed 14 M&A and capital raise deals

Grew by 50% in terms of offices and Principals globally (to 15 and 50, respectively).

For more information, contact:

Warren Riddell

Principal

Warren.Riddell@eatonsq.com

Ph: +61 414 445 170
SAEs aerospace training portfolio is better positioned than ever to help engineers stay current and proficient." - Kevin Perry, EdD, Director of Professional Development

With an ongoing goal to provide a variety of world-class training solutions to aerospace engineers and personnel, SAE International added 11 new courses in 2018 and plan an additional nine in 2019.

Given the safety-critical importance of conforming to established aerospace standards and regulations and the ongoing emphasis on highly effective quality management systems, SAEs aerospace training portfolio is better positioned than ever to help engineers stay current and proficient, Kevin Perry, EdD, Director of Professional Development for SAE International, said.

New courses introduced in 2018 include:



Emotional Intelligence for the Engineer

Systems Engineering for Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) Systems

Human Factors for the Aviation Professional

Fundamentals of Metrology and Quality

AS13000: Problem Solving Requirements for Suppliers (8D)

AS 13002: Qualifying an Alternate Inspection Frequency Plan

AS 13003: Measurement System Analysis (MSA) Requirements for Aerospace Engine Supplier Quality

AS13004: Process Modes Effects Analysis (PFMEA) and Control Plans

Introduction to Design for Additive Manufacturing

Introduction to Cyber Security for Commercial Aviation

Aerospace Executive Development Academy

Some of the topics planned for 2019 will include: Electric Flight Technology; Additive Manufacturing and Rapid Toolmaking; Virtual Flight Testing for predicting the pilot-automation-aircraft-operational environment; Introduction to airframe engineering-Design for Manufacturing, Assembly, and Automation; and AS13006: Process Control Methods.

To see SAE Internationals full portfolio of courses, or for more information on upcoming classroom offerings, please visit: http://www.sae.org/learn/professional-development .

SAE Internationals Professional Development portfolio includes structured learning/certification programs and credentials for industry applicable, real-world learning supports career development. SAE offers more than 200 classroom courses, 35 web seminar titles, and multiple on-demand classes are developed/taught by over 130 instructors and recognized industry experts and are attended annually by 4,000 technical professionals.

SAE International is a global body of scientists, engineers, and practitioners that advances self-propelled vehicle and system knowledge in a neutral forum for the benefit of society. SAE International is a global association of more than 127,000 engineers and related technical experts in the aerospace, automotive and commercial-vehicle industries. Our core competencies are life-long learning and voluntary consensus standards development. SAE International's charitable arm is the SAE Foundation, which supports many programs, including A World In Motion and the Collegiate Design Series.

http://www.sae.org
MIAMI Chairman of the Board George C. Jalil South Florida Open House Weekend is timed for the same time as Art Basel Miami Beach 2018 and Miami Art Week, MIAMI Chairman of the Board George C. Jalil said.

The MIAMI Association of REALTORS (MIAMI) is organizing South Floridas biggest open house weekend of the year for December 8-9. MIAMI expects more than 2,000 properties at every price range to host open houses in Miami-Dade, Broward, Palm Beach and Martin counties. More than $1 billion in houses and condos are participating. View listings: SouthFloridaOpenHouseWeekend.com

South Florida Open House Weekend is timed for the same time as Art Basel Miami Beach 2018 and Miami Art Week, MIAMI Chairman of the Board George C. Jalil said. More than 70,000 visitors and $500 million in economic impact is coming to Miami and we are using the opportunity to showcase our incredible Miami real estate market.

Open Houses Sell Properties

Open houses have long been proven effective in selling homes. Open houses, especially in the first few weeks when the home is on the market, make it convenient for the buyers to come and see the house without an appointment. With the holidays approaching, more home buyers are taking time off work to visit open houses.

With more people searching for homes via the Internet, buyers are now walking into open houses knowing about the propertys neighborhood and schools. Many buyers are seeking open houses because they are ready to draw up a contract, especially in a high-demand market like Miami.

MIAMI offers its members many services to enhance their open houses. MIAMI products & services available: http://www.miamirealtors.com/services. In addition, MIAMI has held RPR open houses tips & tricks, iUSE photography and Property Panomras courses and webinars this week.

The 2017 National Association of REALTORS (NAR) Profile of Home Buyers and Sellers found that 7 percent of buyers found the home they purchased from a yard sign or open house. But the data didnt split out yard signs from open houses.

MIAMIs First Open House Weekend Brought Major Exposure to Listings

This is MIAMIs second South Florida Open House Weekend. MIAMI hosted its first South Florida open house weekend on September 15-16. More than 1,611 MIAMI properties participated. The listings got major exposure with more than 3,100-page views with an average of 4 minutes and 44 seconds per visit.

MIAMI also organizes MIAMI Broker open houses.

About the MIAMI Association of REALTORS

The MIAMI Association of REALTORS was chartered by the National Association of Realtors in 1920 and is celebrating 98 years of service to Realtors, the buying and selling public, and the communities in South Florida. Comprised of six organizations, the Residential Association, the Realtors Commercial Alliance, the Broward Council, the Jupiter Tequesta Hobe Sound (JTHS-MIAMI) Council, the Young Professionals Network (YPN) Council and the award-winning International Council, it represents 47,000 real estate professionals in all aspects of real estate sales, marketing, and brokerage. It is the largest local Realtor association in the U.S., and has official partnerships with 204 international organizations worldwide. MIAMIs official website is http://www.MiamiRealtors.com

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Weve been able to drive our defect rate down significantly, while also increasing the number of searches we perform. This gives our customers a high level of confidence in the data they receive from us and allows us to consistently meet their expectations.

Nationwide public records research provider, Wholesale Screening Solutions, proudly released its 2018 quality numbers indicating the company delivered an accuracy rate of 99.9768% on 17,988,624 searches, equating to a 5.000489 sigma level based on year-to-date volume as of November 26, 2018. Wholesale Screening Solutions performs criminal, civil, and federal criminal records research for some of the nations leading background screening companies and consumer reporting agencies nationwide.

Accuracy rates are important in the background screening industry as the information can play a key role in enhancing the safety, security, and productivity of todays workforces. Employee hiring and retention decisions are frequently made on the basis of background screening information collected by companies like Wholesale Screening Solutions. As a result, defects can be extremely costly and potentially damaging.

According to Wholesale Screening Solutions, it is the only wholesale data provider to share its quality metrics publicly. Quality data is updated monthly and published on the companys website.

Dan Agee, Chief Operating Officer for Wholesale Screening Solutions, explains, Weve been able to drive our defect rate down significantly, while also increasing the number of searches we perform. This gives our customers a high level of confidence in the data they receive from us and allows us to consistently meet their expectations.

Matt Lowers, President and CEO of Wholesale Screening Solutions, remarks, While this is an incredible milestone and testament to the commitment of our team, we arent finished yet. We have this bold idea that we can hit six sigma and were going to keep pushing the envelope to get there.

To learn more about Wholesale Screening Solutions and to view the companys current state of quality, visit wholesalescreening.com.

About Wholesale Screening Solutions

Headquartered in Northern Virginia, Wholesale Screening is the go-to source for civil and criminal records research and verifications for employment screening, tenant screening, and risk mitigation service providers nationwide. The company manages an extensive and tightly-controlled network of nationwide researchers who obtain criminal records directly from the authoritative source. Combining innovative technology and deep human insight, Wholesale enables better, more efficient decision making and greater compliance through data delivered quickly, accurately, and affordably. Learn more about Wholesale Screening Solutions at http://www.wholesalescreening.com.
As the son of beatnik-era artist Wallace Berman (19261976), Tosh Berman was born into a set of circumstances unique to the time, the likes of which we might never see again. Tosh: Growing Up in Wallace Bermans World (City Lights, Jan. 2019), his memoir about his father, vividly captures the sensation of 1960s Los Angeles and its writers, painters, and social revolutionaries who fostered freedom of expression in a myriad of forms.

Tosh was born in 1954. His mother, Shirley Berman, was an illustrator and shopgirl whose bohemian nature was perfectly in sync with her husbands. My parents loved me very much, Tosh says.

Word about Wallaces art and charisma attracted famous people to him, and, as a child, Tosh enjoyed the company of Dennis Hopper, Michael McClure, Dean Stockwell, Russ Tamblyn, and many others. Brian Jones, the late Rolling Stones guitarist, also heard about Wallace and would visit whenever he was in L.A., eventually becoming one of his closest friends.

A lot of people from that era have written about it, Tosh says in his L.A. home. What makes my book unique is that Im the son of a legendary artist who was very much in the center of that beatnik world. For many people, it was an exotic time and place. I didnt see it in that manner, but through other eyes, I gather I was placed in a world that was special.

Wallaces work is best described as photo collage/assemblage. I was aware of the textural aspect of my dads work, says Tosh, who, as a child, spent most of his time with his father in his studio while his mother was at work. Tosh notes that he paid attention to the art and engaged with it naturally. Sometimes he put paint on the canvas. Sometimes he wrote on it. As he worked, he added layers of technique.

One high point of Wallaces career was the exhibition of his work at the Ferus Gallery in L.A., a center of avant-garde art from 1957 to 1966. He also appeared on the cover of Sgt. Peppers; his face can be found next to Tony Curtiss. For me, as a young teenager who loved the Fab Four, it was a total shock, Tosh says. But my dad didnt think too much of it.

In fact, Beatles manager Brian Epstein had to send Wallace three frantic telegrams before he finally responded and gave permission to use his face on the album cover. My father knew a lot of people in the music world, and everyone standing behind the Beatles on the cover are prominent or cult figures, Tosh says. He loved the Beatles, but this wasnt an Earth-changing experience for him. His art took precedent.

Wallaces way of teaching Tosh as a child was to take him to a party and pay attention to his behavior. He took me everywhere, Tosh says, including to a gallery where he met Marcel Duchamp. I was taught not to bring attention to myself, though, and my dad would sit next to me. If I said something stupid at a party, he would kick me under the table. It wasnt painful, but I learned quickly. I was taught to be respectful and quiet in public places, and to be aware of whats going on. I still have that to this day.

Even as a child, Tosh knew his family was different from their neighbors. The father worked, the mother was the housewife, and there were two kids, he says. When I visited them, I saw different practicesthey would pray before a meal. That was a strange concept to me, and I didnt understand the purpose of it. I mean, the mom made the sandwiches, but they were praying to something else.

Tosh respected the custom, though, because he knew it was important in that household. I was not raised with any judgmental limitations or boundaries whatsoever, he says. I never heard my parents say a bad thing about anyone; they accepted people for who they were.

During the volatile beatnik and hippie eras, Tosh says his parents were uninvolved politically. Wallace was against the Vietnam War, though, and donated artwork to raise funds for draft-dodging organizations. My dad was a social libertarian and most comfortable in the counterculture world, Tosh says.

Money was scarce. My dad never worked, Tosh remembers. Basically, his economy was based totally on his artwork, which he would barter with the owner of the grocery store in Topanga for food for us. He saw the world quite differently from other artists; he never had the grand, opulent vision for himself. Hed bring a painting to a gallery and tell the owner he wanted $100 for it. Even if the owner turned around and sold it for $10,000, Dad wouldnt care. He just wanted the $100.

Tosh says he tried painting when he was a boy, but he knew instinctively not to compete with his father. Instead, he began writing poetry. My dad encouraged me to do my own art, he adds. Hed say, You dont have to make sense in your poetry. Just do what you want, and dont worry about what anyone else says or thinks.  Toshs first book of poetry, The Plum in Mr. Blums Pudding, was published in Japan and recently republished in the U.S. through Penny-Ante Editions.

Wallace was killed in an accident with a drunk driver on his 50th birthday in 1976, when Tosh was 21. I was shattered, Tosh says. I basically had a nervous breakdown. The psychological repercussions will last me my whole life, because everything changed. I was in a dark place through my 20s and early 30s. I never felt self-pity about my dads death. I just felt, thats the way it is. I accepted my sadness.

The late 80s marked a turning point for Tosh: he got married and took a job at Book Soup, the bookstore in West Hollywood where he worked for more than 20 years. He was also creative director for Beyond Baroque Literary Center, and he established TamTam Books, which now has 12 titles in print.

Not long before Wallace died, the Berman family lost all their possessions when a mudslide destroyed their Beverly Glen home. Life is never fair, Tosh says. We didnt die in that mudslide because my mother felt something odd when she heard a sound behind the house, so we walked out. And kaboom, the house was destroyed. My fathers death wasnt exactly fair, either. My existence in that sense is very noirlike, but without the romance of noir. Its just noirlike misery.

Tosh is a personal memoir, but Tosh also hopes it sheds light on the environment he grew up in and the influence his father had in the beat/hippie scenes in L.A. and San Francisco. Im aware that Wallace is seen as an obscure figure in the contemporary arts now, but I feel that hes just as importantif not more importantas his contemporaries, such as Warhol, Ed Ruscha, and Edward Kienholz, Tosh says. Those were iconic times that still resonate. Generations that followed can feel the romance and glamour that went with that era.

Wendy Werris is a freelance writer and editor who lives in Los Angeles.
Spring titles pay tribute to the legacies of departed trailblazers and bring news of the ever-expanding human understanding of the greater universe, the laws of physics, and human consciousness itself.

Top 10

Buzz, Sting, Bite: Why We Need Insects

Anne Sverdrup-Thygeson. Simon & Schuster, July 2 (hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-1-982112-87-5)

Seeking to puncture homo sapiens delusions of uniqueness, ecologist Sverdrup-Thygeson emphasizes how dependent humans are on the activities of much-derided insects.

Cosmos: Possible Worlds

Ann Druyan. National Geographic, Feb. 19 (hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-1-4262-1908-5)

Druyan celebrates her late husband, astrophysicist Carl Sagan, with a sequel to his 1980 bestseller, Cosmos. Neil deGrasse Tysontodays Sagancontributes a foreword.

Dante and the Early Astronomer: Science, Adventure, and a Victorian Woman Who Opened the Heavens

Tracy Daugherty. Yale Univ., Apr. 23 (hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-300-23989-8)

Literary biographer Daugherty switches focus to profile British astronomer Mary Acworth Evershed (18671949), a preHidden Figures female pioneer of space science.

Eating the Sun: Small Musings on a Vast Universe

Ella Frances Sanders. Penguin, Apr. 16 (hardcover, $17, ISBN 978-0-14-313316-2)

With this tour through natural phenomena, the bestselling author of Lost in Translation has created another gem, according to PWs starred review, which praised Sanderss lyrical prose and whimsical color illustrations.

Everything in Its Place: First Loves and Last Tales

Oliver Sacks. Knopf, Apr. 23 (hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-451-49289-0)

This book marks the final essay collection from Sacks, who helped bring mysteries of the human mind to a wide audience before his death in 2015.

Conscious: A Brief Guid to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind

Annaka Harris. Harper, June 4 (hardcover, $22.99, ISBN 978-0-06-290671-7)

Harriss survey of perspectives on human consciousness from a variety of experts promises to challenge accepted wisdom regarding free will and selfhood.

Mamas Last Hug: Animal and Human Emotions

Frans de Waal. Norton, Mar. 5 (hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-0-393-63506-5)

As a primatologist with expertise in chimpanzees and bonobos, de Waal is ideally equipped to argue for the similarity between humans emotions and those of other animals.

The Moon: A History for the Future

Oliver Morton. Economist, June 4 (hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-1-5417-7432-2)

Morton marks Apollo 11s 50th anniversary by showing that the moon belongs not just to the past but also to the future of human space travelas a stepping stone to further exploration.

The Trouble with Gravity: Solving the Mystery Beneath Our Feet

Richard Panek. Houghton Mifflin Harcourt, July 9 (hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-544-52674-7)

Science writer Panek discusses recent strides made toward finally cracking a long-standing cold case of physics.

The Uninhabitable Earth: What Climate Change Means

David Wallace-Wells. Crown/Duggan, May 7 (hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-525-57670-9)

Laying out worst-case scenarios related to the impacts of climate change, Wallace-Wells, deputy editor of New York magazine, aims not to depress but to rouse readers to actiona task that is only more urgent following heightened projections for climate change.

Science Listings

Atlantic Monthly

Europe: A Natural History by Tim Flannery (Feb. 5, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-0-8021-2916-1). The scientist and conservationist traces Europes ecological history, beginning 100 million years ago during the continents initial formation, describing the flourishing and disappearance of various speciesthe woolly rhino, the cave bear, the giant elkand the immense impact of homo sapiens.

Ballantine

Chasing the Moon: The People, the Politics, and the Promise That Launched America into the Space Age by Robert L. Stone and Alan Andres (June 4, hardcover, $35, ISBN 978-1-5247-9812-3). This companion to the PBS series profiles visionary figures, including Frank Borman, Poppy Northcutt, and Wernher von Braun, who took part in the project of landing a man on the moon.

Basic

The Human Swarm: How Our Societies Arise, Thrive, and Fall by Mark W. Moffett (Feb. 12, hardcover, $32, ISBN 978-0-465-05568-5). Drawing on psychology, sociology, and anthropology, biologist Moffett gives his own account of how humans evolved from living in small communities to building vastly complex civilizations.

Beacon

Origins: The Insidious Return of Race Science by Angela Saini (June 11, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-8070-7691-0) traces, in disturbing detail, the persistence of the ostensibly scientific but factually unfounded belief in biologically based racial differences, a school of thought believed defeated along with Nazism in WWII, only to reemerge decades later.

Bloomsbury SIGMA

Clearing the Air: The Beginning and the End of Air Pollution by Tim Smedley (June 4, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-4729-5331-5). A journalist specializing in sustainability issues sets out to explain what air pollution is and where it comes from, while interviewing the scientists and policymakers trying to counter it, and people who have been adversely affected by it.

The Vinyl Frontier: The Story of the Voyager Golden Record by Jonathan Scott (May 21, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-4729-5613-2). NASAs Voyager probe, launched in 1977, includes a vinyl record intended to represent humanity to aliens. Scott describes how a team led by Carl Sagan created the record, which included music, scientific figures, and a message of peace from President Jimmy Carter.

Columbia Univ.

Why Chimpanzees Cant Learn Language and Only Humans Can by Herbert S. Terrace (July 16, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-231-17110-6). Behavioral psychologist Terrace revisits a experiment he organized in the 1970sto have a young ape, Nim Chimpsky, taught American Sign Languageto offer a view of the origins of language that challenges the theories of Nims namesake.

Custom House

When the Earth Had Two Moons by Erik Asphaug (July 2, hardcover, $28.99, ISBN 978-0-06-265792-3). A planetary geologist examines the process of planet formation and the origins of life, revealing that, curiously, the solar systems planets and other bodies are not particularly similar, and attempts to discover why.

Diversion

Ten Women Who Changed Science and the World: Astronomy, Physics, Chemistry, Medicine, and Biology by Catherine Whitlock and Rhodri Evans (June 11, trade paper, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-63576-610-3) offers profiles of Marie Curiethe first woman to win a Nobel Prize in sciencethree other female Nobel Prize winners, and six more women who overcame discrimination to make far-reaching intellectual breakthroughs.

The Experiment

The Book of Humans: 4 Billion Years, 20,000 Genes, and the New Story of How We Became Us by Adam Rutherford (Mar. 19, hardcover, $25.95, ISBN 978-1-61519-531-2) explores how humans became the creatures they are today, and what does, and doesnt, separate them from other species.

Supernavigators: The Astounding New Science of How Animals Find Their Way by David Barrie (Apr. 30, hardcover, $25.95, ISBN 978-1-61519-537-4) introduces readers to the cutting-edge science of animal navigation, which aims to discover the diverse means through which various creaturesbutterflies, birds, crustaceans, fish, reptiles, and even peoplefind their way.

Grand Central

The Mission of a Lifetime: Lessons from the Men Who Went to the Moon by Basil Hero (Apr. 2, hardcover, $22, ISBN 978-1-5387-4851-0). The 12 surviving Apollo astronautsall now in their 90sshare lessons gleaned from their experiences. 50,000-copy announced first printing.

HarperCollins

The Weather Machine: A Journey Inside the Forecast by Andrew Blum (June 25, hardcover, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-4434-3859-9). In this tour of the world of weather forecasting, journalist Blum visits remote weather stations, watches a new satellite blast off, and learns about an ambitious project to model the entire atmosphere, with its tens of thousands of shifting variables, in a supercomputer.

HarperOne

Emperors of the Deep: The Oceans Most Mysterious, Most Misunderstood, and Most Important Guardians

by William McKeever (June 25, hardcover, $25.99, ISBN 978-0-06-288032-1). A conservationist and documentarian seeks to shift the common view of sharks, from the fearsome monsters of Jaws to evolutionary marvels essential to the environment.

Harvard Univ.

Paternity: The Elusive Quest for the Father by Nara B. Milanich (June 10, hardcover, $35, ISBN 978-0-674-98068-6) recounts human attempts to trace paternity, which for most of history appeared fundamentally uncertain, through the 1920s, when scientific advances seemed to solve the mystery once and for all, and up to the present, as new questions are raised.

Holt

Falter: Has the Human Game Begun to Play Itself Out? by Bill McKibben (Apr. 16, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-250-17826-8) follows up 1989s The End of Nature, one of the first books on climate change for general readers, to warn that technologies such as artificial intelligence and robotics threaten the variety of human experience.

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt

Down from the Mountain: The Life and Death of a Grizzly Bear by Bryce Andrews (Apr. 16, hardcover, $25, ISBN 978-1-328-97245-3) tells the story of a grizzly bear named Millie as a window onto the shrinking wild spaces of the American West.

Liquid Rules: The Delightful and Dangerous Substances That Flow Through Our Lives by Mark Miodownik (Feb. 19, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-544-85019-4). Set over the course of a LondonSan Francisco flight, this primer to fluids from the author of Stuff Matters depicts liquids as fascinating substances essential to life. 75,000-copy announced first printing.

Knopf

Horizon by Barry Lopez (Mar. 19, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-0-394-58582-6). The National Book Awardwinning author of Arctic Dreams recounts traveling to Western Oregon, the High Arctic, the Galapagos, the Kenyan desert, Botany Bay in Australia, and the Antarctic ice shelves. 75,000-copy announced first printing.

Little, Brown

Earth-Shattering: Violent Supernovas, Galactic Explosions, Biological Mayhem, Nuclear Meltdowns, and Other Hazards to Life in Our Universe by Bob Berman (Feb. 19, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-316-51135-3). Astronomy writer Berman explores such violent cosmic events as exploding galaxies, supernovas, hypernovas, gamma ray bursts, and the explosive birth of the moon.

Liveright

Genesis: The Deep Origin of Societies by Edward O. Wilson (Mar. 19, hardcover, $23.95, ISBN 978-1-63149-554-3). The Pulitzer Prize winner and Harvard evolutionary biologist outlines a theory for the formation of human society, referring to the evolution of nonhuman speciesincluding naked mole rats and sponge-dwelling shrimpto make his case.

Mit

Einsteins Wife: The Real Story of Mileva Einstein-Maric by Allen Esterson and David C. Cassidy (Mar. 19, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-262-03961-1). Drawing on historical research, Esterson and Cassidy examine the question to what degree Mileva Einstein-Maric contributed to, or was even partially responsible for, the work of her famous husband, Albert Einstein.

The Scientific Attitude: Defending Science from Denial, Fraud, and Pseudoscience by Lee McIntyre (May 7, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-0-262-03983-3) addresses attacks on empiricism by arguing that what distinguishes science from its intellectual rivals is the scientific attitudecaring about evidence and being willing to change theories on the basis of new evidence.

National Geographic

How to Know the Birds: The Art and Adventure of Birding by Ted Floyd (Mar. 12, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-4262-2003-6) aims to help nature lovers improve their bird-watching skills with brief profiles of 200 North American species. The text is accompanied by dozens of Floyds pencil sketches.

Norton

The Workshop and the World: What Ten Thinkers Can Teach Us About Science and Authority by Robert P. Crease (Mar. 26, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-0-393-29243-5). Science historian Crease looks at 10 great thinkers and their effect on public perceptions of science, in the context of widespread present-day antiscience rhetoric.

Overlook

Elemental: How the Periodic Table Can Now Explain (Nearly) Everything by Tim James (Mar. 26, hardcover, $26.95, ISBN 978-1-4683-1702-2). Chemist and science educator James traces the periodic table from its beginnings in ancient Greece to June 2016, when four new elementsnihonium, moscovium, tennessine, and oganessonwere identified.

Oxford Univ.

Making Eden: How Plants Transformed a Barren Planet by David Beerling (June 1, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-0-19-879830-9) examines the essential function of plants in regulating ecosystems and climate, and discusses the implications for food security and climate change in light of threats to plant biodiversity posed by global warming.

Pantheon

This View of Life: Completing the Darwinian Revolution by David Sloan Wilson (Feb. 26, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-1-101-87020-4). Applying Darwins theories to human society, evolutionary biologist Wilson seeks to overcome the stigma of the 19th centurys inhumane social Darwinism and proposes that an evolutionary understanding of social institutions could be a force for good.

Penguin Press

Coders: The Making of a New Art and the Remaking of the World by Clive Thompson (Mar. 26, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-7352-2056-0). Tech writer Thompson examines computer programmers through an anthropological lens, as a group of people who make up todays most powerful tribe, to both good and bad ends.

Einsteins Unfinished Revolution: The Search for What Lies Beyond the Quantum by Lee Smolin (Apr. 9, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-59420-619-1). A physicist shares a new view of quantum theory, arguing that if its lingering questions are ever to be answered, scientists must go beyond quantum mechanics to a coherent, atomic-scale description of the world.

Princeton Univ.

The Lives of Bees: The Untold Story of the Honey Bee in the Wild by Thomas D. Seeley (May 14, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-691-16676-6). Amid an alarming dip in managed honey bee populations, Seeley shares new information about how these insects behave and survive in the wild, in order to discover how domesticated honey bees might be saved.

No Shadow of a Doubt: The 1919 Eclipse That Confirmed Einsteins Theory of Relativity by Daniel Kennefick (Apr. 30, hardcover, $29.95, ISBN 978-0-691-18386-2) marks the centenary of scientific expeditions made to Brazil and Africa to test Einsteins theory of general relativity, addressing persistent questions about the methodology used.

PublicAffairs

Escape from Earth: The Secret History of How We Reached Space by Fraser MacDonald (June 25, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-61039-871-8). This biography from science historian MacDonald reveals how Frank Malina, founder of NASAs Jet Propulsion Lab and builder of the first rocket launched into outer space, was written out of official history because he was a Communist.

Random House

The Ice at the End of the World: An Epic Journey into Greenlands Buried Past and Our Perilous Future by Jon Gertner (June 4, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-8129-9662-3) reconstructs the arduous, and now increasingly urgent, expeditions made to Greenlands ice sheet over the past 150 years, in quest of the climate-science secrets it might hold.

Riverhead

Skeleton Keys: The Secret Life of Bone by Brian Switek (Mar. 5, hardcover, $26, ISBN 978-0-399-18490-1) looks at bone in both scientific and cultural terms, as an adaptable and resilient building material that is as deeply embedded within human culture as it is within the human body.

Scribner

Fire in the Sky: Cosmic Collisions, Killer Asteroids, and the Race to Defend Earth by Gordon L. Dillow (June 4, hardcover, $27, ISBN 978-1-5011-8774-2). Combining history, pop science, and journalism, Dillow discusses past instances of asteroids hitting Earthsuch as the one that formed the Colorado Plateaus mile-wide, 50,000 year-old Meteor Craterand current attempts to prepare for any future catastrophes.

Simon & Schuster

One Giant Leap: The Untold Story of How We Flew to the Moon by Charles Fishman (June 11, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-1-5011-0629-3). The bestselling author of The Wal-Mart Effect profiles the people responsible for fulfilling President Kennedys 1961 mandate to land a man on the moon by 1970a formidably brief window of time.

Smithsonian

Apollos Legacy: The Space Race in Perspective by Roger D. Launius (May 14, hardcover, $27.95, ISBN 978-1-58834-649-0). Space historian Launius examines the Apollo space program in terms of its enduring impact and legacy, while also looking at key moments from the programs history.

Sourcebooks

Hacking Darwin: Genetic Engineering and the Future of Humanity by Jamie Metzl (Apr. 23, hardcover, $25.99, ISBN 978-1-4926-7009-4). With genetic technology quickly progressing in sophistication, futurist Metzl looks at the possibilities and dangers of an era in which humans can easily rewrite their own DNA.

Univ. of Pittsburgh

The Life and Legend of James Watt: Collaboration, Natural Philosophy, and the Improvement of the Steam Engine by David Philip Miller (May 7, hardcover, $50, ISBN 978-0-8229-4558-1) offers a contemporary interpretation of the significance of engineer James Watt (17361819), a crucial contributor to the development of the steam engine.

Viking

The Deep History of Ourselves: How Ancient Microbes Became Conscious Brains by Joseph LeDoux (Apr. 2, hardcover, $28, ISBN 978-0-7352-2383-7). Extracting insights from natural history, neuroscientist LeDoux argues that the evolution of the earliest organisms can shed a revelatory light on human behavior.

This article has been updated to reflect the new title for Conscious: A Brief Guide to the Fundamental Mystery of the Mind.
Talented newcomers Ezra Claytan Daniels, Ebony Flowers, Ben Passmore, and Kelsey Wroten offer imaginative graphic novels this spring, and veteran cartoonists Brian Fies, Jaime Hernandez, and James Sturm return with new works.

Top 10

Adventures of Alexander Von Humboldt

Andrea Wulf and Lillian Melcher. Pantheon, Apr. 2 (hardcover, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-5247-4737-4)

This work of nonfiction details the life of Alexander von Humboldt (17691859), a Prussian explorer and scientist whose radical theories of the natural world profoundly influenced historical figures including Thomas Jefferson and Charles Darwin.

BTTM FDRS

Ezra Claytan Daniels and Ben Passmore. Fantagraphics, June 11 (hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-68396-206-9)

In a story about a hip black designer and her ditzy friend in search of a cheap apartment, Daniels (Upgrade Soul, a PW Best Book of 2018) and Passmore offer a combination of comedy and afrofuturist horror that probes urban blight and gentrification.

Cannonball

Kelsey Wroten. Uncivilized, Apr. 23 (hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-941250-33-4)

Wroten debuts with a story about the making of art and the coming-of-age of Caroline, a queer aspiring writer, alcoholic, art school graduate, and self-proclaimed tortured genius.

Detective Comics: 80 Years of Batman (deluxe ed.)

Edited by Paul Levitz, with various artists. DC Comics, Mar. 19 (hardcover, $29.99, ISBN 978-1-4012-8538-8)

This hardcover collection of 80 years of Batman stories and essays about the character features a lineup of celebrated authors and past Batman creators.

Fire Story

Brian Fies. Abrams ComicArts, Mar. 5 (hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-4197-3585-1)

Fies offers an account of his experience losing his familys home and all their possessions in a devastating California wildfire in October 2017.

Hot Comb

Ebony Flowers, Drawn & Quarterly, May 21 (trade paper, $21.95, ISBN 978-1-77046-348-6)

Flowers illuminates issues of race, class, and notions of beauty and identity in a series of pieces focused on the hair and the lives of black women.

Love and Rockets: Is This How You See Me?

Jaime Hernandez. Fantagraphics, June 11 (hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-68396-182-6)

Hernandez finds his unforgettable Love & Rockets characters Maggie and Hopey in middle age and on a road trip to a punk rock reunion in their old neighborhood..

MacDoodle Street

Mark Alan Stamaty. New York Review Comics, Apr. 2 (hardcover, ISBN 978-1-68137-342-3)

A new edition of Stamatys long out-of-print Village Voice strip, which ran from 1978 to 1980, provides an absurdist recreation of life in Greenwich Village.

Off Season

James Sturm, Drawn & Quarterly, Jan. 22. (hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-77046-331-8)

Using anthropomorphic animal characters, Sturm charts the dissolution of a marriage with the 2016 presidential election as backdrop, capturing the slow disintegration of a family.

They Called Us Enemy

George Takei et al. Top Shelf, July 16 (trade paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-60309-450-4)

Offering a gripping account of racism, democracy, and resistance, the Star Trek actors graphic memoir recounts the story of his childhood, when he was imprisoned in a internment camp for Japanese-Americans during WWII.

Comics & Graphic Novels Listings

Abrams ComicArts

Nobodys Fool: The Life and Times of Schlitzie the Pinhead by Bill Griffith (Mar. 19, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-4197-3501-1) is a graphic biography of Schlitzie, a sideshow performer best known from the 1932 film Freaks and for inspiring Griffiths Zippie the Pinhead comics series.

Arsenal Pulp

Dear Scarlet: The Story of My Postpartum Depression by Teresa Wong (May 7, trade paper, $17.95, ISBN 978-1-55152-765-9) captures Wongs struggle with motherhood and postpartum depression, outlining her search for remedies and her assurances to other mothers suffering from postpartum depression that they are not alone.

Black Crown

Euthanauts: Ground Control by Tini Howard and Nick Robles (Feb. 19, trade paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-68405-404-6). The Euthanauts are an unusual group of near-death survivors recruited to explore what lies beyond the world of the living.

House Amok by Christopher Sebela and Shawn McManus (Mar. 26, trade paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-68405-418-3). Driven by a hallucinatory combination of possible secret implants, conspiracy theories, and weird extradimensional invaders, the Sandifersa spectacularly dysfunctional and violent familyhead out on a cross-country search for answers and salvation.

Lodger by David and Maria Lapham (June 11, trade paper, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-68405-476-3). The creators of the Eisner Awardwinning Stray Bullets series return with a noir crime thriller about a young woman and her grim determination to find the man who killed her mother.

Celadon

Why Dont You Write My Eulogy Now So I Can Correct It? by Patricia Marx and Roz Chast (Apr. 2, hardcover, $20, ISBN 978-1-250-30196-3). Marx teams with New Yorker cartoonist Roz Chast to turn Marxs mothers hilarious maternal one-liners into a book of full-color cartoons.

Clarkson Potter

I Was Their American Dream: A Graphic Memoir by Malaka Gharib (Apr. 30, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-525-57511-5). Gharibs graphic memoir tells the story of growing up in a Filipino and Egyptian family, adapting to white American culture, and striving to be just another all-American kid.

Chronicle

This Land Is My Land: A Graphic History of Big Dreams, Micronations, and Other Self-Made States by Andy Warner and Sofie Louise Dam (May 7, trade paper, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-4521-7018-3) collects the true stories of 30 utopian locales around the world built by idealists in an effort to create havens, such as the gay and lesbian kingdom of the Coral Sea Islands or the antislavery community of Libertatia.

Dead Reckoning

Katusha: Girl Soldier of the Great Patriotic War by Wayne Vansant

(Mar. 13, trade paper, $26, ISBN 978-1-68247-425-9). A fictional account of the Nazi invasion of Ukraine in WWII, this graphic novel tells the story of war through the eyes of Katusha, a Ukrainian teenage girl, who fights as a tank driver and commander, facing death, hopelessness, victory, and love.

Men at Sea by Riff Rebs (Apr. 15, trade paper, $19.95, ISBN 978-1-68247-387-0). Eight dark and poetic stories of life and death on the high sea by such classic authors as Joseph Conrad, Edgar Allan Poe, and Robert Louis Stevenson are adapted into comics.

Night Witches by Garth Ennis and Russ Braun (Mar. 13, trade paper, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-68247-390-0).

As the German army advances into the U.S.S.R. in WWII, a squadron of women aviators, using obsolete planes, risks death to fight back. Known as the Night Witches, these women become legends.

Dey Street

Adventures of Barry & Joe: Obama and Bidens Bromantic Battle for the Soul of America by Adam Reid (Mar. 26, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-0-06-288290-5). The new genre of Barack Obama and Joe Biden adventures gets the graphic treatment in this epic tongue-in-cheek sci-fi tale, as Barry and Joe become time-traveling superheroes (guided by Neil deGrasse Tyson) who bounce though time fighting injustice wherever they find it.

Doubleday/Talese

Handmaids Tale by Margaret Atwood and Renee Nault (Mar. 26, hardcover, $22.95, ISBN 978-0-385-53924-1). This graphic adaptation of Atwoods celebrated novel presents the story of Offred, a handmaid in the Republic of Gilead, where women have lost all human rights and serve only to provide children.

Drawn & Quarterly

Grass by Keum Suk Gendry-Kim, trans. by Janet Hong (June 4, trade paper, $29.95, ISBN 978-1-77046-362-2). This work of graphic nonfiction documents the life of Okseon Lee, a Korean woman forced, as a young girl, into sexual slavery by the Japanese army in WWII, while capturing her determination to survive extraordinary hardships and marking the horrific costs of war.

Familius

Good Moms Have Scary Thoughts: A Healing Guide to the Secret Fears of New Mothers by Karen Kleiman and Molly McIntyre (Mar. 1, hardcover, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-64170-130-3). Kleiman, coauthor of This Isnt What I Expected and founder of the Postpartum Stress Center, offers a resource guide to help new mothers deal with postpartum depression.

Fantagraphics

Hobo Mom by Charles Forman and Max De Radigues (Feb. 12, hardcover, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-68396-176-5). This collaborative graphic novel relates the tale of Tom; his preteen daughter, Sissy; and his wife and Sissys mother, Natasha, who abandons her family to hop trains only to return after several years to a husband and daughter distraught over her absence.

First Second

Adventure Zone: Murder on the Rockport Limited by Clint McElroy et al. (July 16, hardcover, $26.99, ISBN 978-1-250-22928-1). Adapted from the popular D&D podcast, the second volume of the series captures Taako, Magnus, and Merle in a D&D murder mystery that features a genius child detective, a surly wizard, an axe-wielding pro wrestler, and a pair of meat monsters.

Kid Gloves: Nine Months of Careful Chaos by Lucy Knisley (Feb. 26, trade paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-62672-808-0). Using her own experiences with fertility problems and miscarriages, Knisley details the history and science of womens reproductive health, examining many aspects of motherhood with humor.

PTSD by Guillaume Singelin (Feb. 26, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-62672-318-4). This fictional graphic work follows Jun, a female veteran with mental and physical wounds, who returns from an unpopular war and falls into poverty and drug addiction. Amid her struggles, she is saved by the kindness of a stranger, her fellow war veterans, and the companionship of a dog named Red.

Harper Design

Bart Simpson Breaks Out by Matt Groening (Apr. 2, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-0-06-287873-1). In this new collection of classically wacky stories, Bart Simpson and his buddies are recruited by the Mafia; in another story Lisa competes with Bart for the title of Class Clown, then Bartman takes on a new super villain: an eight babywielding villain called Dr. Octuplets.

Koyama

When I Arrived at the Castle by Emily Carroll (June 19, trade paper, $15, ISBN 978-1-927668-68-9). A young woman journeys to the Countesss castle and discovers the skin-crawling secrets within its walls in this erotically charged gothic horror story.

Lion Forge

Summit, Vol. 3: Truth or Consequences by Amy Chu and Marika Cresta (May 28, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-5493-0286-2). Reluctant superhero Dr. Valentina Resnick-Baker has lost the powers she gained during the Event and believes she can now return to a normal life, until she hears a voice in her head that belongs to a friend whom she thought was dead.

The Underfoot! by Ben Fisher, Emily S. Whitten, and Michelle Nguyen (Apr. 23, trade paper, $12.99, ISBN 978-1-5493-0289-3). This epic fantasy and sci-fi graphic novel highlights a trio of Hamster warriors on a dangerous mission to save their allies, a group of badgers, from flooding and new threats.

NBM

Rolling Stones in Comics! by Ceka (Mar. 15, hardcover, $24, ISBN 978-1-68112-198-7). In 21 comics stories supported by biographical material, Ceka relives the music, lyrics, and 50 years of global popularity of Mick Jagger, Keith Richards, and the Rolling Stones.

Silent Invasion: The Great Fear by Larry Hancock and Michael Cherkas (May 15, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-68112-206-9). The second volume of Hancock and Cherkass sci-fi epic continues the paranoia over UFOs and Communist spies, as reporter Matt Sinkage discovers a government-backed alien invasion of Earth.

The Year of Loving Dangerously by Ted Rall and Pablo Callejo (Apr. 15, trade paper, $17.99, ISBN 978-1-68112-215-1) revisits Ralls college years in 1980s New York City. Hes expelled from college and broke, but avoids homelessness by continuously hooking up with young women, until the psychic toll of exchanging affection for room and board begins to wear him down.

New York Review Comics

Alay-Oop by William Gropper (June 11, hardcover, $24.95, ISBN 978-1-68137-301-0). Originally published in 1930 by Gropper, a prolific newspaper cartoonist, the book is a lost classic and his only book-length narrative. Its the story of two circus acrobats who fall in love and the schemer who comes between them, a tale that captures the charm of New York City of the period.

NoBrow

Darwin: An Exceptional Voyage by Fabien Grolleau and Jeremie Royer (Feb. 12, hardcover, $22.95, ISBN 978-1-910620-50-2). A fictional recreation of the life of Charles Darwin follows him as a young man in 1831 as he embarks on the historic trip aboard the HMS Beagle that leads to his theory of evolution, which transforms the world of science.

One World

Good Talk: A Memoir in Conversation by Mira Jacob (Mar, 26, hardcover, $30, ISBN 978-0-399-58904-1). Novelist Jacob turns awkward conversations with her six-year-old, half-Jewish, half-Indian sonvery often about race, class, sex, and lots moreinto a graphic memoir of race in America.

Oni

Guerillas: Omnibus Edition by Brahm Revel (Feb. 26, trade paper, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-62010-575-7) collects the popular series about a soldier in Vietnam, just hoping to stay alive, who discovers an elite (and mysterious) platoon of chain-smoking chimpanzee soldiers, which turn out to be a one of the most dangerous fighting forces in the jungle.

Long Road to Liquor City by Macon Blair and Joe Flood (Feb. 19, trade paper, $19.99, ISBN 978-1-62010-461-3). In this Great Depressionera adventure, the hobo duo of Jed and Thanny travel the country in search of the fabled Liquor City, leaving a trail of goofy mayhem in their wake, with the law, in the form of rail yard sergeant Roan OFeathers, in hot pursuit.

A Quick and Easy Guide to Queer and Trans Identities by Mady G and J.R. Zuckerberg (Apr. 23, trade paper, $9.99, ISBN 978-1-62010-586-3). Using a series of comics stories, as well as interviews, Mady G and Zuckerberg provide a starting point for anyone interested in learning more about queer and trans life. They also cover such topics as sexuality and gender identity, coming out, and navigating relationships.

Pegasus

The Be-Bop Barbarians by Gary Phillips and Dale Berry (Feb. 5, hardcover, ISBN 978-1-68177-776-4). Set in the world of 1950s jazz, anticommunist hysteria, and the civil rights movement, this graphic novel is the story of three black cartoonists struggling to create unconventional comics in a racist industry.

Quirk

Manfried Saves the Day by Caitlin Major and Kelly Bastow (Apr. 2, trade paper, $14.99, ISBN 978-1-68369-108-2). Manfried, the pet man of slacker tomcat Steve Catson, fights to prevent a fat-cat real estate developer from shutting down the local stray man shelter, while also finding he has to share his home with an even cuter rival, a stray man named Garfield.

SelfMadeHero

Maggy Garrisson by Lewis Trondheim and Oiry Stephane (Apr. 30, trade paper, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-910593-64-6). Finally landing a job, Maggy Garrisson is a secretary to an alcoholic private detective. Soon, her new boss is beaten to a pulp and Maggy must enter a sinister world of corrupt cops and career criminals.

Seven Stories

Spit Three Times by David Reviati, trans. by Jamie Richards (Apr. 9, trade paper, $28.95, ISBN 978-1-60980-909-6), relates the coming-of-age story of three rural Italian boys, while examining their towns fraught relationship with a nearby community of Roma.

Titan Comics

Shades of Magic, Vol. 1: The Steel Prince by Victoria Schwab and Andrea Olimpieri (Feb. 26, trade paper, $16.99, ISBN 978-1-78586-587-9). Arrogant prince Maxim Maresh is sent to tame a lawless and violent port city, where he encounters an unruly band of soldiers and a pirate queen.

Tyler Cross: Angola by Fabien Nury and Bruno (Mar. 12, hardcover, $24.99, ISBN 978-1-78586-731-6). Criminal-for-hire Tyler Cross is incarcerated at Angola, Louisianas notorious prison, where a Sicilian clan has put a price on his head, in this popular European crime series.

Top Shelf

Nocturne: The Walled City, Book Two by Anne Opotowsky and Angie Hoffmeister (July 23, trade paper, $39.99, ISBN 978-1-60309-451-1). Song, Xi, and Yubo, the three boys introduced in book one, come of age in the Walled Citya section of Hong Kongs Kowloon peninsulaas it becomes a lawless ghetto in the 1930s.

Tor

Chronin, Vol. 1: The Knife at Your Back by Alison Wilgus (Feb. 19, trade paper, $17.99, ISBN 978-0-7653-9163-6). In this time-traveling story, Mirai Yoshida finds herself stuck in 1864 in samurai Japan and desperate to escape, since she has knowledge that the shogunate is about to fall.

Uncivilized

Sky in Stereo, Vol. 2, by Mardou (Apr. 23, trade paper, $13.99, ISBN 978-1-941250-32-7). This volume picks up the story of 17-year-old Mardou, locked away in a psychiatric ward after taking LSD, in a work that examines hospital life and the trippy inner world of mental illness.

Valiant

Faith: Dreamside by Jody Houser and MJ Kim (Mar. 12, trade paper, $9.99, ISBN 978-1-68215-297-3). Plus-size superhero Faith Herbert, aka Zephyr, must enter into a fantastical realm to protect her Harbinger Renegades teammate, Animalia, from a nightmarish foe who exists only in her dreams.

Livewire, Vol. 1: Fugitive by Vita Ayala, Raul Allen, and Patricia Martin (May 21, trade paper, $9.99, ISBN 978-1-68215-301-7). Using her technopathic abilities, Livewire has plunged the U.S. into a nationwide blackout causing untold devastation, and has become the enemy of the government she once served.

Correction: An earlier version of this article misspelled the name of the publisher Familius.
The suspect identified as Prince Owabie from Rumueperikom community in Obio/Akpor Local Government Area in River state was arrested by the police for investigation and possible prosecution.

He is reported to have buried the deceased also identified as Bertha Ozige Nwabueze in his room around Wimpy Junction, by Ikwerre Road in Port Harcourt.

The gruesome incident occurred on Sunday, but the suspect was arrested on Tuesday, by policemen following a tip-off.

The suspect popularly known as J-Boy had reportedly confided the act in some of his friends who later hinted the police, leading to his arrest.

The father of the deceased, Mr.Wilfred Nwovueze, insists J-BOY must marry the corpse of his daughter and perform the full traditional marriage rites as the customs and tradition of Ndele people in Emohua local Government area.

READ MORE: TV presenter tearfully apologises to her husband

Nwovueze told Journalists on Thursday, December 6, that the marriage is in line with a compulsory traditional rites of Ndele people in Emohua LGA of Rivers State where the deceased hailed from.
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The show was marred with controversy after chief marketing officer Ed Razek dismissed calls for the inclusion of plus-size and trans models - remarks he later retracted, issuing an apology.

The fashion giant faced a backlash for its 2017 #whatissexy list that included mostly white people.

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Protesters want Victoria's Secret to ditch its outdated beliefs that only tall, bony models can don their bras, panties and tacky angel wings.

The diverse group of women - including one with a stoma bag - braved the plummeting temperatures donned in crop tops and knickers, in a bid to raise awareness of the lack of diversity in the fashion industry.

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According to the Deputy Director General of the Ghana Health Service (GHS), Dr Gloria Quansah-Asare, the situation has led to many pharmacy shops refusing to re-stock their shelves with the female condom due to lack of patronage.

In an interview with Graphic Online, Dr Quansah-Asare said many pharmacy shops have stopped selling female condoms because when they stocked them, they expire on the shelves.

READ ALSO:Too much sleep linked to a greater risk of death

Better pleasure

She said the female condom gives more and better pleasure during sex than the male condom, and wondered why its patronage keeps going down among Ghanaians.

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Dr Quansah-Asare who spoke to Graphic Online after a maiden Planned Parenthood Association of Ghana public lecture and launch of the African Citizen Initiative (ACI) in Accra on Wednesday, November 5 said although female condoms were not yet extinct in Ghana, people are not using them.

The lecture was on the theme: Enhancing sexual, reproductive and health rights (SRHR) through partnership and volunteerism.

According to Dr Asare-Quansah, people see it and make a mockery of it, explaining that it is a very good family planning method but people dont like it.

She said there was the need to do something about the low uptake of the female condom by encouraging women to use them.

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There is the need to maintain the interest of women in it, Dr Quansah-Asare said, stressing that because many of the shops have stopped selling them even the few people who use them dont get some to buy.
The agreement will lay the foundation for active dialogue between the two countries in the field of peaceful use of atomic energy and will allow for practical implementation of particular projects.

The document establishes legal basis for interaction between Russia and Rwanda in a wide range of areas, including elaboration of the project for the construction of a Center for Nuclear Science and Technology (CNST) and of a Nuclear Power Plant (NPP) in the Republic of Rwanda; development of nuclear infrastructure in line with the international requirements; elaboration of the regulation in the field of nuclear safety, supervision of physical protection of nuclear materials, radiation sources, storage facilities of nuclear and radioactive materials as well as supervision of the accounting and control of nuclear and radiation materials and radioactive waste; fundamental and applied research in the field of peaceful atom; manufacturing of radioisotopes and their application in manufacturing, agriculture and healthcare; training and development of specialists for the nuclear industry.

The agreement provides for the creation of workgroups for the implementation of particular projects and scientific research, along with the exchange of experts, organization of seminars and conferences, assistance in training scientific and technical personnel as well as the delivery of the equipment and materials.

Aleksey Likhachev emphasized: We are happy to share our more than 70 years expertise in the field of peaceful use of nuclear technologies with our Rwandan partners. We hope that our cooperation in that area will contribute to the economic growth and improve the quality of life of the Rwandan population.

For reference:
Oyedepo made the declaration at the just concluded annual prophetic gathering of the Winners family, christened the Dominion, in a satellite telecast of the church.

In the telecast monitored by the News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) in Abuja, the cleric also declared that 2019 would be a year of I have Dominion.

Nothing will tamper with the peace of Nigeria; the story will change for the better in the name of Jesus.

Nigeria shall not see bloodshed, the Prince of Peace will continue to dominate in Nigeria, in Africa and Nigeria is declared blessed.

Anywhere you step, accident is forbidden; death will not come near you and our nation.

Anything that is of grace in my life, I freely release upon you today.

God has opened the year 2019 to us, celebrate Him because its our year of I have Dominion, he said.

The Bishop added that the year 2019 would be a year of humbling testimonies for Nigeria and pace-setting testimonies.

He further declared that 2019 would be a colourful year for the nation.

According to the cleric, as long as Jesus has the final say on the issues of Nigeria, it will experience greatness.

Oyedepo said that there would be no more cause of alarm in any area of the nation and its citizens.

He advised Christians in Nigeria to delight themselves in the spirit of servant-hood, adding that the spirit of Christ is the spirit of servant-hood.

The Spirit of Christ is the spirit of servant-hood. As you keep rising on the ladder of leadership, you must retain our spirit of servant-hood, constantly working to add value to others and be kingdom minded, he said.

According to him, dedication is at the root of dominion, saying: Sow yourself as a seed by being totally dedicated to God and His Kingdom.

He told his congregation that sacrificial giving guarantees the meeting of all their needs.

When you engage in taking care of the well-being of others, God is also committed to your well-being, he explained.

The cleric admonished Christians would engage in meeting the needs of the needy, every barrier on their path of destiny would be crushed.

Nobody tampers with your life, your career, your family and goes away with it because you are promoted to Gods kingdom.

God will stand for your defence in the day of trouble. Every sacrificial giver has a defence around him in the day of trouble always have that in mind, he said.

He reminded his congregation that the Church is not a building; the Church is a people and the Redeemed of the Lord.

The Church is the Body of Christ, the fullness of Him that fills all things.

We understand that by redemption we have been repositioned far above all principalities and powers. We also recognise that the Spirit of Faith is the guarantee for the dominion of the Saints over all gang ups of hell, he stressed.

Oyedepo told his congregation that Shiloh is not a church anniversary, but a place for taking delivery of all their hanging inheritance in Christ.

Shiloh is not a Church Programme, but a Mountain of answered prayers after the order of Hannah. Shiloh is ordained a platform for the rise of giants among us. Shiloh is a mountain of vision and revelation.

Shiloh is a prophetic platform for the conferment of dominion both on us as a Church and as individuals, so as to subdue the land before us, he added.

He said that prophetically, Shiloh was ordained a platform for conferment of dominion upon members of the Winners family and Nigeria at large.

And the whole congregation of the children of Israel assembled together at Shiloh and set up the tabernacle of the congregation there. And the land was subdued before them.

According to him, the land was subdued before them connotes dominion. Therefore, at this event, every participant shall encounter conferment of dominion in all areas of your lives.

The Bishop assured that every participant would have a definite encounter with the word of God for their supernatural change of story.

Oyedepo said: While waiting on the Lord back in 1998 and inquiring about Gods master plan for Canaan land, among other things, God said, He would have us gather annually at Shiloh and that as we do, He will subdue the land before us by granting speedy delivery of our enviable inheritance in Christ.

NAN reports that the event which started on Tuesday, would last through Dec. 9, with 55 countries in attendance while 150 other nations watched the proceeding online.

Angola, Botswana, Cameroun, Congo, Cote dIvoire, Ethiopia, France and Gabon are some of the nations represented at the Shiloh.

Others are Ghana, Kenya, Liberia and South Africa. While others from Swaziland Tanzania, Uganda, USA, Zambia and Zimbabwe.
He noted that even though the President Muhammadu Buhari-led administration was doing its best in tackling insurgency in the country, there was the need for government to continue to seek Gods intervention.

The cleric said it was the power of darkness that was controlling insurgency and therefore Christians, in particular, need to pray to end it.

Even though, the government has spent so much money to end it, but it kept increasing day by day. Now, we need Gods intervention.

Every disgruntled elements that want to make the government uncomfortable, God will destroy them, he prayed.

The cleric also prayed for peace to reign during the 2019 elections.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that Omobude is also the General Overseer of New Covenant Gospel Church, Benin City.
This was made known in a statement issued to newsmen by the Presidents spokesman, Femi Adesina.

Ribadu, a former Chairman of the Economic and Financial Crimes Commission (EFCC), is one of the recipients of the Sheikh Tamin Bin Hamad Al Thani International Anti-Corruption Excellence (ACE) Award 2018.

The former EFCC chairman was honoured with the award at a ceremony in Malaysia on Friday, December 7, 2018.

In the statement, the president called on anti-corruption agencies in the country not to give up in the fight against corruption.

Buhari also asked leaders in the country to emulate the former EFCC chairman.

According to the statement obtained from Daily Post, Buhari said The award to Ribadu affirms our commitment to the campaign against corruption, which is one of the three focal areas of our administration. This also means that the world appreciates our determination to stem the negative effects of corruption on the countrys development.

Nuhu Ribadu was appointed as the pioneer chairman of EFCC in 2003 by former President Olusegun Obasanjo.

Ribadu contested for President in 2011 on the platform of the Action Congress of Nigeria (ACN) and in 2014, defected to the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP).
President Buhari also pledged to look into the challenges facing the association with a view to boosting mining activities across the country.

I have listened very carefully to your address and I believe the Secretary to the Government of the Federation will articulate your address and forward it to me so that whatever we can do through the supervising minister we should encourage you in terms of understanding of the state governments that are interfering with your activities.

Ill also look at the question of Customs, not looking other way but being very professional and patriotic so that you wont mind when they insist on what is due to the country in terms of revenue and of course not making it too difficult for you.

Im very pleased with this visit, Im pleased that we have got some royal fathers that are part of your management team in terms of supporting you, I believe they can influence your state governments, the state governments that are maybe making things difficult, he said.

President Buhari also directed the Minister of State for Mines and Steel, Mr Bawa Bwari, to particularly look into the complaints of the association with a view to addressing them.

He said: I think the minister should take this on, that is why he is there to make sure that he makes it worthwhile for you to invest more, to attract more foreign investors that can bring capital and technology.

The president assured that his administration would continue to reinvigorate the mining industry in the country so as to create more employment opportunities and to generate more revenue to diversify the nations economy.

As I said, the interest of the federal government is really employment and the revenue and we hope your foreign partners will invest more in bringing technology and equipment to bear on the industry, he added.

In his remark, the President of the Association, Alhaji Sani Shehu, said that Nigeria had recovered its prime position in mining jurisdiction of the world, especially as it related to Tin, Lead-Zinc, Gemstones and Gold.

He noted that all these achievements were made possible due to the hope, direction, stability, efficiency and the credibility of the Buhari administration.

Shehu, however, outlined the challenges facing the mining industry to include undue interference in the mining governance by some state governors and inadequate funding to rejuvenate the sector to become the future economic mainstay of Nigeria.

He, therefore, appealed for presidential intervention to protect miners from undue interference of some state governors who make mining difficult in their states.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that the chief judge performed the exercise at the State High Court premises in Ado-Ekiti.

Daramola administered an oath of allegiance and Judicial oath on the new judges.

He congratulated them on their appointments, adding that there would be an induction course for them to familiarise with the nitty gritty of the customary court practices.

NAN also reports that Chief Jide Aworinde, Mr Segun Ajaja and Mr Kola Orejimi, delivered a paper each, on code of conduct for such judges.

The papers delivered were based on court assessors and General Overview of Yoruba Customary Court Laws on issues of bribery and corruption.

They said that the combination of ignorance and corruption eroded confidence and respect and would eventually lead to decadence.

One of the new judges, Mr Titus Jibodu, commended the chief judge for the appointment and promised on behalf of others not to disappoint the confidence reposed on them.
Mbaka was criticised by Nigerians for saying that the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) presidential candidate, Atiku Abubakarwill fail in his presidential bid following Obis refusal to publicly announce a donation to his ministry.

In a video obtained from Viable TV, the priest said that he did not intend to insult the PDP Vice-Presidential candidate.

Mbaka said that his comments during the Bazaar service on Sunday, December 2, 2018 was not aimed at bringing Obis political career down.

The priest, who asked everyone that was hurt by his comments to forgive him, also called on his members not to fight back.

Peter Obis reaction

Following the Bazaar service incident, Obi called on Nigerians not to attack Mbaka, saying that he respects the priest very much.

According to the former Governor of Anambra state, our duty to him (Mbaka) is prayers for God to lead him to the right direction. "

Assassination attempt

Also, the Adoration Ministry Enugu has condemned the alleged assassination attempt Fr. Ejike Mbaka.

According to a statement issued to Daily Post, the assassins allegedly shot at the controversial priest on Thursday, December 6, 2018.
Comptroller-General of NIS Mr Muhammad Babandede disclosed this at the 2018 NIS award presentation in Abuja.

According to Babandede, the service is fully involved in the election process to ensure that no foreigner voted during the 2019 general elections.

This year, we have retrieved over 700 voter cards from non Nigerians.

We will be there during elections to ensure that non-Nigerians dont participate.

We will make sure that they dont vote and they are not voted for.

During the election, we will ensure the borders are secured so that nobody can enter the country during the days of election.

Immigration service has changed for the better.

We have built the capacity of personnel and improved on structures and contributed to Nigerias security and prosperity in many ways, Babandede said.

He added that such areas included the Ease of Doing Business whereby the service had assisted businessmen to get visas as quickly as possible without hurdles.

We have trained so many officers. There has never been a time Nigeria Immigration Service has gotten better structures than now.

The approval of the technology building worth N7.1 billion by President Muhammadu Buhari will serve all law enforcement agencies where we will share such information online with partners.

I thank President Buhari for approving the unique project for the NIS. That has never been done since inception in 1958.

We became independent in 1963. Since that time, we have not gotten a centre to coordinate all our operations until this year when the President approved the technology building.

Julius Berger has already started work on the site. It was launched by the Minister of Interior last week, Babande said.

The comptroller-general said that with the support of NIS board, the bad guys were punished in 2018.

We dismissed many officers, retired officers and reduced the rank of officers.

Today is a day for the good officers, he said.

He also said that as part of its effort at improving service delivery, NIS usually constructed two new commands annually.

Last year, we did two in Jigawa and Kano. This year we will commission two in Abia and Plateau.

We thank government for supporting building of infrastructure, he said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that 26 officers across the country received various awards ranging from Service, Minister and Comptroller-General awards.
The partys Presidential Candidate, Atiku Abubakar, his running mate, Mr Peter Obi, Director-General of the Presidential Campaign Council, Sen. Bukola Saraki, and Deputy Senate President, Sen. Ike Ekweremadu attended the meeting.

Also, Speaker of the House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara and Gov. Nyesom Wike of Rivers attended the strategy session.

The partys National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus; Gov. Aminu Tambuwal of Sokoto; Abia Governor, Dr Okezie Ikpeazu; Gov. Ifeanyi Okowa of Delta; Gov. Dave Umahi of Ebonyi; and his counterpart from Cross River, Prof. Ben Ayade, attended the meeting.

Wike had earlier conducted members of the PDP Presidential Council on a tour of the PDP, Rivers chapter, Campaign Office prior to the meeting.

The state office houses the PDP Presidential Campaign Office in Rivers.

Wike also hosted an expanded meeting of PDP national leaders at the Government House Port Harcourt before the meeting.

Those who attended the meeting at Government House included Atiku Abubakar; Obi; Secondus; Wike; Okowa; Ayade; Saraki; Dogara; Tambuwal; Umahi; and Sen. Ben Bruce.
Among other reasons, the President said: "I am declining assent to the Bill principally because I am concerned that passing a new electoral bill this far into the electoral process for the 2019 general election which commenced under the 2015 Electoral Act, could create some uncertainty about the applicable legislation to govern the process.

Missed opportunity

In a statement on Twitter, the PDP presidential candidate said Buharis refusal to sign the electoral bill into law shows his assurances for a free and fair election cannot be taken seriously.

Mr President, assurances that your administration will conduct a free, fair and credible elections can not be taken seriously. For Nigerians and especially us in the opposition, you just missed an opportunity to walk the talk.

ECOWAS protocol bars Buhari

Also, Sen. Ovie Omo-Agege in his reaction, said that the ECOWAS Protocol on Democracy and Good Governance forbids the President from signing the Electoral Act (Amendment) Bill.

The lawmaker said Article 2 of the protocol forbids member countries from making substantial modification to their electoral laws less than six months to elections except with the consent of a majority of political actors.

Senate President Bukola Sarakihad earlier called on Buhari to sign the Electoral Bill into law.

Saraki also told Buhari not to listen to those who he described as un-democratic elements urging him not to assent to the bill.
Article 2 of the protocol forbids member countries from making substantial modification to their electoral laws less than six months to elections except with the consent of a majority of political actors.

Omo-Agege, who is a staunch supporter of the President, noted that with the elections less than three months away, signing the bill would violate the ECOWAS instrument.

NAN reports that the presidential and National Assembly elections are slated for Feb. 16, 2019, while those of governorship and State Houses of Assembly elections will hold on March 2.

Omo-Agege said, I have yet to see the presidents letter to the Senate, but this bill means so much to Mr President. On a good day he would want to sign it.

However, without even seeing the reasons he has advanced so far, I am aware of the challenges posed by the ECOWAS protocol.

I dont know if that is part of the reasons he has advanced, but with the bill coming two months or thereabout before the election, assenting to it will breach the protocol.

NAN reports that Buhari did not mention the ECOWAS instrument as part of his reasons for declining assent to the bill for the fourth time.

The presidents latest decision came in a letter dated Dec. 6, 2018 and addressed to both chambers of the National Assembly.

He said signing the amendment bill with elections close by could create some uncertainty about the legislation to govern the process.

Any real or apparent change to the rules this close to the elections may provide an opportunity for disruption and confusion in respect of which law governs the electoral process, he stated.

Buhari, therefore, asked the National Assembly to specifically state in the bill that the amended Electoral Act would come into effect after the 2019 general elections.

Reacting to the development, Sen. Peter Nwaoboshi, who represents Delta North on the platform of the main opposition Peoples Democratic Party (PDP), said the reasons given by the president were untenable.

It is not a good reason for him not to sign the bill because the Senate worked with INEC (Independent National Electoral Commission) in preparing that bill.

If INEC felt otherwise, they would have advised us when we were working on it.

You are aware of the controversy that this issue of amendment of the act has generated, with people accusing the Senate of not wanting to amend the act.

We amended it, but he declined assent the first, second and third time; he made certain observations, which we agreed with.

We sent it again, and the reason he is giving now is that it will disrupt the election. It is really unfortunate, he said.

An Abuja-based lawyer and civil rights campaigner, Mr Frank Tietie, said the credibility of the 2019 elections was at stake without the compulsory use of card readers as proposed in the bill.

Although, INEC has been using the card reader for elections since 2015, there is no provision for the technology in the extant electoral law, making its use optional.

Tietie said, Without the card reader and electronic transmission of results, our elections have been subjected to might, brute force and the power of money.

Card readers and electronic transmission of results have totally eliminated that, and there is need for a legal force to that.

This is what the amendment seeks. Buharis refusal to allow the card reader and electronic transmission of results will only lead to electoral compromise, he said.
The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that President Muhammadu Buhari, for the fourth time, declined to assent to the Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2018.

President Buhari said he principally declined assent to Electoral (Amendment) Bill 2018 as it would provide opportunity for disruption and confusion to electoral laws ahead of the 2019 general elections.

In a letter dated Dec. 6, 2018, sent to the Speaker of House of Representatives, Yakubu Dogara, Buhari said his refusal to sign the bill into law was in the best interest of the country and our democracy.

President Buhari then requested that the National Assembly should move the enactment of the bill to after the February 2019 elections.

It would have been beautiful if Mr President signed the Electoral Act because it would have been an improvement on our electoral process as certain new modernisation were included in that Act.

Having said that, I know that it is not the Act that will guarantee whether the 2019 elections will be free, fair or credible.

There are two major things that determines whether elections will be free or fair  the electoral management body which is the independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and the security agencies.

The standard of fairness and objectivity in the conduct of INEC in terms of prompt deployment of material to announcement of results without any form of bias.

Also the enforcement of law and order by security agencies as well as ensuring that people do not breach electoral processes.

These are the two major pointers that guarantee electoral success not the Electoral Act.

The fact that Mr President did not sign the bill will not stop history and will not refuse us free and fair elections in 2019.

Where we should be looking at is the proper monitoring of INEC and the security agencies to ensure they perform their duties as should and then a free and fair election will be guaranteed,  he said.

On restructuring, Fagbenro-Byron, said there was an urgent need to restructure the country to decentralise power, ensure adequate resource control and increased state accountability.

By the special grace of God, when we get into government, at the transition period, between being elected and being sworn in, will be used to prepare a refreshed constitution that will meet the desires of Nigerians.

That is what we will take in as the first executive bill,  said the KOWA party flagbearer.

On addressing the problem of insecurity in the country, Fagbenro-Byron, said that restructuring the country with establishment of state and community policing could be a panacea.

He also said that the Economic Financial Crime Commission (EFCC) should be brought in to resolve the problem of terrorism.

The EFCC can help trace what we call Terrorists Financing through BVN because insecurity is being funded the same way security is funded. Somebody is paying somebody to cause problems.

With their techniques, they can help capture those funding insurgents in the country.

We also need to strengthen our intelligence gathering and motivate security personnel with equipment, training and good welfare,  he said

He said that KOWA party was shocked by the purpoted endorsement of Alhaji Atiku Abubakar as sole candidate of Coalition of United Political Parties (CUPP) for the 2019 presidential poll.
Ambode, spoke in Epe during a meeting with leaders of APC in the division, which was called at his instance.

He said it was time for the people to put events before and after the APC governorship primaries in the state which produced Mr Babajide Sanwo-Olu as the governorship candidate of the party behind them and truly unite for the partys victory.

Ambode said it became imperative for him to meet with the leaders to let them know that all members must submit to the decision of the party.

He said: All of us are brothers and sisters because this is a close-knit community. It is now time for us to work together for the re-election of President Muhammadu Buhari and election of Mr Sanwo-Olu because Epe cannot be left behind.

I know that in view of what happened, some people are still aggrieved but what I want you to know is that there is no way PDP will work for the development of our division like APC.

We are also all aware that for the past 16 years of PDP, they did not do anything in Epe division and it is only the APC that has been doing something for Lagos and for the country.

I want to assure you that Epe will benefit more if we vote for APC.

All my achievements in the last three and half years will be improved upon if Sanwo-Olu wins and so I want to urge you all to come out and vote for APC because that is how we can secure the future of our children and this division.

Also speaking at the meeting, the Deputy Governorship Candidate of APC in the state, Dr Obafemi Hamzat thanked Ambode and all the leaders in the division.

Hamzat said the governor displayed unusual maturity and character which eloquently confirmed that he was a man with a large heart.

I want to thank Gov. Ambode for being a man with a large and great heart.

What you are doing is unusual and I want to assure you that you have a future and that future will be very soon. We will do everything to protect your interest and that of Epe division.

Gov. Ambode has done his best and we will do our best to continue his legacies and build on what he has done to further develop our dear state,  Hamzat said.

The News Agency of Nigeria (NAN) reports that those that attended the meeting were: Senator representing Lagos East, Gbenga Ashafa; and a Member of the House of Representatives representing Epe, Wale Raji.
He urged the partys members to work hard toward securing fresh tenures for Buhari and Gov. Abubakar Bello of Niger, saying that the two leaders were the best choice for the nation and Niger.

According to him, the vehicles will be given to campaign officials and other APC organisations to ease movement to the rural voters to enlighten the populace on the achievements of the two leaders.

Bago said that Buhari provided massive infrastructure that had improved the living standards of Nigerians, while many dams had been constructed to support all-year farming.

He said that Bello had done same in Niger, and urged the electorate to reward such efforts with fresh tenures so as to enjoy more benefits.

Speaking earlier, Alhaji Mohammed Ketsu, Niger Deputy Governor, had appealed to members of the party to safeguard their permanent voters cards and use them to decide their leaders.
Addressing the crowd, the vice president said there were leaders who would steal and those who would use the countrys money for the common good, noting that Buhari belonged to those who would use the countrys money for common good.

We should not allow those who have stolen our money in the past to come back. They stole all the money and they want to come back. People are saying, enough is enough.

In four years, PDP spent 383 billion US dollars. And they want to come back. 16 years is enough.

After 16 years of ensuring that the country did not make progress, they want to come back. They will never come back, he said.

Osinbajo said that Nigerias greatest problem was corruption and not planning because without money you could not executive any plan; hence the need to stop those who had stolen in the past from returning.

The vice president said the door-to-door campaign was more effective in reaching out to the people, saying it goes a long way in speaking directly to the people about the plans of the government for the people.

Also speaking, the Director-General of the Prof Yemi Osinbajo Support Group, Pastor Yomi Kasali, said the organisation had raised 900,000 canvassers for Lagos State.

He explained that each canvasser was expected to meet with 50 people.
The candidates are: Mr Ladi Adebutu for Ogun, Seye Makinde for Oyo State and Mr Jimi Agbaje for Lagos State, who was represented by Mrs Oluwayemisi Busari.

The PDP National Chairman, Prince Uche Secondus, while presenting the party flag, said that those who wanted to contest against the party and its candidates in the South-West states should be ready.

Secondus expressed optimism that the party would be victorious in the legal tussle on its governorship candidate in Ogun, saying that Adebutu was duly elected in the primary that produced him as the PDP candidate.

He said that the partys primaries nationwide were monitored by the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) and names of the PDP candidates were submitted to the commission by leadership of the party in accordance with electoral guidelines.

You cannot come and bend the process. It is criminal for one person to print form and sell the form to himself, conduct congress by himself and submit names to INEC in his signatory, he said

The Ogun Governorship Candidate, Mr Ladi Adebutu, while speaking on behalf of his colleagues, said he was certain that PDP was destined by God to deliver the nation from problems it was currently going through.

Adebutu said that the party had shown with determination that it was able to administer itself and lead the nation.

He said that parties that were not capable of administer themselves could not administer a nation.

PDP has shown clearly that we have the capacity to administer ourselves well. We have done so and we have had processes throughout the nation that everybody should be proud of.

Adebutu pledged that the candidates would do their best to provide good governance if elected in their various states.

We will do our best to bring food and security to the masses of this country, We will also create enabling environment that will make it easy for investors to stay here and help us prosper as a nation.
Some 1,200 people, including pilgrims, relatives and friends of the beatified, filled the Chapel of our Lady of Santa Cruz as the service was held under tight security.

The 19 Roman Catholic clergy were killed between 1994 and 1996 as Algeria was in the grips of a decade-long civil war between government forces and Islamists that left up to 200,000 people dead.

Those beatified included seven French Trappist monks, who were murdered after being kidnapped by gunmen from the Notre Dame de l'Atlas monastery in Tibhirine in 1996.

The Armed Islamic Group of Algeria claimed at the time that it had slit their throats, but responsibility for the murders has never been conclusively established.

Only the heads of the men, aged between 45 and 82, were ever found.

Also beatified was former Bishop of Oran Pierre Claverie, who was killed with his driver on August 1, 1996 when a remote-controlled bomb exploded at his residence.

The five other religious men and six women honoured, including citizens of France, Spain, Belgium and Malta, were gunned down in 1994 and 1995.

Opening the ceremony, Archbishop Paul Desfarges of Algiers paid tribute to "the thousands and thousands of victims of the Algerian civil war" from 1991-2002, describing them as anonymous heroes.

AFP

"We did not want a beatification between Christians, because these brothers and sisters died among tens and tens of thousands of Algerian" Muslims, Desfarges said.

A minute of silence was then observed.

In a message read during the ceremony by Becciu, Pope Francis spoke of his hope that "this celebration helps to heal the wounds of the past and create a new dynamic of meeting and living together".

Beatification is the first step on the path to Roman Catholic sainthood.

The 19 clergy were declared martyrs by the Vatican in January 2018, since they were slain "in odium fidei", or out of hatred for the faith.

'Determined to spread peace'

Pope Francis himself spoke of the beatification in prayers at Saint Peter's Square in the Vatican on Saturday.

AFP

"May this beatification be an incentive for all to build a world of fraternity and solidarity together", the pope said.

Priest of Oran Father Thierry Becker said a prayer in Arabic for the Virgin Mary during the beatification ceremony in Algeria.

Local Muslim dignitaries received the families of the 19 beatified clergy at the Ibn Badis Grand Mosque, in the presence of Cardinal Becciu and Algeria's minister of religious affairs.

"We Muslims associate this event with much joy," Imam Mostapha Jaber said at the mosque.

"These Christian martyrs killed during this national tragedy ... had a good mission -- (they were) determined to spread peace."

The murders of the clergy garnered widespread attention both in Algeria and abroad.

The deaths of the Trappist monks inspired a 2010 French film, "Des Hommes et des Dieux", (Of Gods and Men) starring Lambert Wilson and Michael Lonsdale that won the Grand Prix at the Cannes Film Festival.

AFP

"The brothers and sisters who gave their lives did so in a conscious manner for the Algerian people," said Sister Benedicte of the Cross, who arrived from France for the ceremony.
"AFTER TWO YEARS AND MILLIONS OF PAGES OF DOCUMENTS (and a cost of over $30,000,000), NO COLLUSION!" the president said.

While the filings indeed did not appear to reveal evidence of collusion, they did offer a wealth of new information about what Mueller's team is looking into, along with other federal prosecutors in New York.

Prosecutors directly implicated Trump in efforts to buy the silence of two women who claimed they had had affairs with him, saying he directed his then-attorney Michael Cohen to offer them hush money.

AFP

"With respect to both payments, Cohen acted with the intent to influence the 2016 presidential election," the New York prosecutors said.

"In particular, and as Cohen himself has now admitted, with respect to both payments, he acted in coordination with and at the direction of Individual-1," they added, referring to Trump.

The payments are technically unrelated to the Russia probe, but prosecutors painted a damning picture of the "extensive, deliberate, and serious criminal conduct" of Cohen -- once a member of Trump's inner circle of trusted aides.

In August, the 52-year-old Cohen pleaded guilty to violating campaign finance law in connection with the payments.

"Cohen deceived the voting public by hiding alleged facts that he believed would have had a substantial effect on the election," prosecutors said.

'Synergy on a government level'

AFP

In a separate sentencing memo, Mueller said that Cohen was in contact with a Russian national as far back as November 2015 -- months before Trump formally won the presidential nomination and well before previously reported contacts -- who offered "synergy on a government level."

That Russian national claimed to have ties to the Kremlin and repeatedly proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin.

The individual said the meeting could have a "phenomenal" impact "not only in political but in a business dimension as well," but Cohen never followed up, Mueller said.

That combination of political and business interests could spell trouble for Trump, whose real estate empire was seeking to build a signature tower in Moscow as late as mid-2016 in the midst of his White House bid.

Last week, Cohen pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about the Moscow real estate project.

Recent filings in the Mueller probe have suggested the White House knew that Cohen planned to lie to lawmakers about his contacts with Russians.

Due to his "relevant" and "substantial" help, Mueller declined to recommend additional jail time, but Cohen is still expected to face four to five years behind bars.

Multiple 'lies'

AFP

Also on Friday, new twists and turns emerged in the case against Trump's onetime campaign manager Paul Manafort, who was convicted in August of financial fraud and witness tampering charges and pleaded guilty to a second set of charges a month later.

Prosecutors accused Manafort of multiple "lies" to investigators: about his contacts with administration officials even after striking a plea deal; about a debt payment; and about his interaction with a suspected Russian intelligence officer.

The breach of the plea deal could lead to a stiffer jail sentence than the 10 years originally envisaged for the 69-year-old veteran Republican consultant.

Manafort has been convicted mostly on charges related to his work for pro-Moscow politicians in Ukraine between 2004 and 2014.

But he has also been investigated for his possible role in alleged campaign collusion with Russia during the election.

Mueller has been inching ever closer to the White House, and on Friday, Trump fired off a feverish volley of tweets against a probe he dubs a "witch hunt," accusing Mueller of "big time conflicts of interest" and alleging he coerced false testimony from witnesses.

For House Democrat John Garamendi, these may be "the opening days of an impeachment."

Trump is a president who "clearly has surrounded himself with criminals," he told CNN.
"She's very talented, very smart, very quick, and I think she's going to be respected by all," Trump said.

Nauert, 48, had been touted for the post since October when Haley, a former governor of South Carolina seen as entertaining future political ambitions, announced that she was stepping down.

Nauert -- a former anchor of "Fox and Friends," among the television-loving Trump's favorite shows -- became the spokeswoman of the State Department with no foreign policy experience.

Unlike Haley, she is not expected to have cabinet status, meaning that foreign policy decisions will remain firmly with Trump's hawkish national security advisor John Bolton, and Nauert's current boss, Secretary of State Mike Pompeo.

She will need confirmation by the Senate, where Trump's Republican Party enjoys a majority.

Early praise for the appointment came from Israel, which has long counted on the United States to veto unfriendly resolutions on the UN Security Council.

"Ms. Nauert has stood by the State of Israel in her previous positions, and I have no doubt that the cooperation between our two countries will continue to strengthen as ambassador to the UN," Israel's ambassador to the United Nations, Danny Danon, said in a statement.

Haley, in what could be a final diplomatic push, on Thursday failed in a bid for the UN General Assembly to condemn the Palestinian Islamist movement Hamas for firing rockets at Israel.
But the panel's findings include a blistering indictment of Sidibe's stewardship, claiming his secretariat is mired in "a crisis which threatens its vital work."

"The leaders, policies and processes at UNAIDS have failed to prevent or properly respond to allegations of harassment including sexual harassment, bullying and abuse of power in UNAIDS," the panel said.

"The evidence before the Independent Expert Panel of a broken organisational culture is overwhelming."

The report, based on dozens of interviews and hundreds of staff surveys, said the agency tasked with coordinating the global response to the HIV/AIDS epidemic suffers from "a vacuum of accountability."

"The leadership of the UNAIDS Secretariat fails to accept responsibility for a culture of impunity becoming prevalent in the organisation, a culture that does not ensure a safe and dignified workplace for its staff, and one that fails to respect human rights in line with law and United Nations values," it added.

Staff also described "a work culture of fear, lack of trust, and retaliation against those who speak up about harassment and abuse of power," it further said.

Calls to resign

Sidibe, a Malian national who has led UNAIDS since 2009, has faced intense scrutiny since the Loures case became public.

An initial internal UN investigation cleared Loures of wrongdoing. But Loures's accuser, UNAIDS staffer Martina Brostrom, then went public exposing flaws in the first probe including Sidibe's attempt to settle the dispute even as a formal process was ongoing.

A new investigation was opened in April.

Brostrom told AFP that she hoped the panel's report would lead to Sidibe's ouster.

"I want to believe that UN Secretary General (Antonio Guterres) sees the danger that the UNAIDS executive director represents for the whole UN system and that he takes this opportunity to demonstrate that his notion of zero tolerance of harassment is not just an empty slogan," she said.

Multiple civil society organisations that work on HIV/AIDS have previously called on Sidibe to resign, but the agency maintained Friday that he had no plans to leave.

"The Executive Director is firmly focused on the future. He (is) fully aware that there is a lot of work to do -- across all levels of the organisation --and he is determined to lead that transformation," agency spokeswoman Sophie Barton-Knott told AFP.

'Abuse of authority'

The decision on whether to force Sidibe out likely rests with the agency's British-led oversight body, the Programme Coordinating Board, which meets next week.

But the expert panel detailed an environment that will certainly escalate pressure on him to go.

"The Executive Director ... has created a patriarchal culture tolerating harassment and abuse of authority and in his interviews with the Panel he accepted no responsibility for actions," it said.

The panel also raised doubts about Sidibe's ability to lead a reform effort, describing the solutions he proposes as "superficial and insufficient."

"Our inevitable conclusion from the review is that the state in which we find the organisational culture of UNAIDS is something for which the leadership of the organisation must be responsible and held accountable."

Paula Donovan from the Code Blue pressure group, which has led the effort to expose rot at UNAIDS, called on Guterres to act immediately.
On Wednesday, when there were as many as 190 fires, the government rated the danger catastrophic for the first time in the states history. Schools were closed and there were scattered reports of property damage, but there were no immediate reports of any deaths.

What we experienced yesterday was off the charts, Palaszczuk said Thursday. No one has ever recorded these kinds of conditions ever in the history of Queensland.

In Gracemere, by the eastern coast, residents were ordered to evacuate within hours Wednesday. They were allowed to return Thursday after firefighters succeeded in saving the towns homes.

Evacuating a town of eight and a half thousand people in just over a couple of hours is pretty extraordinary, Palaszczuk said. Everyone listened, everyone got out, and thankfully everyone is safe.

Elsewhere, the authorities woke up 50 residents in Campwin Beach at 2 a.m. Thursday and forced them to evacuate, according to the Australian Broadcasting Corporation.

It was just heat and people running up the street and it was just crazy, said Vicky Crichton, a resident.

As fires spread Thursday, the Queensland police and fire services used Twitter and Facebook to frequently update residents on the paths of often unpredictable fires. They occasionally instructed residents of certain communities to LEAVE NOW or LEAVE IMMEDIATELY.

The New York Times
While KiwiSaver is often thought of as a retirement tool, it's secondary purpose is to help push New Zealanders onto the property ladder.

Kiwi Wealth's Joe Bishop says for those who haven't bought their first home, particularly those in their 20s, home ownership is the number one reason to use KiwiSaver.

Over 35,000 New Zealanders used KiwiSaver to buy their first home this year, up 250 percent from 2015.

Aspiring homeowners are encouraged to opt for a conservative or cash fund, explains Mr Bishop, rather than a riskier growth fund.

"You get a little more security about how much you can expect to take out," he told RadioLIVE.

New Zealanders can dip into their KiwiSaver if they plan to live in the home, have been a KiwiSaver member for three years, and don't have any other investments.

Once a home is found, the home buyer can withdraw all but $1000 from their KiwiSaver.

For Kiwi Wealth's 5-stage guide on a first home withdrawal, click here.

Money Chat on Weekend Life with Carly Flynn is sponsored by Kiwi Wealth.

Weekend Life with Carly Flynn,10am - 2pm on Saturday and streaming live on 'rova' channel 9 - available on Android and iPhone.

RadioLIVE.
US Hispanic broadcaster Telemundo Global Studios has announced management changeups.





Fabrizio Alcobe has been promoted to SVP of talent. He will be responsible for leading talent management, development and casting. His responsibilities will include programmes aimed at finding and nurturing up-and-coming talent from around the world, according to the network.Fernando Gaston was named VP of productions and development for pilots, where he will oversee the production of the studios pilots for long scripted formats. Jorge Giraldo meanwhile joins as producer, with oversight of the studios productions in Colombia. And Marcel Ferrer joins as producer, with oversight of the studios productions in Mexico.Alejandra Serna was promoted to SVP of production management and operations, Telemundo Global Studios. She will be responsible for overseeing production management, compliance, operational excellence and efficiency within productions. Luis Zelkovich is promoted to senior supervisor of 10 p.m. productions. And Sergio Mendoza was promoted to senior director of scripted development for 8 p.m. and 9 p.m.This new leadership team will continue to position Telemundo Global Studios as the leading production facility beloved and cherished by Latinos everywhere, said Marcos Santana, president of Telemundo Global Studios . This team of industry power players will propel our vision forward and continue to transform Telemundo as the preferred network for innovative and cutting-edge content.As part of the moves, Ricardo Coeto, EVP of production, will leave the company. He will remain as a creative advisor for scripted projects for Telemundo Global Studios to help through a transition period.The leadership team will be based at the new state-of-the-art Telemundo Centre in Miami, which officially opened in April 2018.Combined, Telemundo Global Studios and Telemundo International Studios produce an average of 900 hours of programming per year across Series, Premium and Super Series formats.The news comes shortly after the network r ejiggered its digital network team
By all accounts Winston Churchill was an incredible man and worthy of his place in history. Churchill was voted the Best Briton of All Time in a far-reaching poll conducted by the BBC in 2002, besting the likes of William Shakespeare and Princess Diana. The people are hardly alone in their admiration of Churchill. Here at RealClearHistory, there have been no less than two glowing hagiographies of Churchill in the past month (here and here). Historians on both the left and the right have widely admired the man (though of late his views on empire and race have fallen into disfavor with scholars).

All of the wonderful things written about Churchill are no doubt true. He was nothing less than the 20th centurys Otto von Bismarck: a man, a statesman, a gentleman who could understand theory but also put it into practice, who stood athwart history and yelled not to stop, but to reform both slowly and radically. Yet, as a libertarian and also a citizen, I find it troubling when society at large venerates men - individuals - and forgets about the rules and the agreed-upon procedures to follow such rules. Hero worship is, if not done carefully, a potent cultural complement to the political and economic decay of the rule of law. So, in the spirit of contrarianism and liberty, here are 10 reasons why you should think of Churchill as a mere man, and not as a myth.

10. Famine in Bengal, 1943-44. The most brutal of Churchills mistakes is also the one that is least likely his fault, a result largely due to the academys leftward push over the past three or four decades. A famine struck the Presidency of Bengal, an integral part of the British Empire, at the height of World War II in India. Bengal was being heavily bombed by the Japanese and Tokyos air raids were going almost completely unchallenged. The British military also began to employ scorched earth tactics in Bengal due to the belief that a major Japanese invasion was imminent. The wartime economy only made matters worse, as goods were directed elsewhere throughout the empire and done so based on political and military decisions rather than by supply and demand pricing. Unrest was on the rise. The tipping point came when cyclone season, an annual event, came around and devastated what few remaining crops had survived a recent fungal outbreak. The outbreak, which has been compared to the more famous Irish Potato Famine, had wiped out most of Bengals crops. Two to three million people starved to death. Churchills response? To sarcastically ask his subordinates why Gandhi hadnt died yet if there was a famine. It was wartime, you say to yourself, but imagine FDR joking about two to three million African-Americans, or the Japanese internees he imprisoned throughout the country during the war, starving to death.

9. Dresden bombing, 1945. This one is relatively straightforward. Dresden is largely viewed as a war crime today, as the Allied bombed indiscriminately. Churchill knew about the bombings, and gave his explicit approval, although some biographers maintain that he did so with reservations.

8. Mau Mau rebellion, 1952-56. Wartime violence can at least be understood, if not forgiven, but Churchills record after World War II was pretty brutal, too. The British Empire, which Churchill had been a lifelong proponent of, was in decline and its colonies were demanding more from London. The more aspect is key. Some in the colonies wanted more representation in London, some wanted more autonomy to go along with continued membership in the Empire, and yet others wanted complete independence from the United Kingdom. Churchills response to an understandable situation was not to listen or to bargain, but to crush any and all dissent. The Mau Mau rebellion, which took place in British Kenya, was the hallmark of British postwar policy in Africa and Asia. Massacres, perpetrated by both sides, occurred throughout the four-year rebellion, and the British military used aircraft to bomb Mau Mau-held territory. The uprising was eventually subdued, but the brutality of British tactics further undermined Londons already tenuous grasp on Kenya. The Mau Mau rebellion also brought to an end any hope for a global British confederation to emerge from the ashes of the sunset-less empire.

7. Appeasing Hitler, 1931-36. Churchill is well known for harping on Neville Chamberlain and his appeasement policy of the late 1930s and early 1940s, but what is less well known is the praise Churchill heaped upon Hitler throughout most of the 1930s. Churchill hoped that British appeasement would entice Hitler to side with the liberal democratic West and work with London to counter Bolshevism, which Churchill viewed as a more dangerous enemy to liberal democracy than fascism. Throughout the 1930s, Churchill praised Franco and Mussolini (a Roman genius), too, and encouraged the League of Nations to ignore Japans brutal occupation of Manchuria, arguing that the Japanese were facing a dire Bolshevik threat from both Russia and China. Churchills attitude soured on Hitler and the other fascists beginning in 1936, when Germany reoccupied the Rhineland.

6. Supported population transfers in Europe, 1944-46. As Germany and Italy collapsed, Churchill, Stalin, and the Americans began to divide up the loot. The Allies were confronted with a Europe that was composed of nation-states that had too many different nations in them. Poland was filled with Germans, Czechs, and Russians. Hungary was filled with Poles, Germans, and Czechs. Czechoslovakia was filled with Hungarians, Poles, and Germans. One of the ideas to tackle this conundrum was to undertake massive population swaps, which were deadly and disastrous, and set the stage for chronic bouts of ethnic cleansing in Europe that continue to mar the continent to this day. Churchill forthrightly supported this policy, believing it to be the pragmatic path towards rapprochement between Moscow and London. The Germans living outside of Germany bore the brunt of Churchills pragmatism, as women and children with deep ties to Eastern Europe tracing back centuries were uprooted and forced to march, sometimes by foot, to a Germany they had never known.

5. Iranian coup, 1953. Like his 19th-century counterpart Otto von Bismarck, Winston Churchills policies have continued to shape the world long after death reaps body and soul. In 1953, the Middle East was a mess. The Persian Empire had followed the Ottoman path and collapsed. In its place, though, rose a constitutional monarchy with most of the power placed in the parliament and the prime minister. Unlike the Shahs, the Prime Minister of Persia was determined to to hold Persias territory together and avoid an Ottoman fate.There would be no carving up of Persia by Great Power politics. Persias fate as a victim of a British coup had as much to do with a weak Britain as it did with a firebrand, democratically elected politician. That the U.K. could not carve up Persia into spheres of influence vexed Churchill, and his short-sighted support for the coup that installed Shah Pahlavi (of Jimmy Carter fame) reflected his frustration with British impotence on the world scene. Churchills policies in the Middle East laid the groundwork for the autocratic, coup-fearing states that have come to dominate the Middle East.

4. Syria crisis with France, 1945. Churchills actions in the Middle East werent limited to backing coups, though. In 1945, Churchill stuck his thumb in the eye of imperial France by ordering troops into French-governed Syria and marching French soldiers back to their barracks under armed escort. Churchills humiliation of France caused Charles De Gaulle to rethink Frances relationship with the U.K. and the U.S., and contributed to French obstinance during the Cold War.

3. With Europe but not of it, 1930-65. Churchill was a known proponent of a European federation, which is something like the European Union today, but with more heft for a central government. Churchill, though, while urging the continentals to federate and thus cooperate more politically, maintained that the United Kingdom could never be, in good faith, a member of the European community. Churchill was dogged in his insistence that the U.K. remain aloof from European attempts at unity, and this unfortunate strain of isolationism can be seen today in the news cycle. If Churchill had taken a more open approach to the European project, it is quite likely, given his stature, that the British would not now be mired in the embarrassing scandal known as Brexit.

2. American-Soviet summit, 1950-55. Churchill desperately wanted to host a summit with the U.S. and Soviet Union in the early 1950s, for the selfish reason of preventing British decline on the world stage. His dogged efforts to get Moscow and Washington to a table set at parity with London caused him to forgive or overlook numerous Soviet atrocities.

1. Ireland, 1895-1965. The relationship between Ireland the United Kingdom is complicated to say the least, and Churchills personal history with the Emerald Isle is no different. Churchill spent a good part of his childhood in Ireland, as his father was a personal secretary for Churchills paternal grandfather, a prominent diplomat in Disraelis service. Churchill is infamous in Ireland for overseeing the creation of the Black and Tans, a temporary police force known for breaking Irish bones as well as British law. When London held a state funeral for Churchill upon his death, the Irish Republic was the only country in the world to not televise it.

Ouch.

Have a great weekend!
The Vatican's warm new relationship with the Chinese government is being hailed as a diplomatic victory by the Popes supporters. If it is a victory, Im very afraid it could very well be a pyrrhic one. If so, it will be due to a naive and misplaced trust in an authoritarian regime whose ill-will toward the faithful of any religion is growing more fierce each dayCatholicism not excluded.

Perhaps there is nothing so clarifying as seeing oppression in person.

The first thing I saw in China on my visit to adopt my daughter a few years ago robbed me of any illusions I might have had about my childs birth-country. While walking toward the bus that awaited our group at the Beijing airport, I saw a tiny, elderly beggar woman trying to approach us, seeking alms. Two uniformed policemen stopped her and roughly hustled her around the corner of an adjacent bus. There, they began beating her with their truncheons. I had never seen anyone being beaten before and, as I boarded our bus, I was weeping almost as hard as the poor old lady.

I wish I could somehow replay that scene so that Pope Francis could see it.

Of course, the cruel oppression of the weak by the powerful happens everywhere. But authoritarian, atheist China has been perfecting its techniques of repression for many decades, and Im afraid that Pope Francis may not have his finger on that nations pulse.

How else to explain the Vaticans recent agreement with China, in which the Pope granted Beijings Communist government the power to designate the bishops who will lead his Chinese flock? The 7 bishops chosen by China are members of the Catholic Patriotic Association.

The CPA is the official state-sponsored Church that Pope Benedict not so long said had statutes irreconcilable with Catholic doctrine, including complete independence from Vatican oversight. In return for giving the Chinese Communist government the power to name its Catholic bishops  an unprecedented deferral of one of a popes most significant powers  Beijing will recognize (for the first time since 1951) that the pope in Rome is the head of the Catholic Church in China. This seems rather an empty gesture, coming as it does during one of Communist Chinas periodic crackdowns on faith and believers.

Premier Xi Jinping has made no bones about his desire to crush religion, which he considers a threat to the Communist state. Assaults on Muslims, Buddhists, and Christians are ramping up. Freedom House writes that recently religious groups have been swept up in a broader tightening of CCP control over civil society and an increasingly anti-Western ideological bent under Xi Jinping. The regime routinely tortures tens of thousands of religious prisoners in China and sometimes kills them outright. Tibetan Buddhists and Uighur Muslims face even higher levels of religious persecution than do Christians. UN experts estimated in August that approximately 3 million Muslims have been sent to cultural reeducation camps just in the province of Xinjiang. According to ChinaAid, a U.S.-based non-governmental organization, recent outrages against Christians include the demolition of churches, the imprisonment of thousands of worshipers and pastors, and the removal of hundreds rooftop crosses. Just a few days ago, four brave underground priests in Hebei province who refused to join the CPA were sent away to be indoctrinated. Their flocks are heartbroken.

In China, religious persecution drives worship deep underground, out of reach to the growing millions of Chinese who feel an urgent need for transcendence and meaning beyond Communist politics. The state-sponsored churches, such as the CPA, lack the credibility of the underground movements that regularly produce martyrs of the faith. This is because, as Pope Benedict wrote in a letter to his Chinese flock, official recognition obliges the people involved to adopt attitudes, make gestures and undertake commitments that are contrary to the dictates of their conscience as Catholics. The faithful know this and are mistrustful of the government-sponsored church. It is also knows that the CPA bishops recently rubber-stamped by the Vatican as part of the deal are chosen for their complete acquiescence to the Party. They are considered to be nothing but puppets who will do what they are told.

Pope Francis message to Chinese Catholics upon the signing of the new agreement is long on reconciliation and cooperation with the communist government. It is, however, short on demands for liberty and mercy for his persecuted faithful, who understand its nigh impossible for a good Catholic to also be a good Communist. As if on cue, the Chinese government has shown their bad faith by taking an underground-Church bishop into custody for indoctrination." His crime? Refusal to join the CPA out of loyalty to Pope Francis, who elected him in 2016.

The clandestine Church in China feels abandoned, betrayed, and alone. Sadly, they have every reason to feel this way.

Once back in the United States with our new Chinese daughter, we promptly had her baptized a Roman Catholic. To us, her christening felt like a great rescue. Not only had we brought our daughter home to an adoring family and to citizenship in a country where police beatings in airport parking lots are illegal. We had also given her faith and the liberty to practice that faith openly and safely. This is something all Chinese people deserve, and something that any agreement with the Vatican should have as its first and unmovable goal.
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 12/07/2018



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

cast members always seem to be struggling financially, so how much money do the stars really make?As viewers are well aware, many cast members of the reality franchise's various seasons and spinoffs seem to have issues with their finances." pays their cast members $1,000 to $1,500 per episode," a source told RadarOnline.And as shown on TLC's currently-airing sixth season of , Leida Margaretha was disgusted by Eric Rosenbrook 's living arrangements, and Larissa Christina Dos Santos Lima was upset Colt Johnson couldn't afford to buy her an expensive couch or a luxury car.Many stars, in fact, have resorted to setting up GoFundMe pages online or charging $30-50 for personalized video messages for their biggest fans.So how much money does pay its stars for spinoffs such as : Before the 90 Days or : Happily Ever After??"Before the 90 Days makes $500 to $1,000 per episode," a source told RadarOnline.Salaries reportedly increase for those who appear on : Happily Ever After?, but the source insisted it "doesn't go up much more." These numbers also apply to the franchise's Tell All specials.As for the foreign partners or spouses on and its spinoffs, the source told RadarOnline, "They can't even get paid because they have to wait for a work permit. It's of course different if filming takes place in their county."A typical season of and its spinoffs is between 11 and 14 episodes long, so that would mean an American cast member makes anywhere between $5,500 to $21,000 for an entire season.Relatives and friends of stars reportedly make much less for appearing on the reality series. According to another RadarOnline insider, one day of filming can result in a $250 paycheck.: Before the 90 Days stars Rachel Bear and Jon Walters are so hard up for cash they haven't been able to obtain an immigration visa for Jon so he can permanently move to the United States.And one of the most memorable storylines about a couple's financial woes belonged to Happily Ever After?'s David Toborowsky and his wife Annie Suwan from Thailand, who had to move into a firehouse's storage unit because David could not afford to stay in their home. The unit didn't even provide a stove for cooking.
Cardi B arrived to Queen Country Criminal Court in New York City on Friday for an arraignment hearing on misdemeanor charges.

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The rapper and former "Love & Hip Hop: New York" star, who also received five Grammy Award nominations on Friday, was accused in August of throwing bottles and chairs at two bartenders at Angels Gentleman's Club.

The judge threatened to issue a warrant for Cardi B's arrest if she did not appear in court.

The rapper was previously scheduled to make a court appearance on Monday.

Cardi B, who wore a black coat, hat and sunglasses, was approached by multiple photographers as she entered into the courthouse.

The judge released her with no bail and gave her a warning to have no contact with the bartenders, issuing a protective order, TMZ reported.

Cardi B is scheduled to return to court next month.
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By Elizabeth Kwiatkowski, 12/07/2018



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Elizabeth Kwiatkowski is Associate Editor of Reality TV World and has been covering the reality TV genre for more than a decade.

alum Shawn Booth may have already moved on from his ex-fiancee, Kaitlyn Bristowe Shawn was recently spotted with WWE announcer and ESPN on-air personality, Charly Arnolt, following his breakup from 's eleventh-season star, Us Weekly reported "Shawn and Charly met this weekend at the Strong New York fitness event at Solace gym in NYC," a source told the magazine.The Strong New York annual event gathers fitness trainers, just like Shawn, and influencers in the health and wellness industries from all over the country.Shawn and Charly, both 31, reportedly later enjoyed brunch with a group of friends at The Gem Saloon on December 2.According to an eyewitness, the pair were spotted together again later that day on a flight to Nashville, where Shawn currently resides.Shawn and Charly -- who goes by the name of Charly Caruso professionally -- appeared "way too close" to be purely platonic, the eyewitness told Us.However, neither individual has yet to comment on the rumors, and Shawn and Charly have yet to follow each other on Instagram.Shortly after news surfaced of Shawn's alleged romantic interest in Charly, 33-year-old Kaitlyn posted a cryptic message on Instagram on Thursday."You just have to take it one 'are you f-cking kidding me' at a time," Kaitlyn wrote in an image, which she captioned, "Woosah."Shawn and Kaitlyn announced they had called off their engagement and split in a joint media statement on November 2 after several years together. Shawn had proposed marriage to Kaitlyn on finale in 2015.Shawn and Kaitlyn's relationship was reportedly on the rocks for months prior to their breakup, which Kaitlyn reportedly found " devastating ."A source, for instance, previously told Us that Shawn had "flirty eyes and was definitely talking to a bunch of chicks" during an October fitness retreat in Arizona.Interested in more The Bachelor news? Join our The Bachelor Facebook Group
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Stowe gives State of the City address at First Friday Coffee
What makes Athens, Athens is not just the community but places that bring this community together. From collecting in the sticky summers for AthFest, enjoying local artisans at Indie South's markets or hitting one of the many vintage shops around town, there's more than enough to do in Athens year 'round. We joined locals to pick the best things of 2018 to do both night and day in the city that never stops rockin'.
Krishnamurthy Subramanian had also claimed that the perception of the poor suffering because of the note ban was overblown by the Opposition.

The tenure of Krishnamurthy Subramanian, associate professor and executive director of the Centre for Analytical Finance at the Indian School of Business (ISB), Hyderabad, who was appointed chief economic advisor for three years by the government on Friday, will start on the day he takes charge.

Officials said he was expected to report to North Block in a few weeks. Subramanians predecessor, Arvind Subramanian, vacated office nearly three-and-a-half months back.

At the ISB, Subramanian teaches a course on corporate control, mergers, and acquisitions. His expertise is in banking and corporate governance.

Subramanians first major task as CEA will be contributing to the process of preparing the interim Budget before the Lok Sabha elections next year. He will also work on the Economic Survey for 2018-19, likely to be presented before the full Budget for 2019-20 in July.

He is taking on the role at a time when growth has slowed to 7.1 per cent (July-September data), and debates are raging on liquidity and the credit situation in the financial sector. The country is also headed to elections, possibly in summer next year.

Old hand

Subramanian is not new to making policies. Known as Subbu to friends and students, he was a member of the Reserve Bank of Indias P J Nayak committee on governance of the boards of public sector banks (PSBs). He has also served on the Securities and Exchange Board of Indias (Sebis) committee on corporate governance, led by Uday Kotak.

He also contributed to the Economic Survey of 2014-15, according to his profile on the ISB website. Subramanian is a member of a number of other Sebi committees, including those on primary markets, secondary markets, inter-operability of exchanges, and alternative investments.

As part of his corporate policy work, Subramanian serves on the boards of Bandhan Bank, the first bank to be licensed since Independence in east India, the National Institute of Bank Management, and the RBI Academy.

Friends and opinions

Subramanian has a PhD from The University of Chicago Booth School of Business, where one of his advisors was former RBI governor Raghuram Rajan, who has criticised various government policies since demitting office. He is also close to current RBI deputy governor Viral Acharya, whose speech in October had made the differences between the central bank and the government evident.

The friendship between Subramanian and Acharya is expected to open up another informal channel of communication between the government and the central bank. His predecessor Arvind Subramanian was reportedly not always on friendly terms with the RBI.

The new CEA was at one time under consideration to become a member of the RBIs monetary policy committee. He has written in favour of demonetisation, calling it a revolutionary move to fight corruption, also claiming that the perception of the poor suffering because of the note ban was overblown by the Opposition.

However, he has not shied away from criticising the government either.

Subramanian has said the governments decision to merge weaker banks such as Dena Bank and Vijaya Bank with stronger ones such as Bank of Baroda will not solve the problem of bad loans in the system, and more reforms were required to improve the financial health of PSBs.

A shining career

Subramanian topped his batch at the Indian Institute of Management, Calcutta, and graduated with a degree in electrical engineering from the Indian Institute of Technology, Kanpur. In previous academic roles, he has been on the finance faculty at Goizueta Business School at Emory University in the US.

Before beginning his academic career, Subramanian worked as a consultant with JPMorgan Chase in New York. He also served in a management role in the derivatives research group at ICICI.

Photograph: Courtesy, ISB Hyderabad
IMAGE: Former Janta Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav in in Ranchi. Photograph: PTI Photo

Facing flak for his remarks against Rajasthan Chief Minister Vasundhara Raje, former Janata Dal-United leader Sharad Yadav on Saturday expressed regret for "hurting" her and said he would write to her.

Raje has demanded that the Election Commission take cognisance of Yadav's "insulting" remarks and taken action against him.

"I have seen her (Raje's) comments. Our relations are very old. If she thinks whatever I had said has hurt her, I express my regret for that," Yadav told reporters.

"I will also write a letter to her," he added.

Yadav, a former JD(U) Rajya Sabha member, while campaigning for Loktantrik Janata Dal in Alwar in Rajasthan on Wednesday, had called Raje fat and asked people to give her rest.

After criticism from various quarters, Yadav had said it was a joke and that he had no intention of hurting Raje and it was not meant to be derogatory in any way.

Reacting to his remarks, Raje had said, "I feel insulted. This is insult of women". The BJP leader said she was "absolutely shocked" and did not expect such a comment from an experienced leader.

It is important that the Election Commission takes cognisance of this and sets an example so people don't repeat such a thing in future, she had added.

A video of Yadav was circulated on social media with many labelling his comments crass and misogynistic.

Communist Party of India-Marxist leader Brinda Karat had echoed Raje's call for an apology from Yadav.

"A senior leader like Sharad Yadav making such a derogatory comment on a woman leader, who is also a chief minister, is extremely objectionable. He should withdraw his statement and offer an apology," she had said.

Yadav also met jailed RJD chief Lalu Prasad at Rajendra Institute of Medical Sciences here. He, however, refused to reveal details of their meeting.

To queries on Prasad's health, he said that the former Bihar chief minister was much better now.

Yadav also condemned the Bulandshahr violence in which a police inspector and a youth were killed.
IMAGE: Prime Minister Narendra Modi addresses an election rally in Rajasthan. Photograph: @BJP4India/Twitter

Congress president Rahul Gandhi attacked Prime Minister Narendra Modi Saturday over a retired army officer's remarks that it would have been better if the 2016 surgical strikes were carried out secretly, alleging that the PM used the military action for "political capital".

Lt Gen. (retd) D S Hooda, responding to a question during a panel discussion at the Military Literature Festival in Chandigarh Friday, had said in hindsight, it would have been better had "we done it (surgical strikes) secretly".

Hooda was the Northern Army commander when Indian troopers carried out the surgical strikes on September 29, 2016 across the Line of Control as a response to a terror attack in Uri earlier that month.

Taking to Twitter, Gandhi said: "Spoken like a true soldier General. India is so proud of you. Mr 36 has absolutely no shame in using our military as a personal asset.

"He used the surgical strikes for political capital and the Rafale deal to increase Anil Ambani's real capital by 30,000 Cr. #SurgicalStrike (sic)."

Congress's chief spokesperson Randeep Surjewala thanked Hooda for "exposing the petty politicisation by PM Modi".

"No one can use the valour & sacrifice of our brave soldiers to score cheap political points. Modiji is squarely guilty of compromising National Security & Strategic Interests by unwarranted chest thumping!" he wrote on Twitter.

Hooda had also said the initial euphoria about the success of the surgical strikes was natural but the constant maintenance of the hype around the military operation was unwarranted.

Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi, at a press conference here, alleged that "this government is guilty of the most crass and cheap politicisation of the Army".

"Anonymity of the army is its biggest strength and it was maintained by every government except this one. But we are grateful that some amount of truth is coming out, and it is coming out at the highest level," he said.

Meanwhile, army's Northern Command Chief Lt Gen Ranbir Singh said that rhe 2016 surgical strikes were a successful tactical operation which conveyed a clear message to Pakistan to stop any misadventure along the Line of Control.

"From military point of view, these were successful tactical operations, which conveyed a very strategic message and the Indian Army was able to convey a very clear message to Pakistan that should they not stop any kind of misadventure along the LoC, they shall be given befitting reply," Singh told reporters in Punjab's Kapurthala on the sidelines of his visit to Sainik School, his alma mater.

The then Director General of Military Operations, who had announced the operation at a press conference, refused to comment on the politicisation of surgical strikes.

Singh said all actions carried out by the army along the LoC were carried out in an extremely professional manner to meet the national aspirations and achieve the military objectives.

He said there are many other options to check infiltration of terrorists from across the border.

Surgical strike is only one of the options through which we stop infiltration. The armed forces have a range of options and they are being analysed at all times and the best course of action is put into effect, he said.

Responding to a question about possible attempts to revive militancy in Punjab, Singh said Pakistan was trying to extend the "arc of terrorism" beyond Kashmir and the Army was taking all measures to arrest the spread.

The armed forces in Jammu and Kashmir are fully capable of carrying out any task, he said.

This, he said, is the reason that the situation in the state is completely stable.

If any untoward incident takes place, the armed forces act quickly to restore peace and stability, he added.
WASHINGTON  NASA has awarded a $5,000 grant to the robotics team at The Gunnery, which will be participating in the 2019 FIRST Robotics Competition. This is the second consecutive year that NASA has awarded a grant to The Gunnery. Its robotics team, known as The Gunnery Gears, was one of just two teams in Connecticut to receive Program Growth Grants from the NASA Robotics Alliance Project for the 2019 season. Two additional teams in the state received Sustaining Grants from NASA.

The grant awarded to The Gunnery will be applied to the cost of registration in the FIRST Robotics New England District Competition set for March 15 to 17 at Bedford High School in Bedford, N.H., and at a second competition, April 5-7 at Hartford Public High School.

The Gunnerys second-year team is comprised of 17 students, from freshmen to seniors, and includes six veterans from the 2017-2018 academic year. All of the team members are enrolled in the robotics courses offered as part of The Gunnerys engineering program, known on campus as IDEAS (Innovation, Design, Engineering and Applied Scholarship). Classes meet four times a week throughout the winter term and are taught by Monte Blaustein, a member of the science faculty and Director of the IDEAS Program, and Ed Small, the Anne S. and Ogden D. Miller Senior Master and a member of the math faculty, who serve as mentors for the robotics team.

In addition to learning from the experience of veteran team members, the second-year team has the advantage of being able to use last seasons robot as a prototype that they can study, learn from, and even practice driving. We had a lot of lessons learned. Were going to take advantage of the next two weeks to become more adept at the skills we will need to build the robot, Blaustein said. For example, the group thats doing the electrical and pneumatic systems will look over last years robot, determine what parts they will need, and start to lay out a generic control system that will be modified when we learn what this years project is.

According to FIRST Robotics, all teams have just six weeks to design, build and program a robot to complete a specific series of tasks during competition. Participants will get a first look at what their robots must do on January 5, 2019, when FIRST Robotics kicks off this years challenge, Destination: Deep Space, live on Twitch at 10 a.m. Thats when the clock really starts ticking.

More for you Gunnery presents Friend of the Green Award

In the meantime, Blaustein said members of The Gunnery Gears will be using of modified version of the Stanford design school curriculum to become better designers. As part of a five-step process, students will be asked to empathize with their customer (or in the case of the robot, their goal), clearly define their objective, brainstorm ideas, sketch a prototype, and test their design so they can learn from it. This same process is being utilized by students in the schools Building Design class, who are designing a new dormitory for The Gunnery campus based on actual requirements. It would house 56 students and include seven faculty apartments.

This is just one example of how we are sharing information and problem-solving approaches across the IDEAS curriculum, Blaustein said, noting that in robotics, students also are applying what the Construction Management class learned this fall about what its like to work on a project with multiple teams. Each student on the robotics team has been assigned to one of six subteams, which are working on various aspects of the robot design and will chart their progress over the course of six weeks. These subteams will oversee everything from the computer programming and electrical and pneumatic systems required to make the robot move, to the bumpers that will protect it from collisions with other robots in the pit, to fabricating parts using the CNC machine and 3-D printer in the IDEAS center, and final assembly. There is even a team assigned to adding a cool factor to the robots appearance, by enhancing the design with color and lights, and promoting the team via social media, he said.

While all of the schools IDEAS courses continue to surge in popularity among current and prospective students, the size of the robotics team alone increased 55 percent over last year. There are a lot of students who want to be in it because of last year. They know its fun, and theres a competitive aspect to it, said Blaustein, who is already working on plans to offer a yearlong engineering course in the 2019-2020 academic year.

For more information about The Gunnery, please visit Gunnery.org.
SVOBODNY, Russia -- In the center of this Far Eastern city sits the neat new brick office building that houses the local headquarters of Gazprom. It is surrounded by decades-old buildings in various states of disuse and disrepair.

"They came to our city as guests," local resident Dmitry Bush tells RFE/RL. "But now they run the place like they own it. They built big, beautiful buildings from lovely brick. They laid down sidewalks around them and hung their flags outside. And they blocked us out with fences as if we were lepers."

"And at the same time," Bush adds, "their bulldozers destroyed our last half-decent roads."

Svobodny -- originally called Alekseyevsk -- was founded in 1912 as a company town of the Trans-Siberian railway. Renamed after the Bolshevik coup in 1917, it became a major gulag camp under dictator Josef Stalin and home to 190,000 repressed people by 1935, many of whose descendants still populate the region. Its population has contracted by more than one-third since the collapse of the Soviet Union to some 54,000.

In recent years, though, the story of this Amur regional administrative center has truly been a tale of two cities.

On one hand, it's home to two massive development projects and economic incentives earmarked for turning around acutely depressed regions. On the other, it's become a symbol of failing infrastructure and despair for a dwindling local population that is increasingly frustrated at official corruption and a perceived failure to seize a "window of opportunity" to make the city livable again for its beleaguered residents.

Its two big projects should arguably provide some relief. They are the Vostochny civilian space center being built at a cost of at least 900 billion rubles ($28 billion) in hopes of domesticating Russian space launches currently mostly farmed out to a Soviet-era cosmodrome in Kazakhstan; and Gazprom's enormous Amur Gas-Processing Plant, which is projected to be the second-largest facility of its type in the world when it is completed in 2027.

In June 2017, Svobodny was granted the status of a "territory of retarded socioeconomic development," opening it up to a raft of possible tax and business incentives aimed at "developing small and medium-sized business, attracting investment, [and] creating jobs."

In October, the Far East Development Ministry announced that the development plan for the Svobodny economic zone -- one of 18 such zones in the Far East Federal District -- had been completed and submitted for approval.

The Other Half

But the city also attracted national attention that same month when a road bridge over the Trans-Siberia railway collapsed under the weight of a loaded truck.

"Now we have to walk to and from work," says Svetlana Yarovaya, who works in a local bakery. "The buses used to charge 25 rubles, but now they charge 50 and only take you to a place where you can walk across the rails at your own risk. At one such place, they have posted a woman, but what good does she do? The trains aren't going to stop to let me through."

"I work in a bakery from 4:30 a.m. until the evening," she added. "Now I barely even go to bed before I have to get up again. And you should try crossing those tracks during the night. I'm planning to quit -- it isn't worth risking my life every day."

In November, a 20-year-old man was killed trying to cross the rails.

Local authorities have not announced plans to replace the bridge, the absence of which has virtually cut off 20 percent of the city's population.

"Of course, we are in shock," says Mikhail, a local who asked to be identified by his first name and who works at the gas-processing-plant construction site. "Luckily we have a car. Our kids go to school in the city and my wife and I work there. I used to get up at 7 a.m. and now I get up at 5:30. The alternative road is pretty bad and steep...and now there are always traffic jams. I can't imagine how people are going to manage it in the winter when it is slippery.... There is one other road, but it is even worse."

Even before the bridge collapse, Svobodny's image took a blow in July when Mayor Yury Romanov resigned after less than a year in office and was subsequently arrested and charged with accepting kickbacks during the privatization of city property.

'There Is Nothing Here'

Residents of Svobodny had high hopes when the Gazprom project was announced, but now many are disappointed. At the time, the company and local officials promised new construction and renovation throughout the city, which would become home to the estimated 3,000 workers expected to be employed at the Amur Gas-Processing Plant.

But now the company has announced plans to build a company-owned residential district near the plant for its future workers. That move repeats the city's experience with the Vostochny cosmodrome, which constructed the artificial town of Tsiolkovsky for its employees.

"What has changed since we gained 'special status' three years ago? Absolutely nothing," says longtime resident Aleksandr Potapenko. "We walk along the same pitted sidewalks and drive on the same practically unpaved roads. There isn't one decent supermarket or shopping center in town. We travel to the regional center [Blagoveshchensk] to do our shopping just like we always have. Except for some swings that were set up by a local businessman, there is nothing here for the children."

He added that the city suffers from chronic water and electricity shutoffs.

"That's a city with 'the president's attention' for you," Potapenko says.

The governor of the Primorsky region, Vasily Orlov, seems to agree with this assessment. "Today Svobodny is the target of particular attention," he told a business forum in November. "Business here has an absolutely unique window of opportunity over the entire region. We have been talking about this now for three years."

"But unfortunately, entrepreneurs have not been able to take full advantage of this window," he added. "Despite enormous demand for the services of small and medium-sized businesses, particularly in the services sector, entrepreneurs have been unable to satisfy that demand. You cannot even understand, most likely, how badly the city of Svobodny needs you."

Lyudmila Liskaya, who owns a small business on the newly isolated side of the railroad tracks, says the new projects have actually drained the town of much of the minimal economic life it had before.

"People are running away from local enterprises," she tells RFE/RL. "Gazprom is promising wages like we have never seen before. We don't have enough profit to pay people like that. That's the way it has turned out...and now it is even worse without the bridge. I'm going to shut down. Maybe I'll try to open something in the city. But [the isolated district of] Zalineiny is dying."

Aleksandr Turkin, a human-resources specialist in Svobodny, tells RFE/RL that many of the people who take jobs at the Gazprom construction site use the opportunity to work there for a few months, living on-site and saving their salaries, to bankroll a move away from the Far East for good.

Written by Robert Coalson based on reporting by correspondent Maryana Rimskaya of the Siberia Desk of RFE/RL's Russian Service
Iranian President Hassan Rohani has denounced U.S. sanctions as "economic terrorism," and predicted if they succeed and Iran is weakened, the West will be flooded by illegal drugs.

Rohani made the remark in Tehran on December 8 at a six-nation conference on fighting terrorism. It is being attended by parliament speakers from Afghanistan, Iran, Pakistan, Turkey, China, and Russia.

In remarks broadcast by state TV, Rohani said a weakened Iran would be less able to fight drug trafficking.

Iran lies on a major drug route between Afghanistan and Europe and the Persian Gulf states.

Iran's economy is reeling after Washington reimposed sanctions lifted under Tehran's 2015 nuclear deal with world powers.

U.S. President Donald Trump withdrew the United States from the international Iranian nuclear deal in May.

Trump said the deal was flawed because it did not include curbs on Iran's development of ballistic missiles or its support for proxies in Syria, Yemen, Lebanon, and Iraq.

The State Department's latest annual survey on global terrorism listed Iran as the world's leading state sponsor of terrorism.

"America's unjust and illegal sanctions against the honorable nation of Iran have targeted our nation in a clear instance of terrorism," Rohani said.

Rohani attempted to draw parallels with the sanctions and other pressure faced by the countries attending the conference.

"When they put pressure on China's trade, we are all harmed.... By punishing Turkey, we are all punished. Any time they threaten Russia, we too consider our security to be endangered," he said.

"When they impose sanctions on Iran, they deprive all of us of the benefits of international trade, energy security, and sustainable development. And in fact, they impose sanctions on everyone. We are here to say that we don't intend to tolerate such insolence."

The conference in Tehran was the second regional meeting on terrorism -- the first was held last December in Islamabad.

The survey on global terrorism, released by the State Department on September 19, said Iran and its proxies were responsible for intensifying multiple conflicts and undermining U.S. interests in the region.

"Designated as a state sponsor of terrorism in 1984, Iran continued its terrorist-related activity in 2017, including support for Lebanese Hizballah, Palestinian terrorist groups in Gaza, and various groups in Syria, Iraq, and throughout the Middle East," the report said.

With reporting by AP and AFP
Few activists today can speak firsthand about the creation of the Moscow Helsinki Group, Russia's oldest operating human rights organization, 40 years ago.

Lyudmila Alekseyeva is one of them.

At 88, she is Russia's best-known human rights activist and among the last Soviet-era dissidents still active in the country.

She is also one of the group's founders and its current head.

In an interview with RFE/RL's Russian Service this week, Alekseyeva recalled how fellow dissident Yury Orlov first came up with the idea to establish the Moscow Helsinki Group.

"In early May 1976, he called me and asked, 'Lyuda, the weather is beautiful, would you like to go for a walk in downtown Moscow?'" she said. "We were on friendly terms, but we usually met only for work. I understood that he was inviting me to talk outside, since our homes were tapped."

The pair met and Orlov laid out his plan to establish an organization that would monitor the Soviet Union's compliance with the principles enshrined in the Helsinki Accords.

The accords were signed in August 1975 by the Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, and all European countries except Albania, which became a signatory in 1991 -- 35 states in total.

The goal was to reduce tensions between the communist bloc and the West and uphold respect for fundamental freedoms.

Alekseyeva immediately backed Orlov's proposition.

Days later, on May 12, 1976, the Moscow Helsinki Group was created, with Orlov, Alekseyeva, and a dozen other prominent dissidents as founding members.

Promising Academic Career

At that time, Alekseyeva had already been campaigning for a decade.

An archaeologist by training, she had grown disillusioned with the Soviet Union and abandoned what had started as a promising academic career.

She defended dissidents who had run afoul of Soviet authorities, including writers Andrei Siniavsky and Yuli Daniel, sentenced to prison for criticizing Soviet authorities in the foreign press.

She also clandestinely worked as a typist for the Chronicle of Current Events, the leading "samizdat" underground publication detailing human rights violations in the U.S.S.R.

She says her typing skills proved invaluable to the group, which regularly sent reports to all Helsinki Accord signatories denouncing the Soviet Union's human rights violations.

Soviet authorities immediately retaliated.

Alekseyeva says only three of the group's founders, including herself, evaded arrest.

She eventually fled to the United States with her family in 1977.

WATCH: Lyudmila Alekseyeva On Her Hopes For Russia

The Moscow Helsinki Group quickly ceased its activities.

"Those who had not been imprisoned announced that they were halting their work, because absolutely all its members faced jail," she recalled. "This was the right thing to do. If they had been arrested, there would have been no group left anyway."

In the United States, Alekseyeva continued advocating for human rights and took up freelance work for RFE/RL and Voice of America.

In 1985, she published her first book, Soviet Dissent, devoted to the history of the dissident movement.

In 1990, she issued Thaw Generation, an autobiography co-authored by Paul Goldberg.

Tireless Campaigner

The Soviet Union collapsed the following year, and in 1993, after 16 years in exile, Alekseyeva and her husband were finally able to return home.

She soon grew into a leading figure of the human rights movement, tirelessly denouncing rights abuses under former President Boris Yeltsin and his successor, Vladimir Putin.

She has vigorously denounced rampant abuse against civilians in war-ravaged Chechnya and, later, the killing of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya and rights campaigner Natalya Estemirova.

Both women had actively worked to uncover atrocities committed against the local population by pro-Moscow law-enforcement officials and separatist rebels.

Alekseyeva has also taken a strong stand against a raft of Kremlin initiatives, including the introduction of harsh new restrictions on nongovernmental organizations in Russia.

Her crusade for human rights elicited international praise and accolades, including the Sakharov Prize, the Vaclav Havel Human Rights Prize of the Parliamentary Assembly of the Council of Europe (PACE), and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

It also earned her enemies.

In 2006, Russian authorities accused her of involvement with British intelligence. She was vilified by pro-Kremlin youth groups, who branded her a Nazi and one of the nation's greatest foes.

In March 2010, she was assaulted at a Moscow metro station while paying her respects to the victims of a bombing attack there a few days earlier.

WATCH: Rights Activist Lyudmila Alekseyeva Attacked In Moscow

Alekseyeva, already walking with difficulty, was famously detained on December 31, 2009, for leading an unsanctioned New Year's Eve protest dressed up as Snow Maiden.

But despite her acerbic attacks against the Kremlin, her age and the respect she inspires have shielded her from more serious trouble with authorities.

Last year, she agreed to return to rejoin the presidential human rights council, which she had quit in 2012 citing interference from the Kremlin. She said she would use her seat on the council to fight against the persecution of NGOs under what's been dubbed the "foreign agent" law and to denounce what she described as the rollback on human rights and democratic freedoms in Russia.

Alekseyeva has chaired the Moscow Helsinki Group since 1996.


Lyudmila Alekseyeva, a veteran defender of human rights and a prominent Russian opposition figure, has died in Moscow. She was 91.

"She remained a human rights activist until the last moments. She really lived her life for her friends. This is a terrible loss for the entire human rights community," Mikhail Fedotov, head of the Russian presidential council of human rights, said in a statement.

No cause of death was given, but the council said she had been treated several times in Moscows City Clinical Hospital No. 15 for unspecified ailments.

"This was not the first time she came to this hospital. Doctors have repeatedly saved her in the most difficult situations, but there are situations where doctors are powerless. That is exactly what happened today," the council said in the statement.

Once described by The Moscow Times as "the matriarch of Russia's human rights community," Alekseyeva had been involved in rights campaigning since the 1960s.

An archaeologist by training, she quickly grew disillusioned by the Soviet Union and abandoned what had started as a promising academic career.

She campaigned for dissidents who had run afoul of Soviet authorities, including writers Andrei Siniavsky and Yuli Daniel, sentenced to prison for criticizing Soviet authorities in the foreign press.

She also clandestinely worked as a typist for the Chronicle Of Current Events, the leading "samizdat" underground publication detailing human rights violations in the U.S.S.R.

In an interview with RFE/RL's Russian Service in May 2016, Alekseyeva recalled how fellow dissident Yury Orlov first came up with the idea to establish the Moscow Helsinki Group.

"In early May 1976, he called me and asked, 'Lyuda, the weather is beautiful, would you like to go for a walk in downtown Moscow?'" she said. "We were on friendly terms, but we usually met only for work. I understood that he was inviting me to talk outside, since our homes were bugged."

The pair met and Orlov laid out his plan to establish an organization that would monitor the Soviet Union's compliance with the principles enshrined in the Helsinki Accords.

The accords were signed in August 1975 by the Soviet Union, the United States, Canada, and all European countries except Albania, which became a signatory in 1991 -- 35 states in total.

The goal was to reduce tensions between the communist bloc and the West and uphold respect for fundamental freedoms.

Alekseyeva immediately backed Orlov's proposition.

Days later, on May 12, 1976, the Moscow Helsinki Group was created, with Orlov, Alekseyeva, and a dozen other prominent dissidents as founding members.

Soviet authorities immediately retaliated. Alekseyeva says only three of the group's founders, including herself, evaded arrest.

"For many, she was and will remain the soul of the human rights movement, an example we should try to be worthy of," an obituary posted on the Moscow Helsinki Group official site says.

She eventually fled to the United States with her family in 1977, where she continued advocating for human rights and took up freelance work for RFE/RL and Voice of America.

In 1985, she published her first book, Soviet Dissent, devoted to the history of the dissident movement. She followed that in 1990 by issuing Thaw Generation, an autobiography co-authored by Paul Goldberg.

The Soviet Union collapsed the following year, and in 1993, after 16 years in exile, Alekseyeva and her husband were finally able to return home.

She returned to being a leading figure of the human rights movement, tirelessly denouncing rights abuses under former President Boris Yeltsin.

Most recently, Alekseyeva's target had been the soft authoritarian regime introduced by President Vladimir Putin and his all-powerful ruling party, United Russia.

Her frail frame hid an unwavering resolve as she led demonstrations and gave conferences around the world to press for freedoms and human rights in Russia.

She was a talented orator and was often called upon to address demonstrators at rallies, such as one in Moscow in March 2011.

"We are not the ones who decide who will lead the country. It is those who are in power who decide, and of course they make decisions based on their own interests. This regime put in place by United Russia has shown that it does not take our interests into account," she said.

Kremlin spokesman Dmitry Peskov late on December 8 told the Interfax news agency that Putin "appreciates Lyudmila Alekseyeva's contribution to the development of civil society in Russia."



He added that Putin respected her positions on many issues and that the president had sent a letter of condolences to her family.



Alekseyevas crusade for human rights elicited international praise and accolades, including the Sakharov Prize and a nomination for the Nobel Peace Prize.

But it also earned her enemies.

In 2006, Russian authorities accused her of involvement with British intelligence. She was vilified by pro-Kremlin youth groups, who branded her a Nazi and one of the nation's greatest foes.

In March 2010, she was assaulted at a Moscow subway station while paying her respects to the victims of a bombing attack there a few days earlier.

Alekseyeva, already walking with difficulty, was famously detained on December 31, 2009, for leading an unsanctioned New Years Eve protest dressed up as Snow Maiden.

Her arrest sparked outrage in Russia and beyond, with top U.S. and European Union officials penning strongly worded disapprovals.

She vigorously denounced rampant abuse against civilians in war-ravaged Chechnya and, later, the killing of investigative journalist Anna Politkovskaya and rights campaigner Natalya Estemirova.

Both women had actively worked to uncover atrocities committed against the local population by pro-Moscow law enforcement officials and separatist rebels.

Alekseyeva blamed both the Kremlin and its handpicked leader in Chechnya, Ramzan Kadyrov, for the killings of activists battling rights violations in the North Caucasus.

"It is the duty of Ramzan Kadyrov, as president of Chechnya, to create conditions there that prevent such killings from taking place. He has failed to do that. This is why he is guilty, regardless of who killed these people and why," she said.

Alekseyeva took a strong stand against a raft of Kremlin initiatives, including the mass deportations of Georgian citizens in 2006 and the introduction of harsh new restrictions on nongovernmental organizations operating in Russia.

When anticorruption lawyer Sergei Magnitsky died in pretrial detention in 2009, she actively lobbied for a probe into his death.

Her activism deepened after she quit the president's human rights council in June 2012, citing interference from the Kremlin.

She spent her remaining years doing what she had done for the best of her life: warning against the rollback on human rights and democratic freedoms in Russia.

"A serious onslaught is being waged on all the rights of citizens -- on their voting rights, on their right to expression, as well as on their right to unite. All of these rights are guaranteed by our constitution, but our authorities have long forgotten about its existence," she said.

Despite her acerbic attacks against the Kremlin, the reverence she inspired shielded her from serious trouble with authorities.

Putin even made sure to congratulate her on her 90th birthday and even granted her a state award for human rights in December 2017.

But Alekseyeva, who had been an activist for more than three decades when Putin was first elected in 2000, already had become deeply disillusioned with his leadership during his first two terms as president.

In an interview in 2012, shortly after Putin returned to the presidency following a four-year stint as prime minister, Alekseyeva told Reuters that when she first met Putin in 2002, she was impressed by his humility and willingness to listen to activists like herself.

But when they met again in 2006, Putin was "a different man," who had come "to believe that everyone wants him to stay in power," she said.

"He doesn't understand. It's a terrible thing to have power.... Very few people can handle it properly," she added.

Alekseyeva leaves behind two sons, Sergei and Mikhail.
Three civilians have been killed after their vehicle struck a roadside bomb in Afghanistan's western Herat Province, officials said.

A spokesman for the provincial governor said the December 8 attack occurred in the Guzra district.

No one immediately claimed responsibility for the attack, but the spokesman, Gelani Farhad, blamed Taliban insurgents, who are active in the area.

In eastern Nangarhar Province, three members of the Islamic State (IS) group were arrested during a military operation in Bahsud district, said Attahullah Khogyani, spokesman for the provincial governor.

Khogyani said one of them is a member of the group's press department who was responsible for IS propaganda in Nangarhar.

Both Taliban and IS militants are active in eastern Afghanistan, especially in Nangarhar Province.

There was no immediate statement from the IS group.

In northern Kunduz Province, at least four Taliban insurgents were killed by their own bomb, according to a statement released by the Afghan National Army on December 8.

The blast reportedly took place in the Qala-e Zal district as they tried to plant it and it detonated.

Based on reporting by dpa and AP
U.S. prosecutors have laid out in court details of what they say are lies by former top associates of President Donald Trump regarding their interactions with Russian contacts, charges that will likely lead to long prison terms for the two men.

The accusations against former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort and former personal lawyer Michael Cohen were made in separate filings late on December 7 in federal court.

Despite the allegations against former top associates of Trump, the White House late on December 7 issued a statement saying the filings offered nothing new or damaging about the president and blamed the media for "trying to create a story where there isn't one."

Special Counsel Robert Mueller is investigating alleged Russian meddling in the 2016 presidential election and whether there was collusion between associates of Trump and Russia.

Moscow denies it interfered, despite substantial evidence. Trump has repeatedly denied collusion between his team and Russia.

Mueller's office charged in U.S. District Court in Washington that Manafort made "multiple discernible lies" regarding his contacts with Russian-Ukrainian political consultant Konstantin Kilimnik, violating the terms of a previous plea deal.

The filing states Manafort lied about Kilimnik's efforts to tamper with witnesses, the circumstances around a $125,000 payment to a firm working for Manafort, and Manafort's contacts with Trump administration officials.

Muellers office also said Manafort told investigators he spoke with officials only prior to and after they had left the Trump administration. But prosecutors allege that a review of Manaforts electronic documents shows he had "additional contacts" with the officials.

Manafort's lawyers deny he lied, and it will be up to a judge to rule on whether he broke his plea deal.

The 69-year-old Manafort already faces years in prison after pleading guilty to conspiracy counts in the Washington court and being convicted of financial fraud crimes at a Virginia court, which is scheduled to sentence him in February.

He pleaded guilty in September in the Washington case and had agreed to cooperate with the investigation. He is being held in jail after his bail was revoked.

Manafort did political work for Moscow-friendly former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and his party, and undisclosed lobbying work he admitted to performing on behalf of Ukraine in violation of U.S. law.

Manafort joined Trump's presidential campaign in March 2016 and became chairman but resigned five months later.

Meanwhile, prosecutors in Manhattan asked a judge to sentence Cohen to a "substantial prison term after he admitted to paying a porn actress money to keep her from embarrassing Trump during the 2016 election.

Some of the money that was paid to the women allegedly came from shell corporations that Cohen set up, and with money that was allegedly provided by Trump.

Investigators have been looking at whether the money Trump allegedly paid could constitute a contribution to his election effort, and whether it should have been disclosed under federal election law.

Mueller asked a judge for no additional prison time for Cohen on a separate set of charges that said the lawyer lied about potential Moscow real estate development that could have brought Trumps business hundreds of millions of dollars from Russian sources."

The filing detailed how Cohen spoke to a Russian as early as 2015 who "claimed to be a 'trusted person' in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign 'political synergy' and 'synergy on a government level,'" although the meeting never took place.

Cohen, who has been cooperating with Mueller, pleaded guilty to charges including tax, bank, and campaign-finance fraud in August.

Cohen worked for years for Trumps business organization, serving as a "fixer," to help out with business deals and other matters.

Cohen is scheduled to be sentence on December 12 on all the federal charges he has pleaded guilty to.

The moves follow the release of a sentencing memo on December 4 by the special counsel's office regarding Trump's first national security adviser, Michael Flynn.

In December 2017, 10 months after being fired by Trump, Flynn pleaded guilty to charges of lying to FBI investigations about secretive conversations with the Russian ambassador to the United States, Sergei Kislyak.

Mueller recommended no prison time for Flynn because of the assistance he has provided prosecutors, but he offered few details into the scope of that cooperation.

With reporting by Mike Eckel, AP, Reuters, and AFP
U.S. authorities are seeking the extradition of a top executive of China's Huawei Technologies over charges that she misled U.S. banks over the companys business dealings with Iran.

No decision was reached after a six-hour bail hearing in a court in Vancouver, Canada, meaning that Meng Wanzhou will spend the weekend in jail. The hearing will resume on December 10.

Meng, 46, was arrested in Vancouver on December 1 while changing planes on a trip from Hong Kong to Mexico.

Some experts say the arrest of Meng will intensify tensions between Beijing and Washington, which are embroiled in a dispute over trade practices and tariffs.

Meng is deputy chairman of Huawei's board and the daughter of its founder, Ren Zhengfei.

Huawei is the world's largest supplier of network equipment used by phone and Internet companies. U.S. intelligence officials have accused it of being a front for spying by the Chinese military and security services.

Meng faces U.S. allegations that she covered up her company's links to a firm that tried to sell equipment to Iran despite sanctions against Tehran.

John Gibb-Carsley, a Canadian government lawyer, asked that bail for Meng be denied, claiming that she has been accused of "conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions" and faces more than 30 years in prison if convicted.

Gibb-Carsley alleged that Meng had personally denied to bankers any direct connections between Huawei and the subsidiary, SkyCom. In fact, he said, "SkyCom is Huawei."

In a brief statement released on December 8, Huawei said it had "every confidence that the Canadian and U.S. legal systems will reach the right conclusion" over the arrest.

Based on reporting by Reuters, AP, and AFP
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Participants during the discussion on topic 'Evolving Challenges in Indian defense' at the second day of the ongoing MLF 2018

Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh, December 8: War veterans and defence experts on Saturday regretted the reluctance of the central government to take inputs from them in drafting the countrys defence strategy and called for brainstorming for a long-term cohesive combat and defence plan. At a session on `Evolving Challenges in Indian Defence, on the second day of Military Literature Festival 2018, here today, they underlined the need for decision makers to ensure that, along with a booming economy, there should be no shortage of funds for the armed forces.

Gen. VP Malik (Retd), former Indian Army Chief, was the moderator of this session, while Lt. Gen. KJ Singh (Retd), Col PK Vasudeva (Retd), Lt. Gen. Aditya Singh (Retd), senior journalists Dinesh Kumar and Vishnu Som were on the panel. Vishnu Som said that our next door neighbour, China, was spending heavily on its internal as well as external defence, and their drone based and aerial warfare technology was by far the best in the world at present.

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China is also developing stealth armed drones, which makes it impossible for the target to defend itself, he said, pointing out that the Chinese J-20 aircraft is the first operational stealth fighter jet of the world. He said that there are several other military based technologies and equipment, which, if handed over to Pakistan, could be a cause of trouble for India.

Lt. Gen. Aditya Singh (Retd) said that China is also bringing Artificial Intelligence (AI) in drones, which is equipped with face recognition features. He said that the future of war would be the war of drones and robots along with hyper sonic aircrafts. Gen. VP Malik (Retd) said that along with these, the next warfare would also be cyber and space based. Col PK Vasudeva (Retd) questioned whether India was spending enough on its Armed forces as compared to China.

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In case of any conflicts, I can frankly say that we will not be able to face as blatantly as we have done in 1971 or 1965. What has happened? Army is basically indulging in counter insurgency, counter terrorism operations in Jammu & Kashmir and North East. Our soldiers are suffering because there are a large number of casualties because of lack of equipment, small arms, lack of ammunition etc.

This is an economy which is one of the largest in the world, but has not been able to provide the basic minimum equipment to soldiers, he said. Giving the example of Israel, he said that the small country was surrounded by 17 of its enemy countries, but still the entire region was afraid of them. He regretted that the Indian government was spending crores on statues and bullet trains, while neglecting the defence budget.

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Lt Gen KJ Singh (Retd) said India should focus on punitive deterrents against its enemies so that they think twice before initiating any action against our country. He said that our country needs more credible deterrents such as surgical strikes. Sounding a note of caution, Dinesh Kumar stated that China was aggressively increasing its neighbourhood outreach, which ostensibly poses a grave threat to India as we are already surrounded by not so friendly neighbours.
Military Literature Festival-2018 at Lake Club

SPOKESMAN NEWS SERVICE: CHANDIGARH, DECEMBER 8: To ensure better interface between the public and the armed forces, various defence experts on Saturday emphasised the need to bring far more openness in defence matters to mobilise public opinion in the larger interest of national security. They were also of the opinion that there should no politicisation of the defence forces, which was gradually creeping into the system.

These views were expressed by the experts during an interactive session on `Valour, History, Politics and Media with eminent columnist Vir Sanghvi on the second day of Military Literature Festival-2018 here at the Lake Club. The discussions were mainly focused on the role of cinema and media in highlighting the heroic deeds of armed forces. The penalists included Lt. Gen (Retd) N S Brar, Lt. General (Retd) T S Shergill, UK based Brig.

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Justin Maciejewski, NDTV Channel Head Arati Singh, besides Actors Sonu Sood and Gurmeet Chaudhary. The defence experts also underscored the need to have direct connect between common masses and armed forces to realise the hardships faced by the army personal and their 24X7 arduous nature of duty to safeguard our borders from internal as well as external aggression.

Sharing his views, Lt. Gen (Retd) T S Shergill that the media should play a pro-active role in boosting the morale of the armed forces to enable them to discharge their duties diligently with a sense of utmost professional commitment to safeguard the integrity, security and sovereignty of our country. He cited the 26/11 Mumbai attack, when the media was telecasting real-time, which led the perpetrators to know about the counter insurgency operations. He exhorted the media to discharge their duties by exercising restraint, especially while reporting on defence matters of sensitive nature.

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Lt Gen. (Retd) N S Brar underlined the need for general debates in the public domain on matters related to National Security and defence forces. Thus, intimate interface was required more frequently between the Government and defence forces on issues of higher defence management, he added. On the allocation of funds for defence forces, Lt Gen N S Brar opined that Media should come forward in mobilising public opinion in this regard to put pressure on the Union Government for adequate allocation of funds in the annual budget.

The panelists felt that regular media interaction should be held to dispel misconceptions while reporting military affairs far more accurately to ensure its credibility on the one hand and achieve the ultimate objective of national security on the other. Dwelling on the role of cinema in portraying valour of the armed forces, the penalists and audience largely appreciated the enormous contribution of Bollywood in producing films like Haqiqat, Border, Lakshay and the recently launched  Paltan to showcase the gallantry deeds of our brave soldiers.

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The experts, however, said that Indian Cinema predominantly exploits emotions and sentiments, thus undermining the real aspects of the war to make them more entertaining for public, whereas the western cinema aimed at realistic presentation and to ensure their authenticity as in the famous war movies viz Fury, Saving the Private Ryan etc.

Participating in the discussions, actor Sonu Sood and co-star Gurmeet Chaudhary of Hindi movie Paltan, directed by JP Dutta, gave a brief account about an action-war drama based on incident of 1967 Indo-China. Sonu said the film vividly presented the real-time war account, thus portraying the patriotic spirit of Indian soldiers with the objective of imbibing the spirit of nationalism amongst the countrymen, especially the youngsters. Several serving and retired military personnel, historians, foreign military delegates, academicians and students actively participated in the session.
Bhagwant Mann

Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh, December 8, 2018: The Aam Aadmi Party member of parliament from Sangrur, Bhagwant Mann on Saturday lashed out at Badals for again trying to befool people of state by creating drama of seeking apology for their past mistakes. Mann called the move of Badals to visit Sri Darbar Sahib and perform seva as their biggest ever political drama.

In a press statement issued from party headquarters, Mann said that the almighy bestow blessings on those who commit mistakes unknowingly but Badals cannot be apologised as they have destroyed the state knowingly by looting the wealth of Punjab. He said that Badals during their their political career and specially in last 10 years of rule have grabbed the control of all the resources of states and now anticipating the end of their political career are trying to again befool the people of state by using religious tools.

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Seeking apology for past mistakes Badal family's biggest ever political drama

Asking Badals to explain to people of state about their mistakes for that they are seeking apology Mann said Badals have now accepted that they are responsible for desecration of Sri Guru Granth Sahib, suicide of farmers and grabbing the control over resources of state. He said that Badal duo are shrewd politicians and have always used religion to divert the attention of people from core issues. Mann said that Badals have now been exposed in the court of people and can not befool the people with their cheap tactics.

He said that drama of Badals can not bring back the sikh yougsters killed by police at Bargari, farmers committed suicide and those died with the drugs during Akali rule. Accusing Badals of destroying the glory of sikhism, Mann said that they have looted the state and religious institutes more than invader Ahmad Shah Abdali.

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Accusing Badals of destroying the glory of Sikhism

Speking on the demand of Sukhbir Badal to provide financial relief to the families who had lost their members in Amritsar rail tragedy, Mann said that the demand is absolutely right but before that Sukhbir must tell the people about relief provided by hom to the people died in such accidents while in power for 10 years. He asked Sukhbir to abstain from politicising the issue.
Noted Media perosnlity Barkha Dutt moderating the session on 'Contribution of India towards the First World War' during the second day of ongoing MLF 2018

Spokesman News Service: Chandigarh, December 8: War veterans on Saturday came together on the Military Literature Festival (MLF) platform to demand for a dedicated war memorial to commemorate the sacrifices of all the World War I heros. The hitherto unrecognised contribution of valiant Indians, particularly Punjabis, needed to be aggressively propagated, they said at a panel discussion on 'Contribution of India Towards the First World War, moderated by noted media personality Barkha Dutt.

The panelists consisted of Squadron Leader Rana Chhina, Prof. David Omissi, Prof. Anju Suri, besides Dr. Santanu Das and Lt. Gen. N S Brar, who engaged in a stimulating discussion that underlined the social and emotional turbulence suffered by soldiers and families during the 1914-1918 War. Punjab Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, himself a distinguished military historian, could not attend the session as he was indisposed.

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Taking part in the discussion, Squadron Leader Rana Chhina suggested declaration of the orange marigold as a remembrance flower for honouring the memory of all the fallen heroes, on the lines of the Red Poppy chosen for by the British Government for the same cause. The view was supported in one voice by all panelists, and it was resolved to formally forward this proposal to the Central Government.

Highlighting the oral literature pertaining to Punjabis, who on the orders of the Empire joined the War, noted historian of Oxford University shared that Punjab had produced a powerful and diverse range of literature between 1914-18. "This land of five rivers throbbed and hummed with stories, poems, kissas, dastaans, prayers, sometimes seething and somnolent. It was never silent but full of sounds and whispers".

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With literacy rate of 6.4% amongst men and less than one percent amongst women, the natives were non literate but were intensely literary, he said, adding that the the lack of acknowledgment for the stupendous role played by Indians, particularly Punjabis, in World War I was due to deliberate amnesia and not on account of absence of literature about it.

Highlighting the events leading up to the start of the Great War and the induction of Punjabis into it, Prof David Ommissi, who has extensively studied the censored letters (mostly free postcards) written by soldiers and families, stated that this muted and cautioned description vividly portrayed the sufferings and hardships endured by the soldiers.

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Underlining the motivation for fighting a war which was not theirs, LT. General Brar said that it could be best described as mixture of Izzat, pride, family tradition, regimental honour, and loyalty to the salt. Discarding the notion that they were not soldiers but mercenaries, he further said that a soldier always follows orders and should not be connected with any political or colonial regime. Prof. Anju Suri from Panjab University suggested concerted efforts to synchronize Indian political narrative with military history to ensure dissemination of effective message among youth.
LATHAM, N.Y.  Of the nearly 38 million pounds of food and groceries distributed annually by the Regional Food Bank of Northeastern New York, only 12.5 percent is beef and seafood, which are major sources of protein.

The non-profit organization supplies more than 1,000 agencies such as Wilton Food Pantry, Shelters of Saratoga and Salvation Army of Troy in 23 counties, from Canada to the southern Hudson Valley. In addition to such emergency sites, food also goes residential, day care and senior centers plus a growing backpack program for kids in 107 area school districts.

The Food Bank needs support year round, spokesperson Joanne Dwyer said. The need grows especially as we approach the holidays and winter time because people experience expanded heating costs and other things that take away from their household budget.

Often, the first thing that impacts is their ability to purchase food.

On Friday, area beef farmers toured the Food Banks large warehouse facility, in Latham, and met with its officials to see how they can support the agencys efforts.

We have a huge opportunity that people dont know about, said Phil Trowbridge, president-elect of the New York Beef Producers Association, and owner of Trowbridge Farms in Ghent, Columbia County. We have to do more education.

Dwyer is the Food Banks director of food industry relations. The largest source of food donations is distribution centers owned by supermarket firms such as Price Chopper and Hannaford Brothers. Goods might be dented or nearing their expiration date, but are still safe, useful and nutritious.

All that comes back to the Food Bank, she said. Instead of throwing it away, we can give it to people who need it.

This fulfills the organizations twofold mission of preventing waste and alleviating hunger.

Donations also come from retailers, food manufacturers, restaurants, brokers and wholesalers such as Sysco and U.S. Foods.

In addition, depending on market conditions, the U.S. Department of Agriculture buys surplus commodities such as chicken, dairy and vegetables.

If the market is flooded theyll put those items into food pantry-size packages, Dwyer said. That product comes to the states. In New York, it goes to the states 10 regional Food Banks, through the Office of General Services.

And, as needed, the Food Bank purchases goods to complement items that are donated.

Fruits and vegetables comprise almost 32 percent of all the goods distributed by the Food Bank.

There is always a need for meat donations, Dwyer said.

Plans call for her to address the Beef Producers Association during its annual meeting in Syracuse on Jan. 18-19, and present ways that farmers can help a Food Bank in their area. Three possible ways were discussed.

This easiest option is a cash donation, which the Food Bank could use to purchase beef. Or, a farm may donate an animal, whose meat would go to the Food Bank as ground beef. Dwyer said the Food Bank would pay for the cost of processing.

However, an average sized animal would yield about 300 pounds of ground beef. Trowbridge said it would be better to sell the animal, which might fetch $1,500, and give this money to the Food Bank, which would be enough buy almost twice as much ground beef.

Sometimes, stores will match Food Bank purchases with donations.

In addition to helping the Food Bank, the farmer could dedicate meat from the processed animal to a farm-to-school program, so two different agencies would benefit.

Cows culled from dairy herds are also good source of fresh beef. A New York dairy industry All-Herds Convention is planned for the same weekend in Syracuse that Beef Producers are meeting.

Bonnie Bargstedt, of Envision Dairy in Amsterdam, suggested that Food Bank officials address this group, too.

Ive been here 23 years and Im still blown away by the different things you see and hear, and also how people come together to help us do what we do, Dwyer said.
As medical science has come to understand that the human body is controlled on the molecular level by various proteins, hormones, drugs, and other substances, technologies have developed to detect levels of these molecules in order to monitor health and diagnose disease. However, many of these molecules are so small that they cannot be detected by the most widely available analysis techniques, leaving questions about crucial substances like amino acids, sugars, and lipids largely unanswered.

Now, scientists at the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University and Brigham and Women's Hospital (BWH) have created a new type of immuno-assay that is capable of detecting small molecules with 50-fold greater sensitivity than conventional detection methods, and can be easily integrated into existing diagnostic platforms. The research is described in the Journal of the American Chemical Society.

"The enhanced analytical sensitivity of our assay enables measurements of small molecules at extremely low concentrations, and opens a window into biological phenomena that were previously unreachable," said senior author David Walt, Ph.D., a Core Faculty member of the Wyss Institute who is also the Hansjorg Wyss Professor of Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard Medical School (HMS) and Professor of Pathology at BWH, as well as an HHMI Professor.

The new approach is based on a type of analysis called a competitive immunoassay, in which a known quantity of a labeled molecule of interest and a sample with an unknown quantity of the molecule are both added to an array of antibodies to which they bind. The labeled and unlabeled molecules then "compete" for the same antibody binding sites. By analyzing the amount of the labeled molecule of interest that is bound to the antibodies compared to the total number of available antibody sites, it is possible to conclude that the remaining sites are bound by the unlabeled molecule from the sample, allowing the concentration of that molecule to be determined.

The researchers created two types of competitive immunoassays that used slightly different methods to capture small molecules of interest, based on the Simoa system from Quanterix. The first method uses magnetic microbeads coated with the target molecule as the competitor, while the second method attaches the target molecule to the enzyme beta-galactosidase, which then binds to the magnetic beads to form the competitor complex. After the bead/antibody mixtures are allowed to mix with a sample containing an unknown amount of the target molecule, the beads are rinsed to remove any unbound molecules and then added to a Simoa disc containing thousands of microwells, each of which can hold one bead bound to one target molecule. A reaction then takes place that makes any well containing a bead with the labeled target molecule fluoresce. The fewer the number of fluorescent wells, the fewer labeled target molecules are bound to the beads, and thus the greater the concentration of the unlabeled target molecule present in the sample.

Two small molecules that are important for normal human body function were analyzed: cortisol and PGE2. Cortisol is widely used to evaluate the function of the adrenal, pituitary, and hypothalamus glands, while PGE2 is a hormone-like prostaglandin molecule that influences inflammation, fertility, and immune function. The new competitive methods were able to detect their targets with up to 50 times greater sensitivity than a conventional ELISA (enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay), within about an hour.

"Our plan is to use this method in diagnostics for improved detection of hormones in blood samples," said first author Xu Wang, Ph.D., a Postdoctoral Research Fellow at BWH and the Wyss Institute. "We are working to try to commercialize this technology for the rapid detection of small molecules for a variety of clinical and environmental applications."

"The Walt team continues to push the envelope in the field of diagnostics with this advance. By sensing molecules previously undetectable within an hour, they open entirely new approaches to diagnostics and clinical monitoring that should greatly improve human health. It's precisely the type of translational innovation we hope to enable and empower at the Wyss Institute," said the Wyss Institute's Founding Director Donald Ingber, M.D., Ph.D., who is also the Judah Folkman Professor of Vascular Biology at HMS and the Vascular Biology Program at Boston Children's Hospital, as well as Professor of Bioengineering at Harvard's School of Engineering and Applied Sciences (SEAS).

Additional authors of the paper include Limor Cohen, a graduate student at the Wyss Institute and BWH, and Jun Wang, Ph.D., a professor at Nanjing Tech University, China.

This research was supported by the Wyss Institute for Biologically Inspired Engineering at Harvard University.
Having a regular, age-appropriate bedtime and getting sufficient sleep from early childhood may be important for healthy body weight in adolescence, according to researchers at Penn State.

The researchers identified groups of children by bedtime and sleep routines and tested longitudinal associations for each group with adolescent body mass index (BMI). Results are published Dec. 4 in the journal SLEEP.

The findings suggest that childhood bedtime and sleep routine groups predict adolescent sleep patterns and BMI.

In a national study of urban households, one-third of children consistently adhered to age-appropriate bedtimes for ages 5 through 9. Those who had no bedtime routine at age 9 had shorter self-reported sleep duration and higher BMI at age 15, when compared to those children with age-appropriate bedtimes (after adjusting for age 3 BMI).

"Parenting practices in childhood affect physical health and BMI in the teenage years. Developing a proper routine in childhood is crucial for the future health of the child," said co-author Orfeu Buxton, professor of biobehavioral health at Penn State, and director of the Sleep, Health, and Society Collaboratory at Penn State. "We think sleep affects physical and mental health, and the ability to learn."

Bedtimes should be determined by various factors, such as when the child has to wake up based on the time it takes for that child to get ready for school, and the time it takes to get to school, as well as the school start time. School start times aren't determined by parents, but bedtimes and bedtime routines can be adjusted by parents, suggests Buxton.

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"Giving children the time frame to get the appropriate amount of sleep is paramount," Buxton said, as achieving recommended duration of sleep can have an impact on BMI in adolescent years, according to the findings.

Bedtime should provide enough of a "window" for the child to get an appropriate amount of sleep, even if the child doesn't fall asleep right away, said Buxton.

This study supports existing pediatric recommendations that having a regular and age-appropriate bedtimes is important for children's health, said lead author Soomi Lee, now assistant professor of aging studies in the College of Behavioral and Community Sciences at the University of South Florida. Lee, who was at Penn State at the time of the study, received her graduate degree in human development and family studies, and her post-doctoral degree in biobehavioral health, at Penn State.

Additionally, the study shows continuity in sleep behaviors, Lee said, in that those who had most optimal bedtime and sleep routines during childhood also had sufficient sleep duration in adolescence, whereas those with suboptimal bedtime and sleep routines had insufficient sleep duration in adolescence, she said.

Researchers analyzed longitudinal data from the Fragile Families and Child Wellbeing Study, a national cohort from 20 United States cities, with 2,196 subjects.

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Childhood bedtime and sleep routines were assessed by mothers' reports of their children's presence and timing of bedtimes, adherence to bedtimes, and habitual sleep duration at ages 5 and 9. At age 15, these adolescents reported their height and weight, which were used to calculate BMI.

Lee said the study highlights the importance of educating parents in bedtime parenting, especially for those in low-income households.

"In our sample that includes a large proportion of low-income, low-education, and ethnic minority households, only less than one third of children had age-appropriate bedtime routines at age 5 and 9," Lee said. "This raises a concern about development and health of children in disadvantaged households. Future family interventions may need to include parental educations about sleep health, particularly focusing on parents with low income and low education."

Additionally, future studies should focus on whether childhood sleep behavior interventions promote healthier sleep and weight in later life course stages, said Lee.

This research was supported by the Eunice Kennedy Shriver National Institute of Child Health and Human Development of the National Institutes of Health.

Additional authors include Anne-Marie Chang, assistant professor of biobehavioral health, and Nicole Nahmod, research assistant in the Department of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State and graduate student in public health and physician assistant studies, Arcadia University; Lindsay Master, research assistant in the Department of Biobehavioral Health at Penn State and graduate student in statistics, Penn State; Lauren Hale, professor of preventative medicine at Stony Brook University; and Lawrence Berger, director of the Institute for Research on Poverty and School of Social Work at University of Wisconsin-Madison.
LSTM's Professor Joseph Valadez is senior author on a new study published today in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, which outlines proposals for a more accurate estimator of health data.

Timely and robust data about a population's health plays an essential role in planning and managing health systems and policies. For decades health information records in low to middle income countries were fragmented and paper-based, but now are rapidly moving to electronic systems. The main electronic system supported by international communities, in 60 countries on four continents, is the District Health Information System-2 (DHIS2). However, LSTM's team of researchers have shown that this is not as accurate as it needed to be, especially as the world moves towards universal health coverage and a global health agenda that leaves no one behind.

Professor Valadez said: "Countries with the highest burden of infectious disease invariably have the least well-developed health systems. Good intervention coverage is essential to reduce the infectious disease burden. The recurrent health information coming from health facility registries is critical for managing the health system, but it has limitations. It is not representative of the population's health as it reports the health behaviour of people who attend the clinics. None of these administrative based systems have a measure of their own accuracy, as a result, health system managers and policy-makers cannot judge their own risk when using the information."

The published study, which is the result of work funded by the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation in India, and carried out jointly with Professor Pagano of Harvard University, and LSTM's Dr. Caroline Jeffery, describes a system whereby health systems researchers, decision-makers and policy-makers can measure the error in any estimates in the data by combining Health Information System (HIS) data with probability surveys to generate a hybrid estimator. The hybrid prevalence estimate can be used to validate and then, if necessary, moderate HIS administrative estimates of coverage.

The team carried out household surveys in Benin and Madagascar during the administration of two intervention coverages as part of Child Health Day, the results of which were combined with HIS data to provide an estimator with its own measure of accuracy as well as the accuracy of the HIS data. This allowed for more accurate health information than utilising source data alone.

Professor Valadez continued: "Here we provide a simple and new statistic to combine national recurrent health information databases, with basic localised survey data to provide a more accurate assessment of an intervention's coverage on which actions can be based to drive down the burden of disease. Our new method also produces for the first time, a measure of the error in recurrent health system data."

The team recommend that estimators generated should be incorporated into the DHIS2 to appraise data quality and guide decision-makers in their use of HIS data, and that it be rolled out globally with the DHIS2.
The holiday season has come to life in Union Square in the heart of downtown San Francisco. Theres a big menorah to celebrate Hanukkah, a lighted Christmas tree, an ice rink  and the gentle ringing of small white bells next to red Salvation Army kettles.

The bell ringers are there with their kettles in front of Macys on Union Square in all weather  driving rain, the pale December sunshine, the chill of late fall  raising money the old-fashioned way.

It is old fashioned and it is very useful, said Maj. Darren Norton, commander of the Salvation Armys Golden State Division. It is very much a part of the American Christmas and it reminds people that we live in a needy community, that there are people out there who are poor and need help.

Macys is one of 100 locations in the city where the bell ringers are on the job, but the bells and red kettles are all over the world.

The tradition began 127 Christmas seasons ago in San Francisco with a single crab pot near the Market Street ferry landing, a Salvation Army lieutenant and a bell. Enough money was raised to buy 1,000 Christmas dinners for poor people, and the idea caught on worldwide.

It was simple and it worked, said Lt. Kathleen Griffiths, who runs the local program now.

Amy Osborne

Last year, the bell ringers raised more than $210,000 in San Francisco alone, and $1.7 million in central California. The money comes in small bills and sometimes big ones. It goes to support Salvation Army programs ranging from drug rehab work, meals for the hungry and disaster relief. The army was on hand for all the big fire disasters this year.

How to become a bell ringer The Salvation Army is looking for volunteers for their bell-ringing campaign, which runs through Christmas Eve. "People can give back to help others by volunteering in this way," said Maj. Darren Norton, commander of the Salvation Army's Golden State Division. "We'll give you a bell and a bucket and off you go." To volunteer, go to registertoring.com See More Collapse

Bell ringing is volunteer work and not the easiest job in the world, standing on your feet for hours, ringing away and looking hopeful.

Agnes Boyd, who was at Macys the other afternoon, rings her bell vigorously and calls out greetings. Happy holidays! God bless you! she says. She had her 4-year-old grandson, Aidan Jones, beside her the other day, making a team that was tough to pass up.

Boyd is a Salvation Army soldier, a veteran of 24 years.

I had alcohol- and drug-addiction problems, and they helped me, she said. She works for the Salvation Army in various missions, but looks forward to Christmas bell ringing. Its fun, she said.

A lot of people passed by with only a glance. Thats the nature of the bell-ringing business in the city. People sweep by, mostly in bunches, lost in their own thoughts. Only about one person in 20 on a good day stops to listen to the bell or drop change in the kettle. On a slow day, its one in 50.

But when they do, they bring their own kind of light. Mary Ann Alexander stopped by Boyds kettle with a fistful of dollars.

Im so glad to see you, Alexander said. I always look forward to seeing the Salvation Army.

She had come from Vacaville, with her granddaughter, Addie, who is 9 and lives in Fairfield. Three other relatives came, too. Alexander used to live in the city and comes back to San Francisco every holiday season, an annual tradition.

I like the hustle and bustle, she said. You dont get that in a small town.

Amy Osborne / Special to The Chronicle

Alexanders first job in Christmas past was at the old Emporium department store on Market Street.

I was a clerk in the credit department and I remember how all the employees used to have to stand at attention every morning to start the day. They waited until a bugle blew and then the store doors opened. A long time ago.

What she remembered best, though, was the Emporiums Santa who sat on a big throne, like the king of the holiday. Now she was taking her brood to see Macys Santa.

The crowds walking past Boyd ebbed and flowed. A couple of street people came by. One man claimed he was about to donate several million dollars. He knew Oprah Winfrey, he said. Also Frank Sinatra. He began to sing. The sidewalk crowds avoided him.

Then came Dewayen Reneker, a carpenter on his lunch hour, who stopped abruptly, as if on impulse. He is working on building the Muni subway under Stockton Street.

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These people do good work, he said of the Salvation Army. I just do my little part.

He stuffed a $10 bill in the pot, then nipped across Geary Street.

Kenneth Chinn, also spending the day ringing a bell at Macys, said he was on the job also because of the help the Salvation Army had given him.

He is 35 and has been at the armys Harbor Lights center in San Francisco. He had lived in the northern part of the state, Redding, Chico, places like that. He worked in the painting business, painting signs and houses. His shoes were streaked with paint still.

I had a drug addiction, he said. Heroin.

Things got so bad he lost what he had and lived in his car.

I had burned my bridges, he said. I had nowhere to go, and the Salvation Army opened their doors to me. They took me in.

He got into a rehab program and he hopes he is on the right track for good. He hopes to go home for Christmas.

So he was out in front of Macys ringing a bell, raising money for others.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf
Richard Giglio apparently wont live long enough to have his day in court against Monsanto Co. And if his heirs take up his case after his death and prove that Monsantos widely used weedkiller caused Giglios terminal cancer, their damages will be much less than his would have been.

The San Francisco federal judge overseeing more than 650 federal court suits against Monsanto from around the country refused last week to separate Giglios case and send it to his hometown of San Diego for an early trial. U.S. District Judge Vince Chhabria did not issue a written ruling, but Monsantos lawyers argued that singling out his case would disrupt the orderly process of managing the nationwide cases and allow plaintiffs lawyers to cherry-pick sympathetic cases for trial.

The company has also withheld consent for an early trial for Giglio in Chhabrias court, but said his testimony could be preserved in a sworn deposition, with questioning from both sides, to be presented later.

He wanted to go to trial before he passes away, David Wool, a lawyer for Giglio, said Friday. Heartbreaking, but thats just not going to happen.

Monsantos parent company, Bayer AG, said in a statement, We are sympathetic to Mr. Giglio and his family and support the courts decision regarding the scheduling of a trial in his case.

Giglio, 66, owned a landscaping company that installed synthetic turf and said he started spraying Monsantos Roundup, the worlds most widely used herbicide, in 2010 or 2011 to remove grass from his customers property. He said he used about 1 gallon every two months, but stopped using the product in 2015 after being diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma.

He underwent chemotherapy and was pronounced cancer-free in February 2015, but started experiencing severe pains in March 2018 and was told a month later that the lymphoma had returned, he said in a court statement. Further therapy proved ineffectual, and his oncologist, Dr. Charles Redfern, told the court that Giglio has substantially less than six months to live.

More than 4,000 similar suits have been filed against Monsanto, including the federal cases that judicial officials have consolidated in Chhabrias court. In the first case to go to trial, a San Francisco Superior Court jury found Aug. 10 that Monsantos herbicide was the cause of terminal cancer suffered by Dewayne Lee Johnson after he sprayed a high-concentration form of the product on school grounds in Benicia for more than three years.

Jurors awarded Johnson $2.3 million for economic losses, $37 million for pain and emotional distress, and $250 million in punitive damages, finding that Monsanto had acted maliciously by failing to inform Johnson or the public about the products dangers. A judge found the punitive damages excessive and reduced them to $39 million. Monsanto is appealing the verdict.

Glyphosate, the active ingredient in Roundup, was classified as a probable cause of human cancer in 2015 by the International Agency for Research on Cancer, an arm of the World Health Organization. But the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency and several regulatory agencies in Europe have found it to be a safe product.

Chhabria allowed the federal cases to proceed despite describing the scientific evidence against glyphosate as shaky. He will hold at least a few trials as bellwethers to assess the prospects for the remaining cases or a possible settlement, and will begin with suits originating in the Bay Area, because Monsanto has not consented to San Francisco trials in suits from elsewhere.

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The next trial, scheduled for Feb. 25, is in the case of Edwin Hardeman, a Sonoma County resident who said he used Roundup for many years, starting in the 1980s, to control poison oak and weeds on his property, and was diagnosed with non-Hodgkins lymphoma in February 2015. He sued a year later.

Giglio filed his suit in San Diego in October 2015, the second-earliest of the cases now before Chhabria. In seeking an expedited trial, in either San Francisco or San Diego, his lawyers cited the potential loss of damages after his death: His heirs could seek only compensation for his economic losses and not for his pain and suffering, which typically lead to much higher damages in such cases. They could also seek punitive damages, but those probably would be lower as well.

Monsantos lawyers, however, said the cases chosen for trial in such proceedings are supposed to be reasonably representative of all of those before the court, and that a plaintiffs condition and life expectancy were not relevant to that decision. Wool, Giglios lawyer, said he had acknowledged, when questioned by Chhabria, that he did not know of any court hearing consolidated cases that had ordered an early trial because the plaintiff was dying.

It means, Wool said, that any plaintiffs who are waiting in line and are terminally ill are unlikely to get their day in court.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
A divided federal appeals court, in a ruling by one of its most conservative judges late Friday, rejected President Trumps attempt to reinstate a ban on political asylum for thousands of undocumented immigrants who enter the U.S. at the Mexican border.

Trump issued orders Nov. 9 barring asylum for anyone crossing the border illegally in any place other than a port of entry, a limited number of designated areas where immigrants currently face waits of several months to check in and apply for asylum. He said the change was needed to discourage unlawful crossings by members of the caravan of migrants from Central America.

U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar of San Francisco issued a nationwide monthlong restraining order on Nov. 19 halting enforcement of Trumps directive. Tigar said the edict squarely contradicted a 1996 federal law that allowed immigrants who have reached the United States to apply for asylum, no matter where they entered. He has scheduled a hearing Dec. 19 on whether to issue a longer-lasting preliminary injunction against the ban.

On Friday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed with Tigar and left his restraining order in place.

We are acutely aware of the crisis in the enforcement of our immigration laws, Judge Jay Bybee said in the 2-1 ruling. But revision of the laws is left with the branch that enacted the laws in the first place  Congress.

Just as we may not, as we are often reminded, legislate from the bench, neither may the Executive legislate from the Oval Office, Bybee said.

Bybee was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2003 and regularly dissents from rulings by the courts liberal majority. He was joined Friday by Judge Andrew Hurwitz, appointed by President Barack Obama.

In dissent, Judge Edward Leavy said that the Trump administration adopted legal methods to cope with the current problems rampant at the southern border. Leavy, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, said he agreed with the administrations argument that the 1996 law only allowed immigrants to apply for asylum regardless of where they entered, and did not limit the governments power of denying any possibility of being granted asylum.

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Bybee, in response, said giving the government free rein to deny applications that Congress had expressly authorized would make asylum the hollowest of rights.

Asylum allows an immigrant to remain in the country, obtain a work permit and eventually apply for citizenship. Authorized by treaties the U.S. has signed, it is granted to foreigners who can show a well-founded fear of persecution in their homeland for reasons such as race, religion, political views, and, under recent rulings, sexual orientation.

The ruling came in a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of asylum support groups, including East Bay Sanctuary Covenant in Berkeley. ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said the courts action was consistent with the decision Congress has made and will save lives.

The Trump administration can appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Just the other day, San Francisco Supervisor Aaron Peskin stood up at the regular board meeting to say he wanted to remove Facebook zillionaire Mark Zuckerbergs name from San Francisco General Hospital.

In Peskins view, Zuckerberg doesnt deserve to have his name on the hospital because the company he created and runs had been roiled by a user privacy scandal and had hired a consulting firm that used tactics tainted with anti-Semitism.

The city-owned hospital was renamed Priscilla Chan and Mark Zuckerberg San Francisco General Hospital three years ago after the couple donated $75 million to it to fund critical equipment and technology. But the issue is not about money.

This is about the integrity of institutions ... that are overwhelmingly funded by public money and taxpayer dollars, Peskin said.

In other words, off with their names.

Like most San Franciscans, I had an instant reaction when I heard this idea: Oh, please. Havent we had enough of this? We got rid of Justin Herman Plaza and Columbus Day, and took Lech Walesas name off a little alley because he made some antigay remarks. Phelan Avenue is on the ropes, too, because James D. Phelan had anti-Asian views. And now Zuckerberg and the hospital.

But maybe Peskin is on to something. Its a trend, a tidal wave. Lets look at everything. Out with the old.

Well start with living people. Never name anything after a living soul. That takes care of Zuckerberg, but also Nancy Pelosi Drive, in Golden Gate Park, Willie Mays Plaza, Dianne Feinstein Elementary School, the Quentin L. Kopp Freeway, the Willie L. Brown Jr. Bridge and also the middle school that bears his name.

Fellow-citizens, we cannot escape history, Abraham Lincoln said. Hes the gold standard for names: Abraham Lincoln High School, Lincoln Way, Lincoln, Neb. So let us consider history.

UC Berkeley is about to jettison Boalt Hall, named for John Boalt, who backed Asian exclusion laws. Name changers are casting a gimlet eye on Joseph Le Conte, once a noted Berkeley professor and a president of the Sierra Club, but in another life a slave owner and a backer of the Confederacy. A campus building was named for him, also a mountain, a glacier, a canyon, a school and a street in Berkeley.

Berkeley, as historians know, was named for Bishop George Berkeley, a famous philosopher who said, Westward, the course of empire takes its way. He also was a slave owner.

Meanwhile, Stanford University is changing the name of Serra House, a campus residence named for Junipero Serra, chief architect of the California mission system, viewed as an organization that enslaved Indians.

That seems to be a bit self-righteous for a university founded by Leland Stanford, who, when he was governor of California in the 1860s, signed bills to fund military expeditions against Indians.

But never mind that. Let us head north, on Junipero Serra Boulevard, past Serramonte, the district, the shopping center and the car dealers, and on to San Francisco, named for Francis of Assisi, who, like Serra, is a Roman Catholic saint.

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Isnt this the city that removed an old statue in the Civic Center because it showed an American Indian cowering under the baleful gaze of a white pioneer and a Franciscan priest?

We find all sorts of problems in San Francisco. Streets named for George Washington, Andrew Jackson, and James Polk, among others. Washington owned slaves, Jackson warred against Indians, Polk started an unjust war against Mexico. There are all kinds of streets named for Spanish colonizers, Army generals such as Kearny and Grant, naval officers such as Montgomery and Sloat. There is even a Columbus Avenue. And, of course, a Zuckerberg hospital.

Lets rename all these things. Lets ditch Washington Square and Washington High School, rename the Mission District, Mission Street and Mission Bay. Lets get rid of Arguello, and Sutter and Winfield Scott, who has two streets and a fort.

While we are at it, we should rename San Francisco, the city, the bay, the airport. We can do it in the way that has made this part of the world famous: First, hold endless meetings, then commission a thousand-page environmental impact report, then hold an election with ranked voting. New names could include Yerba Buena, Golden Gate City, or Frisco, after the Texas town. Or we could sell the naming rights to a big corporation, like Facebook.

I vote for leaving things alone. We cannot escape history.

Carl Nolte is a San Francisco Chronicle columnist. His column appears every Sunday. Email: cnolte@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @carlnoltesf
It doesnt matter whom President Trump names as his new attorney general, or his ambassador to the United Nations, or as his chief of staff for that matter, because he is not likely to listen to any of them.

Everything is about Trump. Period. And he doesnt want anybody veering away from his one-man party line.

And Trump is not alone. Politicians love to surround themselves with intelligent, talented people. But the real talent they are looking for is the ability to follow the leader.

The Trump administration has probably done a good job of vetting both attorney general nominee William Barr and U.N. Ambassador-designate Heather Nauert. Barr was attorney general under George H.W. Bush  what could go wrong? Nauert was a pundit with Fox News, and for Republicans there can be no more impressive credential.

Theyre assured of confirmation in the Republican-controlled Senate. How long theyll have their jobs is another question.

Nauert will be safe as U.N. ambassador as long as she doesnt screw up too badly in public. But Barr is playing a losing game as Trumps attorney general.

At some point soon, something will land on his plate that requires him either to do the presidents corrupt bidding, angering the public, or refusing to do so, angering Trump.

Either way, itll be time for another pick.

Power partners: Gov.-elect Gavin Newsom held a pair of thank you events the other night, one for the big tuna  people who gave $100,000 or more to his campaign  and the second for the crawfish.

Newsom was as relaxed as ever. And keep an eye on first partner Jennifer Siebel Newsom, who worked the room as hard as he did. Shes going to be a real powerhouse in the next four years.

Show me the money: I love the tug-of-war between Mayor London Breed and the supervisors over how to spend the citys $181 million tax windfall.

For years the supervisors have been calling for more spending on homelessness. The voters agreed by passing Proposition C in November to tax the towns biggest businesses to pay for more homeless programs.

With Prop. C tied up in court, Breed has proposed using the new money to take its place. But suddenly the supervisors have better ideas, like spending the money on early child care (which is backed by the service employees union) and paying for teachers raises.

It just goes to show that when it comes to money, the general interest will always take a back seat to special interests.

And it all takes a back seat to the politicians self-interest.

Nouveau riche: The former St. Josephs Church at Howard and 10th streets in San Francisco has been converted into a private club, and it is truly a miracle.

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Designer Ken Fulk has left the outside intact, but inside, his unique genius is fully on display  from the huge, suspended papier-mache bears that greet people at the door to the choir loft that is now a sitting area.

Fulk has rechristened the church the St. Josephs Art Society and is charging $12,000 a year in club dues. There must be a lot of money floating around the South of Market, because this is set up for the Nob Hill private club crowd.

Remembering 41: I spent almost a full day with then-President George H.W. Bush when he came to the Bay Area in 1989 to tour the damage caused by the Loma Prieta earthquake.

We were running late, so I called the Assembly office to have my calender rescheduled.

The person on the other end didnt believe I was with the president, and there was a loud back and forth.

Finally, Bush himself asked for the phone  and spent the next three minutes trying to convince the guy it was really him.

Thing is, Bush did it politely and treated the person with respect. Certain presidents come to mind who would have barked into the phone. But Bush was a decent man.

Want to sound off? Email: wbrown@sfchronicle.com
When music streaming company Spotify moved to San Franciscos Mid-Market area in 2013, its arrival was hailed by city officials as another revitalization of the troubled neighborhood.

The Swedish tech company leased three floors of office space in a 1922 building at 988 Market St. that includes the Warfield theater concert venue. It was a perfect fit for the music-focused company, Spotify said at the time.

But in the past month, the company moved out before its lease ended  and will no longer be eligible for the controversial Mid-Market payroll tax break. The 2011 program gave nine companies  including Spotify, Twitter and Zendesk  a tax break in exchange for opening offices in the neighborhood and providing community benefits like donations to nonprofits.

Spotifys departure underscores continued challenges in the Mid-Market area, where tech investment has brought thousands of high-paying jobs but hasnt changed a challenging street milieu of poverty, homelessness and drug dealing.

Spotifys new office is the Merchants Exchange Building in the north Financial District, which includes the swanky Julia Morgan Ballroom. The company moved in about a month ago, said a Spotify security guard who gave his first name as Charles.

The change was motivated in part because some Spotify workers felt unsafe, said two former Spotify workers, who requested anonymity to avoid repercussions from former or current employers. The Mid-Market and Tenderloin neighborhoods have some of the highest violent crime and poverty rates in the city, according to government data.

Last year, a female Spotify employee was slapped in the face by a homeless woman near the office, the former employees said. A person in the real estate industry familiar with the building who was not authorized to speak publicly about the episode also confirmed that the incident happened.

There were safety concerns, one of the former employees said, including drug dealing on the corner. I think it really alarmed people.

Employees who had moved from Sweden were unaccustomed to San Franciscos homelessness crisis, the person added.

Spotifys new Financial District office is the center of old money, across from Wells Fargo headquarters and a block from the onetime headquarters of Bank of America.

Spotifys former Mid-Market neighbor was the Crazy Horse, a strip club, and across the street is the empty 6x6 shopping mall, which has struggled to find retail tenants.

Spotify didnt respond to requests for comment.

Its San Francisco workforce has fluctuated since it went public in April. There were 30 to 50 employees in San Francisco this year as the company sought to cut costs, said one of the former employees.

The company is now hiring mostly in Stockholm and New York. The website lists 72 job openings at its Stockholm headquarters, 109 in New York, 28 in London, four in Los Angeles and two in San Francisco.

Spotify leased 13,500 square feet in 2013, enough space for about 80 employees. At its new Financial District office, it is subleasing 15,650 square feet from tech company Discovia, with the deal expiring next October, according to brokerage data.

As part of its tax break, Spotify agreed to volunteer and provide meals at nonprofits including the Cutting Ball Theater, and to subsidize art and music tickets in the Tenderloin, according to a community benefit pact it signed this year.

Spotify has donated more than $3,000, purchased more than $182,282 in food services, held five events and completed 12 volunteer hours from January through November, according to city filings.

The community benefit agreements have resulted in meaningful engagement between the companies and the community. Weve seen the companies stay and grow, said Bill Barnes, a spokesman for the city administrator.

Del Seymour, founder of nonprofit job training program Code Tenderloin and a neighborhood tour guide, said Spotify has been a steady partner.

Spotify has sponsored events, attended graduations and donated equipment, he said. We have not done any recent company tours, although we have Spotify individuals from time to time.

Air Quality Tracker Check levels down to the neighborhood Ratings for the Bay Area and California, updated every 10 minutes

But Don Falk, executive director of the Tenderloin Neighborhood Development Corp., a nonprofit affordable housing operator, said that Spotifys community benefit agreement was relatively weak, in part because of the soft economy at the time it was signed.

Spotify hasnt applied for a tax exclusion for the current year. It would be ineligible for the time period after it moved since its office is no longer in the area, according to the city administrators office. The deadline to apply is the end of December.

Tenderloin activists acknowledged a safety problem.

Are things better than a month ago? Yes. But its not acceptable, said Randy Shaw, executive director of Tenderloin Housing Clinic, which works with low-income tenants.

Shaw said the Warfield buildings block is relatively safe, but the next block west has crime problems. I dont see any problems there. That block to me seems very good to me, he said.

Other tech companies in the building include Zendesk, Match Group and Benchmark, a venture capital firm known for its investment in Uber.

Zendesk leased space in 988 Market as part of a recent expansion of its Mid-Market headquarters, which is spread across several buildings.

There is enormous need every day on the streets, but theres also enormous potential, Tiffany Apczynski, Zendesk vice president of public policy and social impact, said in a statement. We are committed to cultivating what makes this neighborhood special, now and in the future.

Spotify hasnt entirely left the area. On Friday, the Powell Street BART Station was filled with colorful Spotify ads, highlighting the companys most popular songs and playlists of 2018.

Roland Li is a Chronicle staff writer. Email: roland.li@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @rolandlisf
What California officials are calling the states biggest disaster cleanup in decades began this week with crews in masks and white Tyvek suits taking aim at the toxic remnants of the Camp Fire.

Burned gas stations, melted cars and entire neighborhoods reduced to scraps of heavy metals, fiberglass and asbestos left a lethal film on the 240-square-mile area burned by the massive fire. That will be the first order of business for the mop-up teams. Next will be the concrete, steel and debris of nearly 14,000 charred homes.

The colossal effort to clear Butte County of the rubble, and make way for recovery of the town of Paradise and its neighbors, is expected to last at least a year. The trucks and trains being mobilized for the work are prepared to take out as much as 8 million tons of material  almost four times what was removed from last years Northern California fires.

In addition to the sheer scope of the mission, the challenge for cleanup crews will be preventing noxious debris from permanently scarring the regions air, soil and water.

One may think that an individual container of bleach is innocuous, said Steve Calanog, an incident commander for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency. But when you multiply that container by the number of homes destroyed, the volumes are appreciable. We all have lots of things that, if theyre out in the environment, pose a risk.

The EPA, one of many agencies involved in the joint state-federal effort thats expected to cost a few billion dollars, had about 150 people on the ground this week, but that number will grow as the removal of hazardous materials picks up.

Volunteers with the nonprofit Friends of Butte Creek arent taking chances on what might end up in the waterway at ground zero of the Camp Fire. In recent days, the groups members have attempted to shield Butte Creek from the drainage of surrounding communities, insulating it with about 3 miles of protective straw bales, known as wattles.

The creek is home to a resurgent population of spring-run chinook salmon whose young recently hatched. Now, the inch-long fish are having to deal with the pesky runoff from recent storms. Fire-induced pollutants in the storm water threaten to taint the larvae of insects and crustaceans that the salmon eat, and sediment flushed into the creek could topple gravel beds that the fish live on.

What were concerned about are ash flows and debris flows and the toxic chemicals coming off the homes, said Allen Harthorn, executive director of Friends of Butte Creek.

The population of salmon here has been stressed by low water flows in recent drought years, though Harthorn said hes hopeful the fish can weather the latest trial brought on by fire.

Gabrielle Lurie / The Chronicle

When their numbers get down, it gets harder for them to successfully spawn and reproduce, Harthorn said. But the fish seem to be very resilient and theyre able to rebound very successfully.

Scientists have begun running tests on Butte Creek and other waterways to look for contaminants. Theyre also testing soil. The results are pending.

The Feather River, which provides water to the State Water Project and sits on the eastern edge of the Camp Fires perimeter, is believed to have been affected much less by the burn.

We know a lot of chemicals exited Paradise. We just dont know what happened to them and where they are in the watershed, said Jackson Webster, an assistant professor of civil engineering at Chico State University, who is among those doing the sampling.

Cleanup officials are also keeping an eye on how potentially damaged septic systems in Paradise could harm the landscape. The town of 27,000 is one of the largest in California without a centralized sewer system.

The Camp Fire, which ignited Nov. 8, virtually wiped out Paradise as it tore from the mountain community of Pulga to the Chico city limits. The 153,336-acre blaze was contained Nov. 25.

At least 85 people died and an estimated 18,793 structures burned. The fire is the deadliest and most destructive in California history.

Calanog, with the EPA, said his hazardous-materials crews learned a lot from their work in Sonoma and Napa counties after last years Wine Country devastation.

Its both similar and very different here, he said.

The debris theyve started clearing is virtually the same. But theres a lot more of it and its harder to transport from the more rural Paradise area, which is accessible only by narrow, two-lane roads.

Fire Tracker Follow wildfires across the state Latest updates on wildfires burning across Northern and Southern California

Once the toxic material is disposed of, the large-scale removal of buildings will begin.

The Governors Office of Emergency Services, which is overseeing the cleanup, expects both trucks and trains to be operating in earnest by the second week of January. Rail service from Chico will allow crews to get more debris out and move it to more waste facilities, according to the agency.

Were using any eligible landfill in Northern California, but we may have to go farther than that, said office spokesman Brad Alexander.

The cleanup, which ultimately will involve thousands of government workers and private contractors, is expected to cost much more than the $1.3 billion spent on debris removal from last years Northern California fires.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will pick up 75 percent of the tab, officials say, while the state will cover the rest.

Residential property owners do not have to contribute, unless their insurance company provides reimbursement for the excavation. Commercial businesses are responsible for cleaning up their own parcels.

Rebuilding cant begin until the state signs off on the rehabilitation of the property. In some places, this might be a matter of months, in others it could be longer. State officials have not said which areas will be cleared first.

Its going to take about a year to do the bulk of the work, Alexander said.

Kurtis Alexander is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: kalexander@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @kurtisalexander
Santa Clara police released audio and video recordings from an October response to a domestic disturbance at ex-San Francisco 49er Reuben Fosters home on Friday.

The body cam footage shows police responding to Fosters apartment on Oct. 12 after a neighbor called 911 to report a loud argument and sounds as if someone was getting banged to the wall. The incident occurred more than a month before Foster was arrested in Tampa on domestic violence charges and released from the team.

In five videos from the initial responding officers, a muffled verbal altercation can be heard as police walk to the home. When police knock on the door in the videos, the former linebacker answers in a long-sleeve black shirt with the San Francisco 49ers logo.

Officers separate and interview Foster and his girlfriend, Elissa Ennis. In the video, Ennis is seen sniffling as police ask her if shes okay.

No, everything is not okay, she tells them.

Now Playing: Body camera footage shows officers responding to a domestic disturbance at Reuben Foster's South Bay home in October. A large part of this video has no audio, as given to The Chronicle by SCPD. Video: Santa Clara Police Department

Ennis, wearing a long white t-shirt with the number 56 emblazoned on the front  Fosters jersey number  reluctantly identifies Foster as her boyfriend and tells officers that the argument was verbal, not physical.

Foster, in the video, refuses to give police a statement, and after providing his name and birthdate, is handcuffed briefly. In one of the videos, an officer directs him toward a police SUV for detention.

Oh no, Foster said. Please no.

The videos show that police followed procedures in their response to the call. They determined there was no reason to make an arrest. They eventually release Foster.

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Team officials have said they were not aware of Fosters October incident with police.

Video ay00GUZz Body cam footage of Reuben Foste

Earlier this year, Ennis alleged that Foster punched her in February, but she recanted her accusation in a May court hearing in San Jose's Hall of Justice. In a televised interview on Thursday, Ennis said that she had lied because she loved Foster.

Gwendolyn Wu is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: gwendolyn.wu@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @gwendolynawu
A truce of sorts was reached last week in the latest battle over free speech at UC Berkeley. Rare is the lawsuit settlement in which each side can credibly claim a level of vindication. This is one.

Young Americas Foundation, the conservative nonprofit that bankrolled the lawsuit against the university, hailed the settlement as a landmark victory for free expression. Its statement triumphantly declared that UC Berkeley could no longer wantonly treat conservative students as second-class members of its community while ignoring the guaranteed protections of the First Amendment.

Conversely, a spokesman for the university said the settlement essentially validates its existing policies on security fees and time-and-place restrictions that apply to all campus speakers, regardless of ideology. Spokesman Dan Mogulof also emphasized that a federal court had upheld the constitutionality of those policies seven months ago.

Here is the welcome bottom line: Conservatives are guaranteed a platform at the university of the 1960s Free Speech Movement. The demonstrators who have tried to silence high-profile appearances by right-wing provocateurs such as Milo Yiannopoulos, Ben Shapiro and Ann Coulter will not be able to stop future appearances by threatening havoc.

And, just as important: The conservatives who have tried to claim censorship and martyrdom when they encounter the conditions imposed on all other groups have lost their talking point. The Young Americas Foundation agreed to this deal and will be paid $70,000 of its attorney fees.

None of this is to defend the speakers that the Berkeley College Republicans have invited to campus. It was as though some were selected to bring more heat than light to the public debate  and to test the limits of the universitys tolerance for offensive speech. Yiannopoulos, in particular, is all about shock: targets of his vitriol have included women, Black Lives Matter activists, transgender people and Muslims.

Coincidentally, I engaged in a roundtable discussion about free speech last week put together by the Atlantic magazine. Participants came from academia, law, the arts, journalists and social-justice groups. If there were two points of consensus among the many divergent perspectives, they were that free speech is being threatened as rarely before  and that defense of free speech necessarily requires defense of expression that many of us might find repugnant.

As one of the attendees pointed out, civility tends to be an excuse to censor.

Michael Macor / The Chronicle 2009

The American Civil Liberties Union has stood by this principle for nearly a century. In recent years, it has come to the legal defense of such repulsive acts as the anti-LGBT protests of the Westboro Baptist Church at military funerals (2010), the right of an anti-Muslim group called Bible Believers to protest at an Arab street festival in Dearborn, Mich. (2014), and the effort of the Ku Klux Klan to adopt a highway in Georgia (2012).

Its more than disingenuous for the college Republicans to compare the rectitude or the circumstances of their cause with the Free Speech Movement that consumed the campus and captivated the nation in the 1960s. That movement, led by graduate student Mario Savio, was about challenging prohibitions on any student political activities at a time when the reverberations of the McCarthy era and the disenchantment with the Vietnam War cried out for engagement at institutions of higher education.

Berkeley conservatives have experienced no such repression.

As Mogulof noted, nine conservative speakers have appeared on campus this year without disruption and without the sponsoring student group having to pay a security fee.

While the Young Americas Foundation continues to insist the university had unlawfully discriminated against conservative speakers  citing, in part, the $9,000 security fee for Shapiros talk, far higher than assessed on a 2011 speech by Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor  Mogulof said the requirements are the same whether the speaker is Bernie Sanders, Karl Marx or Fidel Castro. He noted that the university spent an extra $600,000 on security for the Shapiro event.

Under the settlement, which largely reflects the current policy, no rental or security fees would be required for events in classrooms or venues affiliated with the student union. Sponsoring groups would still be assessed a security fee at a major venue such as Zellerbach Hall.

That was true before the settlement, and that was true after the settlement, Mogulof said, adding, We believe this outcome is indistinguishable from what prevailing in court would have been.

So, at least for the moment, there is a peace treaty between the conservative groups and the university, even as each side is spinning the settlement as a decisive victory.

But all is not bliss in Berkeley. There is a third party that was not involved in this agreement: the masked protesters who smashed windows and set fires that forced the cancellation of the Yiannopoulos speech in February 2017. The specter of their destruction and violence will continue to consume planning for future talks by controversial speakers on the right.

But they cannot be allowed to silence the voices of others, no matter how objectionable to Berkeley sensibilities. The settlement shows the universitys commitment to prevent what has been called a hecklers veto.

Its not going to be easy, and its not going to be cheap. But the First Amendment leaves no option but to defend the right of provocateurs to provoke.

John Diaz is The San Francisco Chronicles editorial page editor. Email: jdiaz@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @JohnDiazChron
If Special Counsel Robert Muellers investigation is a total witch hunt  as President Trump insists in increasingly frantic terms  its the most productive sorcery crackdown this side of Salem. Despite incessant efforts to impede the inquiry, court filings on top former Trump associates this week revealed more evidence of serious crimes in his inner circle drawing ever closer to the president himself.

Sentencing documents filed Friday by Muellers team and U.S. attorneys in Manhattan provided more information about crimes acknowledged by Trumps former personal lawyer and fixer, Michael Cohen, and the presidents role in them. Muellers office indicated that Cohen detailed his contacts with White House intermediaries and the preparation of his false testimony to Congress about the Trump Organizations pursuit of a real estate deal in Moscow. Federal prosecutors in New York, meanwhile, alleged that Trump directed Cohens secret payments to the then-candidates alleged paramours in violation of campaign-finance laws.

Cohens cooperation with authorities included seven interviews with Muellers office and information about the campaigns contacts with Russia dating to 2015. While prosecutors typically recommend more lenient sentences for defendants who assist other investigations, the Manhattan prosecutors recommended that Cohen serve substantial prison time for crimes that went beyond his lies to Congress and campaign-finance transgressions. The government lawyers noted a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life  a disturbing characterization of a man who was once so close to the president.

Muellers office has accused another prominent former Trump associate, onetime campaign chairman Paul Manafort, of double-dealing even after he agreed to cooperate with the probe. In a heavily redacted memo filed in that case Friday, prosecutors said Manafort lied about his contacts with an associate suspected of Russian intelligence ties as well as with administration officials as recently as this year.

Fridays filings came days after Muellers team filed another sentencing memo documenting extensive cooperation by Michael Flynn, the shortest-serving national security adviser in American history. As much as what it revealed, its row upon row of redactions should concern the president and his country.

The case against Flynn was strong enough that he went from calling for Hillary Clintons extrajudicial detention to serving as a model states witness. He sat for 19 interviews and provided information pertinent to three investigations: Muellers probe of the campaigns relationship with Russia and two other matters that, due to the redactions, are anyones guess  although possible subjects include the Cohen crimes and attempts to obstruct the Russia investigation.

The campaign against the investigation continued Friday with Trumps nomination for attorney general, a critic of the probe; the outgoing House Republican majoritys last-gasp interrogation of former FBI Director James Comey regarding, of all things, Clintons emails; and another Twitter tirade about Mueller and his team. Particularly after the weeks revelations, though, the cries of witch hunt sounded like so much hocus-pocus.

This commentary is from The Chronicles editorial board. We invite you to express your views in a letter to the editor. Please submit your letter via our online form: SFChronicle.com/letters.
A divided federal appeals court, in a ruling by one of its most conservative judges late Friday, rejected President Trumps attempt to reinstate a ban on political asylum for thousands of undocumented immigrants who enter the U.S. at the Mexican border.

Trump issued orders Nov. 9 barring asylum for anyone crossing the border illegally in any place other than a port of entry, a limited number of designated areas where immigrants currently face waits of several months to check in and apply for asylum. He said the change was needed to discourage unlawful crossings by members of the caravan of migrants from Central America.

U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar of San Francisco issued a nationwide monthlong restraining order on Nov. 19 halting enforcement of Trumps directive. Tigar said the edict squarely contradicted a 1996 federal law that allowed immigrants who have reached the United States to apply for asylum, no matter where they entered. He has scheduled a hearing Dec. 19 on whether to issue a longer-lasting preliminary injunction against the ban.

On Friday, the Ninth U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals in San Francisco agreed with Tigar and left his restraining order in place.

We are acutely aware of the crisis in the enforcement of our immigration laws, Judge Jay Bybee said in the 2-1 ruling. But revision of the laws is left with the branch that enacted the laws in the first place  Congress.

Just as we may not, as we are often reminded, legislate from the bench, neither may the Executive legislate from the Oval Office, Bybee said.

Bybee was appointed by President George W. Bush in 2003 and regularly dissents from rulings by the courts liberal majority. He was joined Friday by Judge Andrew Hurwitz, appointed by President Barack Obama.

In dissent, Judge Edward Leavy said that the Trump administration adopted legal methods to cope with the current problems rampant at the southern border. Leavy, an appointee of President Ronald Reagan, said he agreed with the administrations argument that the 1996 law only allowed immigrants to apply for asylum regardless of where they entered, and did not limit the governments power of denying any possibility of being granted asylum.

Bybee, in response, said giving the government free rein to deny applications that Congress had expressly authorized would make asylum the hollowest of rights.

Asylum allows an immigrant to remain in the country, obtain a work permit and eventually apply for citizenship. Authorized by treaties the U.S. has signed, it is granted to foreigners who can show a well-founded fear of persecution in their homeland for reasons such as race, religion, political views, and, under recent rulings, sexual orientation.

The ruling came in a lawsuit by the American Civil Liberties Union on behalf of asylum support groups, including East Bay Sanctuary Covenant in Berkeley. ACLU attorney Lee Gelernt said the courts action was consistent with the decision Congress has made and will save lives.

The Trump administration can appeal the ruling to the U.S. Supreme Court.

Bob Egelko is a San Francisco Chronicle staff writer. Email: begelko@sfchronicle.com Twitter: @BobEgelko
Sometimes the story comes through the find. On a recent flea market visit, I found a brochure about Yosemite National Park, with beautiful photo-lithographic images. Although undated, you can tell that it was published in the 1920's. I also found three photos that were dated December 24, 1914, and someone's personal photo album from a trip to Yosemite in the 1940's.

The National Parks Service is preparing to mark its 100th anniversary this summer. But one of the system's crowned jewels - Yosemite - was a tourist mecca long before 1916. A recent trip to the flea market landed me a brochure that dates back the earlier days of tourist exploration in and around the park.

Although undated, you can tell that it was published in the 1920's. I also found three photos that were dated December 24, 1914, and someone's personal photo album from a trip to Yosemite in the 1940's. I've included the ones I found interesting in the slideshow above.

The park lies near the crest of the Sierra Nevada, with peaks rising above 13,000 feet. While the park covers an area 36 by 48 miles, many of its most spectacular sights are grouped together and viewed from a remarkably small area, the Yosemite Valley.

The photo collection hits many of the famed attractions, but also includes a number of backcountry treasures. The park itself predates the photos. Yosemite became a national park in 1890. The federal agency tasked with managing the parks would not be formed for another 26 years.

As reported in the San Francisco Chronicle this year, there was a dispute over the rights to the names of some of the landmarks, set off when one of the parks contractors lost control of the properties.

The National Park Service lists 60 properties that are on the National Register of historical landmarks, including the Ahwahnee Hotel, LeConte Memorial Lodge and the Wawona Hotel. For thousands of years before Europeans arrived in the mid-1800's, the area was home to the Ahwahneechee Village of Miwok people.

Bob Bragman is a producer for SFGATE. His writing reflects his love of the Bay Area, in addition to his passion for vintage pop culture, ephemera and vernacular photographs. To see more of his content, please click here.
Why are we suddenly talking about canned tuna and Millennials?

The Wall Street Journal reported this month that overall consumption of the packaged fish has declined by more than 40 percent in the United States during the past three decades, according to the U.S. Department of Agriculture.

Among the reasons that people are less inclined to reach for a can of Bumble Bee: It isnt convenient enough for younger consumers. Many people cant be bothered to open and drain the cans, or fetch utensils and dishes to eat the tuna, the Journal reported.

But the rationale that cut hardest, it seems, was a quote from a vice president for marketing and innovation for StarKist, one of the big three tuna purveyors.

A lot of Millennials dont even own can openers, he said.

This explanation did not smell right to many on Twitter. Some cried ageism.

Millennials have been blamed for the death of cereal, napkins, sex, churchgoing, marriage, and face-to-face interaction, among other things. They have also been tarred for investing in avocado toast instead of real estate.

So who or what is really to blame for the decline in this canned classic, which has been a staple inside American lunchboxes and cupboards since the early 1900s?

In the past, fear of mercury poisoning scared tuna eaters and tarnished the industrys reputation. Many customers turned to light tuna, which experts say has less mercury.

Images of mangled dolphins in nets led to a countrywide boycott in the late 1980s, spearheaded by youths, according to the New York Times.

Tuna disappeared from lunch menus, movies and comic strips after schoolchildren and others staged letter-writing campaigns.

Joe Biden, then a senator from Delaware, introduced a bill requiring tuna labels to show whether dolphins were killed after his 8-year-old daughter badgered him about the slaughter.

More recently, the decline in interest among consumers ages 18-34 can be attributed to a preference for frozen or fresh fish, according to a report by Mintel, a market-research firm cited in the Journal article.

That explanation did not hold water for some, either: So were too lazy to open a can of tuna, but when it comes to breaking out the saute pan and busting open the spice drawer motivation abounds, @mcJakeSportz wrote on Twitter.

Established tuna brands like Bumble Bee, StarKist and Chicken of the Sea, which control most of the market, are facing increased competition from smaller brands that are offering twice-cooked tuna and tuna caught with more sustainable practices, the Journal said.

In order to cater to utensil-challenged consumers, Big Tuna brands are introducing new types of packaging, like easy-open pouches, kits that include crackers and a fork, as well as resealable packages designed to fit into car cupholders.

StarKist is hoping to lure in consumers with spicy flavors like hot buffalo and Sriracha. It barely tastes like fish anymore. You may even see tuna in the impulse-buy aisle near the checkout.

While consumers may be rebelling against the edibility of tuna, cost may also be a factor.

Since 2015, Big Tuna has been on the hook with federal investigators for engaging in a broad conspiracy to rig prices of canned tuna. In October, StarKist acknowledged wrongdoing and pleaded guilty to a felony charge for its role in forcing shoppers to pay inflated prices.

The conspiracy to fix prices on these household staples had direct effects on the pocketbooks of American consumers, said a lawyer from the Justice Departments antitrust division.

Are Millennials really to blame for Big Tunas woes?

An informal survey conducted by editors and writers at New York Magazines The Cut last week revealed a more complex answer.

Based on my very limited investigation, wrote Anna Silman, my peers are just as diverse and multifaceted in their tuna consumption habits as their fellow tuna-eaters throughout history. While most everyone owns a can opener, not everyone likes tuna, while others prefer a bag or even a jar.

The seas may part for tuna lovers squabbling over oil- or water-packed products. But for others, tuna is a nonstarter.

Emily S. Rueb is a New York Times writer.
If you missed it ...

In a week when Canadian investigators said Huawei and U.S. investors said no way, this also happened:

Walgreens said it will team up with FedEx to deliver prescriptions as soon as the next day for a $4.99 fee, and is providing same-day deliveries in several cities. That will help it compete with CVS and Amazon.

Scattering someones cremated ashes isnt exactly rocket science  except when it is. CNN reported that about 100 peoples remains were launched into space in a SpaceX satellite by San Franciscos Elysium Space. The craft will orbit for about four years before falling back to Earth.

Landmark Theatres, the independent movie chain backed by billionaire Mark Cuban, was sold to Cohen Media Group. The chain has 252 screens in 27 markets, and details were not disclosed.

California became the first state in the nation to require homes built in 2020 and later be solar powered, following a vote by the Building Standards Commission. The action on Wednesday finalizes a previous vote by the Energy Commission and fulfills a decade-old goal to make the state reliant on cleaner energy.

A small Missouri newspaper called it quits after after publishing just five editions since September. In statements on Facebook, the papers leaders blamed a judgmental Fuddy Duddy Squad for its demise. The papers name? The Uranus Examiner.

SoftBank hired the first female partner at its $100 billion Vision Fund, which has the worlds biggest pool of technology investments. Kirthiga Reddy had worked at Facebook in India and the U.S. for eight years and is chair of the Stanford Business School Management Board, according to her LinkedIn page.

Daily Briefing is compiled from San Francisco Chronicle staff and news services. For more items and links, subscribe to the Tech Chronicle newsletter at www.sfchronicle.com/newsletters. Twitter: @techchronicle
VIENNA  Oil prices spiked sharply higher Friday as major oil producers, including the OPEC cartel, agreed to cut global oil production by 1.2 million barrels a day to reduce oversupply.

Following two days of meetings, the Organization of the Petroleum Exporting Countries that includes the likes of Saudi Arabia and Iraq said it would cut 800,000 barrels per day for six months from January, though some countries such as Iran, which is facing wide-ranging sanctions from the United States, have been given an exemption.

The balance will come from Russia and other non-OPEC countries. The United States, one of the worlds biggest producers, is not part of the deal.

This is a major step forward, said United Arab Emirates Energy Minister Suhail Mohamed al-Mazrouei, who chairs the regular meetings in Vienna in his capacity as president of the OPEC Conference.

Oil producers have been under pressure to reduce production following a sharp fall in oil prices over the past couple of months. The price of oil has fallen about 25 percent recently because major producers  including the U.S.  are pumping oil at high rates.

The reduction has certainly met with the response hoped for by ministers as it was at the upper end of most predictions. Following the announcement, Brent crude, the international standard, was up $2.79 a barrel, or 4.7 percent, at $62.85. Benchmark New York crude was $2.11, or 4.1 percent, higher at $53.60 a barrel.

Ann-Louise Hittle, a vice president at oil industry expert Wood Mackenzie, said the production cut would tighten the oil market by the third quarter next year and help lift Brent prices back above $70 per barrel.

For most nations, self-interest ultimately prevails, she said. Saudi Arabia has a long-term goal of managing the oil market to avoid the sharp falls and spikes which hurt demand and the ability of the industry to develop supply. On top of this, Saudi Arabia also needs higher oil revenues to fund domestic Saudi spending.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak called the negotiations with the OPEC nations fairly challenging but said the decision should help the market reach a balanced state.

I think this is a strong signal to anybody who has doubted it that our cooperation is continuing and we can react to any challenge the market throws at us, he said in Russian through a translator.

OPECs reliance on non-members like Russia highlights the cartels waning influence in oil markets, which it had dominated for decades. The OPEC-Russia alliance was made necessary in 2016 to compete with the United States vastly increased production of oil in recent years. By some estimates, the U.S. this year became the worlds top crude producer.

The cut is unlikely to be greeted warmly by U.S. President Trump, who has been pressuring the cartel publicly to maintain production. On Wednesday, he tweeted: Hopefully OPEC will be keeping oil flows as is, not restricted. The World does not want to see, or need, higher oil prices!

One stumbling block to an agreement had been Iran, Saudi Arabias regional rival and fellow OPEC member, which had been arguing for an exemption to any cuts because its crude exports are already being pinched already by U.S. sanctions.

Al-Mazrouei said that in the end Iran had been given an exemption, as well as Venezuela and Libya.

That means that the percentage we will contribute among us is going to be a bit higher, he said.

Anthony Mills, Kiyoko Metzler and David Rising is an Associated Press writer.
As the Woolsey Fire closed in on the Malibu hills, one of the most widely covered stories was the tactic Kanye West and Kim Kardashian used to keep their $60 million mansion from going up in flames: namely, they were outed for hiring private firefighters.

The outrage factor of two highly visible celebrities receiving specialty protection during a wildfire was palpable. In a fire that saw at least 1,500 structures indiscriminately burned down  not to mention the Camp Fire, which killed 88 people and burned down 13,972 residences  coverage of private firefighting crews called out its practices as potentially classist.

Private firefighting groups, however, are not a new service, and it seems insurers are now going on the defensive, with some in the insurance and private firefighting industry arguing that the service is not merely for the wealthy.

It's something any person seeking out homeowners insurance can receive, said David Torgerson, president of Wildfire Defense Systems, one of the larger privatized firefighting companies.

"[Private firefighting contractors were] being portrayed as only for the rich, and that it was a concierge-style service," Torgerson told SFGATE. "We were out there serving USAA members, who are veterans and service members and their families, and there was nothing to do about high-value homes or anything."

The image evoked by the phrase "private firefighting" may be that of personal firefighters fighting off flames and being directed by a homeowner, such as what happened with Kardashian and West. The term, however, is used mostly in reference to crews who help mitigate homeowners' risk of wildfire in other ways. These privatized crews visit insured homeowners' property during a wildfire, performing tasks to help increase the chance for that structure to survive.

Wildfire Defense Systems (WDS) said its crews will often do things such as move wood piles away from the home, clear gutters and remove debris from roofs, close windows and garage doors  or even go as far as to set up sprinkler systems or spray fire-blocking gel on homes.

By Torgerson's estimate, 90 percent of the houses WDS serves is of average value.

USAA contracts with WDS and estimated it is the largest carrier of privatized wildfire services, offering it on a broad scale to its members as a benefit  regardless of home value, said USAA spokesman Rich Johnson. Protection via WDS was initially offered as an "opt-in" option for customers in 2012, before it became an automatic enrollment by 2015.

"We've never had a threshold on value of homes," said Johnson of its Wildfire Response Program. "... if you're a member and you have a policy with us, you were included."

Liberty Mutual Insurance and Safeco Insurance contract with WDS as well, offering its wildfire defense program as complimentary to California customers. Safeco customers recalled being contacted by their insurers during last year's Thomas Fire, with the company extending an offer to its clients for WDS to spray fire-blocking gel on their home. Those services are slowly expanding to less-than-million-dollar homes.

"Standard insurers are moving in that direction or are looking at it," said Janet Ruiz, spokeswoman for the Insurance Information Institute. It's about loss prevention, she said, noting that the use of private groups such as WDS has become popular with carriers due to its record of "saves" when it comes to helping homes avoid being burned down.

"Any time that the [insurance] industry moves in a way of mitigation, and more in that direction of protect versus replace, is a benefit for everybody," Johnson agreed.

The only-for-the-rich stigma has some semblance of truth, however, as the first contracting insurance companies to employ these private firefighting groups tended to be high-net worth insurers. Among these high-end insurance groups are American International Group (AIG) and Chubb, the latter of which said it signed on with WDS back in 2008, when WDS first started.

"[Insurance companies have] a financial incentive to prevent any homes from burning, no matter how big they are," said Amy Bach, Executive Director of United Policyholders, a nonprofit insurance resource for consumers. "But of course there's a particularly big incentive when it's a hugely expensive house and they collect a premium, or extra premium."

When SFGATE first wrote about the phenomena of private firefighters last year during the Tubbs Fire, a few readers reached out to disagree. In their letters, they said that while they don't own high-value homes, their insurers provided the same service that was being termed an "elite" type of coverage.

Torgerson said that while his company does serve high-net worth insurers, they are a small fraction of the homes they cover, because, well, they are a small fraction of overall homes. The coverage of their services in the Woolsey Fire in Malibu led many to assume that "they're high-net worth homes and only the high-net worth homes get the service," Torgerson said.

"This question doesn't come out when we're responding to rural communities in Nevada or anywhere in Washington or Oregon or Montana or Utah or New Mexico," Torgerson said.

There's a misconception that these services are directed at certain homes, but that's not what happens, said Frances D. O'Brien, the senior vice president of North America Personal Risk Services at Chubb.

"There's no directing of the [groups] to go to this house, or to this house," O'Brien said. "They know what houses in the area are threatened based on their expertise ... So, it isn't like somebody who has the biggest home in the neighborhood can say, 'I want you to go protect my house'  that's just not the way it works."

If homeowners are interested in getting these services for their home, O'Brien said, the best option is to seek out independent brokers who will point out the best insurance for what you're looking for.

"The best thing to do is to talk to an independent insurance agent or broker because they can give them the advice to create the type of coverage and service that is most important to them," said O'Brien.

Read Dianne de Guzman's latest stories and send her news tips at ddeguzman@sfchronicle.com.

Start receiving breaking news emails on wildfires, civil emergencies, riots, national breaking news, Amber Alerts, weather emergencies, and other critical events with the SFGATE breaking news email. Click here to make sure you get the news.
In route news, Panama's Copa brings a brand new aircraft to San Francisco this month, and heads for a broad new partnership with United; A new player at SFO will offer nonstops to Milan; Delta adds an SFO nonstop to Hawaii and expands a front cabin meal option to more international routes; Ethiopian alters its Los Angeles service; all-business-class La Compagnie adds a new destination in France and will soon introduce new aircraft; Royal Air Maroc joins a global alliance; and new U.S. service is launched by Eurowings, Air India and Hainan Airlines.

Panama's Copa Airlines confirms that it has set a December 21 launch date for its first brand-new Boeing 737 MAX 9 aircraft to start flying between San Francisco and Panama City, replacing its current 737-800s. Copa flies the route twice a day. The new Copa planes will have a couple of things the current aircraft don't offer  business class seats that recline fully flat (yes, that's right...on a 737!), and a new extra-legroom option in economy. The Copa MAX 9s will carry 166 passengers vs. 154 for its 737-800s. Boeing's MAX jets have been in the news lately due to the Lion Air crash as well as for the tiny bathrooms onboard. Southwest plans to fly the MAX to Hawaii, too, but not til the FAA provides its okay. We took an early look at the new Copa aircraft a few months ago; here's our report.

Speaking of Copa, the Panamanian airline is part of a new three-way joint business alliance that was announced last week by United. The third party is the South American carrier Avianca. The agreement is still subject to government approvals. Like a joint venture, the deal would allow the three carriers to operate "as if they were a single airline," United said. That means they will coordinate their schedules and pricing. But United said it would also mean that the three could "better align their frequent flyer programs," and provide customers with "expanded codeshare flight options, competitive fares, a more streamlined travel experience and better customer service."

From December 22 through January 2, Delta has added a single daily 737 nonstop between SFO and Honolulu to capitalize on heavy demand and high fares to the islands over the holidays. The SFO-HNL flight departs in the evening and arrives late at night where it turns around and provides a red-eye back to San Francisco. Fares run from $500 to $1,500 round trip.

Speaking of Hawaii...we were expecting an announcement by Southwest Airlines about it's proposed Hawaii flights by now. But both the FAA and Southwest have been mum on the subject leading us to believe something is up...and we are looking into it. So stay tuned...Here's what we know so far.

As we reported earlier this week, Air Italy will bring nonstop flying from San Francisco International to Italy back into vogue next year when it launches new nonstops to Milan's Malpensa Airport. Currently, the only nonstops to Italy from the Bay Area are on Norwegian Air with seasonal summer-only flights from Oakland. It's long been rumored that Alitalia would bring back the SFO-Milan nonstop... read our full report here.

In September, Delta rolled out a new program that lets travelers in its Delta One international business cabin pre-select their in-flight meals well in advance of their flight  but only on select transatlantic and transpacific routes. This week, Delta expanded that Delta One pre-selection option to all outbound and inbound flights between the U.S. and Europe, the Middle East, Africa, Asia and South America  a total of more than 200 markets worldwide. SkyMiles members booked in Delta One will get an email three days before departure asking them to select their first meal choice, so they won't have to hear the flight attendant tell them, "Sorry, we're out of that."

Since it was launched in 2015, Ethiopian Airlines' flight from Los Angeles International to Addis Ababa has operated via a stop in Dublin, Ireland, but that is about to change. Starting December 17, the Ethiopian 787 service will drop the Dublin stop and replace it with one in Lome, Togo, in western Africa. The flight operates three days a week (Monday, Wednesday, Saturday). Airport officials noted that this will make LAX one of only two airports in the world to offer non-stop flights to six continents; the other is London Heathrow. The airline has Fifth Freedom rights on the route, so LAX passengers can get off in Lome if they want without continuing to Addis Ababa.

Chris McGinnis

Airline members of the Oneworld global alliance, led by American and British Airways, have voted to accept Morocco's Royal Air Maroc as a new member. The affiliation is expected to take effect in mid-2020, and it also includes the carrier's regional partner, Royal Air Maroc Express. The alliance noted that Royal Air Maroc will be its first full member in Africa, where the airline is currently the largest carrier on the continent without an alliance affiliation. The addition of Royal Air Maroc will bring 34 new destinations and 21 more countries to the Oneworld network map.

France's all-business-class airline La Compagnie, which currently has only one U.S. route  from Newark to Paris Orly  will add another for the summer season next year. From May through October, it will offer five flights a week from Newark to Nice on the French Riviera, competing against Delta's New York JFK-Nice service. La Compagnie currently flies specially-configured 74-seat 757s, but next year it plans to start replacing those planes with new Airbus A321neos. The new aircraft will be equipped with 76 lie-flat seats in a 2-2 configuration.

Some new routes previously announced by foreign carriers are taking effect this week and next. On the East Coast, Lufthansa has discontinued its Newark-Dusseldorf service, handing the route over to its Eurowings affiliate. Eurowings will fly the route five to six days a week with an A330-200. Air India this week launched new service three days a week from New York JFK to Mumbai, and China's Hainan Airlines next week is due to start new flights from Boston and Seattle to Chongqing, both operating via a stop in Shanghai.

Read all recent TravelSkills posts here

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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.
Photo by Mark Wilson/Getty Images(WASHINGTON) -- Special counsel Robert Mueller has accused Paul Manafort, the former Trump campaign chairman, of lying about his contacts with administration officials in 2018 and at least four other details related to his probe of Russian election meddling during the 2016 campaign.



In a heavily redacted court document filed Friday afternoon, Mueller and his team of prosecutors accused Manafort of lying about his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, a longtime business associate whom the special counsel has identified as a former Russian intelligence officer.



Manafort, according to the special counsel's team also lied about money laundering, a wire-transfer to a firm that was working for him, "information pertinent to another department of Justice investigation," and his contact with administration officials.



Kilimnik was indicted alongside Manafort in June. He has not submitted a plea.



Early last week Manaforts cooperation agreement fell apart when prosecutors in the Washington D.C. case accused Manafort of breaching his plea agreement by lying during interviews after agreeing to broad cooperation with the special counsels probe. The special counsels office asked the judge to proceed with scheduling a sentencing date.



In court last week, U.S. Judge Amy Berman Jackson in Washington, D.C. gave prosecutors until Friday to submit a filing detailing the nature of Manaforts alleged lies. Manaforts defense team, which has disputed accusations that he lied to prosecutors, will have until Wednesday to tell the judge how they plan to respond to the filing.



In August, a Virginia jury found Manafort guilty on eight of 18 federal counts of tax and bank-fraud charged against him. The judge declared a mistrial on the remaining ten counts, though Manafort later admitted guilt to these counts as part of a plea agreement in the DC case.



In September, Manaforts attorneys struck the plea agreement with the special counsels office in a Washington D.C. court to avoid a second trial there for crimes similar but separate to those leveled in Virginia.



As ABC News confirmed, Manaforts legal team had been sharing information about his interactions with the special counsel with the presidents legal team  a story that was first reported by the New York Times.



This reignited speculation Manafort could be angling for a pardon from President Trump.



Trump last week told the New York Post that though a pardon for Manafort had never been discussed, he wouldnt take it off the table.



The judge in Manaforts DC case set a tentative sentencing date last Friday for Manafort on March 5, 2019.



This will come just under a month after Manafort is scheduled to be sentenced separately for tax and bank-fraud crimes in his Virginia case.



During the Virginia trial, prosecutors invoked his past work as a political consultant for pro-Russia elements in Ukraine and payments from political figures there in connection with the money laundering allegations he faced.



He maintained those overseas relationships both before and during his stint as then-candidate Trump's campaign chairman during the 2016 contest.



Manafort joined Trump's campaign in March 2016 and was elevated to the campaign adviser position in May of the same year. He departed the Trump campaign in August 2016 after reports appeared in the New York Times and Associated Press that suggested he had engaged in illegal lobbying activities in Ukraine.



Manafort last appeared in court for a scheduling conference in his Virginia case in mid-October, using a wheelchair to enter the courtroom.



He's waived his right to appear at hearings held since then. Manafort has been behind bars since the judge in his DC case revoked his bail in June, and is currently being held in solitary confinement.



Copyright  2018, ABC Radio. All rights reserved.
WASHINGTON  President Trump announced Saturday that hes picked a battle-hardened commander who oversaw troops in Iraq and Afghanistan to be the nations next top military adviser.

If confirmed by the Senate, Gen. Mark Milley, who has been chief of the Army since August 2015, will succeed Marine Gen. Joseph Dunford as chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff. Dunfords term doesnt end until Oct. 1. Trump said the date of transition is to be determined.

Trump tweeted to reveal his choice. I am thankful to both of these incredible men for their service to our Country! he said.

Dunford is a former commandant of the Marine Corps and commander of coalition troops in Afghanistan. Milley commanded troops during several tours in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Dunfords spokesman, Col. Patrick Ryder, said all indications are that Dunford will serve his full term. He said Dunford congratulated Milley on his nomination. He has served with Gen. Milley in peacetime and in combat and has the highest regard for his leadership.

Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said in a statement that Milley is a battle-tested commander and Pentagon reformer who will be a worthy successor to Dunford.

Milley is known as a charismatic leader who has not been afraid to offer candid and sometimes blunt assessments to Congress. Last year he admonished the House Armed Services Committee for its inability to approve a defense budget, slamming it as professional malpractice. In 2016, he told lawmakers that women should also have to register for the draft now that they are allowed to serve in all combat jobs.

As the Armys top leader, he helped shepherd the groundbreaking move of women into front-line infantry and other combat positions, while warning that it would take time to do it right.

Deb Reichmann is an Associated Press writer.
ANTIOCH (BCN)



Four Antioch businesses were evacuated when a contractor broke a natural gas line this afternoon, according to PG&E and the Contra Costa County Fire Protection District.



Nobody was injured during the incident, which happened near West 10th Avenue and Auto Center Drive.



PG&E spokeswoman Tamar Sarkissian said a contractor who wasn't affiliated with the utility company hit a gas distribution line just after noon.



PG&E workers arrived and were able to stop the gas leak around 2 p.m. Repairs will likely continue into the evening, Sarkissian said.



Eastbound 10th Avenue was closed at Auto Center Drive during the repair work.



California residents who want to dig should set up a free visit from the utility company to mark where the lines are, Sarkissian said.



"We always encourage anybody doing digging work to call 811 before starting," she 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.
Retail giant Amazon.com has agreed to continue banning online sales of foie gras to California residents because of a state law outlawing the delicacy.



The company is also shelling out $96,000 in civil payments after allegations that it illegally sold foie gras to California buyers in 2012 and 2013.



News of the settlement is the latest development in a long legal saga that started in 2004, when then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill banning the sale and production of foie gras. The law went into effect in 2012, though it's been hampered by legal challenges ever since.



Supporters of the law believe force-feeding, the technique by which the geese are fattened up, is cruel to the animals.



"In addition to the pain caused by having metal pipes forced down their throats, force-feeding damages the livers of the birds so badly it induces an extremely painful disease known as hepatic lipidosis," Monterey County District Attorney Dean Flippo said in today's announcement regarding the settlement.



Restaurateurs and foie gras producers disagree, and the ban is currently not being enforced while those involved in the litigation wait to hear if the U.S. Supreme Court will take up the case.



If the court declines, the ban will go into effect again.



In the meantime, district attorneys in Monterey, Los Angeles and Santa Clara counties decided to take action against Amazon.



The prosecutors filed a complaint on Nov. 13 alleging that Amazon knew about the ban in 2012 and 2013 but continued to sell the animal product online.



Court records show the company agreed to the $96,000 settlement Thursday. An Amazon spokeswoman declined to comment further.



Court records show that the settlement money will be split between the three counties.





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.
SANTA CRUZ (BCN)



The Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter is offering a half-price adoption special due to an overload of animals at the shelter.



Shelter officials said the adoption price for all dogs, puppies, cats, kittens and rabbits will be half price through December.



The adoption fee will include having the pet spayed or neutered, micro chipping and registration, age appropriate vaccinations, routine treatment for fleas and worms and a free pet wellness exam with local participating veterinarians.



For more information about adopting a pet from the Santa Cruz County Animal Shelter and to view adoptable animals, stop by the shelter location at 1001 Rodriguez St. in Santa Cruz or visit the shelter's website at www.scanimalshelter.org.





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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A federal appeals court in San Francisco today turned down a government request to reinstate President Donald Trump's partial ban on asylum seekers at the Mexican border.



A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by a 2-1 vote refused to stay a temporary restraining order on the ban in which U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar said last month violates a U.S. immigration law.



The law allows asylum applications from people who enter the United States at any point, "whether or not at a designated port of arrival."



Trump's restrictions, issued on Nov. 9, would have allowed applications from only people who arrived at official entry points. The Justice Department argued the limits were necessary to "stem a crisis from the mass illegal immigration at the southern border."



Four refugee assistance groups led by the Berkeley-based East Bay Sanctuary Covenant sued to challenge the ban. They said some asylum seekers fleeing persecution don't know there are legal entry points or don't know where they are located.



The Justice Department could now appeal to the U.S. Supreme Court for a stay. Department spokesman Steven Stafford said, "We're reviewing our options."



The appeals court majority said that in future proceedings, the ban is likely to be found to violate the immigration law and that it is an intrusion by the executive branch on Congress's power to enact laws.



Circuit Judge Jay Bybee wrote, "Here, the Executive has attempted an end-run around Congress."



Bybee also wrote in the majority opinion, "It is the hollowest of rights that an alien must be allowed to apply to asylum regardless of whether she arrived through a port of entry if another rule makes her categorically ineligible for asylum based on precisely that fact."



Tigar has scheduled a Dec. 19 hearing in San Francisco on whether he should grant a longer-lasting preliminary injunction, the next step in the case.





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Cal Fire today said recent rain and cooler temperatures will allow its Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit to transition out of this year's peak fire season on Monday.



The transition also includes Solano, Yolo and Colusa counties.



Cal Fire said 2018 was the deadliest, most destructive and had the largest wildfire and the most acres burned in California's recorded history.



The Sonoma-Lake-Napa Unit responded to 463 wildfires that charred 111,995 acres, according to Cal Fire.



Statewide, Cal Fire and firefighters from many local agencies battled more than 6,228 wildfires within the State Responsibility Area that burned more than 876,225 acres. There were 650 more wildfires in 2018 than normal, Cal Fire said.



Due to persistent drought conditions in 2018, Cal Fire said it will maintain staffing to meet any future threat and retain the ability to strategically move resources to areas that remain at a higher threat level.



Cal Fire said it also will monitor weather conditions closely and maintain the ability to increase staffing if weather conditions change or if there is a need to respond to wildfires or other emergencies in other areas of the state.



Cal Fire said it will focus on fire prevention and fuels treatment, prescribed burns, fuel reduction and public education this winter to reduce the impact of large damaging wildfires and improve overall forest health.





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The owner of a financial services enterprise has been arrested and charged in federal court in San Francisco with fraud in connection with an alleged scheme to steal millions of dollars from people trying to repay student loans.



Brandon Frere, 41, of Sonoma County, was arrested at San Francisco International Airport Tuesday night as he attempted to board a flight to Cancun, Mexico, according to U.S. Attorney's Office spokesman Abraham Simmons.



Frere was charged with one count of wire fraud in a criminal complaint filed under seal Tuesday and unsealed after his initial appearance before a federal magistrate on Wednesday.



FBI Agent Christopher Bognanno said in an affidavit accompanying the complaint that he believed Frere, who has allegedly stashed $7 million in bank accounts in Andorra and Luxembourg, may have been preparing to flee the country.



Frere is in custody and will reappear before U.S. Magistrate Sallie Kim in San Francisco on Monday for a detention hearing and identification of his defense lawyer.







A transient man with seven prior felony convictions has been convicted of first-degree murder for fatally stabbing another man during a dispute over a bicycle at a homeless camp in Oakland in late May.



Jurors delivered their verdict against Mario Castineda, 37, for the death of 52-year-old John Bell late Thursday afternoon after only a day of deliberations.



The jury's verdict means that Castineda faces at least 26 years to life in state prison when Alameda County Superior Court Judge Trina Thompson sentences him on March 8, as it also convicted him of using a knife to kill Bell and of having prior convictions that could add to his term.



Castineda's lawyer Tiffany Danao told jurors in her opening statement last week that Castineda is innocent because the description of his attacker that Bell provided to police before he died doesn't match Castineda.



Danao said Bell, who was stabbed at the camp in the area of Fifth and Webster streets underneath Interstate Highway 880 on May 26 and died five days later, described his assailant as an Asian man in his early 20s who was about 5-foot-3 and weighs about 120 pounds.







Oakland police on Thursday conducted an investigation into several burglaries and robberies committed at marijuana grow houses and dispensaries throughout the Bay Area.



The Oakland Police Department's Ceasefire Team conducted the investigation that focused on a group of individuals and led to search warrants and arrest warrants being served in multiple cities Thursday.



During the searches, police recovered firearms, including assault rifles, and large quantities of marijuana.



Police said multiple arrests were made during the operation, and additional people are being sought in connection with the investigation.



Information about those arrested was not immediately available.







One person died after a vehicle struck them early this morning just outside of Richmond, according to the California Highway Patrol.



The incident occurred around 5:40 a.m. near the corner of Montalvin Drive and Lettia Road in unincorporated Contra Costa County.



According to CHP spokesman Officer Herman Baza, the victim was taken to the hospital where he succumbed to his injuries.



The driver of the vehicle that struck him stayed at the scene and cooperated with the investigation, Baza said.



The Contra Costa County coroner is working to identify the victim.







The San Francisco Fire Department pulled a man from the surf at Ocean Beach and rushed him to a local hospital where he was in critical condition this afternoon, according to SFFD.



The fire department put out a tweet around 12:30 p.m. saying authorities were performing CPR on the man, who had apparently been surfing today when things went awry.



He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition a little after 1 p.m., according to the fire department.



A beach hazard went in effect Thursday afternoon but was lifted this morning at 8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.







Windsor's Town Manager resigned abruptly Wednesday, Windsor's Human Resources Division director James Leon said Thursday.



Town Manager John Jansons, 54, announced his resignation Wednesday, and his last day of work was Thursday, Leon said.



Assistant Town Manager Camille Kazarian also resigned on Nov. 19. Windsor officials did not announce her resignation.



Leon said the Town Council met in closed session Wednesday and appointed Kenneth MacNab as interim Town Manager. MacNab is the director of Community Development.



Leon said details of the resignations are not public because they are a personnel matter. He said the Town Council is scheduled to meet Dec. 19 to discuss the vacancies. Jansons was Town Manager for about 14 months, Leon said.







San Francisco police are warning the city's Chinese community of an ongoing "blessing scam," where scammers play on residents' beliefs to extort money from them.



Scammers did this twice last week in different parts of the city, making off with a significant amount of money, according to police.



The first theft happened on Nov. 29 on Schwerin Street in San Francisco's Visitacion Valley neighborhood.



A group of suspects convinced the victim to go home and bring them as much money as she could for a blessing to protect her son, according to police.



When the victim returned with the money, she felt someone tug at her bag but was distracted by one of the suspects. The suspects then told her that she didn't need to pay.



When the victim got home she realized her money was gone, police said.





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Volunteers will plant 1,000 or more native plants in the Tennessee Hollow Watershed in San Francisco's Presidio today.



It's the 13th annual Presidio Planting Day, and it starts 9 a.m. at El Polin Spring at 8600 MacArthur Ave.



Along with native wetlands plants, volunteers will plant the endangered and rare Franciscan manzanita, which has been raised in the Golden Gate National Recreation Area's nurseries.







A surfer has died after being pulled from the surf at San Francisco's Ocean Beach Friday afternoon, fire officials said.



The officials put out an alert at about 12:30 p.m. saying authorities were performing CPR on a man, who had apparently been surfing Friday when things went awry.



He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition a little after 1 p.m., according to the fire department.



Friday evening, fire officials said the man died.



A beach hazard statement went in effect at noon Wednesday but was lifted Friday morning at 8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.







A federal appeals court in San Francisco Friday turned down a government request to reinstate President Donald Trump's partial ban on asylum seekers at the Mexican border.



A panel of the 9th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals by a 2-1 vote refused to stay a temporary restraining order on the ban in which U.S. District Judge Jon Tigar said last month violates a U.S. immigration law.



The law allows asylum applications from people who enter the United States at any point, "whether or not at a designated port of arrival."



Trump's restrictions, issued on Nov. 9, would have allowed applications from only people who arrived at official entry points. The Justice Department argued the limits were necessary to "stem a crisis from the mass illegal immigration at the southern border."



Four refugee assistance groups led by the Berkeley-based East Bay Sanctuary Covenant sued to challenge the ban. They said some asylum seekers fleeing persecution don't know there are legal entry points or don't know where they are located.







The Mendocino County Sheriff's Office is investigating whether human remains found Wednesday in a river near the Mendocino-Humboldt county line are those of a missing Santa Rosa man.



A wildlife photographer spotted the remains around 9 a.m. but thought they might be those of an animal, the sheriff's office said.



The photographer took pictures of the remains and contacted the Southern Humboldt County Technical Rescue Team to report the finding in the South Fork of the Eel River in Piercy, south of the county line.



The Southern Humboldt County Technical Rescue Team then contacted the sheriff's office. A swift water team rafted to the remains and confirmed they were those of a human who was entangled in branches of a downed tree lying partially in the Eel River, according to sheriff's officials.



The team freed the body and took it to the shoreline where it was determined to be that of a white male adult approximately 50 years old, more than 6 feet tall with a heavy build. It appeared the man was in the water for a week or more and did not have any identification on him, sheriff's officials said.







The Board of Directors of the Santa Clara Valley Transportation Authority on Thursday approved a relocation plan for residents affected by the second stage of BART's expansion into San Jose.



The two new stations will be located at 28th Street in Alum Rock and in the area of either downtown or Diridon Station. VTA is overseeing construction and planning as BART continues its move into Santa Clara County.



Thursday's approval allows VTA to begin negotiations with property owners, but VTA spokeswoman Brandi Childress said the earliest residents would have to relocate is by the end of 2019.



"The mechanism is now in place but we are still not ready," she said. "It's not as if we're going to start acquiring property tomorrow."



The agency is still in a design phase to lessen the number of people impacted, which currently stands at 9 residents and about 60 people who either operate businesses, advertise or use storage space.







A man who was fatally shot in East Oakland last Saturday night was identified by police Friday as 18-year-old Mohamed Soumah of Oakland.



Officers found Soumah suffering from a gunshot wound at a party at a home in the 2100 block of 47th Avenue at about 10:08 p.m. Dec. 1 and he was pronounced dead at the scene.



No arrests have been made and police haven't disclosed a motive for the shooting or released information about suspects.



A GoFundMe account to raise money for Soumah's family had raised $3,350 of its $15,000 goal as of 3 p.m. Friday.



The website says, "Words cannot describe the grief and devastation from the tragic loss of Mohamed. His family across the U.S. and Guinea are in complete shock."







Retail giant Amazon.com has agreed to continue banning online sales of foie gras to California residents because of a state law outlawing the delicacy.



The company is also shelling out $96,000 in civil payments after allegations that it illegally sold foie gras to California buyers in 2012 and 2013.



News of the settlement is the latest development in a long legal saga that started in 2004, when then-Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger signed a bill banning the sale and production of foie gras. The law went into effect in 2012, though it's been hampered by legal challenges ever since.



Supporters of the law believe force-feeding, the technique by which the geese are fattened up, is cruel to the animals.

























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SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



San Francisco has renamed Phelan Avenue to Frida Kahlo Way, and city officials celebrated the occasion today with the unveiling of new street signs.



"This represents the end of a repressive symbol" and shines "the light on a symbol of hope celebrating San Francisco's rich diversity," Supervisor Norman Yee said at a news conference today. "We will not tolerate exclusion, racism and hatred of our communities."



The former Phelan Avenue was named after James Phelan, the father of James D. Phelan, who served as San Francisco's mayor from 1897 to 1902, and later as a U.S. senator. During his tenure, the younger Phelan was known for supporting racist and anti-immigrant policies. That association, Yee said, prompted interest in renaming the street.



The newly christened Frida Kahlo Way runs along the western edge of the City College of San Francisco's main campus in the city's Ingleside neighborhood, which lies in Yee's district.



Yee's legislation to rename the street after Kahlo was approved unanimously by the Board of Supervisors in June, following approval of a similar resolution by the City College of San Francisco Board of Trustees in February. Kahlo's name was selected and voted on for the street through a community process led by Yee, according to his office.



Kahlo, an internationally known Mexican artist and social rights activist who died in 1954, was married to the famous muralist Diego Rivera. The unveiling event was held in the college's Diego Rivera Theatre, in front of Rivera's "Pan American Unity" mural, which includes a depiction of Kahlo.



"The community's choice to rename the street to Frida Kahlo Way represents the wider, international movement to recognize more women and their contributions in public office and public places," Yee's office said. "As a queer woman of color, with several disabilities, Kahlo also represents several historically underrepresented communities."



"The renaming of the street is an important historical act that advances the rights of immigrants" and recognizes their contribution "to San Francisco's history of progress towards social justice," City College of San Francisco Chancellor Mark Rocha said in a statement. "To rename the street in honor of Frida Kahlo lifts the street name out of the realm of politics and into the inspiring world of art."





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EDITOR'S PLEASE NOTE: An earlier story said a beach hazard statement went into effect Thursday. National Weather Service officials said this evening the beach hazard statement went into effect at noon Wednesday. The story below has the correct information.



SAN FRANCISCO (BCN)



A surfer has died after being pulled from the surf at San Francisco's Ocean Beach this afternoon, fire officials said.



The officials put out an alert at about 12:30 p.m. saying authorities were performing CPR on a man, who had apparently been surfing today when things went awry.



He was rushed to the hospital in critical condition a little after 1 p.m., according to the fire department.



This evening, fire officials said the man died.



A beach hazard statement went in effect at noon Wednesday but was lifted this morning at 8 a.m., according to the National Weather Service.





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These Christmas light safety tips will help you get in the holiday spirit and reduce your risk of fire or electric shock injuries. There's nothing like a twinkling strand of Christmas lights to really dress up a home, which is why many homeowners and renters hang them year after year. But because Christmas lights use so much electricity, that heightens the potential for an accident if you neglect to take certain safety measures. The last thing you want on your hands is an open fireunless you're roasting chestnuts, of course.

Below, an illuminating look at expert-approved tips on how to safely use, hang, and store Christmas lights.

Make sure the lights have been certified for safety

With every new box of lights, check for the mark of an independent testing organization like Underwriters Laboratories, which certifies and tests products for safety, recommends Susan McKelvey, communications manager for the National Fire Protection Association.

Products certified by the Underwriters Laboratories will have the mark "UL."

You should also do a quick search online to make sure your lights haven't been recalled.

Don't use indoor lights outside

All Christmas lights are not made the same. When you buy Christmas lights to hang outside your home, don't just grab the same ones you'd use indoors.

"Outdoor lights are designed to keep water from seeping into places and prevent the elements from causing a failure. Indoor lights aren't designed to do that," says McKelvey.

Inspect the lights before use

Chad Ridenour, owner and CEO of Turn It On Electric company, says you must inspect your lights before decorating your home. Every year, he lays out all his lights in his driveway to ensure theyre in good working condition. Toss anything thats frayed, broken, or warm to the touch.

Youll also want to plug in and turn on the light strands. If one bulb is not working or flickering after you put a new one in, its best to trash the strand since it could be a sign that something is wrong with the wiring.

Likewise, ensure that your extension cords are in good working order.

When in doubt, throw it out, says Ridenour.

Stabilize your ladder

When hanging Christmas lights in hard-to-reach areas like the gutters on your house, make sure that the ladder you use is stable. Ladder falls can be fatal, so to protect yourself, make sure your ladder can hold your weight and is stable.

Make sure the ladder is in good condition, says Ridenour. Always inspect it.

Dont overload your outlets

Plugging too many lights into one outlet can overload it.

"You dont want to overload outlets because that can create a short, says McKelvey. "Each outlet can handle a certain amount of amps to be drawn from it. If you overload an outlet, it can cause the outlet to fail."

When this happens, an outlet generates heat and sparks, which can result in a fire.

"We encourage people to not use more than one plug per outlet to ensure that they don't exceed the number of amps that the outlet is rated to handle," McKelvey says.

Reduce the risk of a Christmas tree fire

If you like displaying a live tree in your home, be sure to purchase one that's as fresh as possible. A dry tree wrapped with Christmas lights will go up in flames much faster than a well-hydrated one.

A fresh tree is green and its needles are hard to pull from branches and don't break when bent between your fingers," says Karla Crosswhite, spokesperson for the Consumer Product Safety Commission. "The bottom of a fresh tree is sticky with resin, and when tapped on the ground, the tree should not lose many needles."

Once you bring home your live tree, keep it well-hydrated with about 1 gallon of water a day.

And if you favor an artificial tree, search for one that's labeled "fire-resistant."

Store Christmas lights properly

Taking down your Christmas decorations is never fun, but you'll want to be extra careful when packing up your lights. Storing your lights properly may extend their life span and will ensure they don't end up in a giant, tangled ball.

Untangling lights creates wear and tear on them. When you start yanking and pulling, thats when they fray, says Ridenour.

Wrap the strand of lights around your arm, and gently place them in an air-tight box so they'll be ready to use next year.

The post Christmas Light Safety Tips: Did You Deck Your Halls the Right Way? appeared first on Real Estate News & Insights | realtor.com.
With 20 seconds left in the third quarter of the Golden State Warriors' 105-95 win over the Milwaukee Bucks on Friday night, a driving Stephen Curry got the ball to Jordan Bell on the perimeter before sprinting towards Bell to get behind him.

Once Curry was behind the second-year pro, Bell proceeded to pass the ball between his legs back to Steph, and set a successful screen on Bucks forward Thon Maker to set up a Curry's corner three-pointer.
PARIS  The rumble of armored police trucks and the hiss of tear gas filled central Paris on Saturday, as French riot police fought to contain thousands of yellow-vested protesters venting their anger against the government in a movement that has grown more violent by the week.

A ring of steel surrounded the presidents Elysee Palace  a key destination for the protesters  as police stationed trucks and reinforced metal barriers throughout the neighborhood.

Saturdays yellow vest crowd was overwhelmingly male, a mix of those bringing their financial grievances to Paris  the center of Frances government, economy and culture  along with groups of apparently experienced vandals, who tore steadily through some of the citys wealthiest neighborhoods, smashing and burning.

Police and protesters also clashed in the southern French cities of Marseille and Toulouse.

The governments plan was to prevent a repeat of the Dec. 2 rioting that damaged the Arc de Triomphe, injured 130 people and tarnished the countrys global image. But although Saturdays protest in the French capital started out quietly, by nightfall nearly 1,000 people had been taken into custody and 135 people were injured, including 17 police officers, according to Interior Minister Christophe Castaner.

All of the citys top tourist attractions  including the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre museum  shut down for the day, fearing the kind of damage that had hit the Arc de Triomphe. Subway stations in the city center also closed and the U.S. embassy warned its citizens to avoid all protest areas.

Amid the melee, President Emmanuel Macron remained invisible and silent, as he has for the four weeks of a movement that started as a protest against a gas tax hike and grew into a rebellion against high taxes, eroding living standards and what many see as his inability to address the concerns of Frances regions and ordinary people.

Macron on Wednesday agreed to abandon the fuel tax hike, which aimed to wean France off fossil fuels and uphold the Paris climate agreement. Many economists and scientists say higher fuel taxes are essential to saving the planet from worsening climate change, but that approach hasnt defused the popular anger.

Elaine Ganley and John Leicester are Associated Press writers.
BAGHDAD  A year after it was routed from Iraq in a devastating war that left entire neighborhoods and towns in ruins, the Islamic State group is fighting to hang on to its last enclave in eastern Syria, engaging in deadly battles with U.S.-backed forces.

Cornered in the desert near the Iraqi border with nowhere to run, the militants are putting up a fierce fight, inflicting hundreds of casualties among their opponents and releasing a stream of beheading videos reminiscent of the extremist groups terrifying propaganda at the height of its power.

The battle for Hajin has dragged on for three months, highlighting the difficulty of eradicating an extremist group determined to survive. In Iraq, there is rising concern that the group may stage a comeback. Islamic State sleeper cells have recently launched deadly attacks against security forces and kidnapped and killed civilians, mostly in four northern and central provinces that were once part of the groups self-declared caliphate.

There is still major danger for Iraq and Syria especially in areas close to the border when it comes to Daesh, a senior Iraqi intelligence official said, using an Arabic acronym to refer to the extremists. He spoke on condition of anonymity.

He said Islamic State lost most of the income it once made from oil and taxes imposed in areas it controlled. The group now relies on selling gold and other reserves that they had accumulated after declaring their caliphate in June 2014. He said the money is being used to buy weapons and finance attacks in Iraq and Syria.

Islamic State once held an area the size of Britain across vast territories straddling parts of Iraq and Syria, running a caliphate and planning international attacks from its headquarters in the Syrian city of Raqqa. Tens of thousands were killed in both countries as an array of local forces, some backed by a U.S.-led coalition, eventually drove the extremists out of virtually all the lands they once held.

Iraqs then-Prime Minister Haider al-Abadi declared final victory over the group on Dec. 9, 2017. Two months earlier, the coalition, working with Kurdish-dominated fighters known as the Syrian Democratic Forces, liberated Raqqa after a bombing campaign that decimated much of the city.

Qassim Abdul-Zahra and Bassem Mroue are Associated Press writers.
CORINALDO, Italy  Teenagers panicked before a rap concert at a jammed Italian nightclub, setting off a stampede that killed five of them and a mother who had brought her daughter to the event, authorities and survivors said Saturday.

Fifty-three people were reported injured, including 13 in serious condition.

Video on state TV RaiNews24 showed scores of teenagers rushing out a door and surging toward a low wall near an exit at the Blue Lantern disco in the central Italian town of Corinaldo, near Ancona on the Adriatic coast. The barrier then gives way and a cascade of teenagers tumble over it, falling on top of each other.

Several survivors said panic spread through the late-night crowd after someone unleashed an irritant spray. Investigators said they were checking the reports.

The bodies of the trampled victims were all found near a low wall, Ancona Firefighters Cmdr. Dino Poggiali told Sky TG24 News. State radio said the skulls of most of the dead were crushed in the melee.

The victims  three girls and two boys  ranged in age from 14 to 16, and the mother who was killed was 39, said Col. Cristian Carrozza, commander of the Ancona province Carabinieri paramilitary police.

The stampede occurred shortly after 1 a.m. Saturday, less than 30 minutes before the concert by Italian rapper Sfera Ebbasta was to begin.

Authorities said organizers had sold far too many tickets for the space. Ancona Chief Prosecutor Monica Garulli said about 1,400 tickets were sold but the disco was only able to hold about 870 people.

While prosecutors investigate the government must ask itself what to so that such tragedies must never happen again, said Premier Giuseppe Conte, who visited the scene.

The woman who was killed, Eleanora Girolimini, had four children and had accompanied her 11-year-old daughter to the concert, said her husband, Paolo. The girl was treated for a knee injury.

Diana Maltagliati and Frances DEmilio are Associated Press writers.
MARIB, Yemen  Farouk Baakar was on duty as a medic at al-Rashid hospital the day a bleeding man was brought into the emergency room with gunshot wounds and signs of torture. Hed been whipped across the back and hung by his wrists for days.

The patient, Baakar learned, had been left for dead by the side of a highway after being held captive in a prison run by the Houthi rebels who control northern Yemen.

Baakar spent hours removing bullets and repairing a ruptured intestine. He tended to the patients recovery for 80 days and, at the end, agreed to pose for a selfie with him.

Weeks later, Houthi security officials grabbed the man again. They searched his phone and found the photo.

Then they came for Baakar.

Militiamen stormed the hospital, blindfolded Baakar and hustled him away in a pickup truck. Because hed given medical help to an enemy of the Houthis, they told him, he was now their enemy, too. He spent 18 months in prisons within the expanse of Yemen controlled by the Houthis. He says they burned him, beat him and chained him to the ceiling by his wrists for 50 days until they thought he was dead.

Baakar and his patient are among thousands of people who have been imprisoned by the Houthi militia during the four years of Yemens grinding civil war. Many of them, an Associated Press investigation has found, have suffered extreme torture  being smashed in their faces with batons, hung from chains by their wrists or genitals for weeks at a time, and scorched with acid.

The AP spoke with 23 people who said they survived or witnessed torture in Houthi detention sites, as well as with eight relatives of detainees, five lawyers and rights activists, and three security officers involved in prisoner swaps who said they saw marks of torture on inmates.

These accounts underscore the significance of a prisoner-swap agreement reached Thursday at the start of U.N.-sponsored peace talks in Sweden between the Houthi rebels and the Yemeni government backed by Saudi Arabia and the U.S.

As a confidence-building measure, the two sides agreed to release thousands of prisoners, though details must still be worked out. But while the coalition side would release captured Houthi fighters, the rebels would largely free civilians who, like Baakar, were imprisoned in brutal sweeps aimed at suppressing opposition and obtaining captives who could be traded for ransom or exchanged for Houthi fighters held by the other side.

The Houthis released Baakar in 2017 after his family paid about $8,000.

Maggie Michael is an Associated Press writer.
MINSK, Belarus  Ukraines defense ministry warned Russia on Friday that it will soon send navy ships through the Kerch Strait where Russia fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels two weeks ago.

The announcement sets up another possible flash point in the long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that erupted in 2014 with Russias annexation of the Crimean peninsula burst into the open on Nov. 25 when Russian border guards opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels that were moving through the Kerch Strait near Crimea and seized the ships and their crews.

Ukraine responded by introducing martial law for 30 days, a measure Kiev did not take even after Crimeas annexation and amid large-scale fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in 2014-2015.

As part of martial law, Ukraine has beefed up its forces on the border with Russia and called up reservists for training.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak told reporters on Friday that his country intends to send naval ships through the Kerch Strait soon, saying that otherwise Russia will fully occupy the Sea of Azov.

Ukraine has ports both on the Black Sea and on the Sea of Azov that are linked by the Kerch Strait, which separates Crimea from Russia.

More than 140 ships were stuck on both sides of the strait on Friday due to excessive checks and delays on the Russian side, the Ukrainian Border Guard Service said, accusing Russia of creating a bottleneck for Ukrainian ships and preventing them from passing.

Speaking in Rome at a ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergei Lavrov brushed off suggestions Russia could release or exchange the 24 Ukrainian seamen captured in last months maritime confrontation. Lavrov said it was too early to speak about any offers of a prisoner swap until Russias investigation of the incident is completed and the servicemen are put on trial for violating the Russian border.

Lavrov also reacted to a suggestion by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to expand the OSCE monitoring mission to the Sea of Azov, saying that Russia has no need for any intermediaries or monitors in the area.

Yuras Karmanau and Nataliya Vasilyeva are Associated Press writers.
BRUSSELS  Belgian police fired tear gas and water cannons at yellow-vested protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Charles Michel after they tried to breach a riot barricade, as the movement that started in France made its mark Saturday in Belgium and the Netherlands.

Protesters in Brussels threw paving stones, road signs, fireworks, flares and other objects at police blocking their entry to an area where Michels offices, other government buildings and the parliament are located.

Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere said around 400 protesters were gathered in the area. About 100 were detained, many for carrying dangerous objects like fireworks or clothing that could be used as protection in clashes with police.

The reasons for the protests are not entirely clear. Neither Belgium nor the Netherlands has proposed a hike in fuel tax  the catalyst for the massive and destructive demonstrations in France in recent weeks.

Instead, protesters appeared to hail at least in part from a populist movement that is angry at government policy in general and what it sees as the widening gulf between mainstream politicians and the voters who put them in power. Some in Belgium appeared intent only on confronting police.

Earlier in Brussels, police used pepper spray and scuffled with a small group of protesters who tried to break through a barricade blocking access to the European Parliament and the European Unions other main institutions.

The rallies, which started at different locations around the city and converged on the European quarter, disrupted road and rail traffic on one of the busiest Christmas shopping days of the year.

Several hundred police officers were mobilized. Last week, yellow vest protesters clashed with police and torched two police vehicles in the same area. More than 70 people were detained.

In the Dutch city of Rotterdam, a few hundred protesters in the high-visibility vests that have become a symbol of the movement walked peacefully across the downtown Erasmus Bridge.

About 100 protesters gathered in a peaceful demonstration outside the Dutch parliament in The Hague. At least two protesters were detained by police in central Amsterdam.

Lorne Cook and Mike Corder are Associated Press writers.
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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- Police arrested a 30-year-old man in connection with a fatal hit and run that left a 65-year-old Grasmere man dead on Dec. 1.

Losif Morgenshteyn was struck and killed by a hit and run driver while he was fixing a flat tire at the intersection of East 28 Street and Shore Parkway in Sheepshead Bay at 6:24 p.m. when he was stuck by a car, according to police.

Police arrested Anton Panamarenko of Brooklyn on Thursday, according to a spokesman for NYPDs Deputy Commissioner of Public Information (DCPI). He was charged with manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide, leaving the scene of an accident and reckless driving, the spokesman said.

On Dec. 1 Morgenshteyn was transported to NYC Health + Hospitals in Coney Island where he was pronounced dead, police said.

The vehicle involved in the incident fled the scene and was later found, parked and unoccupied in the vicinity of Emmons Avenue and Bragg Street in Brooklyn, according to police.

Neighbors of Morgenshteyn described him and his wife as a quiet couple.

He was a very nice guy," said a neighbor, who declined to give her name. We had a block party once and we all hung out. They [Morgenshteyn and his wife] bought the house maybe 10 years ago and renovated the whole thing. They were a quiet, nice couple.

Another neighbor, who declined to give his name, said he didnt know Morgenshteyn well, but would occasionally greet him in passing.

I heard the news yesterday but I didnt know it was him," said the neighbor, who lives two doors away from Morgenshteyn. "Thats so sad. Its crazy because New York City people drive like maniacs.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y. -- If Santa expanded his workshop to New York City, it would look like the new 855,000-square-foot Amazon warehouse located on Staten Island.

The $100 million Amazon fulfillment center in Global Matrix Logistics Park, which opened in September, employs 2,000 people.

In the fall, Amazon spokeswoman Rachael Lighty told the Advance the warehouse would be open for the 2018 holiday season, and she did not disappoint.

A step inside the operation reveals humans working alongside Amazon robots amidst a sea of conveyor belts, stacks of boxes and more.

Interested to learn how Amazon enables those Christmas gifts to make it under the tree without a team of elves?

Watch the video above, and youll see how a small I Love New York mug makes its way through the giant maze of the fulfillment center -- without getting lost in the hustle and bustle.
CITY HALL -- Members of the newly elected Congress are still waiting to be sworn in, but it looks like a 2020 battle is already heating up in Staten Islands congressional district.

Congressman-elect Max Rose recently sent an email urging constituents to donate to his campaign, warning his base they needed to gear up because former Republican Congressman Michael Grimm, who once held Roses seat, is planning to challenge him in 2020.

Were less than a month past election day and Michael Grimm is already talking about potentially challenging Max in 2020, Roses email to constituents read. Max hasnt even been sworn in and the Republicans and special interests are already lining up to take him out. It truly speaks volumes about the absurdity of our broken campaign finance system that we have to get right back to asking folks like you to step up with a donation.

Grimm, who has since gone back to consulting, said the door to taking back his congressional seat in 2020 isnt just open -- its wide open.

IF HE SURPRISES ME

If Rose does a good job and passes legislation that helps constituents in the 11th district, Grimm said he will leave the Democrat alone.

But he said if Rose does not do a good job in his opinion, and only tells constituents what they want to hear, he plans to challenge the Army veteran.

Its just a matter of the type of job he does, Grimm said. If he surprises me, does a stellar job, then why would I want to challenge him?

In the weeks following the Nov. 6 election, Grimm said constituents, members of the Staten Island Republican Party and representatives from Congressman Daniel Donovans campaign blew up his phone to tell him he would have beaten Rose if he ran against him. Some also encouraged Grimm to run against Rose in 2020, Grimm said.

Recalling his experience getting the Homeowner Flood Insurance Affordability Act of 2013 through Congress and to the former President Barack Obamas desk as well as helping secure $60 billion in aid for Superstorm Sandy victims -- Grimm said both feats made him a lot of enemies.

YOU MAKE SOME ENEMIES

If Rose is not willing to go up against members of his own party and put the needs of 11th district constituents first, Grimm said he wont just run against Rose, but he will beat him too.

I pushed and I fought and again sometimes you make some enemies doing that, but thats being an effective leader and being an effective representative, Grimm said. If he does some of the things like that Ive done, then I wouldnt run against him, but if he ends up being the empty suit that just tells you all the platitudes and the things that you want to hear, which is what I think hes been doing, then  I wont just run Ill beat him.

Grimm lost to Donovan on June 26 by nearly 30 points in a Republican primary where the two candidates were constantly jockeying to align each other with President Donald Trump.

Grimm spent eight months in federal prison beginning in 2015 after pleading guilty to a single count of tax fraud related to a Manhattan health food restaurant he co-owned before taking office.

While under indictment, Grimm won re-election in November 2014.

I know Michael has a lot of free time on his hands, but its a shame that he and others wont even wait for Max to be sworn in before trying to take him out, Rose campaign spokesman Kevin Elkins said. Its exactly whats wrong with our politics. Max refuses to take money from federal lobbyists and corporate PACs and thats pissed off a lot of people in Washington. That means we need to build an operation that will overcome everything Washingtons special interests and Republicans throw at him - and thats exactly we are doing.

Rose joined a wave of Democrats who took back the House of Representatives when he won New Yorks 11th congressional district on Nov. 6. The district voted overwhelmingly for Trump in 2016. Rose beat Donovan, a three-year incumbent, by 6 percentage points.

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STATEN ISLAND, N.Y.  Only in a City Hall overseen by outta-town Mayor Bill de Blasio could the firing of a commissioner be bungled so badly.

De Blasio has every right to fire Joe Esposito, the head of the Office of Emergency Management. Esposito, like other commissioners, serves at the pleasure of the mayor.

But thats not what the mayor did. De Blasio dispatched an underling, Deputy Mayor Lauren Anglin, to do the deed a couple of Fridays ago.

The buck stops where?

Esposito, who had a stellar career with the NYPD before taking over at OEM, refused to consider himself fired. He wanted to hear the words from the mayor. Esposito showed up for work on the following Monday, and for a while, nobody was sure if OEM had a leader at all.

Good thing there wasnt a snowstorm that day. Or a building collapse. Or a terrorist attack. OEM was in chaos.

And where was de Blasio while Esposito was getting his walking papers? The mayor left the city that firing Friday, traveling to Vermont for the weekend to hang out with Bernie Sanders and chase that progressive presidential pipe dream.

Classic de Blasio.

It's an almost-too-perfect encapsulation of everything thats wrong with de Blasios stewardship of the five boroughs: Too often seeming to be focused on things other than running the city. Always heading out of town. Passing the buck. Wondering why the press sees a story when theres no story there.

We still dont even know why de Blasio wanted Esposito fired. CBS-TV reported that there had been a pattern of non-responsiveness on the commissioners part, with last months crippling snowstorm apparently the last straw.

De Blasio said that he was looking for someone who could handle the changing nature of the threats we face.

Fair enough. But now its like Esposito wasnt even fired at all. The commissioner will stay on the job while a search to find his replacement is undertaken. The search could take several months. Talk about awkward.

And if de Blasio really does have a problem with how Esposito runs an agency as important as OEM, he owes it to the city to have him out sooner rather than later. Make up your mind already.

Its not the first time that de Blasios management style has left something to be desired. Problems with the city Housing Authority remain an albatross around his neck. Lead problems. Problems with heat and hot water. Problems with crumbling apartments.

Fixing these problems, for some of the poorest and most disadvantaged among us, would be a true progressive achievement for de Blasio. Pols from around the country would beat a path to his door for a change. But the troubles continue to fester.

And the whiff of pay-to-play continues to waft over City Hall every time former de Blasio donor Jona Rechnitz testifies at another trial. And why are emails that City Hall failed to turn over to reporters as part of Freedom of Information requests turning up in these court proceedings?

City Hall said that not all emails are required to be saved and that the retention policy dates back to the Bloomberg era. So, more buck passing.

Does de Blasio even want the job? Did he ever? Can he even do the job?

A New York Times analysis showed that de Blasio had spent an average of just 10 days a month in City Hall through September of this year. That includes showing up at the office on just four of the first 39 Fridays of 2018. Its all part of a pattern of diminishing de Blasio attendance at City Hall.

Try that in your workplace and see how long you have a job. And you know what happens when the boss doesnt show up at work. When the cats away, as the saying goes.

De Blasio told the Times that hes focused on the job around the clock. Well, heres another saying for the mayor: Showing up is half the battle. Particularly when the public pays your salary.

And to think, weve got three more years of de Blasio to go until the mayor is term-limited out of office.
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There was only one person in the world who knew the answer to the last question in Saturday's Good Weekend quiz: "will you marry me, Melissa Rose?"

And the answer was yes, much to the relief of the man behind the question, Dennis Neuen.

She said yes! The happy couple: Dennis Neuen and Melissa Godwin. Credit:Dennis Neuen

"I got up to 'will you marry me Mel' and I just started crying," Melissa Rosamond Godwin, 27, said.

When Dennis decided to propose to Melissa, he wanted to include a ritual they've had since they first started dating.
A century-old building in the heart of Melbournes Hardware Lane district will be knocked down and replaced with a 23-storey hotel tower.

Melbourne City Council has given Singapore-based developer Roxy Pacific the green light to demolish Melbourne House, at 360 Little Bourke Street, replacing it with a 308-room hotel.

Activists raised the alarm over the buildings imminent destruction earlier this year when it was not given heritage protection, as Planning Minister Richard Wynne approved new rules that placed a heritage overlay on 65 buildings across the CBD.

Luke Skidmore, Craig Cochrane and Andrea Ceriani are opposed to plans to replace Melbourne House with a 23-storey hotel. Credit:Eddie Jim

But Little Bourke Street residents and traders are worried their precinct, which they say has become part of Melbournes culture and identity, will change dramatically.
Residents in one of Canberra's newest suburbs are fed up with "rat runners" cutting through residential streets and creating lengthy delays as they attempt to bypass traffic.

Throsby man Andrew Nathan said there had been times it had taken him 40 minutes to get onto Horse Park Drive from his house, which is 1.4km away by road, according to Google Maps.

Throsby resident Andrew Nathan is fed up with "rat runners" who cause congestion and speed along Bettong Avenue. Credit:Jamila Toderas

The cause of the issue, he and other residents say, are "rat runners" - motorists using the residential streets of Throsby in a bid to skip the lengthy peak hour queues on Horse Park Drive.

Large numbers of drivers are coming off Horse Park Drive to take Bettong Avenue, which winds through Throsby, before re-joining Horse Park Drive at the Well Station Drive intersection.
Confidential and private information of ACT Health employees involved in bullying and harassment complaints would have been shared with third parties under a draft plan proposed by the organisation.

Members of ACT Health's clinical cultural committee in February 2016 discussed sharing employee information of those who lodged bullying complaints or those who were the subject of investigations with the Australian medical regulator, Australian National University and medical colleges, documents have revealed.

ACT Health discussed in 2016 ways to share employee data with third parties regarding bullying complaints. Credit:Karleen Minney

The committee brought in a government solicitor to see if the measure was feasible, with the solicitor stating clauses could be inserted into contracts to allow information sharing to occur.

It is not known if the measure would have applied solely to new employees signing contracts or would be added in to all employees' contracts retrospectively.
Cancellation rates of flights at Canberra Airport remain well above the national average despite an improvement over the past 12 months.

Newly released data shows flights to Sydney were the most likely to be cancelled out of Canberra Airport for October, with a rate of 2.3 per cent.

More than 2 per cent of flights between Canberra and Sydney were cancelled in October. Credit:Karleen Minney

While the figure dropped significantly from the highs of more than 8 per cent in September 2017, the rate is still greater than the national average for the month of 1.7 per cent of scheduled flights.

Virgin flights between Canberra and Sydney were the most likely to be cancelled during October, with 4.1 per cent of their flights not taking off, compared to 1.4 per cent of Qantas flights.
Mould from Melissa Harrison's home, which she has tried to clean up, has made her sick. Credit:Melissa Harrison Ms Harrison said the mould issue was so bad her three children - eight-year-old Travis and three-year-old twins Ivy and Kenley - were also affected. "Travis gets night sweat, rashes, nose bleeds and headaches, and he's had multiple trips to the hospital. My twin girls get random rashes and chest infections," Ms Harrison said. Her son has suffered chest and sinus infections, severe asthma and headaches. "He's also had large rashes that appear all over and he's had multiple trips to the hospital as a result," Ms Harrison said.

She believes the symptoms are caused by mould. The children stayed with relatives while Ms Harrison was sleeping in her car to avoid the mould. Ms Harrison's home was one of almost 100 public houses in Canberra that were reported to have serious cases of potentially toxic mould last year. Housing ACT said the department responded to 97 cases of mould in public housing, a figure that's largely remained unchanged for the past five financial years. A spokesman said the figure represented less than one per cent of Canberra's public housing portfolio.

"Housing ACT is aware that mould can be problematic in Canberra, particularly during winter," the spokesman said. "Housing ACT's total facility manager assesses all reports of mould by tenants to determine the underlying cause before any rectification work is undertaken." Health experts said those who are affected by severe mould-related illnesses, also called chronic inflammatory response syndrome, can suffer from symptoms ranging from chronic fatigue, joint pain, bleeding and cramping. Ms Harrison says she's suffered pneumonia as a resulf of mould. Credit:Melissa Harrison Despite telling Housing ACT about the issue in the government home, Ms Harrison said she was dismissed by the government department, telling her it was her responsibility to deal with the mould.

Documents seen by the Sunday Canberra Times showed mould levels in the carpet, walls and ceiling to be more than seven times higher than normal mould levels. "[Housing ACT] kept having me submit all of my doctor's letters, and this took about a year. At one stage I told them I was really sick and they put me in a hotel but only for two weeks," Ms Harrison said. Her fight to move to new accommodation has been a long one, languishing on the high needs waiting list for new public housing for several months before moving to a priority list. While Ms Harrison was eventually cleared to move into a new home free from mould, she said she was told by Housing ACT to clean the rest of the mould from the Gilmore address, despite warning from doctors it would harm her health, or pick up the clean-up bill.

"It was absolutely a slap in the face. I couldn't believe it," she said. Mould build up in Ms Harrison's Gilmore address. Credit:Melissa Harrison "Obviously I'm moving because of the conditions I had to live in, and I can't live there any more because of the mould spores releasing." Ms Harrison's mother ended up cleaning the mouldy parts of the house. Ms Harrison said she's been told new residents are set to move into the Gilmore home, and said the threat of mould poses a major risk to its new tenants.

"It's frightening, it's absolutely frightening. I wouldn't wish my worst enemy living there," she said. "I can't afford to get the house professionally cleaned and I've forked out so much already." A Housing ACT spokesman would not confirm whether Ms Harrison would have to foot the bill for the clean up, saying it did not comment on individual cases. "Once Housing ACT receives the keys to a vacant property, a final inspection of the property is undertaken to identify works required to bring the property back to an acceptable standard for another household in need of accommodation," the spokesman said. "All Housing ACT properties are brought up to a lettable standard prior to the next tenants taking up occupation. At this stage, there has been no decision made on the future of the property."

Housing ACT said it provided tenants with information on how to manage mould growth in the home. "Housing ACT will relocate a tenant if the extent of the works required would be too disruptive for day-to-day habitation," the spokesman said. "Housing ACT does not require evidence of health concerns when a tenant reports mould in their home. Documentation may be required if the matter cannot be resolved or issues continue." Private rental tenants are also facing similar problems with mould. Tenants' Union ACT principal solicitor Charlie Faulder said mould is one of the most common complaints they deal with in Canberra.

Mr Faulder deals with at least two cases of toxic mould per week, and said tenants are regularly blamed for poor ventilation in homes or previous water damage that is out of their control. "More common than not, lessors don't want anything to do with it, and often tenants are left for a long time in mouldy conditions," Mr Faulder said. "There's difficulty in the push back from landlords and agents saying mould is not our responsibility and saying the tenant is responsible, even if they clean the walls and squidgee windows every day to prevent it. "It becomes concerning for health implications." Access Canberra received five complaints related to mould in the most recent financial year.

It is not known how many mould issues were heard by the government department in previous years due to a new complaints-handling system being brought in. An Access Canberra spokeswoman said there was no unit within the department to investigate offences in relation to tenancy laws in the ACT, including mould issues. "In instances where Access Canberra receives inquiries regarding the Act, members of the public are referred to Tenants Union ACT for appropriate advice concerning the matter," the spokeswoman said. "In instances where there is a significant mould problem it is suggested tenants photograph the affected area and provide copies to the landlord or homeowner in the first instance to allow them the opportunity to inspect and resolve the issue." While Ms Harrison said she's relieved to move into a new property at last that's free from mould, she said she hoped that the move would mean the beginning of a long health recovery.
The Canberra-Mollymook Nippers will surf into their first season at full steam thanks to brand new equipment donated to them on Saturday.

The Canberra-based club received more than $5000 in new equipment from the South Coast branch of Surf Life Saving NSW, including a new rescue board, several new nipper boards and three Little Annie's - resuscitation training dolls.

Canberra-Mollymook nippers practice flag running at Canberra Olympic Pool. Credit:Elesa Kurtz

The Canberra-Mollymook Nippers commenced their inaugural season in November and will continue through to late March.

They followed on from the success of the Canberra-Broulee Nippers which began offering Canberra children the opportunity to be trained in surf life saving since 2016.
Angie* is 31, works in real estate and lives in the inner-west with her husband and toddler in a rented duplex.

Most weekends, she spends upwards of $300 on cocaine.

"It's fun," she said when asked why she prefers the notorious party drug to alcohol or other illicit drugs.

"It's so fun! It's so much better than a night out on booze - nobody gets mopey about their job or their ex, everyone has the most fun night possible. And there's no hangover. It's pricey, but it works for me."
A French paraglider has been found dead in bushland in remote western NSW after an extensive two-day search operation located his body.

On Saturday afternoon, seven paragliders took off from the remote Emmdale Airstrip, about 100 kilometres east of Wilcannia in state's remote far west.

When only six landed on the Cobb Highway, about 60 kilometres south of Ivanhoe, the alarm was raised and a search began to locate 67-year-old Piere Naville, a French national who failed to land with the other pilots.

After conducting an aerial and ground search of the area, police located the body of the man just before 3pm on Sunday.

He was found in bushland about 20km north of Ivanhoe.
A successful plastic surgeon will be paid $80,000 after he sued a patient's ex-husband for defamation over a statement made in a phone call in 2017.

Kourosh Tavakoli, a surgeon based in Sydney's Double Bay, has more than 150,000 followers on Instagram, where he calls himself the "king of boobs" and posts before-and-after photos of patients.

Plastic surgeon Dr Kourosh Tavakoli arrives at the Supreme Court in Sydney. Credit:Louise Kennerley

Mark Imisides, an industrial chemist from Perth, alleged in a series of calls and emails in 2017 that his ex-wife was charged for a "buccal fat" procedure to remove fat from her cheeks which was not performed.

Dr Imisides' ex-wife paid $35,000 for the cheek procedure, a nose job, and a third procedure on her face to be performed in February 2017 but was unhappy with the results.
A University of Queensland researcher has been awarded a $70,000 grant towards a HIV-test vending machine pilot program to target people who may avoid traditional testing methods in Brisbane.

UQ senior research fellow Dr Owain Williams received one of six research project grants, and the largest amount, from the Gilead Australia Fellowship Program's $250,000 pool.

Dr Williams' project proposes using technology of a saliva-based HIV testing kit and trialling access to these through two vending machines in two locations in Brisbane.

The machines would be stationed near sex-on-premises venues, with the year-long pilot project expected to begin in January.
A man has been taken to hospital in a critical condition after falling from a three-storey building on the Gold Coast.

A Queensland Ambulance Services spokesman said paramedics were on the scene following reports of a person from a third-storey balcony at a Broadbeach apartment building about 7pm on Saturday.

The man was taken to hospital in a critical condition. Credit:Jorge Branco

The man, believed to be in his 20s, was taken to Gold Coast University Hospital with a serious head injury.

The QAS spokesman said he was transported in a life-threatening condition with HARU and critical-care paramedics on board.
A student-led march saw thousands of people protesting on Brisbane streets on Saturday, calling on federal politicians to take a stand against Adani's planned central Queensland coal mine.

Thousands walked the streets of Brisbane to protest Adani.

The March for our Future was sparked when Adani announced last month it would self-fund its mine and start work before Christmas.

The coal project is being downsized from a 60-million-tonnes a year, $16.5 billion mega-mine to a more manageable 10-to-15 million tonnes a year costing about $2 billion.

"No longer will we sit back and be lectured to by people who are outdated and out of touch," speaker Thomas Cullen told hundreds of protesters gathered in Brisbane.
When The Wiggles feel compelled to intervene in the political debate, you know some sort of moral line has been crossed.

Illustration: Reg Lynch Credit:

In October, Anthony Field and Emma Watkins (the Blue Wiggle and the Yellow Wiggle) released a YouTube video urging politicians to work together and get all the kids off Nauru.

The Wiggle intervention happened around the same time as The Daily Telegraph published front-page pictures of the asylum-seeker children on Nauru, and Today show host Karl Stefanovic interviewed pediatrician Dr David Isaacs, who warned there would be a child death on Nauru if they werent brought to Australia. Stefanovic told him: I agree with you.

Middle Australia, staunch in its support of the Scott Morrison-implemented border protection regime, now has grave doubts about whether the deep psychological anguish of innocent children is necessary to preserve it.
Exactly when it will set down at its destination has not yet been announced  possibly in early January  but Change-4 will provide the first close-up look at a part of the moon that is eternally out of view from Earth.

Chinese authorities did not broadcast the launch, but an unofficial live stream recorded near the site showed the rocket rise from the launch pad until its flames looked like a bright star in the areas dark skies.

If all goes according to plan, the spacecraft - named after the mythical Moon Goddess - will land within weeks in the moon's Aitken Basin, where it will take images of the surface and samples of the soil.

Landing in this unexplored region will enable Chang'e-4's rover to better study the moon and space because of the lack of electromagnetic interference from Earth. The rover is equipped with a low-frequency radio spectrometer to help scientists understand "how the earliest stars were ignited and how our cosmos emerged from darkness after the Big Bang," according to China's official Xinhua News Agency.

The probe also will carry a tin filled with the seeds of potatoes and arabidopsis, a small flowering plant related to cabbage and mustard, Xinhua reported. Scientists will test whether the plants can grow while on the moon.

Chang'e-4 also may carry silkworm eggs to conduct the first biological experiment. None of the government agencies involved in the space program - including the State Administration for Science, Technology and Industry for National Defense; China's National Space Administration; and China's Lunar and Deep Space Exploration -- have published details of the Chang'e-4 launch.

The spacecraft is largely a clone of Chang'e-3, which landed on the moon in 2013. Indeed, Chang'e-4 was built as the backup in case the first attempt failed. With the success  the first soft landing of any spacecraft on the moon since 1976  the Chinese outfitted Chang'e-4 with a different set of instruments and decided to send it to a different location.
Paris: French riot police have clashed with "yellow vest" protesters in central Paris during the latest wave of demonstrations against high living costs.

Protesters played a cat-and-mouse game with riot police, moving from the heavily guarded Champs Elysees area to other parts of the city, setting cars, garbage bins and wooden shutters on fire.

A demonstrator wearing a yellow vest grimaces through tear gas. Credit:AP

More than 30 people have been injured in Saturday's demonstrations, where police fired tear gas and used water cannons and horses to charge at protesters.

Authorities said some 31,000 people were demonstrating across France.
Islamic State cut a swathe through the Middle East, but at least one man survived without joining their ranks.

A man fries falafel and chips in hot oil in Daquq IDP camp in Kirkuk, Iraq. Credit:Kate Geraghty

Considering his generous bulk just weeks after the streets of East Mosul were liberated in February last year, you might even say he thrived.

Othman Naufal sells shawarmas. And even bloodthirsty terrorists need to eat so, as the townsfolk around him starved, Othman carved meat at his roadside stall to the only people who had money: IS fighters.

We were there shortly afterwards and Othman sliced some for us. It was delicious.
Rimbo, Sweden: The United Nations' refugee agency said on Friday there were nearly 1500 civilian casualties in Yemen from August through October, the latest grim tally to emerge from a four-year civil war as opposing parties hold talks in Sweden.

Fire and smoke rise after a Saudi-led airstrike hit a site believed to be one of the largest weapons depots on the outskirts of Yemen's capital, Sanaa in 2016. Credit:AP

The announcement came as Yemen's Iran-backed Houthi rebels and the internationally recognised government, supported by a Saudi-led coalition, met for a second day for UN-sponsored talks aimed at halting the bloodshed.

UNHCR urged the two sides to do more to protect civilians, saying data from Yemen shows an average of 123 civilian killed and wounded every week during the three-month period, in a war that has killed at least 16,000 civilians.

On Friday, at the venue in a castle in the town of Rimbo, north of Stockholm, UN envoy Martin Griffiths and various delegates from Yemen were seen walking on the grounds.
White House Chief of Staff John Kelly will step down toward the end of the year, removing a key force for West Wing discipline from President Donald Trump's inner circle.

White House aides believes that Nick Ayers, Vice President Mike Pence's chief of staff, will be named acting chief of staff, two aides said.

Ayers has emerged as a favorite to replace Kelly; Trump has recently taken the unusual step of inviting Ayers to accompany him on Air Force One, even without Pence present, people familiar with the situation said.

Trump announced Kelly's departure Saturday as he was leaving the White House to attend the Army-Navy football game, adding that he would name Kelly's replacement "over the next day or two."
PHILIPSBURG:--- Minister of Health Emil Lee chose to lie to the people of St. Maarten on Wednesday during the Council of Minister's press briefing when he said that INSO and Condotte are not bankrupt and St. Maarten General Hospital will not be affected by the financial problems the parent company is facing in Italy.

Since the bankruptcy was filed in Italy Bane NOR has terminated two EPC contracts awarded to Societa Italiana per Condotte d Acqua S.p.A (Condotte) on the Follo Line project has been terminated by Bane NOR due to the contractors recent financial problems. Bane NOR will reclaim control of the contracts.

Bane NOR further stated that in their opinion any further cooperation with Condotte in this situation would involve a high risk and to secure the economy, quality and progress of the Follo Line Project the two contracts have been terminated.

Bane NORs primary concern is to complete the Follo Line Project to a high standard and within the given budget at the end of 2021, therefore they took immediate actions to achieve their goals and objectives. Bane NOR further stated that Condotte is in debts to several of their subcontractors and this has led to a full stop in the construction work, says David Borenstein, the project director of Follo Line Project. Since the summer of 2017 Bane NOR has monitored the financial situation of Condotte and has been in close contact with top management in Rome on a regular basis. On January 8th, 2018 Condotte filed for protection against bankruptcy at a court in Italy and their request was approved. According to the contract, Bane NOR demanded that the construction work continues as normal while Condotte works on restructuring the company, in spite of their request the construction work halted. Bane NOR further stated that by Condotte has not fulfilled their commitments, Condotte left Bane NOR with no other option than to terminate the two contracts to ensure progress and to limit the economic consequences to Follo Line Project.

Member of Parliament Christophe Emmanuel said he spoke with officials from the Central Bank of Italy and Borenstine after hearing what Minister Lee said on Wednesday. Emmanuel said he is deeply concerned about the New General Hospital and the people's money, especially since the Minister said that Condotte is not bankrupt. He asked if Condotte is not bankrupt why did they have asked for protection against bankruptcy. Emmanuel said the Norweigians puled two contracts from Condotte to secure their economy and project. The Member Parliament said he wants to know what the Central Bank of St. Maarten and Curacao is doing since it is their responsibility to oversee the spending of monies of APS. Emmanuel said the Central Bank has to oversee APS spending and they are also overseeing Ennias pension funds. Emmanuel said everyone knows that APS is one of the partners in the construction of the New General Hospital and he felt that the Government as well as the Governor St. Maarten to put a halt on the New General Hospital project until further clarity can be given regarding INSO and is financial troubles. Emmanuel said he recently read that Ansari is not cooperating with new controllers of Ennia and he is worried since NIB bank is an affiliate of Ennia who was part of the signing of the agreement for the New General Hospital. Emmanuel said the overall picture shows that Condotte the parent company of INSO is in financial problems, while Ennia the parent company of NIB is also in financial woes all of whom are linked to Minister Emil Lee, the Democratic Party, and the New General Hospital.
The Full Cold Moon arriving Dec. 29 will be the last full moon of the year, ushering in the winter constellations and notably, three naked-eye planets in the evening sky.

The moon becomes officially full at 10:28 p.m. EST (0328 Dec. 30 GMT), according to NASA's SkyCal site. For New York City observers, the moon will rise Dec. 29 at about 4:12 p.m. and set at 7:52 a.m. local time on the morning of Dec. 30.

According to the Old Farmer's Almanac , the full moon in December is called the Full Cold Moon, and it's pretty clear why, at least if you live in the Northern Hemispheres mid-latitudes. This particular Cold Moon will rise accompanied by Mars, which will be high in the southern skies just after sunset, as well as Jupiter and Saturn, which will be low in the west coming out of the " great conjunction ," which occurred Dec. 21.

Related: Best night sky events of December 2020 (stargazing maps)

Planets to see

Photographer Jennifer Rose Lane captured this photo of the supermoon rising over Chapmanville, West Virginia on Dec. 13, 2016. (Image credit: Jennifer Rose Lane

The great conjunction was when Jupiter and Saturn approached within one-tenth of a degree of each other on Dec. 21, appearing as a "double star" in the evening sky. The two planets move against the background stars slowly, with Jupiter completing a circuit every 12 years while Saturn takes 29 years to do so. During a conjunction they pass each other in the sky and share the same celestial longitude, but Jupiter takes long enough that this only happens approximately every 20 years in any case. This particular conjunction will be the closest since Galileo's time, the 16th century.

By Dec. 29 the two planets will still be close  about a degree apart, appearing to trail the sun in the southwest. Jupiter will set over New York City at 6:24 p.m. local time, about four minutes after Saturn.

Mars, meanwhile, will be in the constellation Pisces and making its way in to Aries. Mars takes only 687 days to circuit the sun, so it spends approximately two months in each of the constellations of the zodiac  though this can vary a lot because the borders of said constellations do not divide the zodiac into 12 perfectly even pieces. Mars is easily spotted because of its reddish color, apparent even when it has to compete with bright city lights.

Venus, meanwhile, will still be a "morning star" in the constellation Ophiuchus, rising at 5:50 a.m. local time in New York on Dec. 30. Sunrise is not until 7:19 a.m. local time, and the planet will be at 13 degrees altitude by then. Venus is bright enough that it remains visible even as the sky becomes lighter, and a fun challenge is to see how long you can still spot it as sunrise approaches. Mercury, meanwhile, is simply too close to the sun to see  at sunset on Dec. 30 it is only 2 degrees above the horizon and won't be a visible evening star for a few days.

Full moon names

Full moon names are a product of where the people that name them live and the lives they lead. This lunation will be the thirteenth of the year, and one of the names given by the Ojibwe people is Mnidoons Giizis, or "Big Spirit Moon," associated with rites of purification.

In China, the winter lunation that corresponds with the solstice is called Dongyue, "Winter Month", while in the Southern Hemisphere the Maori called the December-January lunation Kohi-tatea, " Fruits are now ripe, and man eats of the new food of the season," according to the Encyclopedia of New Zealand  because in the Southern Hemisphere, December is in midsummer.
A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship made a special delivery at the International Space Station Saturday (Dec. 8) just in time for the holidays. And yes, Virginia, there are Christmas treats on board.

The robotic Dragon spacecraft arrived at the space station Saturday morning to deliver more than 5,600 pounds (2,540 kilograms) of fresh supplies for the six Expedition 57 astronauts on the orbiting lab. SpaceX launched the Dragon ship Wednesday (Dec. 5) from the Cape Canaveral Air Force Station in Florida on Wednesday (Dec. 5).

Station commander Alexander Gerst of the European Space Agency captured the Dragon capsule with a robotic arm at 7:21 a.m. EST (1221 GMT) as both spacecraft sailed 249 miles above the Pacific Ocean, just north of Papua New Guinea. Gerst and his crew are likely looking forward to the supplies packed aboard the spacecraft.

"On this resupply craft they also have some special things like candied yams, green bean casserole and even some Christmas cookies," NASA spokesperson Leah Cheshier said during live commentary.

A SpaceX Dragon cargo ship arrives at the International Space Station on Dec. 8, 2018 to deliver 5,600 pounds of supplies for the outpost's Expedition 57 crew. Among that cargo: Christmas cookies, candied yams and green bean casserole. (Image credit: NASA TV)

The spacecraft is also carrying a trove of science gear for 250 experiments, including a robotic in-space refueling demonstration, a powerful GEDI laser to study Earth's forests and a novel SlingShot device designed to launch up to 18 cubesats from a Cygnus cargo ship already at the station. A team of space-traveling mice and 36,000 worms are also on making the space trip.

Dragon's arrival was delayed briefly due to a communications glitch between a NASA's Tracking and Data Relay Satellites (TDRS) and a ground station in White Sands, New Mexico. A processor at the ground station for the TDRS East satellite failed, forcing NASA to switch to a different TDRS satellite to restore communications with the space station.

This NASa graphic shows the location of all six vehicles docked at the International Space Station on Dec. 8, 2018. The vehicles include a private SpaceX Dragon on its second trip to the station, a Northrop Grumman Antares cargo ship, two Russian Soyuz crew spacecraft and two Russian uncrewed Progress cargo ships. (Image credit: NASA)

Dragon was forced to back away to a safe station-keeping position 100 feet (30 meters) from the station, then make a new approach about an hour later than planned. Flight controllers at NASA's Mission Control center in Houston then took remote control of the station's arm to attach Dragon to its berth on the orbiting lab's Harmony module.

Today's space rendezvous marks the 16th cargo delivery mission for NASA by SpaceX. The Dragon on this flight, called CRS-16, has actually visited the space station before. It delivered supplies to the station February 2017 as part of NASA's CRS-10 mission.

Dragon will be the sixth spacecraft to link up with the space station in recent months. Its arrival follows a Russian Soyuz crew capsule, which arrived last week with three new crewmembers, and the Northrop Grumman Cygnus cargo ship in November. Another Soyuz crew capsule and two uncrewed Russian Progress cargo ships are also docked at the station.

"We congratulate the entire ISS team for managing six individual spaceships that will be simultaneously docked to the International Space Station from today on," Gerst said. "This shows what a successful science and exploration program we have up here, making full use of the one and only microgravity observatory that humanity has available for the benefit of all humans on Earth."

SpaceX's Dragon capsule will spend about four weeks at the space station before returning to Earth, according to company representatives. In January, the spacecraft will be filled with about 4,000 pounds (1,814 kg) of experiment results and other gear and released back into space. It will splash down in the Pacific Ocean to be retrieved by a SpaceX recovery ship.

Email Tariq Malik at tmalik@space.com or follow him @tariqjmalik. Follow us @Spacedotcom and Facebook. Originally published on Space.com.
Havana (Cuba), Dec 6, 2018 (SPS) - The President of the Republic, Secretary General of the Frente POLISARIO, Mr. Brahim Ghali, concluded his official three-day visit to Cuba on Wednesday.

In a statement to the press, the President of the Republic expressed the gratitude and thanks of the Saharawi State to Cuba, the Cuban government, party and people for their firm positions of support and solidarity with the struggle of the Saharawi people for their right to freedom and independence.

President Brahim Gali's farewell was given by the Vice Minister of Foreign Affairs of Cuba, Mr. Rogelio Sierra Diaz, and other Cuban authorities, including the Ambassador of Cuba in the Sahrawi Republic, Mrs. Clara Pulido Escandell.

During the official visit, the President of the Republic, Gali, was received by the President, Miguel Diaz-Canel Bermudez, with whom he held talks to review the developments of the Sahrawi conflict and exchange views on various topics of mutual interest and the existing cooperation between the two nations. Besides other topics of interest of the international agenda

During the fraternal meeting, the Cuban President reiterated Cuba's solidarity with the SADR and full support for the right to self-determination of the Saharawi people.

The visit also allowed the President to meet with Mr. Roberto Morales Ojeda, member of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of Cuba and vice president of the Councils of State and Ministers who reaffirmed the commitment of the Cuban side to further strengthen friendly relations and cooperation with the Saharawi State in all fields, both bilaterally and internationally, and above all in the training and preparation of cadres.

During his visit to Cuba, the President also met with Mr. Jose Ramon Balaguer Cabrera, Head of the Department of International Relations of the Central Committee of the Communist Party of Cuba, who was accompanied by several of his assistants.

The president was accompanied by a delegation composed of Mansur Omar, Delegate Minister in the Ministry of Foreign Affairs for Latin America, Malainin Etkana, Saharawi ambassador in Cuba and Abdati Breika, Councilor of the Presidency. SPS

125/090/ TRD
E ast London Photo Stories is a new compilation book published by Hoxton Mini Press which features photography from a series of 13 books dedicated to the vibrant part of London.

The book is divided into 14 chapters, in which photographers capture different aspects of East London life, from its famous waterways, to the colourful Columbia Flower market, and 1980s Dalston. There's also a map of the areas where the projects are featured.

In the first chapter, Martin Usborne shares photos of Joseph Markovitch, an old man he met in Hoxton in 2007. He later turned the story of their friendship into a book, which led him to start Hoxton Mini Press with his wife, Ann.

Martin Usborne

In chapter four, Madeleine Waller captures East London swimmers at London Fields Lido.

Madeleine Waller
P olice have warned protesters against committing violence and causing disorder at a pro-Brexit rally backed by Ukip's leader and Tommy Robinson.

Several thousand people are expected to march through central London on Sunday to demand that there is no betrayal over Britains exit from the EU.

Conditions have been imposed upon the Brexit Betrayal Rally and also upon a counter march planned by Oppose Tommy Robinson in London and United against Facism and Racism.

Police have warned that anyone who commits violence at the protests will be arrested.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner Laurence Taylor of the Metropolitan Police, Gold Commander for the operation, said: "If you want to protest on Sunday we ask that you do so peacefully, no matter what your view. We will adopt a robust arrest policy on anyone who attends and is intent on violence and disorder, or is in breach of these conditions."

Tommy Robinson is backing the Brexit betrayal march / REUTERS

Brexit Betrayal supporters must gather in Park Lane and then follow a route set by police to the end point in Parliament Street. No cars are allowed on the route and only 90 minutes is being allowed for the procession from 12.30pm to 2pm.

The rally in Parliament Street after the march must be completed by 3.30pm.

Under the conditions, the counter protesters must assemble in Portland Place for their march at 12pm and follow the route set by police to the end point at Whitehall. The march must take place between 12pm and 1.15pm.

Any rally at Whitehall at the end of the march must be over by 4.30pm.

Mr Taylor said: "The right to protest is a fundamental right in our democratic society, but this right must be balanced against the right of people to go about their day without fear of violence, disorder or disruption.

A video still of Gerard Batten's BBC interview in which he defended Tommy Robinson's appointment as an advisor / BBC

"Experience has shown us that when groups with conflicting views come together it can create tension and disorder, not just on the day itself but in the longer term. We have had to carefully consider how to balance the right to protest with the potential impact on our communities and our ability to manage any disorder that may have resulted from these protests going ahead as they were suggested.

Breaching the conditions is a criminal offence.

The rally is taking place just three days before parliaments crucial vote on Theresa Mays Brexit deal.

Almost 4,000 people have said they are going or interested in going on a Facebook event page set up ahead of the Brexit Betrayal Rally.

Organisers posted: This is a cross-party People's Rally to show our MPs that the 17.4 million who voted Leave really meant what we said!

We need as many people here as possible.

Among the expected speakers are Ukip leader Gerard Batten, who will discuss the political aspects of Brexit, and Mr Robinson.
A man who survived 12 years in a children's home blighted by a "paedophile ring" told a public inquiry how he cowered under his bed most nights as he called on the council who ran it to apologise to him directly.

Paul Connolly, 56, spent 12 years living at St Leonard's Children's Home in Hornchurch while staff routinely attacked boys in their care.

Mr Connolly this week told the Independent Inquiry into Child Sexual Abuse how he arrived just before his eighth birthday and noticed the dormitory "raids" on his second night at the home when someone tried to take him from his bed.

He said the home's superintendent, Alan Prescott, used to return drunk from the pub with other men with the intention of sexually assaulting boys.

St Leonards Childrens Home / Historic England

He gave a harrowing account of the abuse to the inquiry, where he described at least five or six paedophiles returning to the home stinking of booze, sometimes wearing balaclavas to disguise themselves.

Mr Connolly, who now lives in Essex, said: Prescott used to come back from the pub, boozed up, and lean against you and try and rub up against you and stuff. I managed to fend that off most of the time."

Six of the eight boys who lived in Mr Connollys dormitory have since committed suicide or died from drug overdoses.

Mr Connolly was taken into care at just two weeks of age after being abandoned in the street.

He was never raped in the home but suffered beatings and was once attacked by a member of staff for trying to stop them from raping a young girl, the inquiry heard.

Former house parent Bill Starling was jailed for 14 years in 2001 for a string of sexual assaults over a period of 20 years and two rapes against children.

Mr Prescott, who was also a Labour councillor and magistrate, was also jailed for two years at the same time for indecently assaulting four boys between 1970 and 1980.

Paul Setchfield who was convicted of abuse at the children's home / Metropolitan Police

Last year, former carer Paul Setchfield, 64, was jailed for nine years for 11 counts of sexually abusing a young girl and boy between 1978 and 1981.

Mr Connolly was part of a class action against Tower Hamlets Council in the late 1990s. He received 16,000 in compensation but no formal apology. He said it was barely 1,000 a year for each year I spent in that awful place.

He says he only accepted the pittance from the council because otherwise there was a good chance I would get nothing. I left the civil justice process very pissed off.

Mr Connolly is now demanding an apology from the council and wants them to hold themselves accountable for the horrific abuse suffered in the home.

He said: They had a duty of care towards me and my friends, who were like brothers to me, and they failed miserably in their duty of care.

Not only did Tower Hamlets fail to protect us, they employed most of them."

If I had not hidden under the bed most nights with my wooden-handled kitchen knife, I would have been raped, as well as the other boys.

Three of my abusers at St Leonard's were convicted by criminal courts.

With these convictions, there's simply no justification for the failure of London Borough of Tower Hamlets to hold themselves publicly accountable for what went on and for what we all went through.

The mental and physical scars of my childhood will never leave me.

I've come to this inquiry today to insist that Tower Hamlets apologise for the tragedy of St Leonard's, to me and my family, and especially to my friends who have not survived and their families.

A spokesman for Tower Hamlets council said: "Tower Hamlets has issued an apology before which is on public record. It was read out by Richard Baldwin (current Divisional Director in Children's services) at the independent inquiry and reads:

"I would like to start by offering my sympathy to all of those children who suffered abuse, either sexual or physical, at the hands of those who were supposed to be caring for and for protecting them.
C abinet minister Amber Rudd has suggested that a Norway-plus model could be an alternative if Theresa May's Brexit deal is rejected in Parliament on Tuesday.

The Work and Pensions Secretary became the first Cabinet minister to break ranks when she suggested a Norway-style arrangement was a plausible alternative to the PMs Brexit plan.

She discussed the merits of a plan B in an interview with The Times on Saturday but said she still supported Mrs May's deal which is being put to Parliament on Tuesday.

The former Home Secretary said the alternative "seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are," but conceded that "nobody knows if it can be done".

But what is Norway-plus, would MPs back it and would it truly deliver on the promises made in the Brexit referendum?

Why is it called Norway-plus?

The idea is based on Norway's relationship with the European Union as a member of the European Free Trade Association (Efta) and European Economic Area (EEA).

Being in the EEA after Brexit would keep the UK in the single market, meaning goods, services and people could continue to move within the bloc in the same way as before, therefore limiting the potential disruption to the economy.

On top of that, the "plus" bit of Norway-plus would involve a customs union with the EU, which, combined with the single market elements, would avoid a hard border with Ireland.

Who backs it?

A cross-party group of MPs including Tory Nick Boles and Labour's Stephen Kinnock have pushed the idea as a way of delivering Brexit - the UK will leave the European Union - while maintaining the closest possible relationship with Brussels.

Mr Kinnock has claimed that at least 10 Cabinet ministers would back it if Mrs May's deal is thrown out by MPs on December 11.

Who opposes it?

Leave supporters view Norway-plus as "Brexit in name only" because it keeps the UK tied to Brussels' rules, a customs union would restrict Britain's ability to strike trade deals around the world and there would be no end to the free movement of EU migrants to the UK.

Remainers who want a second referendum have also hit out at the option because they think a so-called People's Vote is the best way forward if the Prime Minister's plan fails.

Could it happen?

Amber Rudd said it "seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are".

The current make-up of the House of Commons means that Mrs May's deal looks set to be rejected and MPs are also expected to block a no-deal exit, leaving Norway-plus and the second referendum as two of the possible options on the way forward.

Brexiteers will continue to push for a looser free-trade arrangement but that could still leave issues around avoiding a hard border with Ireland.

TODO: define component type apester
J ohn McDonnell has said Labour would allow UK workers to go on "sympathy" strikes for overseas counterparts.

Shadow chancellor Mr McDonnell pledged to reverse laws, introduced by Margaret Thatcher, which bar workers from taking action in solidarity with workforces overseas.

Mr McDonnell said on a visit to Scotland on Saturday: "When we go back into government we will restore trade union rights, and that will enable workers to take similar sympathy action on the basis of supporting fellow workers internationally."

He said abolishing it would mean "workers can revive the spirit of the Rolls-Royce workers in East Kilbride" who "struck a blow against the brutal Pinochet dictatorship" in Chile in the 1970s.

John McDonnell, pictured in Glasgow on Friday, has pledged to scrap trade union laws introduced by Margaret Thatcher which prevent 'collective action and acts of solidarity' / Andrew Milligan/PA

The Hunter Hawker planes the Chilean airforce used were powered by engines built at the factory, but workers there refused to repair them.

Mr McDonnell said: "The action taken by the Rolls Royce workers at East Kilbride was a momentous act of solidarity by Scottish workers in the aftermath of Chilean junta's overthrow of a democratically-elected government, and the torturing and killing of civilians and those who opposed it.

"Such collective action and acts of solidarity have been attacked and undermined by restrictive anti-union laws started in the 1980s under Thatcher's Tory government.

"The next Labour government will ensure workers can revive the spirit of the Rolls-Royce workers in East Kilbride, when they struck a blow against the brutal Pinochet dictatorship.

"In this way, we will open the next chapter of democratic society by enhancing democracy at work."
A gynaecologist has told how his marriage has been left in tatters because he voted for Brexit.

The NHS consultant said his marriage was destroyed because he voted to Leave the EU, while his wife, a German doctor, backed Remain.

Speaking to staunch Brexiteer Jacob Rees-Mogg and Remain-backing former spin doctor Alastair Campbell who were visiting Lewisham with Channel 4 this week, the man described how he naively voted to Leave because he thought it would lead to more money for the NHS.

He said his wife was devastatingly betrayed when she discovered how he had voted and that it triggered the end of their marriage.

The doctor said: I regret it [my vote] so much, it breaks my heart talking about it.

He went on: I very naively voted to leave and my wife casually asked me one evening what my voting decision was and I put it into a very succinct situation, I told her what I did and it was like lighting the blue touch paper and standing back.

I dont think Ive ever seen anyone who felt so devastatingly betrayed, upset, let down. And weve got two daughters, 15 and 18. As far as Im concerned that was the end of a very successful marriage.

Tory MP Mr Rees-Mogg replied: Well the story you tell is incredible sad and heartrending for you. Theres very little I can say on that side of it. 

TODO: define component type apester

He said that Prime Minister Theresa May had made a great mistake after the referendum in not making it clear that all EU nationals who were in the UK were not only entitled to stay but were welcomed to.

After the encounter, Mr Campbell said: "One of those memorable moments in life. In a cafe with Jacob Rees-Mogg an NHS consultant comes over, tells us the story of how his German wife, a doctor, left him because he voted Leave (which he did beacuse he thought it would mean more money for the NHS.) Heartendingly sad."

The doctor backed the idea of another referendum and said: At the end of the day, I think the British people should have another shot at this.
F rance was braced for ultra-violent demonstrations on Saturday with nearly 100,000 officers deployed to police anti-government protests.

Emmanuel Macrons government warned the yellow vest demos  which began three weeks ago over a fuel tax hike  have been hijacked by "radicalised" crowds.

Some 89,000 officers, as well as armoured vehicles, have taken position across the nation. There were 8,000 police in Paris alone. Saturdays protests were predicted to be most dangerous yet.

In the capital, the Eiffel Tower and Louvre Museum were shut down along with hundreds of shops and businesses. They feared a repeat of the rioting and looting last weekend that saw 130 people injured amid the worst urban unrest in Paris in decades.

Protesters wearing yellow vests begin demonstrating on Saturday morning / Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Many members of the protest movement called for calm after meeting Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. But the movement has no clear leaders, and past protests have attracted extremists who hurled projectiles at police.

Interior minister Christophe Castaner said: "According to the information we have, some radicalised and rebellious people will try to get mobilised tomorrow.

French police take position on Saturday morning / Benoit Tessier/Reuters

Some ultra-violent people want to take part."

Parts of Paris looked like they were bracing for a hurricane, with boards on windows covering up Christmas decorations. Police removed any materials from the streets that could be used as weapons.

A 'yellow vest' protester during the beginning of demonstrations on Saturday / AFP/Getty Images

Mayor Anne Hidalgo said: "It's with an immense sadness that we'll see our city partially brought to a halt, but your safety is our priority. Take care of Paris on Saturday because Paris belongs to all the French people."

The grassroots yellow vest movement began as resistance against a rise in taxes for diesel and gasoline, but quickly expanded to encompass frustration at stagnant incomes and the growing cost of living.

Shocking footage shows protesters kneeling surrounded by police amidst riots in France

Mr Macron agreed to abandon the fuel tax hike, but that failed to defuse the protests.

Four people have been killed in accidents since the unrest began on November 17.

The president, the target of much of the protesters' ire, has been largely invisible in recent days, leaving his prime minister and government to try to negotiate with protesters.
M issing British backpacker Grace Millane is almost certainly dead and her disappearance is now being treated as murder, New Zealand police have said.

A 26-year-old man is being questioned by detectives after he was located at an address in central Auckland on Saturday afternoon (NZ time).

He is to be charged with murder and will remain in police custody until Monday before appearing at Auckland District Court.

Police said they are still looking for Ms Millane, 22, who was last seen in the city on Saturday, December 1, although evidence suggested she had been killed.

Grace Millane is missing in Auckland, New Zealand (Grace Millane / Facebook)

Her family have been left "devastated" by the development and have asked for privacy, Auckland City Police Detective Inspector Scott Beard said.

"The evidence we have located so far, our scene examination, some of the CCTV footage we have, and our investigation, has determined that Grace is no longer alive and that this is a murder investigation," he told a press conference.

Grace Millane on CCTV in Auckland, shortly before her disappearance / PA

"Grace's family have been advised of this development and they are devastated."

Det Insp Beard added: "We still do not know where Grace is. We are determined to find her and return her to her family."

She graduated from the University of Lincoln in September and had embarked on a year-long worldwide trip.

After visiting Peru she arrived in New Zealand on November 20 and had been near-daily contact with her family until December 1 - the day before her 22nd birthday.

The last confirmed sighting of Ms Millane was at 9.41pm the same day at the Citylife Hotel in central Auckland, when she was seen with a "male companion" .

Police later said they had spoken to the man and that he was a "person of interest", although he was not held in custody.

Grace was described as a lovely, outgoing, fun-loving, family-orientated daughter by her father / Grace Millane / Facebook

Det Insp Beard confirmed that the man being questioned by police on Saturday was the same individual.

"We know that he was with her on the Saturday evening and went to a number of places before going to the Citylife Hotel," he told reporters.

Police have not uncovered any evidence the pair had met before. Asked if they had met on the Tinder dating app, the detective said: "I'm not going to speculate on how they met. The issue here is Grace is still missing and we want to find her."

Detectives seized a "vehicle of interest" on Saturday and enquiries were under way to establish where it had been.

Earlier searches of Ms Millane's accommodation at a backpackers' hostel found several items, including her passport, were missing.

On Saturday police released images of a pink watch and a necklace belonging to her and asked for the public's help in finding them.

The Lucie Blackman Trust, which has been supporting Ms Millane's family, said in a statement in the early hours of Saturday: "We are incredibly saddened to announce that Auckland Police have confirmed that they are now treating Grace Millane's case as a homicide.

"Her family have been informed and we ask that they are afforded privacy at this time. We will release any updates or statements as they are available.

"Thank you to all who helped try and find Grace. Our thoughts are with her family at this awful time."

The major police search and public campaign for information led to dozens of calls being made to a hotline.

"I know that the thoughts of all New Zealanders will be with Grace's family tonight," Det Insp Beard said.

Grace's father David speaking at an press conference in Auckland, New Zealand / AP

"I want to reassure everyone, both here and abroad, that New Zealand Police are determined to do everything we can to find her."
M ore than 20 million people are in the path of a major storm that is threatening to slam into the southern US states bringing snow, ice and flooding.

Officials have put winter storm watches and warnings in place from New Mexico to North Carolina and some areas are forecast to get more than a foot of snow in the coming days.

Governor Roy Cooper has urged people living in North Carolina to take the storm seriously and get ready for it now.

The Met Office said: A potent winter storm will affect parts of the USA this weekend with heavy rain, snow and the potentially for freezing rain.

More than seven inches of rain is forecast in parts of the USA and severe flooding is expected.

Airline passengers at major hubs including Dallas, Houston, New Orleans and Atlanta look set for significant delays.

Very heavy rainfall and flooding will be a big threat with this storm, according to AccuWeather Meteorologist Ryan Adamson.

Arkansas and western Tennessee is facing heavy rain and up to six inches of snow in places. Significant snow is affected across eastern Tennessee, Georgia and the Carolinas.

Gov Cooper said in a statement: "Snow may be beautiful but it can also be treacherous and I urge North Carolinians to take this storm seriously and get ready for it now."

Record snow could fall in parts of North Carolina in what the National Weather Service has described as a once-in-a-generation-event. Cities like Winston-Salem, Asheville, Greensboro and Charlotte could get a foot of snow and some blizzard conditions.
W hisky is built for Christmas; the tinkle of tumblers tapped in a toast seems to fit with cold, dark winter nights in the same way carol singers do  only far less annoying. Its a warming drink; just the thing to drink during long evenings chatting nonsense. This year, after well, everything, rambling catch-ups are just whats needed.

While in-person drinks are likely to be limited, a good gift can go a long way. Whisky tops most others; if you know a drinker, a bottle will always be gladly received and is guaranteed to get some use (you cant say the same about novelty socks). This list leans into limited editions too, which add that sense of being special.

This years picks lean into those smooth, soft drinks that slip down easily and lend themselves to one more. They are complete with the smell of everything you want in winter  nutmeg, cinnamon, raisins and sultanas. Irish whiskey which, very broadly speaking, is sweeter than scotch, also shines in these months  I wrote this list fondly remembering a too-quickly demolished bottle Bushmills 21-year-old.

Since then, theres been the enormous pleasure of sampling limited edition releases from Aberlour (a 44-year-old) and Glenlivet (38 and a 40-year-olds). There are other age statements available, with the entire release from owners Chivas Brothers, who also have extremely rare (were talking 12 bottles rare) Scapa available. None of these come cheap  prices are comfortably in the thousands  but for those with deep pockets, more information on the 'Livet can be found here, while the others require putting in a phone call: 01856873269 is the number for the Scapa, 01340881249 for Aberlour.

While there are some serving suggestions below  notes on ice, water and cocktails  the standard rule applies: drink however you like. Theres no wrong or right way; a matter of taste never matters more literally than with food and drink. Heres to a hell of a year; there is better to come. Cheers, salute and slainte.

Glen Scotia 11 Year Old Sherry Double Cask Finish

When the weather calls for wrapping up, sherried whiskies  the stuff that smells of Christmas spices  are everything. Its the same as clothes: leave the light florals for the summertime. This limited edition, non-chill filtered release has all the hallmarks of a sherry classic: no smoke or brine at all, all sweet and buttery to taste, a nod to mince pies, alongside cloves, nutmeg and a gentle, broad heat. The time aging in Pedro Ximenez and Oloroso casks dominates to the point the usual Glen Scotia character is muted, but it means the punchy cask strength  54.1% ABV  isnt overwhelmingly alcoholic. No need for water or ice with this one.

Glen Scotia

Glengoyne Legacy Series Chapter 2

Heres a cracking bottle and, like Glengoynes 18-year-old, one youd want on that dream Christmas day, when its frosty out and theres a fire indoors. Aged in bourbon and sherry casks, theres a bright, underpinning wood spiciness here, and if you savour it, a few light flavours that cut through its main taste  which is all honey and vanilla and cinnamon-dusted banana-and-raisin muffins. Youll get fresh apples and something and something that tingles like mint. Just the sort of whisky youd want after a long walk in the countryside or a wander around Battersea park  or better yet, the sort of whisky to have with you, to share gleefully from a hipflask.

Glengoyne

Seaweed & Aeons & Diggins & Fire

Though marketing types have gone a fair way in the last few years to rid scotch of its tweed-cigars-golf vibe, theres still a touch of the Jaguar-and-driving gloves in some corners of the industry; bottles decorated like coats of arms dont help. The ampersand loving lot behind this release have done away with all that: this comes from the Ikea school of branding, and should suit someone who wants to drink well, but doesnt like to shout about it.

The drink itself is first rate and something close to extraordinary for the price; its an Islay thats spent some time in Oloroso sherry octaves  small casks to you and I  and, all in, been ages for 10 years. The result is cracking; the typical Islay peat is softened by the sherry, so while theres that saline, seaside, standing-in-a-storm flavour, theres also sweetness and a richness there too; youd think this was older than it is. Its odd in its way, but that oddness is beguiling; its a drink to come back to time and again to try and figure out its flavour  the best I can come up with is seaweed smoked and brushed with burnt vanilla. While its not a bottle to have a lot of at once, its perfect sat on the shelf as an occasional sipper. Avoid ice, add only a drop of water (too much washes this out). Its probably a bit good for cocktails but is, admittedly, beautiful in a Penicillin.

Master of Malt

Tomatin 13 Year Old 2006 Fino Sherry Cask

Some sherry finishes dont mean too much  the benefit of a brief dunk in a sherry vat seemingly more for bragging rights than for flavour  but Tomatin have done things properly. These UK-only bottles have spent four years in fino butts; those days have soaked in. You can smell it from the off; its fresh but nutty, no burn, no smoke, no peat, and to taste, its all almonds and toffee, though it avoids being too cloying or sweet as theres a savoury side there; as silly as this sounds, its a bit like having a bite of Jacobs cracker with your drink. And though its markedly different from their usual stuff, fans of Tomatin will recognise its signature Highland style coming through  a certain, powerful maltiness with a little peppery heat behind it. Like others here, the sherry flavours are (to me) wasted with ice, but a splash of water lengthens this. If all of this sounds a bit wishy washy, let me put it plainly: its stonking stuff.

Tomatin

Johnny Walker Blue Label Legendary Eight

No surprise Johnnie Walker is going all out for its 200th birthday, with limited edition releases across the range; collectors might want to pick up the dolled-up bottles of Red, Black and Gold label. Green label  still the best of the bunch, at least to me  doesnt get a look in, but Walkers top dog, Blue, really has been given the works. The usual Blue has been given a paint job fitting with its reputation as an indicator of fine living  Blue label is the gold Rolex of scotch  but its the Legendary Eight thats really worth splashing out for. If you can avoid the temptation to squirrel it away (limited editions like this from JW tend to fetch big money years down the line), youll find something that, by definition, cant be replicated. Walkers master distillers have added in a blend from eight ghost distilleries  those no longer producing, but with slowly-disappearing stocks left  and the result is delicious. Theres an awful lot of snobbery around Blue label, some envy induced, but this release is difficult to dismiss. Its all raisins, sultanas, brown sugar, a hint of peat smoke, a chocolate richness, some chilli heat. For years Id poo-poohed Johnnie Blue as prop whisky for TV shows like Suits; I was wrong and though, good God its expensive, it is actually bloody good. Put this on your wish list and pray someone else pays for it.

Selfridges

Glenlivet 12 Illicit Still

Whisky drinkers tend to show fierce attachment to their favourite brands, so there's an easy play for gifts: note the usual bottle, and better it. So, if your giftee tends to put away Johnnie Walker Red, get them a bottle of Black. If they like the Famous Grouse, up it to the Naked Grouse. It's a simple trick, but it works. This pick, the Illicit Still, is here with that in mind, for those into their 'Livet. A limited edition, it has all the hallmarks of the usual 12-year-old, all fruity and floral, but its all been dialled up a bit: think "this one goes to 11". Being non-chill filtered and bottled at 48 per cent, it has everything to keep whisky snobs happy  owner Pernod Ricard says it reflects the stuff Glenlivet started with, way back when  and with the flavour to back it up. It is a vibrant, intense dram with all of the usual characteristics, and its smooth and sips easily. Livet just as you long for.

The Glenlivet

Jameson Black Barrel

I love releases like this and the Livet above, where a familiar favourite is fine-tuned. I think of them as tinkerer's whiskey, imagining some whisky buff conducting tastings in their garage. Here, Jameson have taken their regular stuff as a template, added a hearty dose of pot still whisky and a little small batch grain, fiddled some, and come out with a particularly rich, burly take on their best seller. It's the usual, but souped up; bigger, bolder, perhaps a little sweeter too. This has all the hallmarks of good Irish whisky  easy as anything to drink, sweet and smooth  with a little wood spice that gives way to a fruitiness and a bourbon-like vanilla touch. This one isn't new but it's the kind of whisky ideal for Christmas time; gratifying, without demanding too much attention. One to drink and enjoy while busy with other people.

Jameson

Sazerac Rye

An old favourite; those who know this will be nodding by now. But whisky like this, usually left to the summer heat, actually is ideal at Christmas. Whereas all the sherried favourites above offer something cosy, a good rye is for daytime drinking  if youre stuffed full of food and dont fancy slowly slipping off into a nap, try something bright and spicy to keep you going. Sazerac has this in spades, though there lots of ginger and orange in there too and a little toffee to take the edge off; its a really, really good rye and perfect splashed into a tumbler with plenty of ice (it handles ginger ale like a champ, too). No surprise its brilliant in its namesake cocktail, but its also a triumph in a Perfect Manhattan, and the sweeter side of it means its well suited to a Boulevardier (rye negroni). If the American way is your thing but 40 feels a bit steep, good bourbons do a similar thing and can be had for much less: Buffalo Trace punches way above its price point, so start there.

Sazerac

A Fine Christmas Malt 2020

No surprise this is bang on for the season  as the name gives away, its been designed specifically to crack into at Christmas. Its a blended malt and a bloody good one; theres a perfect balance of sweetness and spice, with plenty of sherry in there, a bit of bitter chocolate and some fresh fruit to lift all the dark heaviness. Its one to sit and slowly savour; it has that warming feeling of being home after a long time away. Thats going to feel particularly real this year.

A Fine Christmas Malt

GlenAllachie Spanish Virgin Oak

Shopping for a whisky nerd? Try this one  oddball casks always cause excitement for those heavily into this stuff. A cask can make all the difference, as it seems to here. Virgin oak refers to a barrel previously unused. For bourbon, this is law. For scotch, its controversial  youd be surprised how much drama there is in the whisky world given most of the stuff picks up most of its flavour from pre-aged barrels. Anyway, its something to talk about, isnt it? The flavour is peppery and spicy, but with notes that are enjoyably chocolately, and youll get a bit of a coffee taste in there too. Different, but wonderfully so  water works with this one, but avoid too much ice. Its too distinctive for cocktails, but it does lengthen nicely with soda water.
Premier Viorica Dancila said in an interview aired on Saturday by private broadcaster Antena 3 that the complete documentation for the construction of the planned regional hospitals will be submitted by the end of this year, but that financing solutions still need to be identified.

She explained that 150 million euro are available for the three hospitals, but alone one facility would require 460 million euro, so that public-private partnership could be a solution.

"We had a discussion with [Regional policy Commissioner] Corina Cretu, and with the other Commissioners as well. I believe that for a very good impact, we must resort to European funding, as well as to public private partnership and state budget funds. For the three hospitals we have 150 million euro, which means that after we pay for the feasibility studies, we'll be left with considerably less, but that's not the issue. We must find solutions. Either phase the projects so that we are able to receive more EU money, build with European funds, or make this arrangement with European funds and public-private partnership, there is also a relevant European regulation," Dancila said.The Premier explained that supplementing funding requires cooperating with Commissioner Corina Cretu or finding another source of funding."Of course we want to build these hospitals. We'll submit the entire paperwork by the end of this year. There is no problem in this regard. Yet we must look a little further. We need 460 million euro just for one hospital; we need to scramble, work with Mrs. Cretu in order to get more money from the European Commission, or find another source of funding, and for this we are considering public-private partnership. We must see what the best formula is. We definitely want an as high as possible inflow of EU money to Romania, an absorption, rate as high as possible. We hope to reach 100 percent at the end of the mandate. We have an ambitious goal, but at the same time we also want to put the public-private partnership to work," Viorica Dancila said.
As the facade of 2016 Candidate Donald Trumps promised America First continues to crumble away, the baked-into-the-cake pathologies of the foreign and security policy experts who monopolize President Trumps administration plunge forward along their predetermined paths. Any realistic notion of American national interests comes last after the priorities of  well, pretty much everyone else with leverage in Washington.

Case in point, lets start with Saudi Arabia and all the breast-beating over whether Saudi Arabias Mohammed bin Salman (MbS) really is guilty of ordering the killing of Jamal Khashoggi. (Spoiler Alert: You betcha!)

American and western media were all a-twitter last week with Russian President Vladimir Putins high five to Crown Pariah MbS at the G20. Amid the faux outrage  come on, does anyone really think MbS was the only killer in that room?  the gesture received Americas highest media tribute: a parody on Saturday Night Live.

What a circus. Apart from Putins greeting, the assembled hypocrites went out of their way to shun the leprous MbS, even shunting him to the margins of the group picture  as though the killing of one dodgy journalist outweighed their abetting MbSs business-as-usual slaughter in Yemen. Really! I barely know the guy. We were never actually friends

Khashoggis gruesome death is the gift that keeps on giving, exacerbating as it does both international and domestic American fault lines. Lets keep in mind that his affiliation was with the Muslim Brotherhood (and Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan), the CIA, and (almost the same thing) the Washington Post. Internationally these line up with Turkey, Qatar, and Saudi elements currently on the outs with MbS and who would like to send him to join Khashoggi. Domestically in the US these add up to the Deep State and the Resistance to President Donald Trump, who are thrilled to be able to hang Khashoggi around his neck like an albatross, which hes foolishly allowing to happen.

On the other hand, MbS is supported by Israel, which has a lot of clout on Capitol Hill (duh) and virtually owns the Trump administration (also duh). Prime Minister Bibi Netanyahu has Trump dancing to his tune via Jared Kushner (Trump and Kushner may now in fact be the same person), Ivanka Trump, and Sheldon Adelson, plus his entire foreign policy team, starting with National Security Adviser John Bolton and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo. Rather than wisely using the Khashoggi imbroglio as an opportunity to take the exit ramp away from US support for the crazed Wahhabist head-choppers in Riyadh of any faction, Team Trump is doggedly defending their the line in the sand in support of MbS personally as the spearhead of their anti-Iran, Arab NATO program.

The Resistance side is no less anti-Iran, but beating the Khashoggi drum and even tying it to support for Yemen slaughter (not that they really give a damn about Yemen, except for a few bleeding hearts like Senator Rand Paul and Representative Tulsi Gabbard, who even have the temerity to oppose the CIAs arming of al-Qaeda in Syria!) is a twofer: to weaken and humiliate Trump, plus hoping at some point to install a replacement to MbS who would be a more reliable tool for their anti-Iran vendetta. The big break, if it comes, will be if Bibis foot soldiers around Trump decide they need to dump MbS as counterproductive to their agenda on Iran. Then theyll stop resisting the Resistance, MbS will be removed (with extreme prejudice), and Trump will have egg on his face for having supported him for so long. For the Resistance, its win-win 

 if it happens that way. On the other hand, even exposed as the bloody minded killer he is, its not impossible MbS, with Israel backstopping him, can just tough it out. After all, those waiting in the wings in Riyadh are no angels either. At least in the short term MbS may still have the upper hand via squatters rights; hes in power and the guy everybody still has to deal with. He can also still spread a lot of cash around as Khashoggi recedes into the rear view mirror.

If things really look as though they are going south on him, MbS might think to take leaf from the playbook of Georgias Mikheil Saakashvili in 2008 and Ukraines Petro Poroshenko a couple of weeks ago (more below) and provoke an incident with Iran on his own to force Washington back him up. That would be risky, to say the least. Its unlikely that even Bolton and Pompeo are ready for war  yet. They seem to believe their own propaganda about regime change via sanctions and economic collapse and the supposedly yuge popularity of the People's Mojahedin (MEK), our designated replacement waiting to be parachuted into Tehran. Theyll at least want to run the sanctions game a while longer to weaken Iran (and humiliate the Europeans some more) before they go for Plan B if necessary. Also, theyd need a phony pretext along the lines of Iraqi WMDs, Benghazi, Racak, and its uncertain MbS is competent give them one all by himself.

If MbS does hazard to strike out on his own before they (Donald Kushner and Boltpeo) are ready, he may end up chewing on his tie like Saakashvili (or whatever the equivalent of that is with a thobe and gutra). At that point he would be universally seen as a liability and removed. Nothing can be ruled out of course, and if MbS thinks are getting really shaky he just might do it, figuring he's got nothing to lose  but his head.

Shifting gears to the big league between the US and Russia, its virtually certain the Trump administration will follow through on its threat to pull out of the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, originally concluded between the US and the USSR in 1987. Pompeos ultimatum to Russia to confess they were cheating and dispose of the offending 9M729 missiles was couched in a laundry list of admit when you stopped beating your wife charges: These violations of the INF treaty cannot be viewed in isolation from the larger pattern of Russian lawlessness on the world stage. The list of Russias infamous acts is long: Georgia, Ukraine, Syria, election meddling, Skripal and now the Kerch Strait, to name just a few.

Pompeos ultimatum came literally one day after Trump signaled in a Tweet that he does not want a new arms race:

I am certain that, at some time in the future, President Xi and I, together with President Putin of Russia, will start talking about a meaningful halt to what has become a major and uncontrollable Arms Race. The U.S. spent 716 Billion Dollars this year. Crazy!

Ha! Who does this Trump fellow think he is  the President? He doesnt want a crazy arms race? Too bad. Hed better check with the guys hes picked to run his administration for him. Theyre completely copasetic with crazy  and then some!

Perhaps we can hold out a desperate hope that Trumps intention is to replicate his tentative win on Korea, that threatening to pull out of the INF Treaty and accusing Moscow of every sin under the sun is just part of the art of the deal, little rocket man versus mentally deranged dotard, etc., with the real goal a new and better deal with Russia, maybe including China as well. But if that were so (theres no evidence for it) theres no need to trash the current agreement or even to threaten to do so. There is a lot that has changed technologically since 1987, and updates and revisions, perhaps in a protocol to the existing treaty might make sense.

Thats unlikely to happen though. Instead, not only will there be a new arms race in the intermediate range  which Moscow declares its willingness to undertake, however reluctantly  the flaccidity of Americas European so-called allies is again relevant. US threats to deploy intermediate-range missiles in Europe would be meaningless if European countries refused to host them because doing so would make them a target for Russian weapons. But while the European Union whines it would be better to keep the Treaty (just like it whined impotently about the JCPOA), NATO  mainly the same countries as belong to the EU  dutifully backed up the US position. Theres no evidence Europeans are prepared to confront Washington with a firm Ohne uns! if the INF agreement is terminated. Servility to their Transatlantic hegemon outweighs even their instinct for self-preservation. Whereas in the 1980s the first intermediate-range deployment of US Pershing missiles sparked a huge, mainly Leftist, European peace movement  which in turn helped lead to the INF Treaty in the first place  nothing of the sort exists now. This perhaps reflects the fact that todays Left, which has little affinity with ordinary working people and is obsessed with Cultural Marxist identity politics, has become quite anti-Russian with the demise of communism.

Finally, moving to Ukraine, one would think the Trump Administration would not be particularly friendly towards a government that was complicit in the attempt to use the Christopher Steele dossier to put Hillary Clinton in the White House and then, when that failed, to cripple the Trump administration through the witch hunt known as Russiagate. While the major players were intelligence and law enforcement agencies of the United States and the United Kingdom(not necessarily in that order), other countries were involved too. One of the prominent ones was Ukraine, whose President Petro Poroshenko feared could be left out in the cold if Trump improved ties with Russia per his oft-stated intent since after all, nobody in Washington could care less about Ukraine except as a club to beat Russia with. Steps were taken to avert that:

Andrii Telizhenko, a former high-ranking Ukrainian diplomat known well in Washington circles, had vital information about collusion between elements of Ukraines Petro Poroshenko administration and the US Democratic National Committee (DNC) to dig up  or create  dirt on Donald Trump, but he has been chronically ignored by US investigators. Telizhenko appeared as a key source in a January 2017 Politico article by Ken Vogel titled, "Ukrainian efforts to sabotage Trump backfire: Kiev officials are scrambling to make amends with the president-elect after quietly working to boost Clinton."

Whatever concerns Poroshenko might have had that his complicity in the anti-Trump US-UK Deep State plot would hurt his standing with the administration of his target have long since been put to rest. Trumps turning his administration into a haven for Bush-era recidivists and others of the sort who have turned American policy into a shambles for the past three decades has seen to that. Hostility to Russia is and will remain a lodestar of US policy, whichipso facto makes Poroshenko our friend.

That means that Poroshenko need only poke the bear to get a growl and kneejerk pledges of support will click into place. While Ukraine may not be a full member of the golden circle of countries like Israel, Saudi Arabia, and the United Kingdom that have the US on a leash, its not too far from it either.

With his reelection prospects in March 2019 appearing dismal, Poroshenko decided to wag the dog with a stunt in the Kerch Strait connecting Crimea to the Russian mainland that he knew would provoke a Russian response. As Moon of Alabama reports:

The Ukrainian president Petro Poroshenko sent the boats with the order not to coordinate their passage with Russian authorities. The captured sailors confirm that. He obviously wanted to provoke a violent Russian reaction.

The government of Ukraine practically admitted that the mission had nefarious intent: Ukraines state security service [SBU] says that its intelligence officers were among the crew on Ukrainian naval ships seized by Russia in a standoff near Crimea. The SBU agency said in a statement Tuesday that the officers were fulfilling counterintelligence operations for the Ukrainian navy, in response to psychological and physical pressure by Russian spy services. It didnt elaborate, but demanded that Russia stop such activity. Russias FSB intelligence agency said late Monday that that there were SBU officers on board the Ukrainian ships, calling that proof of a provocation staged by Ukraine.

Moscow is acutely aware of the danger of an attack to disable the Kerch Strait Bridge, built quickly and at great expense (a fact that undermines the oft-repeated anti-Russian claim that Moscow is plotting to seize Mariupol, Zaporozhye Oblast, and part of Kherson Oblast to establish a mainland route from Donbas to Crimea from the north). There have been rumors (perhaps no more than that) that Ukraine seeks to deploy a Special Atomic Demolition Munition (SADM), a small, man-portable, low-yield (circa one kiloton) device developed by NATO in the 1950s for destroying European infrastructure in advance of a Soviet invasion. Such a device would be deployable by divers if they had access to the bridge. Whether or not theres any factual basis for such concerns, Moscow takes threats to the bridge seriously. In May 2018 the Russian Investigative Committee opened a criminal case against establishment commentator Tom Rogan and his Washington Examiner editor for advocating blowing up of the bridge, which Russian officials called incitement to terrorism.

Right on cue, Washington is preparing new sanctions, planning to send US warships into the Black Sea in a show of support for a country to which we are not allied (amid a lunatic call from the Atlantic Council to force an entry into the Sea of Azov as well!), and conducting extraordinary observation flight over Ukraine. What could possibly go wrong?

The bottom line is that Poroshenko now can jerk our chain and we will respond. While this time he failed to get a nationwide, 60-day martial law declaration approved by a Rada concerned hed use it to cancel next years election, he did get 30 days in oblasts bordering Russia and Pridnestrovie. This will be useful not only for hampering electoral activities of his opponents in areas where he is even more unpopular than in the rest of Ukraine, it will facilitate seizures of churches and monasteries from the canonical Ukrainian Orthodox Church  a process that has already begun. He is secure in the knowledge that another provocation is always an option, in Kerch again, or the Donbas, or a grab against a major Church site like Pochaev or Pechersk.

Perhaps the saddest thing is that it has now become all so predictable. We were told that Donald Trumps administration would put America and American interests first. But instead, those acting in his name tell us through their actions: Get in line, peasants.
On November 29th, Gallup headlined Democrats Lead Surge in Belief U.S. Should Be World Leader and reported that Three-fourths (75%) of Americans today think the United States has a special responsibility to be the leading nation in world affairs, up from 66% in 2010. The surge is driven by Democrats, whose belief in this idea has increased from 61% eight years ago to 81% now. This finding comes even after the lie-based and catastrophic U.S. invasions of Iraq in 2003, and of Libya in 2011 (and of so many others, such as Afghanistan, where the U.S. and Sauds created the Taliban in 1979). Americans  now even increasingly  want their (which is actually America's billionaires) Government to be virtually the worlds government, policing the world. They want this nations Government to be determining what international laws will be enforced around the world, and to be enforcing them. Most Americans dont want the United Nations to have power over the U.S. (its billionaires) Government, but instead want the U.S. Government (its billionaires) to have power over the United Nations (which didnt authorize any of those evil, lie-based, U.S. invasions).

Not only would doing this bankrupt all constructive domestic functions (health, education, infrastructure, etc.) of the U.S. federal Government, but it would also increase the global carnage, as if the U.S. Government hasnt already been doing enough of that, for decades now.

The leadership for this supremacist craving comes straight from Americas top, not from the masses that are being sampled by the Gallup organization, who only reflect it  they are duped by their leaders. Here is how U.S. President Barack Obama (a Nobel Peace Prize winner in 2009, for nothing at all but his kindly but insincere verbiage when he had been a candidate) stated this widespread delusional American belief in American global moral supremacy, when addressing the graduating class at West Point Military Academy, on 28 May 2014:

The United States is and remains the one indispensable nation. [Every other nation is therefore dispensable; we therefore now have Amerika, Amerika uber alles, uber alles in der Welt.] That has been true for the century passed and it will be true for the century to come.  America must always lead on the world stage.

This had certainly not been the objective of U.S. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt when he set up the U.N. just before his death in 1945; he instead wanted the U.N. to evolve into a democratic government of the world, with elected representatives of each and every one of the worlds governments  to evolve into becoming the global international republic  regardless of whether or not the U.S. Government approves or disapproves of another nations government. The idea on which the U.N. was founded was not to involve the U.S. Government in the internal affairs of other nations, not to be the judge jury and executioner of other governments that it doesnt like, nor to dictate what other nations should or should not do within the given nations boundaries. FDR intended that there instead be democratically represented, at the U.N., each and every nation, and each and every people within that global government, where each of these national governments is (hopefully but not necessarily) a democracy. FDR was just as opposed to dictatorship internationally, as he was opposed to dictatorship nationally, and he recognized that inevitably some governments will disapprove of other governments, but he was deeply committed to the view that a need exists for laws and law-enforcement between nations, on an international level, and not only within the individual nations, and that each nation is sacrosanct on its own internal laws. He respected national sovereignty, and opposed international empire. (This was his basic disagreement with Winston Churchill, then, and with American leaders such as Obama and Trump now.) Unlike President Obama (and evidently unlike the vast majority of todays Americans) FDR didnt want this international government to be an American function, but instead an entirely separate international governmental function, in which there is no international dictatorship whatsoever  not American, and not by any other country. He knew that this is the only stable basis for international peace, and for avoiding a world-annihilating World War III.

Barack Obama rejected FDRs vision, and advocated for the United States as being (and even as if it already had been for a century) virtually the government over the entire world, which must always lead on the world stage. Adolf Hitler had had that very same international vision for his own country, Germany, the Thousand-Year Reich, but he lost World War II; and, then, when FDR died, Hitlers vision increasingly took over in America, so that ideologically, FDR actually lost WW II, when Harry S. Truman took over the White House and increasingly thereafter, until today, when the U.S. commits more invasions of foreign countries than do all other nations in the world combined. Americans (apparently, as shown in this and other polls) like this, and want more of it.Nobody else does. For example, nobody (except the U.S. and Saudi and Israeli aristocracies and their supporters worldwide, which are very few people) supports the U.S. regimes reinstitution of sanctions against Iran, which the U.S. regime is imposing as the global dictator. Americas economic sanctions are like spitting into the face of FDR, who had opposed such imperialistic fascism in the more overtly military form when Hitlers regime was imposing it. Its also spitting at the U.N.

This latest Gallup finding displays an increase, but nothing thats at all anomalous as compared to the decades-long reality of imperialistic U.S. culture. For decades now, Gallups polling has shown that the most respected of all institutions by the American people is the nations military  more than the church, more than the Presidency, more than the U.S. Supreme Court, more than the press, more than the schools, more than anything. America is invasion-nation. This is true even after the 2003 invasion of Iraq on the basis of blatant lies, which destroyed Iraq  a nation that had never invaded nor even threatened to invade the United States. The American people are, resolutely, bloodthirsty for conquest, even after having been fooled into that evil invasion, and subsequent decades-long military occupation in Iraq, and after subsequent conquests or attempted conquests, in Libya, Syria, Yemen, and elsewhere  all destroying nations that had never invaded nor even threatened America. Why? How did this mass-insanity, of evil, come to be?

How is this aggressive nationalism even possible, in Americas democracy? Its actually no democracy at all, and the public are being constantly fooled to think that it is a democracy, and this deception is essential in order for the public to tolerate this Government, and to tolerate the media that lie for it. This widespread deceit requires constant cooperation of the news-media  and these are the same news-media that hid from the public, in 2002, that the U.S. Government was outright lying about WMD in Iraq.

The public simply do not learn. Thats a tragic fact. Largely, this fact results from reality being hidden by the news-media; but, even now, long after the fake news in 2002, about the U.S. regimes having possessed secret and conclusive evidence of Saddams WMD, the published history about that invasion still does not acknowledge the publics having been lied-to at that time, by its Government, and by the news-media. So, the public live, and culturally swim, in an ongoing river of lies, both as its being news, and subsequently as its having been history. This is why the public do not learn: they are being constantly deceived. And they (as Gallups polls prove) tolerate being constantly deceived. The public do not rebel against it. They dont reject either the politicians, or the news-media. They dont demand that the American public control the American Government and that Americas billionaires lose that control  especially over the news-media.

Honesty is no longer an operative American value, if it ever was. Thats how, and why, Big Brother (the operation by the international-corporate billionaires) grips Americans minds to support foreign Invasions. Americans support liars, and it all comes from the top; its directed from the top. It is bipartisan, from both Democratic Party billionaires and Republican Party billionaires. National politicians will lose their seats if they disobey.

A good example, of this Big-Brother operation, is Americas Politifact, the online site which is at Americas crossover where news and history meet one-another. Its controlled by billionaires such as the one who founded Craigslist. Millions of Americans go to Politifact in order to determine what is true and what is false that is being widely published about current events. The present writer sometimes links to their articles, where I have independently verified that there are no misrepresentations in an article. But, like the news-media that it judges, Politifact is also a propaganda-agency for the (U.S.-Saud-Israeli) Deep State, and so it deceives on the most critically important international matters. An example of this occurred right after the U.S. regime had overthrown in February 2014 in a bloody coup the democratically elected Government of Ukraine, and replaced it by a rabidly anti-Russian racist fascist or nazi Government on Russias doorstep, a regime that was selected by the rabidly anti-Russian (but lying that it wasnt) Obama regime. This Politifact article was dated 31 March 2014, right after over 90% of Crimeans had just voted in a referendum, to rejoin Russia, and to depart from Ukraine, which the Soviet dictator had transferred them to, separating them from Russia, in 1954. (None of that history of the matter was even mentioned by Politifact.) The Politifact article was titled Viral meme says United States has 'invaded' 22 countries in the past 20 years, and it was designed to deceive readers into believing that Russias recent annexation of Crimea reflected the real instance of invasion that Americans should be outraged against  to deflect away from Americas recent history as being the worlds actual invasion-nation. This propaganda-article said nothing at all about either Crimea or Ukraine except in its opening line: A Facebook meme argues that Americans are pretty two-faced when it comes to Russias recent annexation of Crimea. It then proceeded to document that the exact number of American invasions during the prior 20 years wasnt 22, and so Politifact declared the allegation false (as if the exact number were really the entire issue or even the main one, and as if Americas scandalous recent history of invasions were not).

So, its on account of such drowning-in-propaganda, that the U.S. public not only respect what U.S. President Dwight Eisenhower derogatorily called the military-industrial complex, but respect it above even the U.S. Presidency itself, and above all other U.S. institutions (as Gallups constant polling demonstrates to be the case).

Heres the reality: The same group of no more than a thousand super-wealthy Americans control both the United States Government and the weapons-manufacturing firms (such as Lockheed Martin), which are the only corporations whose only customers are the U.S. Government and its chosen allied governments. So, these few people actually control the U.S. Governments foreign relations, and foreign policies. They create and control their own markets. This is the most politically active group of Americas super-rich, because they own Americas international corporations and because their business as owners of the military ones is military policy and also diplomatic policy, including the conjoining of both of those at the CIA and NSA, including the many coups that they (via their Government) engineer. They also control all of the nations major news-media, which report international affairs in such a manner as to determine which foreign governments will be perceived by the mass of Americans to constitute the nations enemies and therefore to be suitable targets for the U.S. military and CIA to invade and conquer or otherwise regime-change  such as have been the lands of North Vietnam, Afghanistan, Iraq, Libya, Syria, Iran, North Korea, Yemen, Venezuela, etc., at various times. The weapons-manufacturers wont have any markets, at all, if there are no enemy nations that are deemed by the public to be suitable targets for their weapons. Enemy' nations, and not only allies (or allied nations), are necessary, in order for the military business to produce the most profits. Overwhelmingly, if not totally, the chosen enemies are nations that have never invaded nor even threatened to invade the United States; and, so, in order to keep this Government-funded business (the war-profiteering and associated international natural-resources extractions businesses) growing and thriving, whats essential is continuing control over the nations news-media. As Walter Lippmann wrote in 1921, the manufacture of consent is an essential part of this entire operation. It happens via the media. Even Germanys Nazis needed to do that. Any modern capitalist dictatorship (otherwise called fascism) does. The U.S. regime, being a capitalist dictatorship, certainly does. Physically, Hitler lost, but his ideology won, he won even as nazism (racist fascism) instead of merely as fascism, and this racism is shown because the U.S. regime is rabidly racist anti-Russian (not merely anti-communist), and has been so for at least a century. (Maybe its what Obama actually had secretly in mind when he said That has been true for the century passed and it will be true for the century to come. And Trump is no less a liar than Obama, and he continues this aim of ultimately conquering Russia.) They say theyre only against Russias leader Vladimir Putin, but Putin shows in all polls of Russians, even in non-Russian polls, to be far more favorably viewed by Russians than either Barack Obama or Donald Trump are viewed by Americans. This is why regime-change-in-Russia is increasingly becoming dominated by U.S. economic sanctions and military, and less dominated by CIA and other coup-organizers. The actual dictatorship is in America, and it requires participation by its news-media. Demonizing the enemy is therefore crucial. It is crucial preparation for any invasion.

The United States Government spends at least as much money on its military as do all of the other governments in the world combined. Its news-media (that is to say, the media that are owned by, and that are advertised in by, the corporations that are controlled by, the same small group of billionaires  Americas billionaires  who fund the political campaigns of both the Democratic Partys and the Republican Partys nominees for the U.S. Congress and the Presidency) may be partisan for one or the other of the nations two political Parties, but they all are unitedly partisan for the international corporations, such as Lockheed Martin, that Americas billionaires control, and that sell only to the U.S. Government and to the foreign governments that are allied with the U.S. Government. They also are partisan for the U.S.-based oil and gas and mining international corporations, which need to extract at the lowest costs possible, no matter how much the given extractee-nations public might suffer from the deal. Three-fourths (75%) of Americans today think the United States has a special responsibility to be the leading nation in world affairs, and the actual beneficiaries of this mass-insanity are the owners of those U.S.-based international corporations, the military and extraction giants.

Anthony Cordesman, at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, headlined on 15 August 2016, U.S. Wars in Iraq, Syria, Libya and Yemen: What Are The Endstates? and he said, Once again, the United States does not seem to be learning from its past. The real test of victory is never tactical success or even ending a war on favorable military terms, it is what comes next. But he ignored the main reason why these invasions had occurred. Americas weapons-manufacturers wont have any markets, at all, if there are no enemy nations that are deemed by the American public to be suitable targets for their weapons. Cordesman is there calculating success and failure on the basis of the myths (such as that the U.S. Government cares about those Endstates), not of the realities (that it craves targets). The realities focus upon the desires of the owners and executives of the weapons-manufacturers and the extraction-firms, for ongoing and increased profits and executive bonuses, and not on the needs of Americas soldiers nor on the national security of the American people. Least of all, do they focus upon the needs  such as the welfare, freedom, or democracy  of the Iraqi people, or of the Syrian people, or of the Libyan people, or of the Yemenite people. Its all just lies, PR. Those invasions served their actual main functions when they were occurring. The Endstates there are almost irrelevant to those real purposes, the purposes for which the invasions were, and are, actually being done.

Heres an ideal example of this mass mind-control: On 19 November 2017, Josh Rogin at the Washington Post headlined The U.S. must prepare for Irans next move in Syria and reported that:

A task force of senior former U.S. diplomatic and military officials has come up with suggestions for how Trump could prevent Iran from taking over whats left of liberated Syria and fulfill his own promise to contain Iranian influence in the region. Most urgently the United States must impose real obstacles to Tehrans pursuit of total victory by the Assad regime in Syria, the report by the Jewish Institute for National Security of America states. Time is of the essence.

The underlying presumption there was that the U.S. regime has legitimate authorization to be occupying the parts of Syria it has invaded and now occupies, and that Iran does not. But the reality is that the U.S. regime is occupying Syria instead of assisting Syrias Government to defeat the U.S.-Saud-Israeli invasion to overthrow and replace Syrias Government, by stooges who will be selected by the Saud family who own Saudi Arabia, and the reality is that Irans forces there are invitees who are instead assisting Syrias Government against the Saudi-Israeli-American invasion. In other words: this WP article is basically all lies. Furthermore, the Jewish Institute for National Security of America is a front-organization for the fascist regime that rules Israel, and the WP hid that fact, too, so its cited expert was a mere PR agency for Israels aristocracy. So, this is Deep-State propaganda, parading as news.

Americans actually pay their private good money to subscribe to (subsidize) such bad public newspapers as that. The billionaire who happens to own that particular newspaper (the WP), Jeff Bezos, had founded and leads Amazon, which receives almost all of its profits from Amazon Web Services (AWS), the cloud-computing division, which supplies the U.S. Defense Department, CIA, and NSA. For example, without AWS and Prime, Amazon lost $2 billion in the 1st quarter of FY18.  These losses come from Amazons retail business. About 60% of Amazons revenue comes from retail and thats where Amazon is losing money. Amazon is profitable because of what it sells mainly to the Government, but also to other large U.S. international corporations, and they all want to conquer Syria. None opposes that evil goal. Although Bezos doesnt like the Sauds, he has actually been (at least until the Khashoggi matter) one of their main U.S. media champions for the Sauds to take over Syria. Its all just a fool-the-public game. It works, it succeeds, and thats what Gallups polls are demonstrating. The public never learns. Its a fact, which has been proven in many different ways.

This reality extends also to other nations, allies of the U.S. aristocracy, and not only to the U.S. regime itself. For example, on 27 November 2018, a whistleblowing former UK Ambassador, Craig Murray, who is a personal friend of Julian Assange, headlinedAssange Never Met Manafort. Luke Harding and the Guardian Publish Still More Blatant MI6 Lies, and he proved that Britains Guardian had lied with total, and totally undocumented (and probably even totally non-credible), fabrications, alleging that Julian Assange of WikiLeaks had secretly met (in 2013, 2015, and 2016) with Paul Manafort of the Trump campaign. The UK, of course, is a vassal-nation of the U.S. aristocracy, and the Guardian is run by Democratic Party propagandists (paid indirectly by Democratic Party and conservative Tony-Blair-wing Labour Party billionaires) and therefore fabricates in order to assist those Parties efforts to impeach Trump and to dislodge Jeremy Corbyn from the Labour Partys leadership. However, each of Americas two political parties (like the UKs aristocracy itself) represents Americas aristocracy, which, like Britains aristocracy, is united in its determination to eliminate Assange  they are as determined to do that to him, just as Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman al-Saud was determined to eliminate Jamal Khashoggi. Democracy? This? It is Big Brother.

Only if the population boycott lying individuals and organizations, is democracy even possible to exist in a nation. Democracy cant possibly exist more than truth does. In political matters, deceit is always treachery; and its practitioners, whenever the evidence for it is overwhelming and irrefutable, should experience whatever the standard penalty is for treachery. Only in a land such as that, can democracy possibly exist. Elsewhere, it simply cant. The only basis for democracy, is truth. Deceit is for dictators, not for democrats. And deceit reigns, in the U.S. and in its allied countries. Is this really tolerable? Americans, at least, tolerate it.

When Obama was awarded the Nobel Peace Prize, the far-right Rupert Murdochs Wall Street Journal editorialized against Obama on 10 October 2009, by saying that What this suggests to us  and to the Norwegians  is the end of what has been called American exceptionalism. Little did anyone then know that after winning re-election upon the basis of such war-mongering lies from Obama, as that America remains the one indispensable nation, Obama in February 2014 would go so far as to perpetrate a bloody coup overthrowing the democratically elected Government of one dispensable nation, Ukraine; and, then, on 28 May of 2014, Obama would be telling Americas future generals, that The United States is and remains the one indispensable nation and that Obama would, in that speech, explicitly malign Ukraines neighbor Russia. He did it, in this speech, which implicitly called all nations except the U.S. dispensable. He had carefully planned and orchestrated Americans hostility toward Russia. His successor, Trump, lied saying that he wanted to reverse Obamas policies on this, and Trump promptly, once becoming elected, increased and expanded those policies. Whatever a deceitfully war-mongering country like this might be, its certainly no democracy. Because democracy cannot be built upon a ceaseless string of lies.
Hacking has gone pro since the late 1990s, and one side effect is the need for a descriptive list of hacker terms used here. The list is at the end of this piece, in plain English. What this all means is that major nations see Cyber War weapons as major components of their military power. This evolution came into focus over the last decade and one of the most recent operations to be discovered, the White Company, is typical of the national hacker organizations. These outfits are often called APTs (Advanced Persistent Threats) and that says it all. The White Company was discovered over the last year (by computer security companies) as it quietly tried to hack its way into Pakistani Air Force networks. White Company was deliberate, effective and discreet. It was called the white company because the group placed a premium on concealing its operations as well as its origins. This sort of thing was first noted a decade ago when Stuxnet was discovered and attributed to an Israeli-American state-level effort that produced a very elaborate, professional and stealthy bit of malware that did major damage to the Iranian nuclear program. Recently Iran was hit with a similar attack but these Stuxnet like malware was even more elaborate, No one took credit for it and the Iranians would rather not talk about it.

Another major revelation came in in early 2017 when one bit of Internet-based criminal activity made headlines worldwide for reasons that took a while to emerge, both to the general public and Internet security professionals. The incident began with the activation of ransomware malware called WannaCry. What made WannaCry so dangerous was that it made use of several capabilities including a hidden (but findable) backdoor program that tried to spread WannaCry to Microsoft Windows computers that had a known vulnerability but were not updated to remove the vulnerability. This automatic spread of malware is called a worm and it depends on other computers being vulnerable to allowing malware to be automatically installed. With WannaCry local PC networks run by Microsoft server software were vulnerable it the latest patches were not installed.

What made this newsworthy was that the worm depended on information stolen from the NSA (American National Security Agency) and made public by Wikileaks earlier in 2017. The NSA tool was called EternalBlue and it used a ZDE (Zero Day Exploit) stockpiled by the NSA for possible Cyber War operations. This particular ZDE exploited a flaw in Windows network software allowing the EternalBlue program to quietly insert itself into other PCs on the same network as the PC infected (probably via a spearfishing attack) with WannaCry.

All this was news for several reasons. First, the attack could have been a lot more effective than it was except for a hidden flaw (a kill switch) that was soon discovered and activated because of the efforts of an international network of White Hat hackers. Then the incident became even more mysterious. While at least a quarter million PCs in 150 countries were infected with Wannacry and had their hard drive contents encrypted, only about one in a thousand of these PCs paid the $300 (in bitcoin) ransom. But those who paid the ransom did not receive the decryption information and the bitcoin payments (worth nearly $100,000) were sent to three bitcoin wallets that have not been used and are apparently still being monitored.

Meanwhile, the White Hats, network security companies and intel agencies were scrutinizing WannaCry in detail. The computer code and other evidence indicated that this attack was the work of North Korean government hackers. The North Koreans do it mainly for the money because North Korea is broke and run by a ruthless dictator. It did not make any sense for North Korea to unleash Wannacry because most of the victims were in the few countries (China and Russia) that still supported North Korea. These two countries were hard hit because both depend heavily on illegal copies of Windows and other software. Most users of the illegal Windows software dont bother to pay for security and other software updates provided by other hackers who supply these updates for a fee. Microsoft will not upgrade illegal copies of its software. Worse, even though Microsoft regularly releases free updates via the Internet many users do not immediately apply those updates (because updates sometimes break something else).

Wannacry is one of those mysteries that took a while to understand and may never be solved because they're so many black hat hackers involved, operating at different skill levels and with different objectives. It later turned out that WannaCry was first used in late April 2017 and perhaps even earlier. Based on past experience with malware we can expect numerous WannaCry variants to show up, for a few months at least, until enough users are made aware of the threat and enough Internet security software is updated to recognize and defeat the various tools WannaCry employs. North Korea never admitted it created WannaCry but they subsequently released improved versions and so far WannaCry has inflicted damage costing victims over a billion dollars.

There have been many revelations in the last decade. For example, there is North Korea. Long believed to be nonexistent, North Korean cyberwarriors did exist and were not the creation of South Korean intelligence agencies trying to obtain more money to upgrade government Information War defenses. North Korea has had personnel working on Internet issues since the early 1990s, and their Mirim College program quietly trained several Internet engineers and hackers. North Korea has a unit devoted to Internet-based warfare and this unit is increasingly active. North Korea is now considered a major player.

What most of these large-scale attacks have in common is the exploitation of human error. Case in point is the continued success of attacks via Internet against specific civilian, military, and government individuals using psychology, rather than just technology. This sort of thing is often carried out in the form of official looking email, with a file attached, sent to people at a specific military or government organization. It is usually an email they weren't expecting but from someone they recognize. This is known in the trade as "spear fishing" (or "phishing"), which is a Cyber War technique that sends official looking email to specific individuals with an attachment which, if opened, secretly installs a program that sends files and information from the email recipient's PC to the spear fisher's computer. For the last few years an increasing number of military, government, and contractor personnel have received these official-looking emails with a PDF document attached and asking for prompt attention. This is what the White Company used on a large, and detailed, scale against the Pakistani Air Force.

Another recent example of the continued effectiveness of these deceptive techniques can be seen in the repeated use of spearfishing by a group of Iranian backed Syrian hackers, calling themselves the Syrian Electronic Army (SEA). This group began as a small group of hacker loyal to the Assad dictatorship in Syria. The SEA has been using spearfishing to hack into media sites. Despite most media companies having in place software and personnel rules to block spearfishing attacks, there are so many email accounts to attack and you only have to get one victim to respond for the SEA to get in (using the login data from the compromised account). The automated defenses are supposed to block the actions of the hacker software that is triggered when the victim clicks on the email attachment, but hackers keep finding exploitable vulnerabilities to the defenses and these make the defenses vulnerable, at least until the vulnerability is detected and patched. The SEA evolved over the last five years into a major Iranian APT.

China has been a major user of spearfishing and apparently the Chinese government and independent Chinese hackers have been a major force in coming up with new spearfishing payloads. This has led to China becoming the home of nearly half the APTs known to exist. The methods, and source, of many spearfishing attacks, have been traced back to China. In 2010, Internet security researchers discovered a China-based espionage group, called the Shadow Network, which had hacked into PCs used by military and civilian personnel working for the Indian armed forces and made off with huge quantities of data. Examination of the viruses and related bits of computer code indicated that most of this stuff was created by Chinese speaking programmers and all movement of command and stolen data led back to servers in China. Since China is an ally of the Assad government, the SEA has access to the best spearfishing tools. The Shadow Network had also hacked into PCs used by military and civilian personnel working for the Indian armed forces and made off with huge quantities of data. This was done via Internet-based attacks against specific military and government officials via "spearfishing" (or "phishing").

China's Cyber War hackers have become easier to identify because they have been getting cocky and careless. Internet security researchers have found identical bits of code (the human-readable text that programmers create and then turn into smaller binary code for computers to use) and techniques for using it in hacking software used against Tibetan independence groups and commercial software sold by some firms in China and known to work for the Chinese military. Similar patterns have been found in hacker code left behind during attacks on American military and corporate networks. The best hackers hide their tracks better than this. The White Company is a good example of that.

It's also been noted that Chinese behavior is distinctly different from that encountered among East European hacking operations. The East European hackers are more disciplined and go in like commandos and get out quickly once they have what they were looking for. The Chinese go after more targets with less skillful attacks and stick around longer than they should. That's how so many hackers are tracked back to China, often to specific servers known to be owned by the Chinese military or government research institutes.

The East Europeans have been at this longer and most of the hackers work for criminal gangs, who enforce discipline, select targets, and protect their hackers from local and foreign police. The East European hacker groups are harder to detect (when they are breaking in) and much more difficult to track down. Thus the East Europeans go after more difficult (and lucrative) targets. The Chinese hackers are a more diverse group. Some work for the government, many more are contractors, and even more are independents who often slip over to the dark side and scam Chinese. This is forbidden by the government and these hackers are sometimes caught and punished, or simply disappear. The Chinese hackers are, compared the East Europeans, less skilled and disciplined. There are some very, very good Chinese hackers but they often lack adult supervision (or some Ukrainian gangster ready to put a bullet in their head if they don't follow orders exactly).

For Chinese hackers that behave (don't do cybercrimes against Chinese targets) the rewards are great. Large bounties are paid for sensitive military and government data taken from the West. This encourages some unqualified hackers to take on targets they can't handle. This was seen recently when a group of hackers were caught trying to get into a high-security network in the White House (the one dealing with emergency communications with the military and nuclear forces). These amateurs are often caught and prosecuted. But the pros tend to leave nothing behind but hints that can be teased out of heavy use of data mining and pattern analysis.

Glossary of Cyber War Terms

APT  Advanced Persistent Threat. This is what long-term hacking operations are called. These are now usually government created or supported organizations. Most of the known ones are Chinese, followed by Russia and Iran. Israel, North Korea and the United States tend to have one main APT operation plus a few much smaller ones.

Backdoor  A secret command that will enable anyone with it to use a computer program.

Bitcoin- A cryptocurrency or currency based on software, not physical (paper and coins) media. Bitcoin is one of the first and most widely used. There are online markets for buying and selling bitcoins. Anyone can establish an online account (a bitcoin wallet) that others can send bitcoin to without knowing who controls (has the password) for the bitcoin wallet. It takes a lot of effort to find out who owns a bitcoin wallet and even governments dont (yet) have the resources to monitor all bitcoin wallets. Apparently, bitcoin wallet owners can be discovered if the owner is not very careful.

Black hat hacker- Someone who uses their programming skills to create or modify software for criminal purposes.

Computer code- Software, a computer application the user (or the computer itself) employs to perform a task. What most users encounter is executable code. The execuatables makes no sense if you look it because in a word processor it is seemingly random digits, letters and symbols. But the source code (that a programmer writes) is in something that is readable and makes sense depending on how much you know about programming.

Cyber War  Attacking someone else (or defending) via computers (usually via the Internet). In peacetime, Cyber War is usually about espionage or, in the case of North Korea, financing a failed dictatorship.

Decryption  The process by which special software turns encrypted (not usable) computer data back into its original form. The user sometimes employs a password (decryption key) to make decryption happen.

Encryption- The process by which special software turns computer data from its original form into something unusable until converted back (decrypted). The user sometimes employs a password (encryption key) to make encrypt a file or program.

EternalBlue  A bit of malware developed by the NSA that exploits a ZDE in Microsoft local network software. EternalBlue was stolen and distributed by Wikileaks.

Fishing- Sending a message (usually email) to someone that has a file attacked which, if opened secretly installs malware on your computer.

Five Eyes- The countries (Israel, Iran, China, Russia, and North Korea) most active in organized hacking for information, Cyber War weapons development or cash. The use of the term Five Eyes for the source of most APTs is a play on the earlier use of Five Eyes to designate the post-World War II alliance of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, Britain and the United States to collect and share electronic intelligence.

Hackers- Programmers who are particularly skilled and eager to create new code or improve existing stuff. The term hack has been used for centuries for tinkering with something.

Illegal software- Software that is protected (games, major applications, operating systems) but has those protections disabled and then sold, or distributed for free.

Kill switch  A capability (usually kept secret) built into software that enables anyone to turn the program off (usually via the Internet).

Malware  Software created to do something harmful (usually illegal and secretly.)

NSA (American National Security Agency) a post-World War II U.S. government agency for creating new secret codes (encryption) and better methods to decrypting encryption used by others. NSA became the lead agency for Internet matters.

Phishing- See Fishing.

Programmer- Someone who can create an app (application). For most it is a job, do some (hackers) it is a passion.

Source code  The readable software that is turned into unreadable but useful executables that users refer to as apps. Programmers create, modify and, when investigating malware, scrutinize source code.

Ransomware  Malware that secretly encrypts a hard drive and then offers the user the decryption key for $300 to $600 (or more). The relatively low ($300) demand was found the most profitable (for the black hat) ransom because most victims would rather pay that amount, or less, than permanently lose access to their data.

Security software- Programs that usually run automatically on your PC to detect malware and deal with it. Black hats must continually update their malware to cope with constantly updated security software.

Social Engineering- Exploiting human nature to get malware onto a system. This is what fishing and spearfishing attacks depend on.

Spearfishing- a fishing operation where targets are carefully chosen and researched before putting together the attack. Despite having software and user rules in place to block spearfishing attacks there are so many email accounts to attack and you only have to get one victim to respond to a bogus email with a vital attachment that must be opened immediately. Among the favored targets for these attacks are anyone providing access to something worth stealing via an Internet connection. This often means business executives as well as senior civilian officials in the government and the Internet security industry.

Updates- Modifications to apps and operating systems that are usually sent out and installed automatically these days.

WannaCry- A ransomware app recently distributed using fishing and a ZDE stolen from the NSA.

White Hat hacker- Someone who uses their programming skills to create or modify software to protect it from Black Hats (criminal programmers).

Wikileaks- An organization that accepts stolen documents and distributes them on the Internet. This organization is doing a public service or a criminal act depending on who is being hurt by the leaked software. Most nations consider Wikileaks a criminal group.

ZDE (Zero Day Exploit)  A previously unknown flaw in software that allows the first user to get into other networks and PCs secretly. ZDEs have become very expensive because in the right hands these vulnerabilities/flaws can enable criminals to pull off a large online heist or simply maintain secret control over thousands of computers. ZDEs have also become the very expensive and highly perishable ammunition for any future Cyber War. The most successful hackers use high-quality ZDEs. Not surprisingly ZDEs are difficult to find and can be sold on the black (or legitimate) market for hundreds of thousands of dollars. Their value declines when the publisher becomes aware of the flaw and patches it. But not every user applies the patch right away, if ever.
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Police will charge a 26-year-old man with the murder of missing backpacker Grace Millane.

They had previously been speaking with him over the disappearance. He will remain in police custody until Monday morning when he will appear in the Auckland District Court.

The charge comes after police confirmed Millane's disappearance was being treated as a homicide, at a press conference on Saturday afternoon.

Grace Millane, 22, from Essex in the United Kingdom, was last seen in central Auckland on December 1 and was reported missing on Wednesday.

Detective Inspector Scott Beard says police had gathered evidence on Saturday that had "established this is a homicide".

He says Graces family had been told and they were "devastated".

"We know that he [the 26-year-old man] was with her on the Saturday evening and went to a number of places before going to the CityLife Hotel."

Police had identified and found a vehicle of interest and officers were trying to find out where it had been, he says. He would not confirm what type of vehicle it was.

"I know that the thoughts of all New Zealanders will be with Grace's family tonight and I want to reassure everyone both here and abroad, that NZ Police are determined to do everything we can to find Grace," Scott says.

The last confirmed sighting of Millane was at the CityLife Hotel, in Queen St, at 9.41pm on Saturday.

Scott says he had no evidence to suggest Millane knew the man before Saturday night but says he would not speculate on how they met.

"Grace is still missing and we want to find her," he says.

Earlier on Saturday, police said some of Millane's belongings, including her passport, a pale pink Casio Baby-G watch and a silver necklace with a green stone in the middle, were missing from the hostel she was staying at.

Scott says "that property is going to be somewhere, the clothing is going to be somewhere, we haven't found it. Somebody may find it somewhere, we don't know what has happened to it".

Officers have conducted a scene examination at an apartment at the CityLife Hotel and were trawling through "hundreds" of hours of CCTV footage as part of the investigation.

Dozens of calls had been made to the 0800 investigation helpline number, and that information continued to be reviewed and assessed, Scott says.

News of the murder inquiry comes hours after Millane's family says they were "staying very positive" as the search for her continued.

In a statement released on Saturday morning (New Zealand time), they said it had been "an extremely difficult and emotional time for us all".

Her father David Millane fronted a press conference at Auckland Central Police Station on Friday after flying to New Zealand from Essex.

A tearful David Millane appealed to the public to come forward with any information, "no matter how small".

"I would just like to take this opportunity to appeal to anybody who has seen, spoken to, or come into contact with Grace over the last few days, to come forward with any detail, no matter how small, and contact the investigation team," he says.

In the statement issued on Saturday, Grace's family praised Auckland police "who have been outstanding in their support and efforts in helping to find Grace".

Grace was on a year-long OE after graduating from the University of Lincoln in September.

The advertising graduate and keen artist arrived in New Zealand on November 20, after travelling through South America.

Photos on her Instagram showed she travelled to Cape Reinga with friends before returning to Auckland.

This was her first time travelling abroad alone.

Described as "fun loving, outgoing and [a] family-orientated person", Grace was never out of contact with family and friends for this long, her family said.

Detective Beard says Grace's case has been tough, at the press conference.

"Of course it's tough, everyone who is a parent out there will understand and appreciate what that family is going through," Scott says.

"We've spoken to David [Grace's father] we've met him, but there is family in the UK and our hearts go out to them as well."

Anyone with information that could help with the investigation has been asked to contact 0800 676 255.

-Stuff.co.nz
Bohemian Rhaposdy was the winning movie that was chosen to help the Papamoa Rotary Club in conjunction with Papamoa Surf Life Saving Club raise funds.

The funds were being raised to help purchase a Mobi Chair, to help anyone who is unable to walk on to the beach, or into the water.

The Mobi Chair has huge wheels and it can go right into the water.

Jane Lee, who is the joint event coordinator at the Papamoa Rotary Club says the fundraiser was a fantastic turnout.

We sold 110 tickets, so we have enough funds to purchase the Mobi Chair, plus place mats to place on the sand to be able to get the chair into the water, says Jane.

There is no delivery date as of yet.

The Papamoa Rotary decided to get on board with helping the Papamoa Surf Life Saving Club, as they were given a $1000 grant and the challenge to try and double it and give it to someone in the community.

About 10 people got together and brainstormed and we came up with the idea of having a movie night, says Jane.

The rotary got in contact with Tivoli Cinema in Papamoa East and ran the movie simultaneously in all three theatres.

When the Mobi Chair arrives in the Bay of Plenty, the Papamoa Surf Living Saving Club will be given the task of storing and looking after the chair, as well as allocating the use of it.

Jane says they hope to hold more events so more money can be raised for the community, and are planning to hold more movie nights in the near future.
To deny humanity of an unborn child is appalling. Thats the opinion of pro-life advocates who are applauding the Bay of Plenty District Health Board for not providing a surgical abortion service in Tauranga.

Right to Life spokesman Ken Orr says pregnancy is not a disease, and abortions should not be used as a form of health care for women.

The conversation comes after The Weekend Sun published a story on November 23 discussing whether there is a need for surgical abortion services in Tauranga.

We take no pleasure in seeing women inconvenienced, says Ken. However, because we see abortion as a violation of the human rights of the child, we support the DHB refusing to provide a killing service.

He says nobody has the right to kill another human being because their continued living is an inconvenience.

The unborn child is a patient that should be respected and protected, he says. Women who are faced with an unplanned pregnancy, that is imposing a burden on the mother, deserve all the help and support from the community they need to choose life for their child.

Ken says Right to Life holds the same view on medical abortions as surgical abortions. As such, in 2015, Right to Life sought a judicial review of the decision of the Abortion Supervisory Committee to grant a limited licence to the Family Planning Association for its Tauranga clinic.

Our case was that the license issued was unlawful because it unlawfully stipulated that the license was to allow medical abortions up to nine weeks, says Ken.

This law required that the license be for up to 12 weeks and include surgical abortions. Justice Williams, in the High Court in Wellington, agreed with us but allowed the license to be corrected and to stand.

Voice for Life Bay of Plenty Charitable Trust acting-president Don Brebner, who has led a group of volunteers to pray outside Tauranga Hospital in a peaceful vigil for several years, also agrees that women should choose life for their baby.

However, he says its up to the BOPDHB to decide what is needed for the community.

Its a decision for the health board, says Don. In my view, it would be nice not to have any abortions, but if its got to be done - something simple and within the nine week period - then medical abortion is probably the safest.

He says the need for surgical abortion services also isnt as high as people may believe, and that in most cases it isnt a womens choice.

More research, centred on women who have had an abortion, is being published every year, says Don.

It indicates that up to 60 per cent say years later they have been coerced into it, often with threats by, for example, a boyfriend, partner, husband or parents; or by someone who has power over them.

He admits most of this research has been collected from America, but believes there are New Zealand women out there going through similar circumstances.

I believe its more than likely happening in New Zealand for the same reasons, with the main point being coercion by the boyfriend - particularly if its a serious relationship and the boy insists that there be an abortion or hell cut the girl off.

No research has been carried out about coercion in New Zealand, but post-abortion pregnancy counsellors have reported anecdotal evidence.

Women are told throughout their pregnancy that its not ok to be pressured into making a decision about continuing the pregnancy, keeping the baby, giving it up or having an abortion.

During one of the two surgical abortion consultations, they will also be asked to go in by themselves. The consultant will then ask them various questions about their health and safety.

In Family Plannings booklet Abortions: What you need to know, it also acknowledges how difficult an unplanned pregnancy can be for men.

Men may feel strongly about the woman and her pregnancy and feel they have a right to be informed or involved, says Family Planning.

Legally they dont have any rights to make decisions about continuing or terminating the pregnancy.

Deciding to seek an abortion is the womans choice. A man shouldnt pressure the woman to do something she does not want to do, whether that is to continue the pregnancy or to have an abortion.

Men who are named as the father of a baby are legally and financially responsible for that child, until the child reaches his or her 19th birthday. If the man is under 18 years of age, the financial responsibility falls on his parents.

Although these systems may be in place, Don says they still run on an honesty basis.

Regarding the 40 per cent, who do not claim to have been coerced, the main question in New Zealand, ever since 1974 and the Child Support Act, would surround the honesty of the whole system, he says.

I dont expect - in my lifetime anyway - to get an abortion free New Zealand. I think that would be too hopeful, but its an idealist goal.
WATERLOO, N.Y. -- A 14-year-old Waterloo Central School District student was arrested and charged with making a terroristic threat, according to the Waterloo Police Department.

On Thursday at 2:17 p.m., Waterloo police investigated a potential threat made to the school district's students and school, police said. The officers identified a 14-year-old student who made a threat, police said.

The 14-year-old was arrested and charged in Seneca County Family Court with making a terroristic threat, police said.

Police said tehre was never any danger to students and staff in the district.
SYRACUSE, N.Y. -- The employee at a North Side market is facing no charges for shooting an alleged robber who entered the market Friday evening, according to police.

A man armed with a handgun entered the Alibaba Market at 419 Wolf St., around 7:45 p.m. and tried to rob the store, said police spokesman Sgt. Richard Helterline.

The employee shot the suspect, who fled on foot, police said.

Soon afterward, police found a man on the 600 block of Lemoyne Avenue with gunshot wounds. That's about a tenth of a mile away from the store.

The alleged, would-be robber was rushed to the hospital and into surgery for his injuries. He was in critical condition but is now in stable condition, according to police.

Police said it doesn't look like the store employee will be charged, though the investigation is ongoing.

The alleged robber's name will be released when he is discharged from the hospital and is charged, police said.

Police are asking anyone with information about the attempted robbery to call the Criminal Investigations Division at (315)442-5222 or use the department's "SPD Tips" app.
WASHINGTON - Federal prosecutors filed new court papers Friday directly implicating President Donald Trump in plans to buy women's silence as far back as 2014 and offering new evidence of Russian efforts to forge a political alliance with Trump before he became president - disclosures that show the deepening political and legal morass enveloping the administration.

The separate filings came from special counsel Robert Mueller III and federal prosecutors in New York ahead of Wednesday's sentencing of Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen.

Taken together, the documents suggest that the president's legal woes are far from over and reveal a previously unreported contact from a Russian to Trump's inner circle during the campaign. But the documents do not answer the central question at the heart of Mueller's work - whether the president or those around him conspired with the Kremlin.

The documents offer a scathing portrait of his former lawyer as a criminal who deserves little sympathy or mercy because he held back from telling the FBI everything he knew. For that reason, prosecutors said, he should be sentenced to "substantial" prison time, suggesting possibly 3 1/2 years.

Trump immediately declared that he was vindicated. "Totally clears the president. Thank you!" he tweeted. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders said the Cohen filings "tell us nothing of value that wasn't already known."

The special counsel's office said Cohen had provided "useful information" about its ongoing probe of Russian interference in the 2016 election, as well as "relevant information" about his contacts with people connected to the White House between 2017 and 2018.

Mueller revealed that Cohen told prosecutors about what seemed to be a previously unknown November 2015 contact with a Russian national, who claimed to be a "trusted person" in the Russian Federation offering the campaign "political synergy" and "synergy on a government level."

Cohen told investigators that the person, who was not identified, repeatedly proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin, saying that such a meeting could have a "phenomenal" impact, "not only in political but in a business dimension as well," the special counsel's office wrote.

Cohen, though, did not follow up on the invitation, because he was already working on a Trump project in Moscow through a different person he believed to have Russian government connections, the special counsel's office wrote.

Prosecutors also singled out Trump as being directly involved in efforts to buy the silence of women who might level public allegations about him.

The memo from New York prosecutors identifies three people at an August 2014 meeting: Cohen, "Individual 1" and "Chairman 1." The document elsewhere identifies Individual 1 as Trump, and people familiar with the case said Chairman 1 is David Pecker of the National Enquirer.

"In August 2014, Chairman-1 had met with Cohen and Individual-1, and had offered to help deal with negative stories about Individual-1's relationships with women by identifying such stories so that they could be purchased and 'killed,' " the prosecutors' memorandum says.

Cohen pleaded guilty in August to violating campaign finance law when he arranged payments to an adult-film star during the 2016 election. At the same time, he pleaded guilty to a handful of other crimes, including making a false statement to a bank. In recent weeks, he pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about efforts during the 2016 presidential campaign to get a Trump-branded tower built in Moscow.

Cohen had asked for a sentence of no prison time, citing his cooperation with investigators. Mueller's office gave him some credit for his assistance, saying that while his crime was "serious," he had "taken significant steps to mitigate his criminal conduct."

"He chose to accept responsibility for his false statements and admit to his conduct in open court. He also has gone to significant lengths to assist the Special Counsel's investigation," the office wrote.

New York prosecutors, however, were far harsher in their assessment of Cohen's character, saying he should get only a modest reduction in an expected prison sentence of about five years. In their 38-page filing, they suggest he should receive about 3 1/2 years in prison.

"He seeks extraordinary leniency - a sentence of no jail time - based principally on his rose-colored view of the seriousness of the crimes; his claims to a sympathetic personal history; and his provision of certain information to law enforcement," prosecutors wrote in their filing. "But the crimes committed by Cohen were more serious than his submission allows and were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life."

The filing also suggests that Cohen's cooperation with law enforcement was not so significant to the investigations swirling around the president.

"To be clear: Cohen does not have a cooperation agreement and is not . . . properly described as a 'cooperating witness,' as that term is commonly used in this District," the prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors also accused Cohen of holding back some of what he knew.

"This Office understands that the information provided by Cohen to [Mueller's office] was ultimately credible and useful to its ongoing investigation," prosecutors wrote, but said they would not give him a legal letter detailing his cooperation because "Cohen repeatedly declined to provide full information about the scope of any additional criminal conduct in which he may have engaged or had knowledge."

The two memos were submitted to U.S. District Court Judge William Pauley III, who is scheduled to sentence Cohen.

Robert Mintz, a former federal prosecutor now in private practice, said the filings show that Cohen "was trying to have it both ways" and that, instead of succeeding, he became "a textbook example of how not to cooperate with federal prosecutors."

Mueller submitted a seven-page memo that doesn't take any firm position on how long Cohen should spend in prison.

In their memo, New York federal prosecutors lambasted Cohen, detailing his lies to the IRS and banks and his gaming of the campaign finance system - acts that prosecutors said were driven largely by his "own ambition and greed."

Cohen, they claimed, relished the role of being Trump's "fixer," trying to use it to win a role in the administration, and then, when that failed, he set out to swindle companies out of money by tricking them into thinking he could provide access and insight.

In reality, though, they said Cohen was not much more than "a man whose outlook on life was often to cheat," and he did not deserve to be spared entirely because he finally decided to plead guilty.

"After cheating the IRS for years, lying to banks and to Congress, and seeking to criminally influence the Presidential election, Cohen's decision to plead guilty - rather than seek a pardon for his manifold crimes - does not make him a hero," prosecutors wrote.

Prosecutors repeatedly highlighted what they suggested was minimal information provided by Cohen, noting that while he also met with New York state investigators and tax authorities, that cooperation "warrants little to no consideration as a mitigating factor" because Cohen told them nothing of value beyond what they would probably have gotten without his help.

The Mueller memo says that Cohen "repeated many of his prior false statements" when he met with the special counsel's office in August, and it was only in a second meeting on Sept. 12 - after he pleaded guilty to the campaign finance charges - that he admitted "his prior statements about the Moscow Project had been deliberately false and misleading."

The special counsel's office wrote that Cohen's lies to Congress "obscured the fact that the Moscow Project was a lucrative business opportunity that sought, and likely required, the assistance of the Russian government," and that, if completed, the Trump Organization could have received "hundreds of millions of dollars from Russian sources in licensing fees and other revenues." They noted, as Cohen had already admitted, that Cohen and Trump discussed the project "well into the campaign."

The special counsel's office added, though, that Cohen "has gone to significant lengths to assist the Special Counsel's investigation."

The office wrote that Cohen had "explained financial aspects of the deal that would have made it highly lucrative," and, without prompting, he had corrected other statements he made about his contacts with Russian officials during the campaign.

For example, Cohen said in a radio interview in September 2015 that Trump should meet with the president of Russia during the United Nations General Assembly, and he claimed for a time afterward that the comment had been "spontaneous" and not discussed with members of the campaign. In fact, the special counsel's office said, Cohen later admitted that he had conferred with Trump about contacting the Russian government for the meeting - which ultimately did not take place.

In asking for a sentence of no prison time, Cohen stressed his extensive cooperation with Mueller as well as investigators from other agencies. His lawyers linked his wrongdoing directly to Trump, writing that Cohen was motivated to pay the women to keep quiet and lie to Congress out of his "fierce loyalty" to Trump. Trump had publicly denied the affairs and said he "stayed away" from business in Russia.

"He could have fought the government and continued to hold to the party line, positioning himself perhaps for a pardon or clemency, but, instead - for himself, his family, and his country - he took personal responsibility for his own wrongdoing and contributed, and is prepared to continue to contribute, to an investigation that he views as thoroughly legitimate and vital," Cohen's lawyers wrote in court papers submitted last week.

For his part, Trump ridiculed Cohen's request on Twitter and seemed to contrast him with Roger Stone, a longtime Trump adviser who has suggested publicly that he would be unwilling to cooperate against the president.

Of Cohen, Trump said, "He lied for this outcome and should, in my opinion, serve a full and complete sentence." Of Stone, he said, "Nice to know that some people still have 'guts!' "
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What just happened? Over 60 million phones in 11 countries lost their network coverage for up to 24 hours on Thursday, and it turns out the entire problem was an expired certificate. Certificates are software keys that enable certain functionality, but they can require occasional updates so that they dont expire, something Swedish owned telecommunication equipment manufacturer Ericsson didnt do.

Ericsson has their fingers in a lot of pies, but the largest portion of their business is constructing the mobile networks big brands such as the UKs O2 and the Japanese Softbank use. Unfortunately for those networks customers, the security certificate on their devices expired on Thursday morning. Softbanks 30 million subscribers received a fix after 4-5 hours, but O2s 32 million customers had to wait until early Friday morning.

The full extent of the network shut down hasnt quite been determined yet, as Ericsson hasnt provided the names of the affected countries, just the number. Despite certain rumors regarding AT&T and Verizon network issues at the same time, Ericsson says that the United States was unaffected by the expired certificate.

Amusingly, when the Financial Times first reported the issue and pointed the finger at Ericsson, they claimed they were unaware of any issues relating to their networking equipment or software. Ericssons CEO and President Borje Ekholmhas has since apologized for the network failure.

The faulty software that has caused these issues is being decommissioned and we apologize not only to our customers but also to their customers. We work hard to ensure that our customers can limit the impact and restore their services as soon as possible.

With Ericsson working with companies to provide 5G in many countries that include Sweden, Denmark, Norway, Italy, South Africa, India, Japan, Australia and lots more, lets hope they learn from this mistake before equipping self-driving trucks to their 5G networks.
Four thousand psychologists, therapists, psychiatric nurses, and social workers will start a five-day strike on Monday against Kaiser Permanente at more than 100 facilities across California.

Shortage Of Mental Health Professionals In The US

The mental health workers are demanding the largest non-profit HMO in the United States to address their concerns about what they describe as understaffing problems as the nation faces a shortage of mental health professionals.

The workers claimed that the shortage of clinicians limits patients' access to appropriate treatment.

Sal Rosselli, the president of the National Union of Healthcare Workers or NUHW, which organized the strike, said that access to mental health care is a civil rights issue.

The union is protesting the services given to patients insured by Kaiser. It wants the HMO to increase staffing to reduce the length of time patients wait for an appointment, reduce the number of patients who are sent to non-Kaiser therapists, and boost the ratio of returning patients to intake patients.

The union said it tried to work with Kaiser but the HMO refused to make meaningful changes to working conditions, or access to therapy appointments regardless of making a profit of $3.8 billion profit in 2017, and $2.9 billion from January to September this year.

"Kaiser is refusing to hire enough mental health therapists so that patients with depression, bipolar disorder and other conditions don't have to wait one and two months between appointments," the NUHW said in a statement.

Mental Health In The US

A report from the Blue Cross Blue Shield showed that cases of major depression in the United States rose by 33 percent since 2013.

The U.S Centers for Disease Control and Prevention also released a study last week that showed suicide rate rose by 33 percent since 1999. Since 2008, suicide is the 10th leading cause of death for all ages in the United States.

Figures from the National Alliance on Mental Illness likewise show that there are 43.8 million people who experience mental illness in a year.

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
Reports previously revealed that Amazon Go was expanding to bigger brick-and-mortar stores. Now, it is said that the retail company has far bigger plans for its burgeoning cashierless grocery outlets.

According to a new report from Reuters, Amazon is setting on a different area for the next Amazon Go expansion. Airports are apparently the next venue the company wants to conquer.

In the future, long-distance travelers may be less inconvenienced by buying snacks before they board their flight. They can just come in, pick up whatever they need, and leave the store. No lining up or anything as the store uses specialized sensors and artificial intelligence to determine what customers pick up and charge them accordingly afterward.

Find An Amazon Go Store In Your Local Airport

According to reports, Amazon is merely "looking at" bringing the stores to Airports, which means there is no guarantee if it will ever happen. Consider this, though: A report from Bloomberg earlier this year said Amazon is planning to add as many as 3,000 Amazon Go stores by 2021.

Amazon Go Expansion Plans

The first Amazon Go store opened earlier this January in Seattle and has since expanded to other parts of the city. It is slated to break ground in more areas as well, including Chicago, New York, and San Francisco. Amazon is said to be planning to expand operations to larger stores as well, potentially including Whole Foods outlets that the company acquired a while back for nearly $14 billion.

Reuters cites public records and a person familiar with the strategy in its report. It revealed that Amazon reached out to various airports recently, including the Los Angeles International Airport and the San Jose International Airport.

"I am looking forward to moving forward with the Amazon Go technology at the airport," San Jose International Airport's information technology manager wrote, following a meeting with Amazon. "I am looking forward to moving forward with the Amazon Go technology at the airport."

Both aforementioned airports say there have not been any further discussions with Amazon about the matter, though. If Amazon does manage to integrate its cashierless store concept into airports, that would certainly be a huge boon for travelers who hate long lines.

Making sure the system works well in bigger stores is the first step. Amazon Go stores have had trouble keeping up with purchases when there were 20 or more people inside the area at a time  what more in an airport setting?

Thoughts about Amazon Go stores in airports? As always, if you have anything to share, feel free to sound them off in the comments section below!

 2021 TECHTIMES.com All rights reserved. Do not reproduce without permission.
In a move aimed at restoring trust with parishioners amid a clergy abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church worldwide, the Jesuit order on Friday revealed the names of 42 clergy members  mostly priests  suspected of sexually molesting children while they worked in a region that includes Louisiana.

+4 More Jesuit educators from New Orleans named in latest church sex abuser list In a move aimed at restoring trust with parishioners amid the clergy abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church, the Jesuit order on 

Three of the former priests on the list released Friday had worked in Grand Coteau and one of those also worked at a Jesuit-run parish in north Baton Rouge. Friday's disclosure also resurrected disclosures about the Manresa Retreat House in Convent in St. James Parish. Its former director, the Rev. Thomas Naughton of the old New Orleans Province of the Jesuits, was stripped of his duties in California in 2002 after accusations he had molested a boy in 1978 in Dallas.

The Jesuits' disclosure Friday listed only where the men had served. It did not say where any of the alleged abuse occurred.

One of the priests who worked at Grand Coteau was Norman J. Rogge, who was twice convicted of sex crimes against minors but continued working for the church, according to previous news accounts and bishopaccountability.org, a website dedicated to tracking abuse by clergy.

Several residents of a Tampa juvenile detention home reported to authorities that Rogge had fondled them during nude swimming lessons at Rogges lake cottage, according to a 2002 Dallas Morning News article. He pleaded guilty in 1967 to fondling one of the residents at a movie theater in Florida.

Rogge pleaded no contest in 1985 to masturbating in front of a 14-year-old boy and soliciting oral sex from him. Rogge was accused with two other adults in that incident.

Rogge was sentenced to probation following both convictions.

Rogge was not listed in church directories from 1986 to 1988, but in 1989 he was assigned to St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, where he stayed until 2002, according to bishopaccountability.org. Rogge also served at St. Charles Borromeo Parish during his final four years in Grand Coteau.

The Lafayette Diocese learned of Rogges previous convictions from a reporter in 2002 and accused the Jesuits of failing to disclose them, according to the Dallas Morning News. Rogge was then transferred to the Ignatius Residence, a Jesuit retirement home. He died in 2009.

+11 See names, bios for 19 Jesuit order members with New Orleans ties accused of sexual abuse The Jesuit order released a list Friday morning of 42 priests and other members who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse.

According to a church history, St. Charles Borromeo Parish will mark its 200th anniversary next year. Jesuits have served the parish since 1837. The person answering the phone at St. Charles Borromeo on Friday said Fr. Derrick Weingartner is the only person authorized to address questions, and that Weingartner would not be available until next week.

A Lafayette Diocese spokeswoman said the diocese would research The Advocates queries about Rogge.

A spokeswoman for the Jesuit provincial headquarters in St. Louis said she could not answer specific questions about Rogge. The spokeswoman, Therese Meyerhoff, said in a written statement that the church acknowledges terrible instances in which a mans abuse was known, but he was reassigned. This practice was a serious failure, she said.

In the past, it was believed that men who had abused minors could be safely returned to ministry after receiving treatment, Meyerhoff wrote in the statement. Now, of course, we know better, and that wouldnt be allowed to happen. The Jesuits have a zero-tolerance policy regarding sexual abuse.

The other two credibly accused priests who worked in Grand Coteau are Jody Blanchard and Austin Park. Their positions and dates of service are not clear. Blanchard was born in 1953 and ordained in 1983, and the list does not include a date of death. He left the ministry in 1994. Attempts to reach Blanchard through publicly listed numbers on Friday were unsuccessful.

Blanchard also worked at Immaculate Conception Parish in Baton Rouge. The pastor there, the Rev. Thomas Clark, said he is not aware of any allegations against Blanchard stemming from that parish, and that he is not familiar with Blanchard at all.

Nobody seems to remember him, Clark said.

Park was born in 1918 and died in 2013. The abuse was estimated to have occurred in the 1960s, and he had already left the ministry and suffered from dementia at time allegations surfaced against him, although its not clear when that occurred, according to the Jesuits' documents. He served at Christ the King and St. Charles College in Grand Coteau, St. Philip Neri in Kinder and at a location listed as "Oakdale Facility" in Oakdale.

A half-dozen of the named priests, brothers and would-be clergy on the list worked at a Jesuit High School in the city where their alleged abuses took place.

Two of those six  Edward DeRussy and Francis Landwermeyer  had not been previously identified, either in media reports or in a similar list of suspected clergy abusers released last month by the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

A seventh man on the list  Ben Wren  was previously identified as an alleged abuser, accused of sexual misconduct from his days working at Loyola University New Orleans.

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Many others landed on the Jesuit list based on allegations of abuse that took place elsewhere. For a handful of named Jesuits, the date ranges for their alleged abuses overlap with their assignments in New Orleans, but it was not clear where they happened.

Jesuit officials declined a request to specify where some alleged incidents occurred, citing a desire to protect the confidentiality and privacy of the victims.

That explanation rang hollow to Terry McKiernan of bishopaccountability.org. He found it problematic that Fridays release lacked any clear indication of where the alleged abuses took place, and exactly when.

Not providing (that) is not transparency, McKiernan said. Especially with the new priests whose allegations have not been known until now, its really important we know details about the allegations. Because theres nothing on the record at the moment about those cases.

Richard Windmann received a $450,000 financial settlement from the order after accusing Cornelius Carr, who is named on Fridays list, of abusing him in his adolescence in the 1970s. Windmann said Friday that he believes officials sometimes hide behind the concept of victims privacy. He said his settlement agreement included a confidentiality clause that supposedly came at his request, though he never asked for it.

Only they stood to benefit from any confidentiality clause, said Windmann, who recently opened up to the media about how Carr happened upon Jesuit High maintenance man Peter Modica raping Windmann. Carrs response, he said, was to masturbate.

Compiled by the Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern province, Fridays list followed a similar one published Nov. 2 by New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond, naming 57 Catholic priests and deacons who either were removed from ministry based on allegations they molested children during the last several decades, or died first. Other dioceses in Louisiana have announced plans to release similar lists.

Like Aymonds list, the Jesuit roster of abusers is meant as a step to assuage Catholics appalled by the latest flare-ups of an abuse scandal that first boiled over in Boston in 2002. That scandal hit another fever pitch this year after a Pennsylvania grand jury published a report exposing previously unreported allegations of abuse by hundreds of priests.

Words cannot possibly suffice to express our sorrow and shame for what occurred, said a statement from the Rev. Ronald Mercier, the head of the Central and Southern Province. While alluding to anti-abuse safeguards adopted since 2002, Merciers statement invited victims to contact the order, saying, Caring for these survivors  and preventing any such future events  must be our focus as we move forward.

Of the two new names linked to abuse at Jesuit High, DeRussy spent more time there. The priest taught English and Latin from 1969 to 1978, the school said in a statement. He faced multiple abuse claims and was restricted from ministry with minors in 1991, according to his order.

The other was Francis Landwermeyer, who taught Latin and English at Jesuit from 1961 to 1962 while he studied to become a priest, the school said. Like several others with ties to New Orleans, he also worked at Loyola. His order said he was removed from ministry in 2010 and was the subject of multiple abuse claims.

Two others tied to Jesuit High on Fridays list  Carr and former school president Donald Pearce  were among six Jesuit priests on Aymonds release.

Yet Aymonds clergy-only release omitted two Jesuit employees from the 1970s appearing on the orders list Friday: Claude Ory, a religious brother, and Donald Dickerson, who taught English and theology while studying to become a priest. Lawsuits alleging sexual abuse targeted both of those men and resulted in out-of-court settlements for the accusers, which media had previously reported.

As hes done before, the Rev. Christopher Fronk  who became Jesuits president in early 2017  said in a statement Friday that Jesuit High has adopted measures making the school safer in the decades since the abuse cases cited by the new list.

The rest of his statement echoed Merciers, saying, We move forward as a community by acknowledging these acts of abuse from over 35 years ago and doing everything we can to make sure they never happen again.

Ory, 80, is the only religious brother of three still-living men on Fridays list of those with ties to the area. The order said he resides under supervision at a Jesuit home in Baltimore.

Another one of the living is Bernard Knoth, who resigned his presidency at Loyola University New Orleans in 2003 over an abuse allegation stemming from a prior assignment in Indianapolis in the 1980s.

Loyolas current president, Tania Tetlow, is now two administrations removed from Knoths leadership and said in a statement, Our hearts break for every person whose life has been impacted by abuse of any kind, no matter how long ago.

The Manresa retreat center at Convent, a popular Jesuit institution, was run by Naughton for most of the 1980s. Naughton was removed from active ministry in 2002 while stationed at Mission Viejo, California, following accusations that he molested a boy in 1978 when he was president of a Jesuit school in Dallas. He left the Jesuits in 2009 and died in 2012.

Founded in 1540 by a Spanish warrior who ultimately became known as St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Jesuit order is known for its commitments to education and social justice. Its 16,000 members make it the Catholic Churchs largest male religious order. Francis in 2013 was elected as the Roman Catholic Church's first Jesuit pope.

Aside from Jesuit High, Loyola and Manresa, the Jesuits presence in Louisiana these days largely revolves around a spirituality center in Grand Coteau and churches named Immaculate Conception in downtown New Orleans and north Baton Rouge.
At only 3, my Pearl Harbor memories are of leaving Daddy behind
Polls are open between 7 a.m. and 8 p.m. Saturday as Louisiana votes for its Secretary of State and decides a number of local elections.

In Baton Rouge, that includes a pair of taxes  a half-cent sales tax for road improvements and a 1.5-mill property tax to open a mental health crisis center.

Sample ballots, precinct locations and other election day information is available at voterportal.sos.la.gov.

The two major items in East Baton Rouge are for Mayor-President Sharon Weston Broome's MovEBR plan and the Bridge Center proposal backed by area law enforcement.

+3 What are the tax proposals for roads, mental health facility on Saturday ballot? East Baton Rouge voters on Saturday will decide on two tax proposals: a sales tax for road improvements, and a property tax for a mental healt

Our Views: Here's how we would vote in key elections in Baton Rouge, around Louisiana The climax of the states 2018 election cycle has finally been reached, with a runoff statewide for secretary of state and local offices also 

The MovEBR proposition would raise $912 million over 30 years through a half-penny sales tax, though groceries, prescriptions and utilities would be exempt. A list of projects is available at movebr.net.

The Bridge Center 10-year property tax would provide an alternative to jail or the emergency room when law enforcement officers encounter a disruptive, mentally ill person who needs treatment rather than punishment.

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Most state-level positions are not up for grabs this year, so the only race all Louisiana voters will see is the contest for Secretary of State between Republican Kyle Ardoin and Democrat Gwen Collins-Greenup.

+3 Who should be Louisiana's secretary of state? Read up on candidates ahead of election day While much attention recently has been placed on next years gubernatorial campaign, voters will decide Saturday on the state official who wil

Local seats are contested in a number of places around the state.

In East Baton Rouge, two Central city council seats are in a run-off. Parish and Zachary public schools each need to fill a final school board seat, and Baton Rouge voters must decide between Republican Trey Bargas and Democrat Terrica Williams in a face-off for city constable.

Ascension and West Baton Rouge parishes each has a school board race, Iberville Parish has a number of municipal races in Maringouin and White Castle and Pointe Coupee will select a parish councilman and a mayor and city council member for New Roads.

Elsewhere in the state, voters in St. Tammany will select a state representative in a race between fellow Republicans Mary DuBuisson and John Raymond. In Lafayette Parish, voters will consider a proposal to change how the city of Lafayette and the parish are governed. The city and parish merged governing bodies in 1996, creating a nine-member City-Parish Council. Saturday's balloting will determine whether to break the council into separate entities.
Louisianas seafood industry provides nearly a third of seafood eaten in the United States, and its agricultural sectors total economic impac
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Voters go to the polls Saturday to decide who will be Louisiana's next secretary of state and to cast their ballots for various local races an
In a move aimed at restoring trust with parishioners amid the clergy abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church, the Jesuit order on Friday revealed the names of 42 members  mostly priests  suspected of sexual abuse while they worked in a region that includes Louisiana.

Nineteen of the men on the Jesuits list had ties to New Orleans, and a half-dozen of the named priests, brothers and would-be clergy worked at Jesuit High School in New Orleans when the alleged abuses took place.

+13 Jesuit order releases list of priests, others credibly accused of abuse; 17 with ties to N.O. Leaders of the Jesuit religious order released a list of 42 priests and other members Friday morning who have been credibly accused of sexual 

+11 See names, bios for 19 Jesuit order members with N.O. ties accused of sexual abuse The Jesuit order released a list Friday morning of 42 priests and other members who have been credibly accused of sexual abuse.

Two of those six  Edward DeRussy and Francis Landwermeyer  had not been previously identified, either in media reports or in a similar list of suspected clergy abusers released last month by the Archdiocese of New Orleans.

A seventh man on the list  Ben Wren  had previously been accused publicly of sexual misconduct while working at Loyola University in New Orleans.

Many others landed on the Jesuits' list based on allegations of abuse that took place elsewhere. For a handful of those named, the date ranges for their alleged abuses overlap with their assignments in New Orleans, but it was unclear where they occurred.

Of the 19 with ties to New Orleans, all but three are dead.

Regional Jesuit officials declined a request to specify where some alleged incidents occurred, citing a desire to protect the confidentiality and privacy of the victims.

That explanation rang hollow to Terry McKiernan of the abuse watchdog website bishopaccountability.org.

Not providing (that) is not transparency, McKiernan said Friday. Especially with the new priests whose allegations have not been known until now, its really important we know details about the allegations. Because theres nothing on the record at the moment about those cases.

Richard Windmann, who received a $450,000 financial settlement from the order after accusing Cornelius Carr  one of those named on Fridays list  of abusing him in his adolescence in the 1970s, said Friday that he thinks officials sometimes hide behind the concept of victims privacy.

He said his settlement agreement included a confidentiality clause that supposedly came at his request, though he never asked for it.

Only they stood to benefit from any confidentiality clause, said Windmann, who recently opened up to the media about how Carr happened upon Jesuit High maintenance man Peter Modica raping him. Carrs response, he said, was to participate in the abuse by fondling himself.

'Disgusting time in our history': Jesuit leader horrified by 1970s abuse claims, urges vigilance The president of Jesuit High School sought to reassure a shaken Jesuit community Thursday that while he was horrified by the sexual abuse th

Compiled by the Jesuits U.S. Central and Southern Province, Fridays list follows a similar release published Nov. 2 by New Orleans Archbishop Gregory Aymond.

Aymond named 57 Catholic priests and deacons who were removed from ministry based on credible allegations they molested children during the last several decades, or who died first.

Like Aymonds list, the Jesuit roster of abusers is meant as a step to assuage Catholics appalled by the latest flare-ups of a child abuse scandal that first boiled over in Boston in 2002. The scandal hit another fever pitch in late July, when a Pennsylvania grand jury published a report exposing allegations of abuse by hundreds of priests.

Words cannot possibly suffice to express our sorrow and shame for what occurred, said a statement from the Rev. Ronald Mercier, the head of the Central and Southern Province.

His statement referred to safeguards against abuse adopted since 2002, and he invited victims to contact the order, saying, Caring for these survivors  and preventing any such future events  must be our focus as we move forward.

Of the two new names linked to abuse at Jesuit High, it appears that one, DeRussy, spent a significant amount of time there. The priest taught English and Latin from 1969 to 1978, the school said in a statement. He faced multiple abuse claims and was restricted from ministry with minors in 1991, according to his order.

The other new name was Francis Landwermeyer, who taught Latin and English at Jesuit from 1961 to 1962 while he was studying to become a priest, the school said.

Like several others on the list with ties to New Orleans, he also worked at Loyola. His order said he was removed from ministry in 2010 and was the subject of multiple abuse claims.

Two others on Fridays list tied to abuse at Jesuit High  Carr and former school president Donald Pearce  were among six Jesuit priests on Aymonds release.

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Aymonds clergy-only release omitted two Jesuit employees from the 1970s who appeared on the orders list Friday: Claude Ory, a religious brother, and Donald Dickerson, who taught English and theology while studying to become a priest.

Lawsuits alleging sexual abuse targeted both of those men and resulted in out-of-court settlements for the accusers.

The Rev. Christopher Fronk  who became Jesuit Highs president in early 2017  said in a statement Friday that the school has adopted measures making it safer in the decades since the abuse cases mentioned in the new list.

Jesuit High president warns order's list of suspected sex abusers will reveal new names One day before the Jesuit orders regional leaders identify priests and other members of the order suspected of sexually abusing minors, the p

The rest of his statement echoed Merciers, saying, We move forward as a community by acknowledging these acts of abuse from over 35 years ago and doing everything we can to make sure they never happen again.

Among men with ties to the New Orleans area on Friday's list, the 80-year-old Ory is the only religious brother and one of only three men still living. The order said he lives under supervision at a Jesuit home in Baltimore.

Another one of the living is Bernard Knoth, who resigned as president of Loyola University in New Orleans in 2003 over an abuse allegation stemming from a prior assignment in Indianapolis in the 1980s.

Loyolas current president is former federal prosecutor Tania Tetlow, a longtime advocate for sexual assault victims who helped craft reforms for the New Orleans Police Department's handling of such cases.

Our hearts break for every person whose life has been impacted by abuse of any kind, no matter how long ago, Tetlow said in a statement Friday.

One of the most alarming of the previously unreleased cases involved Norman Rogge, a Jesuit who remained a priest until 2002, despite two prior arrests related to allegations of sexual abuse of minors.

Rogge was arrested in Florida in 1985, accused of sexual misconduct with an 11-year-old Tampa boy at a vacation spot the previous year while he served as pastor of a Catholic church in the northern Louisiana community of Montgomery. He pleaded no contest and wound up at a Catholic treatment facility in New Mexico, according to a 2002 news story.

Rogge also had been accused of groping a young teen and fondling others during nude swimming lessons. He had earlier pleaded guilty to contributing to the delinquency of a minor, in 1967.

Still, he went on to serve at Christ the King Church in Opelousas and St. Charles Borromeo in Grand Coteau before the Diocese of Lafayette ousted him, according to news accounts.

+5 Jesuit list of credibly accused priests includes three who worked in Grand Coteau In a move aimed at restoring trust with parishioners amid a clergy abuse scandal that has engulfed the Catholic Church worldwide, the Jesuit o

Fridays list also reminded the public about a case that shocked devotees of the Manresa Retreat House in Convent, a popular Jesuit institution that was run for most of the 1980s by a priest named Thomas Naughton.

Naughton in 2002 was stripped of his duties at a church in Mission Viejo, California, following accusations that he molested a boy in 1978 when he was president of a Jesuit school in Dallas.

Aside from Jesuit High, Loyola and Manresa, the Jesuit orders presence in Louisiana these days largely revolves around a spirituality center in Grand Coteau and churches named Immaculate Conception in downtown New Orleans and north Baton Rouge.

2 priests with ties to Baton Rouge area named in list of Jesuit priests credibly accused of abuse Two priests who spent time in the Baton Rouge-area were named in a ground-breaking list released by leaders of the Jesuit religious order on F

The St. Louis-based Central and Southern Province, which released Fridays list, manages Jesuit institutions and members in Alabama, Arkansas, Colorado, Florida, southern Illinois, Kansas, Mississippi, Missouri, New Mexico, Tennessee, Oklahoma, Puerto Rico and Belize.

Founded in 1540 by a Spanish warrior who ultimately became known as St. Ignatius of Loyola, the Jesuit order is known for its commitments to education and social justice.

Its 16,000 members make it the Catholic Churchs largest male religious order. In 2013, Francis was elected as the Roman Catholic Church's first Jesuit pope.

The regional province has said it believes its list is complete. Nonetheless, it hired Kinsale Management Consulting  run by retired law enforcement officers  to review the provinces nearly 3,000 personnel files beginning this spring and publish a full report of its findings.
The best new year's resolution, so they say, is to never make a new year's resolution at all.

Mark Zuckerberg must be feeling that way. After declaring in January that this was the year he would "fix Facebook", he has achieved almost the complete reverse, with the social media giant looking more broken and desperate with each passing week.

It's been a year to forget for Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg. Credit:Bloomberg

The decision of British politicians this week to release confidential documents that Facebook tried to keep secret is deeply embarrassing for Zuckerberg, revealing some of his personal interventions in cases where staff proposed cutting off data supplied to competitors.

The cache of emails also suggested that while Facebook did not break its long-standing policy of not selling user data, it certainly wanted some form of "reciprocity" from partners.
The Morrison government should crack open the $3 billion locked box of federal funding earmarked for the dumped East West Link to fund other infrastructure projects, says Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews.

In a letter to Prime Minister Scott Morrison, ahead of a Council of Australian Governments meeting on population on Wednesday, Mr Andrews says discussing population growth in Victoria is meaningless without a Commonwealth commitment to properly fund required infrastructure.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

Over the past five years, Victorias share of Commonwealth infrastructure funding has fallen to about 10 per cent, despite its 25 per cent - and growing - share of the population, Mr Andrews writes in the letter.

Mr Andrews asks that this funding be available for the North East Link, and notes the Commonwealth has a $1.75 billion commitment to the project - roughly 10 per cent of the projects cost - and less than the traditional 50 per cent state-Commonwealth split.
Theatregoers are being warned they could leave Tina Arenas performance as Eva Peron devastated.

Not because of anything Melbourne's pop queen does. But because they may not get through the front door.

Opera Australia issued the warning after it said it became aware scalpers had scooped up more than 2000 tickets to Evita, which has its opening night on Sunday at Arts Centre Melbourne.

Tina Arena stars as Eva Peron in the classic musical Evita at the Arts Centre Melbourne. Credit:David Crosling

Opera chief Rory Jeffes said scalpers had been attempting to re-sell the tickets on sites such as Viagogo and Ticketmaster Resale at "grossly inflated prices".
Former detective Paul Dale wants senior Victorian police eventually charged over the use of a gangland barrister as a police informer.

Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews quickly announced a Royal Commission into the legal fiasco after the High Court slammed the polices actions in using an underworld lawyer for information on her clients as appalling.

One minute Ive been ecstatic, Mr Dale said on Friday about the announcement, one minute Im really angry.

Ill certainly put my hand up to be the first one there. I cant wait. It will be absolutely open book.

Youve got to understand, Ive already been through 11 of these.
Victorian secondary schools will need to accommodate an additional 48,000 students  a cohort larger than the entire Tasmanian secondary school system  in the next four years.

Experts say the surge in secondary school students has been spurred by the baby-bonus generation coming of age, interstate migration and a healthy economy.

New analysis by the Grattan Institute reveals that between 2018 to 2024, Victorian secondary schools will have to squeeze in an extra 10,900 students each year. This is roughly equivalent to seven large high schools of students.

Between 2007 and 2013, in comparison, there were 1600 extra students per year  or the population of one high school.
Charlottesville: A man who drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia has been convicted of first-degree murder for killing a woman in an attack that inflamed long-simmering racial and political tensions across the country.

James Alex Fields jnr. Credit:Albemarle-Charlottesville Regional Jail via AP

A state jury rejected arguments that James Alex Fields jnr acted in self-defence during the "Unite the Right" rally in Charlottesville on August 12, 2017.

Jurors also convicted Fields of eight other charges, including aggravated malicious wounding and hit and run.

Fields, 21, drove to Virginia from his home in Maumee, Ohio, to support the white nationalists.
New York: An obscure Hong Kong telecommunications company has emerged as the centrepiece of an explosive bid by United States prosecutors to have a top Chinese telco executive extradited to the US from Canada to face charges.

Meng Wanzhou, the chief financial officer for Chinese telecom giant Huawei, appeared in court in Vancouver on Friday, local time, for bail hearings.

The proceedings offered the first detailed look at why the US is trying to have Meng, the daughter of Huawai's founder, brought to America to face charges.

The US argues that Huwawei used a shell company based in Hong Kong called Skycom to access the Iranian market and breach US sanctions.
Washington: President Donald Trump said on Friday that his lawyers are preparing a "major Counter Report" in response to expected findings from special counsel Robert Mueller's investigation into possible coordination between Russia and Trump's 2016 campaign.

Trump confirmed the plan in a spate of angry morning tweets in which he also took fresh aim at Mueller and his legal team, accusing them of conflicts of interest and overzealous prosecutions that have "wrongly destroyed people's lives."

US President Donald Trump. Credit:AP

"We will be doing a major Counter Report to the Mueller Report," Trump said. "This should never again be allowed to happen to a future President of the United States!"

The President's confirmation of the plan appears to have been spurred by reports that his personal lawyer, Rudy Giuliani, and others were doing little to prepare to rebut Mueller, who is also looking at whether Trump has obstructed justice.
A Lorette man has begun laying the groundwork for the Peoples Party of Canada in Provencher.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A Lorette man has begun laying the groundwork for the Peoples Party of Canada in Provencher.

Wayne Sturby says the nations newest political party has what it takes to shake up the political scene here in the Southeast and across the country next fall, when Canadians will head to the polls for a federal election.

Sturby is president of the PPCs Provencher electoral district association, which held its first meeting last month in Steinbachs Jake Epp Library.

The groups executive committee plans to select a candidate "as early as possible next year," Sturby said.

Once the riding of Churchill-Keewatinook Aski establishes a PPC association, the party will have roots in all 14 federal Manitoba ridings, and will begin a membership drive, Sturby said.

"Im very anxious to get started."

It isnt the first foray into party politics for the 61-year-old corrections officer. In 2016, Sturby made an unsuccessful bid for the provincial Progressive Conservative nomination in Dawson Trail before picking up the mantle of the Manitoba Party in Winnipegs Wolseley constituency. He remains a Manitoba Party board member.

"Ive been very politically interested for most of my life," Sturby said Tuesday, who joined more than 200 other PPC supporters at a Winnipeg rally with the partys leader, Maxime Bernier, six days earlier.

Bernier, a Quebec MP and former cabinet minister under Prime Minister Stephen Harper, founded the right-of-centre party in September, just weeks after he quit the Conservative caucus, calling it "intellectually and morally corrupt."

Sturby said Bernier, who was narrowly defeated by Andrew Scheer in last years Conservative Party leadership race, possesses the principles needed to rejuvenate small-c conservativism and engage young and disillusioned voters.

Scheer has failed to hold Prime Minister Justin Trudeau to account, resulting in question periods resembling "an episode of Just for Laughs," Sturby said.

By contrast, Sturby believes Bernier is building "a party of conviction" that inspires right-leaning voters more than Scheers pragmatism.

"Whatever works is not a good formula for governing a country," Sturby said.

He cited a trio of young people who attended the Provencher PPCs first meeting and said they liked the partys emphasis on freedom and personal choice.

The PPCs platform "is still being finalized," according to the partys website, but Sturby will likely face challenges as he markets Berniers brand of conservativism in Provencher, a riding with population growth driven by immigration and an economy based on agriculture.

Bernier has strongly opposed supply-managed agricultural sectors, and tweeted about the dangers of "extreme multiculturalism," but has had less to say on social issues.

Sturby shied away from taking a stance on hot-button social issues like abortion, and instead emphasized PPC ideals of freedom, responsibility, fairness, and respect. For instance, supply management violates the principle of fairness, he said, by "artificially manipulating" markets.

Sturby was confident the partys emphasis on personal choice will appeal to both social and economic conservatives.

"Were not going to be a party that dictates to people" what they should believe about social issues, he said, but added the party is committed to "a strong nuclear family" and "compassionate but prudent" immigration reform.

As a new party, Sturby said the PPC has a rare opportunity to foster slow and deliberate dialogue about social issues, rather than fan the flames of ideologically entrenched debates.

While some political onlookers wonder if the PPC will split the right-of-centre vote and hand another majority government to the Liberals, Sturby said conservative voters deserve more choice so they dont feel obligated to support a status quo that no longer inspires them.

To that end, differentiating the PPC from the Conservative Party, and Bernier from Scheer, will be an important task for the Provencher PPCs new candidate.

Given his prior experience at the provincial level, would Sturby himself run?

"Im not going to rule anything out," he said.

Meanwhile, the Green Party Provencher Riding Association announced in an email to supporters that Janine Gibson will once again be its election candidate.

Gibson has represented the Greens in numerous federal and provincial elections since 2004.
In this courtroom sketch, Meng Wanzhou (L), the chief financial officer of Huawei, sits with a translator during a bail hearing at B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver, on Dec. 10, 2018. (The Canadian Press/Jane Wolsak)

Meng Wanzhous 20 Years at Huawei

How the daughter of tech companys founder rose from high school dropout to CFO

Meng Wanzhou, CFO of major Chinese tech company Huawei, has attracted the worlds attention since her arrest in Canada at the request of U.S. authorities.

On Dec. 1, Meng was arrested in Vancouver on suspicion of violating U.S. sanctions against Iran. Meng, who is the eldest child of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei and was widely believed to be next in line to assume leadership over the military-linked company, is now a key figure in the increasingly tense SinoU.S. diplomatic relationship.

Meng, who also is a granddaughter of Meng Dongbo, former deputy governor of Chinas Sichuan province, was promoted to finance chief as part of a career at the company that began in 1993.

She uses two English names, Cathy and Sabrina. Because Ren Zhengfei married into the family of his first wife, Wanzhous mother Meng Jun, their two children took their mothers surname. She was born in 1972, when China was in the throes of the Cultural Revolution. Several years later, her brother, Meng Ping, was born. When she was in middle school, the family moved to Shenzhen in Chinas Guangdong Province.

There is conflicting information about Mengs education. While The Globe and Mail reported Dec. 5 that Meng dropped out of high school in 1992, Sinchew Net reported that Meng graduated from Huazhong University of Science and Technology (HUST) around that time. In Mengs official resume, there is no detailed information about her university education.

After leaving school, Meng worked as an agent of the China Construction Bank for about a year before becoming a secretary in a Huawei office in 1993.

Meng and three other girls took charge of answering the telephones, printing documents, and other minor tasks, her official resume said.

Although Meng was a junior secretary and didnt reveal her family background, she had the opportunity to take overseas business trips, something that was unusual in China at the time.

In 1997, Meng went to HUST and received a masters degree in 18 months, which is unusual. In China, the minimum term of a masters degree education is two years, while most universities ask for three years. But many Communist officials earned masters and doctoral degrees in a short period of time.

Meng then returned to Huawei from HUST and joined its finance team.

In 2007, IBM was hired by Huawei as a consultant company toward reforming its financial operations, and Meng was named to serve as a liaison. Using this training opportunity, Meng improved her financial knowledge, as well as English, her resume says.

Amid a busy schedule, Meng married Liu Xiaozong, a veteran Huawei employee and they had two children. Liu joined Huawei in 1996 upon graduating from university, before exiting in 2006 as senior business manager. He is now chairman of Shenzhen Qingfu Investment Co.

While China has a one-child policy, Hong Kong media have reported that Meng has a Hong Kong residence ID, which may be why she was allowed to have more than one child.

In 2011, Liang Hua, current Huawei chairman and former Huawei CFO, was promoted and Meng was picked to fill his position. Since then, Meng has made frequent public appearances representing Huawei, and its become public knowledge that she is Ren Zhengfeis daughter.

Meng Ping joined Huawei after he graduated from university, and changed his surname to his fathers. Since 2010, there have been many reports in China saying that Ren had wanted for his son to inherit the business, but that Sun Yafang, then Huaweis vice chairman, blocked the decision.

In March 2018, Meng Wanzhou was named vice-chairwoman, driving speculation that she would eventually take over the company.

One of the key companies that the U.S. government has named as a sanctions violator is Skycom Tech Co. Ltd. of Hong Kong, which was accused of trying to resell computer equipment made by Hewlett-Packard to Iran.

According to Skycom Tech sales proposals that were leaked in 2013, at least 13 pages were marked as Huawei Confidential and carried the Huawei logo. But both Huawei and Skycom Tech claimed that they havent sold anything to Iran.

Meng was a member of Skycom Techs board of directors. What kind of role she had and how deeply she was involved in its business and attempted Iran deal isnt yet clear.
Boy, 13, Locked in a Box by Aunt and Grandmother, Say Florida Police

A 13-year-old boy was locked in a box and chained to a couch by his grandmother and his aunt, said Florida police.

The two have now been arrested and remain behind bars in Clay County on charges of aggravated child abuse and child neglect.

The arrests followed an investigation by child services that was sparked when the boy was being treated in hospital.

Gashes, scars, bruises, and burn marks were found on the boys body by hospital staff as they treated him for a severe injury to his genitals that he said he got from jumping over a fence.

The boys aunt and grandmother were arrested on Nov. 29.

Wanda Cummings, 62, and Waniecia Cummings, 34, were each jailed on $500,000 bond, and are due back in court on Dec. 17. According to Clay County records, they remain in jail.

The boy was malnourished and covered in filth, according to a police report cited by local media, and had a total of 55 documented injuries and required emergency surgery for the injury to his genitals.

Zip-Tied to a Board

He was forced to urinate on himself after being kept in a tight box and was locked in a room in his Jacksonville home for days without food.

His aunt and grandmother used zip-ties to strap him to a board, making it impossible for him to leave the rooms he was in, according to The Florida Times-Union.

They also used a chain to tie him to living room furniture for long periods of time, according to the police report.

Police found a couch with signs of wear on the leg when they searched the home on Nov. 28, and a box with a metal grill. They also found a wooden board under the couch, with a red substance on it.

Malnourished Pitbulls on a 4-Foot Chain

The arrest warrants also show charges for animal abuse. Two malnourished pit bulls were found infested with fleas, ticks, and worms, and tethered to the fence on a four-foot chain outside the house, according to NewsJax.

I wish we could say when a bad thing comes along, its the worst weve ever seen, and sadly enough, too often its not, said Dr. Randall Alexander, a child abuse pediatrician at UF Health told NewsJax.

They kind of destroyed what that person could have been, Alexander said. Many times, we never can really bring them back. So, our goal is not to have the child we could have had because that may be lost.

The boys 41-year-old mother is currently in jail on aggravated battery charges for stabbing her ex-boyfriend at the local Burger King on Nov. 6, according to the Union.

According to Jacksonville Sheriff jail records, April Vereen was arrested for domestic assault with a deadly weapon on Nov. 6. and is due in court on Dec. 13.

She is accused of spraying her ex-boyfriend, Jim Young, with mace as he came in for his shift, and then she stabbed him with a kitchen knife, according to local reports. She was arrested at the scene.
Booking photo of Dominick Breedlove, a suspect in a case of retail theft in Spring Hill, Fla. (Hernando County Sheriff's Office)

Florida Man Arrested for Shoplifting After Job Interview at Kohls

A Florida man who interviewed for a Kohls department store job ended up in handcuffs after deputies said he tried to steal a pair of shoes.

The Hernando County Sheriffs Office was cited by Bay News as saying that Dominick Breedlove went to the Kohls store in Spring Hill on Wednesday, Dec. 5, with the intention of landing a job.

Deputies were called to the scene in response to allegations of a shoplifting attempt in progress.

Shop staff told the responding officers that the suspect had come to the store earlier in the day for a job interview. After his meeting with Human Resources, Breedlove allegedly went to the shoe department and scoured the selection of Nike sneakers on display for a pair that did not have a security tag.

According to a CBS12 report, after rummaging through the shoes, Breedlove went to his car to get a plastic Kohls bag from a previous shopping trip, and then went back to the shoe department. He then allegedly placed two pairs of shoes in the bag and walked out of the store.

A loss prevention officer noticed Breedloves actions, Fox32 reported, and called the police.

Deputies accosted the alleged shoplifter in the parking lot, en route to his car, and made the arrest.

The suspect is accused of trying to steal a pair of womens Nike sneakers priced at $80, and another pair valued at $70, according to the report.

Breedlove told deputies he planned to give the shoes to his mother as a gift, according to WFLA.

The sheriffs office added that Kohls did not offer Breedlove a job.

A Serious Crime

Shoplifting in Florida is treated as a serious crime.

A retail theft conviction can impact employment opportunities and affect a persons ability to get credit, according to Yale Galanter, a Fort Lauderdale criminal defense lawyer.

Florida laws defines retail theft as the taking possession of or carrying away of merchandise, property, money, or negotiable documents; altering or removing a label, universal product code, or price tag; transferring merchandise from one container to another; or removing a shopping cart, with intent to deprive the merchant of possession, use, benefit, or full retail value.

The penalties for a shoplifting charge depend on the value of the stolen goods and the defendants prior criminal history.

If the value of the stolen merchandise is less than $100, the defendant faces a second-degree misdemeanor charge punishable by up to 60 days in jail and/or up to a $500 fine.

Shoplifters in the state of Florida found to have at least two prior convictions on their record would face a third-degree felony charge.

A Widespread Problem

According to National Association for Shoplifting Prevention figures, shoplifting is a surprisingly common crime, with about 1 in 11 people in the US allegedly having committed retail theft.

In the last five years alone, the organization claims, over 10 million people have been caught shoplifting.

Shoplifters themselves reportedly claim that they get caught on average once every 48 times they steal.
Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper Says Canada Should Ban Huawei From 5G

Harper says he agrees with the Trump administration's policy to pressure China to play by the rules

Former Canadian Prime Minister Stephen Harper says he agrees with the United States that Canada and other western countries should ban Chinese telecom giant Huawei from their emerging 5G networks.

My personal view is that that is something that western countries should be doing in terms of our own long-term security issues, he said in an interview with Fox News.

Harper said that when he was prime minister, his government was increasingly concerned about the penetration of Huawei and ZTE, another Chinese telecom company, into the telecommunication networks of democratic countries.

These are organizations ultimately  tightly tied to the Chinese security apparatus, and we think there are some serious issues there.

Under Harper, Canada banned Huawei from bidding to build the governments telecommunications and email networka ban that still remains in place under the current government.

Huawei was founded by a former officer of Chinas Peoples Liberation Army (PLA), and is often cited in intelligence circles as a source of risk to national security.

The company is very active in the development of 5G technology in Canada, partnering with universities and research centres. The majority of Canadas allies in the Five Eyes intelligence alliancethe United States, Australia, and New Zealandhave banned Huawei from their 5G networks. In the U.K., another Five Eyes member state, the BT Group telecom giant has said it will not use Huawei in its 5G network.

Harper said he wouldnt comment on the case of Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, who was arrested at the request of the United States in Vancouver on Dec. 1 for suspicion of fraud, because the matter is before the courts.

Geopolitical Rival

Harper said its important for the West to look at China not only as an economic competitor, but also as a geopolitical rival.

[China] has made no secret of its desire to spread an alternate to Western democratic norms, and I think thats something that should concern us.

He said while he may or may not agree with every aspect of the Trump administrations policies, he agrees with the administrations pressure on China to play by the rules and not allow Beijing to exploit trade relationships.

We have a situation where the Chinese have wide-ranging access to our markets [while] our access to their markets is extremely limited, Harper said, adding that the trade deficit has been making China more wealthy and causing the loss of millions of jobs in North America.

I think the United States has under long-term policy been essentially paying for the rise of an alternative rival, and this is simply unwise.

Referring to President Donald Trumps tactics to change trade relations with China such as imposing tariffs, Harper said that while its true that markets may be impacted by the trade war between the two countries, if the issue isnt addressed now, it will get worse in the long-term.

Frankly, well get to the point in the long-term where China cannot be taken on, where it is determining the rules of global system in arbitrary ways that simply suits its own interests.
Nine Days in May: The Quiet Struggle Between Rosenstein and McCabe

A look at events leading to the appointment of special counsel Robert Mueller

News Analysis

On Dec. 7, 2018, CNN published an article discussing events in the eight days following the May 9, 2017, firing of former FBI Director James Comey by President Donald Trump. Comey was fired after a recommendation letter written by Deputy Attorney General Rod Rosenstein, titled Restoring Public Confidence in the FBI, was delivered to the president.

The CNN article was a rehash of two prior articles from the New York Times and the Washington Post that claimed Rosenstein had discussed wiretapping Trump, though CNN did provide increased emphasis on the fact that then-Acting FBI Director Andrew McCabe opened an obstruction of justice investigation into Trump in the days following Comeys firing.

Left out of the CNN article, however, are a number of critical facts, not the least of which is that much of what was being described came from memos written by McCabe, who is now the focus of a grand jury investigation.

The actual sequence of events is far more interesting and provides evidence that may result in a different outcome than the one hinted at by many in the media.

Comeys Firing

Comey was fired on May 9, 2017. Two days later, on May 11, Acting FBI Director McCabe testified before the Senate Intelligence Committee. The hearings original intent was to focus on national security threats, but Comeys firing substantially altered the topic of the hearings.

McCabe issued a passionate defense of Comey and agreed that he would notify the committee of any effort to interfere with the FBIs ongoing investigation into links between Russia and the Trump campaign. McCabe also noted that there had been no effort to impede our investigation to date. In other words, McCabe testified that he saw no evidence of obstruction from President Trump or his administration.

Notably, McCabe failed to inform the committee that he was actively considering opening an obstruction of justice probe into President Trumpa matter he would aggressively push in a meeting with Rosenstein just five days later.

McCabes Testimony

During McCabes testimony on May 11, an unusual, and underreported, event took place approximately two hours into the hearing. The chair and co-chairs of the Senate Intelligence Committee, Sen. Richard Burr (R-N.C.) and Sen. Mark Warner (D-V.A.), abruptly excused themselves from the hearing to attend a meeting with Rosenstein in an adjoining Sensitive Compartmented Information Facility (SCIF):

Burr: Before I turn to Senator Cotton, can I say for the members, the vice chair and I have to step out for a meeting that we cant push off.

Present at this meeting were four individuals: Rosenstein, Burr, Warner and then-acting director of the DOJs national security division, Dana Boente, who is now the FBIs general counsel. Boente was personally appointed by Trump as acting attorney general after Sally Yates was fired on Jan. 30, 2017. Boente also signed the second renewal of the Carter Page FISA application on April 7, 2017. Rosenstein would sign the third and final FISA renewal on June 29, 2017.

Worth asking: What was so pressing that it required the chair and co-chair of the Senate committee to suddenly depart from the hearing proceedings. NPR reported that the meeting had been requested prior to Comeys dismissal and that it was to set up a process for deconfliction between the FBI investigation into Russia and the intelligence committees own independent probe.

This explanation appears somewhat inadequate given that the hearing on national security had also been planned prior to Comeys dismissal. It is not known with any certainty what was discussed, but Rosenstein and Boente felt the meeting was urgent enough to hold it in the midst of McCabes testimony.

End to FBI and Bruce Ohr Meetings

For the last six months, DOJ Official Bruce Ohr had been communicating with former MI6 agent and author of the Steele dossier, Christopher Steele. Ohr became the conduit between Steele, Fusion GPS, and the FBI after Steele was formally terminated by the Bureau in late October or early November 2016. Ohr, a career official with the DOJ for many years, occupied the position directly below Rosenstein, who had only recently been appointed as deputy attorney general. Rosenstein was nominated by Trump for the position and was sworn in by Attorney General Jeff Sessions on April 26, 2017.

Ohr had been transmitting his communications with Steele through a series of interviews with the FBI that were documented in FD-302s, which serve as summarizing memos. The meetings between the FBI and Ohr came to an abrupt halt on May 15, 2017.

In the week following his firing, Comey leaked some memos of his interactions with the president to his friend, Daniel Richman. The leaks occurred on May 15 or 16, 2017. Comey would later state he did so with the intention of forcing the appointment of a special counsel.

McCabe-Rosenstein Meeting

On the morning of May 16, 2017, Rosenstein reportedly suggested to Acting FBI Director McCabe that he secretly record Trump. This remark was reported in a New York Times article that was sourced from memos from the now-fired McCabe. Rosenstein immediately issued a statement denying the accusations.

An unnamed participant at the meeting, in comments to The Washington Post, framed the conversation somewhat differently, noting that Rosenstein responded sarcastically to McCabe, saying, What do you want to do, Andy, wire the president?

The alleged comments by Rosenstein occurred at a meeting where McCabe was pushing for the Justice Department to open an investigation into the president. Note that just five days earlier, McCabe had publicly testified that there was no obstruction, stating there has been no effort to impede our investigation to date.

Trump-Mueller-Rosenstein Meeting

Following Rosensteins meeting with McCabe, Trump met with former FBI Director Robert Mueller, reportedly as an interview for the FBI Director job. It appears that Rosenstein was present at that meeting as well.

President Trump, in an interview with the New York Times said this about the meeting:

We were interviewing replacements at the F.B.I. Did you know Mueller was one of the people that was being interviewed?  now what happens is, he [Mueller] leaves the office. Rosenstein leaves the office. The next day, he [Mueller] is appointed special counsel.

The idea that Mueller would be considered for the FBI Director role seems highly unlikely, although not entirely impossible. Mueller had previously served as the FBI Director from 2001 to 2013two years beyond the normal 10-year tenure for an FBI Director. In 2011, Obama requested that Mueller stay on as FBI Director for an additional two years, which required special approval from the senate.

We still dont know what was actually said at the meeting between Mueller, Rosenstein, and Trump.

Special Counsel Appointed

On May 17, 2017, the day after Trumps meeting with Muellerand the day after Rosensteins encounter with McCabeRosenstein appointed Mueller as special counsel.

The conflicting words and actions of McCabe cannot be overlooked. On the one hand McCabe testified there was no obstruction from Trump, yet, just five days later, McCabe was attempting to convince Rosenstein to go along with his efforts to open an obstruction investigation into the president. Events suggest that McCabes efforts were met with alarm from Rosenstein, who responded by appointing Mueller as special counsel. Rosenstein may have also informed Trump of McCabes intentions.

The May 17 appointment of Mueller accomplished one very significant thing. It shifted control of the Russia Investigation from the FBI and McCabe to Mueller. Rosenstein would retain ultimate authority over the probe, and any expansion of Muellers investigation required authorization from Rosenstein.

McCabe Lies to Inspector General

Several months later, McCabe would lie under oath to DOJ Inspector general Michael Horowitz regarding authorization of FBI leaking to the Wall Street Journal.

Five days after McCabe lied to the IG, on Aug. 2, 2017, Rosenstein secretly issued Mueller a revised Scope of Investigation & Definition of Authority memo that remains heavily redacted. The full purpose of this Memo remains unknown and few have seen the unredacted version. On this same day, Christopher Wray was named the new FBI director.

On Aug. 4, 2017, AG Sessions announced the formation of a newly established Leak Task Force. Rosenstein and Wray were tasked with overseeing all leak investigations.

Scope Memo

One individual who has seen an unredacted version of the Aug. 2 Rosenstein memo is U.S. District Judge T.S. Ellis III, who presided over the trial of Paul Manafort. Ellis, who received a copy of the memo on May 17, 2018, later made the following comment in a subsequent ruling:

The record makes clear that the Acting Attorney General [Rosenstein] has required the Special Counsel to consult with the Acting Attorney General before investigating matters that might fall under the May 17 Appointment Order. Specifically, the August 2 Scope Memorandum identifies specific factual matters to be investigated by the Special Counsel.

Notably, the August 2 Scope Memorandum limits the Special Counsels ability to investigate additional matters that otherwise may have arisen or may arise directly from the Investigation by requiring the Special Counsel to consult [the Acting Attorney General] for a determination of whether such matters should be within the scope of [the special counsels] authority.

Acting Attorney General Matthew Whitaker, who recently assumed authority over the special counsel investigation, has also seen the unredacted memo. Like Judge Ellis, Whitaker has shown no indication he has any issue with the contents of Rosensteins memo.

Rosenstein remains in his position as Deputy Attorney General.

Trump Thanks Rosenstein

During a White House celebration of Hanukkah on Dec. 6, 2018, Trump specifically called out to Rosenstein, who was one of the attendees:

Trump: Also joining us tonight are several of our great cabinet members, Secretary Steve Mnuchinwheres Steve? Steve, thank youAttorney General Rod Rosensteinwheres Rod, wheres Rod? Rod, where are you? Rosenstein: Im back here. Trump: Why? Hes entitled to a much better location than that. Thank you Rod, very much.

Words do not adequately convey the warmth and enthusiasm from President Trump. The short exchange can be found here at the 1:35 minute mark.

Rosensteins Signing of Page FISA

During a June 28, 2018, sworn testimony before Congress, Rosenstein addressed his signing of the Page FISA:

We sit down with a team of attorneys from the Department of Justice. All of whom review that and provide a briefing for us about whats in it. And Ive reviewed that one in some detail, and I can tell you the information thats public about that doesnt match with my understanding of the one that I signed, but I think its appropriate to let the Inspector General complete that investigation. These are serious allegations. I dont do the investigationIm not the affiant. Im reviewing the finished product. If the Inspector General finds that I did something wrong then Ill respect that judgment, but I think it is highly, highly unlikely given the way the process works.

On Dec. 6, 2018, Chairman of the House Intelligence Committee Devin Nunes discussed the FISA signing issue during a Fox News segment:

Hannity: This would be Comey signing off on it, Rod Rosenstein signing off on the last one Nunes: Well, theyre the ones that signed off on itbut theyre not necessarily the ones who would have provided and doctored the information. So really, the people that are culpable here are the ones who were in these discussions, that knew about the information that was not provided to the court.

The mediaand media surrogatesare a constant source of numerous false narratives. A full examination of underlying facts remains an ongoing necessity in todays misinformation environment.

Jeff Carlson is a CFA Charterholder. He worked for 20 years as an analyst and portfolio manager in the high-yield bond market. He runs the website TheMarketsWork.com
Police Arrest Michael McLellan in Kidnapping and Murder of NC Teen Hania Aguilar

The FBI arrested a man on Dec. 8, in the kidnapping and murder case of North Carolina teenager Hania Aguilar.

Michael Ray McLellan, 34, was identified as the suspect in the killing, the FBI and Lumberton Police Department said. He was already in custody on charges in an unrelated case.

McLellan was charged with 10 felonies, including first-degree murder, first-degree forcible rape, and abduction of child, reported WLOS.

He appeared before a state magistrate at the Robeson County Detention Center early on Saturday and is being held in the countys detention center with no bond.

His first court appearance at the Robeson County Courthouse is slated at 9 a.m. on Dec. 10.

A body found on Nov. 27 is believed to be Aguilar, although officials said on Dec. 5 that they were still working on confirmation through dental records.

The North Carolina Medical Examiners Office is also conducting an autopsy and toxicology testing on the body while the North Carolina State Crime Lab is processing any evidence discovered on the body or at the scene off Wire Grass Road where the body was found.

Abduction and Search

Aguilar, 13, was grabbed from her front yard in Lumberton on Nov. 5 by a man dressed in black wearing a yellow bandana and spirited away in a stolen vehicle.

The stolen vehicle was found off Quincey Road on Nov. 8.

The community mourned the loss of Aguilar after her body was found.

He funeral was slated for Dec. 8 at 12 p.m. at Lumberton High School, after a Dec. 7 Catholic mass at St. Francis De Sales Catholic Church. She was set to be laid to rest in Meadowbrook Cemetery.

According to her obituary, Aguilar was in 8th grade at Lumberton Junior High School and leaves behind her mother, father, and two sisters.

Killer Likely Knew Teen

A profiler said prior to McLellans arrest that the person who killed the teenager likely knew her.

Michael Teague, a forensic psychologist who previously worked as a criminal profiler for both the Raleigh Police Department and what is now the North Carolina Department of Public Safety, said the circumstances surrounding the abduction indicate the killer and girl knew each other.

This just didnt happen out of nowhere. I mean, this person didnt just drop out of Mars, he told WRAL. They would be walking around the area. I mean, you almost have to be from there, working from there.

Minutes before the abduction, security footage showed a man walking toward the trailer park where Aguilar lived. Teague said clues could be gleaned from the footage even though the mans face is obscured.

He also said that the autopsy results will help in the investigation.

From NTD News
Police: Body Found in Home Is Missing Michigan Woman Ashley Young

Grand Rapids Police say a body that was discovered earlier this week is that of a missing woman, Ashley Young.

Grand Rapids Police issued a statement on Twitter: Update of death investigation involving female remains: DNA has positively identified them of the missing 31 yo Kalamazoo County woman, Ashley Young.

Update of death investigation involving female remains: DNA has positively identified them of the missing 31 yo Kalamazoo County woman, Ashley Young. pic.twitter.com/ygQHJlPzcx  Grand Rapids Police (@GrandRapidsPD) December 8, 2018

Officials have notified her family, Fox17 reported.

She was known to be traveling to Grand Rapids from Kalamazoo on Thursday, Nov. 29 when she disappeared. She was seen last at Mulligans Pub in the Eastown neighborhood at around 1:30 a.m.

Officials discovered a mutilated body at a home on Dec. 2.

Jared Chance was arrested on Dec. 2 for mutilation and concealing the death of an individual.

A tenant investigating a strange smell led Grand Rapids police

to a Southeast Side basement, where they found a womans torso stuffed inside a bag, newly-released court documents show. Jared Chance, 29, is charged w/ mutilation of a body. Police are still trying to ID the body. pic.twitter.com/BQzwkjQPjK  John Hogan (@JohnHoganWZZM) December 6, 2018

The family of Young told WOOD-TV that she was last seen with Chance. Jared chance is thought to be the last person my cousin Ashley Young (Leelee Young) was with before she came up missing. Please help us bring her home, family member Amanda Young also wrote on Facebook.

Chance and Young were also Facebook friends, and friends of Young shared photos of the two together, MLive reported.

It was learned through our investigation that Jared was with a female acquaintance two days prior and that that female acquaintance was since reported as a missing person and she has not to this date been located, Grand Rapids police told WOOD-TV.

Officials have not released a cause of death, WKZO reported.

Chance is being held on a $750,000 bond, the report said.

The investigation into the case is ongoing. Anyone with additional knowledge is being asked to contact police in Grand Rapids.

No further statements regarding any details about current media reports will come from this page. Please respect that decision by not posting your theories or opinions about the circumstances, nor your guesses or your online research regarding this case. We hope that you are still willing stand with us helping us in our efforts to find her as her family wishes us to, wrote the Help Us Find Ashley Young Facebook page.

Be patient, be kind, have love and compassion for those whom you wish to seek information for and about, they added, saying, Again, thank you for your support, keep this family in your prayers.

Violent Crime Declines in 2017

The FBI says that in 2017 violent crime had dropped by 0.2 percent, according to a release, but aggravated and rape offenses increased by a respective 1.0 percent and 2.5 percent. The murder rate dropped by 0.7 percent, the agency said.

In 2017, there were an estimated 1,247,321 violent crimes. The estimated number of robbery offenses decreased 4.0 percent, and the estimated number of murder and nonnegligent manslaughter offenses decreased 0.7 percent when compared with estimates from 2016. The estimated volume of aggravated assault and rape (revised definition) offenses increased 1.0 percent and 2.5 percent, respectively, said the FBI.

The agency added: By violent crime offense, the arrest rate for murder and nonnegligent manslaughter was 3.8 per 100,000 inhabitants; rape (aggregate total using the revised and legacy definition), 7.2; robbery, 29.3; and aggravated assault, 120.4 per 100,000 inhabitants.

Meanwhile, the FBI said that there are now 670,279 sworn officers and 286,662 civilian officers in the U.S, which is a rate of 3.4 employees per 1,000 inhabitants.
Principal Placed on Leave After Banning Candy Canes for Alleged Jesus Connection

A principal in Nebraska was placed on leave after issuing a memo to teachers at her school informing them of a new ban on candy canes, Santa Claus, and Christmas trees.

The memo was leaked and obtained by the Liberty Counsel organization, which advocates internationally for religious freedom. The nonprofit organization sent a letter to the superintendent of Elkhorn Public Schools asking for a lift of the ban.

Jennifer Sinclair, principal at Manchester Elementary School in Elkhorn, wrote in the memo that teachers could not hand out or use candy canes because historically, the shape is a J for Jesus.

The red is for the blood of Christ, and the white is a symbol of his resurrection. This would also include different colored candy canes, she wrote in the memo (pdf).

She also banned Santa or Christmas items on worksheets, Christmas trees in classrooms, singing Christmas carols, and playing Christmas music.

In addition to candy canes, she took aim specifically at making Christmas ornaments in classrooms as a gift.

This assumes that the family has a Christmas tree which assumes they celebrate Christmas. I challenge the thought of, Well they can just hang it somewhere else,' she wrote.

In fact, teachers shouldnt use any red or green items, she said. On the other hand, she listed some acceptable things, such as snowmen, snowflakes, gingerbread people, and Holidays Around the World.

She specified that Yetis and Olaf, a snowman from the movie Frozen, were allowed, as were penguins, polar bears, and hot chocolate.

I feel uncomfortable that I have to get this specific, but for everyones comfort, I will, Sinclair wrote before listing the acceptable and not acceptable practices.

When in doubt, ask yourself: Does this item or activity promote a certain belief or religious [sic]? she added. Im hopeful we can avoid the discomfort of me directly questioning something youve copied, posted, and had your kids do. That makes me uncomfortable, and I know it doesnt feel good.

According to Elkhorn Public Schools policy, it is permissible to teach about religion in public schools. Teachers may also teach about religious holidays but shouldnt celebrate them in the form of religious worship.

Christmas trees, Santa Claus and Easter eggs and bunnies are considered to be secular, seasonal symbols and may be displayed as teaching aids provided they do not disrupt the instructional program for students, the policy says.

After the memo, the district received a high volume of calls from parents irked by the bans, district spokesperson Kara Perchal told KETV. She described Sinclair as a new principal and said Sinclair didnt consult with administrators about the bans.

Sinclair has been placed on administrative leave as of Dec. 6.

Elkhorn Public Schools District administration promptly addressed the issue at Manchester Elementary School regarding the memo that was sent by the principal to Manchester elementary staff, a statement from the district said.

The memo does not reflect the policy of Elkhorn Public Schools regarding holiday symbols in the school. The District has since clarified expectations and provided further direction to staff in alignment with District policy. This issue was limited to Manchester Elementary School and did not arise at any other schools within the District.

From NTD News
File photo of a small battery, similar to the one that killed Francesca Asan, who died in May 2016 after swallowing a button battery. (CC0/Pixabay)

Urgent Warning to Parents After Child Is Killed by Button Battery: Truly Devastating

The Healthcare Safety Investigation Branch (HSIB) is raising the alarm on button batteries in households with children after a child swallowed one earlier this year and died.

These batteries pose a very real risk to small children and babies, said HSIBs medical director, Dr. Kevin Stewart, according to the Daily Mail. The consequences of swallowing a button battery can be truly devastating.

The new warning comes after health investigators reviewed the case of a young child that died after swallowing a button battery, the type often found in remote controls and toys.

The safety body said that as soon as the battery comes into contact with a wet surface, such as in the throat, nose or ear, it begins to pose a health hazard.

Contact with a moist surface causes the battery to start to discharge its current and begin a chemical reaction, which can cause surrounding body tissue to suffer significant damage.

Serious internal burns can occur, resulting in long-term problems with breathing and swallowing, and in extreme cases, these chemical burns can even cause death.

This is why we are calling on families this festive period to be extra vigilant and to put in place some basic precautions around their house, Dr. Steward said, according to the report.

Its important that everybody knows that these batteries can be found everywhere, from toys to gadgets such as remote controls, digital scales, and car fobs.

The best way to protect children is to place everything securely out of reach and double check that all toys have screws to secure any batteries.

I Didnt Listen To My Instincts

George Asan, a father whose toddler Francesca died after swallowing a button battery, said in an interview with the Child Accident Prevention Trust, I feel guilty because in that period of time I didnt listen to my instincts.

Francesca Asan died in May 2016 after swallowing the item.

It was a button battery, said Asan, who learned later from doctors what killed his daughter. I went to the cabinet drawer, where I knew that we have the 3D glasses for the TV. It was one of the spare batteries.

Seek Medical Help

Dr. Rachel Rowlands, of Leicester Royal Infirmary, said the batteries can cause fatal injuries even if they do not have enough charge to power a device, according to The Metro.

I would urge everyone this Christmas to be aware of the dangers button batteries can cause if swallowed or put into the nose or ear, she said.

Parents or carers should bring their child to the nearest emergency department immediately if they think a child has swallowed or inserted a button battery.

Out of Reach

Katrina Phillips, chief executive of the Child Accident Prevention Trust, told The Daily Mail, Festive tea lights, singing Santas and flashing Christmas wands are all powered by lithium coin cell batteries, many of them easily accessible to curious little fingers.

Were concerned that small children put everything in their mouths, with potentially lethal consequences.

Were encouraging families to keep potentially dangerous products out of reach of babies, toddlers, and small children, and to be equally careful about where they store spare and used batteries.

The Child Accident Prevention Trust has published guidelines on protecting children from the hazards of button batteries:

Keep all spare batteries in a sealed container out of childrens reach and sight, ideally in a high-up, lockable cupboard.

Keep products with batteries well out of reach if the battery compartment isnt secured.

Put flat or dead batteries out of reach straight away and recycle them safely.

Avoid toys from markets, discount stores or temporary shops as they may not conform to safety regulations, and take care when buying online or from overseas.

Teach older children that button batteries are dangerous and not to play with them or give them to younger brothers and sisters.
Zhang Shoucheng Was Being Touted for a Nobel Prize in Physics; Why Did He Kill Himself?

On Nov. 20 President Trumps trade advisor, Robert Lighthizer, issued an exhaustive report on Chinas efforts to beg, borrow, and steal U.S. intellectual property.

Eleven days later, on Dec. 1, Stanford University Professor Zhang Shoucheng, who had been collaborating with the Beijing regimes drive to dominate hi-tech under its Made in China 2025 plan, killed himself.

Zhangs family has issued a statement saying that there is absolutely no connection between the two events, while suggesting that Zheng simply took his own life during a fit of depression.

Now I have no doubt that the Chinese-born professor was depressed. He had good reason to be. After all, Lighthizers report had singled out the company he had founded and chaired, Silicon Valley-based Danhua Capital, for criticism. Danhua, the report said, was illustrative of the web of entities created by China to invest in high-technology U.S. startups  to further the industrial policy goals of the Chinese government.

You see, Danhua Capital was bankrolled almost entirely by the Chinese governmentto the tune of hundreds of millions of dollars.

As the United States Trade Representatives (USTR) report details, nearly all of the funding in question came from a Chinese state-owned enterprise (SOE) called Zhongguancun Development Group (ZDG) that was set up by the Beijing Municipal Government.

The closeness of Zhangs ties with the Communist regime is illustrated by the fact that Wang Anshu, the Mayor of Beijing, was the personal guest of the Danhua Capital chairman at the signing ceremony in Silicon Valley in May 2013.

Zhangs assignment, as described on the ZDG website, was to identify original and disruptive technologies developed at Stanford  and guide those projects back to ZDG in Beijing to commercialize. In other words, Danhua Capital was a technology harvesting scheme.

ZDGs work with Zhang and Danhua as governed by its overall strategy, which it described as ZDG capital goes out and foreign advanced technology and human capital is brought in. Money cant buy you love, but enough of it can buy you accessone way or anotherto the latest in American hi-tech innovations, along with the skills you need to commercialize it in China.

I suspect that the now-deceased professor, who was a leader in the field of quantum physics, might have been conflicted about his role in this scheme even before it was made public by the USTR report.

After all, he had lived in the U.S. since 1983, graduating in 1987 with a doctoral degree from in quantum physics from SUNY Stony Brook. His children, Stephanie and Brian, had been born and educated in America. Professionally, he was blessed to have been given the opportunity to engage in cutting-edge research, first at the Institute for Theoretical Physics at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and later as a professor at Stanford, where he was hired in 1993. He had even been nominated for the Nobel Prize in Physics in 2014. Although he failed to win the Nobel that year, many of his colleagues thought that it was only a matter of time before he did.

Could he have accomplished the same things in China? It is highly doubtful. While the state-run media delights in pointing out that eight Chinese have won Nobel prizes in the sciences, it invariably fails to mention that all were U.S. citizens, either by birth or naturalization, when they won their prizes. It also fails to mention that their ground-breaking research was conducted in the U.S., not in China. These truths are inconvenient because they suggest that it was the freedom of thought and action that they enjoyed in America, rather than their ethnicity, that was the critical factor.

I am willing to grant that when Zhang first set up his company, his only thought was to help the country of his birth to prosper. Xi Jinping had only been newly installed as the General Secretary of the Communist Party and the path he would take was not yet clear. Perhaps Zhang had convinced himself that by helping Chinas continued economic advance, he would be in a position to encourage political liberalization and respect for human rights.

It would not become clear for another couple of years that nothing of the sort was in the offing. Chinese communist regime remained a thuggish, tyrannical dictatorship. Not only that, but the regime was taking full advantage of modern technology to actually increase its surveillance and oppression of various disfavored groups, including Christians, Muslims, and the Falun Gong.

Those who study physics often see, more clearly than most, the evidence of intelligent design that the universe reveals. This seems to have been true in Zhangs case. Motivated by his desire to witness the glory of God through scientific research, his family reports. He brought an infectious spirit of curiosity to the entire world.

Who but a believer would cherish William Blakes poem, Auguries of Innocence, as Zhang reportedly did:

To see a World in a Grain of Sand

And a Heaven in a Wild Flower

Hold Infinity in the palm of your hand

And Eternity in an hour

How depressing it must have been for Zhang to witness the ongoing persecution of his fellow believers in China.

How depressing it must have been to realize that he had set up a front company to allow the corrupt Communist Party to pilferall perfectly legally of coursethe crown jewels of American technological innovation.

How depressing it must have been to realize that, after all the benefits and blessings he had received from his adoptive country, America, that this was the way he was repaying it.

Of course Professor Zhang was depressed. Who wouldnt be under the circumstances?

He was, by all accounts, not only a great intellect, but a good and decent man. We mourn his passing. And pray that other overseas Chinese will not be seduced in the same way into helping the motherland, because this in practice often means strengthening the misrule of the Communist Party.

Steven W. Mosher is the President of the Population Research Institute and the author of Bully of Asia: Why Chinas Dream is the New Threat to World Order. He was denied his PhD. by Stanford after exposing forced abortions in Chinas one-child policy.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.

Views expressed in this article are the opinions of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of The Epoch Times.
The single most effective weapon in the fight against climate change is the tax code - imposing costs on those who emit greenhouse gases, economists say. But as French President Emmanuel Macron learned over the past three weeks, implementing such taxes can be politically explosive.

On Tuesday, France delayed for six months a plan to raise already steep taxes on diesel fuel by 24 cents a gallon and gasoline by about 12 cents a gallon. Macron argued that the taxes were needed to curb climate change by weaning motorists off petroleum products, but violent demonstrations in the streets of Paris and other French cities forced him to backtrack - at least for now.

"No tax is worth putting in danger the unity of the nation," said Prime Minister Edouard Philippe, who was trotted out to announce the concession.

It was a setback for the French president, who has been trying to carry the torch of climate action in the wake of the Paris accords of December 2015. "When we talk about the actions of the nation in response to the challenges of climate change, we have to say that we have done little," he said last week.

Macron is hardly alone in his frustration. Leaders in the United States, Canada, Australia and elsewhere have found their carbon pricing efforts running into fierce opposition. But the French reversal was particularly disheartening for climate-policy experts, because it came just as delegates from around the world were gathering in Katowice, Poland, for a major conference designed to advance climate measures.

"Like everywhere else, the question in France is how to find a way of combining ecology and equality," said Bruno Cautres, a researcher at the Paris Institute of Political Studies. "Citizens mostly see punitive public policies when it comes to the environment: taxes, more taxes and more taxes after that. No one has the solution, and we can only see the disaster that's just occurred in France on this question."

"Higher taxes on energy have always been a hard sell, politically," said Gregory Mankiw, an economics professor at Harvard University and advocate of carbon taxes. "The members of the American Economic Association are convinced of their virtue. But the median citizen is not."

In the United States - where energy-related taxes are among the lowest in the developed world - politicians, their constituents and their donors have repeatedly made that clear.

President Bill Clinton proposed a tax on the heat content of fuels as part of his first budget in 1993. Known as the BTU tax, for British thermal unit, it would have raised $70 billion over five years while increasing gasoline prices no more than 7.5 cents a gallon.

But Clinton was forced to retreat in the face of a rebellion in his own party. "I'm not going to vote for a BTU tax in committee or on the floor, ever, anywhere. Period. Exclamation point," said then-Sen. David Boren, D-Okla.

The state of Washington has also tried - and failed twice - to win support for a carbon tax or carbon "fee." In 2016, the state's voters rejected a ballot initiative that would have balanced a carbon tax with other tax cuts. In 2018, a wider coalition sought backing for an initiative that would have poured fee revenue into clean energy projects, job retraining and early retirement plans for affected workers. The fee would have started at $15 a ton and gone up $2 a ton for 10 years. It, too, failed.

To be sure, some climate-conscious countries have adopted carbon taxes, including Chile, Spain, Ukraine, Ireland and nations in Scandinavia. Others have adopted cap-and-trade programs that effectively put prices on carbon emissions.

Only around 12 percent of global emissions are covered by pricing programs such as taxes on the carbon content of fossil fuels or permit trading programs that put a price on emissions, according to the International Monetary Fund.

Policy experts say that to some extent the prospects of carbon taxes may depend on what happens to the money raised.

Using the revenue for deficit reduction, as was planned in France, is a no-no.

"Even in the best of times, carbon taxes must be carefully crafted to avoid political pitfalls," said Paul Bledsoe, a former Senate Finance Committee staffer and Clinton White House climate adviser. "In particular, much of the revenue raised must be recycled back to middle-income workers. Macron's approach put the money toward deficit reduction, stoking already simmering class grievances."

Last year, a group of economists and policy experts - including former treasury secretaries James Baker III and Lawrence Summers and former secretary of state George Shultz - advocated a tax-and-dividend approach. It would feature a carbon tax of $40 a ton, affecting coal, oil and natural gas. The revenue would be used to pay dividends to households. Progressive tax rates would mean more money for lower- and middle-income earners.

"Because the revenue is rebated equally to everyone, most people will get more back than they pay in carbon taxes," said Mankiw, who is part of the group. "So if people understood the plan, and believed it would be carried out as written, it should be politically popular."

So far the group, called the Climate Leadership Council, has not been able to generate much support from members of Congress.

But Canada is about to offer a test case.

Prime Minister Justin Trudeau has unveiled a "backstop" carbon tax of $20 a ton, to take effect in January, for the four Canadian provinces that do not already have one.

Trudeau was elected partly on a promise of this sort of measure, but it's costing him more political capital than expected. Conservative premiers oppose the plan, which looks set to become an election issue.

Trudeau's policy, however, is designed to withstand criticism. About 90 percent of the revenue from the backstop tax will be paid back to Canadians in the form of annual "climate action incentive" payments. Because of the progressive tax rates, about 70 percent of Canadians will get back more than they paid. If they choose to be more energy efficient, they could save even more money.

The first checks will arrive shortly before Canadian elections.

Climate policy doesn't only suffer from lack of enthusiasm. It also arouses the ire of right-wing populist movements.

Many of the people most angry at Macron's tax come from right-wing rural areas. The German right-wing opposition party Alternative for Germany has called climate change a hoax. And in Brazil, a new populist president had indicated he will develop, not preserve, the Amazon forests that pull CO2 out of the air and pump out oxygen.

President Donald Trump, who has said he does not believe climate science, also took to Twitter to say Macron's setback showed Trump was right to spurn the Paris climate agreement.

"I am glad that my friend @EmmanuelMacron and the protestors in Paris have agreed with the conclusion I reached two years ago. The Paris Agreement is fatally flawed because it raises the price of energy for responsible countries while whitewashing some of the worst polluters in the world," he wrote. "American taxpayers - and American workers - shouldn't pay to clean up others countries' pollution."

Fuel taxes, however, generate revenue that stays inside home countries without going to pay for others' pollution. And the Paris agreement placed much greater responsibilities on developing countries than ever before.

A member of Trump's beachhead transition team at the Energy Department also took to Twitter to celebrate the collapse of Macron's fuel tax plan.

"It's easy for politicians like #Macron to lecture us about #ClimateChange because the elites don't notice the economic hit. Working class people do. Working class French people are ANGRY about unnecessarily higher fuel taxes that are only a #virtuesignal," wrote Thomas Pyle, president of the Institute for Energy Research - a group funded in the past by Koch Industries, the American Petroleum Institute and Exxon Mobil.

Jason Bordoff, director of the Columbia University Center on Global Energy Policy, said the celebration "would be reading too much into what's happening in France." That's because Macron was already seen as favoring the rich over the working class, he said.

Nicolas Hulot, a popular climate change activist and Macron's former environment minister, made national headlines in August when he resigned from Macron's cabinet during a live radio broadcast. His reason: that the French government was more word than deed when it came to fighting climate change.

On the heels of the French government's abrupt reversal on fuel taxes Tuesday, Hulot praised what he couched as a necessary political maneuver, albeit one that was not good for the environment.

"I welcome a necessary, inescapable, courageous and common sense decision in the current context, which saddens everyone," he said, speaking on France's RTL radio. But, he added, there would probably be consequences from the popular uprisings against the diesel taxes, which the government has now suspended for six months.

"All that is not good news for the climate," he said.

The key, said Hulot, is not to impose action on climate change in a technocratic way, in a way that ordinary people do not understand. "The ecological challenge shouldn't be against the French," he said. "We need every Frenchwoman and Frenchman. On that, there is obviously a huge amount of misperceptions and misunderstandings."

---

McAuley reported from Paris.
NORWALK  It was a year ago Tuesday when flames tore through StoneWood Condominium, displacing Mimi Rivera and dozens of others from the 54-unit complex along Richards Avenue.

Since then, Rivera and her husband have lived with their daughter in Stamford. But theyre eager to return to StoneWood, see their old neighbors and have their own space once reconstruction of the fire-damaged structure is complete.

I like my neighbors, said Rivera, who had lived at StoneWood for about two years before the fire struck. I like the area, having my space again. Supposedly, everything will be brand new  all new appliances, rugs, bathroom features. I look forward to being back in my house, my place.

After nearly a year of demolition and reconstruction work, StoneWood Condominium is moving toward reopening next year. While some have heard that work might wrap up in April, Imagineers, the property management company that oversees the building, said in a reconstruction update Friday that its looking at July 31, 2019.

Condo owners told to be ready

As we approach the anniversary of the fire, we look back at a year that has been challenging, yet during which time an extensive amount of work has been completed, an astounding number of important steps made and numerous road blocks resolved, wrote Karl Kuegler Jr., Imagineers director of property management, in an update Friday on behalf of StoneWood Condominium Association.

When all is said and done, from the replacement of the roofing and siding of the building exterior, to the replacement of the unit interior finishes, mechanical systems, electrical systems, insulation and drywall, to the replacement of the interior common areas, the Association members will be returned to a building that will be substantially a new building, Kuegler continued.

Kuegler told Hearst Connecticut Media that Imagineers doesnt yet know how many of the condominium owners who lived in the building prior to the fire will return. But he advised them to ready for the reopening by having flexibility in leases and other agreements related to their respective living arrangements for the balance of the reconstruction period.

Moving right along

On Dec. 11, 2017, flames ripped through the upper levels of the four-story building at 100 Richards Ave., destroying parts of the roof and leaving smoke and water damage elsewhere. At least one resident predicted the building would be gutted.

Instead, remaining residents were forced to move out, and rebuilding began throughout the building, initially with crews working 10-hour days, six days a week to strip the structure down to its frame, and afterward with reconstruction of walls, plumbing, electrical and heating systems.

William D. Ireland, Norwalks chief building official, visits StoneWood frequently to monitor the work of Viking Construction, Inc., the general contractor, and numerous subcontractors. He described the progress as impressive.

I was there yesterday doing another section of insulation inspection, Ireland said Thursday. The whole fourth floor is ready for Sheetrocking, and theyll be ready for another inspection supposedly next week. Theyre moving right along in there.

Tyvek protective wrap still covers much of the exterior of the building as work continues inside. Alliance All Trades of Thomaston, Conn., has been on site about five months, installing a new heating and air-conditioning system throughout the building.

Were doing the HVAC contracting, all the apartments, all the common areas. Its all new, everything, all new systems, said Alliance All Trades Foreman Bill Heslin. Im thinking by January or February, well be complete, but the rest, Im not sure.

Video tour of progress

On the afternoon of the fire, Jessica Morales, of Stamford, had just arrived at StoneWood to pick up her daughter from her parents, who lived at the condominium complex. For the last year, Morales parents have lived with her in Stamford, but she said they plan to return to StoneWood once is reopens.

They are doing repairs, but I dont know when everything is going to be done. I know they (my parents) get frequent updates about the progress, Morales said. Theyre waiting to go back. Theres been a lot of progress so far. They send them updates, even videos, so they can see whats going on inside.

In addition to providing written updates on the reconstruction, Imagineers has periodically provided residents a virtual tour of the work.

You respect the fact that these are peoples homes and they dont have the ability to access the building, Kuegler said. So periodically weve taken a video tour of the building to show homeowners the progress and then weve done written updates.

Smoking ban considered

Fire investigators, after speaking with witnesses and investigating the damage, determined that the December 2017 fire was sparked by a carelessly discarded cigarette on a third-floor balcony. Vinyl siding and wood construction fueled the blaze. As a result of the reconstruction, parts of the building will be safer.

Basically, the interior is the all the same, because the fire-resistant ratings havent changed, Ireland said. But the adding of the sprinklers to the outside decks is big.

Whether smoking will be allowed inside the rebuilt building or on its balconies remains to be seen.

The (StoneWood Condominium) Association is in the process of proposing changes to its governing documents that would prevent smoking within the building or on balconies, Kuegler told Hearst Connecticut Media. Once the text of the changes is drafted, a required vote of the unit owners will be conducted.
Rep. John Delaney of Maryland flew into Sioux City, Iowa, on the back of a full blizzard last weekend and rolled into Storm Lake at 9 a.m. the next day to spend an hour at our little newspaper. He made it to Des Moines by lunchtime to meet with the Des Moines Register's editors, and then headed back to Washington, where the Democrat is about to give up his seat to devote himself full-time to running for president.

Delaney, 55, has been to Iowa 20 times over the past year. He was first to announce and first to have paid staff in Iowa - 16 people in six field offices. Delaney is paying mostly from his own pocket from the fortune he earned as a health-care finance entrepreneur.

Rep. Eric Swalwell of California was another early bird. He rode shotgun last summer with Democrat J.D. Scholten in a Winnebago camper named "Sioux City Sue" in Scholten's quixotic quest to unseat Rep. Steve King, the Republican immigrant basher who gave President Donald Trump the playbook. Iowa's long-ignored rural Democrats took note.

Swalwell has been a pen pal for a couple years. He was a prosecutor and then congressman from the San Francisco Bay area. He serves on the intelligence and judiciary committees, and is bound to be on cable news 24-7 once any report by special counsel Robert Mueller comes out. Swalwell is buttoned-down and underestimated, and he, or the likes of Delaney, might be just the moderate that former Gov. Tom Vilsack says Iowa Democrats want.

Is that what they want? It's hard to know. Out here, where you sometimes wonder if the Lord overlooked you under a sheet of ice, there are enough Democrats - and frustrated independent farmers losing a buck on every bushel of soybeans they harvest because of Trump's trade wars - that it is worth the time of the early contenders to see if they can solve the rubric that rural areas are lost to them. Democrats don't need to win here, but they do need to perform well if they want to carry the state in 2020.

Before then, though, we'll have caucuses, and the marquee names have been by, trying to walk on the frozen water. Joe Biden arrived just before the midterms for Abby Finkenauer of Dubuque, helping her unseat Trump acolyte Rep. Rod Blum. Sen. Bernie Sanders, I-Vt., packed them in at Iowa State University for Scholten - together, they campaigned for Medicare-for-all and got cheers, not brickbats. Sen. Cory Booker, D-N.J., drew raves at the state party fall fundraiser.

We've had other visitors: Sen. Kamala Harris and fellow Californian Eric Garcetti, the mayor of Los Angeles; Rep. Tulsi Gabbard of Hawaii; Mayor Pete Buttigieg of South Bend, Indiana; Colorado Gov. John Hickenlooper (who brags Iowa family roots); former Gov. Martin O'Malley of Maryland, Gov. Jay Inslee of Washington; and Tom Steyer of the impeachment movement. I sat with Sen. Jeff Merkley of Oregon in a local cafe shortly after he got the bum's rush from a San Antonio police officer for attempting to visit a child detention center in Texas for Latino refugees. Sen. Amy Klobuchar was a favorite at the North Iowa Wing Ding fundraiser a while back. She loves to pop down from Minnesota to chat Iowegian anytime, temperate and friendly. Michael Bloomberg hit the capital city this week to promise a climate-change campaign. Gov. Steve Bullock of Montana is rooting around for rural votes. Julian Castro of Texas spoke Spanish in Storm Lake, where half the town is meatpacking Latinos.

No Elizabeth Warren. Yet. Or Beto O'Rourke. We do get regular emails from Republicans Ted Cruz and John Kasich, just in case.

The sheer number of candidates this round could put a real crimp in our social schedules. "Most of us like to meet the candidate three, four or five times at a minimum," said State Sen. Rob Hogg of Cedar Rapids. "This next 14 months is going to be one of the most unusual caucus processes because it looks like we've got anywhere between 35 and 40 people who are thinking about running for president. So I'm clearing my calendar. . . . We take that really seriously."

We listen to Delaney and Swalwell over coffee in groups of five or six. The candidates say we are hungry for integrity, and for healing - that is, after Swalwell is through prosecuting Trump. So they show up. Hillary Clinton did not. The key to winning Iowa is here, west of I-35, red but willing to listen to an honest voice.

- - -

Cullen is editor of the Storm Lake Times and author of the new book, "Storm Lake: A Chronicle of Change, Resilience, and Hope from a Heartland Newspaper."
WASHINGTON  Many lawmakers who will retire at the end of this Congress or who lost re-election have shuttered their offices and gone home by now. Not so Connecticut Democrat, U.S. Rep. Elizabeth Esty.

Esty, who represents the 5th congressional district, continues to meet with constituents, often in a borrowed conference room that belongs to Rep. Mike Thompson, D-Calif., and is helping gun control advocates draft a list of priorities for the next Congress.

She also wants to shepherd one last piece of legislation - the Women in Aerospace Education Act  into law. That bill, which President Donald Trump is expected to sign next week, will prod NASA to encourage the recruitment of women and others who are underrepresented in the fields of science, technology, engineering, mathematics, and computer science.

Im still getting things done, Esty said.

Not so many of her colleagues, who like Esty had to terminate staff and close their congressional offices so they could be refurbished to accommodate a large incoming freshman class.

A lot of people have checked out and bagged it, Thompson said. But not Elizabeth. Shes working until the last minute.

Esty, 59, decided against running for re-election after she was sharply criticized by Connecticut Democrats for her handling of an abusive chief-of-staff. She failed to fire the aide for months, and then gave him severance and a good recommendation for a job with Sandy Hook Promise in Ohio. Rep.-elect Jahana Hayes, a fellow Democrat, was elected in November to fill Estys seat.

Esty has represented the 5th district for six years - all that time as a member of the minority party in the U.S. House. She is leaving just as Democrats seize control of that chamber, which would have boosted her chances to advance gun control and other issues on her agenda.

Shes going to be missed. Not only by her constituents but also by those fighting against gun violence, said Thompson, who worked with Esty on the House Gun Violence Prevention Task Force.

Because she represented Newtown in Congress, Esty was thrust into the middle of a national debate on gun control when she took office in January of 2013, just weeks after the massacre at Sandy Hook Elementary School.

You dont always choose the issues, the issues choose you, Esty said the time.

She is now regretfully leaving a job she says will never be able to replicate.

Im not going to find anything that gives me the opportunity to work on the same breadth of issues, she said.

Esty said she is done with politics and wont seek another elected office.

Its hard to imagine that now, she said.

But Esty, who served in the Connecticut legislature, clerked for a federal judge, was a Supreme Court lawyer for a prestigious law firm in Washington D.C., and taught at American University, would like to keep a hand in public policy.

She said others who have left Congress have advised her to take some time off before she takes the next step in her career.

With her husband, Dan Esty  a former commissioner of the Connecticut Department of Energy and Environmental Protection  on sabbatical from Yale to write a book, Esty said she plans to take that advice.

She said she plans to do some traveling and think about where do I think I can make the most difference?

Estys truncated congressional career may be a cautionary tale to other politicians. Or not.

Sen. Kamala Harris, D-Calif., accepted the resignation of one of her top aides Wednesday after it was revealed the California Department of Justice paid $400,000 to settle sexual harassment complaints against him.

Harriss office says the senator did not know about the lawsuit or the harassment claims until recently. In an editorial Friday, the Sacramento Bee said thats not likely.

(He) wasnt out on the periphery of Harris staff; he was a senior aide she knew for 14 years  hardly a stranger, the newspaper wrote.

Ron Schurin, a University of Connecticut political science professor, said he does not expect Harris to resign. But he also said the incident will have an adverse impact on her presidential aspirations.

As far as Esty, Schurin said her bad judgment in handling an abusive aide cut short a promising career in politics.

Had the scandal not happened, she would have continued to serve her district well and been a productive member of the House of Representatives, Schurin said.

As a retired lawmaker who served more than five years in the U.S. House, Esty will be eligible for a congressional pension when she turns 62. The amount of the pension depends on years of service and an average of the highest three years of her congressional salary.

Former lawmakers have other perks. Esty will always have access to the U.S. House chamber - and is entitled to the honorific congresswoman for life.
Dear Zealots: Letters From a Divided Land

By Amos Oz

Houghton Mifflin Harcourt. 140 pp. $23

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The Israeli author Amos Oz is the sort of writer a big old country like ours hasn't had since Mark Twain. Oz's 30-book career has spanned more than 50 years of Israel's 70-year existence, and he has played a role possible only for authors in young nations: a formative voice shaping his country's culture, offering not merely prose but prophecy. One of the most outspoken advocates of a two-state solution since Israel's Six-Day War and a founder of the 40-year-old advocacy group Peace Now, Oz writes fiction of a piece with his politics, illuminating the complex humanity of both Israeli and Palestinian characters damaged by war. Coming of age at a time when people like him - native-born, kibbutz-influenced, adamantly secular, left-leaning Israelis of European descent - were his country's elite, Oz has now lived long enough to see that power structure shift, diffused by demographic changes favoring more religious as well as non-European Jews, and by ongoing attacks from the country's enemies regardless of who is in power. It's a rough time to be an aging Israeli lefty.

In his newest book, "Dear Zealots," Oz takes on his country's dilemmas by addressing what he sees as the basis of them all: fanaticism. It's a subject that ought to find eager readers well beyond the Middle East, as civil discourse in the United States and elsewhere has become an oxymoron and moderation a near-impossibility. Immunity from fanaticism, Oz declares, involves a "willingness to exist inside open-ended situations that ... cannot be unequivocally settled."Oz is a world-class literary master of such situations, but "Dear Zealots" is not at all open-ended. It is full of Oz's unambiguous condemnations of other people's zealotry, and perhaps inevitably, it descends into a single-mindedness of its own. This raises a fascinating question: Can moderation be effectively defended? Dear unzealous readers, that cannot be unequivocally settled.

Oz has largely responded to his country's developments in the current century by looking backward, producing in recent years a series of works recalling his 1940s Jerusalem childhood and his youthful years on a kibbutz - including his autobiographical masterpiece, "A Tale of Love and Darkness," in my opinion one of the greatest books in modern Hebrew literature. Oz remains popular on the international lecture circuit, and his public talks are the source of most material in this book, which seems intended as a vision from an old prophet. But as the Bible demonstrated long ago, the Hebrew prophetic genre doesn't lend itself to moderation, nor to irony. It seems to have escaped Oz entirely that titling your book "Dear Zealots" is not a great way to make friends.

"Dear Zealots" opens with an analysis of fanaticism that attempts to reach down into each of our souls. "Fanaticism begins at home," Oz tells us. "Its milder manifestations, which we all know, are expressed in the ubiquitous urge to change, just slightly, your beloveds, your children, your siblings, your partner, your neighbors - to change them for their own good." This is extremely thought-provoking: Isn't the desire to "change, just slightly, your beloveds" also what we might call education? Oz is careful to note that not all zealotry is equal, but it is hard to read this book without wondering, as he mentions fanatical vegans and antismoking advocates, whether you might unwittingly be a zealot yourself. If so, fear not, for fanaticism is treatable. The best antidote to zealotry, Oz argues, is "curiosity and imaginative power ... to ask, once in a while: What if I were her? Or him? Or them?" These are questions worth asking, and they are rarely posed on Twitter.

Asking those questions is what literature does best, and Oz poses them magnificently in his fiction. But this book is no novel, and Oz does very little imagining here. What emerges instead is an eloquent description of Jewish culture's "vibrant anarchist gene that engenders constant and vehement dispute," and the tradition's appetite for multiple perspectives and interpretations. Oz correctly points out that Judaism's inherent openness to debate has disappeared among many religious Jews, but this discussion soon deteriorates into an angry and, dare I say, zealous rant. At one point, after quoting a religious interpretation of Israel's secular pioneers, Oz declares, "Such an insult is intolerable." Tolerance apparently has limits.

I happen to be disposed toward many of Oz's ideas, especially his understanding of modern secular Hebrew culture as an authentic heir of the religious tradition. I love Oz's novels and memoirs, which have often recalibrated my thinking. For these reasons I was disappointed to find this book lacking in imagination, especially regarding the evolution of the Israeli-Palestinian conflict in our current century. Ultimately it leaves far too much from the past 20 years unsaid.

The problem here is that Oz's beloved Israeli left suffered a crippling blow not from fanatics within Israel but from fanatics outside it - namely, the Second Intifada, the barrage of high-casualty attacks on civilians in the early 2000s sponsored by extremist groups like Hamas and Hezbollah, whose stated goal is not a negotiated agreement but rather the destruction of Israel. These attacks came in the wake of an unprecedented, if deeply flawed, Israeli land-for-peace offer which then-Palestinian leader Yasser Arafat walked away from and, in a less-discussed correlation, in the wake of Israel's unilateral withdrawal from a buffer zone in southern Lebanon that it had controlled for more than a decade. Something similar happened a few years later in Gaza, where Israel unilaterally withdrew the settlements that were said to be the obstacle to peace; the withdrawal resulted in Gaza's transformation into a launchpad for thousands of missiles aimed at Israeli civilians. These attacks resulted in a security crackdown that ordinary people in the West Bank and Gaza continue to endure, while ordinary people in Israel run to bomb shelters every time missiles fly over Gaza's border.

The Israeli left offered no satisfactory explanations for why precisely the olive branch moves it had long promoted were followed by babies being blown up in pizzerias, and it was this reality that led many Israelis sympathetic to Oz's ideas to reluctantly take their votes elsewhere. One would think that a 2018 Hebrew book about fanaticism would address the mental meat-grinder the Israeli public went through when exactly the choices Oz advocated correlated with a dramatic increase in fanatical attacks from the country's most zealous enemies.

To his credit, Oz does not completely ignore this problem. Near the book's last page, he mentions that "the Palestinians are essentially waging two different wars with us. On the one hand, many of them fight to end the occupation and for their just right to national independence ... Every decent person must support such a struggle, albeit not all the means the Palestinians use. On the other hand, many Palestinians are waging a war of fanatical Islam, a war for their fervent aspiration to demolish Israel ... That is a criminal war that any decent person must resist ... [and] many Palestinians are waging both these wars at the same time."

Oz makes a parallel point on the Israeli side, avowing the right to Jewish national independence and the lack of a right to appropriating West Bank land. This is an honest assessment of a profound problem, and perhaps it is too much to ask Oz for a solution. But Oz betrays his readers when he diagnoses this problem and then proudly offers the same two-state rhetoric he has been offering for 50 years - long before Israel's religious factions had the influence they have now and long before "fanatical Islam," to use Oz's term, seized power in Gaza and southern Lebanon. Oz is strangely proud that his thinking has not evolved. "That is what I wrote fifty years ago and I still believe it today," he writes of his assessment of the situation as a real estate dispute. This would make sense if the apparently pragmatic solutions that Oz wrote about 50 years ago hadn't demonstrably failed in the intervening years. Oz offers some cheerful hopes about how nothing is "irreversible" and dramatic change is always possible. If we dare doubt that what failed in the past will succeed in the future, he implies, we must be unimaginative fanatics.

It feels like an even greater betrayal for Oz to wrap up his prophecies with a cute one-liner such as: "It's hard to be a prophet in the land of prophets. There's too much competition." While reading this book, I thought of other Israeli writers who dive deep into their country's conflicts and bring forth serious engagement with "fanatics." One who comes to mind is the journalist Yossi Klein Halevi, a former Jewish extremist, who writes not only with compassion comparable to Oz's and a similar desire for two states, but with deep reporting about real people unlike himself. Another is the philosopher Micah Goodman, whose best-seller "Catch-67" starts where Oz's ideas end, offering both description of and prescription for the current situation in a way that doesn't dismiss the "zealots" throughout the Israeli political spectrum and their genuine concerns.

These thinkers have their own biases and flaws, but they and others like them (including those far less famous) are doing the hard work of creating spaces in Israel for people to connect across profound divides, and even more important, they have demonstrated an ability to listen to others and moderate their perspectives as a result. The competition is winning, and it's time for Oz's imagination to come up with some new material.

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Horn is the author of five novels, most recently "Eternal Life."
KING NEPTUNE THE PIG

King Neptune was born in a litter of 12 on the Sherman Boner farm near West Frankfort. Originally named Parker Neptune, in honor of his father Parker Sensation, he was raised by Boners daughter, Patty, as a 4-H project. Neptune was donated by Sherman Boner on Dec. 5, 1942, and was originally intended to be served at a fundraising pig roast until the local Navy recruiter had another idea. Neptune was a Hereford swine, a breed characterized as mostly red, with a white face, ears and at least two white feet, similar to that of the Hereford breed of cattle.

Navy recruiter Don C. Lingle, originally of Anna, working at the office in Marion, Illinois, decided to auction the pig to raise war bonds. Lingle and auctioneer L. Oard Sitter traveled throughout southern Illinois auctioning Neptune for bonds for the battleship Illinois which was under construction. Eventually, the individual parts of the pig were auctioned; his squeal was auctioned for $25 on at least one occasion. After each auction, King Neptune was returned to be auctioned again later. High demand for appearances by Neptune led them to travel the rest of Illinois raising funds. The mostly red, with white features, Hereford was often displayed covered with a blue Navy blanket and wearing a crown and silver earrings.

On March 6, 1943, Illinois Governor Dwight Green purchased King Neptune for $1 million on behalf of the state of Illinois. At the same auction, one of Neptunes bristles was sold for $500. Most of the hogs appearances were sponsored by local Elks clubs and King Neptune was a life member of the chapters at Marion, Freeport, and Harrisburg, Illinois.

Over the course of King Neptunes fundraising career, he, Lingle and Sitter helped raise $19 million in war bonds, equivalent to about $210 million in 2018 dollars. He sold more war bonds than many prominent Hollywood actors and actresses. Corno Mills in East St. Louis donated a lifetime of feed for King Neptune.

King Neptune died of pneumonia on Ernest Goddards farm near Anna on May 14, 1950, two days prior to his eighth birthday. He was buried with military honors about six miles east of Anna, off Illinois Route 146 at a location that became locally known as King Neptune Park.

EARLY ILLINOIS FUNERALS

Our early Illinois ancestors were a superstitious lot, and funerals in the early Victorian Era were quite different. There were instances where people who were thought to be dead suddenly opened their eyes while in the coffin. This gave rise to the practice of a wake where a loved one sat by the coffin in the hope that the deceased might become wide awake. The body was placed in the parlor of the home. Since there was no embalming the body, it usually was buried within a day or two because of the odor.

Black had long been the traditional color for mourning. Women were expected to mourn for their spouses for two years; men were limited to just one. Women made mourning dresses by simply choosing an existing dress and covering it with black crepe. Veiling was used to cover the mirrors throughout the house to avoid trapping the spirit of the deceased in the looking glasses. Family photos were also turned face down throughout the house to prevent the deceased persons spirits from possessing relatives and friends.

Those who died in poverty were buried in a Potters Field. Those who died in prisons, asylums, and workhouses, whose bodies went unclaimed, had their remains donated to medical schools for dissection. Embalming was first done during the Civil War to preserve bodies to be shipped back to their families. Because embalming was expensive, it was not widely practiced after the war. Funeral homes did not become very popular until about 1920.

Bill Nunes, of Glen Carbon, has written dozens of books including The Buster Wortman Story and History of the St. Louis Cardinals, both in color, to Jans Hallmark Shop locations. Nunes taught history for 30 years at Collinsville and Edwardsville high schools.
Political activity ban to end Tuesday

BANGKOK: After repeated delays, the regime has announced it will lift the ban on political activities on Tuesday (Dec 11) when the Act on the election of MPs takes effect. Parties may then resume the work necessary to prepare for the general election as the Feb 24 poll date has been officially confirmed.

politicsmilitary

By Bangkok Post

Saturday 8 December 2018, 11:03AM

Image: Bangkok Post / Graphics

However, actual election campaigning will not be allowed until Jan 2 when a royal decree calling for the Feb 24 poll is published in the Royal Gazette.

The poll date was confirmed at a meeting yesterday (Dec 7) between the National Council for Peace and Order (NCPO) and representatives of political parties at the Army Club on Vibhavadi Rangsit Road.

Also present were representatives from the government, the National Legislative Assembly (NLA), the Election Commission (EC) and the Constitution Drafting Committee.

However, the countrys two largest parties, the Democrats and Pheu Thai, boycotted the event.

At the meeting, Deputy Prime Minister Wissanu Krea-ngam spelled out the election time frame, saying the NCPO would revoke all nine orders and announcements that prohibit political activities on Tuesday when the bill on the election of MPs is enacted.

The NCPO at present has only relaxed the ban, allowing parties to hold meetings to select executives, recruit members, give opinions on the demarcation of constituencies, and conduct primary votes to choose poll candidates.

The regime still maintains the ban on public gatherings of more than five people and political campaigning.

On Jan 4, the EC will formally announce the poll date and the new demarcation of poll constituencies, Mr Wissanu said.

Candidacy applications will be open between Jan 14 and 18 and parties will also have to submit their lists of up to three prime ministerial candidates to the EC during this period. The EC will then announce the lists of candidates contesting the constituency system and party-list candidates on Jan 25.

Overseas voting will be held between Feb 4 and 16 and advance voting will take place on Feb 17, Mr Wissanu said.

April 25 will be the last day for the announcement of poll results and April 28 will be the last day for the NCPO to finalise the list of 250 appointed senators before submitting it for royal endorsement.

Under the constitution, parliament will convene its first meeting within 15 days of the poll results being announced, or on May 9 at the latest, Mr Wissanu said.

The parliament meeting will select the House Speaker and Senate speaker, which will be followed by a process to nominate a new prime minister.

The NCPO will officially step down from power when the new Cabinet is sworn in, Mr Wissanu said.

Chairing the meeting yesterday, Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha said it marked the first step toward restoring democracy to the country and that he appreciated the cooperation of parties taking part.

This is the first step for Thailand to move toward democracy. The meeting is aimed at creating an understanding and confidence for all involved to carry out their duties. This will also create a climate of unity and reconciliation, he said

For some parties that failed to show up, I really don't know their real reasons, whether or not they want to cooperate with others.

After emerging from the two-hour meeting, the prime minister appeared in good spirits as he talked to reporters. The meeting went well. Everything was fine. All understood each other well, he said.

A total of 225 representatives from 75 political parties  almost none of them with even a remote chance of winning a seat  attended Fridays meeting. But the Democrats and Pheu Thai were no-shows, as was Future Forward and parties affiliated with Pheu Thai such as Thai Raksa Chart.

Sora-at Klinprathum, chief adviser to the Bhumjaithai Party, said that while political parties will have limited time for election campaigning, all parties will be on the equal footing without any one having an edge over the others.

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Winter Wonderland displays set up at City Park

Winter Wonderland displays are set up at City Park and the Jordan Mack Memorial Calf Show Saturday.
Altria Group Inc., the U.S. maker of Marlboro cigarettes, made a $1.8 billion investment in Canadian pot firm Cronos Group Inc. Toronto-based Cronos has emphasized intellectual property and genetics over growing cannabis, although its currently expanding its Canadian facility to grow 40,000 kilograms a year. One of its top projects is an attempt to genetically engineer cannabinoids, the active compound in marijuana. Cronos Chief Executive Officer Mike Gorenstein, 32, was previously an M&A lawyer, then moved into venture capital where he was an early investor in cannabis. He spoke to Kristine Owram following the deal. His comments have been edited and condensed.

Will this deal allow you to enter the U.S. market?

Its certainly helpful that Altria already has a relationship with local contract farmers in the U.S. I think that with the IP and technical materials and operating procedures we have in genetics, we can help those farmers transition immediately into cannabis cultivation. We are set up now to move rapidly into markets as they open and thats not specific to the U.S., thats really any market in the world.

Will you stop growing cannabis?

Our focus has always been on the IP and product-development side, but we do want to have a certain amount of in-house cultivation that allows us to make sure we have the blueprint to develop what we think are best-in-class techniques for cultivating, the best genetics, and we know how to do everything on site so we can use that as a model to train and help our partners and other cultivators. That model will not change.

Does this place you in the top tier of pot companies?

We dont really think of tiers of competition. There are a lot of great companies and theres so much upside and opportunity in the industry. But we do feel that this puts us in an amazing position to succeed in a number of areas. We still dont plan on going in and competing in retail or competing in cultivation, but on the IP, product development and marketing side, we think that we picked the strongest possible partner, were very excited they picked us, and this pushes us to exactly where we wanted to be.

Was reputational risk a concern in partnering with Big Tobacco?

We think Altrias a very unique company. Theyre one of the largest diversified adult consumer-product companies. Theyre across a number of different parts of the value chain. One of the things that attracted us to them, and this management team specifically, is theyve had a very strong focus on reducing risk and increasing consumer choice. Their work with the FDA, work on innovation and different types of hardware really attracted us. We think theyre an ideal partner and their ability to create shareholder value over the long term is very strong.

Why did Altria choose Cronos?

We immediately hit it off. We work very well together, were both very strategic in the way we think of things and where things are going to be, not next month or next year, but in five years and 10 years. Altria is a company that definitely does their diligence, we are as well, so we both made sure we understood exactly what the landscape of potential partners was and were happy that we were able to get our first choices.
A Toronto legal clinic dedicated to female victims of violence now has some extra financial backing to advocate for women facing harassment and coercion in the workplace due to their precarious job status.

The Barbra Schlifer Commemorative Clinic, which uses its legal might to advocate for womens rights, is one of seven agencies benefiting from an extra infusion of funding  $1.5 million  from United Way Greater Toronto over three years as part of the United Ways effort to tackle a range of community challenges linked to poverty.

The cash allocations, being pulled from the United Ways annual fundraising campaign account, are being divvied up among community agencies spearheading initiatives tailored toward taking on a broad scope of community issues: from youth homelessness, to supporting LGBTQ2S survivors of violence and affordable housing.

Barbra Schlifer is charged with the womens issues file, and the clinics executive director, Amanda Dale, said the $300,000 earmarked over three years will go a long way to fuelling a campaign against workplace harassment, which comes on the heels of a surging #MeToo movement.

The United Ways tone-setting study  Getting Left Behind  shows that those who are stuck in the labour system at low levels of compensation are racialized women with precarious work, Dale said. In our experience, women in those jobs are more prone to harassment, coercion and sexual violence.

Since #MeToo began, Barbra Schlifers has seen an 84 per cent hike in its overall request for services.

Dale speculates a key driver in the spike is the overall climate in being able to finally speak out.

The number of women seeking a variety of assistance jumped to 7,000 in March 2018 from 4,700 in the fiscal year ending March 2017.

One of the notable areas of growth is specifically from women in precarious work situations who are being harassed and coerced, Dale said.

We know that its likely these women are mostly racialized and the situations they are in make the usual legal protections of limited value, Dale said. That is, when you are most vulnerable to losing work, and the consequences of doing so are dire, challenging your boss through the usual legal means is much harder.

Barbra Schlifers project will stir up advocacy aimed at curtailing sexual assault, harassment and coercion in the workplace by launching research, focus groups and a public campaign.

We will convene a table of common purpose first, and then select a prone industry (like restaurants or hotel or cleaning work) and with our partners devise outreach and legal information, she said.

In addition, Dale and her team will also work with affected women to devise some scaled policy or legal reform to specific areas that trap women (this may be in immigration, municipal bylaw or labour codes) to reform, Dale said.

She emphasized that while the #metoo movement is gaining strength, the reality for many women has not improved and the number of precariously employed women requesting law-related help has increased.

Dale has rallied some extra support.

We therefore decided to work in partnership with other community agencies serving at-risk groups of women to consult women themselves, as well as their trusted community supports (including our own ancillary services), to devise outreach that can gather creative and safer ideas for intervention over time, she said.

She said women in need of safer intervention strategies include those with tenuous immigration status, women in non-unionized jobs and females working in part-time or temporary roles, and they may be fearful about repercussion of filing complaints about harassment in the workplace.

In many cases, taking a legal route to fight those battles, unfortunately, can cause more harm than good, she said. We need to find more creative ways to assist them.

Barbra Schlifer has recently dedicated much of her efforts toward legal reforms to labour, housing and criminal laws for sexual abuse survivors.

This project will build on this as well as our role as front line adviser and work with other United Way funded service providers to build support pathways for these vulnerable workers, she said.

The project envisions several phases over the three-year duration including data gathering, coalition building, a support an outreach phase  culminating with a service and system change phase.

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Daniele Zanotti, president and CEO of United Way Greater Toronto, said the $1.5 million earmarked for the program is on top of the funds already allocated in 2018 to the selected agencies.

To reduce poverty were going to need to address some of the deeper systemic barriers in a new way, Zanotti said of the driving force behind the additional help being doled out. The aim is to foster collaboration between lead agencies and other groups to work in tandem in taking on the issues.

Barbra Schlifer has now brought together groups like the Centre for Research and Education, Osgoode Law School, The Equal Pay Coalition and UNIFOR Womens Rights division, partners they have worked with on past initiatives.

It not only diversifies whos at the table, but solutions and how were going to address it, he said.

United Way raised $105 million in 2017, surpassing its largest goal ever. The money raised was then dispensed to 270 agencies  to address needs such as food insecurity, homelessness, mental health, seniors programs and domestic violence  across Toronto and Peel regions. This years campaign goal is $110 million, with final amount raised to be announced Feb. 7.
A local advocacy group is calling on the city to oppose Premier Doug Fords plan to have the province take ownership of the TTCs subways, saying the process is unnecessarily hasty.

Last week, Mayor John Tory recommended the city co-operate with the provinces request for a TTC information-sharing agreement, according to correspondence obtain by the Star. The province asked for the citys written consent to proceed with the joint discovery process by Dec. 13.

Defend Toronto, an organization founded by former mayor John Sewell to contend with the provinces proposals for the city, sent a letter to the mayor and councillors on Wednesday asking the city to reject the provinces plan and prepare to take legal action if the province makes an attempt to assume control of the subway.

I think the big thing we want from city council is to say to the province, we want to keep the subway system and we dont want you to own it, Sewell said in an interview.

In the letter, Defend Toronto asked that council adopt 10 motions to curb the provinces plan ahead of a meeting on Dec. 13 where the information-sharing agreement will be discussed. Those motions include requesting the province demonstrate how taking ownership of the subway is necessary to achieve its goals on improving the service.

There has been no public debate because we havent had the chance to do that, Sewell told the Star, noting the province has asked for a decision while the newly sworn-in council is barely up and running.

Sewell said the province should not be concerned with matters of municipal transportation. With MPPs residing far outside of Toronto, he said those members would not be able to weigh in on the citys transportation needs.

They dont have any commitment to the subway, Sewell said. If you live up in Thunder Bay, why do you want to see your tax dollars go to the Toronto subway system? You dont. So if they own it, they get to make all those decisions and they dont have a great interest in it.

Sewell said his organization has not received any responses from council members, but said Defend Toronto intends on speaking with councillors over the next few weeks.

At a press conference at city hall Friday, Tory defended his position, saying sharing information with the province should not be interpreted as going along with uploading. He argued the exercise would allow the city to better understand the provinces intentions as well as give the municipal government a voice in any final decision.

My challenge at the moment is I dont know what uploading means. And I think you have to go to the table to find that out, Tory said.

The mayor said he had spoken with the premier about the upload plan when they met at Queens Park on Thursday, and told Ford he would take a very dim view if the province unilaterally defined the terms of the upload, a move that would echo the premiers surprise move to slash the size of council.

He assured me, sitting there, one and one across the table, that would not be happening, Tory said. At the end of the day, I trust that he is not going to do anything pre-emptive on this.

And Ive already indicated very clearly my own view, which is that we shouldnt accept any deal that isnt fair and reasonable and beneficial for the transit riders, the employees and the taxpayers. And how can you possibly know whether thats the case before youve had a discussion about it, and how can you have a discussion without some information on the table?

Torys critics on council have argued the city shouldnt participate in the information-sharing exercise because it would only make it easier for the province to unilaterally take over the rail network.

It would be an unmitigated disaster, Councillor Gord Perks said in an interview. He pointed to the subways integration with the bus and streetcar system and the different priorities that Ontario would have as an owner and Toronto would have as an operator. You will have conflicts, and those conflicts will show up in worse service for the people in the city of Toronto.

Perks said he is waiting on further information from city officials before making a decision.

What do you think?

I want to see the advice from the city manager and solicitor before I decide what Im going to say, but I think we have to take a very strong position with the province of Ontario, Perks said. I have no interest in filling in forms for them every time the snap their fingers.

Transportation Minister Jeff Yurek has said the PC government intends to introduce legislation early next year that would enable the upload.
Environmentalists and critics are accusing Premier Doug Ford of breaking a promise to protect the two-million-acre Greenbelt from development with changes they say endanger wildlife and drinking water, setting Ontarios environmental protections back 40 years.

The Progressive Conservative governments proposed changes to the planning act will undermine the provinces anti-sprawl smart growth plan, the Greenbelt Act, the Great Lakes and Lake Simcoe Protection acts and the Oak Ridges Moraine Conservation Act, said Environmental Defence executive director Tim Gray.

The changes were announced Thursday as part of Bill 66, the Restoring Ontarios Competitiveness Act.

It would allow municipalities to obtain provincial approval to use a new open-for-business zoning bylaw that would bypass some of the existing development requirements. The bylaw would only be available if the municipality could prove a development would create 50 jobs for places with populations under 250,000 or 100 jobs in larger municipalities. Of eight Ontario municipalities with more than 250,000 people, five are in the Toronto region.

The aim is to have all provincial approvals in place within one year so qualifying businesses can begin construction, said an emailed statement from a spokesperson of Municipal Affairs and Housing Minister Steve Clark.

Conditions would remain on the building, material and other design elements of the employment projects but municipalities would not be required to provide advance notice of the bylaws adoption.

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The new tool is the kind of opening environmentalists have feared since Doug Ford was caught on video during the election campaign telling developers he would open up the Greenbelt if he became premier. He walked back the remarks after the video was released.

There is no longer any rational approach to land designation so all areas that weve carefully considered being worthy of protection no longer have that protection. Anyone with a property just has to convince Queens Park to give them an exemption and (thats) all it (needs) to go forward for development, Gray said.

While the bill is driven by job creation, retail and residential components can be part of the projects which qualify for the bylaws use, he said.

Oakville Mayor Rob Burton said his towns officials were still scrambling Thursday to interpret the bill, but on the face of it, it looks like the Greenbelt on a case-by-case basis is open for business.

The integrity of the Greenbelt will, in essence, be in the hands of municipalities who will have the option of apply for the open-for-business bylaw, he said.

Calling it an interesting reversal, Burton said councils that would previously be faced with a development application that was once clearly prohibited could now be persuaded to make an exception and use the bylaw to get it.

I dont think this premier will be happy until he paves paradise and puts up a parking lot, said the NDP MPP Catherine Fife (Waterloo).

Ontario Green Party Leader Mike Schreiner, the MPP for Guelph, accused the province of breaking a sacred trust.

The Greenbelt is not driving up housing prices or the cost of business. Only 20 per cent of already available lands for development have been used, he said in a press release. Paving farms and wetlands will cost the province billions in flooding from the increasing occurrence of extreme weather, Schreiner said.

Bill 66 has nothing to do with residential development, said Joe Vaccaro of the Ontario Home Builders Association.

Homebuilders have been pushing to reduce regulations that increase costs as project timelines stretch. But that side of the industry is being addressed under the provinces Housing Supply Action Plan, he said.

They made it very clear they made a commitment to protect the Greenbelt and they are going to continue to look for policies consistent with that commitment, Vaccaro said.

The industry, he said, is focused on resolving red tape and planning issues: What can we do in the city limits to create more housing supply, Vaccaro said.

With files from Robert Benzie

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The morning of Sept. 26 began just like any other for Maria Dorsey and her partner, Jack Miehm. The pair had coffee and, before he left the house to catch a TTC bus, Jack asked what they would do for dinner that night.

All that boring stuff, it seems like now, but its not boring, Dorsey recalled.

I gave him a kiss goodbye and said Ill see you later, and that was it.

Moments after he left the house to go help a friend with drywall work, Miehm, a 61-year-old semi-retired contractor, was struck by a driver as he crossed at a stoplight at St. Clair Ave. E. and Jeanette St. in the Scarborough Junction neighbourhood. He was about two minutes from his front door.

The impact was so powerful Miehm was thrown 50 metres, police later told Dorsey, and the side mirror of the van was ripped off. The driver fled the scene; a suspect was arrested two days later.

Those who knew him say Miehm, who had two children and two grandchildren, was a quiet, friendly man. At the time of his death, he had been recovering from a stroke he had about six years ago with what Dorsey described as characteristic optimism.

He said, it could be worse. That was his favourite line, she said. They say the voice is the first thing people (forget) when you lose someone, but I can still hear his laugh.

Miehm was one of 46 pedestrians or cyclists who have died in Toronto so far in 2018, a number that appears to mark a recent one-year high for the city.

According to statistics compiled by the Star using police and media reports, 41 pedestrians and five cyclists, who together are classified as vulnerable road users, have been killed on the streets so far this year.

The most recent death occurred Friday, when a woman in her 70s was found at the intersection of Finch Ave. East and Wayside Ave. in Scarborough.

The 46 deaths so far in 2018 exceeds the number of combined pedestrian and cyclist fatalities recorded in any year in a police database that goes back to 2007. The highest number in the database is 44, which the city reached in both 2013 and 2016.

The Star began keeping its own count of traffic deaths last year, in order to fill gaps in the police numbers, which dont include fatalities that occur on private property or provincially owned 400 series highways.

The Stars count for 2017 showed 41 pedestrians and four cyclists were killed that year, for a total of 45. The number of deaths in 2018 has now exceeded that total as well, with more than three weeks left in the year.

The numbers show two years after city council adopted the Vision Zero plan intended to eliminate traffic fatalities, the deaths of vulnerable road users havent slowed.

The city is spending $100 million over five years on the plan, which calls for reducing speed limits, deploying additional red light cameras, increasing signage, reconfiguring intersections, and adding traffic calming measures such as speed humps.

The victims in 2018 have ranged in age from 5 to 92 years old, although more than half were over the age of 55. At least four of the older victims were riding mobility scooters or motorized wheelchairs when they were killed.

Those who died this year include 5-year-old cancer survivor Camila Torcato, who was pinned by a vehicle outside her school in January; 21-year-old University of Toronto student Emma Leckey, who was run down by an alleged drunk driver downtown; 54-year-old Doug Crosbie, who was clipped by a truck driver while riding his bike on Dundas St. E.; and 50-year-old Isabel Soria, who was struck by an alleged hit-and-run driver while her husband was steps away.

Incidents in Scarborough have accounted for more than 46 per cent (or 19 of 41) of pedestrian deaths this year, despite the eastern borough containing just 23 per cent of the citys population and about 26 per cent of its road kilometrage.

A majority of the deaths in Scarborough occurred on or near wide, busy roads such as Ellesmere Rd., Warden Ave. and Victoria Park Ave.

Dorsey said drivers routinely sped down the section of St. Clair Ave. where Miehm was killed.

We would sit in the backyard in summer, and its like a freeway. They race down that street, and I would say to Jack, someones going to get hit, she said.

Nancy Smith Lea, director of the Toronto Centre for Active Transportation (TCAT), said the citys wide streets really facilitate high speeds.

Its absolutely tragic that people are continuing to be killed on the streets, but its unfortunately not surprising because were still designing our streets in a way that kills people, especially outside of the downtown core, Smith Lea said.

She said the road design in Scarborough and the citys other suburbs, which were planned and built decades ago, have left a challenging legacy that cant be quickly or easily addressed.

As part of Vision Zero, the city has reduced speed limits on portions of Kingston Rd., Midland Ave., Finch Ave. and other major streets, and deployed about two dozen red-light cameras in Scarborough.

But the physical changes that Smith Lea and other experts say are crucial to slow traffic and making streets safer  such as adding bike lanes and reducing pedestrian crossing distance at intersections  would take longer to install throughout Scarborough.

Theres not a really easy answer. Its going to take some time, she said. She argued a key first step is getting suburban political leaders onside with road safety initiatives.

Smith Lea complained that when a coalition of groups that included her organization sent councillors a survey about making commitments to road safety in the run-up to Octobers municipal election, just one out of seven incumbents running for re-election in Scarborough filled it out.

Councillor Gary Crawford, who represents Ward 20, Scarborough Southwest, didnt fill out the survey. But he blamed a particularly chaotic election season, and said he has heard loud and clear from voters that road safety is a priority issue.

Major roads, even residential roads out in the suburbs, Scarborough in particular, were designed for certain speeds, Crawford said.

He singled out Kingston Rd. in particular as a trouble area because its almost a major highway, but it is through residential areas.

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Crawford said in addition to lowering speeds on the street, hed like the city to consider adding on-street parking in order to slow drivers.

The councillor, who served as Mayor John Torys budget chief during this council term, said he could support accelerating and adding more funding to Vision Zero if city staff recommended it.

Every death is absolutely tragic. We need to continue doing what were doing with our Vision Zero. We need to continue the investments, and if need be through the advice of staff, further enhance these, he said.

Don Peat, a spokesperson for the mayor, said Tory firmly believes the central message of Vision Zero that fatalities and serious injuries on our roads are preventable, and we must strive to reduce traffic-related deaths and injuries to zero.

Peat said the mayor has joined with a majority of council and supported expanding Vision Zero, and receives regular updates on the implementation of road safety measures to ensure the work is being done as quickly as possible.

Tory initially supported a version of the road safety plan put forward by city staff in 2016, which set a target of reducing traffic deaths and serious injury by 20 per cent over 10 years. Under heavy criticism from safety advocates, Tory supported changing the plan to set a goal of eliminating road deaths altogether.
WASHINGTONFederal prosecutors said in a new court filing that U.S. President Donald Trumps former lawyer Michael Cohen should spend significant time in prison  saying his assistance to investigators probing the president does not outweigh his past crimes.

The filing was made Friday as Cohen prepares to be sentenced next week in two separate cases, one involving campaign finance violations and lying to a bank, and another in which he admitted to lying to Congress about efforts during the 2016 presidential campaign to get a Trump Tower built in Moscow.

Cohen had asked for a sentence of no prison time, citing his co-operation with investigators, but prosecutors for the Southern District of New York filed a memo arguing that he should serve significant time, possibly years, in prison.

He seeks extraordinary leniency  a sentence of no jail time  based principally on his rose-coloured view of the seriousness of the crimes; his claims to a sympathetic personal history; and his provision of certain information to law enforcement, prosecutors wrote in their filing. But the crimes committed by Cohen were more serious than his submission allows and were marked by a pattern of deception that permeated his professional life.

A Russian national who claimed ties to the Kremlin told Cohen, as early as November 2015 that he could use his Russian government ties to help both Trumps business and political prospects.

The new Russia contact was revealed Friday by special counsel Robert Mueller III, as he outlined co-operation Cohen has provided the investigation into Russian interference in the 2016 election.

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The new interaction between a top Trump lieutenant and a Russian citizen who claimed government ties is the latest of dozens of similar interactions that have emerged since the November 2016 election. Days after Trumps victory, his spokeswoman Hope Hicks asserted that there had been no contacts of any kind of Trump associates and Russia.

The new information about Cohen is particularly significant because it came in the campaigns early months and because prosecutors said the Russian national claimed to have interest in helping Trumps campaign, as well as his business.

Prosecutors wrote that around November 2015, Cohen received the contact information for, and spoke with, a Russian national who claimed to be a trusted person in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign political synergy and synergy on a government level.

They said Cohen told prosecutors that the Russian repeatedly suggested arranging a meeting between Russian President Vladimir Putin and Trump, in part as a way of helping Cohen advance plans to build a Trump real estate project in Moscow.

The person told Cohen that such a meeting could have a phenomenal impact not only in political but in a business dimension as well, referring to the Moscow Project, because there is no bigger warranty in any project than consent of [the President of Russia], prosecutors wrote.

By the time Cohen made contact with the Russian, he had already begun work on a Trump Tower project in partnership with Felix Sater, a Russian-born Trump business partner. Cohen has pleaded guilty to lying to Congress about details of that project, including a phone call he arranged with a Kremlin official in January 2016 to discuss the project.

Sater, too, had suggested arranging a meeting with Putin and Cohen told prosecutors he did not pursue the Russians offer because he decided to work with Sater instead.

The new information underscores both the frequency of offers of support that were extended from Russia to Trumps top aides during the campaign  and the eagerness with which some of his closest advisers greeted those entrees.

Prosecutors wrote that Cohen had been an early advocate of a meeting between candidate Trump and Putin. In a September 2015 radio interview, Cohen had suggested that Trump meet with the Russian president while he was in New York to attend the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Prosecutors said that Cohen later claimed the comments were spur of the moment, but he has admitted in recent weeks that he conferred with Trump about reaching out to the Russian government.

The fall 2015 contact came at an important time in the campaign. As Trumps candidacy was starting to heat up, Putin appeared to grow more interested in his effort. On Dec. 17, 2015, Putin attracted notice by offering words of praise for the celebrity mogul, calling him colourful and talented and the absolute leader of the presidential race. Trump returned the compliment the next day calling Putin a leader, unlike what we have in this country.

Muellers filing came in advance of Cohens Dec. 12 sentencing for various crimes, including lying to Congress about his Russia contacts. Prosecutors in New York said Cohen should receive substantial jail time, in part because they said he has provided only grudging co-operation to their investigations, which are separate from the Mueller probe.

In a separate filing, however, Mueller said Cohen has gone to significant lengths to aide the investigation of Russian involvement in the 2016 election.

They said his information had helped explain his own contacts with Russian interests, as well as information related to what they termed certain discrete Russia-related matters core to the investigation that he learned through regular contact with executives of Trumps business. They said he was also able to provide information about contacts with White House officials after Trump took office and the circumstances that surrounded the preparation of his false testimony to Congress.

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BEIJINGThe arrest of one of Chinas leading tech executives by Canadian police for extradition to the United States has unleashed a combustible torrent of outrage and alarm among affluent and influential Chinese, posing a delicate political test for President Xi Jinping and his grip on the loyalty of the nations elite.

The outpouring of conflicting sentiments  some Chinese have demanded a boycott of U.S. products while others have expressed anxiety about their investments in the United States  underscores the unusual, politically charged nature of the Trump administrations latest move to counter Chinas drive for technological superiority.

Unlike a new round of tariffs or more tough rhetoric from U.S. officials, the detention of Meng Wanzhou, chief financial officer of the Chinese telecom giant Huawei, appears to have driven home the intensifying rivalry between the United States and China in a visceral way for the Chinese establishment  and may force Xi to adopt a tougher stance against Washington, analysts said.

In part, that is because Meng, 46, is so embedded in that establishment herself.

She is one of Chinas most prominent businesswomen  well-travelled, fluent in English, the heir apparent to a global technology firm that is a source of pride for both ordinary Chinese and the ruling Communist Party. She is also the daughter of the companys legendary founder, Ren Zhengfei, who built the company after a stint in the Peoples Liberation Army. That makes her corporate royalty in China  the equivalent of someone like Sheryl Sandberg, if Sandberg were also the daughter of an American tech pioneer such as Steve Jobs.

Now Meng is in police custody, after being detained during an airport layover in Vancouver on Saturday, and the outcry has put the Chinese leadership on the spot. Xi faces competing pressures  to show strength, perhaps by retaliating against the United States, but also to limit the cost of rising tensions and the trade war with Washington on Chinas ruling class.

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Her arrest will have phenomenal repercussions in China, said Tao Jingzhou, a corporate lawyer in Beijing.

The wealthy have already been worried for a long time about their safety and their wealth in America, he added. If the U.S. is going to pursue corruption and extraterritorial laws, that will increase.

Though Xis status as Chinas paramount leader is unchallenged, his management of the economy and relations with the United States had come under criticism before Mengs arrest, with some blaming him as pushing overly ambitious policies that aggravated the Trump administration and provoked the trade war.

And the timing of Mengs detention may mean more pressure on Xi. It occurred as he and Trump were discussing a truce in the trade war over dinner in Buenos Aires, Argentina. Aides said Trump was unaware of the arrest at the time, but some Chinese are already saying the U.S. sides failure to raise it at the summit amounted to a loss of face for Xi, and perhaps a deliberate attempt by hawks in Washington to embarrass China.

Others said Mengs arrest would embolden those who have long suspected that the United States is determined to block Chinas rise. This will just confirm everyones worst suspicions about the U.S., said one retired businesswoman with family ties to the party leadership, speaking on condition of anonymity.

Deng Yuwen, a political analyst in Beijing, said conservative forces in the Chinese government and society could use Mengs arrest to resist concessions as trade talks unfold in the next few months.

If the U.S. makes an example of Huawei, the conservative nationalist forces in China and also the military will be very unhappy, and that will make it even more difficult to make compromises with the United States, he said.

In the short term, the United States might gain from playing this card, but in the longer term, it doesnt gain from this, Deng added. This will make it harder for the reformers to speak up.

Xi has not publicly commented on Mengs detention, but the Chinese Foreign Ministry has objected forcefully and demanded her release. A spokesman, Geng Shuang, said Washington needed to explain why Meng was being held and accused Canada and the United States of violating her rights.

The Justice Department is investigating Huawei for possible violations of sanctions against Iran but it has not disclosed any details or said anything about the charges against Meng. Canadian authorities have also been silent, citing a request from Meng for a gag order to protect her right to a fair trial.

In the absence of facts, Chinese social media has lit up with commentary on American wickedness. Many users have maintained that Meng has essentially been abducted by the United States, and argued that Chinese are no longer safe anywhere. Others have accused the United States of overreach, asking why Huaweis activities in Iran should be subject to U.S. laws.

In one widely distributed video, an investment consultant named Chen Shouhua drops an iPhone on the floor and smashes it with a hammer. He calls for a nationwide boycott of Apple products in an accompanying article.

During the Sino-U. S. trade war, lets not buy any American products and lets not travel to the United States, wrote another internet user.

The backlash against the United States can be traced in part to national pride in Huawei, which is seen in China as a homegrown corporate success story  a local firm that has bested foreign rivals to become one of the worlds dominant manufacturers of telecom hardware and other cutting-edge technology. Based in the southern city of Shenzhen, it employs about 180,000 people around the world, and Huawei phones are the most prized possessions of tens of millions of Chinese, far outselling the iPhone in China.

While foreigners may be interested in whether Meng was travelling on a Chinese passport, for the Chinese public, it doesnt matter. We know she is the daughter of Ren Zhengfei. That is enough, said Yu Yongding, a prominent economist at the Chinese Academy of Social Sciences. This is Chinas best company.

Wu Xinbo, a professor of international studies at Fudan University, said many Chinese will see Mengs arrest as part of an attempt by the United States to force China to continue manufacturing low-end consumer goods and prevent it from moving up to produce more advanced and valuable products.

People in China are aware that Washington considers Huawei to be an arm of Chinese intelligence and has cited security risks in urging allies around the world to avoid its equipment. But they think that is unproven and unfair.

Its not necessary to kill Huawei, said Cheng Xiaohe, professor of international relations at Renmin University. To kill Huawei is like killing Boeing.

One young entrepreneur, speaking on condition of anonymity, said Washington did not seem to understand that going after Huawei would be seen as an insult by many Chinese. But he indicated that many in the Chinese elite were worried about the deteriorating relationship between China and the United States.

After Mengs arrest, he said, his friends joked that they would no longer be able to send their children to American boarding schools and would have to invest in the Chinese education system instead.

Chinas state-controlled news media has exercised restraint since the start of the trade war, refraining from a full-throated campaign of anti-American propaganda. But there has been an uptick of such rhetoric since Mengs arrest.

Hu Xijin, editor of The Global Times, one of the nations most nationalistic outlets, wrote that the arrest amounted to a declaration of war against China.

We call on the Chinese government and society to offer moral support to Huawei, and Chinese diplomats to offer timely assistance to Meng, the newspaper wrote in an editorial. We also support Huawei in its legal battle with the U.S. to prove its innocence and thwart Americas plot to throw the company off track.

Wang Xiaodong, a Communist Youth League researcher and prominent nationalist writer, suggested the government go further and retaliate by detaining Americans.

They can make up a criminal charge to arrest Ren Zhengfeis daughter, he wrote in a social media post, referring to Huaweis founder. Why cant we make up some criminal charges so we can arrest all Americans in China?

While Wang is known for his heated rhetoric, experts said a similar kind of retaliation was not out of the question.

If I was a U.S. tech executive, said James A. Lewis, director of the technology program at the Center for Strategic and International Studies, I wouldnt go to China for a while.

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Three years after nearly 200 countries signed a landmark climate agreement in Paris, they are still far off-track from preventing severe global warming in the decades ahead. This month, diplomats from around the world are gathering in Katowice, Poland, to discuss stepping up their efforts.

Its an enormous challenge. Under the Paris deal, every nation volunteered a plan to curtail its greenhouse gas emissions between then and 2030. But many large emitters arent even on track to meet their self-imposed targets, according to new data from Climate Action Tracker.

Whats more, even if every country did manage to fulfil its individual pledge, the world would still be on pace to heat up well in excess of 2 degrees Celsius (3.6 degrees Fahrenheit) over pre-industrial levels, the threshold that world leaders vowed to stay well below in Paris because they deemed it unacceptably risky.

Right now, current pledges put the world on pace for around 3 degrees Celsius of warming. To reach the broader Paris goals, countries would have to dramatically accelerate the transition toward clean energy over the next 12 years. But, with global emissions on pace to rise sharply this year, time is running short.

It is plain we are way off course, said Antonio Guterres, the secretary general of the United Nations, in a speech in Katowice this week. We are still not doing enough, nor moving fast enough, to prevent irreversible and catastrophic climate disruption.

United States: falling short of its pledge

Under the Paris Agreement, former president Barack Obama pledged to slash United States emissions 26 to 28 per cent below 2005 levels by 2025. That was already a tough task: While pollution from the countrys power plants is falling rapidly as utilities retire coal plants in favour of cleaner natural gas and renewables, sectors like transportation and heavy industry have proven harder to clean up.

Read more:

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Ottawa rejects Ontarios request for federal climate change cash

But U.S. President Trump has disavowed the Paris agreement altogether and is now moving to dismantle Obama-era climate regulations like efficiency standards for cars and light trucks. And while some states, including New York and California, are pursuing their own policies on renewable energy and electric vehicles, they may not prove sufficient to close the gap.

For now, analysts say the United States will fall well short of its Paris pledge. That, in turn, could make it harder for future administrations to pursue the even deeper emissions cuts by midcentury that are needed to help keep the world well below 2 degrees of global warming.

European Union: debating new targets

Although the European Union is currently on pace to fall slightly short of its promise to cut emissions 40 per cent by 2030, compared with 1990 levels, that may soon change.

In June, European officials agreed on more ambitious new measures for renewable power and energy efficiency which, if implemented, would help the union meet its overall emissions targets, according to Climate Action Tracker. And officials are now debating whether to revise their 2030 pledge and pursue even deeper emissions cuts.

Still, there are plenty of obstacles: While countries like Britain and the Netherlands have vowed to phase out the use of coal power, Poland is currently building new coal plants. And the Continent as a whole has been slower to curb pollution from cars and trucks.

China: existing pledge is highly insufficient

Experts say China submitted a Paris pledge that was relatively easy to meet: overall emissions would peak around 2030 and the country would get 20 per cent of its energy from nonfossil sources.

The country appears to be on track to hit that target. Analysts now expect Chinas once-insatiable demand for coal to level off by the mid-2020s, and the government is investing heavily in cleaner sources like solar, wind and nuclear. China also now sells more electric cars and buses than the rest of the world combined.

But the analysts at Climate Action Tracker rated Chinas existing pledge as highly insufficient and suggested that the country would have to step up its efforts considerably to help keep the world well below 2 degrees of warming. The countrys coal emissions, for instance, would most likely need to decline significantly by 2030 rather than simply flatten out.

India: making progress

India, which has long held that wealthier countries should take the lead on cutting emissions, has a less restrictive Paris pledge than Europe or the United States.

The country vowed to install more clean energy and improve its carbon intensity, the amount of carbon dioxide emitted per unit of gross domestic product, while still allowing total emissions to rise through 2030. Indias emissions per person emissions would most likely still be lower than Americas or Chinas.

Based on recent trends, it now looks plausible that India could surpass those goals as the falling cost of solar power and shifting market conditions have allowed the country to scale back plans for new coal plants. But the countrys emissions trajectory remains uncertain and the Indian government has asked for financial assistance from other countries to help ratchet up its climate efforts.

Brazil and Indonesia: forests threatened

Brazil and Indonesia are the worlds seventh- and eighth-largest emitters of greenhouse gases, in large part because farmers in those countries continue to burn and clear away carbon-rich rain forests and peatlands for agriculture.

The two countries had vowed to better protect their forests as part of their Paris pledges, but both are now struggling to do so. In Brazil, deforestation rates have increased since 2012 after years of decline. And President-elect Jair Bolsanaro, who takes office in January, has vowed to roll back safeguards in the Amazon rain forest in order to promote ranching and logging.

Indonesia has struggled to constrain the palm oil and paper plantations that are encroaching on its forests and peatlands. And the government has announced plans to double coal-fired power by 2025, which would further increase emissions.

What happens next

Negotiators are meeting in Katowice now to discuss guidelinesfor making national pledges and policies more detailed and transparent, so that outsiders can gauge individual countries progress (or lack thereof) more precisely.

Many of the Paris pledges remain fairly opaque, and nations are often vague on what specific policies they will take to meet them. There is still no official mechanism for quantifying progress. As a result, groups like Climate Action Tracker have had to make rough estimates as to whether countries are on pace to meet their pledges and how much further each country would need to go for the world to stay well below 2 degrees of global warming.

Increasing the transparency of pledges could make it easier for countries to pressure each other do more, but, ultimately, it will be up to national and local governments to decide to take stronger action. World leaders have informally agreed to consider strengthening their existing pledges before another round of talks in 2020, but it is still unclear how much they intend to do.

The Katowice talks will be in many ways the opening bell on that sprint toward 2020, said Nathan Hultman, director of the Center for Global Sustainability at the University of Maryland and a senior fellow at the Brookings Institution.

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SEOULSouth Korean President Moon Jae-in rode to power last year on a wave of anger over corruption and collusion between the nations political elite and the huge family-run conglomerates that dominate the economy.

A candlelight revolution that brought hundreds of thousands of people onto the streets led to the impeachment of Moons predecessor, Park Geun-hye  and, ultimately, her imprisonment.

In January 2017, as he prepared to run for president, Moon called for the removal of the deep-rooted evil of the conglomerates, or chaebols, to create a fairer economy.

Now, 18 months into his term, Moon still talks of democratizing the economy, but his anger at plutocrats appears to have dissipated. Instead of challenging the powerful chaebols  which include global brands such as Samsung, LG and Hyundai  Moon talks of boosting their international competitiveness.

The change has been driven by some factors outside of his control: an aging population, a shrinking workforce and relentless competition from China.

However, its also clear that South Koreas megacompanies have become key partners in his outreach to North Korea.

Read more:

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That impression was reinforced when South Koreas president brought bosses from the four largest chaebols to Pyongyang in September as part of a large business delegation, effectively enlisting them in his attempt to dangle the carrot of economic development in front of North Korean leader Kim Jong Un.

Its created something of split image for Moon.

His openings to North Korea won him broad praise. But as his zeal to reform the economy wanes, so does his popularity.

In April, when he met Kim for a historic summit on their shared border, Moons approval rating stood at 77.4 per cent, according to a poll by Realmeter. In late November, it stood at 48.8 per cent, the lowest since he took office.

The reason, pollsters say, is largely the economy  with a dash of disappointment that U.S.-led nuclear talks with the North appear to have stalled.

South Korea, once one of Asias fiercest tiger economies, has lost its roar. The economy is growing by about 2.5 per cent annually, and unemployment has risen to 3.9 per cent.

Yet, even when Moon tried to shape a fairer economy, it appeared only to breed disappointment from business and labour alike.

A 16 per cent increase in the minimum wage and a cap on the workweek at 52 hours  down from 68  dismayed owners of the nations myriad small and medium-sized enterprises. Many of these companies supply parts and components to the big conglomerates and account for 90 per cent of jobs in the country.

They feared their already thin margins would be cut to a breaking point by the rise in wages.

Unions are equally angry. Moon betrayed a promise for a larger hike in the minimum wage, they say. Labor leaders also view a move to introduce flexibility on the cap for working hours as a license to exploit workers.

On Nov. 21, the Korean Confederation of Trade Unions brought more than 150,000 workers out for a one-day strike. The unions accused the Moon administration of joining forces with chaebols to backtrack on pro-labor policies.

It is hard to escape the feeling that Moons mind is elsewhere, his energy and enthusiasm more devoted to his quest to make peace with North Korea than on reforming the economy in the South, critics say.

If so, that could backfire.

Eun Hee Woo, an affiliated researcher with the Graduate School of East Asian Studies at Freie Universitat Berlin, argues that Moons declining popularity could undermine his support from within his own party. That, in turn, could undermine his efforts to make peace with North Korea.

In other words, unless Moon manages to dispel his reputation as weak on the economy, the positive developments we have seen between the two Koreas under his presidency may come to an abrupt end, she wrote for the East Asia Forum.

In fact, there may be a more fundamental reason for Moons reluctance to move decisively against the chaebols, argues Park Sangin, a professor at Seoul National Universitys Graduate School of Public Administration.

The chaebols are simply too powerful with their influence spreading deeply into parliament, the judiciary, the media and academia, he said. Challenging the chaebols risks the possibility of sabotage against Moons leadership, Park added.

This year, the two previous South Korean presidents, Park Geun-hye and Lee Myung-bak were sentenced to 25 and 15 years, respectively, for corruption. But Samsungs Lee Jae-yong was freed after just a year in detention, while Shin Dong-bin of retail giant Lotte served just eight months in jail on similar charges.

Professor Park says this shows where the real power lies.

Thats why its difficult in Korea to make any fundamental change  even after the candlelight civil protests, even after the president took the power proclaiming himself as a kind of reformist, he said.

The chaebols were the heart of the tiger economys strength in previous decades, helping to provide the resources that allowed smaller suppliers to grow, and directing the export-focused strategy of catch-up by imitation of Japan.

Today, experts say, they stifle the innovation South Koreas economy desperately needs.

The economy is blocked by chaebols, and there is no opportunity for innovation, no incentive for innovation, Park said. Without fundamental structural change, the Korean economy has no future.

The man who personified the hopes for reform is Kim Sang-jo, an anti-chaebol activist brought in to head the regulatory Korea Fair Trade Commission. Kim was nicknamed the chaebol sniper and was violently dragged out of a Samsung shareholders meeting in 2004 after asking about bribes paid to politicians.

In government, Kim is less outspoken. He now says the chaebols are the core of our nations competitive power. Rather than break them up, he wants to create incentives for voluntary behavioural change by amending competition law and launching investigations into cases where chaebols are suspected of breaking existing laws.

The Moon government came following the candlelight revolution he said. My job is to finish the revolution by evolution.

The Washington Posts Min Joo Kim contributed to this report.

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Tory MPP Amanda Simard breaks ranks over French-language cuts, Nov. 22

I tip my hat to the 13,000 or so francophones in the province of Ontario who peacefully protested at MPPs offices across Ontario on Dec. 1.

In the Temiskaming region, which is 25 per cent French speaking, my francophone friends showed their joie de vivre by dancing and singing together in defiance of Premier Doug Fords decision to axe the French language university planned for southern Ontario and the abolishment of the French language services commissioner position.

It is repulsive that saving money and reducing the provincial deficit has been placed on the backs of francophones.

I thought it was hypocritical of Ford to send his best wishes to the provinces Jewish community on the occasion of Hannukah, while trampling another minoritys rights.

In a way, it was good that Ford poked the francophone bear because no one minority is safe in this province. I am reminded of the Martin Luther Jr. quote, An injustice anywhere is an injustice everywhere.

The French language schools are bursting with students, yet kids will be denied a university education in their language, for shame. So much for inclusion in Ontario.

Sue Nielsen, Cobalt, Ont.

Defectors damage democracy and their careers, Sears, Dec. 2

By failing to prop up the male-dominated notion of political tribalism, MPP Amanda Simard may be helping bring to life a new way of doing politics that, contrary to Mr. Sears view, does not harm democracy, but strengthens it.

Perhaps we desperately need new rules for a new day, which include collaboration among party leaders and MPPs who actively represent the people who elected them.

Simard has followed the needs and wishes of her constituents (who voted directly for her and not for Mr. Ford), as well as her own sense of integrity. To have a leader who did not even consult with her prior to this important decision speaks volumes about the mentality and ethos of this particular political tribe.

Such leadership is out of date. The more women who run and lead with integrity, the more likely it is to disappear, along with the political tribalism that looks after its own.

Anne Simmond, Toronto

Lillian Shery, Toronto

Since when did accepting bullying become a prerequisite for serving our province? Simard should cross to the Liberals and bolster their numbers as Ford tries to eliminate the party, and encourage other MPPs to vote their conscience as well.

Ernie Ilson, Mississauga

They should not be allowed to change to another party or even sit as an independent. This is not what the voters wanted.

If the politicians feel they still have the confidence of the voters, then they can run in a by-election, either as an independent or as a member of a new party.

David Pelletier, Toronto

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WOOD RIVER  The mid-December hearing on Madison Countys 911 consolidation plan has again been delayed, this time at the request of the Illinois State Police.

Interim Director Dana Burris said she was informed that because there has been no ruling on some pending motions in the case, the Illinois State Police requested the hearing be moved back.

The hearings had been set for Dec. 11-13 in Springfield.

The new date has not been set, but is expected to be in January or February, according to Burris. Depending on the outcome, there is also an expectation of additional legal wrangling after that.

The original hearing was to take place during a single day in late May, but has been reset numerous times because of legal wrangling, most notably between Madison County 911 and St. Clair County 9-1-1, which objected to the Madison County plan.

Madison County was to have implemented its 911 consolidation plan by Aug. 1, but delays in holding the administrative review hearing in Springfield have caused it to miss that deadline.

St. Clair County has challenged the legality of Madison Countys 911 plan, which calls for reducing 911 call centers, called pubic service answering points, to eight from 16. St. Clair County went to a single call center.

Madison County 911 had filed a suit in Edwardsville seeking a determination that St. Clair County has no legal standing in the state hearing. Madison County Circuit Judge David Dugan recently ruled that until the administrative hearing, the local courts do not have jurisdiction.

More recently St. Clair County 9-1-1 filed a motion with the administrative law judge to limit the number of witnesses Madison County can call.

The delay has also stymied Madison County 911s attempts to negotiate a new long-term contract with AT&T. The contract cannot move forward until the plan is completed.

Reach reporter Scott Cousins at 618-208-6447.
EDWARDSVILLE  A Godfrey man in the Madison County Jail awaiting trial on a charge related to terrorism has once again been charged with aggravated battery.

Keaun Cook, 21, of the 1300 block of Sir Galahad Drive, Godfrey, was accused of spitting on a deputy Dec. 1 while confined to the jail. Bail was set at $50,000.

On Dec. 4, the court ordered a pretrial risk assessment, which was deemed incomplete because of Cooks behavior. Defendant refused to get up to be interviewed for the assessment; therefore, the assessment score is incomplete. Defendant has an extensive juvenile criminal history, the risk assessment document stated.

He was charged in June for allegedly punching a county deputy while in the Madison County Jail, awaiting trial on charges of material support for terrorism and making a terrorist threat.

Cook had previously been ordered to the custody of the Illinois Department of Health and Human Services to determine his fitness to stand trial.

Associate Judge Phil Alfeld in April ordered Cook to be evaluated a second time because his attorney, Jeff Weishaupt of East Alton, claimed in a petition that he had attempted to communicate with Cook several times, but Cook refuses to communicate.

Cook has been found fit to stand trial, but his past behavior in the Madison County Jail and in court has led authorities to be concerned about his mental health.

Based upon the personal observations of jail personnel and of the court of the defendant in open court, there are reasonable grounds to believe that the defendant is 18 years of age or older, is subject to involuntary admission on an inpatient basis and in need of immediate hospitalization to protect the defendant or others from physical harm, Alfeld wrote in April.

His grandmother, Debra D. Thomas, said Cook was not provided treatment for a mental illness. She said he has battled mental illness and requires treatment.

Reach reporter Sanford Schmidt at 618-208-6449.
EDWARDSVILLE  Santa Claus stopped by the Southern Illinois University Edwardsvilles Goshen Lounge Thursday, Dec. 6 to hear Christmas wishes, bring holiday cheer and take selfies with students, faculty and staff.

The SIUE Black Faculty and Staff Association (BFSA) hosted Santas visit. SIUEs personal contact with the North Pole was Dominic Dorsey II, director of Accessible Campus Community and Equitable Student Support (ACCESS).

I want a black dump truck, 4-year-old Charles Johnson told Santa. Charles is the son of junior Tyrone Johnson, who is majoring in exercise science.

It was a surprise to see Santa at SIUE, said Johnson, but then Santa goes everywhere.

This can be a stressful time for us all with it being the end of the semester and final exams approaching. Having an African-American Santa visit us today brought holiday cheer along with a demonstration of our commitment to diversity, said Lakesha Butler, PharmD, BFSA president, and clinical professor in the School of Pharmacy. It especially warmed my heart to hear several students say this was their first encounter with a Black Santa.

I thought it was fun. It was a creative way for us students to interact with faculty and staff, said LaShata Grayson, graduate student majoring in College Student Personnel Administration. This is also a good way for SIUE to further show we are family oriented. Also, as an African American student, I appreciated having a Black Santa. It shows diversity, equity and inclusion.

Throughout Santas visit, helpers passed out cookies, hot chocolate and study final tips that included:

 Prioritize your study time

 Stay well-rested

 Pace yourself
The week of Dec. 3-7 as seen through the lens of Telegraph photojournalist John Badman.
Touched by the compassion of the nurses who tended to her...
Narendra Modis tweet team would have struggled to compose a condolence message over the death of George Bush Sr. George H.W. Bush was passionate about strong relations between India and USA, they tweeted finally. His presence will be sorely missed. Prim and perfunctory. Hardly passionate.

Blame them not. There wasnt much for any Indian to say anything about the elder Bush. He was neither our foe like Richard Nixon, nor our friend like Bill Clinton or George Bush Jr. He had dropped in Delhi once as Ron Reagans veep, and had to spend his four days sorting out the abduction of an American couple in Sri Lanka by Tamil militants. Indira Gandhi got them alive, and he was grateful.

George H.W. Bush | AFP

As president, he did not bother India, nor did he bother about India. In his memoirs co-authored with Brent Scowcroft, India figures only oncein a remark from Mikhail Gorbachev. He used to say those sweet nothingsIndia and Pakistan should improve ties, live in peace, blah, blah, blahthe kind of goody-goody statements that diplomats have coined as protocol pastimes.

India was plagued by political chaos and economic bankruptcy during his presidency. During those four years in the White House, we had four PMs in 7 Race Course Road, and we were staying alive by pawning our reserve gold in the Bank of England.

Bushs splendid indifference helped us. It gave us the time and confidence to sort out our problems on our own. By the time he had sorted out the Middle East, ended the Cold War, and taken charge of the unipolar world, we had learnt to live without socialist ideas or Soviet aid.

Like Winston Churchill, Bush won a war, but lost the next polls. The likeness ends there. Churchill was flamboyant, exuberant and had a vision about everything. Bush was quiet, restrained and was at a loss about that thing called vision.

Perhaps he did have a vision, but didnt know how to put it in poetic prose. Look at his conduct during his finest hour. After liberating Kuwait from Saddam Hussein, he could have sent his tanks racing into Iraq, and effected a regime change in Baghdad. He didnt. He had drawn a line in the sand, and he would respect it, as would others. He knew where to end the victory run, a rare quality seen among war heroes.

Perhaps he was restrained by history. Three quarters of a century earlier, a British commander from India had landed at Basra with a limited war aim, but was tempted by Arabian nightly dreams about Baghdad. That adventure ended in the messiest mespot that the British Empire had ever got into, and the horrible slaughter of thousands of Indian troops. The India Gate in Delhi stands as a testimony to that tragedy.

Baghdad was tempting; Bush knew to resist it. But his brat of a son made the mistake that he had avoided. Two presidential terms later, the younger Bush sent thousands of Connecticut Yankees into Haroun al Rashids court, effected a regime change, and left the Middle East more chaotic than it ever was since the Crusades.

Tailpiece: Bushs self-restraint was evident early into the Reagan regime. He was in Texas when Reagan was shot and wounded in Washington. When Bushs plane landed in Washington, his aides advised him to take a helicopter to the White House to show the world that everything, including the nuclear button, was under control. Bush rejected the idea, saying, Only the President lands on the South Lawn.

That was in contrast with how Secretary of State Alexander Haig had behaved. As the President was being carried to hospital, Haig declared: I am in control here.

A year later he lost the job.

prasannan@theweek.in
India will retain its position as the world's top recipient of remittances this year with its diaspora sending a whopping $80 billion back home, the World Bank said in a report on Saturday.

India is followed by China ($67 billion), Mexico and the Philippines ($34 billion each) and Egypt ($26 billion), according to the global lender.

With this, India has retained its top spot on remittances, according to the latest edition of the World Bank's Migration and Development Brief.

The World Bank estimates that officially-recorded remittances to developing countries will increase by 10.8 per cent to reach $528 billion in 2018. This new record level follows a robust growth of 7.8 per cent in 2017.

Global remittances, which include flows to high-income countries, are projected to grow by 10.3 per cent to $689 billion, it said.

Over the last three years, India has registered a significant flow of remittances from $62.7 billion in 2016 to $65.3 billion 2017. In 2017, remittances constituted 2.7 per cent of India's GDP, it said.

The World Bank said remittances to South Asia are projected to increase by 13.5 per cent to $132 billion in 2018, a stronger pace than the 5.7 per cent growth seen in 2017.

The upsurge is driven by stronger economic conditions in advanced economies, particularly the US, and the increase in oil prices is having a positive impact on outflows from some GCC countries such as the UAE which reported a 13 per cent growth in outflows for the first half of 2018.

Bangladesh and Pakistan both experienced strong up-ticks of 17.9 per cent and 6.2 per cent in 2018, respectively, the World Bank said.

For 2019, it is projected that remittances growth for the region will slow to 4.3 per cent due to a moderation of growth in advanced economies, lower migration to the GCC states and the benefits from the oil price spurt dissipating.

The GCC is a regional inter-governmental political and economic bloc of Bahrain, Kuwait, Oman, Qatar, Saudi Arabia and the UAE.

As global growth is projected to moderate, future remittances to low- and middle-income countries are expected to grow moderately by four per cent to reach $549 billion in 2019. Global remittances are expected to grow 3.7 per cent to $715 billion in 2019.

The World Bank Brief notes that the global average cost of sending $200 remains high at 6.9 per cent in the third quarter of 2018. Reducing remittance fees to three per cent by 2030 is a global target under Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 10.7.

Increasing the volume of remittances is also a global goal under the proposals for raising financing for the SDGs, it said.

"Even with technological advances, remittances fees remain too high, double the SDG target of 3 per cent. Opening up markets to competition and promoting the use of low-cost technologies will ease the burden on poorer customers," said Mahmoud Mohieldin, senior vice president for the 2030 Development Agenda, United Nations Relations, and Partnerships at the World Bank.

The average cost of remitting in South Asia was the lowest at 5.4 per cent, while Sub-Saharan Africa continued to have the highest at 9 per cent.

No solutions are yet in sight for practices that drive up costs, such as de-risking action of banks, which lead to closure of bank accounts of remittance service providers.

Another persistent factor that keeps fees high is the exclusive partnership between national post office systems and any single money transfer operator, as it allows the operator to charge higher fees to poorer customers dependent on post offices, the World Bank said.

"The future growth of remittances is vulnerable to lower oil prices, restrictive migration policies, and an overall moderation of economic growth.

"Remittances have a direct impact on alleviating poverty for many households, and the World Bank is well positioned to work with countries to facilitate remittance flows," said Michal Rutkowski, Senior Director of the Social Protection and Jobs Global Practice at the World Bank.
For Malayalam director Shrikumar Menon, his film Odiyan, starring Mohanlal, symbolises many firsts. With Odiyan, Menon, popular for helming advertisements for some leading brands, makes his debut as a feature film director. Odiyan is also setting new trends in the film marketing sphere in Mollywood, Menon tells THE WEEK.

It is not everyday a Malayalam film gets fan release shows in countries across the world; the first of its kind in Poland and Japan. Set for a December 14 worldwide release, the highly-anticipated film will be released in over 3,000 screensanother first for a Malayalam film.

The film revolves around the centuries-old myth of the Odiyan clan, popular in northern Kerala. It is believed Odiyans were shape-shifters who had the power to transform into the shape of animals in split seconds, and scare people to death literally. The kings of darkness, Odiyans, moved around at night. When, however, electricity brightened the nights in the remote hamlets, it is said to have driven Odiyans to 'extinction'. In a non-linear narrative, Odiyan, which spans over a period of 50 years in the pre and post-electricity era, follows the life and times of the last OdiyanManikyanessayed by Mohanlal. The high-budget film also features Manju Warrier and Prakash Raj in key roles. Shot extensively in Palakkad district of Kerala, Odiyan also captures the mood of Varanasi in scenes that feature the aged Mohanlal.

It is Odiyan's roots in these local myths that made Menon and his team promote their protagonist as India's 'desi superhero'. The idea of branding comes naturally to Menon who spent most of his career in the advertising industry. From merchandising, to launching life-sized Odiyan statues in cities across the state, to conducting social media contests for fans where they carved Odiyan into objects as small as a piece of chalk, releasing a prelude children's comic book on Odiyan tales, launching a mobile app and game, to attempting three Guinness Book recordsit has been an eventful ride for the team.

We have seen such promotions and merchandise sales for Marvel films, or maybe a Rajinikanth film here in the South. But Mollywood has not tapped into that potential, and we hope to be the trendsetter, he says. "With same day release in other languages like Tamil and Telugu, this will be first crossover cinema for Malayalam."

Menon is clearly a fan of Mohanlal, and is in awe of the actor's ability to completely transform into the character. The first scene they shot was at the ghats of Varanasi, he recalls his first day behind the camera. Describing it, the 'fanboy' filmmaker says: It was a scene in which Mohanlal emerges from the Ganges, turns around and looks straight into the camera. The transformation was otherwordly. When he looked into the camera, I bowed and folded my hands. It was as if a spirit had taken over the veteran actor, he saysone that stayed along throughout the film's journey. This is probably the most challenging role of his career, both physically and emotionally, he says. Mohanlal's weight loss and immense physical makeover to portray the younger Manikyan had garnered widespread attention.

With a blend of mystical elements, diverse emotions, layered characters and Peter Hein-choreographed action sequences, Odiyan cannot be labelled black or white, Menon says. It is grey; there is no conventional good versus badit is a raw portrayal of humans as they are. "It is an emotional drama."

Scripted by National Award winner K. Hari Krishnan, Odiyan features background score by Sam C.S and songs by M. Jayachandran. The VFX of the film was handled by Bollywood actor Ajay Devgn's NY VFXWAALA.
The 8th edition of Delhi Comic Con returned with a bang, as it once again brought together the universes of comics, movies, anime, television and gaming for fans of pop-culture.

The event at the NSIC Grounds in Okhla here opened on Friday with a special session by Vladimir Furdik, who plays the Night King in the popular American television series Game of Thrones. The actor interacted with the fans as he shared his thrilling experiences as a stuntman and about his role as the menacing leader of the army of the dead.

"I feel elated to be part of this event where everyone is eagerly warm and nice! I had a wonderful time on my last visit to India and was looking forward to meeting my fans and trying the delicious food again. Needless to say, this beautiful country never disappoints," Furdik said. The event also saw the launch of a book titled 'Rhyme Fighters' by Indian comic creator Abhijeet Kini.

The book is a series of cartoons, comics and rhymes dedicated to the unsung heroes everyone comes across on the streets and in their homes every day. Kini also launched two of his other comics Sanskarshala and The Dabbawala.

"When we started out with Comic Con, we had not expected it to reach such a remarkable stature in such a short time," Jatin Varma, founder, Comic Con India, said. As is the tradition, the Delhi Comic Con, this year too, was filled with fans dressed as their favorite film and comic book characters, from age-old classics as Batman and Superman to contemporary characters from new franchises and anime.

The pop-culture gala will come to an end on December 9.
A soldier who is suspected of killing a police officer in the Bulandshahr mob violence has been detained in Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday. Jeetendra Malik, alias Jeetu Fauji, was detained from 22 Rashtriya Rifles army camp in Sopore, and will be handed over to the Uttar Pradesh police.

Malik emerged as a key suspect in the violence after he was spotted in multiple videos of the mob violence in Bulandhshar. Inspector Subodh Singh and 20-year-old Sumit Kumar were killed in the violence that broke out after cow carcasses were found. Police suspect Malik fired the shot that killed inspector Singh.

Meanwhile, the state government on Saturday transferred Bulandshahr SSP Krishna Bahadur Singh to the DGP office, five days after the incident. Principal Secretary (Home) Arvind Kumar said that the Senior Superintendent of Police will be replaced by Sitapur SP Prabhakar Chaudhary. Additional Director General (ADG) Intelligence SB Shiradkar had Friday submitted a report on the violence. Based on it, the government transferred two other policemen of BulandshahrCircle Officer Syana Satya Prakash Sharma and Chingravati police chowki in-charge Suresh Kumar.

According to reports, locals revealed that Jeetu had come to his village on leave and was "present at the site of violence" but left soon after the incident on Monday afternoon. "Both of my sons are in the Army. They are not here, they are on duty," his mother Ratan Kaurhad said, adding the police had raided her house around 1am Tuesday, assaulted her daughter-in-law, vandalised the house and picked up her husband, Rajpal Singh.

Speaking to a TV news channel earlier, she had said, "Jeetu is in Kargil and if any evidence like a picture or a video emerges showing he killed the policeman then I will kill him myself. I'm not so heartless, I'm equally pained by the death of the policeman and the other boy from Chingrawathi and also for what the entire village and its people are going through."

Sumit Kumar, from Chingrawathi village, who died in the clash is also among those named in the FIR.

-with inputs from PTI
Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh said he was hopeful of coming back to power in the state. I am confident that the BJP will form the government with full majority in Chhattisgarh. We will not require any support from any party to form the government, said Singh to THE WEEK.

Singh said he will wait till December 11 rather than ponder over what the exit polls have predicted. In Chhattisgarh, seats are limited and how much the third front will harm the BJP and the Congress is very difficult to say with opinion and exit polls. We need to wait till the result day, said Singh.

Most exit polls have predicted a close contest between the BJP and the Congress in Chhattisgarh. While the CNX survey showed the BJP winning 46 of 90 seats in the state, the C-Voter survey gave an edge for the Congress, with 42 to 50 seats. The BJP has been ruling Chhattisgarh, under Singh, since December 2003.

An Ayurvedic doctor-turned politician, Singh is the longest serving chief minister of the BJP, having three years more than Narendra Modis tenure as Gujarat CM, and two years more than Shivraj Singh Chouhans tenure as Madhya Pradesh CM. In 2003, three years after Chhattisgarh was carved out of Madhya Pradesh, Singh led the BJP to victory in the assembly polls held in the state that year. Prior to that, from 1999 to 2003, Singh was the Union minister of state for commerce and industry in the NDA government of Atal Bihari Vajpayee. Interestingly, Karuna Shukla, the niece of Vajpayee, is contesting on a Congress ticket against Singh in Rajnandgaon seat. In 2013, Singh won from the same seat by a margin of 36,000 votes.

If Singh wins for the fourth consecutive term, he will become the sixth chief minister in the country to win four consecutive terms, and the first from the Hindi belt to achieve it. Pawan Kumar Chamling (Sikkim), Jyoti Basu (West Bengal), Gegong Apang (Arunachal Pradesh), Lal Thanhawla (Mizoram) and Manik Sarkar (Tripura) served for more than 15 years.

Shiv Kumar Dahariya, working president of the Congress in Chhattisgarh, said people have had enough of Singh over the years. He is not as popular as he was. People dont want him to continue as the chief minister. The Congress leaders in the state have worked really hard. The reading on the wall is clear. The Congress will form the next government in Chhattisgarh, said Dahariya to THE WEEK.

Former chief minister of Chhattisgarh, Ajit Jogi, who left the Congress and formed the Chhattisgarh Janata Congress, aligned with Mayawatis Bahujan Samaj Party in the elections in the state. Exit polls have given their alliance three to eight seats. Jogi, who now hopes to play the kingmaker, belongs to the Kanwar tribal community in the state. His alliance with the BSP, it is said, will significantly hurt the Congresss chances in the state. The BSP had won more than 5.5 lakh votes in the 2013 elections in the state.

Speaking exclusively to THE WEEK, Jogi said he doesnt believe in exit polls. To be frank, I have not seen any of the exit polls. This is something alien to Indian society. We are blindly following the western society by giving importance to exit polls. Exit polls will never work in a heterogeneous society like ours. He said the CJP will emerge a clear winner in the elections. It is just matter of a few days, let us wait, said Jogi.

Tamradhwaj Sahu, the Congresss only Lok Sabha member from Chhattisgarh, said the party's high command would take a stand at an appropriate time on whether to tie up with Jogis party and the BSP. I know that we will form the government in the state. But I am not the right person to take a call on whether we should ally with other parties. We hope for good results, said Sahu to THE WEEK.

He was projected as the face of the party in Chhattisgarh and was even asked to contest in the state election to counter infighting among party leaders in the state. Sahu is the head of the Congresss national OBC cell. If the Congress wins the state comfortably, Sahu could be the next chief minister of Chhattisgarh.
Anjana Bhatia D.I.

When did Christian Michel seek legal help in Dubai?

Michel was arrested in 2017. We were approached in July 2018. We met him in jail (Interpol) in Dubai.

Why did he not return to the UK, which has a tough extradition process?

Michel wanted to be in Dubai and did not insist on returning to the UK.

How is the legal system in the UAE different from that in India?

The UAE judiciary had a limited role on the subject of extradition. It is limited to formalities. If the case for extradition has the required documents, and if the case is one that would entail a jail term of one year or more, they would allow arrest and extradition.

What options does Michel have?

He has several options, and he has approached the [British] embassy here. The UK high commission in India will also be involved. He will also use human rights provisions if there is any inhuman treatment at the hands of the CBI.

Were you hopeful he would not be extradited? Was there a way to prevent it?

We had limited our request in the memo to only bail. We were confident that he would not be extradited to India. There were some procedures to be followed for that, but Michel did not instruct us. Additionally, it is important for any lawyers application to be confirmed by the client. The problem for us was getting that from Michel. Limited knowledge of the procedures here led to this situation.

How is Michel as a person and as a client?

Michel is calm and quiet. I have always advised him to cooperate with the CBI, even from the UAE. We had put in a lot of effort for his bail and succeeded. I wish he had agreed with our advice on the subsequent options also. We were confident, but he was not willing to go for the options given to him.

Was Michel worried at any point?

Yes. The reason was the ignorance of procedures on extradition matters.... Michels overconfidence and non-cooperation in sharing certain documents landed him in India.
As the 10-man team led by CBI joint director A. Sai Manohar boarded the Gulfstream jet for Dubai, there was a sense of mission. Seldom had a plane from the R&AWs covert air wing been used for such a task. They were going to bring home British national Christian Michel, an alleged middleman in the Rs3,600-crore AgustaWestland helicopter deal.

Rakesh Asthana, who formed an SIT to investigate the case, did not want the infighting in the CBI to affect the agencys working. Ajit Doval had won the friendship of his UAE counterparts by executing a joint operation to find the missing princess Sheikha Latifa.

This was the climax of years of toil, which included travel to Milan and Dubai, and translation of reams of documents from Italian to English. This was going to be the Narendra Modi governments biggest victory in its fight against corruption. It would also be a shot in the arm for the CBI, which is in the throes of a credibility crisis. Rakesh Asthana, the CBI special director who had formed a special investigation team for the case, is now warming the bench. He was relieved of his duties after a bitter battle with CBI director Alok Verma spilled into the public domain. Verma, too, was asked to go on leave.

On the day of the flight, however, Asthana forgot his personal battle and followed the developments from his Pandara Road home in Delhi. The special investigation team had been on the case since June 2016.

Sources said Asthana did not want the infighting to affect the agencys working. On November 6, Asthana met National Security Adviser Ajit Doval at his pre-Diwali get-together for the security establishment. The event reflected the changing power equations against the backdrop of the feud in the intelligence and law enforcement agencies. Alok Verma was noticeably absent, but Asthana came with his wife. The pressing issue, Asthana felt, was the completion of the extradition of Christian Michel. In fact, he had just finished all the paperwork.

Operation Unicorn, as the mission was called, was also the need of the hour for the BJP. Government officials said that the word unicorn was chosen as it represented something unique, something that instantly stood out. For the BJP, Christian Michel was a unicorn. His extradition had the potential to embarrass the Congress (the deal happened during Manmohan Singhs tenure) and would bring political gains ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Ajit Doval | PTI

Christian Michel is accused of bribing top officials of the Indian Air Force and the government to swing the deal in favour of AgustaWestland, the British arm of Italian firm Finmeccanica (now Leonardo). But it does not end there. The investigation also found certain code namesAP, family, family to be honoured in fullwhich apparently alluded to certain leading politicians. CBI sources investigating the case said that while the first charge-sheet, filed in March 2017, focussed on the alleged wrongdoings of bureaucrats, the supplementary charge-sheet, to be filed soon, will focus on the alleged political beneficiaries in the case.

The BJP has already said that the extradition could spell trouble for the first family of the Congress. The political mudslinging intensified when, on December 5, news broke that Michels counsel in the Delhi court was Aljo Joseph, a Youth Congress leader.

I am a practicing lawyer and advocate in Supreme Court, I have taken up Michels case in my professional capacity, Joseph told THE WEEK. I am yet to get the papers, so I cannot comment on the case right now. A few hours later, as a reaction to the criticism, the Youth Congress sacked Joseph. The party seems to be distancing itself from anything to do with the deal. It also accused the government of conducting a smear campaign ahead of the elections.

Rakesh Asthana

According to the CBI charge-sheet, Michel and another middleman, Guido Haschke, had made two secret deals with AgustaWestland. One agreement was for 42 million Euros (approximately Rs337 crore), where Michel agreed to reduce the amount to 30 million Euros (approximately 1240 crore), while the other agreement was for 28 million Euros (approximately Rs225 crore, and not less than 5 per cent of the total contract value) with the family to be honoured in full. The family to whom the bribe/commission money was paid as per the agreement is being looked into, said the CBI.

On December 5, when Michel was produced in the trial court, the CBI counsel told the judge that there was a clear flow of money from AgustaWestland into two different accounts, in addition to the recovery of handwritten notes of the accused, in which he was asking for the 5 per cent cut. The court granted Michels custody to the CBI for five days.

The extradition is an important breakthrough, CBI spokesperson Abhishek Dayal told THE WEEK. It is crucial to examine Christian Michel to unravel the conspiracy and to bring out the full facts of the case.

When Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Doval cleared Operation Unicorn, they sent out a message to the security and diplomatic bosseseverything had to be done with surgical precision. And, lo and behold. Doval, who is seen as more of a cop than a diplomat, surprised even his detractors by pulling off a diplomatic win. Foreign Minister Sushma Swaraj was already on an official visit to the UAE, and there could not have been a better time to announce the extradition of Michel, a diplomatic victory. Swaraj, who arrived in the UAE on December 3, personally thanked her counterpart Sheikh Abdullah bin Zayed Al Nahyan for taking India-UAE ties to the next level.

A healthy friendship between two states is rarely lopsided; it is usually one of reciprocity. And Doval knew this. That is why, before forming the 10-member Gulfstream team, he had won the friendship of his UAE counterparts by executing, again with precision, a joint operation to find the missing princess Sheikha Latifa. In March this year, she had fled Dubai to leave her controlling father, UAE Vice President Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, and was on a yacht in the Indian Ocean when India was told about the situation. Quickly and efficiently, the Coast Guard, working on behalf of the UAE, intercepted her yacht. Though human rights NGOs accused India of flouting international treaties and maritime laws to capture the 32-year-old princess, Delhi helped send her back to her father.

THE MEN ON THE Gulfstream jet, too, were going to catch someone. When Manohars teamconsisting of five crew members and four government officialstook its position on the jet, three seats were empty. When they returned on December 4, Michel and two UAE officials occupied the vacant seats. And, as the plane landed at the technical area of the Palam airport at 10.35pm, Doval briefed Modi about the success.

The Delhi Police, Intelligence Bureau, CBI officials and paramilitary forces were all on their toes as the team drove to the CBI headquarters. CBI interim director M. Nageshwar Rao was waiting inside. It was 1:38am. Incidentally, this was the second time in two months that Rao had stayed at headquarters past midnight. The first time was following his sudden appointment as director, when the Verma-Asthana feud boiled over. If that night was humiliating for the agency, this one marked a victory. Michel was taken to one of the four lockups on the ground floor of the headquarters. Mostly, investigating officers go to these lockups, and not every senior CBI officer has visited them. Rao seized the chance Asthana did not get.

When Michel arrived, he said he was suffering from anxiety. The CBI was ready. They had doctors waiting to examine Michel and they gave him medicines. Michel slept for two hours. Upon waking up, the SIT started questioning him. And, there were a lot of questions. The sleuths had all the evidence they had collected from the Milan police, which had first flagged the AgustaWestland deal in 2012. These include call records, case details, documents of companies and other documents relevant in India.

It was tough collecting these documents. Apparently, they had to ask the Italian police to translate some of them. For the others, they enlisted translators from Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University, and also got help from some private translators whom the agency hires from time to time.

Asthana and his team had also travelled to Italy at least five times, and had formed a good working relationship with the police there. Though the CBI had started investigating the case in 2013, it picked up steam in 2016, when the SIT was formed. Doval had been closely monitoring every development since 2016. The CBI worked closely with the Indian counsel in Milan and used various diplomatic channels. It took a team of 50 CBI officials and staff, of various ranks, to finally make a strong legal case for extradition. A top officer involved in the investigation told THE WEEK that while there were eight key CBI officers who were on the job in the SIT, the constabulary assisted them in maintaining files, serving summons and getting translations.

The SIT also visited Dubai a few times before the extradition. When Michel went to Dubai, he thought he could not be extradited from a third country, said an investigator. Given his business interests, he would have tried to expand his business there. But we were on his heels and the CBI team soon fanned out to Dubai as well.

CBI sources said that the British high commission had not approached the agency yet, and that if they were to, they would do it via the foreign ministry. Currently, Michel is being tried under Indian law, but he will have consular access.
Mumbai, Dec 8 (PTI) Filmmaker Prakash Jha, who essayed the role of a cop in "Jai Gangaajal" and now playing the lead in the short film "Justaju - The Longing", says professionally he does not identify as an actor.

Jha, known for making socio-political films like "Gangaajal", "Apaharan", "Raajneeti", is enjoying being in front of the camera.

"I am not professionally an actor but there are people who now do think of me and there are roles offered to me. I am looking it as a new form of expression that I would like to bring into my life. I really want to do characters which I enjoy. That is the criteria," Jha told PTI.

The director is happy that his performance in the short film, that released recently on YouTube, has been appreciated. Jha won the best actor award for the same in the short film category of the first edition of New Jersey Indian International Film Festival.

Directed by Mudassir Mashalkar, "Justaju" chronicles a day in the life of Valmiki, whose wife expired 15 years ago.

Jha, who made his acting debut with his 2016 directorial venture "Jai Gangaajal", says he is happy with the different kind of roles being offered to him.

"I was really surprised they thought of me as I am nothing like Valmiki but he (director) was quite convinced. I thought it would be a great learning experience, trying to find that character so it was fun."

Jha says the director in him does not interfere with his acting process.

"As an actor I do discuss things with my director. I follow my director's vision. But I never interfere," he adds.

Though he loves exploring the actor side of him, he equally enjoys directing films, which, the filmmaker says, is an "exhilarating" experience for him.

"Even if I am behind the camera, writing a script or shooting in front of thousands of people, it has always been enjoyable. It has been exhilarating and extremely enriching, learning process," Jha adds. PTI JUR KKP RB

RB
New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) He is one of the biggest stars of Hindi film industry, but Dharmendra had his fair share of struggles during his initial days in the movies. The actor says his career defining moment was when legendary filmmaker Bimal Roy felt he was good enough to play Devendra in "Bandini".

The actor, who turned 83 on Saturday, reveals he was transfixed and could not eat his food when Roy casually broke the news that he was doing "Bandini", over a shared meal of "maach" (fish).

The anecdote finds mention in upcoming biography of the actor, "Dharmendra: Not Just a He-Man", by Rajiv Vijaykar.

Dharmendra (Dharam Singh Deol) had went to Bombay, as Mumbai was called in the 1950s, tried luck and even left for home unsuccessful. Five years later, still dreaming of making a mark in showbiz, he returned to participate in the Filmfare-United Producers' contest for new entrants when luck shined on him.

"I remember restlessly waiting for the results on the day of the final test during the Filmfare contest. The great Bimal Roy was one of the judges, and his assistant Debu Sen (who later directed Roys 1968 production 'Do Dooni Chaar') was very fond of me. Debu sized me up and simply said, 'Hai baat! (There is something special in you)' while I waited," the actor is quoted as saying in the book.

A little later, Sen called him inside, stating that Bimal Da wanted to see the newcomer.

"I went in, and Bimal Da said, 'Come, come, Dharmendu'  the name he stubbornly called me (by) stating that he was saying Dharmender in his Bengali way'Your boudi (sister-in-law) has sent maach (fish)'," he said.

Dharmendra recalled that he was unable to swallow his food, as he was tense about the results and few minutes later, Roy casually stated, "Aur Dharmendu, tum Bandini kar rahaa hai (And Dharmendra, you are doing 'Bandini')!"

"Now I was unable to eat because I was so happy!" quipped Dharmendra, according to the book.

"There is always that moment that comes after months and years of struggle that you catch and do not want to let go! All my years of struggle coalesced into that one moment! I wanted to live it forever!" he added.

However, since "Bandini" took a while to launch, it finally became his sixth movie to release. But that short role which begins and ends in the first half of this iconic film is extremely dear to the actor.

"Getting a role in a Bimal Roy film was not a small thing, and my other director was to be Guru Dutt, but that film, sadly, never happened. But I was starting out with the best!" Dharmendra said.

The book, by Rupa Publications, also reveals that two different climaxes were shot for the 1963 film which starred Nutan and Ashok Kumar.

"See the beauty of the story!" the book quoted Dharmendra as telling the author during an interview a few years ago.

"I, a doctor who also visits a jail, fall deeply in love with the girl prisoner (Nutan), the Bandini, despite coming to know everything about her past, as well as the fact that she is in jail for killing the wife of her lover. She also feels for me, but does not wish to spoil my life, which is just taking off," the actor said. PTI KIS SHD SHD

SHD
New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) Following are the top foreign stories at 1700 hours:



FGN18 US-LD SITHARAMAN

India, US partners in defence, says commander as Sitharaman tours Hawaii military facilities

Washington: India and the US are global partners in defence and regional security, a top US commander has said, as Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman toured the headquarters of the strategic Indo-Pacific command in Hawaii before concluding her maiden visit to America. By Lalit K Jha



FGN11 WB-INDIA-REMITTANCES

India to retain top position in remittances with USD 80 bn: World Bank

Washington: India will retain its position as the world's top recipient of remittances this year with its diaspora sending a whopping USD 80 billion back home, the World Bank said in a report Saturday. By Lalit K Jha



FGN14 US-RUSSIA-PROBE

Mueller files new papers in court on Russian investigations

Washington: Special Counsel Robert Mueller has filed a new set of papers in court that may increase the legal woes of US President Donald Trump in connection with the alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible contacts between the Trump's presidential campaign and Moscow.By Lalit K Jha



FGN22 ITALY-4THLD STAMPEDE

Six dead, dozens hurt in Italy nightclub stampede

Corinaldo (Italy): Six people, including five teenagers, died and dozens were injured in a stampede when panic broke out during a rap concert at an Italian nightclub early Saturday. (AFP)



FGN19 IRAN-ROUHANI-LD SANCTIONS

Iran's Rouhani: US sanctions are 'economic terrorism'

Tehran: Iran's President Hassan Rouhani said US sanctions were "economic terrorism", as he sought to foster a united front from visiting regional officials on Saturday. (AFP)



FGN16 CHINA-US-TRADE

China's surplus with the US hits new record in November

Beijing: China's trade surplus with the United States ballooned to a record USD 35.6 billion in November, official data showed Saturday, as exports across the Pacific remained strong despite a raft of US tariffs while imports shrank. (AFP)



FGN5 JAPAN-IMMIGRATION-POLITICS

Japan enacts controversial law to accept foreign workers

Tokyo: Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe's ruling coalition early Saturday rammed through legislation to bring more blue-collar foreign workers into the country, in a controversial move to address chronic labour shortages.(AFP)



FGN6 BRAZIL-BANK-2ND LD HOSTAGES

Twelve killed in foiled Brazil bank assaults

Rio De Janeiro: Twelve people -- including five hostages -- were killed in northeast Brazil on Friday after police foiled a gang of armed robbers staging simultaneous pre-dawn assaults on two banks in the town of Milagres, officials said. (AFP)

RUP

RUP
New Delhi, Dec 7 (PTI) Union Minister Kiren Rijiju on Saturday will interact with a group of 40 Indian-origin youths from eight countries who are touring India to feel a sense of connect with their motherland and get exposure to its art, heritage and culture, officials said Friday.

The youths are touring India under the 'Know India Programmes (KIP)' which is a key initiative of the central government.

The initiative has been taken with an aim to engage and make students and young professionals of Indian diaspora in the age group of 18 to 30 feel a sense of connect with their motherland and to be motivated and inspired by transformation taking place in India, an official at the Home Ministry said.

The Indian-origin youths will be given exposure to various aspects of contemporary India, its varied forms of art, heritage and culture, the official said.

Rijiju is expected to give a pep talk to the youths on various aspects of contemporary India.

The youths are from Fiji, Suriname, Guyana, Myanmar, the Netherlands, South Africa, Sri Lanka and Trinidad and Tobago.

They will be told about the progress made by the country in various fields such as industrial, education, science and technology, information and communication, climate and power and renewable energy etc, another official said.

The participants will visit places like Parliament Museum Library, President's House, Red Fort, Raj Ghat and will meet senior functionaries in the central and state governments in order to have the first hand experience of the contemporary development in India.

They will also be going to Agra, the official added. PTI ACB ACB SNE

SNE
Bohra community's annual nationwide upliftment drive begins

Mumbai, Dec 8 (PTI) The Dawoodi Bohra community on

Saturday started its fourth annual nationwide upliftment drive

with a focus on improving health and well-being of its

members.

A community spokesperson, in a release issued here,

stated that a dedicated team of over 20,000 volunteers,

comprising community officials, engineers, architects,

doctors, lawyers, businessmen and community members from all

walks of life have joined the cause.

"Students and faculty of the community's primary

educational institute, Aljamea-tus-Saifiyah, form the largest

delegation in this volunteer group," he said.

Murtaza Hashim Yamani, head coordinator of the

upliftment programme said the aspects covered under this

year's drive include improving living conditions, providing

aid for education and livelihood, counselling on the

importance of hygiene and cleanliness as well as ensuring

access to proper food and nutrition, along with upholding

religious piety and morality.

He said the formative stage of each year's drive

witnesses a crucial element called "khabargiri" (inquiring

into another's well-being).

"Underpinned by the Islamic concept of silat

(connecting with loved ones), volunteers go from door to door

with a simple agenda. To ask their brothers and sisters how

they are and what help they require, while assuring them of a

continued presence and sustained support structure," Yamani

said. PTI MM

BNM BNM
Govt team sent to probe alleged starvation death in J'khand

Jamshedpur, Dec 8 (PTI) The Jharkhand government has

sent a three-member team to West Singhbhum on Saturday to

probe media report of the death of a tribal woman allegedly

due to starvation, state minister Saryu Roy said.

The three team members are a government doctor, the

block development officer of the concerned block and a senior

official of the district administration, he said.

A Report appearing in a local daily on Saturday said a

65-yearold woman who used to stay alone at Porhat in Sonua

block of the district and died allegedly due to starvation on

December 6.

It said the dead person had a ration card and was the

beneficiary of the state's old age pension scheme but did not

get the benefits for the past three months.

"I have asked the district administration to convince

the villagers and exhume the body to conduct autopsy to

confirm the exact cause of death," Roy said.

The team will submit its report within 24-hour, the

minister said adding that the department would order a

high-level inquiry if the report was not satisfactory.

The probe team would look into it and no person,

including the concerned ration dealer would be spared if found

guilty, he said.

Roy said the mukhias (village heads) have an emergency

fund of Rs 10,000 to meet any requirement, particularly

starvation-like situations and directed the probe team to find

out whether it was utilised in this instance.

It is the responsibility of the concerned officials to

deliver foodgrain at the doorsteps of a beneficiary if the

person lives alone, he said.

Recently, the department has made post-mortem

mandatory if anyone died of starvation in the state. PTI BS KK

KK KK
New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) These are the top stories from the northern region at 4.45 pm



LUCKNOW DEL7 UP-VIOLENCE-LD TRANSFER

Lucknow: The Uttar Pradesh government Saturday transferred Bulandshahr SSP Krishna Bahadur Singh to the DGP office here, five days after two people, including an inspector, were killed in violence following an alleged cow slaughter incident.



JAMMU DEL10 JK-LD ACCIDENT-BUS

Jammu: Thirteen people, including four women and a minor, were killed and 17 others injured Saturday when a 42-seater passenger bus skidded off a road and rolled down into a deep gorge in Poonch district of Jammu and Kashmir, police said.



Bhaderwah DES4 JK-POLLS-HARMONY

Bhaderwah: Setting an example of communal harmony and brotherhood, a Hindu-majority village in Bhaderwah town of Jammu and Kashmir elected unopposed the head of its only Muslim family as their Panch in the ongoing nine-phased Panchayat polls.





MUZAFFARNAGAR DES1 UP-HANUMAN-SECURITY

Muzaffarnagar: Security has been reinforced at the 'Hanuman dham' in Shukratal here as Bhim Army activists may attempt to take it over, police said on Saturday.



NEWDELHI LGD1 DL-COURT-HOMOSEXUALITY TREATMENT

New Delhi: A doctor, who terms homosexuality as "genetic mental disorder" and uses electric shock to treat gay and lesbian people, has been summoned by a Delhi court as an accused for violating norms.



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New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj Saturday held wide-ranging talks with her counterpart from Iceland Guolaugur or on ways to deepen bilateral ties in areas of trade, investment and energy.

Por arrived here Friday on board the inaugural flight between New Delhi and Reykjavik, the capital of Iceland.

At the meeting, Swaraj said Iceland is a world leader in geothermal energy and cooperation in this sector could benefit India's transition to greener energy mix and help it in achieving ambitious renewable energy targets, according to MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar.

"EAM @SushmaSwaraj and Iceland Foreign Minister @GudlaugurThor discussed enhancing cooperation in trade & investment, renewable energy, specially geothermal energy, blue economy with a focus on fisheries, tourism and culture at the delegation-level talks," he tweeted.

India's ties with Iceland have witnessed steady progress in the last few years.

Iceland was the first Nordic country to publicly extend support to India's candidature for permanent membership of the United Nations Security Council.

It was one of the countries co-sponsoring India's resolution at the UN to declare June 21 as the "International Day of Yoga". PTI MPB GVS
Muzaffarnagar, Dec 8 (PTI) Security has been reinforced at the 'Hanuman dham' in Shukratal here as Bhim Army activists may attempt to take it over, police said on Saturday.

The move comes days after Bhim Army chief Chandrashekhar on Sunday said members of the Dalit community should take over all Hanuman temples in the country and appoint Dalits as priests there.

He had said so while reacting to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claim that Lord Hanuman was a Dalit.

Provincial Armed Constubulary (PAC) and police teams have been deployed at the Hanuman Dham apprehending attempts by Bhim Army activists to assume control of the temple, officials said.

So far, there's no report of any untoward incident taking place, they said.

Hanuman was a forest dweller, deprived and a Dalit. Bajrang Bali worked to unite all Indian communities, from north to south and east to west, Adityanath had said while addressing a rally in Rajasthans Alwar district.

A right-wing group in Rajasthan has sent a legal notice to Adityanath, asking him to apologise for calling Lord Hanuman a Dalit. Last week, National Commission for Scheduled Tribes (NCST) chairperson Nand Kumar Sai claimed that Lord Hanuman was a tribal. PTI Corr GVS
New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) The Revised National Tuberculosis Control Programme (RNTCP) of the Union health ministry has launched an initiative at the Lok Nayak Hospital here to improve patients' adherence to TB treatment.

The initiative has been launched in collaboration with Caredose, a Delhi-based medicine management company,

Founder and CEO of Caredose, Gauri Angrish, said the "CAREDOSE TB Medicine Adherence Tracking" initiative would change the way medicines were dispensed and dose adherence was tracked and managed, in a scientific manner and at a price point that was relevant for India.

"The country is home to an estimated 28 lakh tuberculosis patients and our innovative technology intervention will surely ensure a huge dent in this number. Currently, the medicine schedule adherence needs improvement as the existing systems depend on patients' inputs and are therefore unreliable, which is a major cause of failed treatment," Angrish said.

The process involves a "smart dispenser", which is an ICT (information and communications technology) enabled TB treatment box. It is devised to ensure and track real-time medicine adherence in tuberculosis patients (including drug-resistant TB patients in a phased manner).

In addition to adherence, it also looks at aiding with support for adverse drug reactions (ADR), which are common for patients on TB medication.

Monthly medicines, pre-organised and labelled by dose (in a patient's choice of language), are provided and a daily dose is auto dispensed at the right time everyday with the help of the dispenser.

It also helps in real-time adherence tracking. Once the patient cuts the dispensed dose, the adherence is communicated in real time, along with a time stamp.

Also, if a patient does not take the dose on time, then various actionable alerts are sent out to the ground staff and supervisor, depending on the time progression of non-adherence .

Delhi's state TB Officer Ashwini Khanna said, "We look forward to the success of this initiative." PTI PLB RC
Jammu, Dec 8 (PTI) Several political activists from Kishtwar, including a Congress leader, Saturday joined the BJP here and pledged to work for strengthening the party at gross-roots level, a party spokesperson said.

Congress leader Pardeep Singh Parihar, former trade union leader Suresh Sharma and eight NC and PDP activists, including former sarpanches Noor Hussain and Joginder Dhar, were welcomed into the party fold by senior leaders.

"Today every nationalist person is joining the BJP influenced by the strong policies of Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government," said Union Minister Jitendra Singh.

He said the Centre is working on every loophole that has been "left in the system since Independence" and all efforts are being made to uplift the status of neglected and rejected sections of society.

"Under the strong leadership of Modi, India has witnessed phenomenal increase in its graph on global platform," he said.

Welcoming the new entrants into the party fold, Jammu and Kashmir BJP president Ravinder Raina said the party's policy of "Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikaas" was attracting prominent persons from various political parties.

"The people from every section have a strong belief that as a worker of the BJP, they will be in better position to serve society and the nation with a clean and clear mind," he said.

Meanwhile, Raina chaired a meeting of the party leaders in connection with the upcoming Lok Sabha and assembly polls and asked the party leaders to frame constituency-wise teams to reach out to the people.

"Involve senior leaders in the teams which will work in unison with ground level workers to secure a win for the party in the upcoming elections," he said. PTI TAS SNE

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Srinagar, Dec 8 (PTI) Former PDP MLA Abid Ansari Saturday quit the party, alleging that it "failed" the people of Jammu and Kashmir.

He said he did not want to be a part of the "lies and deception being perpetuated" by the party.

"I hereby announce my resignation from @jkpdp as the party has failed the people of J&K on all fronts. I don't want to be a part of the lies and deception being perpetuated by the party. Hv sent a detailed letter of resignation to @MehboobaMufti. Will soon interact with the media (sic)," Ansari wrote on Twitter.

Ansari, uncle of influential Shia leader Imran Ansari, represented Zadibal constituency of Srinagar in the state assembly. The assembly was dissolved by Governor S P Malik last month.

The two had distanced themselves from the party in July after the PDP-led government in the state fell when the BJP decided to pull out of the alliance.

Imran also resigned from the PDP last month and joined the People's Conference (PC). PTI SSB SNE

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New Delhi, Dec 9 (PTI) Railway Minister Piyush Goyal on Saturday inaugurated a stoppage at Bihar's Bihiya station for the Shramjeevi Express, meeting a long pending demand of locals, a ministry official said.

The minister, while inaugurating the stoppage via video conferencing from the national capital, said it will promote tourism and employment in the area.

"It will provide direct connectivity to Rajgir, Lucknow, Varanasi, Delhi," he said.

The minister highlighted the transformation push for Railways development projects in Bihar.

Railway projects worth Rs 48,170 crore have been sanctioned for creation of infrastructure in Bihar. PTI ASG

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Man hacked to death, attacker roughed up by mob

Kolkata, Dec 8 (PTI) A man was hacked to death on

Saturday and another suffered injuries when he tried to stop

the attacker at Metiabruz area here, police said.

The incident, which could be a fallout of a previous

enmity, took place at Rajabagan locality in the area, a police

officer said.

The man was declared dead at hospital, he said.

A mob later chased the accused and beat him up, and

handed him over to police along with the weapon, the officer

said.

The person who tried to stop the attacker suffered

stab wounds on his back and chest, the officer said, adding,

both him and the accused have been taken to a state-run

hospital.

A police team has been deployed in the area. PTI SUS

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SC upholding nomination of 3 BJP MLAs to assly; govt to file

review petition in SC

Puducherry, Dec 8 (PTI): The Puducherry government

Saturday said it would file a review petition in the Supreme

Court on its recent verdict, upholding the Centre's nomination

of three BJP legislators as members of the assembly.

"The Apex court has delivered its verdict, upholding the

nomination of three members to the Legislative Assembly. The

government will file a review petition on the matter after

consulting legal experts," Chief Minister V Narayanasamy told

reporters here.

Lt Governor Kiran Bedi had administered the oath of

office to the three members, V Saminathan, K G Shankar and S

Selvaganapathi,in her chamber on July 4, 2017, but Speaker V

Vaithilingam declined to recognise them as MLAs and had

cancelled their nomination.

The issue had intensified the rift between Bedi and the

Congress government. with the latter assailing her action as

unconstitutional and contending that the Centre had

'unilaterally' nominated the MLAs without consulting the

territorial government.

The MLAs then challenged the Speakers' action and moved

the Madras High Court, which upheld their nomination.

Later, the Congress leaders filed an appeal in the

Supreme Court, which upheld the Centre's decision.

Bedi had on December 6 welcomed the apex court verdict,

saying she was "exceedingly grateful and happy" with the

judgement.

On the contentious Mekedatu dam issue, Narayanasamy said

that the government had filed a petition Friday in the Supreme

Court, seeking a direction to the Centre to withdraw its

approval for preparing a Detailed Project Report on the

proposed dam across the Cauvery river in Karnataka.

He charged the Centre and the Karnataka governments with

taking 'injurious steps' to construct the dam, saying it would

hit riparian states dependent on the Cauvery, as also

Puducherry, "which will suffer a lot .<br> On holding civic polls,he said the government was keen on<br>holding them soon and added that a meeting would be held on<br>December 17 to enlist the views of MLAs, who had requested<br>that delimitation of wards be done properly before going in<br>for the exercise.<br> The Chief Minister regretted that the Centre had not yet<br>responded to the government's request for Rs 1,342 crore as<br>relief to tackle the impact of cyclone Gaja in Karaikal.<br> "It is also unfortunate that the Prime Minister has been<br>avoiding visits to cyclone hit Tamil Nadu and Karaikal. I am<br>not able to understand the reason for this<br> He also questioned the 'arbitrary' functioning of the<br>Lt Governor, 'ignoring' the democratically elected government<br>and said he had written several letters to Bedi, questioning<br>the propriety of her visiting offices and issuing on the spot<br>orders to heads of various departments.<br> Narayanasamy also said he had issued a standing order<br>recently to all officers, asking them not to bypass the<br>statutory rules and to act with the knowledge of the ministers<br>concerned while replying to the Lt Governor s oral orders.

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New Delhi, Dec 8 (PTI) Delhi Police's Special Cell has arrested two wanted fugitive members of Sonu Dariyapur gang who were carrying a reward of Rs two lakh each on their head.

The accused duo have been identified as Vijay Sehrawat (38) and Sanjay Lakra (47), police said Saturday, adding illegal arms and ammunition and a stolen car were also recovered from their possession.

The accused, untraceable for more than 12 years, were wanted in several cases including murder of police personnel and under Maharashtra Control of Organised Crime Act (MCOCA).

Police received an information that Sehrawat and Lakra along with their associates were planning to commit some crime in Delhi and were also in possession of illegal weapons, said P S Kushwah, Deputy Commissioner of Police (Special Cell).

On Friday, acting on a tip off that the accused would arrive at Pochanpur to meet their other associates, a trap was laid at Najafgarh drain and both the accused were intercepted in a car. Subsequently, they were apprehended, the DCP said.

Investigations revealed the accused were planning to eliminate witnesses of the cases against their gang members, he said.

Sehrawat, a graduate from Delhi University is a son of retired police officer. He has more than six cases of MCOCA, murder, attempt to murder, assault case registered against him, the DCP said.

Another accused Lakra is a son of retired government personnel. He was arrested in 2005 in a case of Arms Act and is previously involved in over 20 cases of MCOCA, murder, attempt to murder and assault among others, the senior officer said.

Three pistols including one imported pistol have been recovered from the accused, police said, adding further investigation is underway. PTI AMP RCJ
Mumbai, Dec 8 (PTI) Two persons, including a suspended police constable, were arrested Saturday in connection with the killing of a diamond trader whose body was found in adjoining Raigad district, 10 days after he went missing, police said.

The trader, Rajeshwar Udani, a resident of Mahalaxmi Society in suburban Ghatkopar, had gone missing on November 28. The 57-year-old's decomposed body was found at Panvel in Raigad district Friday, police had said.

Police identified the duo as Sachin Pawar and Dinesh Pawar.

Sachin Pawar is a former personal assistant (PA) of a Maharashtra minister, while Dinesh Pawar is a suspended police constable who was arrested earlier in a rape case, a police official said.

They were taken into custody after interrogation, he said.

Several other persons, including a TV actor, were still being interrogated in connection with the case, the official said.

It appears the trader was murdered due to a monetary dispute with the accused and for eyeing a female friend of Sachin Pawar, DCP (Zone VII) Akhilesh Singh said.

According to police, Udani's son had lodged a missing complaint at the Pant Nagar police station on November 29 when his father did not return home.

During the probe, it came to light that an unidentified body has been found in Panvel, about 60km from Mumbai, police had said, adding that it was later identified as that of Udani.

Post-mortem revealed fractures at several places in the body and death by strangulation, Singh said.

The accused were booked under the Indian Penal Code sections 302

(murder), 365 (kidnapping) and 120b (conspiracy), Singh added. PTI AVI RSY KJ

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Nagpur, Dec 8 (PTI) At least 10 people, including seven women and two minors, were killed when a truck collided with a van in Chandrapur district of Maharashtra Saturday, police said.

The accident took place around 9:30 pm when the van, with 14 occupants, was travelling on the Korpana-Wani road, they said.

Chandrapur Superintendent of Police, Maheshwar Reddy, told PTI that 10 people died in the accident as per the preliminary reports.

A police officer, who was present at the spot, said seven women, the van driver, a three-year-old and another minor were killed in the incident.

Three persons were injured while a one-year-old escaped unhurt, he said.

The injured have been admitted to a local hospital, he said, adding that the truck driver fled the scene.

Further details are awaited, the officer said. PTI CLS CK
ZOOT BOSCHWITZ, Chariho, Football, Boschwitz rushed for two touchdowns and passed for two others as Chariho lost to Narragansett in the Division III Super Bowl. For the season, Boschwitz threw for 1,174 yards and 13 TDs. He also rushed for eight touchdowns.

SAM MONTALTO, Stonington, Boys Soccer, Montalto, scored a pair of goals as Stonington defeated Ellington, 3-1, for the Class M state title. It was the teams second state championship in three years. Montalto finished his career with a school-record 105 goals. He scored a school-record 36 goals this season despite missing three games with an injury.

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Dorothy Peters treasured this photograph of her posing with Land Rover number 16 for 70 years - and then a chance encounter saw her and the 4x4 reunited

As a 15-year-old girl in post-war Britain Dorothy Peters joined newly-formed Land Rover to work on the very first off-roaders to be built.

She had joined the service department in 1946, at the firms factory, in Solihull, near Birmingham, as the original Series 1 Land Rover was being produced.

The Land Rover had its world debut at the Amsterdam Motor Show in 1948 and one of those brand new 4X4s held a special place in Dorothys heart  the 16th off the line, which she was photographed with before they even went on sale.

For seven decades she had that photograph, always wondering what it would have been like to have been driven in it.

And then, aged 87, a chance encounter this year meant she was not only reunited with the very same off-roader that she worked on all those decades ago  but also fulfilled her life-long ambition of taking a spin in it.

The road to an emotional reunion, which left her in tears, began in June this year, when Dorothy attended Land Rovers 70th celebration festival event at the Lode Lane factory, in Solihull, the town in which she was born.

She took with her a photograph album of her time working at the plant, which during the war had served as a secret and camouflaged shadow factory, to avoid being bombed by the Luftwaffe targeting industrial sites in nearby Birmingham and Coventry.

Little did she suspect that particular black and white post war Britain picture would trigger events that would reunite her with her very special Series 1 Land Rover  number 16 off the production line.

The current owner of Land Rover number 16 is Mike Bishop, who works for the firm's classic division. Dorothy showed him her photograph at a Land Rover celebration and he arranged for her to be reunited with the car

Dorothy said: 'I just showed him this photograph and could not believe the reaction'

Mike Bishop, Land Rover Classics Reborn division engineering specialist and heritage expert spotted the fading photograph of Dorothy posing jauntily next to the very car he now owned  registration HNX 331.

He decided to celebrate in a way he hoped she would never forget including a drive around the factorys testing off-road route called The Jungle Track.

Over the course of the following weeks the Land Rover team at Solihull worked with Dorothys daughter and granddaughters to create a day full of surprises.

Then they brought her back to Solihull and the car she posed next to 70 years earlier.

Dorothy with her friends at Land Rover  then still Rover - in the late 1940s

Dorothy's identity card from her days building the first Land Rovers in Solihull, from July 1946

Shedding a tear and a sharing an emotional hug as Mike Bishop reunited her with her cherished Land Rover, Dorothy said: I couldnt believe the reaction to my pictures. I had no idea this one conversation would take me on a journey down memory lane and on the wonderful off-road track at Solihull.

I just showed him this photograph and could not believe the reaction. And its green. My photographs are black and white. I could not remember the colour.

Dorothy Peters with owner of Land Rover 16, Mike Bishop, at the emotional reunion

Mike took Dorothy for a drive around the off-road route know as the Jungle Track

As the classic Land Rover took Dorothy through mud, steep inclines, and water, she held her head in her hands excitedly and said: Am I dreaming? Oh my goodness, it is amazing this vehicle can cope.

'This is wonderful. Ive never driven a Land Rover before. Ever. What a splendid idea to do this. Ill tell everyone.

Im so grateful. Im going to go all emotional.

She added: The opportunity to share this day with my daughter and granddaughters was a wonderful surprise. And to see how different the factory is today was very special. It all felt like a dream and I wont ever forget it.

Dorothy aged 15, with her mother in 1946, the year she sought a job at Rover, which then built the Land Rover at Solihull

Reflecting on her time at the factory, for which she had her original identity card from July 1946, she said: Of course it was called Rover then. Wed not heard of Land Rover.

My mother came with me to the factory to see what jobs were there. I was 15. I had little white ankle socks on, and sandles.

The roof was so high that birds would lay eggs in nests in the rafter, she noted.

Dorothy said of when she met Mike Bishop: 'I had no idea this conversation would take me on a journey down memory lane'

Owner of Land Rover number 16, Mr Bishop said of their chance encounter: I was approached by a very charming lady with some pictures of her time at Solihull. But I had no idea we would share a special connection to number 16.

I knew instantly we needed to reunite them Mike Bishop

I said: Well you know who owns this Land Rover? I do.

Her enthusiasm for the company and this vehicle in particular was wonderful - as was her surprise when she discovered I now owned the car. I knew instantly we needed to reunite them.

Land Rover captured the emotional reunion on film and Dorothy and her friends were given a preview in a special screening at Dorothys retirement home.
Europe is hot right now, it's fair to say. The French are on red alert for another outbreak of rioting planned for this weekend by the 'gilets jaunes', named after the yellow high-vis jackets that French drivers have to carry with them.

Up to 89,000 police officers will be on duty around the country, with 8,000 armed police in Paris alone.

Tanks have been brought into the capital. Tourist sites and restaurants have been told to shut amid fears that the protests will turn ugly.

Turning ugly: The French are on red alert for another outbreak of rioting planned for this weekend by the 'gilets jaunes'

It's easy to be sceptical about the violence in France, to say that the French habit of protesting is as much part of their culture as its fine cuisine and couture.

Yet this time the public's fury, fuelled by President Emmanuel Macron's economic reforms, looks deeply menacing, particularly if the protests are being whipped up, as has been suggested, by activists on both the far Right and far Left.

Privately, political pundits have already given the movement thrown up by the 'gilets jaunes' a more dangerous description: the Jacquerie. It's the name given to the insurrection of peasants against the nobility in north-eastern France in 1358 during the Hundred Years' War, and one which was violently repressed.

The rebels were branded the Jacquerie because of the way the nobles condescendingly described any peasant either as Jacques or Jacques Bonhomme.

That the Jacquerie moniker has been resurrected to depict these events shows how frightened the establishment is.

Like the peasants' revolt, the latest outburst was also triggered by higher taxes. Then it was land taxes. This time it is Macron's hike on fuel tax to help fund his carbon-free green programme.

The French are protesting against Macron's hike on fuel tax to help fund his carbon-free green programme

Protesters are also furious the president has repealed the wealth tax on the richest citizens  one of his many moves to entice City bankers over the Channel because of Brexit. But even risk-loving bankers might prefer the perils of Brexit to the sight of burning cars and police in full riot gear. As they say, Macron should be careful what he wishes for.

So far he refuses to back down on the wealth tax, another stick with which he is branded the 'president of the rich'. Paradoxically, Macron introduced these tax measures, along with other labour reforms, to break union power and liberate the economy, to drive France's growth. That ambition has become besides the point.

Macron's view of a grander Europe, and his drive to build up the Franco-German axis, has also added to the mounting anger of the rural poor. They see his 'grand projet' as yet another symbol of how the European Union works for the ruling class and not them.

Further south, discontent is brewing again in Italy. Rome's coalition government is still banging heads with Brussels over its budget, which, in an unprecedented move, was rejected by the EU. By all accounts, Brussels reckons the Italian government will submit eventually to its request to cut the deficit and toe the line.

But that's not the message coming out of Rome, where the mood is uncompromising. Both the Five Star Movement and the League have made promises to increase standards of living and cut taxes.

Italy's Five Star wants a minimum income for the poorer south while the League, lead by Matteo Salvini (pictured) wants tax cuts for business in the north

The Five Star wants a minimum income for the poorer south while the League wants tax cuts for business in the north, with both of the measures to be funded by the proposed budget increase which the EU is forbidding.

Ironically, despite the EU rhetoric, the budget deficit is not Italy's biggest problem. Most worrying is the rising cost of the Italian debt, which stands at a huge 130 per cent of GDP. If bond yields go up much more, the Italians will not be able to afford to service their debt and will be locked out of new fund-raising.

Italy is in an invidious position, and one which the EU should be doing its best to resolve if it is to avoid another financial crisis which would spread like wildfire, as most European banks have a pile of Italian debt on their books. When the European Central Bank stops its bond-buying programme, due to happen next year, investors will get spooked and sparks will fly.

Add together events unfolding in France, Italy and in the UK next week with the critical Brexit vote, and this must surely be the moment when the EU accepts it needs to head to Specsavers for a new prescription.
WHO IS IT?

Emis, listed on London's junior market AIM, provides software and IT services to GP surgeries across the UK. At the moment, it has a 56 per cent share of the market.

Emis lets doctors across different parts of the NHS access a patient's records quickly, helps pharmacies manage their stock and provides patient information services.

Emis provides software and IT services to GP surgeries across the UK

WHAT'S THE LATEST?

It has been buying up businesses in an effort to expand, and last month acquired healthcare tech firm Dovetail Digital for 2.5million.

Emis hasn't been free of issues in the past  this week it announced it had reached an 11.2million settlement with the NHS over failures in its NHS Digital contract this year. That related to reporting obligations, and Emis is confident the issues have been resolved.

WHO BACKS IT?

Fund manager Liontrust is the largest shareholder, while start-up backer Octopus Investments and investment firm Invesco are both in the top ten. There are also some less well-known names, including Primestone Capital and Evenlode.

WHY YOU SHOULD INVEST

George Salmon, an analyst at Hargreaves Lansdown, says: 'Delivering a better NHS is something we all want, and improving the infrastructure is a cost-effective way to do that. Emis plays nicely to that trend.'

Healthcare isn't as exposed to blips in the economy, he adds, and software providers generally have strong cash flows so they can provide a steady stream of dividends.

AND WHY YOU SHOULDN'T

Salmon points out that Emis hasn't necessarily progressed as fast as it might have hoped, and the fine it incurred from the NHS might make investors wary.

He adds: 'The 57.5m acquisition of Ascribe in 2013 hasn't delivered the results expected, contributing to a rocky ride in recent years.'

And, of course, NHS cost pressures make it a tricky customer.
Stylish: Primark has collaborated with TV presenter Stacey Solomon on a clothes range

Primark sent a chill through the High Street after it warned of a challenging market in the run-up to Christmas.

It said trading was tough in November, sparking major concerns among analysts who had seen it as a rare bright spot in the ailing British shopping scene.

Richard Hyman, an independent retail analyst, said: 'If Primark had a bad November, then God help everybody else. Primark is among the very best. However bad a November Primark had, the majority of other retailers in this market will have had a considerably worse one.

'What will happen to them when we go into the new year is the real worry.'

The woes at Primark, which has collaborated with TV presenter Stacey Solomon on a range of clothing, raise the spectre of further job losses, store closures and failures across the industry if other companies face similar difficulties.

At least 50,000 retail jobs have been lost this year as shoppers desert town centres to buy goods over the internet, often from giants such as Amazon.

Primark's parent firm Associated British Foods (ABF) said profits for its current financial year are likely to be at a similar level to the last one. It added: 'During November, trading was challenging, in a tough retail market, but with careful inventory management and improved margins, our expectation for the increase in profit is unchanged.'

With its focus on low cost, a network of 360 stores and 75,000 staff, Primark has bucked the trend with solid revenue growth. Analysts fear that less stable rivals may be faring even worse.

Neil Wilson, of trading firm Markets, said: 'We know it's tough out there, and share prices across the piece reflect that already to a large degree. But Primark has done better than most and the fact that it, too, is facing severe headwinds is a concern for the sector as a whole.'

There is High Street concern over sky-high business rates, with chains forced to shell out millions of pounds in tax for stores that struggle to attract customers. Chancellor Philip Hammond bowed to pressure and agreed to slash the tax on small shops in the Budget, but many campaigners fear this will not be enough.

ABF shares fell 4.6 per cent, or 108p, to 2242p.
A building boss forced out of his job over a toxic bonus scheme has handed his wife shares worth nearly 10m.

Persimmon chief executive Jeff Fairburn, who is leaving at the end of the year after a furious backlash over his pay, gave his wife Jayne 510,400 shares in the company.

Those shares were worth 9.9m when the stock closed at 1946p last night.

In the money: Persimmon chief executive Jeff Fairburn and his wife Jayne

It followed a similar move earlier this year when Fairburn, 52, gave her shares worth 3.2m.

Persimmon also revealed that Fairburn was handed another 43.2m worth of stock from the notorious bonus scheme on Thursday. After tax, the amount was reduced to 22.9m. It followed a payment earlier in the year worth 26m, or 13.9m after tax.

Persimmon set up the bonus scheme which led to Fairburns payments in 2012, to reward directors if they hit targets linked to shareholder returns, but the board failed to impose limits on the maximum amount payable.

The Help To Buy scheme launched in 2013 by then Chancellor George Osborne, which allows buyers to borrow money from the state and spend it on a new property, was a huge subsidy for developers and put an unexpected rocket under Persimmons share price.

The stock has surged almost 90 per cent since Help To Buy was launched, turning the bonus programme into a massive money-spinner for executives.

It infuriated critics who claimed they were benefiting from the use of public funds to fix the failing housing market.

The lavish awards have also angered fellow businessmen. Lord Bamford, the billionaire owner of digger company JCB, became the latest in an interview yesterday. Persimmons not a revolutionary business, he told the London Evening Standard. The paid hands, were they doing anything extraordinary? No.

Fairburn, a motor-racing fanatic who once booked a family holiday near Silverstone so he could watch the British Grand Prix, has run Persimmon since 2013. He has been forced out amid fears the pay row is harming the companys reputation.

The chief executive lives in a 1m house in Durham but is known for his relative modesty, avoiding the flashy cars and corporate jets loved by other FTSE 100 chiefs.

He is married to Jayne, 51, who is treasurer for pancreatitis support group Pancreas North, and they have three children.

Fairburn cannot sell much of the stock he has been handed through the bonus scheme until 2021 under an agreement with the company.

Luke Hildyard, of the High Pay Centre, said: The Persimmon saga doesnt get any less offensive with time. Its truly surreal that Fairburn has been able to walk away with such a blatantly excessive and unwarranted payout, and represents a stain on British business and corporate governance that will be difficult to erase.

Fairburn agreed to give up part of his bonus, and pledged to set up a charitable trust using some of the money. But pressure continued, and last month he had to give up his job after refusing to answer journalists questions about the bonus.

Persimmon said that as Fairburn was leaving at the companys request, it was not legally able to withhold any of the share payouts coming his way.
When the U.S. House of Representatives convenes for its new session after the first of the year, it will look dramatically different than the one sitting in those seats today.

It will be more diverse. There will be more women. There will be more people of color.

All of that is a good thing. After all, shouldnt the House of Representatives actually represent all the people, not just white males?

Leading this charge was southeastern Pennsylvania, where four women captured seats in Congress as Democrats regained control of the House.

Before Novembers midterm election, Pennsylvania had zero women in Washington. Come January there will be four.

This was not an accident.

There were several factors, including a dramatic backlash against President Donald Trump, and the fallout from the #MeToo movement and the simmering issue of sexual harassment in our society.

But there was another important factor in play in Pennsylvania.

Voters were selecting their representatives according to new boundaries drawn up by the Pennsylvania Supreme Court. The move came as a result of a lawsuit filed by several citizen groups against the old districts. They argued the misshapen districts were a classic example of partisan gerryrmandering. The high court agreed. Not only that, but they threw out the old boundaries and drew up new ones after the state Legislature and Gov. Wolf failed to reach agreement.

Gone was the poster boy for partisan gerrymandering, otherwise known as the old 7th Congressional District. Mocked as Goofy Kicking Donald Duck for its bizarre shape, twisted into a pretzel to eliminate pockets of Democratic strength and include bastions of GOP registration, it is why former Rep. Pat Meehan cruised to easy re-election wins with as much as 60 percent of the vote in a district that was once considered a tossup.

The 7th was replaced with the 5th under the new map, which put all of Delaware County under one Congressional roof. Meehan, who would have faced a much stiffer re-election run, resigned his seat in a scandal over a harassment suit filed against him. Democrat Mary Gay Scanlon cruised to an easy win over Republican Pearl Kim.

In Chester County, Rep. Ryan Costello took one look at the newly constructed 6th District, another that was drawn up to boost the GOPs chances, and immediately threw in the towel, indicating he would not seek re-election. Another Democrat, Chrissy Houlahan, rolled to a convincing victory in the new district.

Republicans, including Costello, as well as county and state party leaders, complained that the high court had engaged in their own form of gerrymandering, constructing districts that now tilted toward Democratic candidates.

The election may have made the U.S. House more representative, but it did not solve the problem.

That is because efforts to resolve the inherent problem of having politicians hands involved in drawing up districts have consistently fallen short.

A push in the Legislature last year to remove politicians  and judges for that matter  from the redistricting process failed.

Now Gov. Tom Wolf is trying to breathe new life into the idea. He is setting up a commission to look into ways to improve the process. He signed an order creating the Pennsylvania Redistricting Reform Commission, and he named David Thornburgh, who heads the government watchdog group Committee of Seventy, as its chairman. The 15-member panel is comprised of a variety of politicians, experts and advocates. Theyve been tasked with traveling the state to hear ideas on how to make the system work better and reform the process. Theyve got nine months to do it.

Republican leaders are not exactly enamored with the idea. They see this new redistricting push as a way of ignoring rural areas  usually GOP strongholds  in favor of more urban  and Democratic  areas. They believe the governor is grandstanding.

Theyre dubious that they will be fairly represented and thus have indicated they will not fill their two slots on the commission. They also point out that Wolf is ignoring the constitutional mandate that drawing up these districts falls under the purview of the Legislature.

Not exactly an auspicious start.

There is no question that the recent election  under the new Congressional boundaries  produced a more representative Pennsylvania delegation. Granted, the bar was pretty low, since the state had no women members of the House.

Every state is required to go through the redistricting process based on the results of the biennial census. The next one will be come in 2021, based on the results of the 2020 census.

Republicans continue to control both chambers in the state Legislature. If they did not care for the boundaries put in place by the high court, now is the time for them to prove it.

As long as politicians continue to have their fingerprints all over these maps, they will continue to tilt toward the party in power. Dont think for a moment that Democrats would not be doing the same thing if they held the reins of power in Harrisburg.

The solution is to get the politicians out of this equation. An effort to do just that came close before stalling last year.

Now Wolf is looking to give it another shot.

We hope hes successful. Not because hes a Democrat or because the new maps got several Democrats elected, but because they better represent the state.

The House of Representatives looks a little more like the people who go to the polls.

That is the way the system is supposed work, right?
SCHENECTADY  Brandi Moore recalled thinking of visiting Brooklyn and shopping in Manhattan when her then-boyfriend Joevany "Moon" Luna told her in 2016 that he was going to New York.

"Who wouldn't want to go to New York?" Moore, a star prosecution witness from Delaware, declared Friday at the murder trial of Tarchand Lall.

Lall is accused of paying the Luna $10,000 to kill 49-year-old Charles "Chuck" Dembrosky in November outside his Campbell Avenue home on the morning of Nov. 19, 2016 so Lall could collect on a $150,000 life insurance policy he had taken out on Dembrosky who was fatally shot.

Prosecutors contend Lall, who is 54 and a contractor from Guyana, had money problems.

He is charged with first-degree murder, conspiracy, weapons possession, life settlement fraud and criminal solicitation. If convicted of the top charge, he faces life in prison without parole.

On Friday, Moore testified she soon found out Luna was actually headed to upstate New York to carry out a hit on someone who had supposedly killed a young boy and his father.

"He told me he was going to New York to kill somebody," Moore responded to a question from prosecutor Pete Willis. "It was kind of like our relationship wasn't the same anymore."

Moore said Luna, 43, called her to say he arrived safely but was agitated that his buddies drank and smoked marijuana on the trip to the Electric City and weren't taking the job seriously.

The next time she heard from him was around 5 a.m. the next morning of Nov. 19 when he turned up at her home in Wilmington, Del.

"He said he ran up to the guy, killed him, and came home to me," said Moore.

She said Luna then smashed the gun into pieces and soaked it in bleach.

Lall's attorney, Cheryl Coleman, tried to raise inconsistencies in statements Moore ostensibly gave at various times to police investigators and the grand jury and what she was now telling jurors.

On cross-examination, Coleman locked horns with the feisty Moore. She accused Moore of tampering with evidence when she gave Luna the bleach.

"No, I did not because he did not tell me what he as going to do with the bleach," said Moore.

Coleman pressed Moore about her earlier testimony about $700 she picked up for Luna at WalMart before he traveled to Schenectady and the rest of the cash he received after returning to Wilmington from Schenectady.

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"He got the $700 before and the rest of the money afterwards," Moore responded in a raised voice.

Coleman challenged Moore on the reason she broke up with Luna, contending it was because of his infidelity.

In a firm voice, Moore, a mother of two, asserted she ended her relationship with Luna on New Year's Eve of 2016 because he kept dealing drugs even after promising her he would stop.

Earlier Friday, State Police Investigator Andrew Behrens testified about the extensive analysis of phone records of Luna, Lall and Kyshaan Moore's phone records that tracked them and their interactions along the Thruway into and out of Schenectady.

The digital trail contained footage from surveillance cameras in Schenectady, including around Lall's Mont Pleasant home and from a license-plate reader that Coleman argued strenuously are only located in Orange and Ulster counties and not in Albany or Schenectady counties.

Lall and Moore, who is not related to Brandi Moore, are serving time in prison for their conviction earlier this year for felonies in their role in the murder-for-hire plot.

Testimony before Schenectady County Judge Matthew Sypnewski is expected to continue next week.
Paris

As anti-government protests rage through France and Paris locks down, fearing new riots, the man whose presidency has unleashed the anger is nowhere to be seen.

French President Emmanuel Macron has stayed out of the public eye all week, leaving his unpopular government to try to calm the nation. In response, "Macron, resign!" has become the main slogan of the "yellow vest" demonstrators.

The protesters' anger has been directed at the French leader, who they feel has been the "president of the rich" and is out-of-touch with ordinary people.

Macron's pro-business reforms have aimed to make the French economy more competitive globally, but French workers see the changes as brutal and weakening their rights.

Macron, whose popularity plummeted in recent months, is also widely seen as arrogant, which comes out when he tells an unemployed man he can find a job if he "crosses the street," or advising a retiree not to complain.

The 40-year-old leader mostly spent the week holding closed-door meetings in the Elysee presidential palace, which many protesters see as an ivory tower where he is hiding away from the people.

The president's office said he would not speak before Saturday's anti-government protests.

Normally Macron is a president who likes the limelight, one who has sought a prominent place on the world stage since his surprise election last year.

Just a week ago, he was basking in the international limelight at the Group of 20 summit in Argentina, challenging U.S. President Donald Trump on climate change and protectionist trade measures.

As he met with other world leaders last weekend, images of burning barricades in Paris and the Arc de Triomphe monument in a cloud of tear gas were all over the television screens.

Just back from Argentina, Macron went directly to the Arc de Triomphe to see the damages to the monument but the media was not allowed to ask him questions or come close. On Monday he had a discreet lunch with anti-riot police officers in eastern Paris, again without press.

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The next day, he paid a two-hour unannounced visit to Puy-en-Velay, in central France, where protesters earlier had set the provincial government's headquarters on fire. A few local reporters and other journalists who were there by chance reported that Macron was booed and insulted by a small crowd.

On Friday evening, Macron paid a quick visit to anti-riot security forces that were to be deployed Saturday in the French capital. No media was there. His office said he met with about 60 police officers at a fort east of Paris and thanked them for their service.

Instead, Prime Minister Edouard Philippe has been sent to the front lines to face opposition lawmakers at parliament and explain the government's security measures on television.

In France, the president traditionally makes the key policy choices, especially in the fields of defense and foreign policy, while the prime minister is in charge of day-to-day decisions, especially those related to domestic issues.

Macron doesn't face re-election until 2022 and his party has a strong majority in parliament  yet his ability to pass sweeping reforms may be weakened by the yellow vests movement.

Observers have suggested that Philippe's resignation might ultimately be considered as a way to protect Macron  especially if the mood in France doesn't calm down. But Philippe on Thursday rejected suggestions that he should quit.
A federal judge fined a Castleton company $10,000 after false information was provided about asbestos in a demolition project on Troy's King Street.

Over the summer M. Cristo admitted to accessory after the fact to a false statement under the Clean Air Act, according to the U.S. Attorney's office. U.S. District Judge Glenn T. Suddaby issued the fine this week.

On Aug. 5, 2013, the contractor razed the 410 King St. buildings that contained material with asbestos. The next day an employee prepared a federally required Notification of Demolition and Renovation Form, checking a box stating that asbestos was not present.

The employee also claimed that another section of the form was "not applicable" when asked specific questions about the types and locations of asbestos material in the buildings.

Knowing that form was false, M. Cristo filed the document with the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency regional office, violating federal law, authorities said.

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"Asbestos exposure can cause cancer, lung disease, and other serious respiratory ailments," said Tyler Amon, an EPA special agent-in-charge in a statement. "M. Cristo, Inc. ignored federal law on asbestos removal by failing to hire certified asbestos abatement professionals, and then falsely asserted to EPA that no asbestos existed at the property. M. Cristo, Inc. incorrectly claimed that emergency demolitions provided an exemption from federal asbestos removal law.

"EPA will not allow businesses to circumvent environmental standards and put the public's health at risk just to make a profit," Amon said.
ALBANY  In the latest effort to scuttle the state's climate change litigation against ExxonMobil, the conservative-leaning Government Justice Center has filed a complaint with the state's Joint Commission on Public Ethics accusing the attorney general's office of misconduct.

The complaint criticizes Attorney General Barbara Underwood's office for using a legal fellowship program financed by former New York City Mayor Michael Bloomberg's foundation to aid in its "specious and speculative" litigation against fossil-fuel companies.

Underwood's office is among nine attorneys general in the nation that work with attorneys provided by NYU School of Law's State Energy and Environmental Impact Center, funded by Bloomberg Philanthropies to supplement states' efforts to fight federal roll-backs of environmental regulations and renewable energy policies.

"New York public officials are ethically obligated to follow the law and conduct state business without giving the impression of being improperly influenced by others," said Cameron J. Macdonald, executive director of the Government Justice Center. "And the extraordinary powers of New York's attorney general, especially under New York's unique Martin Act, are being rented to a third-party special interest."

One of the two attorneys named in the complaint have worked on the Exxon case, but only in a junior capacity, according to the attorney general's office. The fellowship program was launched last year and the battle with Exxon was started years ago by Underwood's predecessor, Eric T. Schneiderman.

MacDonald, who authored the complaint, argues that if an "outside special interest" is determining a state agency's policy directives, that would violate New York's Public Officers Law.

The law states that "an officer or employee of a state agency, member of the legislature or legislative employee should not by his or her conduct give reasonable basis for the impression that any person can improperly influence him or her or unduly enjoy his or her favor in the performance of his or her official duties."

It is common for government law departments to bring on staff members funded by other entities, such as firms or educational institutions, and the NYU center has no role in supervising the fellows, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office said.

"OAG consulted with JCOPE regarding employing fellows from NYU's State Energy and Environmental Impact Center and we are confident we are in full compliance with State law, JCOPE rules, and past precedent of similar programs," said Amy Spitalnick, a spokeswoman for the attorney general's office. "This is just another desperate effort by Exxon's allies to distract and deflect from the massive securities fraud alleged in our complaint."

Underwood's office is suing Exxon, citing The Martin Act, for misleading investors about its knowledge of climate change and the potential effects that climate change could have on Exxon's business.

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New York Republican officials have argued against excessive use of The Martin Act and the wielding of the attorney general's power for what they see as partisan causes.

Lawsuit Reform Alliance of New York Executive Director Tom Stebbins, who contends that climate change policy should be decided by legislators, not litigators and judges, also criticized the state's use of attorneys paid by private entities.

"This practice definitely has the appearance of impropriety," Stebbins said. "We cannot have billionaires paying to use elected officials as their personal mercenaries, especially when it comes to an office as powerful as the New York attorney general's."

New York Public Interest Group's Blair Horner dismissed the ethics complaint as another attempt by oil companies and their allies to "muddy the waters."

"This is really a sideshow to the main event. The main event is that Exxon, according to the AG, has been misleading its shareholders and potential shareholders," Horner said. "The courts will ultimately make a decision on this, not JCOPE."

Federal judges have rejected Exxon's previous attempts to block the attorney general's case.
Washington

President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was in touch as far back as 2015 with a Russian who offered "political synergy" with the Trump election campaign, the federal special counsel said Friday in a court filing.

Filings by prosecutors from both New York and the Trump-Russia special counsel's office laid out for the first time details of the cooperation of Cohen, a vital witness who once said he'd "take a bullet" for the president but who in recent months has become a prime antagonist and pledged to come clean with the government.

Federal prosecutors said Friday that Cohen deserves a substantial prison sentence despite his cooperation with investigators. He is to be sentenced next week, and may face several years in prison.

In hours of meetings with prosecutors, Cohen detailed his intimate involvement in an array of episodes, including some that directly touch the president, that are at the center of investigations into campaign finance violations and potential collusion between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin.

In one of the filings, Mueller details how Cohen spoke to a Russian who "claimed to be a 'trusted person' in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign 'political synergy' and 'synergy on a government level.'"

The filing says the meeting never happened.

Cohen also discussed a Moscow real estate deal that could have netted Trump's business hundreds of millions of dollars and conversations with a Russian intermediary who proposed a meeting between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin as well as offering synergy with the campaign, prosecutors said.

Cohen, dubbed Trump's "legal fixer" in the past, also described his work in conjunction with Trump in orchestrating hush money payments to two women  a porn star and a Playboy model  who said they had sex with Trump a decade earlier. Prosecutors in New York, where Cohen pleaded guilty in August in connection with those payments, said the lawyer "acted in coordination and at the direction" of Trump.

Despite such specific allegations of Trump's actions, the president quickly tweeted after news of the filings: "Totally clears the President. Thank you!"

In addition, the filings reveal that Cohen told prosecutors he and Trump discussed a potential meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in 2015, shortly after Trump announced his candidacy for president.

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In a footnote, special counsel Robert Mueller's team writes that Cohen conferred with Trump "about contacting the Russia government before reaching out to gauge Russia's interest in such a meeting," though it never took place.

In an additional filing Friday evening, prosecutors said former Trump campaign chairman Paul Manafort lied to them about his contacts with a Russian associate and Trump administration officials.

Manafort, who has pleaded guilty to several counts, violated his plea agreement by then telling "multiple discernible lies" to prosecutors, they said.

Prosecutors in Cohen's case said that even though he cooperated in their investigation into the hush money payments to women he nonetheless deserved to spend time in prison.

"Cohen did provide information to law enforcement, including information that assisted the Special Counsel's Office," they said. "But Cohen's description of those efforts is overstated in some respects and incomplete in others."

In meetings with Mueller's team, Cohen "provided information about his own contacts with Russian interests during the campaign and discussions with others in the course of making those contacts," the court documents said.

Cohen provided prosecutors with a "detailed account" of his involvement, along with the involvement of others, in efforts during the 2016 presidential campaign to complete a deal to build a Trump Tower Moscow, the documents said. He also provided information about attempts by Russian nationals to reach Trump's campaign, they said.
ALBANY  State Sen. Kevin Parker stirred controversy on Thursday at the Renaissance Albany Hotel while talking about the upcoming legislative session for the Business Council of New York's government affairs planning meeting.

"What I said was, 'Don't show up to a meeting with four white guys,'" the Brooklyn Democrat told the Times Union on Friday.

The remark, he said, was part of a larger point about the need for companies and organizations to diversify, while also highlighting the diversity of the incoming Democratic majority in the chamber. Parker explained that he was trying to be "entertaining" with how he talked about the subject.

"I'm disappointed that anybody was offended by my comment," Parker said. "It was meant to be provocative and not offensive, but I stand by my point."

Parker is a front runner to lead the Senate's energy committee in the upcoming legislative session, having previously served as the ranking Democratic member on the committee. If he is elevated to chairman, energy industry lobbyists would have a significant interest soliciting his support for their priorities.

He noted that the makeup of the Democratic conference is in stark contrast with the chamber's outgoing Republican majority, which has no minority members. The incoming freshman class of Democrats includes the first Iranian-American, Indian-American and Taiwanese-American senators.

Parker said the fact people in attendance felt the need to "snitch" on him to the Times Union was proof positive of the need for diversity, as he felt the larger issue he was raising fell on deaf ears in the mostly white crowd. He said that a few people of color thanked him for his comments when he was done.

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He did acknowledge that black and Latino senators might be more comfortable engaging with black and Latino lobbyists, who are not the majority in Albany. "It's not that my colleagues can't talk to white guys," Parker added.

He also advised the crowd on Thursday that the turnover in the chamber was an opportunity for people with business before the state to educate the newer members of the Senate Democratic Conference about their interests.

Parker, who was first elected to the Senate in 2002, occasionally found himself in hot water due to his temper during his first decade in office. He has not had public controversy in more recent years, and has instead become known for his public frankness.

David.Lombardo@timesunion.com - 518.454.5427 - @poozer87
The New York State Board for Historic Preservation is recommending adding 16 properties, including five in the greater Capital Region, to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

They are:

Dresden District School No. 2, Clemons vicinity  The rural one-room school house in a remote location between Lake George and Lake Champlain was erected about 1880 and continued to function as an educational building into the 1940s.

Rensselaer Society of Engineer's House, Troy  Located on the campus of Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, the fraternal organization's 1924 home is an excellent local example of 1920s-era Neoclassical style architecture designed by Bertram G. Goodhue, a distinguished 20th century architect.

Col. Peter B. Vroman House, Schoharie  The house was constructed c. 1792 for Col. Peter B. Vroman, who served as the secretary of the Schoharie District Committee of Safety, a colonel of the 15th Regiment of the Albany County Militia, representative in several sessions of the State Legislature, and elected delegate to the New York Constitution Ratification Convention.

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Schoharie Village Historic District  The village was established by refugee Palatine Germans, who settled in the 1710s along the Schoharie Creek, which provided the first transportation routes into the region. The village developed as transportation via water, road and rail allowed the isolated area to connect with the larger region and the state capital at Albany.

Hotel Saranac, Saranac Lake  Financed by business people and individuals who purchased bonds in the hotel corporation, the six-story hotel opened in 1927, at a time when Saranac Lake was a destination for treatment of tuberculosis, to accommodate visitors to the region who were not undergoing treatment.

Once recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation officer, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the National Register.
Washington

President Donald Trump on Friday picked former Attorney General William Barr to serve as America's top law enforcement official. But Democrats raised alarms about his comments on the Russia investigation.

Barr called for a probe into a uranium deal approved while Hillary Clinton was secretary of state, a pet issue of Trump supporters.

It's not clear whether Barr, if confirmed, would take office in time to shape the Mueller investigation, which has shown signs of being in its final stage.

Barr, 68, would succeed former Attorney General Jeff Sessions, whom Trump forced out after constant heckling because Sessions recused himself from the Russia investigation. Sessions' chief of staff, Matthew Whitaker, was elevated to acting attorney general. Questions were raised about Whitaker's credentials, critical comments he had made about the Mueller investigation before joining the Justice Department and his involvement with a company that was accused of misleading consumers and is under investigation by the FBI."

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Confirmation hearings are unlikely before January, when Republicans will have a 53-47 majority, leaving Democrats powerless to block the nomination unless four Republicans break ranks.

The next chairman of the Judiciary Committee, Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., called Barr's pick an "outstanding decision" and pledged to "do everything in my power" to quickly push the nomination through the committee and onto the Senate floor.

Senate top Democrat, Chuck Schumer, said Barr must promise that Mueller's investigation can proceed unimpeded and Mueller's final report will be made available to Congress and the public immediately after it is completed.
Veteran Irish aid worker Carol Morgan has called on the people of Ireland to lend their support to Concern Worldwide's latest appeal to help save the lives of as many starving children as possible in Somalia.

The leading aid worker, who is Concerns Regional Director for the Horn of Africa covering Somalia, Ethopia, Kenya and South Sudan, has urged the Irish people to back Concern's appeal where an estimated 55,000 children are currently at risk of dying from starvation in Somalia before Christmas.

Malnutrition is killing children every day and as Christmas approaches, we are asking the Irish public to help us save as many lives as possible, said Carol who spent her formative years in her mother's home parish of Gortnahoe Glengoole while her father worked in the nearby mines.

@RTENationwide traveled to #Nairobi to mark 50 years of @Concern.



In July 2018 @ConcernDebates champions @StKiliansDS & #concernfast leaders @stannestipp went to Nairobi and visited many of places in the documentary

Watch here: https://t.co/rRpdPsQ0Va  Concern Debates (@ConcernDebates) December 6, 2018

While growing up Carol was inspired by stories from her aunt who spent time in Africa as a Holy Rosary Sister, and was immediately drawn to the idea of volunteering.

After the family moved to back to her father's native Dublin, Carol said she was determined to follow in the footsteps of her aunt and decided to train in nursing and midwifery with the intention of volunteering in developing countries overseas.

In 1989 she travelled to Ethopia for the first time as a volunteer where she relished her work helping young families. After spending several years working with overseas organisations including Save the Children, Carol deciding to return to education and complete a Masters in Development Studies. For the next number of years Carol spent time in Rwanda, Uganda and Azerbijan as Country Director for Concern, eventually leading to her appointment as Regional Director for the Horn of Africa.

Many people in Somalia have lost everything as a result of the ongoing violence and the effects of last years severe drought, with many unable to feed themselves or their families, says Carol, explaining the urgency behind Concern's appeal.

As one of Irelands most experienced overseas aid workers Carol describes daily life for the many people in Somalia as incredibly hard with very high numbers of people displaced from their homes and needing support to meet their most basic needs.

In addition to nutrition support, Concern is also distributing essential items including hygiene and sanitation kits, kitchen ware, mosquito nets, and cash transfers to those living in Somalias camps for internally displaced people.

We ask everyone to do what they can this Christmas. These people have suffered immensely and many have completely lost their livelihoods so we need to continue to support them and help them to rebuild, she says.

For more information on Concern Worldwides Christmas Appeal, see www.concern.net or call 1850 410 510.
Angry Customers May Need a Little TLC

Psychologist Leon F. Seltzer says venting can be good for you. Airing your frustrations can provide relief, restore your equilibrium, and help you move forward, the Paradoxical Strategies in Psychotherapy author says.

But its not so great for the person on the receiving end of the conversation. And thats where contact center agents tend to be.

Sometimes callers simply reach out to explain whats happening and seek a solution to a problem. Thats a best-case scenario.

Frequently callers have an ax to grind. Their goal, if you want to call it that, is simply to complain. They may also seek a solution to their problem. But that goal may run a distance second.

If you ever wondered why agent churn is so high, you have found your answer.

Now agents need to figure out how they should answer to callers who are rude, crude, and indicate they just cant take it anymore.

Professor Jeff DeGraff of the University of Michigans Ross School of Business suggests that expressing frustration is a cry for help and that listening may be the answer. In a Psychology Today column he writes maybe its really about being valued  about being a somebody  about having a voice that is heard. Maybe if we listen they wont have to yell so loud.

The DeGraff piece addresses frustration relative to political and social debate and decision-making. But it could just as easily apply to frustration relative to customer service.

Letting people know you sympathize with them can help defuse a bad situation. And it can be the path of least resistance in getting a customer problem resolved and completing a call.

The bottom line is this: Never underestimate the power of empathy, advises the book Taking Your Customer Care to the Next Level. It might be the most powerful tool in customer retention.

Edited by Maurice Nagle
[December 07, 2018]

Sikich grows Chicago-area presence with acquisition of accounting practice

CHICAGO, Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Professional services firm Sikich announced Friday that it has acquired the practice of Knutte & Associates, a Darien, Illinois-based audit, accounting and tax firm.

"The addition of the Knutte & Associates team adds strength to our audit, accounting and tax teams," Sikich CEO Chris Geier said. "Our clients will especially benefit from their specialized expertise on auditing issues in the government, education and not-for-profit sectors."

Founded in 1973 by J. Michael Knutte, Knutte & Associates specializes in completing student financial assistance (Title IV) compliance audits for educational institutions, as well as audits for governmental entities and not-for-profit organizations.

"Joining Sikich allows us to offer our clients access to an expanded team of talented audit, accounting and tax expert, as well as a comprehensive suite of professional services," said Michael Knutte, CEO of Knutte & Associates. "We're excited to add our expertise to this growing and innovative firm."







Sikich's work in the government, not-for-profit and education sectors includes offering accounting, advisory and technology solutions to colleges and universities, health care organizations, social service agencies, private foundations, welfare organizations, religious organizations, political action committees, civic and community organizations, and trade associations.

"Knutte & Associates is a nationally recognized specialist in Title IV audits and consulting, and will enhance our ability to help clients comply with this important requirement related to student financial assistance," said Richard Lynch, partner-in-charge of Sikich's not-for-profit and education practices. "Their talented professionals will extend our expertise and add increased depth to our work with governments, not-for-profit organizations and educational institutions."

Knutte & Associates employees will join Sikich's Naperville and Chicago offices. The transaction is scheduled to close on Jan. 1.

About Sikich LLP

Sikich LLP, a leading professional services firm specializing in accounting, technology, investment banking* and advisory services**, has more than 750 employees throughout the country. Founded in 1982, Sikich now ranks as the country's 28th largest Certified Public Accounting firm and is among the top 1 percent of all enterprise resource planning solution partners in the world. From corporations and not-for-profits to state and local governments, Sikich clients can use a broad spectrum of services and products that help them reach long-term, strategic goals.

*Securities offered through Sikich Corporate Finance LLC, member FINRA/SIPC.

**Investment advisory services offered through Sikich Financial, an SEC Registered Investment Advisor.

View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/sikich-grows-chicago-area-presence-with-acquisition-of-accounting-practice-300762109.html

SOURCE Sikich
[December 07, 2018] Will The Rio Grande Tech Corridor Become The Silicon Valley Of New Mexico?

LAS CRUCES, N.M., Dec. 7, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Will the Rio Grande Technology Corridor between Albuquerque, New Mexico and El Paso, Texas become the new Silicon Valley of opportunity? CEO of SameDay Security (SDS), Anthony Dohrmann, founder of Electronic Caregiver and Addison Care believes it might just be. "This is a research and innovation rich area with needs of more local job creation. We have New Mexico State University, University of New Mexico, Texas Tech and University of Texas at El Paso in our backyard. These are smart, family-oriented people. Both job seekers, innovators and investors are seeking high-tech opportunities in the state, and we're working to expand and provide them," Dohrmann said. Dohrmann explained many local professionals are forced to vacate the state they love for more lucrative opportunities and a place to express their skills in other states. New Mexico and Western Texas invests to educate, and then we lose that talent to out-of-state technology companies. "It's time to significantly stimulate the local state economies. Other leading tech companies have considered relocating to New Mexico, but ultimately went elsewhere," Dohrmann said. "It's more than just about job creation. It's about developing meaningful solutions for life, health and consumer products in key industries with exciting technologies in artificial intelligence, machine learning, as well as virtual and augmented reality. We can improve quality of life on a variety of levels and the technologies produced in New Mexico could impact humanity on a global scale." SameDay Security, Inc., and its subsidiaries collaborates with universities and companies, such as Amazon We Services, where the innovation team was just invited to present their technologies during the 2018 AWS Re:Invent Conference. Chief Technology Officer, Bryan Chasko, is a local New Mexican who was awarded the prestigious AWS Hero designation, earning him an elite place among just 60 people from over 25 countries for his key innovations and leadership.



The company has committed $1M in resources into health and consumer innovation with the majority of those commitments going to New Mexico State University. "We've previously invested in the advanced NMSU biomechanics gravity lab that focuses on geriatric and fall research," Dohrmann explained. "We recently contracted to provide $340,000 in support and new technology to enhance innovation classrooms, equipping them with state-of-the-art virtual and augmented reality development assets. SDS is also funding 2 graduate and 2 undergraduate positions for the VR and AR lab, along with 2 gravity lab positions including both mechanical and electrical engineers." Over 90% of Dohrmann's 70 employees are NMSU graduates and his plan is to add 1,100 new jobs by 2023. Since beginning to work with NMSU, approximately $700,000 in commitments have been provided by SDS to NMSU technology innovation and health research. This alliance with NMSU resulted in over 7 years of research producing 8 academic publications. Former professor at NMSU, David Keeley Ph.D., said, "The innovation for population health, security, education and consumer technologies Dohrmann is creating were enticing enough for me to leave a tenured position to lead clinical research for his company. With the educational infrastructure already in place, the growing business climate throughout the region and the low cost of living, opportunities for innovation and employment are a catalyst for initiating growth and driving the development of the region for many years to come."

SameDay Security, Inc., has raised and invested $36M into innovation, research and sales support that develops technologies for patient and elder care including, virtual caregivers and home health management technologies almost exclusively into New Mexico operations. In January, they will debut the much-awaited Addison Care, a Virtual Caregiving System, at the Sands Convention Center at the Consumer Electronics Show in Las Vegas, Nevada. About SameDay Security, Inc. and Electronic Caregiver SameDay Security (SDS) is one of the fastest growing monitored technology providers in the U.S. and one of only a handful of nationwide service providers. Known as the Electronic Caregiver Company (trademark) and founded in 2009, SDS currently provides automated home care solutions and safety devices nationwide to thousands of clients. SDS is developing contracts with hundreds of home care, senior service and health providers across America who will participate in Addison Care marketing to their clients. Clinical trials for their newest innovation are scheduled with the G60 Trauma Organization involving 500 patients over 3 years to determine the impact on patient outcomes, cost reduction, lower hospitalization, chronic disease management and long-term care. Electronic Caregiver employs over 70 employees and is headquartered in Las Cruces, New Mexico. www.electroniccaregiver.com View original content to download multimedia:http://www.prnewswire.com/news-releases/will-the-rio-grande-tech-corridor-become-the-silicon-valley-of-new-mexico-300762129.html SOURCE Electronic Caregiver

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Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP Announces Investigation on Behalf of Markel Corporation Investors (MKL)

Glancy Prongay & Murray LLP ("GPM") announces an investigation on behalf of Markel Corporation ("Markel" or the "Company") (NYSE: MKL) investors concerning the Company and its officers' possible violations of federal securities laws.

If you are a shareholder who suffered a loss, click here to participate.







On December 7, 2018, the Company disclosed that "after having been contacted on November 30, 2018, it is fully cooperating with inquiries by US and Bermuda authorities into loss reserves recorded in late 2017 and early 2018 at Markel CATCo Investment Management Ltd and its subsidiaries." On this news, the Company's share price fell sharply during intraday trading on December 7, 2018.

Follow us for updates on Twitter (News - Alert): twitter.com/GPM_LLP.

If you purchased Markel securities, have information or would like to learn more about these claims, or have any questions concerning this announcement or your rights or interests with respect to these matters, please contact Lesley Portnoy, Esquire, of GPM, 1925 Century Park East, Suite 2100, Los Angeles California 90067 at 310-201-9150, Toll-Free at 888-773-9224, by email to [email protected], or visit our website at www.glancylaw.com. If you inquire by email please include your mailing address, telephone number and number of shares purchased.

This press release may be considered Attorney Advertising in some jurisdictions under the applicable law and ethical rules.

View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005555/en/
[December 07, 2018] EQUITY ALERT: Rosen Law Firm Announces Filing of Securities Class Action Lawsuit Against Aphria Inc. - APHA

Rosen Law Firm, a global investor rights law firm, announces the filing of a class action lawsuit on behalf of purchasers of the securities of Aphria Inc. (NYSE: APHA) from July 17, 2018 through December 4, 2018, inclusive (the "Class Period"). The lawsuit seeks to recover damages for Aphria investors under the federal securities laws. To join the Aphria class action, go to https://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-1464.html or call Phillip Kim, Esq. or Zachary Halper, Esq. toll-free at 866-767-3653 or email [email protected] or [email protected] for information on the class action. NO CLASS HAS YET BEEN CERTIFIED IN THE ABOVE ACTION. UNTIL A CLASS IS CERTIFIED, YOU ARE NOT REPRESENTED BY COUNSEL UNLESS YOU RETAIN ONE. YOU MAY RETAIN COUNSEL OF YOUR CHOICE. YOU MAY ALSO REMAIN AN ABSENT CLASS MEMBER AND DO NOTHING AT THIS POINT. AN INVESTOR'S ABILITY TO SHARE IN ANY POTENTIAL FUTURE RECOVERY IS NOT DEPENDENT UPON SERVING AS LEAD PLAINTIFF. According to the lawsuit, defendants throughout the Class Period made false and/or misleading statements and/or failed to disclose that: (1) the Latin American assets acquired by Aphria lacked adequate lienses to operate and were overvalued; (2) the acquisition of the Latin American assets would enrich Aphria's Chief Executive Officer and other insiders at the expense of shareholders; and (3) as a result, defendants' positive statements about Aphria's business, operations, and prospects were materially misleading and/or lacked a reasonable basis. When the true details entered the market, the lawsuit claims that investors suffered damages.



A class action lawsuit has already been filed. If you wish to serve as lead plaintiff, you must move the Court no later than February 4, 2019. A lead plaintiff is a representative party acting on behalf of other class members in directing the litigation. If you wish to join the litigation, go to https://www.rosenlegal.com/cases-1464.html or to discuss your rights or interests regarding this class action, please contact Phillip Kim, Esq. or Zachary Halper, Esq. of Rosen Law Firm toll free at 866-767-3653 or via e-mail at [email protected] or [email protected]. Follow us for updates on LinkedIn (News - Alert): https://www.linkedin.com/company/the-rosen-law-firm, on Twitter (News - Alert): https://twitter.com/rosen_firm or on Facebook (News - Alert): https://www.facebook.com/rosenlawfirm/.

Rosen Law Firm represents investors throughout the globe, concentrating its practice in securities class actions and shareholder derivative litigation. Rosen Law Firm was Ranked No. 1 by ISS Securities Class Action Services for number of securities class action settlements in 2017. The firm has been ranked in the top 3 each year since 2013. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005579/en/

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[December 07, 2018] Paul, Weiss Announces Election of New Partners

Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP is pleased to announce that the following attorneys have been elected to the partnership, effective January 1, 2019: Justin Anderson, Robert Britton, David Carmona, Harris Fischman, Christopher D. Frey, Matthew B. Goldstein, Jeffrey J. Recher, Justin Rosenberg, Brian Scrivani, Conrad van Loggerenberg, Michael Vogel and Lindsey L. Wiersma. All are resident in the New York office except Mr. Anderson, resident in the Washington, D.C. office; Mr. Carmona, resident in the London office; and Mr. Frey, resident in the Tokyo office. "We welcome these extraordinarily talented lawyers to our partnership," said Brad S. Karp, chairman of the firm. "Each brings sharp legal skills, dedication to client service and deep experience in areas of the law that align with our firm's core strengths." Justin Anderson will be a partner in the litigation department, resident in Washington, D.C. A former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, Mr. Anderson is an experienced trial and appellate lawyer who focuses on white-collar matters, internal investigations, regulatory and enforcement proceedings and complex business litigation. Mr. Anderson previously clerked for the Honorable Sidney H. Stein of the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of New York and for the Honorable Jose A. Cabranes of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the Second Circuit. He earned his J.D. from Yale Law School and a B.A., Phi Beta Kappa, and M.A. from Johns Hopkins University. Robert Britton will be a partner in the bankruptcy & corporate reorganization department. Mr. Britton has played leading roles in a number of major restructurings, representing debtors, equity owners, creditor groups and distressed investors in acquisitions, out-of-court restructurings and chapter 11 cases. Mr. Britton earned a J.D., magna cum laude, from the University of Illinois College of Law, and an A.B., cum laude, from Augustana College. David Carmona will be a partner in the corporate department, resident in London. A member of the financing group, Mr. Carmona advises private equity and other clients on a range of leveraged finance transactions, including cross-border transactions. Mr. Carmona earned a J.D. and a Masters of Business Law from Pompeu Fabra University in Barcelona, and an LL.M. from the University of Chicago. He received a Fulbright Scholarship at the University of California, Berkeley. Harris Fischman will be a partner in the litigation department. Mr. Fischman focuses on white-collar matters, internal investigations, regulatory and enforcement proceedings and complex business litigation. He is a former federal prosecutor in Manhattan, where he was chief of the Violent and Organized Crime Unit and deputy chief of the Narcotics Unit. Mr. Fischman earned his J.D., cum lude, from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.A. from Emory University.



Christopher D. Frey will be a partner in the litigation department, resident in Tokyo. Mr. Frey focuses on white-collar matters, regulatory investigations and enforcement proceedings, internal investigations and complex business litigation. Mr. Frey is a former federal prosecutor and served as an Associate Counsel in the White House Counsel's Office, working on the Obama Administration's responses to congressional investigations. Mr. Frey clerked for the Honorable Jerome B. Simandle of the U.S. District Court for the District of New Jersey. He earned his J.D. from Stanford Law School and his B.A., summa cum laude, Phi Beta Kappa, from Syracuse University. Matthew B. Goldstein will be a partner in the corporate department. A member of the private funds group, Mr. Goldstein focuses his practice on the formation and operation of a wide variety of private investment funds, and also advises on co-investments in M&A and other transactions. In 2014-2015, he served as Associate General Counsel at Garrison Investment Group. Mr. Goldstein earned his J.D. from Hofstra University and his B.A. from the University of Michigan.

Jeffrey J. Recher will be a partner in the litigation department. Mr. Recher handles a broad range of complex civil litigations, including trials and arbitrations, for some of the firm's most significant clients, including high-stakes antitrust, investment and bankruptcy matters. Mr. Recher earned his J.D. from Cornell Law School, and his B.A., with honors, from Johns Hopkins University. Justin Rosenberg will be a partner in the corporate department. A member of the mergers & acquisitions group, Mr. Rosenberg has extensive experience in public and private company acquisitions, divestitures, cross-border transactions, private equity transactions, securities offerings and corporate governance matters. Mr. Rosenberg received his J.D., magna cum laude, from Northwestern University School of Law and his B.S., magna cum laude, from The Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania. Brian Scrivani will be a partner in the corporate department. A member of the mergers & acquisitions group, Mr. Scrivani advises a diverse range of public and private clients on acquisitions, sales and divestitures, leveraged buyouts, mergers-of-equals and private equity transactions. He also advises boards and special committees on corporate governance and fiduciary matters. Mr. Scrivani earned his J.D., with distinction, from The University of Texas School of Law, and his B.A., with distinction, from the University of Virginia. Conrad van Loggerenberg will be a partner in the corporate department. A member of the private funds group, Mr. van Loggerenberg advises on the formation of a variety of private investment funds, as well as investment management M&A transactions and other funds-related matters. Mr. van Loggerenberg has experience in establishing customized private funds with respect to a range of U.S. and non-U.S. investors. He earned his B.Com. and LL.B. degrees from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University and his LL.M. degree from Duke University School of Law. Michael Vogel will be a partner in the corporate department. A member of the mergers & acquisitions group, Mr. Vogel advises private equity and strategic clients on a range of complex transactional matters, including mergers and acquisitions, joint ventures, equity financing and other transactions, across a broad cross-section of industries. Mr. Vogel earned his J.D., with honors, from George Washington University Law School and his B.A., magna cum laude, from George Washington University. Lindsey L. Wiersma will be a partner in the corporate department. A member of the private funds group, Ms. Wiersma focuses on private equity fund formation and maintenance, arrangements among founders and partners of private equity firms, and regulatory issues, management company "upper tier" arrangements, investment management M&A transactions, seeding arrangements and secondary transactions. Ms. Wiersma received her J.D. from Duke University School of Law and her B.A., magna cum laude, from Wheaton College. About Paul, Weiss Paul, Weiss (www.paulweiss.com) is a firm of 1,000 lawyers with diverse backgrounds, personalities, ideas and interests who provide innovative and effective solutions to our clients' most complex legal and business challenges. We take great pride in representing the world's leading companies in their critical legal matters and most significant business transactions, as well as individuals and organizations in need of pro bono assistance.  2018 Paul, Weiss, Rifkind, Wharton & Garrison LLP. In some jurisdictions, this advisory may be considered attorney advertising. Past representations are no guarantee of future outcomes. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005581/en/

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[December 07, 2018] UnitedHealthcare, SBP Dedicate Rebuilt House to Baton Rouge Resident Whose Home Was Damaged in the 2016 Louisiana Floods

UnitedHealthcare, SBP, the Baton Rouge mayor's office, and UnitedHealthcare and SBP volunteers hosted a "Welcome Home" ceremony for Baton Rouge resident Gladiola Haney, whose home was severely damaged by the Baton Rouge floods of 2016. This rebuild - along with many others throughout Baton Rouge - was made possible by SBP's $100,000 grant from UnitedHealthcare, which was awarded in the spring of 2017. This press release features multimedia. View the full release here: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005582/en/ UnitedHealthcare, SBP, the Baton Rouge mayor's office, and UnitedHealthcare and SBP volunteers hosted a "Welcome Home" ceremony for Baton Rouge resident Gladiola Haney, whose home was severely damaged by the Baton Rouge floods of 2016. Sen. Regina Barrow, District 15, East Baton Rouge Parish, presents a door wreath to Ms. Haney and her niece Kelly Stewart. Left to right: Allison Young, CEO, UnitedHealthcare Community Plan of Louisiana; Ms. Haney; Stewart; and Sen. Barrow (Photo: Jeff Strout). Haney, 65, is from Zachary, La. As waters rose during the 2016 floods, a neighbor rescued her by boat and took her to a local high school. From there, she was reunited with her family and stayed in a hotel until the waters subsided. Despite her home being badly damaged, Haney moved back t her house and lived there for two years until SBP aided in her home's full restoration.



The grant funds from UnitedHealthcare have helped SBP restore homes for 45 families throughout Baton Rouge. More than 2,200 volunteers donated nearly 45,000 hours to rebuild the homes. About UnitedHealthcare

UnitedHealthcare is dedicated to helping people live healthier lives and making the health system work better for everyone by simplifying the health care experience, meeting consumer health and wellness needs, and sustaining trusted relationships with care providers. In the United States, UnitedHealthcare offers the full spectrum of health benefit programs for individuals, employers, and Medicare and Medicaid beneficiaries, and contracts directly with more than 1.2 million physicians and care professionals, and 6,500 hospitals and other care facilities nationwide. The company also provides health benefits and delivers care to people through owned and operated health care facilities in South America. UnitedHealthcare is one of the businesses of UnitedHealth Group (NYSE: UNH), a diversified health care company. For more information, visit UnitedHealthcare at www.uhc.com or follow @UHC on Twitter (News - Alert).

About SBP

SBP's mission is to shrink time between disaster and recovery. Since its founding in 2006 in St. Bernard Parish, Louisiana following the devastation wrought by Hurricane Katrina, SBP has rebuilt homes for more than 1,500 families with the help of 180,000 volunteers in New Orleans; Joplin, Mo.; Staten Island, N.Y.; Rockaway, N.Y.; Monmouth and Ocean Counties, N.J.; San Marcos, Texas; Columbia, S.C.; White Sulphur Springs, W. Va.; Baton Rouge, La., Puerto Rico and Houston. SBP's model is enhanced by AmeriCorps, which provides 240 members annually to manage worksites and clients, and train the organization's volunteers nationally. Through its resilience training, SBP works to share lessons learned, prevent common barriers to recovery and help communities utilize SBP's standardized, repeatable and proven-effective model. To learn more, visit www.SBPUSA.org and like/follow on Facebook (News - Alert) & Twitter @SBPUSA. Click here to subscribe to Mobile Alerts for UnitedHealth Group. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005582/en/

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[December 07, 2018] 'DRUG$'-AHF to Host Free Documentary Screenings in NYC, San Francisco, Ft. Lauderdale and Chicago Tuesday, December 11th

AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) will host a series of free community screenings and receptions in four cities across the nation on Tuesday, December 11th, from 6:00 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. (local times) of "DRUG$-The Price We Pay," a new feature-length documentary that explores the soaring price of medicines in the U.S. Narrated by Academy Award winner J.K. Simmons, 'DRUG$' reveals the mystery of modern medicine's skyrocketing price tag and how it affects the people struggling to stay alive. The feature-length, 79-minute film created by the AIDS Healthcare Foundation with Foxhound Productions, uncovers the soaring price of medicines in the United States. The documentary presents deeply humanizing stories, in addition to interviews with academics, patients, advocates and political leaders, including Senator Bernie Sanders and Congressman Elijah Cummings. In a titanic struggle against corporate greed, see how a diverse group of concerned Americans is fighting back to keep lifesaving medicines affordable for us all. ('DRUG$' trailer) The four screenings of 'DRUG$' will take place in San Francisco (at the historic Castro Theatre), New York, Ft. Lauderdale and Chicago. There will also be a limited theatrical release of the film in New York (Cinema Village Theater Dec. 7-13) and Beverly Hills (Laemmle Music Hall 3, Dec. 14-20) before the film becomes widely available to the public on Amazon Prime and YouTube (News - Alert) on December 15th. The four free community screenings and receptions all take place on Tuesday, December 11th, between 6:00 p.m. and 9:00 p.m. (local times) and include:







San Francisco Castro Theatre, 429 Castro St., San Francisco, CA (News - Alert) 94114 With a reception prior to, and panel discussion after the screening. To RSVP for the San Francisco screening, click here Chicago Regal Cinemas City North 14 IMAX & RPX 2600 North Western Avenue, Chicago IL 60647 With a reception prior to, and panel discussion after the screening. To RSVP for the Chicago screening, click here New York Regal Union Square Stadium 14 850 Broadway, New York, NY 10003 With a reception prior to, and panel discussion after the screening. To RSVP for the New York screening, click here Fort Lauderdale Museum of Discovery and Science & AutoNation IMAX Theater 401 SW 2nd St., Fort Lauderdale, FL 33312 With a reception prior to, and Q&A discussion after the screening. To RSVP for the Ft. Lauderdale screening, click here

About AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) and why we created this film: The AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF) has grown from a small community hospice provider, caring for people dying of AIDS in Los Angeles, to the largest global HIV/AIDS organization in the world, now providing care to over one million people in 42 countries. In 2017, AHF marked a momentous milestone - its 30-year anniversary. Providing and treating human beings with the medicine they need to survive is at the core of our mission. For three decades, our organization has strived towards treating as many people as possible, advocating for lower medication costs. The cost of medicine cannot go down if pharmaceutical companies continue to set and achieve billion-dollar profit goals. Find more information on 'DRUG$' on Facebook (News - Alert): www.facebook.com/DRUGSthefilm.com and follow us on Twitter (News - Alert): @DRUGSthefilm and Instagram: @DRUGSthefilm. Press assets on DRUG$ available for download on Dropbox (News - Alert): https://www.dropbox.com/sh/1qjnlbkwpgb14zf/AABkXLBHPGueTLgOnaDsEDbba?dl=0 AIDS Healthcare Foundation (AHF), the largest global AIDS organization, currently provides medical care and/or services to over 1,000,000 individuals in 42 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: www.facebook.com/aidshealth and follow us @aidshealthcare. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181207005594/en/

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[December 07, 2018] CAMPING WORLD SHAREHOLDER ALERT: CLAIMSFILER REMINDS INVESTORS WITH LOSSES IN EXCESS OF $100,000 of Lead Plaintiff Deadline in Class Action Lawsuit Against Camping World Holdings, Inc. - CWH

NEW ORLEANS, Dec. 07, 2018 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- ClaimsFiler, a FREE shareholder information service, reminds investors that they have until December 18, 2018 to file lead plaintiff applications in a securities class action lawsuit against Camping World Holdings, Inc. (NYSE: CWH), if they purchased the Companys Class A shares between March 8, 2017 and August 7, 2018, inclusive (the Class Period). This action is pending in the United States District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.

Get Help Camping World investors should visit us at https://www.claimsfiler.com/cases/view-camping-world-holdings-inc-securities-litigation or call toll-free (844) 367-9658. Lawyers at Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC are available to discuss your legal options.



About the Lawsuit Camping World and certain of its executives are charged with failing to disclose material information during the Class Period, violating federal securities laws.

On August 7, 2018, the Company disclosed a wide range of disappointing results for the quarter ended June 30, 2018 including a decline in same-store revenue, adjusted EBITDA 9% below guidance, a continuing decline in its adjusted EBITDA margin of 250 basis points year-over-year, and additional complications with its Gander Mountain Co. operations. On this news, the price of Camping Worlds Class A shares plummeted 14%, to close at $19.04 per share on August 8, 2018. The case is Ronge v. Camping World, et al, 18-cv-07030. About ClaimsFiler ClaimsFiler has a single mission: to serve as the information source to help retail investors recover their share of billions of dollars from securities class action settlements. At ClaimsFiler.com, investors can: (1) register for free to gain access to information and settlement websites for various securities class action cases so they can timely submit their own claims; (2) upload their portfolio transactional data to be notified about relevant securities cases in which they may have a financial interest; and (3) submit inquiries to the Kahn Swick & Foti, LLC law firm for free case evaluations. To learn more about ClaimsFiler, visit www.claimsfiler.com .

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[December 08, 2018] Disney Movie Moments Expansion Kicks Off With 'Ralph Breaks the Internet' Chicago Screening

Today, the Walt Disney (News - Alert) Studios celebrated a major expansion of its Disney Movie Moments program with a special screening of Disney's "Ralph Breaks the Internet" at La Rabida Children's Hospital in Chicago. The kickoff event featured photo opportunities with characters, giveaways distributed by Disney VoluntEARS and meet-and-greets with some of the film's animators. La Rabida Children's Hospital is one of the hospitals across the country to be a part of the program's expansion. ABC 7 Chicago, who has a long-standing relationship with the hospital, hosted the event and was in attendance to capture reactions of the children and families who were part of the day's activities. "Disney is a longtime supporter of the important work children's hospitals do, and with the Disney Movie Moments program, we aim to brighten the day of young patients by bringing the latest in Disney storytelling directly to these very special fans," said Alan Bergman, Pesident, The Walt Disney Studios. "Today, we are thrilled to be able to more than double the program's reach to nearly 120 hospitals around the country."



"Because of the type of care some kids require, a lot of our patients aren't able to enjoy simple things, like going out to see a movie. As caregivers, we aim to provide experiences that allow kids to be kids, if even for a moment. We're very lucky that organizations like Disney and our friends at ABC 7 Chicago recognize the value in those moments, and help us make events like Disney Movie Moments possible," stated La Rabida president and CEO, Brenda Wolf. The Disney Movie Moments program uses proprietary technology to deliver first-run films directly to children's hospitals shortly after their theatrical debut. Since launching in 48 hospitals in 2014, nearly all new film releases from Disney, Pixar, Marvel Studios, and Lucasfilm have been screened. Disney is the only Hollywood studio to host a program of this kind, building upon the company's long tradition of supporting children's hospitals.

Disney Movie Moments is a part of the Disney Team of Heroes philanthropic initiative to provide comfort and inspiration to families with children facing serious illness and to support children's hospitals around the country. In March, The Walt Disney Company Chairman and CEO Bob Iger announced an innovative five-year plan to dedicate more than $100 million in cash and resources to children's hospitals. View source version on businesswire.com: https://www.businesswire.com/news/home/20181208005030/en/

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This week, a lot of the focus of the tech industry was on Hawaii, of all places. That was where Qualcomm was putting on a three-ring circus (or was it a luau?) in service of the forthcoming rollout of 5G cellular networks, highlighting the company's strong position as a provider of 5G-capable chips for smartphones, namely the newly announced Snapdragon 855.

(Image credit: Tom's Guide)

Meanwhile, it looks like the iPhone will be sitting out the initial the 5G rollout, with reports suggesting that Apple won't have a 5G-compatible iPhone until 2020, because Intel can't supply the modem chips in time and Apple hasn't spoken to Qualcomm since their band broke up last year.

Catastrophe! How can Apple survive without 5G iPhones until 2020?

Here's how: The same way the company survived being way behind on 3G and LTE technologies, both of which it embraced long after its competitors did.

5G is ready, but are we?

It might be hard to believe, given all the hype and enthusiasm emanating from Maui this week, but I'm not particularly convinced there's much consumer demand for a dramatically faster cellular network today. I'm not trying to say that LTE is as fast as we'll ever need  of course, 5G is as inevitable as a 6G network will be one day. But today's LTE speeds are plenty good enough for the ways most people use their smartphones.

You know who benefits most when a new cellular standard is rolled out? Tech companies that want to flog new products, infrastructure companies that stand to sell lots of new equipment, and carriers that want to find ways to differentiate themselves from their competition and charge their customers more.

Cellular rollouts take a long, long time. 5G will take longer than most, because it requires more physical antennas to cover smaller areas. That will require more navigation of local government regulations and more real-estate negotiations. And depending on where you live, you may not be much of a priority, so you'll get 5G late, if at all. Downtown cores of major cities will get lit up with 5G coverage quickly, but after that, there are a lot of question marks.

(Image credit: Dennizn/Shutterstock.com)

Then there's the effect new cellular tech has on phone hardware itself. Whenever a new cellular standard has been introduced, phones have had to be compromised to support them. They can get thicker and heavier, run hotter, and  perhaps most concerning  burn through battery.

By hovering above the fray during a chaotic build-out, Apple avoids all of this. And when a 5G iPhone finally appears in a market where 5G networks have filled up the coverage maps and worked out all the bugs, it will almost be the ultimate seal of approval for the new tech.

What Apple might do

With all that said, it's still a bit hard to believe that Apple won't address the 5G market until September 2020. Cellular networks take time to build out, but that target date for a 5G iPhone is 22 months away. While I wouldn't put it past Apple to wait it out, there's another scenario that's worth considering.

Think back to 2011, when Apple's iPhone exclusivity deal with AT&T lapsed. The company released a new version of the iPhone 4 that worked with Verizon, seven months after the original version of the iPhone 4 launched. If Apple feels pressure to get on the 5G bandwagon, and if Intel's 5G radios won't be available until early 2020, perhaps Apple would consider releasing a mid-generation 5G version of whatever next year's flagship iPhone models are.



MORE: I Just Tried 5G for the First Time: Here's What It Lets You Do

It's not a crazy idea. Samsung is, by all accounts, planning to do the same thing with its Galaxy line next year, namely, release a 5G version of a few phone models just a month or two after the original release. And OnePlus' 5G phone will apparently be separate from its regular lineup of flagship phones.

Apples 5G outlook

In any event, Apple will support 5G when it's ready. In the meantime, it'll sit out the initial battle  and probably not suffer any ill effects. It might be hard to accept in all the excitement (and marketing money) that surrounds the impending rollout of 5G, but launching new cellular networks takes time. And in the past, Apple's entry has marked the moment that the thing is ready for prime time.

Boosters of 5G say this time will be different. We'll see. I wouldn't bet against Apple, given its track record.
Golden Ghetto Alleged Puppy Puncher Faces Serious Consequences

Bring Gomez Back To Kansas City

KC Couple's Beloved Dog Gone Missing in St. Louis ST. LOUIS (KMOX) - A Kansas City couple is asking for the public's help to find their lost dog, which ran away from a friend's care in the St. Louis area, while they were on an ocean cruise.

Doggie Drama In The Stix

Authorities investigate deaths of 2 dogs in Douglas County DOUGLAS COUNTY, KS (KCTV) -- The Douglas County Sheriff's Office is investigating the deaths of two dogs. Authorities say Odin and MJ were found dead this week in southeastern Douglas County. The sheriff's says they were "killed this week by an unknown person or persons." They were family pets.

Local Doggie Survivor Story

Boozy Best Friend Party Notes

KC Wine Co- Dog Paws & Santa Claus | Kansas City Dog Club RSVP Now Date Saturday, 22 Dec 2018 2:00 PM Venue KC Wine Co.13875 S Gardner Rd #1Olathe, KS 66061 View Map Grab your furry friends and join us for a dog friendly event at KC Wine Co. vineyard! ~www.kcwineco.com/ Photo ops with Santa Claus from 2-4pm.

Team Effort To Train Doggies

KC Mavericks fostering dog training to become service animal for veteran KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A new member of the Kansas City Mavericks is turning heads at Silverstein Eye Centers Arena and has already become a fan favorite. Mave, a four-month-old Weimaraner puppy, joined the team as a foster dog a few weeks ago and has already made an impression.

Home For The Holidays

Get 'Em Home KC Challenge This Weekend * KC Pet Project (KCPP) Our "Get 'Em Home KC" Challenge continues! Many dogs and cats have spent too many days in the shelter and are still waiting to find their forever families. This weekend is the perfect time to Get 'Em Home! Beginning Friday, December 7th, through Sunday, December 9th, all pets that have been with KC Pet Project...

It's the weekend, so please allow us a quick glimpse at all of the Kansas City news related to puppers . . . Take a peek at local headlines both good and bad related to our canine friends . . .Developing . . .
Kansas City Fed: Farmers feeling squeezed even before trade war started Well before the trade showdown between the U.S. and China heated up, farmers in rural America have been dealing with economic challenges, including income declines. How have today's tariffs complicated farming finances in the most recent quarter? Nate Kauffman from the Federal Reserve Bank of Kansas City talks with Yahoo Finance's Adam Shapiro and Julie Hyman.

Economic insight that's worth a glimpse because it offers a realistic look at economic talk that's now mostly turned into yet another unproductive partisan debate . . . Read more::
Daily Star: Demi Rose battles with cleavage in spaghetti strap top









Kansas City Country Club Plaza Gentrification Debate Redux

Plaza-Westport residents worry about neighborhood changing KANSAS CITY, Mo. - The Plaza-Westport neighborhood will soon get 30 brand-new single-family houses, with a price tag of $500,000 each, thanks to the Saint Luke's Foundation. The homes are designed to enhance and revitalize the neighborhood that sits just west of Saint Luke's Hospital between 44th and 45th streets.

Courthouse Double Dip Demand

New Jackson County legislator will get to double dip | The Kansas City Star Jackson County legislators who are leaving office spearheaded a special deal for a new member who will be allowed to "double dip" under a controversial pension ordinance passed this week

Local Written Word Healing

"War is a different thing" Veteran/author encourages fellow Veterans to tell their stories A local charity is helping Veterans heal through writing. The Veterans Voices Writing Project is keeping their stories alive. We had a chance to talk to Vietnam Veteran Lou Eisenbrandt. For the former Army nurse, writing changed everything. "War is a different thing," said Eisenbrandt, who served a year in a Vietnam combat field hospital.

Tease For Po'Folk With Out A Subscription

SmartAsset: How far $1M in retirement lasts in KC - Kansas City Business Journal If you retire in Kansas City with $1 million in assets, you can live on that money for a good long time. That's the conclusion of SmartAsset's study to find where the magic million-dollar mark lasts the longest. It considered expenses for housing, food, health care, utilities and more to reach its conclusion.

Saturday Forecast

First Alert: Mostly sunny, cold for your Saturday Your Saturday will be mostly sunny and cold. Look for a high near 35 degrees. It will be a bit warmer on Sunday with a high near 40 degrees. The next chance for...

The McTavish Agenda

6 Funny Things To Do In Kansas City This Weekend Funny is where you find it. But to save time scouting out the stuff that will more than likely put a smile on your face, here's a batch of comedians, musicians and Santas that could keep you ho-ho-ho-ing all weekend. That's right, Santas, as in more than one.

Kansas City Big Brass Winning

KC Symphony breaks world record for most tubas in concert at once The Kansas City Symphony set a new Guinness World Record for most tubas in concert together. On Friday, 835 musicians played "Silent Night" for five minutes, breaking the previous record of 504 tubas in concert together.

For this evening we take a quick peek at hottie and tech culture and the inevitable influence on this cowtown. Checkit:Closer to home, here's a look at more local news links worth a peek tonight. Checkit:And this is thefor right now . . .
For the second time in three weeks, KCK Mayor David Alvey has issued a statement about the controversial lake house lease deal for Police Chief Terry Zeigler. This time, he apparently calls out a colleague for criticizing the deal as being politically motivated.
















Local TV News Wants To Profit From Tech Evidence Of Your Misery

Sick of porch pirates? Send us your video KANSAS CITY, Mo. - With the holidays fast approaching, porch pirates are out in full force and 41 Action News wants to help. If you have video of someone stealing a package from your home, send it to us and we'll put it on our site and share it on our social media platforms in hopes that the thief will be identified.

Kansas City Biz Talk

More than a Fountain City vacation: SavR bringing US headquarters to KC Kansas City's startup culture and support network helped the City of Fountains land the new U.S. headquarters of Australia-based SavR, said founder Tim O'Shea. "If you're a company that's trying to strive for genuine outcome, then you'll be very well received [in Kansas City]," he said.

KCK Gunfire Aftermath

Piper neighborhood is on edge after gunfire hits home KANSAS CITY, KS (KCTV) --A neighborhood is on edge after gunfire hits a home. It happened Thursday night near 124th Street and Augusta Drive in the Piper neighborhood of Kansas City, KS. The homeowner who asked to remain anonymous said it sounded like an explosion.

Celeb Community Slumming

With help from Eric Stonestreet, thankful parents go Christmas shopping with KCK cops KANSAS CITY, Kan. -- Outside the Walmart at Legends Mall, Christmas filled the air Friday afternoon. Bell ringers collected donations, and all eyes were on a group of KCK police officers doing some holiday good. "It makes your heart just full of warmth," KCK Officer Jackie Lynn said.

Newsie BBQ Conversation

41 Files Podcast: Making an app for KC BBQ KANSAS CITY, Mo. - A new app to help barbecue aficionados visiting and living in Kansas City launched this week. In a Friday edition of the 41 Files podcast, anchor Taylor Hemness talks with Visit KC's Derek Klaus about the new app called "KC BBQ Experience."

Po-Po X-Mas Underway

Shop with a cop underway in Blue Springs BLUE SPRINGS, Mo. - A group of 30 Blue Springs police officers and school public safety officers teamed up with students from area schools for the annual Shop with a Cop program Saturday morning. Each year police officers team up with disadvantaged children to shop with an officer and purchase $150.00 worth of holiday gifts for their families at the Target store.

Gear For Boring Dudes

The holiday gift guide for Kansas City Chiefs fans Vox Media has affiliate partnerships. These do not influence editorial content, though Vox Media may earn commissions for products purchased via affiliate links. The holidays are right around the corner, so it's time to get started on your gift shopping if you haven't already.

As always, news of panties are first and foremost on our agenda. A collection worth a quick:Closer to home, these news link start our morning . . .is the song of the day and this is thefor right now . . .
editorial@tribune.com

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 8

The Punjab and Haryana High Court has summoned the Haryana Secretary, Urban Estates Department, in a case revolving around the release of land in Palwal. He has been asked to appear in court by Justice Nirmaljit Kaur in June next year.

The order on a contempt petition filed against P. Raghavendra Rao and other respondents by Karam Chand came after his counsel Harmanjit Singh Sethi alleged willful disobedience of earlier directions.

Karam Chand and another petitioner had initially moved the High Court by filing a writ petition seeking the quashing of notifications issued in June 2006 and 2007 under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act to the extent of acquisition of their land.

The Bench was told that the petitioners had raised authorised construction after depositing development charges with the Palwal Municipal Council. The plea was specifically raised by them in their objections filed under the provisions of the Land Acquisition Act. In response, the Land Acquisition Collector also acknowledged the construction at the site.

Taking up the matter in February 2014, the Bench disposed of the writ petition with a direction to the Land Acquisition Collector and the District Town Planner to visit the petitioners site. They were asked to release their residential property along with open space preferably of an equivalent size after extending the benefit of a government policy, if a residential house/building/structure was found to be in existence before the issuance of a notification under Section 4 of the Act.

Referring to the contempt petition, Sethi stated that the order passed by the High Court way back in February 2014 was not complied with. In an order passed by the Secretary-cum-Director-General, Urban Estate Department, it was stated that the petitioners site affected a road and the position of a police station. It was added that in view of the same, the HUDA chief administrator recommended not to release the land in favour of the petitioners

Sethi added the respondent-authorities had violated the orders in more than one way. The respondents demolished the construction, even though there was a stay order by the High Court against interference. It was added that the respondents had not even released the petitioners land.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

Jammu, December 8

Pakistani troops on Saturday opened fire at forward posts along the Line of Control (LoC) in Rajouri district of Jammu and Kashmir, a defence spokesman said.

The Pakistani troops targeted Indian posts at about 9 am, prompting strong and effective retaliation from the Indian Army, the spokesman said.

No casualty has been reported in the firing which was still continuing when the reports last came in. The latest violation comes two days after a BSF jawan was killed and another injured in Pakistani firing in the same sector on Thursday.

Pakistani troops also suffered several casualties in the retaliatory action following the killing of the BSF jawan, officials said. PTI
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Thane (Maha), December 8

A 20-year-old man allegedly ended his life by jumping before a suburban train near Kalyan railway station in Thane district of Maharashtra, police said on Friday.

The incident came to light on Thursday after the decapitated body of the victim, who hailed from Netivali village in the district, was found lying on the tracks, police said.

According to police, although the motive behind his extreme step was not yet known, the deceased, Rohit Pardeshi, left a video message on his phone, which said nobody should be blamed for his death.

Inspector Dinkar Pingle of Kalyan Railway police station said a case of accidental death was registered and his body was sent for post-mortem.

"Police found that the victim's head was lying on the one side of the track, while the torso on the other side. When we checked his mobile phone, we found that he had recorded a video suicide message," the officer said.

In the message, he can be seen saying that he was committing suicide without anyone's pressure and nobody should be held responsible for it.

The message also said that he had nobody in the family except his younger brother and all the property should go to him, police said.

The video message has also gone viral on the social media, they said adding that further investigation was on. PTI
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

New Delhi, December 8

An All India Radio (AIR) official accused of sexual harassment by nine women employees has been demoted from his position and subjected to other salary cuts as he was found guilty, the National Commission for Women (NCW) said on Friday.

The disciplinary authority accepted the recommendations and the authority imposed a major penalty of reduction to a lower pay scale by two stages for one year and no increment during the reduction period, the NCW said in a statement.

After the expiration of one year, the reduction period will have effects on subsequent increments. The accused was also transferred as an administrative measure, the Commission said.

The NCW in its letter addressed to the Secretary, Information and Broadcasting, and CEO, Prasar Bharati, last month had directed to conduct an inquiry into the complaints.

The Commissions direction came after it received a formal complaint dated November 12 from the office-bearers of the All India Radio Casual Announcer and Comperes Union alleging sexual harassment at workplace of casual announcers and comperes working in different stations of the AIR across the country.

The Prasar Bharati, in response to the NCW letter, had also mentioned about certain preventive measures taken by the AIR, like posting of women Programme Executives as station In-Charge, installation of CCTV cameras at vantage points and providing transport facility to women employees during odd hours.

According to the NCW, the Prasar Bharati Secretariat has asked its centres to send quarterly progress reports in respect of sexual harassment complaints being inquired into by the respective internal committees.

Earlier on November 9, Women and Child Development Minister Maneka Gandhi wrote to Information and Broadcasting Minister Rajyavardhan Singh Rathore to ensure that a "sensitive and fair system" is put in place at the state-owned AIR to address the sexual harassment complaints.

IANS
uttara@tribuneindia.com

Our Correspondent

Jaipur, December 8

Election pundits may have predicted her governments fall when results are announced on December 11, but Chief Minister Vasundhara Rajes Bharatiya Janata Party remains optimistic.

A senior BJP leader quoted her as telling top party functionaries that they would emerge the single largest party in the state.

"The chief minister held a meeting with some RSS functionaries, the partys state in charge Chandrashekhar, state president Madan Saini, and some other people at the party office to share this information, Union Minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat when he briefed the press on Saturday. Once results are announced, the BJP would review its performance so it could gear up for next years Lok Sabha elections. Well also assess shortcomings, if there are any.

Raje has avoided the press since Friday's voting, instead remaining indoors at her Jhalarapatan residence, where she hosted a get together for family and friends. She also refused to comment when the press tried to speak to her at the BJP headquarters.

Exit polls have predicted that Rajes government, which went to elections in the face of a massive anti-incumbency, is unlikely to return for another term.

'Thumping victory'

Veteran Congress leader Ashok Gehlot and Rajasthan Congress chief Sachin Pilotboth frontrunners for the chief minister's positioncalled on Congress president Rahul Gandhi late on Friday night.

Gehlot has claimed his party would return to power with a thumping majority.

The public made up its mind a year ago, and now theyve cast votes in Congresss favour. They have especially reposed their faith in Soniaji (Sonia Gandhi) and Rahulji (Rahul Gandhi), he said.

Asked who would be the Congress partys chief minister pick, he claimed he would abide by whatever his party chose.

It would be the party high commands prerogative to decide who would be chief minister, should the Congress win, Gehlot said. "Ive never asked for any post from the party. Ive complete faith in the party and the public that has voted me time and again from my home constituency Sardarapura.

A beaming Pilot said on Friday night, after Rajasthans voting closed, that the Congress would form a stable and strong government with absolute majority in Rajasthan.

'Winds of change'

Bookies appear to affirm the Congresss faith. A bookies group in Phalodi that wishes to remain anonymous has placed its bet on Congress emerging the single largest party with 125 of the Assemblys 200 seats.

This bet is a downgrade from its previous one for the party.

"The Congress would have won by 147 seats, but its delay distributing tickets has given the BJP a slight advantage. Bookies are currently betting 70 paise for Congress and Rs.1.50 for the BJP, a bookie said. In betting terms, those with lower odds of winning go for a high rate.

As for who would be chief minister, he said the odds were tipped firmly towards Gehlot. "Theres a 75 per cent chance that it would be Ashok Gehlot, he said. Bets on Gehlot were 25-30 paise and those for Pilot were between Rs 1-4.

How confident was he about those odds?

Fairly. With a possible exception for Uttar Pradesh, Phalodi betting market predictions have always hit the mark, he says.

Rajasthan recorded 74.21 per cent voting when it cast its ballot on Friday the Election Commission saidaround 1.02 percentage point less than the turnout for 2013 elections.

Votes will be counted for all five assembly electionsRajasthan, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Mizoram, and Telanganaon December 11.
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Shahira Naim

Tribune News Service

Lucknow, December 8

Bulandshahr SSP KB Singh has been transferred for alleged negligence of duty along with Syana Circle Officer Satya Prakash Sharma and Chingrawati chowki in-charge Suresh Kumar for the December 3 violence killing Syana SO inspector Subodh Kumar Singh.

Read: Soldier 'involved' in Bulandshahr firing detained in J&Ks Sopore town

Sitapur SSP Prabhakar Chaudhury takes over as the new SSP of Bulandshahr while the outgoing SSP KB Singh as been attached to the DGP office in Lucknow.

The heads started rolling after ADG Intelligence SB Shirodkar submitted his report last evening, which was personally handed over to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath by DGP OP Singh and Principal Secretary Arvind Kumar late last night.

While what the ADG Intelligence recommended in his report has not been made public the removal of the SSP, Circle officer and SI of Chigrawati police post indicts these officers posted in the district at the time of violence.

According to sources, the report had pointed out that the SSP took three hour to reach the trouble spot despite he being informed on the wireless of the collecting violent crowds.

He also did not reportedly send additional force to protect the officers combating the mobs in which the valiant inspector Subodh Kumar Singh lost his life.

According to reports, he had also not informed the Department of Home of the large number of Muslims collecting for the three-day religious congregation in the district, which concluded on the day of violence.

Unconfirmed reports suggest that the Army jawan Jitendra Malik alias Jeetu Fauji has been arrested and handed over to Uttar Pradesh Special Task Force soon after he joined his unit in Sopore in J&K.

He is being brought to Bulandshahr to be presented before the court.

One of the videos of the violent event, which has surfaced, shows the Army man pointing a gun at the inspector.

In the second FIR lodged by the police into the Bulandshahr violence on January 4, Jeetu alias Fauji son of Rajpal Singh and resident of village Mahav where the carcasses were reportedly found, is listed as accused number 11 of the 27 named accused.

He is believed to have told his unit that he along with 30 others had gone to the police station to lodge an FIR.

Defending himself, Jeetu reportedly told the unit that physical violence had begun at the police station and he ran away and was therefore not present when the inspector was shot down.

His mother, Ratan Kaur, has however, categorically denied his son coming home for leave saying that if evidence is brought of his being responsible for the killings she would personally strangulate him.
rchopra@tribunemail.com

New Delhi, December 8

A doctor, who terms homosexuality as genetic mental disorder and uses electric shock to treat gay and lesbian people, has been summoned by a Delhi court as an accused for violating norms.

Though Dr PK Gupta was de-barred by the Delhi Medical Council (DMC), he was still indulging in this bizarre practice.

The court took note of a complaint against Gupta by the DMC, which claimed that he was using hormonal and shock therapy to provide treatment.

The complaint said the DMC had debarred Gupta in 2016 from practising in Delhi and as he was still projecting himself as a doctor, he was liable for prosecution.

Metropolitan magistrate Abhilash Malhotra said treatment given by doctors as a part of conversion therapy was not recognised either by medical science or by legislature.

Conversion therapy is an attempt to change a persons sexual orientation using psychological or spiritual interventions.

The court summoned the doctor as accused saying he was prima facie found to be contravening a provision of the Indian Medical Council Act which entails a maximum of one year jail term.

It is amply clear that the legislature in its prudence and vision did not think sexual orientation to be part of mental illness. Accordingly, it is clear that the treatment given by the doctors as a part of conversion therapy is not recognised either by the medicine or by the legislation, the magistrate said.

The court said from the complaint, it was prima facie clear that Gupta was practising as a doctor in Delhi despite being debarred by the DMC.

A person found practising without registration, even qualified, would be liable for action specified by the council, it said.

The court, in its summons, also referred to the judgment on homosexuality delivered by the Supreme Court which had decriminalised consensual sexual acts between two adults in private.

Initially, the council received a letter from Anjali Gopalan, executive director of Naz Foundation (India) Trust, informing it about a news report in 2015 where some doctors advocated for conversion therapy claiming to convert homosexuals into heterosexuals.

According to the news report, some doctors, including Gupta, were using hormonal therapy, shock treatment and medications to treat homosexuals as if they are suffering from some disease.

The letter also referred to another news article which said the dubious procedure included talk therapy which could lead to depression, anxiety, seizures and suicidal tendencies.

Referring to the articles, the complaint had said Gupta had described homosexuality as a genetic mental disorder and believed in exploring evidence of childhood psychological damage before starting the treatment.

The court said Gupta, running a super specialty clinic at Karol Bagh area here, was charging Rs 4,500 for 15 minutes counselling, after which he decided to go for hormonal therapy or psychological therapy.

When the DMC issued notice to the doctor regarding alleged professional misconduct, Gupta had said he was not registered with the council and was not liable to respond. PTI
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Satya Prakash

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 8

Amid raging controversy over use of 'constitutional morality' as a touchstone to test validity of laws made by the Legislature, Attorney General KK Venugopal on Saturday said Jawaharlal Nehru's fear of the Supreme Court becoming the third chamber of Parliament was coming true.

Delivering the keynote address at the Second JB Dadachanji Memorial Debate in the capital, Venugopal criticised the Supreme Court for using vague concepts such as basic structure and constitutional morality to judge validity of law and to expand its role beyond interpreter of the Constitution.

"Use of constitutional morality can be very very dangerous and we can't be sure where it will lead us to. I hope constitutional morality dies soon. Otherwise, our first Prime Minister Pt. Nehru's fear that the Supreme Court will become the third chamber (of Parliament) might come true," Venugopal said.

The Attorney General's comments come weeks after Law Minister Ravishankar Prasad on Constitution Day requested the judges to define constitutional morality if it was to be used as a touchstone to test validity of laws.

Supreme Court judge Madan B Lokur - who spoke before Venugopal-justified judicial activism, saying the citizens were bound to knock at the doors of the judiciary if Parliament failed to enact laws that were needed and the executive failed to act. "Judicial review is being used only in case of inaction of legislature and executive," he said.

Venugopal specifically referred to the a five-judge Constitution Bench verdict allowing entry of women of all ages into the Lord Ayyappa Temple at Sabarimala in Kerala which has been vociferously opposed by the devotees. Courts should be very careful while interfering in religious beliefs, he added.

"For the court to believe that unless it interferes, the country is doomed is not correct," the Attorney General said.

While speaking on his topic-'Is Constitutional Morality a further tool in the armoury of the Supreme Court for expanding judicial review?', the Attorney General said the conflict between the Legislature and the Judiciary has been there since the 1950s when the Supreme Court declared unconstitutional many of the laws and Parliament kept on attempting to find way to save such laws.

Talking about the famous in Keswanand Barati case (1973) wherein the Supreme Court by a majority of 7:6 propounded the concept of basic structure of Constitution, Venugopal said this was not the only attempt to expand the role of judiciary.

He pointed out how the top court has misused Article 142 of Constitution which deals with enforcement of decrees and orders and confers powers on it to pass orders where it is necessary for doing complete justice in any cause or matter pending before it.

The Attorney General said this exceptional provision meant for enforcement of decrees and orders was being misused by the Supreme Court to 'enact' laws. Describing Parliament as omnipotent, he said it's difficult to limit its powers.

Referring to Preamble of the Constitution, Venugopal pointed out that 'We the People' of India have given it to ourselves. People have basic wisdom. If something extraordinary happens they will act, he said.

Constitution has to be interpreted literally. No limitations can be placed on powers of Parliament through some vague concepts such as basic structure and constitutional morality which were capable of being interpreted by different judges differently.
monicakchauhan@gmail.com

Chennai/Madurai, December 7

A meditation camp by Sri Sri Ravishankar at the Brihadeeswara shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage temple at Thanjavur, faced opposition from pro-Tamil outfits, as the Madras High Court granted interim stay against the programme prompting the organisers to shift the venue.

The two-day event at the ancient shrine, categorised as 'Great Living Chola Temples,' by the UNESCO, faced the ire of pro-Tamil outfits like Tamil Desiya Periyakkam, which had support of parties like the CPI(M) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.

A division bench on the court's Madurai Bench, comprising Justices K K Sasidharan and Audikesavalu, after hearing a plea, granted interim stay against the event.

The court directed the Thanjavur district collector and police Superintendent to ensure that the event did not take place in the temple and instructed them to remove chairs and pandal put up for the programme.

The petitioner N Venkatesh, in his plea, argued that if the event was allowed to be held, it would set a wrong precedent and would lead to similar events in future as well.

Such events, if held, would affect the temple, he said and cited the National Green Tribunal holding the Art of Living responsible for the damage to the Yamuna floodplains due to an event it held in 2016.

Following news about the meditation camp, a row erupted as to how permission could be granted for Art of Living, a private body to hold the event at the temple.

The shrine is a heritage site that fell under the purview of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the state government's Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

After an independent journalist's tweet about "a tent-like structure," near the temple vimana (tower) asking how the heritage temple could be disturbed, pro-Tamil groups and parties started protesting.

"There is no scope under the law to hold such events in the Thanjavur temple, which is protected by the ASI and it is a UNESCO Heritage site, if permission was given it is against the law," VCK general secretary D Ravikumar told PTI.

The VCK leader said his party had no objection to the event per se but only the location. "It is a 1000 plus year monument which is a treasure of Tamil Nadu, any structure even if it is temporary cannot be put up there," he said.

When pro-Tamil outfits attempted to take out a procession at Thanjavur against the event, they were detained by police and additional police pickets were deployed.

A spokesperson for Art of Living said they had got approval from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and the ASI well in advance.

"Since it is normal to have spiritual discourses in temples, the programme was organised here," she said.

A statement from Art of Living said its volunteers were engaged in cyclone relief work at Vedaranyam and Pudukottai.

While Ravishankar was scheduled to visit such areas to oversee the rehabilitation work, local people wanted him to facilitate a meditation programme.

"It is unfortunate that a couple of people with vested interests...are quoting false allegations," it said.

The event, christened "Vigyan Bhairav Master class meditations," that encompasses deep meditation techniques to tap super consciouness, has been shifted to a hall near the temple, organisers said.

It is being held from Friday evening and would conclude Saturday, they added.

PTI

Sri Sri's TN event venue shifted after court stay, opposition

Chennai/Madurai, December 7

CHENNAI/MADURAI: A meditation camp by Sri Sri Ravishankar at the Brihadeeswara shrine, a UNESCO World Heritage temple at Thanjavur, faced opposition from pro-Tamil outfits, as the Madras High Court granted interim stay against the programme prompting the organisers to shift the venue.

The two-day event at the ancient shrine, categorised as 'Great Living Chola Temples,' by the UNESCO, faced the ire of pro-Tamil outfits like Tamil Desiya Periyakkam, which had support of parties like the CPI(M) and Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi.

A division bench on the court's Madurai Bench, comprising Justices K K Sasidharan and Audikesavalu, after hearing a plea, granted interim stay against the event.

The court directed the Thanjavur district collector and police Superintendent to ensure that the event did not take place in the temple and instructed them to remove chairs and pandal put up for the programme.

The petitioner N Venkatesh, in his plea, argued that if the event was allowed to be held, it would set a wrong precedent and would lead to similar events in future as well.

Such events, if held, would affect the temple, he said and cited the National Green Tribunal holding the Art of Living responsible for the damage to the Yamuna floodplains due to an event it held in 2016.

Following news about the meditation camp, a row erupted as to how permission could be granted for Art of Living, a private body to hold the event at the temple.

The shrine is a heritage site that fell under the purview of Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) and the state government's Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department.

After an independent journalist's tweet about "a tent-like structure," near the temple vimana (tower) asking how the heritage temple could be disturbed, pro-Tamil groups and parties started protesting.

"There is no scope under the law to hold such events in the Thanjavur temple, which is protected by the ASI and it is a UNESCO Heritage site, if permission was given it is against the law," VCK general secretary D Ravikumar told PTI.

The VCK leader said his party had no objection to the event per se but only the location. "It is a 1000 plus year monument which is a treasure of Tamil Nadu, any structure even if it is temporary cannot be put up there," he said.

When pro-Tamil outfits attempted to take out a procession at Thanjavur against the event, they were detained by police and additional police pickets were deployed.

A spokesperson for Art of Living said they had got approval from the Hindu Religious and Charitable Endowments Department and the ASI well in advance.

"Since it is normal to have spiritual discourses in temples, the programme was organised here," she said.

A statement from Art of Living said its volunteers were engaged in cyclone relief work at Vedaranyam and Pudukottai.

While Ravishankar was scheduled to visit such areas to oversee the rehabilitation work, local people wanted him to facilitate a meditation programme.

"It is unfortunate that a couple of people with vested interests...are quoting false allegations," it said.

The event, christened "Vigyan Bhairav Master class meditations," that encompasses deep meditation techniques to tap super consciouness, has been shifted to a hall near the temple, organisers said.

It is being held from Friday evening and would conclude Saturday, they added. PTI
amansharma@tribunemail.com

Aparna Banerji

Tribune News Service

Jalandhar, December 8

At least 4,000 Indian nationals are stuck in various camps of a construction company in Saudi Arabia, of whom at least 1,000 are Punjabis.

Around 500 of them are from Jalandhar and Hoshiarpur.

For the past six months, Indians working in Saudi Arabia are stuck in Riyadh, Jeddah and other cities in Saudi Arabia. The claims were made by at least 50 families of these construction workers, who are languishing in company camps sans passports and visas for the past over seven months. The families on Saturday approached state BJP general secretary Rakesh Rathour, seeking the intervention of External Affairs Minister Sushma Swaraj.

They said while visas of their kin had expired, the company was neither paying them money nor issuing medical cards due to which many were suffering from various medical issues.

A video released by a group of men stuck in Jeddah and another by a Bihar resident have been shared by the families. A Punjab resident claims that 4,000 Indian nationals are stuck in various cities of Saudi Arabia, of whom many are Punjabis.

Dharamveer Singh, brother of one Avtar Singh, who went to Riaydh in 2013, says, "My brother went to work with a construction company in Saudi Arabia but has been relieved for the past six to seven months there without visa and passport. With the company shutting operations, thousands of Indian workers are stranded in the company camp. They haven't been paid salaries for the past six months nor do they have identity cards or medical cards. There are reports that many are ailing. They are given four rotis and some rice every day. We request the Union Government to bring them back at the earliest."

As per Sandeep Kumar, brother-in-law of Ramesh Lal (37) who is in Saudi Arabia since 2011, "He had come back several months ago after a very sick co-worker had to be brought back. But, his salaries were pending so he had to go back. Now he is stuck there without passport. I had also worked for the same company until a year ago but sensing the situation, I had come back. We just want him to come back."

While both the state BJP unit leaders and Uttar Pradesh BJP unit co-in charge Rameshwar Chaurasiya (who was approached by families of Bihar) have already approached the Ministry of External Affairs, the party functionaries said they were working to arrange their meeting in Delhi soon.

BJP state general secretary Rakesh Rathour said, "The Punjab BJP is committed to bringing back all Indians and Punjabis stuck in Saudi Arabia. BJP national secretary RP Singh and state president Shwait Malik are already coordinating on the issue. We expect to arrange a meeting of the families with the Eternal Affairs Ministry soon."
editorial@tribune.com

Aman Sood

Tribune News Service

Patiala, December 7

The police have filed a challan in a local court against seven senior leaders of teachers unions and four BKU (Ugrahan) leaders, accusing them of disobedience to order duly promulgated by a public servant.

After a split in the Sanjha Adhyapak Morcha, an umbrella union of government schoolteachers, the protesters have been sitting on a dharna at Mehmadpur grain market on the outskirts of the city since December 2 without written permission from the administration.

The Sarva Shiksha Abhiyan (SSA)-Rashtriya Madhyamik Shiksha Abhiyan (RMSA) Teachers Union and the Adarsh Model School Union were upset at the morchas decision to call off the strike on Saturday after an assurance by Education Minister OP Soni to review the decision of regularisation of service at a reduced salary of Rs 15,300. The district administration had approached the Punjab and Haryana High Court, which said permission should be taken before holding any dharna or protest in Patiala, but the faction did not do the needful.

On December 2, the SSA/RMSA Teachers Union and the Adarsh Model School Union, along with the BKU (Ugrahan), had staged a dharna at Mehmadpur. Subsequently, an FIR was registered against SSA/RMSA Teachers Union president Didar Singh Mudki, Adarsh Model School Union president Amritpal Sidhu, BKU (Ugrahan) president Joginder Singh Ugrahan and other leaders.

Others named in the challan are BKU leaders Singara Singh, Jaswant Singh and Amrik Singh, teachers union leaders Rashem Singh, Amandeep Singh Dadahoor, Harjit Singh Jidda, Talwinder Singh and Deepak Kamboj, and Jall Supply Contract Union leader Varinder Singh Momi.

The challan was submitted in the court of Judicial Magistrate (first class) Rupa Dhaliwal. The next date in the case is December 21.

Meanwhile, the High Court today dismissed the application by agitating teachers unions to permit them to continue the dharna here.

We presented the challan after registering a case as these leaders and other teachers continue to hold a dharna in violation of the High Court order, said SSP Mandeep Sidhu.

Union members said the dharna would continue till the government took steps to regularise the jobs of teachers at full pay scale.

Deputy Commissioner Kumar Amit said the union members, without giving an undertaking, applied for permission to hold an indefinite dharna at the site on December 3. The High Court order stated that permission, along with an undertaking, has to be taken every day from the administration. As the union leaders failed to do so, nod was denied, he said.
editorial@tribune.com

BN Goswamy

details to reach Ceylon from Bhatkal, sail in the direction of Dhruv or Agasat, towards the eastern rising direction. After sailing two zams, there is one chhog and moving in the same line, another chhog comes in view. From there sail three zams in the direction of Dhruv and again sail two and half zams, you will see the coconut trees. Sail through same canal in the direction of setting Kagada .

details about the cleverness of malams. He is the one who has faith in the ustad. Malam is one who gets along with others very well. He is one who keeps awake even in the night and keeps faith on the kiyaas that he makes. He is one who looks into water, and sails the ship with utmost care and safety. A malam is one who increases his creditability with good conduct. He is one who does not enter into quarrel with others. He is one who takes care of all on board the ship, although he keeps faith only on his kiyaas when in the high sea 

 Excerpts from the pothis of Kutchi malam-navigators

If, in the passages cited above, one does not know that zam is roughly the equivalent of 20 kilometers or three hours of sailing, that chhog means the edge of hazardous spots, or that the word malam stands for a navigator, one might find oneself completely at sea, so to speak. For all these words come from the pothis  records, or log books  maintained by Kutchi sailors who used to fearlessly sail the seas on their home-made ships once, from the west coast of our land: now to the eastern coast of Africa, now to Ceylon, now to Zanzibar; setting off from Mandavi for Maldives one day, from Surat for Muscat on another.

It is a remarkable story, that of Kutchi seafaring: something that, sadly, one knows very little about, or cares about remembering. When, together with a colleague, I wrote, long years ago, a book on Painting in Kutch  something that hardly anyone knew anything about at that time  I titled it A Place Apart. For that is what it was, at least for me. Gingerly, I entered the field, recalling to myself, and for the reader, that the name Kutch came from Sanskrit kaccha, meaning a bank of any ground bordering on water, or from kachhapa, which means a turtle, a tortoise, straddling both land and water, slow of movement but remarkable in persistence. But I also drew attention to the reference to Kutch as a cardamom-like island in the Mahabharata. Dry and uneven on the outside, but full of fragrant surprises within? This is what it still is, perhaps. For me, at least in the area of painting, the fragrance came from the surprising fact that much of it, at least in the 18th century, was inspired by the work and presence of one Ram Singh, a malam or navigator, who landed in Holland around 1715, having been rescued by a Dutch ship after being shipwrecked during a voyage to the African coast. There, this malam, endowed with remarkable natural talent, stayed for 12 years, learning a singular range of skills, and then returned to his native land, carrying in his bag a pile of strange-looking European engravings of cities and city squares, which led local painters first to copy them and then, inspired by their new ways of seeing, to take to painting local, sharply observed, landscapes. The first of their kind, one might add, in the history of Indian painting.

But that is another story. What is common between it and what I write about now are the malams, Kutchi navigators. Around the time that the book on Kutch painting was published, it came to light that, now in private possession, was a huge cache of malam ni pothis  log books, virtually daily diaries, kept by the malams as they sailed  which was eventually acquired by the National Museum in Delhi. This treasury of data under the title, Pre-modern Navigation Techniques and Voyages was later published  jointly by the National Museum and an NGO, Darshak Itihas Nidhi  through the effort of many people, most prominent among them being Hasmukh Shah, distinguished bureaucrat with a passionate interest in the history of Gujarat, especially seafaring Gujarat. The work involved was daunting in its sheer enormity but Ashok Rajeshirke, who transcribed and edited the material, bent himself to the task. What we access in this body of material, running in its present form to just a little short of 1,000 pages, is simply astonishing. Volume after volume, folio after folio, all in the Kutchi version of the Gujarati script, is filled with staggeringly dense detail: accounts of voyages while they were still in progress, navigation charts, astronomical calculations, endless lists of names of malams, tables, observations, even, at places, working drawings. In the context of modern techniques and technology, it might all sound a bit antiquated, even primitive, but when one sees them in the context of their times, and against the background of what was then available, the material takes ones breath away. Here it all is: a glimpse into those times. Gujarati and Arabic terminologies coalesce; ustads and muqaddams and age-old malams move in and out; prayers to the gods who rule over the hazards on the high seas combine with faith in the instruments at hand. What emerges from the work at the same time is the fact of how profound the observation of these navigators was, how well they understood littorals and ports, dangers and escape-routes, and how keenly they were able to read what was in the skies above them.

One singular example, at the end, of the malams sharpness of observation. These Kutchi navigators had learnt to read, and put to remarkable use, the movement of morejas akind of sea-snake  in guiding their courses close to land. They memorized the colour and physical type or shape of morejas at different nautical points. The density or sparseness of shoals of morejas, the direction in which they moved at different times of day or night, the colours of their skins: everything was grist to their mill of learning. One has only to read one detailed entry from a pothi to be transported to another time, a different place.

[All images, save that of the temple below, are from the malams' pothis]
FS Aijazuddin

FS Aijazuddin

IF only PM Imran Khan had been less ardent and PM Narendra Modi not so coy, the ceremony at Kartarpur might have been an occasion to celebrate. Mr Khans green government and Mr Modis autumnal administration could have exhibited faith in each other and fulfilled the sub-surface aspirations of their peoples. Instead Kartarpur has erupted into a slanging match between India and Pakistan, two septuagenarian states with nuclear weapons in place of dentures.

Kartarpur  sacred to the Sikhs for being the final resting place of Guru Nanak  is located on Pakistani side of the river Ravi, two miles from the Indian border. Had Cyril Radcliffe been adequately tutored before he came to the subcontinent in 1947, he might have been more sensitive to the feelings of the various religious communities whose lives he was to damage so irreparably. But what could be expected of a lawyer who confessed later to Kuldip Nayar that following the line of the river Ravi, he had included Lahore first in India because it lay on the eastern side of the river? He re-drew the line after being told by a more intelligent subordinate that his mistake would result in the infant Pakistan having no major city in the Punjab.

The recent agreement on Kartarpur, initiated decades ago, would allow Indian pilgrims visa-free access to a site located within Pakistani territory. Conceived as a corridor of peace, its opening ceremony was anything but. The two governments bickered in an unseemly replay of the argument after Guru Nanaks death in 1539 on whether his body should be buried or cremated.

Two foundation stones were laid on different dates on 26th November by the Indian Vice-President on one side of the Ravi and two days later by Pakistani prime minister on the other. PM Imran Khan had hoped that his presence at Kartarpur would attract his counterpart. Instead, Mr Modi looked the other way. Imran Khan brought with him his Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. Indian FM Sushma Swaraj pleaded a prior commitment and stayed away. Hidden in Imran Khans baggage was his Chief Minister Punjab Buzdar. Indian Punjabs CM Capt Amarinder Singh absented himself with an uncharacteristic, uncivil rejection. Pakistans COAS General Bajwa appeared long enough to hug Punjab MP Navjot Sindhu yet again, in public. At this, Indian army chief General Rawat retaliated from New Delhi by pouting advice, not that Pakistan should de-nuclearise or demilitarise, but that it should develop itself into a secular state. Clearly, they all thought diplomacy was too serious a business to be left to diplomats.

At Kartarpur, the marigolds offered in Guru Nanaks name have wilted, the prasad gone stale, the langar become cold. Its sanctity stands diminished by warring politicians who have turned it into yet another Kurukshetra, yet another field of sub-continental fratricide. Guru Nanak deserved better. Five hundred years ago, he had left this message for both governments: A man of faith can battle but in open field,/with his mind perfectly in control, and with his heart poised in love.

Hopefully, the two governments will find an equal love by 1 November 2019, the target date for the completion of the Kartarpur project. The corridor envisages a 800 ft. bridge across the river Ravi, wide enough for a pilgrim bus but too narrow for a tank.

In 1994, the British and the French thought the Chunnel link would bring their countries closer together. Brexit put paid to that. It is up to our two governments to ensure that Kartarpur does not degenerate into a corridor of dissent.

 The writer is a Pakistan-based historian
Vibha Sharma in New Delhi

Vibha Sharma in New Delhi

Is there a competition between Narendra Modi and Rahul Gandhi on who is a better Hindu? As a party, the BJP is well entrenched in the concept of Hindutva, nurtured through years of hard work by ideological fountainhead RSS and the uniquely crafted Ayodhya movement led by stalwarts LK Advani and late Atal Bihari Vajpayee in the 1990s.

Soothing the frayed feelings of majority Hindu community, that was feeling sidelined by the Congress partys secular attempts to appease the minority community, the BJP reaped its benefits in 1999 and 2000. However, in 2004 when Vajpayee tried to return on the basis of development and the India Shining card, the BJP sidelined its long-standing emotive Hindutva plank, the party paid a heavy price for it. It remained out of power at the Centre for the next 10 years.

Realising the perils of ignoring the majority community, the party rebooted its core agenda sometimes in 2007. Subsequently every move that Modi made was aimed at re-focusing and channelising Hindus grievance over the Congress Muslim appeasement into a Hindu resurgence. Whether it was a stoic no to wearing a skull cap or doing away with the tradition of Iftar parties at PMs residence, not fielding many Muslim candidates in elections, or anointment of Hindutvas poster boy Yogi Adityanath as the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Modi used every trick to woo the majority community.

There was not even a single Muslim candidate in the BJPs poll list for the elections to the 403-member UP Assembly in 2017. The same year also saw the saffron politics peak first time after 1989, as the party registered a massive 325-seat victory in the state that sends 80 MPs to the Lok Sabha.

Having done so much to keep Hindus with the party, many BJP leaders wonder why would then the people opt for a naqli Hindu like Rahul Gandhi when they have sau pratishat asli (100 per cent real) party that promotes and protects the Hindu interest.

There are many reasons why many BJP leaders believe that the Congress idea of showcasing Rahul as a good Hindu leader may not work. According to them, despite janeyu and Dattatreya gotra, his act is not convincing, and real Dattatreyas are angry, too. They think the move seems too politically convenient. It would be as if Modi now suddenly starts wearing a skull cap and hosts Iftar. How odd that would look?

They also feel, The BJP has well established credentials. It is under no pressure or compulsion to prove its credentials. Everyone knows what it is about.

A senior leader of the party, Om Prakash Sharma, MLA from Vishwas Nagar, New Delhi, argues in his partys defence,  The Congress and Rahul Gandhi are trying to get the party back to its centrist liberal position but are not doing a good job at that. Rahul preaching to the BJP about Hinduism, giving us lessons from Bhagavad Gita is hilarious. Why would people opt for naqli leaders when they have asli Hindu leaders.

Political observers offer a different take, referring to suggestions floated by the BJP that many Muslims, particularly women, voted for it in UP when it swept the state. In reality the anti-BJP votes were divided among the SP, the BSP and the Congress. The BJP lost Gorakhpur, Kairana and Phoolpur bypolls because Hindu voters from the middle class and the Backward Classes as well as voters from the Scheduled Castes also voted against it.

The current situation in UP is that not just fence sitters among the Hindu community, but even Left-leaning voters would rather opt for a Kalyan Singh rather than an Adityanath, feel observers.

Officially, the BJP may have dismissed Rahuls soft Hindutva build-up. However, as a political party aware of the ground reality, it would be foolish for it not to take note of the possible impact the Congress attempt to usurp its USP and its social media updates on the Nehru-Gandhi familys Muslim incline may have on fence sitters.

There is another danger. Rahuls attempts at course correction, of turning the grand old party to its original form, may actually strike a chord with upper caste Hindus, who are upset with the BJPs empowerment or over indulgence of the Dalits.

Tracing the Hindutva plank in the Congress forms an interesting study as a backdrop to its new narrative. During the Freedom Movement and after India became independent, the grand old party had stalwarts who were right wingers and also socialists like Nehru, a situation which changed after the division in the party in 1969. PV Narsimha Rao tried to bring it back to its old strength, a party with which Hindus could also identify, but the BJPs emotional pitch about Ram Mandir overthwarted the Congress attempt.

Observers say that instead of letting Rahul flaunt his janeyu and a gotra, the Congress should have fielded Janardan Dwivedi or Manish Tewari or even Randeep Surjewala to carry the Hindutva flag. This may have looked more convincing. Unwillingness to share the power or promote someone other than a Gandhi may be the undoing of what could have been a successful plan.

Meanwhile, the BJP is portraying it as its political strategy to woo Hindu voters and that is the way it intends to take it forward, making light of Rahuls attempts. I pray to God that the day never comes when we have to learn from Rahul what it means to be a Hindu, says BJP leader Sushma Swaraj.

Adds Ravi Shankar Prasad that Rahul seems confused. His Hindu faith changes with political expediency. For years, the Congress presented him as a secular leader, but with the polls round the corner, they realised that the Hindus are in majority, so they created this image.

Will it succeed? Only time and poll results will tell.
laxmi@tribune.com

London, December 8

A close ally of British Prime Minister Theresa May on Saturday became the first cabinet minister to float a possible Plan B if, as expected, Parliament next week rejects her plan to leave the European Union.

With her own future in the balance, May insists her deal, laboriously negotiated with the EU over many months, is the only one on the table and that the alternatives are a painful no-deal exit from the EU or possibly no Brexit at all.

However, MPs, including from Mays own Conservative Party, look set to reject her deal, which envisages continued close ties with the EU, in a move that would pitch the worlds fifth-largest economy into even deeper uncertainty.

While agreeing with May that her deal provides the best option for exiting the EU, Amber Rudd, the Work and Pensions Minister, said a Norway-style relationship with the bloc might also offer a way out of the current deadlock.

If it (Mays plan) doesnt get through anything could happen: peoples vote, Norway plus, any of these options could come forward, she told BBC radio on Saturday.

Rudd told The Times newspaper in an interview her own preferred option, if Mays deal failed, was the Norway Plus model, adding it seems plausible not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs are. Norway is not an EU member but is in the blocs single market, which allows for free movement of goods, capital, services and people. Norway plus envisages Britain also staying in the EUs customs union, which Norway is not in.

The Times also reported on Saturday that plans were being made across party lines to vote against Mays leadership if she loses Tuesdays vote. The Daily Telegraph quoted a senior Conservative lawmaker as saying she might be forced to resign.

Rudd said she believed May should stay on as prime minister even if parliament rejects her Brexit deal. There is no question of her going, Rudd told the BBC.

But The Times said the main opposition Labour Party was seeking an alliance with rebel Conservatives and the Democratic Unionist Party, the small Northern Irish party which props up the minority government, to call a vote of no-confidence in Mays premiership.  Reuters

Indian-origin MP draws ire over Ireland remarks
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Dubai, December 8

Iranian President Hassan Rouhani predicted a deluge of drugs, refugees and attacks on the West if US sanctions weaken Irans ability to contain them.

I warn those who impose sanctions that if Irans ability to fight drugs and terrorism are affected ... you will not be safe from a deluge of drugs, asylum seekers, bombs and terrorism, Rouhani said in a speech carried live on state television.

Separately, Foreign minister Mohammad Javad Zarif was quoted as saying that the United States is selling more arms into the Middle East than the region needs, making it a tinderbox.

US President Donald Trump pulled the United States out of a multilateral nuclear deal with Iran in May and reimposed sanctions on Irans vital oil industry last month.

Drug trafficking is a serious challenge for Iran as it borders Afghanistan  the worlds largest opium producer  and Pakistan, a major transit country for drugs.

In 2012, Iran accounted for two thirds of the worlds opium seizures and one fourth of the worlds heroin and morphine seizures, a UN report published in 2014 showed.

Economic terrorism means creating horror in a country and create fear in other countries that intend to invest (there).

Americas withdrawal from the (nuclear accord) is undoubtedly a clear example of economic terrorism, Rouhani told a meeting of heads of parliaments of China, Russia, and four other countries.

Zarif warned about the dangers of large US arms sales in the Middle East, where Irans regional rival Saudi Arabia is a major buyer of Western weapons.

The Americans have turned the region into a tinderbox. The level of arms sales by the Americans is unbelievable and much beyond regional needs and this points to the very dangerous policies followed by the Americans, IRNA reported Zarif as saying. Reuters
pardeepdhull@gmail.com

Washington, December 8

The United States and Britain accused Russia on Friday of fabricating a story about chemical weapons use by Syrian rebels and warned Moscow against undermining a shaky truce.

Russias defense ministry said rebels fired weapons containing chlorine on November 24 on the regime-held city of Aleppo, with Syrian state media reporting that around 100 Syrians were hospitalised for breathing difficulties.

Russia responded to the purported attack with air raids on Idlib, the latest major stronghold of rebels and jihadists battling President Bashar al-Assad, throwing into question a truce reached in mid-September.

The United States said it had credible information that the chlorine account was false and that Russian and Syrian forces instead had fired tear gas.

The United States is deeply concerned that pro-regime officials have maintained control of the attack site in its immediate aftermath, allowing them to potentially fabricate samples and contaminate the site before a proper investigation of it by the Organization for the Prohibition of Chemical Weapons, State Department spokesman Robert Palladino said in a statement.

We caution Russia and the regime against tampering with the suspected attack site and urge them to secure the safety of impartial, independent inspectors so that those responsible can be held accountable, he said.

He said that Russia and Syria were using it as an opportunity to undermine confidence in the ceasefire in Idlib. In a similar statement, Britain said it was highly unlikely that chlorine or the opposition were involved in the incident.

It is likely that this was either a staged incident intended to frame the opposition, or an operation which went wrong and from which Russia and the regime sought to take advantage, a Foreign Office spokesperson said, also backing an investigation by the OPCW, the international chemical weapons watchdog.

Western powers, the United Nations and human rights groups have repeatedly pointed to chemical attacks by Assads forces.

A sarin gas attack in April 2017 in the town of Khan Sheikhun killed 83 people, according to the UN.

US President Donald Trump replied by ordering 59 cruise missiles to strike a Syrian air base, a reversal from his predecessor Barack Obamas controversial reluctance to respond militarily.

Russia, the top international backer of Assad, and the Syrian government both denied the incident, saying footage of suffering victims including children was staged.

In the latest incident, a US official said that suspicions were raised as Russia and Syria immediately put out similar official media accounts and quickly carried out strikes.

The official, speaking on condition of anonymity, said that witnesses did not report the odor of chlorine that is characteristic of such attacks.

Technical analysis of videos and images of munition remnants indicate the mortars portrayed in Russian media are not suitable for delivering chlorine, the official said.

Russias allegations over the latest incident come amid elusive efforts to find a political solution to Syrias civil war, which has killed more than 360,000 people and displaced millions.

Negotiators from Russia and fellow Assad ally Iran met last week with opposition supporter Turkey in Kazakhstans capital Astana, making no apparent headway in a UN-backed goal of setting up a constitutional committee by the end of the year.

But Russia and Turkey agreed to keep working to preserve the U-shaped buffer zone around Idlib, which is keeping pro-government forces out of the region.

Jan Egeland, in a press conference last week before he stepped down as the head of the UN Humanitarian Task Force for Syria, warned that the flare-up amounted to a gigantic powder keg in the middle of three million civilians.  AFP
A PRISON officer with 26 years of service was shot dead yesterday in front of his fruit and vegetable stall in Valencia.

He is the 26th prison officer to be murdered in the last 30 years.

Police said around 1.30 p.m. Trevor Serrette, 48, of Sangre Grande was sitting behind the counter at the stall located off the Eastern Main Road, Valencia. He was there with a 64-year-old relative and a friend when a white Nissan AD Wagon with two men stopped in front.
I suppose I dont think of myself as a man really. I think of myself more as an artist.

It is typical of Jackie Hinkson that he would identify more with the one that has consciously defined his life, all 79 years so far. What surprises me about that whole idea of me as an artist is how it started, and how it evolved, because I didnt understand how that happened.
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Both cities are different but I prefer Cologne.

Dusseldorf is more posh, the Altstadt is larger, more busy, loud and crowded. The Rhine promenade is indeed very nice, you can sit at the Kasematten (posh too), to see and to be seen, and you can walk till the modern Media harbour.

Cologne is more down to the earth , the city and the locals, the Altstadt is smaller and cosy, but with some very nice old alleys and buildings, and a lot of scenic views. The Dom is stunning and so are some museums.

And I like Kolsch (local beer in Cologne ) more than Alt (local beer in Dusseldorf) :-))

Am I biased? Impossible:-))

Edited: 2 years ago
Hi all!

I'm thinking about a (slightly) crazy solo 5-day vacation in Perth between Christmas and NYE.

What I would like to do is just sit on the beach all day and swim (in a pool if the ocean is too cold, the Scarborough Beach Pool looks great for example), and walk in the city/ Park (or a day trip to Rottnest) if I get tired of the beach.

From what I've already researched, it looks like:

- I can't get to northern WA (Broome) due to logistics/ airplanes not working my way in this rather restricted time frame

- I'd prefer WA, as opposed to the East Coast, because it would shorten flying time from Europe

- The best air travel works for Perth (obviously), which is why I'm asking about Perth beaches

- I've already reserved a hotel room (near a beach), which is free to cancel in case I change my mind

- Historical weather data seems to suggest warm temperatures (high 20s - low 30s), but water temperature (and waves) probably too cold for me for swimming in the ocean.

My questions to this wise forum are:

1. From the human (not "Historical data") point of view, is it usually good beach weather in late December? I like it as hot as possible, or at least 30 C 

2. Would you consider the beaches close to Perth (Cottlesloe, Fremantle, Scarborough, maybe Mullaloo) as good for a beach vacation? Even if the ocean would not be ok for swimming, I would still enjoy lying on the beach, jogging and watching (other people, not me!) surf or wind surf.

3. Would it be really crowded in the above-mentioned time period?

4. Would I be able to get a taxi from Perth airport very early in the morning on Dec 26? I would presume so, still doesnt hurt to ask

5. It looks like there is a SmartRider card (equivalent to Sydneys Opal card?) for public transport. Can it be purchased at the airport?

Disclaimer: I've been on a recent trip to Australia (Darwin/ Port Douglas/ Sydney) in September, and I loved it (sorry I didn't have the time to post a trip report, it is in the works). And a big thank you to this forum for the great advice!

Loved the country, I still have a valid visa, an Australian phone SIM, and the desire to see more. Which is why I'm considering going to Australia instead of a location closer to Europe. I realize many people think such a long travel time for a short time "on the ground" is crazy, but I'm willing to risk it. I also cannot get more free time from work to make it a longer vacation.

Thank you!

Claudia.
Advice to a first poster. Imagine going to the doctor, walking into the room and shouting what is wrong with me And then asking if everyone has else the same illness. You havent told them what you have gone to see them about, what your symptoms are, how long youve had it; nothing to help them make an informed opinion.

Who knows what you might prefer? It could be winter or summer, very different climates north and south. You might like nightclubs or pagodas.

And as for coriander and the big shouting capitals....of course its not in everything.

Oh and manners help...some of us mostly visit the forum to help other travellers, and its nice to be appreciated
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- Former Nominated Jubilee Senator Paul Njoroge said Raila Odinga's family had made significant sacrifices to unite Kenya

- He said the former prime minister and Opposition leader shelved political interests to endorse former President MWai Kibaki

- Njoroge argued that Raila's late father Jaramogi Oginga declared support for Kenya's founding President Mzee Jomo Kenyatta

- The former legislator renown for taking controversial positions said the country needed to honour Raila for his selflessness

Former nominated Jubilee Senator Paul Njoroge has lauded Opposition leader Raila Odinga for being a selfless leader and called on Kenyans to recognise and honour sacrifices he made to ensure Kenya remained united.

Njoroge said the Orange Democratic Movement (ODM) party leader who doubles up as African Union High Representative for Development and Infrastructure was vital in ensuring Kenya was united during times of looming ugly divisions.

Send 'NEWS' to 40227 to receive all the important breaking news as it happens.

READ ALSO: Raila makes low-key tour of Kisumu ahead of Uhurus visit to lakeside city

Former Nominated Senator Paul Njoroge said Opposition leader Raila Odinga had made noteworthy sacrifices to ensure Kenya was united and peaceful. Photo: UGC

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Kipchumba Murkomen wants DPP Noordin Haji to personally prosecute case against DCJ Philomena Mwilu

In a tweet seen by TUKO.co.ke, on Saturday, December 8, Njoroge said many Kenyans were blind to Raila's efforts in uniting Kenya, saying it was time he was honoured for his unmatched contribution for a a united nation.

"I think its time when Kenyans need to recognise the efforts Raila has always put to bring Kenyans together," read part of Njoroge's tweet.

He pointed out the scenario where Raila shelved his presidential ambition in 2002 and endorsed former President Mwai Kibaki's presidency through the formation of National RainbowCoalition (NARC) as a laudable moment.

The coalition went on to oust retired President Daniel Moi's KANU 24-year's regime by trouncing the latter party's then flag bearer and current President Uhuru Kenyatta.

The former senator said Opposition leader Raila Odinga's effirts in uniting Kenya had been overlooked and it was time he was honoured for selflessness. Photo: Raila Odinga/Twitter.

Source: UGC

READ ALSO: Reggae legend Buju Banton returns to Jamaica after release from prison

The ex-senator also argued that Raila's family was an important unit in the bringing of Kenya together.

"Raila declared Kibaki Tosha in 2022. We should never forget that in 1963 the father of Raila Amollo declared Mzee Jomo Kenyatta Tosha when he was still in jail," Njoroge added.

Njoroge was responding to a video showing how Raila selflessly and personally ensured Kibaki was treated after a grisly accident ahead of the December 2002 General Election when they were from a campaign rally in Eastern Kenya.

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.

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United States will remain Ukraines strong partner in strengthening its armed forces.

You can count on the United States to remain your strong partner in strengthening Ukraines military to defend Ukrainian democracy, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper said in a video address posted on Twitter by the U.S. Embassy in Ukraine.

Cooper noted that her visit to Kyiv this week for consultations with Ukrainian partners acquired additional significance after Russias blatant violation of the sovereignty of Ukraine last week.

The United States strongly condemns the irresponsible aggression of Russia. We call on Russia to ease the tensions it created by releasing the captured Ukrainian ships and crewmembers and ending the blockade of Ukrainian ports in the Sea of Azov. Russia should respect Ukraines sovereignty and territorial integrity within its internationally recognized borders, extending to its territorial waters," the U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense said.

The US is working closely with the Ukrainian military and the government as a whole "to enhance Ukraines resilience in the face of Russian aggression," she noted.

Since 2014, the United States has allocated $1.1 billion for military training and equipment "to help Ukraine defend itself and also provided effective advice on the modernization of the defense sector in accordance with NATO standards."

"We will continue to support Ukrainian people and keep the sanctions regime against Russia. Russia must fully comply with the obligations under the Minsk agreements and leave Donbas. Our Crimea Declaration defines the US policy clearly and unequivocally: we do not and will not recognize the so-called annexation of Crimea by Russia," Cooper said.

As reported, on December 6, U.S. Deputy Assistant Secretary of Defense Laura Cooper arrived in Kyiv to hold consultations on modernizing of the Armed Forces of Ukraine and discussing Russian aggression.

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Canada will allocate about $2.5 million to support efforts to combat Russian propaganda during the elections in Ukraine.

These funds are a part of broader $24 million aid package, which Ottawa announced earlier, Ukrinform reports.

Russian hybrid war in Ukraine includes disinformation activities designed to influence the results of parliamentary and presidential elections. Russia's goal is to destabilize the Ukrainian state and to spread among its citizens doubts about the legitimacy of democracy as such. In response, Canada will provide a package of assistance to support the Government of Ukraine, civil society and independent media in countering Russian disinformation on the eve of 2019 elections, the Canadas Global Affairs explained.

As noted, Canada will pay particular attention to the residents of temporarily occupied areas of Donetsk and Luhansk regions.

A part of this assistance will concern the areas, which are not controlled by the government, and will consist in encouraging them to use their democratic right to vote, the Canadas Global Affairs noted.

As reported, Canada announced the allocation of $24 million to support electoral reforms, election observers, gender equality and inclusive governance in Ukraine.

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President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko believes that the presence of NATO in the Black Sea is necessary to prevent the Russian troops from occupying the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov region, which happens now.

First, we need the NATO presence in the Black Sea to prevent Russian troops from occupying the Black Sea and the Sea of Azov region, which happens now. We need the Sea of Azov package of sanctions. I think it is very important. When I met with President of Lithuania Dalia Grybauskaite in Kyiv, Lithuania endorsed a national package of sanctions over the act of aggression in the Black Sea near the Kerch Strait, President of Ukraine Petro Poroshenko said in an interview with Fox News, the press service of the Head of State reports.

We need unity and solidarity in this situation, Poroshenko is convinced.

"We need to enhance cooperation with NATO to protect peace, security, freedom and democracy in the region. We need a package of sanctions, we need to improve military and technical cooperation, including the supply of lethal weapons that will help us protect our country from a possible large ground campaign, which Russia can start any time, the Head of State emphasized.

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The Prosecutors Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea sent to the ICC four information messages on the commission of war crimes by the invader state.

On December 5, 2018, the Office of the Prosecutor of the International Criminal Court (ICC) published a preliminary investigation report for 2018 with one of its sections being related to the situation in Ukraine.

"In 2016, the Office made public its assessment that the situation within the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol would amount to an international armed conflict between Ukraine and the Russian Federation which began at the latest on 26 February 2014, and that the law of international armed conflict would continue to apply after 18 March 2014 to the extent that the situation within the territory of Crimea and Sevastopol factually amounts to an ongoing state of occupation. This assessment, while preliminary in nature, provides the legal framework for the Offices analysis of information concerning crimes alleged to have occurred in the context of the situation in Crimea since 20 February 2014," the report reads.

The Prosecutors Office of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, together with Ukrainian human rights non-governmental organizations, the Ukrainian Helsinki Human Rights Union, the Regional Center for Human Rights and the Crimean Human Rights Group sent to the ICC four information messages on the commission of war crimes by the invader state: displacement and expulsion, transfer of convicts, violation of property rights, and also forcing citizens of Ukraine who are residents of the temporarily occupied territory to serve in the armed forces of the Russian Federation.

Read alsoLawyer: Sending Crimean political prisoners to Russia "war crime"

Information messages submitted to the ICC regarding the commission of violent crimes and murders, torture and other forms of ill-treatment by the occupying state, forced conscription to serve in the armed forces of the Russian Federation, violations of the right to fair and regular legal proceedings, imprisonment, relocation of the Russian civilian population to the temporarily occupied territory of Crimea and the local population  from the peninsula beyond its borders, the seizure of property and infringement, are being studied by the Office of the Prosecutor which qualifies such illegal actions as war crimes and crimes against humanity.

This year, the prosecutor of the Autonomous Republic of Crimea, Gunduz Mammadov, and the staff of the prosecutor's office of the autonomy had a working meeting with representatives of the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC. The cooperation of the Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC with state bodies is explicitly stated in the report.

The Office of the Prosecutor of the ICC plans in the near future to complete an analysis of the subject matter jurisdiction, in particular, in the case of Ukraine regarding Crimea, and issue an opinion on its admissibility for consideration by the ICC.
Theres some indication that Ukraine is getting better at defending itself, thanks in part to foreign assistance.

If history is any indication, Ukraine can expect further Russian cyber interference ahead of the upcoming March 2019 presidential election.

In December 2015, a cyberattack crippled Ukraines power grid, temporarily depriving some areas in the countrys west of electricity, Nikolas Kozloff recalls in his article published by Wilson Center.

A year later, hackers struck an electrical transmission station north of Kyiv, causing a temporary blackout of part of the Ukrainian capital. Both attacks are widely believed to have originated with Russia.

Read alsoSBU thwarts Russian cyberattack on telecom systems of Ukraine's judiciary

Another digital attack hit Ukraine in June 2017 in the form of the NotPetya virus, which took down government agencies, businesses, the national bank, the state power company, and largest airport, while simultaneously disabling ATMs and crippling hospital systems. Both the U.S. and UK governments attributed the NotPetya attack to the Russian military. And just this year, Russia is believed to have been behind a campaign called VPNFilter that infected routers and storage devices around the world, perhaps as a prelude to another cyberattack on Ukraine.

Theres some indication that Ukraine is getting better at defending itself, thanks in part to foreign assistance. In the wake of the 2015 attack on Ukraines power grid, the FBI and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security assisted Ukraine in its investigation of the hack.

Read alsoU.S. to help Ukraine fight Russian meddling in 2019 elections

Whats more, U.S. authorities reportedly broke up the VPNFilter attack before it could spread to Ukraine, with the FBI seizing an internet domain that a Russian hacking group may have used to control infected devices. Meanwhile, NATO is reportedly taking cyberattacks much more seriously: in 2016 the alliance recognized cyber as an official domain of operations. Impressed by cyber assistance from the United States, the UK, and NATO, Ukrainian officials now say they are better equipped to handle such emergencies.

Vasyl Filipchuk, a former diplomat and senior adviser at the Kyiv think tank International Center for Policy Studies, seems confident that Ukraine has weathered the storm. Experts are confident that we have one of the best cyber security defense systems in the world. We have neutralized Yandex and Kaspersky, so I think Russia would find it quite hard to intervene now. We have well-trained intelligence services and Western assistance, so as far as cyber is concerned, I doubt hackers can do anything detrimental, he said.

Despite such sentiments, experts warn against complacency since sophisticated Russian spearphishing attacks are still difficult to repel.

A valid question is how safe the upcoming Ukrainian presidential election is from an outside cyberattack, especially, in light of what happened during the 2014 presidential election. Four days prior to the vote, hackers infiltrated computers at the Central Election Commission (CEC) and destroyed files necessary for vote tabulation. Authorities claimed to have repaired the system, but on the day of the vote, websites sending vote counts to the commission were hit with a denial-of-service attack. Later, officials revealed that on the night votes were tabulated, experts uncovered malware on CEC computers that incorrectly declared the far-right leader Dmytro Yarosh the winner. Though the government removed the malware, a Russian news outlet reported the false results. Not surprisingly, there are suspicions that Russia itself was behind the hack, the author writes.

Since the 2014 hack, observers claim, the situation has improved. We vote on paper ballots, Filipchuk said, so Russia cant interfere. All ballots will be counted manually at the Central Electoral Council, so theres nothing to hack.

After people vote using paper ballots, the votes are tallied in district centers and the count is transmitted electronically.

That doesnt mean, however, that the system is risk-free. Indeed, the CEC is short of the funds necessary to secure election infrastructure from attack. Meanwhile, the network itself could be compromised through infected files or flash drives.

Ukrainian President Petro Poroshenko has said that Ukraine has beefed up cyber cooperation with its international partners in advance of next years election, though the president has little doubt that Moscow will try to interfere by launching further cyberattacks to disrupt the contest. Far from receding, cyber interference looms as a constant fixture of geopolitical conflict in this part of the world.
If released, Sentsov would be able to receive in person the Sakharov Prize at a Strasbourg ceremony Dec 12.

European Union Commissioner for European Neighborhood Policy and Enlargement Negotiations Johannes Hahn urged the Russian Federation to release the illegally convicted Ukrainian film director Oleh Sentsov so that he can attend the European Parliament's Sakharov Prize awarding ceremony.

"Next week, #Ukrainian film director Oleg #Sentsov will be awarded the #SakharovPrize by @Europarl_EN. Convicted to 20 years in prison, he wont be able to receive the prize in person," the Commissioner tweeted.

He concluded the tweet with a hashtag LetSentsovGetSakharov,

As UNIAN reported earlier, in spring 2014, Oleh Sentsov was arrested in the Russian-occupied Crimea and in August 2015, he was sentenced to 20 years in prison following an unfair trial where he faced "terrorism" charges stemming from his opposition to Russia's occupation of Crimea.

He has been serving his term in a penal colony in the town of Labytnangi, Russia's Yamal.

Read alsoU.S. calls on Russia to free Sentsov, other Ukrainian political prisoners

Sentsov began his hunger strike on May 14, 2018, demanding that Russia free all Ukrainian political prisoners. In early October, Sentsov announced he had to end his hunger strike due to the deterioration of his health and threats of forced feeding.

Moscow-based journalist Natalya Kaplan, Sentsov's cousin, confirmed that she, together with lawyer Dmitry Dinze, would visit Strasbourg on December 12 to take part in in the award ceremony.
Russian Iskander complexes were many times spotted along the border.

Ukrainian intelligence has many times spotted Russian Iskander missile launchers near the Ukrainian border and on the territory of the illegally annexed Crimea.

Iskander's range poses a threat far beyond Ukraine, as stated by Vadym Skybytsky, an official of the Ukraine Defense Ministry's Main Intelligence Directorate, told TV Channel 5.

According to Skybytsky, if Russia violates the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) Treaty, this threatens the security of most European countries.

Read alsoNo new U.S. missiles in Europe but there are new Russian missiles: Stoltenberg

Even in theory,[the range of] more than 500 km is already a violation of the Treaty. It says that the placement of such complexes near the European borders poses a direct threat to the entire territory of European countries, the intelligence official said.

As an example, Skybytsky took the potential launch of the Kalibr cruise missile, which "allows covering half of Europe from the Black Sea basin."

"That is, all Eastern Europe  Slovakia, Poland, the Czech Republic, and Bulgaria  are in crosshairs of such strategic missile attack," he stressed.

The INF Treaty was signed in 1987 by Soviet Union leader Mikhail Gorbachev and U.S. President Ronald Reagan.

The agreement prohibits the parties to manufacture ground-based ballistic and cruise nuclear missiles with a range of 500 to 5,500 km, as well as test and deploy them.

The United States gave Russia a 60-day deadline to fulfill the terms of the INF Treaty. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo threatened that otherwise, Washington would no longer adhere to the provisions of the Treaty.
The Verkhovna Rada passed a draft law, submitted by President Poroshenko, on non-prolongation of the Treaty on Friendship, Cooperation and Partnership between Ukraine and the Russian Federation. Earlier in September, Kyiv sent Moscow a corresponding notice, thus, properly informing the Russian Ministry of Foreign Affairs.

What consequences will this step entail? As my senior sergeant in the army once said, "You are not kidding with a smart one." We have in an absolutely uncivilized neighbor ruled by a dictator. The dictator decides what to do: if he wants to wage war, he sends tanks and planes to the Ukrainian border; or if he wants to attack Ukrainian ships in neutral waters, he just does it. Our enemy proceeds from its own point of view, and no legal nuances here are of any significance.

What consequences will this step entail? As my senior sergeant in the army once said, "You are not kidding with a smart one"

Putin is not a civilized man. It's like talking about the rules of international law with Adolf Hitler. Some tried to talk about this with him in 1938, but they paid a very high price for that. The same is now happening with Putin.

Therefore, no one knows exactly what the consequences there will be. I think that the actual consequences will not be a result of the abolition of the Treaty, but of Putin being nervous about the fact that Ukraine is increasingly shifting away from under his influence. It is extremely annoying to him that the Ukrainian church is becoming independent  I hope this procedure will be completed in December, and then we will witness a massive transition of Orthodox parishes from the Moscow Patriarchate to a new local church. This might actually cause Putin's mental breakdown. A similar reaction we may see over the Rada amending the Constitution regarding Ukraine's aspirations toward the EU and NATO, or maybe an outcome of the presidential election in Ukraine which would not be in Putin's favor. That is, aggression could be provoked by pretty much anything.

Legal consequences always come if the deal is broken in an unlawful way. However, since we have fully complied with the procedures, there will be no legal repercussions for us. We have reached the moment where the Treaty of Friendship can be non-prolonged officially, and this is what's happening.

There will be no negative change for Ukraine after the Treaty is done with.

For example, there will be no more degrading provision which Russia keeps violating instead of following it. It is about Ukraine having to consult with Russia before joining any international associations or seeking partnerships and signing agreements. Moscow could not veto these steps, but Ukraine had to consult with them anyway. That is, if we sought to join a kind of association that Russia considered harmful or dangerous to them  like the EU or NATO  Moscow could have insisted that we not do this. Because the Treaty on Friendship spelled out that we were not entitled to join the unions that may be harmful to the other party. And Russia wasn't either, accordingly. However, when Russia created the Customs Union, they did not consult Ukraine for some reason. This didn't stop Moscow though from demanding from Ukraine to do so when it came to NATO and the EU.

There will be no negative change for Ukraine after the Treaty is done with

Now, this provision will be gone.

At the same time, the Treaty on Friendship with Russia had a positive norm stating that both parties grant citizens of the other party the same rights as their own citizens. This was supposed to mean that Ukrainian citizens in Russia could be employed without any additional permits. But Russia never followed the norm. Russia introduced separate rules, permits, and registration for workers from Ukraine anyway. That is, the only norm that was beneficial for Ukrainians was never effective. So here, Ukraine is not losing anything.

Meanwhile, everything else, stipulated by other interstate agreements, continues to be effective.

The non-prolongation of the framework agreement does not lead to the termination of other agreements adopted on its basis. There is an agreement on borders, which clearly marks Ukraine's borders, stating that Donbas is a territory of Ukraine, as well as Crimea, unconditionally. The only arguable thing is the border line in the Azov Sea. Consequently, this agreement remains valid and will not cease to exist after the Treaty of Friendship ceases to exist.

Therefore, those who claim that, once Ukraine withdraws from the Treaty on Friendship with the Russian Federation, are lying, there will be no other agreement stating that Russia recognizes Ukraine's territorial integrity

Therefore, those who claim that, once Ukraine withdraws from the Treaty on Friendship with the Russian Federation, there will be no other agreement stating that Russia recognizes Ukraine's territorial integrity, are lying. Those other agreements are still in place.

Will Russia be able to exploit in some way the lack of the Treaty on Friendship? Russia will be able to justify its actions in the eyes of its own citizens. But for the international community, where the rules of international law apply, it will not matter. Certain statements claiming that if Ukraine withdraws from the Treaty, Russia will have no obligations regarding respecting Ukraine's territorial integrity, are lies. That's because, as mentioned, there is another agreement that clearly defines Ukraine's borders. And that other agreement doesn't allow tanks or "humanitarian convoys" uncontrollably crossing Ukraine's borders.

Taras Chornovil is a Ukrainian political analyst and foreign relations expert
Militants fired on Ukrainian troops from weapons installed on infantry fighting vehicles and employed sniper fire.

Over the past day, December 7, Russian occupation forces opened fire 13 times on the defense positions of Ukraine's Joint Forces.

"The enemy opened aimed fire from grenade launchers of various systems, large-caliber machine guns, and small arms. Also, in one of the directions, the enemy sniper was active. In addition, the invaders used weapons installed on infantry fighting vehicles near Zaitseve in the Horlivka direction and Oprosne - in the Donetsk direction," reads a Saturday morning update by the press service of the Joint Forces Operation.

Read alsoPutin may go for "military walk" to Kyiv  volunteer

Two Ukrainian troops were wounded in combat, including one of them  fatally.

According to intelligence data, on December 7, two invaders were wounded and another two were terminated.

Since day-start on Saturday, the enemy has not opened fire.

As UNIAN reported earlier, Ukraine proposes to introduce in Donbas a joint UN-OSCE peacekeeping mission.
Manafort faces at least 10 years in prison as a result of two prosecutions for charges ranging from bank fraud to conspiracy to obstruct justice and is expected to be sentenced early next year.

The special counsels office has accused Paul Manafort, U.S. President Donald Trumps former campaign chairman, of lying to prosecutors in a breach of his plea deal.

Paul Manafort, President Trumps former campaign chairman, lied to federal investigators about his contacts with Trump administration officials and his interactions with a Russian linked to Moscows intelligence services, the special counsels office said on Friday, according to The New York Times.

He also lied about a $125,000 payment made through a political action committee to cover a debt he owed, prosecutors working for the special counsel, Robert Mueller, said in a partly redacted court filing explaining why they withdrew last week from a plea agreement they had reached with Mr. Manafort in September.

They also claimed he misled investigators pursuing a case unrelated to Mr. Muellers investigation of Russias interference in the 2016 presidential race and whether the Trump campaign conspired with the Kremlins operations.

Manafort told multiple discernible lies  these were not instances of mere memory lapses, the prosecutors wrote in a memo to Judge Amy Berman Jackson of United States District Court for the District of Columbia.

The filing is a new example of Muellers low tolerance for misstatements. Including Manafort, Muellers team has accused five former aides to Donald Trump of lying to them.

Manafort faces at least 10 years in prison as a result of two prosecutions for charges ranging from bank fraud to conspiracy to obstruct justice and is expected to be sentenced early next year.

Though he had told prosecutors earlier that he had no direct or indirect communications with any Trump administration official while they were in government, Manafort had in fact kept in touch with a senior official through February 2018, prosecutors said. And three months later, in May, he authorized someone else to speak with a Trump appointee on his behalf, they wrote.

Read alsoABC News: Mueller asked Trump about 2016 RNC platform change regarding Ukraine

They also detailed additional contacts with administration officials, citing a search of his documents. They did not identify the officials or detail the reasons for the contacts.

Prosecutors have previously accused the Russian they say Mr. Manafort was in touch with, Konstantin V. Kilimnik, of ties to Russian intelligence. A Russian Army-trained linguist, Mr. Kilimnik served as Mr. Manaforts right-hand man in Ukraine for more than a decade, working on behalf of the countrys Russia-aligned former president, Viktor Yanukovych, his party and the oligarchs behind it.

In Fridays filing, prosecutors blacked out much of the information related to Kilimnik but revealed that some of it had been uncovered in emails and testimony. They claimed that Manafort lied about various interactions and meetings with him, as well as about his involvement with witnesses who might testify against Manafort.

Manafort and Kilimnik remained in touch even after their business in Ukraine came to an end. After Manafort joined the Trump campaign in March 2016, the two men traded emails discussing how to use Manaforts position for financial gain. Kilimnik also traveled to the United States to meet with Manafort.

This year, prosecutors have claimed, Manafort and Kilimnik teamed up to try to persuade two witnesses to lie about the scope of the Ukraine work in order to protect Manafort. Both men were charged with conspiracy to obstruct justice, one of the felonies to which Manafort pleaded guilty in September.

A Russian citizen, Kilimnik now lives in Moscow. Because Russia does not typically extradite its citizens, he is not expected to ever face trial in the United States. In a 2017 interview with The New York Times, Kilimnik denied that he had any connections to Russian intelligence. He described himself as a random casualty because of my proximity to Paul, referring to Manafort.

The prosecutors also said Manafort misled them about the reason for the $125,000 wire transfer of funds in 2017  claiming it was money owed to him as income or as repayment of a debt  and gave inconsistent statements about the source of the money.

Associates of Manaforts said the money was funneled through a political action committee called Rebuilding America Now, set up in the summer of 2016 to help Trumps then-cash-starved campaign. Spending $23 million, it was one of the biggest sources of funds for polls and advertisements on Trumps behalf.

The committee was one of the biggest pots of money for advertisements, polls and other efforts to back Trumps campaign.
President Zeman, known for his pro-Russian stance, has earlier dismissed the agency's report.

The head of the Czech Republics counter-intelligence service says his agency broke a Russian spying network earlier this year and completely paralyzed its activities.

Michal Koudelka also says the agency known as BIS prevented dozens of Russian and Chinese spies from operating on Czech territory in last five years, according to the Associated Press.

Koudelkas statement Friday comes a day after President Milos Zeman, known for his pro-Russian stance, dismissed the agency's annual report.

Read alsoUkraine should prepare for more Russian cyberattacks ahead of 2019 elections - expert

In the document published Monday, BIS warned against the activities of Russian and Chinese spies and said its obvious that Russia was behind cyberattacks against the countrys foreign ministry.

Zeman claimed the report lacked evidence.

However, Prime Minister Andrej Babis has rejected the presidents criticism, saying his government has no complaint about BIS.
The two men holding the flag were identified as French nationals Fabrice Sorlin and Xavier Moreau  both supporters of Russia-backed militants in the occupied Donbas.

During a yellow vest rally in Paris, two Frenchmen were photographed boasting the flag of the so-called "Donetsk People's Republic" terrorist organization.

The photo was posted on the WarGonzo Telegram channel.

The men were identified as supporters of Russia-backed Donbas militants, Fabrice Sorlin and Xavier Moreau.

According to the information published on the Peacemaker website, Xavier Moreau visited the occupied Donbas as an "observer" at the pseudo-elections of November 11 this year.

Read alsoUkraine's embassy in U.S. urges Amazon to remove products with "DPR" symbols

Fabrice Sorlin is the leader of the ultra-right organization Dies Irae ("Judgment Day") and a fan of the "Russian World." He also illegally visited the occupied territories of Donbas, after which he wrote a number of pro-Russian columns in French media.

As UNIAN reported earlier, another wave of yellow vest protests has swept through France on Saturday. Police vans and armored vehicles are seen along Paris streets. A total of 89,000 police officers have been deployed to ensure public order. Ahead of the rally, law enforcers detained more than 300 people they believed could cause trouble.
(@rukhshanmir)

Croatia's exports amounted to HRK 89.3 billion in the first ten months of this year, rising by 4.2% compared to the corresponding period in 2017, whereas imports reached HRK 146.7 billion, up 7.1%, according to preliminary figures released by the national statistical office (DZS) on Friday.

ZAGREB, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 7th Dec, 2018 ) :Croatia's exports amounted to HRK 89.3 billion in the first ten months of this year, rising by 4.2% compared to the corresponding period in 2017 , whereas imports reached HRK 146.7 billion , up 7.1%, according to preliminary figures released by the national statistical office (DZS) on Friday.

The foreign trade deficit came to HRK 57.4 billion, up HRK 6.2 billion year on year, while the export-import ratio fell from 62.6% to 60.9%.

Exports to EU countries totalled HRK 61.

2 billion, climbing by 10% compared to the first ten months of 2017. Exports to non-EU countries dropped by 6.5% to HRK 28.1 billion.

Imports from EU countries increased by 6.4% to HRK 113.8 billion and those from non-EU countries rose by 9.7% to HRK 32.9 billion.

Expressed in Euros, Croatia's exports came to EUR 12.03 billion, up 4.6% over the January-October period of 2017, and imports went up by 7.5% to EUR 19.8 billion.

As a result, the foreign trade deficit totalled EUR 7.7 billion.
TIRASPOL (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2018) The normalization of relations between Chisinau and Tiraspol is possible on the basis of the principle of equality, the Foreign Ministry of the self-proclaimed republic of Transnistria said.

"The normalization of relations between Transnistria and the Republic of Moldova should be based on the principles of equality, mutual respect, good neighborly relations and taking the democratically expressed will of the Transnistrian people into consideration," the Foreign Ministry said in a statement published on its website on Friday.

The Foreign Ministry slammed the statement, adopted by the OSCE Ministerial Council at a meeting in Milan this week, on the settlement of the Transnistrian conflict, saying that it failed to significantly influence the settlement process since it did not take into consideration the position of Tiraspol as a side to the conflict resolution talks.

Tiraspol also criticized the recent statement by Moldovan Foreign Minister Tudor Ulianovschi, calling for the withdrawal of the Russian peacekeepers contingent from Transnistria and deploying a civilian mission there instead.

The Foreign Ministry argued that such calls "have nothing to do with the real interest in preserving peace and normalizing the relations between the sides to the conflict, as well as discredit one of the most responsible co-mediators in the 5+2 format.

"

On Friday, Special Representative of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe (OSCE) Chairperson-in-Office for the Transnistrian Settlement Process, Franco Frattini, told Sputnik that Russia made significantly helped achieve distinctive results in the Transnistria settlement process.

The Transnistrian settlement negotiations under the "5+2" format include Moldova and Transnistria as the sides to the conflict; Russia, Ukraine and the OSCE as the mediators; and the United States and the European Union as the observers. The last round of negotiations was held on May 29 in Rome.

Transnistria is a region where 60 percent of the population are Russians and Ukrainians. The region broke away from Moldova in 1990, fearing that the country would reunify with Romania after the collapse of the Soviet Union. This decision triggered a war, which ended in 1992. However, the issue remains unresolved and Transnistria continues to be an unrecognized state.

Since 1992, peacekeepers have been deployed to maintain stability in the security zone in Transnistria. The mission comprises military personnel from Moldova, Transnistria and Russia as well as Ukrainian observers.
MOSCOW (UrduPoint News / Sputnik - 08th December, 2018) North Korean Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho will start his two-day visit to Mongolia on Saturday after concluding a visit to China.

Ri is set to discuss bilateral relations as well as cooperation on international and regional matters during talks with Mongolian Foreign Minister Damdin Tsogtbaatar, according to media reports.

The visit is timed to the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic relations between North Korea and Mongolia.


Through a Facebook Live event, Los Angeles culinary icon Roy Choi revealed the first dishes that will be served at Best Friend, debuting at Park MGM in Las Vegas on December 19. The world got its first glimpse at Chef Chois vision and inspiration for a restaurant that is a remixed and remastered evolution of LAs Koreatown (Photo credit: Jenn Smulo)

From evolved cult classics to fresh ideas, Chef Choi provided a sneak peek at the food he has in store for Best Friend.

Watch the full menu reveal video with Roy Choi here:

[fbvideo link=https://www.facebook.com/BestFriendVegas/videos/261401461200496/ width=588 height=700 onlyvideo=1]

When you see Best Friend, I want you to have a little bit of a chuckle or a little bit of a smile with yourself  cause this is place you come to have fun.  Chef Roy Choi on Facebook Live

Photo credit: Jenn Smulo

Dishes Revealed Include:

Tamarind Cod Hot Pot: Combining inspirations from both Vietnamese and Korean cuisine, this dish features tamarind spiced broth, cod and Korean vermicelli noodles. As the simmering pot is brought to diners, the cod breaks into succulent, bite-sized pieces.

Combining inspirations from both Vietnamese and Korean cuisine, this dish features tamarind spiced broth, cod and Korean vermicelli noodles. As the simmering pot is brought to diners, the cod breaks into succulent, bite-sized pieces. BBQ Spicy Pork: Chef Choi brings a reimagined version of his BBQ pork to The Strip. Thinly sliced pork belly and shoulder is marinated in a sweet and spicy kochujang sauce, then charred on the plancha with onions.

Chef Choi brings a reimagined version of his BBQ pork to The Strip. Thinly sliced pork belly and shoulder is marinated in a sweet and spicy kochujang sauce, then charred on the plancha with onions. Slippery Shrimp: Chef Choi does his own cover of classic Honey Walnut Shrimp with his own crispy rendition coating the shrimp in a creamy, spicy sauce mixed with cilantro, walnuts and sesame seeds.

Chef Choi does his own cover of classic Honey Walnut Shrimp with his own crispy rendition coating the shrimp in a creamy, spicy sauce mixed with cilantro, walnuts and sesame seeds. Soon DuBu Hot Pot: Brought to American popularity through LAs Koreatown, Best Friend will feature its own take on the spicy stew from Chef Chois neighborhood. The vegan dish filled with umami serves a mixture of soft and firm tofu in a spicy broth within a clay pot.

Brought to American popularity through LAs Koreatown, Best Friend will feature its own take on the spicy stew from Chef Chois neighborhood. The vegan dish filled with umami serves a mixture of soft and firm tofu in a spicy broth within a clay pot. Fritto Misto Rogers: Best Friends tempura medley features an assortment of fried vegetables, such as shishito peppers and cauliflower, served with a ponzu dipping sauce.

Best Friends tempura medley features an assortment of fried vegetables, such as shishito peppers and cauliflower, served with a ponzu dipping sauce. Fried Bologna Sandwich: Blurring the lines of what guests expect from a Las Vegas restaurant, and a callback to his original snack food, Chef Choi has created the same Fried Bologna sandwich he used to make for himself at home. The simple and addictive combination of fried bologna and swiss cheese will make for the perfect late-night bite.

Photo credit: Jenn Smulo
Cuu Long Steel Company where the boiler exploded.-Photo thanhnien.vn

Regarding the missing worker, Duong Dinh On, Hong Bang District Peoples Committee, said they could not contact him by phone to confirm if he was still in the boiler.

Firefighters are trying to cool down the boiler to seek the victim, he told online news outlet zing.vn.

One severely wounded worker was transferred to a central hospital in Ha Noi, the rest were hospitalised at local VietTiep Hospital.

Cuu Long Steel Company resumed its operation yesterday. Hong Bang District authorities are investigating the incident.
Protesters stand in front of riot police on December 7, 2018 in Toulouse, southern France. (Photo: AFP/Remy Gabalda)

The US embassy issued a detailed travel alert detailing where the protests were expected in Paris Saturday.

"Demonstrations may become violent, resulting in damage to property, including overturning vehicles and setting them on fire," said the embassy statement.

"Police responses may include water cannons and/or tear gas."

The alert counselled Americans to keep a low profile, avoid crowds and to move vehicles away from places where demonstrations were expected.

A statement from Britain's Foreign Office also warned that Saturday's demonstrations could turn violent.

"Motorists travelling through France may also experience delays or blockages caused by demonstrators at motorway toll booths," it added.

"In all cases, you should avoid any demonstrations if at all possible and follow the advice of the local authorities." It gave similar advice for expected demonstrations in Brussels.

Belgium meanwhile advised its nationals to postpone any trips to Paris if at all possible.

If they were in Paris, they should avoid tourist sites and leave any vehicles in underground parking.

"Don't get involved in any discussions or other polemics," it said. "Do not resist the police."

French officials have in any case already announced the closure of major tourist sites in Paris including museums and art galleries - and told shopkeepers on and around the Champs-Elysees to stay shut on Saturday.

Spain's foreign ministry advised its nationals in Paris to keep an eye on news coverage and to flee any clashes.

In the event they got caught up in any violence, they should get away from it as soon as possible without stopping to take photos or film footage.

Portugal advised its nationals in Paris not to go out if they could avoid it.

The Dutch, German, Italian, Norwegian, Swedish and Turkish authorities all warned of possible violence, particularly in Paris, and advised their nationals to stay away from any demonstrations.

The embassies of Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates and Bahrain also warned their nationals to be extra cautious and avoid protests.

Some embassies spelled out which parts of Paris to avoid. The Danish embassy advised its nationals to avoid the Champs-Elysees area - the scene of violent clashes last weekend - and other areas.

This weekend around 8,000 police officers will be on duty in Paris - 5,000 more than last weekend when rioters caused extensive damage at the Arc de Triomphe and around the Champs-Elysees.

A dozen armoured vehicles will also be deployed in the capital for the first time.
Khoi Le's profile on LinkedIn

vietnamnet.vn quoted Facebook Vietnam's representative as saying that Khoi will replace Trang.

According to LinkedIn, Khoi Le graduated from the University College Dublin majoring in marketing and business strategy. Previous to working at the world-leading social network, Khoi worked at PwC, Visa, and Microsoft.

Khoi has worked at Facebooks Singaporean branch for nearly two years with the initial position of head of Client Relationship.

In the afternoon of December 5, 2018, Trang posted a Facebook status about her decision to leave the social network after nine months in position, saying,Ill be leaving Facebook at the end of the year for family reasons. It has been a wonderful journey for me, learning, building, and leading the Facebook business in Vietnam. I truly believe in the mission of the company  which is about giving people the power to build a community and to bring the world closer together. Facebook has brought so many businesses and communities so much closer together and I cannot wait to see many other businesses grow and thrive on the platform.

Christy Le will leave Facebook from early 2019

Trang (or Christy Le) was born in a family of business tradition. Her father, Le Van Tri, is former deputy CEO of leading rubber manufacturer Casumina, while her brother, Le Tri Thong, is now vice chairman of Phu Nhuan Jewelry JSC (PNJ).

After winning a scholarship to study at Oxford University in the UK, she went on to study at the well-known Massachusetts Institute of Technology in the US.

Trang left McKinsey after working for one year and 10 months to help her husband establish a startup specialising in keeping track of human health and physical activities called Misfit Wearables, which then received investment from former CEO of Apple and Hong Kong billionaire Li Ka-shing.

After Misfit was acquired by Fossil Group for $260 million in 2015, Trang worked as CEO of Fossil Vietnam until earlier this March.
Meng Wanzhou attends a session of the VTB Capital Investment Forum "Russia Calling!" in Moscow, Russia October 2, 2014. Source: REUTERS/Alexander Bibik/Files

Meng Wanzhou was arrested in Canada's Pacific coast city of Vancouver on Dec 1 while changing planes during a trip from Hong Kong to Mexico - ratcheting tensions between the United States and China just as the countries' leaders agreed a truce in their trade war.

A Canadian government lawyer asked the court to deny her bail, saying she has been accused of "conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions" and if convicted faces more than 30 years in prison.

She is specifically accused of lying to US banks about the use of a covert subsidiary to sell to Iran in breach of sanctions.

The lawyer said that Meng had personally denied to American bankers any direct connections between Huawei and the subsidiary, SkyCom, when in fact "SkyCom is Huawei." SkyCom's alleged sanctions breaches occurred from 2009 to 2014.

He suggested that Meng has also shown a pattern of avoiding the United States over the past year since becoming aware of the investigation into the matter, argued that she has no ties to Canada and has access to vast wealth and political connections - and thus poses a flight risk.

Meng's detention in Canada came on the day of a summit at which US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping agreed to a truce in the escalating trade dispute opposing the two economic powerhouses.

China says Meng - the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, a former engineer in China's People's Liberation Army - has violated no laws in Canada or the United States and has demanded her release.

Washington and Beijing have exchanged steep tariffs on more than US$300 billion in total two-way trade, locking them in a conflict that has begun to eat into profits.

Trump tweeted Friday that negotiations to defuse the high stakes dispute were "going very well" but the messages since Meng's arrest have been mixed, roiling global stock markets.

Her appearance at the British Columbia Supreme Court in Vancouver is a prelude to an extradition process that could take months.

'PRINCESS' OF HUAWEI

CNN, quoting an unnamed official, said the United States saw the arrest as providing leverage in US-China trade talks - although White House trade adviser Peter Navarro has denied any link to the dialogue.

On Friday, Beijing nevertheless alleged that Meng, known internally as the "princess" of Huawei and possible heir to the throne, had become a pawn in the dispute.

"The Chinese government should seriously mull over the US tendency to abuse legal procedures to suppress China's high-tech enterprises," said the nationalist tabloid Global Times in an editorial.

"Obviously, Washington is resorting to a despicable rogue's approach as it cannot stop Huawei's 5G advance in the market," it went on.

Meng spent most of the past week at a women's detention facility in a suburb of Vancouver.

If she is released on bail, she would likely have to surrender her passport and submit to electronic monitoring until she is discharged or surrendered for trial to the United States. All security costs would be borne by her.

The extradition process could take months, even years, if appeals are made in the case. The Vancouver Sun reported on Friday that Meng's husband Xiaozong Liu is believed to own at least one luxury home in the city.

REPEATED SETBACKS

Canada is one of more than 100 countries that have an extradition treaty with the United States, requiring it to cooperate with US Department of Justice requests to hand over suspects.

This longstanding treaty requires that the offence for which extradition is being sought is also a crime in Canada.

A Canadian court must decide if there is sufficient evidence to support the extradition, but then it is left to Canada's justice minister to sign the order.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended Canada's arrest of Meng, saying politics played no part in the decision.

"I can assure everyone that we are a country (with) an independent judiciary," Trudeau told a tech conference in Montreal.

Huawei's affordable smartphones have made strong inroads in the developing world, but the company has faced repeated setbacks in major Western economies over security concerns.

Earlier this week, Canadian officials said Ottawa was continuing to review Huawei's technology for use in upcoming fifth generation networks.

The company faces being shut out of Australia, New Zealand and US 5G rollouts, and British telecom group BT revealed on Wednesday it was removing Huawei equipment from its core cellular network.

The five nations together form the "Five Eyes" intelligence alliance.
Investors at Bao Viet Securities in Hanoi. - VNS Photo Thai Ha

The benchmark VN-Index on the Ho Chi Minh Stock Exchange edged up 0.39 per cent to close at 958.59 points on Friday.

It was down 0.24 per cent at 954.82 points on Thursday.

The minor HNX-Index on the Ha Noi Stock Exchange lost 0.03 per cent on Friday to close at 107.14 points.

It fell 0.60 per cent to 107.10 points on Thursday.

Large-cap stocks continued driving the market, lifting the blue-chip VN30 Index by 0.73 per cent to 929.59 points.

Across the stock market, banks, property developers, securities firms and construction companies were among the best performing groups.

More than 230 million shares were traded on the two local exchanges, worth VND4.9 trillion (US$208 million).

Blue-chip stocks such as real estate firm Vinhomes (VHM), Vincom Retail (VRE), budget carrier Vietjet (VJC) and brewer Sabeco (SAB) all gained ground, boosting the market.

Stock markets around the world sank on Thursday as the arrest of a top Chinese technology executive threatened to strain an already brittle US-China trade relationship, while oil prices fell after OPEC delayed an output decision, Reuters reported.

The arrest of smartphone maker Huawei Technologies Co Ltd Chief Financial Officer Meng Wanzhou in Canada for extradition to the US came as Washington and Beijing prepared for talks aimed at resolving a bitter trade spat.

Oil prices fell nearly 3 per cent in choppy trading after the Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries ended a meeting without making a decision on crude output.

US crude settled down 2.65 per cent at $51.49 per barrel and Brent was last at $60.06, down 2.44 per cent on the day.

PV Oil (OIL) has proposed a plan for large-scale state capital divestment. According to the equitisation plan approved by the Prime Minister, PVN will own 35.1 per cent of OILs charter capital, 20 per cent of charter capital at public auction and sell 44.72 per cent of charter capital to strategic investors.

OIL has offered to sell 20 per cent of its charter capital as prescribed in the IPO. However, the company has yet to sell a 45 per cent stake to strategic shareholders.

According to Bao Viet Securities Company (BVSC), a number of investors were interested in becoming strategic shareholders of OIL such as Vietjet, HD Bank, SK Energy (South Korea) and Idemitsu (Japan). Nevertheless, due to a lack of time for the divestment procedures, OIL has failed to fulfill the States requirement of completing within 4 months.

OIL representatives stated that the company had drawn up a plan and reported large-scale divestment instead to PVN. On the Unlisted Public Company Market (UPCoM), OIL shares had increased for five consecutive sessions to VND15,400 per share.

The recent successful auction of Vietnam Construction And Import-Export Joint Stock Corporation (VCG) has proved that large-scale divestment is appealing to strategic investors.
Mr Balaji Baradhazhvar, Chief Executive Officer of Crystal Delta and Professor Rajesh Chandra, Vice-Chancellor and President after the MOU signing.
People hold a banner reading "the forest resists" as they take part in a march against climate change, in Paris, on Dec 8, 2018. (Photo: AFP/Jacques Demarthon)

Police estimated the number of green activists heading onto the streets at 17,000 while organisers counted 25,000 urging world governments to better protect the environment.

The numbers were similar to previous climate marches in Paris, despite sporadic violence in the city on Saturday among thousands of "yellow vest" demonstrators who want more help for France's poor.

Organisers had to change the route of the climate march, marching instead from Place de la Nation to Place de la Republique, due to the yellow vest demonstrations, but refused a request by Interior Minister Christophe Castaner to postpone it.

"It was unthinkable to cancel this march. It's important to talk about problems related to the end of the world as well as the end of the month," Elodie Nace, a spokeswoman for green NGO Alternatiba, told the crowds.

Thousands also marched in other French cities, including an estimated 10,000 in Marseille, 3,500 in Montpellier and 3,000 in Lille.

The "yellow vest" movement has been spurred by anger in small-town and rural France at rising car fuel taxes which were aimed at helping the country transition to a greener economy, but which protesters say hurts the poor.

But green activists at the climate marches urged people to find solutions for both environmental problems and the financial struggles of France's poorest.

"Yellow vests, green vests -- same anger," they chanted.

Some "yellow vest" activists, clad in their emblematic high-visibility road jackets, joined the Paris march after breaking off from their own demonstration.

Marches had been organised in more than 120 towns across France to mark the COP24 climate talks in Poland.
Workers of local food delivery service Delivery Now. The number of users of food delivery services has also grown rapidly, although the services are still limited in urban areas which have a large number of office workers.- Photo quantrimang.com

According to market research firm Euromonitor, the sector has grown around 15 per cent per year in Asia. In Vietnam, the food delivery market is currently valued at US$33 million and may exceed $38 million by 2020.

The percentage of users of food delivery services has also increased rapidly, although it is limited to urban areas where a large number of office workers are employed .

According to statistics from the Association of Vietnamese Retailers, only 30 per cent of urban residents used food delivery services in Hanoi and HCM City last year, but this number has risen to more than 70 per cent in the first six months of this year.

Nguyen Manh Hung, manager of Cowboy Jacks Tay Son restaurant, told Vietnam News the restaurant was using Now and Lala delivery services.

These applications help our restaurant find more customers so that we can sell more food, said Hung.

These kinds of apps not only benefit large restaurants but also small or street food establishments.

The owner of Pho Chien Gion restaurant at 206 Kham Thien Street, told the Thoi bao Kinh te Sai Gon Online (Sai Gon Economic Times Online), the restaurant registered the service via the GradFood app. As a result, the restaurant had to recruit more staff but sales and customers increased.

The online newspaper quoted Jerry Lim, director of Grab Vietnam, as saying the number of customers and stores participating in the GrabFood has increased.

Online food delivery in Vietnam has been operating for several years through Vietnammm.com, and GrabFood.

The Now app has the widest coverage in the country nationwide including Hanoi, HCM City, Nha Trang, Da Nang, Hue, Quang Ninh, Can Tho, Hai Phong, Dong Nai, Nghe An and Binh Duong.

Meanwhile, Grab has the advantage of being a technology platform starting with car and motorbike booking services, which have a regular customer of 20 per cent of the Vietnamese population.

Grab launched GrabFood along with many programmes connecting with shops, restaurants and co-operating with e-wallets as well as other promotions.

Go-Viet recently piloted Go-Food, intergrated with its ride service.

A representative told VnExpress it had co-operated with hundreds of thousands of food partners nationwide from street food, fast food chains to large restaurants.

The service would be implemented nationwide after being piloted in HCM City, said the representative.
Up to 20 million Yemeni's  two-thirds of the country's population  are food insecure, primarily because of the war that has ravaged the impoverished country.



A joint statement issued Saturday by the U.N.'s Food and Agriculture Organization, UNICEF and the World Food Program said the conflict has contributed to the "world's worst humanitarian crisis."



The agencies cited an analysis by the Integrated Food Security Phase Classification, a food security survey that helps determine whether to declare famine in countries.



"Already 15.9 million people wake up hungry" in Yemen, the agencies said of the findings, which also said 20 million people are facing "severe acute food insecurity."

WFP head David Beasley said "a massive increase in aid and sustained access to all areas of Yemen" are needed to help alleviate the crisis. He warned if those actions are not taken, "we will lose an entire generation of children to hunger."



While the report cited war as the main cause of the crisis, it said the crisis also was exacerbated by skyrocketing food prices and high unemployment levels.



The crisis spiraled out of control after a Saudi-led coalition launched an offensive in March 2015 to support the Yemeni government against Iran-aligned Houthi rebels.

The catastrophe has claimed the lives of at least 10,000 people, the World Health Organization estimates.



The war also has taken a heavy toll on the country's economy, with the World Bank reporting it has contracted by about 50 percent since 2015.



The report was disclosed as Yemeni government officials and rebel representatives held U.N.-brokered peace talks in Sweden.
Several thousand people gathered Saturday amid a heavy police presence in southern Poland for a March for Climate to encourage negotiators at climate talks to set ambitious goals.

Activists from around the world gathered in the main square of the city of Katowice where delegates from almost 200 countries are holding a two-week meeting on curbing climate change.

Some of them were dressed as polar bears, some as orangutans, animals that are facing extinction from man-made global warming and deforestation.

They joined in chants of Wake up, its time to save our home, and held banners including one reading Defend our Rights to Food, Land, Water, as large police units and mounted police looked on.

Earlier Saturday, campaign group Climate Action Network said that one of its employees has been allowed to enter Poland after earlier being stopped by border guards citing unspecified security threats.

The group, an alliance of hundreds of organizations from around the world, said Polish authorities gave Belgium-based activist Zanna Vanrenterghem permission to continue to the U.N. climate summit in Katowice.

The Belgian ambassador in Poland, Luc Jacobs, said Polish border guards had provided him with no details about the case but confirmed that Vanrenterghem was admitted into Poland overnight.

CAN had no immediate information about 12 other activists deported or denied entry to Poland in recent days. Poland introduced temporary random identity checks ahead of the conference, arguing they were needed for security.
Chinas export growth slowed in November as global demand weakened, adding to pressure on Beijing ahead of trade talks with Washington.

Exports rose 5.4 percent from a year ago to $227.4 billion, a marked decline from the previous months 12.6 percent increase, customs data showed Saturday. Imports rose 3 percent to $182.7 billion, a sharp reversal from Octobers 20.3 percent surge.

That adds to signs a slowdown in the worlds second-largest economy is deepening as Chinese leaders prepare for negotiations with President Donald Trump over Beijings technology policy and other irritants.

Exports to US rise

Chinese exports to the United States rose by a relatively robust 12.9 percent from a year ago to $46.2 billion. Shipments to the U.S. market have held up as exporters rush to fill orders before additional duty increases, but forecasters say that effect will fade in early 2019.

Imports of American goods rose 5 percent to $10.7 billion, down from the previous months 8.5 percent growth. Chinas politically volatile trade surplus with the United States widened to a record $35.5 billion.

Trump agreed during a Dec. 1 meeting with this Chinese counterpart, Xi Jinping, to postpone tariff hikes by 90 days while the two sides negotiate. But penalties of up to 25 percent imposed earlier by both sides on billions of dollars of each others goods still are in effect.

Companies and investors worry the battle between the two biggest economies will chill global economic growth.

Chinese economy cools

The Chinese economy grew by a relatively strong 6.5 percent from a year earlier in the quarter ending in September. But that was boosted by government spending on public works construction that helped to mask a slowdown in other parts of the economy.

An official measure of manufacturing activity fell to its lowest level in two years in November. Auto sales have shrunk for the past three months, and real estate sales are weak.

Chinese leaders have responded by easing lending controls, boosting spending on construction and promising more help to entrepreneurs who generate the state-dominated economys new jobs and wealth. But they have moved gradually to avoid reigniting a rise in corporate and local government debt that already is considered to be dangerously high.

Tariffs

The Trump administration imposed 25 percent duties on $50 billion of Chinese goods in July in response to complaints that Beijing steals or pressures companies to hand over technology. Washington also imposed a 10 percent charge on $200 billion of Chinese goods. That was set to rise to 25 percent in January but Trump postponed it.

Beijing responded with tariff hikes on $110 billion of American goods. Trump has threatened to expand U.S. penalties to all goods from China.

Washington, Europe and other trading partners complain plans such as Made in China 2025, which calls for creating Chinese global champions in artificial intelligence, robotics and other fields, violate Beijings market-opening obligations.

Trump said Beijing committed to buy American farm goods and cut auto import tariffs as part of the tariff cease-fire. Chinese officials have yet to confirm details of the agreement.

Chinas Commerce Ministry expressed confidence the two sides can reach a deal during the 90-day delay. That indicates Beijing sees resolving the conflict as too important to allow it to be disrupted by last weeks dramatic arrest in Canada of an executive of Huawei Technologies Ltd., one of Chinas most prominent companies, on accusations of violating trade sanctions on Iran.

Big trade disputes

Private sector analysts say that there is little time to resolve sprawling conflicts that have bedeviled U.S.-Chinese trade for years. That suggests Beijing will need to find ways to persuade Trump to extend his deadline.

Also in November, Chinas exports to the 28-nation European Union rose 11.4 percent over a year earlier to $35.9 billion, down from Octobers 12 percent growth. Imports rose 13.2 percent to $24.4 billion.

Chinas trade surplus with the EU widened by 6.4 percent over a year earlier to $11.5 billion.
In France, police clashed with protesters, as tens of thousands of 'yellow vest' demonstrators took to the streets Saturday for the fourth consecutive weekend. Reports say at least 135 people have been injured.

French authorities deployed nearly 90,000 police across the country, detained hundreds of people and closed major landmarks and museums out of precaution. Anti-government yellow vest rallies also took place in nearby Belgium and the Netherlands.

WATCH: Clashes, Hundreds Detained in France in Latest 'Yellow Vest' Protests

It's becoming a familiar sound  and smell: teargas lobbed by riot police against so-called yellow vest protesters. Demonstrators sporting fluorescent yellow jackets were out in force again in Paris and across the country, protesting against a range of grievances, including low wages and high taxes.

Around the iconic Champs Elysees, demonstrators clashed with police, set fire to barricades and attacked stores. Armored vehicles rumbled through the streets.

Paris area janitor Jonathan Gonzales wore "Resistance Macron" scrawled on his yellow vest  referring to French President Emmanuel Macron, whose popularity has plunged to record lows.

Gonzales said France is one of the world's richest nations, but the French people are poor because of decades of government mismanagement. He wants higher minimum wage and lower salaries for government leaders.

Other protesters brandished slogans like "Macron resign"  and "Listen to the anger of the people." Many criticize a raft of tough reforms the government says are needed to make France more competitive. They claim the president only cares about the rich, not the poor.

The yellow vest protests began against a planned fuel tax hike, aimed to help fight climate change. But while the government has since scrapped the increase, the demonstrations continue, by a movement with no clear leadership or demands.

Protester Olivier Goldfarb says people can't live on what they earn. The working and middle classes pay more taxes than the more affluent."

Another protester, giving only his first name Hugo, had broader complaints.



"We're protesting against a system that doesn't work, but it's not up to me to say we should do that or we should do that," said Hugo. "It's up to the professional politicians. We send a message that it doesn't work anymore. Now do something, and do it quickly."

Polls show public support for the yellow vests is still high, despite the violence. Senior citizen Eliane Daubigny and her husband watched the demonstrations unroll early Saturday.

Daubigny said she understood the concerns of protesters who have a hard time making ends meet. But she also knows how people live in Madagascar  and believes the French are pretty spoiled by comparison.

Many stores were shuttered around hot spots like the Champs Elysees. Others were still boarded up from last week's rioting that cost Paris alone millions of dollars in damage. Restaurants, hotels and stores have lost business during this holiday season.

Meanwhile, thousands of other French joined a very different protest on Saturday  marching in the capital and other cities for more action to fight climate change. In some cases, yellow vests joined the demonstrations.
French Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said Saturday that violent outbreaks in Paris were "under control" despite ongoing disorderly acts he declared "totally unacceptable."



French police supported by armored vehicles fired tear gas at yellow-vested protesters on the Champs-Elysees. The demonstrators were protesting France's high cost of living.



Castaner estimated 10,000 demonstrators had taken to Parisian streets and were among 125,000 protesters throughout the country.

WATCH: Clashes, Hundreds Detained in France in Latest 'Yellow Vest' Protests

He said nearly 1,000 had been arrested in Paris and that 135 people had been injured, including 17 police officers.



Bracing for a fourth week of violent protests, France closed the Eiffel Tower and other tourist landmarks and mobilized tens of thousands of security officers.



Many shops in Paris were boarded up before Saturday's planned protests to avoid being smashed or looted, and police cordoned off many of the city's broad boulevards.



Despite what Castaner said were "exceptional" security measures, protesters still smashed store windows and clashed with police.



More than 89,000 police were being deployed nationwide, an increase from 65,000 last weekend, when protests over rising taxes turned into a riot that left more than 130 people injured.

Police in central Paris removed any materials from the streets that could be used as weapons or projectiles during the demonstrations, including street furniture at outdoor cafes.



President Emmanuel Macron made an unannounced visit Friday night to a group of anti-riot security officers outside Paris to thank them for their work.



The protests erupted in November over a fuel tax increase, which was part of Macron's plan to combat global warming.



French Prime Minister Edouard Philippe called for new talks Saturday with representatives of the "yellow vest" movement. He vowed the government would address their concerns about rising living costs.



"The president will speak, and will propose measures that will feed this dialogue," Philippe said in a televised statement. 

U.S. President Donald Trump tweeted Saturday that the Paris Agreement, a global effort to reduce global warming beginning in 2020, "isn't working out so well for Paris" and that "People do not want to pay large sums of money ... in order to protect the environment."

Since the unrest began in November, four people have been killed in protest-related accidents.



While Macron has since abandoned the fuel tax hike, protesters have made new demands to address other economic issues hurting workers, retirees and students.

Government officials are concerned that a repeat of last week's violence would weaken the economy and raise doubts about the government's survival.



Officials are also concerned about far-right, anarchist and anti-capitalist groups like Black Bloc that have mimicked the "yellow vest" movement.



The "yellow vest" movement was named after the safety jackets French motorists are required to keep in their vehicles, which the protesters wear at demonstrations.



The weeks of protests have exposed intense resentment among non-city residents who feel that Macron, a former investment banker, is out of touch with struggling middle-class and blue-collar workers. 

Wayne Lee and Fern Robinson contributed to this report.
Hustle.

Thats the word Christina Jones uses to describe the way she lives.

The Arkansas native is a housekeeper at a hospital in the town of Jonesboro, an hours drive from Memphis, Tennessee. There, she makes $10 an hour cleaning rooms, changing bed sheets, emptying trash cans. Its dirty work, and it doesnt cover all her bills, but Jones says she enjoys it. She is grateful to have the job and smiles so much that her colleagues gave her the nickname Sunshine.

If they only knew that yesterday I had to put my last 20 [dollars] in the car [for fuel], and Im wondering all weekend how Im going to pay for my daughters lunch, Jones said. But I dont stress about it because, again, I just pray Lord, if its meant for me to have it this week, youre going to provide for me.

Jones recently shifted from temporary status to full time, meaning she will soon be eligible for employer-subsidized health insurance. That will save her money every month but even then, her paychecks wont cover all the expenses she and her teenage daughter have.

At the same time, Jones makes too much to qualify for government anti-poverty programs, although her daughter is eligible for subsidized health insurance. To afford her monthly car payment, rent, food, gas and utilities, Jones supplements her hospital job by cutting grass and cleaning peoples homes, regularly working from 6:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. She says it would be hard to make it all work if her daughter was young enough to still require child care.

All the extra money that you make, you have to hold it. You cant blow it, Jones said.

Minimum wage rises

The lowest-paid Arkansans will enjoy a pay raise Jan. 1 when the minimum wage rises by 50 cents an hour to $9.25, but Jones will have to wait longer for some relief. Employers will be required by law to pay no less than $10 an hour beginning in 2020 and $11 an hour in 2021.

For comparisons sake, a police officers starting salary in Arkansas is as low as $11.50 an hour; and an emergency medical technician (EMT) makes less than that. Though still not considered a living wage, which hovers around $15 an hour in Arkansas, it will be much higher than the federal minimum wage of $7.25 an hour.

Because of the southern states relatively low cost of living, the new wage will also be considered one of the highest effective minimum wages anywhere in the United States. By the time its fully implemented, its expected to affect about 25 percent of the workforce.

The new law, which was passed through a ballot initiative in early November, received overwhelming support from voters, but some have expressed concern over its implementation. (A ballot initiative is a piece of legislation that is approved or rejected by voters.)

For something to go up 30 percent in the next two years is pretty unusual, said Jeremy Horpedahl, an assistant professor of economics at the University of Central Arkansas. Thats a pretty big cost increase to try and fold into your budget.

Horpedahl said he expects the effects will be all over the board, with nonprofit organizations universally impacted.

Advocates say that more money in more pockets will stimulate the Arkansan economy. But critics of the initiative, including Republican Governor Asa Hutchinson, warned that the potential drawbacks would outweigh the benefits; they say some people may see their employer-sponsored benefits like health insurance reduced or even lose their jobs.

Brent Peterson, co-owner of a restaurant in the state capital of Little Rock, is glad that wages will be rising.

Trios Restaurant currently pays all employees more than the required minimum wage, but by 2021, the restaurant will have to figure out how to raise the wage of its lowest earners. To accommodate this, Peterson said, the restaurant will likely increase menu prices, something he didnt seem too worried about.

We raised [prices] about six months ago, and it was only a quarter here or 50 cents here, Peterson said. There was no sticker shock with our clientele.

Some fears

Not everyone has the same confidence that the gaps can be easily closed.

Maybe it will help our economy, but I can also see where its going to hurt a lot of people, said hair stylist Ashley Holland from the town of Heber Springs, in central Arkansas.

Holland said the wage increase wont personally affect her, as she already makes more than the minimum wage. In fact, she said she might benefit from attracting more clients, who will be able to afford her prices.

Holland is more concerned with how other local businesses, some already struggling to get by, will manage to pay their employees. For years, storefronts along Main Street have been closing or looking for new tenants, partly because of foot traffic (customers) being redirected to online businesses.

I can understand a little increase, but I think its too much, Holland said.

Jones sympathizes.

I understand that, too. They can lose out on what they got going on, she said.

Even when the pay hike takes effect in 2021, it wont be enough for Jones to walk away from her side gigs. But when it does, she plans to maintain her current budget and put the extra money away for her daughters future college expenses.

Anything is always better, more is always better than less, Jones said.
A man who drove his car into a crowd of counterprotesters at a white nationalist rally in Virginia was convicted Friday of first-degree murder for killing a woman in an attack that inflamed long-simmering racial and political tensions across the country.



A state jury rejected arguments that James Alex Fields Jr. acted in self-defense during a "Unite the Right'' rally in Charlottesville on Aug. 12, 2017. Jurors also convicted Fields of eight other charges, including aggravated malicious wounding and hit and run. 

Fields, 21, drove to Virginia from his home in Maumee, Ohio, to support the white nationalists. As a large group of counterprotesters marched through Charlottesville singing and laughing, he stopped his car, backed up, then sped into the crowd, according to testimony from witnesses and video surveillance shown to jurors.



Prosecutors told the jury that Fields was angry after witnessing violent clashes between the two sides earlier in the day. The violence prompted police to shut down the rally before it even officially began.



Heather Heyer, 32, a paralegal and civil rights activist, was killed, and nearly three dozen others were injured. The trial featured emotional testimony from survivors who described devastating injuries and long, complicated recoveries.



The far-right rally had been organized in part to protest the planned removal of a statue of Confederate Gen. Robert E. Lee. Hundreds of Ku Klux Klan members, neo-Nazis and other white nationalists streamed into the college town for one of the largest gatherings of white supremacists in a decade. Some dressed in battle gear.



Afterward, President Donald Trump said "both sides'' were to blame, a comment some saw as a refusal to condemn racism.



Fascination with Nazism

According to one of his former teachers, Fields was known in high school for being fascinated with Nazism and idolizing Adolf Hitler. Jurors were shown a text message he sent to his mother days before the rally that included an image of the notorious German dictator. When his mother pleaded with him to be careful, he replied: "we're not the one (sic) who need to be careful.''



During one of two recorded phone calls Fields made to his mother from jail in the months after he was arrested, he told her he had been mobbed "by a violent group of terrorists'' at the rally. In another, Fields referred to the mother of the woman who was killed as a "communist'' and "one of those anti-white supremacists.''



Prosecutors also showed jurors a meme Fields posted on Instagram three months before the rally in which bodies are shown being thrown into the air after a car hits a crowd of people identified as protesters. He posted the meme publicly to his Instagram page and sent a similar image as a private message to a friend in May 2017.



But Fields' lawyers told the jury that he drove into the crowd on the day of the rally because he feared for his life and was "scared to death'' by earlier violence he had witnessed. A video of Fields being interrogated after the crash showed him sobbing and hyperventilating after he was told a woman had died and others were seriously injured.

Sentencing next



The jury will reconvene Monday to determine a sentence. Under the law, jurors can recommend from 20 years to life in prison.



Fields is eligible for the death penalty if convicted of separate federal hate crime charges. No trial has been scheduled yet.
Zimbabwe's biggest food processing company this week said it is closing its wheat mills because it cannot import the commodity amid foreign currency shortages. Analysts say Zimbabwe's land reform program is the root cause of this and it is likely to cause shortages of products made with flour in the southern African country.

The CEO of National Foods Limited, Michael Lashbrook, Thursday said he hopes Zimbabwe's government will help the company pay wheat suppliers so it does not have to close its flour mills.

He said the government had made some local wheat available to millers, but he said quality bread flour required imported grain to be blended with local varieties.

Panashe Chikore was hoping to get a temporary job at National Foods during the Christmas season. He is disappointed to hear the company's mills have to close.

"When I was growing up, I looked forward to getting employment or those who are employed would take care of others, so that we all have a decent life," he said. "But if it is now like this, it becomes heavy. It is only that things got tough, I wanted a decent job to make be survive."

WATCH: Bread Shortage Feared in Zimbabwe as Wheat Mills Shut Down

Zimbabwe's economy has been ailing since the early 2000s when the country's farm sector went into a nosedive. Both cash and basic goods are increasingly in short supply, prompting calls for the government to fix the situation.

Zimbabwe Farmers Union Executive Director Paul Zakariya says the wheat shortage is the result of controversial land reforms that displaced most commercial white farmers and rewarded black peasant farmers who had no experience and no resources to work the land.

"When we had that adjustment in the resource that we call land, a lot of things in production and productivity in that sense was negatively affected," he said. "We saw the trends now going down from 2002 or 2001 when we hit a peak of 235,000 metric tons of wheat in Zimbabwe. We dipped to very, very low and pathetic levels of about 20,000 metric tons during the 2010 period up to the 2015 period."

He says Zimbabwe can produce sufficient wheat again, under the right conditions.

"Farmers in Zimbabwe, if they are supported adequately with the resources that are required, they can push the production levels to levels where the manufacturing capacity cannot even handle, because we used to do that."

For now, there are fears that bread is going to disappear from store shelves and the price for wheat products will skyrocket, making life even more unaffordable for the average Zimbabwe citizen.
A strike by Zimbabwean medical doctors is in its third day, with the government refusing to give in to their demands to be paid in foreign currency.

The doctors have been striking since Monday. They want to be paid in foreign currency, not the local currency known as bond notes, because that has been losing value.

We dont want to lie to each other or waste each others time, said Health Minister Obadiah Moyo in response to the doctors demands. We all know that there is no foreign currency to even buy the medicines, which they use in hospitals, let alone foreign currency to be paid to individuals.

As the two sides bicker, a woman cries at Zimbabwes Parirenyatwa Hospital after the death of her mother-in-law.

The woman says her mother-in-law hadnt been attended to since Tuesday afternoon, after she was involved in an accident.

Patients continue to be turned away because of the doctors strike, says Rumbidzai Matya a 60-year-old high blood pressure patient.

We were supposed to have blood tests, he said, but they turned us down saying doctors are on strike and we cannot get that done as my blood might go bad before the strike ends.

A few lucky ones have been helped, said one patient who refused to be identified.

We were attended to; we saw our doctor and we had X-ray scans. There are other patients who are affected by the situation who were turned and were told to rebook, she said.

For years, Zimbabwes health sector has been hurting as much as the countrys economy.

Medical services have been largely funded by Western organizations, such as the USAID and the European Union. Medical staff have gone on strike multiple times, demanding that their workplaces be equipped with modern technology and adequate medicines.

The opposition Movement for Democratic Change on Wednesday urged the government to meet the doctors demands.

In a statement, it said the strike is a clear sign of failure for the government.
Zimbabwes government has started the process of compensating white commercial farmers displaced from their properties during the countrys land reform in the early 2000s. But farmers say the $53 million set aside for the purpose will not go far.

Zimbabwes Commercial Farmers Union says it is waiting for details from the government on how it will compensate those whose property was seized during the countrys land reform program beginning in 2000.

Union director Ben Gilpin welcomes the $53 million announced in the 2019 budget for the program, with some reservations.

Generally, the amounts that people get are a fraction of what their properties are worth and the amounts are spread, payments that take up a number of years to complete. But it is a start and it is an acknowledgement, he said. I think at the same time the budget acknowledges that there is a bigger problem, and the government needs to work to try and find a way around that.

About 3,500 lost property

The program seized property from about 3,500 white commercial farmers and gave the land to blacks.

Then-President Robert Mugabe said the reforms were needed to correct injustices of the colonial period.

Zimbabwe Minister of Finance Mthuli Ncube says the $53 million is a stopgap measure while a figure is reached on how much is owed to all evicted farmers.

Zimbabwe is constitutional in its approach, government is following that constitution, which is we agreed to compensate the farmers in order to recognize the improvements and investments they had made on that land and we think that is just, that is fair, and that is what we will be doing going forward, he said.

Some farmers want to return

Some farmers like Ben Freeth would like to return to their former lands. Freeths family was forcefully removed from their Mt. Carmel farm about 120 kilometers southwest of Harare by the government in 2008.

The farm has been reduced to a nearly wild forest. But Freeth said that could change.

Although they have taken away the main structure, the foundations are still here. And I think the foundations of the farm are still here as well, the dams on the river are still there, the main pipelines I think are still there, he said. The open lands, although there has been a lot of regrowth of trees and things, they are essentially still there. It would not take much to get this farm back productive once more.

Peter Knife, a herdsman for one of the people that was allocated the Mount Carmel farm land, says he wants commercial farmers to return.

These farmers are struggling with farming. White farmers are not supposed to be paid, but brought back to their land. If they were still around, I would not be working (herding cattle) in a bush (but in paddocks).

Whether the return of white farmers to the land is acceptable to Zimbabwes current president, Emmerson Mnangagwa, remains to be seen.
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Rumor has it, Mike Pence might receive a Trump Dump and be banished from the presidents 2020 ticket, given that hes  kind of a forgettable dude, all of those wild Hamilton shenanigans aside? Stephen Colbert is thrilled! Mostly so he can break out his arsenal of choice insults against the Vice-President of Milquetoast, emphasis on the zzzz: Hes so boring people forget you exist. Hes vanilla envelope taped to a beige wall. Hes like parsley that doesnt like gay people. My apologies to parsley. At least Pences post-White House job prospects are looking good, though: Off-white paint swatch, sun-faded department store mannequin, ghost of a plain yogurt.

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Spend 47 days in the art world with Seen. Theaster Gates and The Black Monks Of Mississippi. Photo: Alexander Tamargo/Getty Images for Prada

Thursday night in Miami, artist Theaster Gates and his band the Black Monks of Mississippi performed at the pop-up club Prada Mode. In a small upstairs, tucked into the second floor of a poolside restaurant  a part of the understated hotel complex Prada took over for their three-night VIP nightlife happening, which was over by the time Friday arrived along with the non-VIP masses who were not on the list  Gates led the five-piece through a noisy and meditative free jazz-ish set. Hans Ulrich Obrist filmed it on his cellphone. Gates was barefoot.

The band was sitting down for most of the set and they werent on any stage or raised platform. There was a rapt crowd huddled around them for the sprawling set that lasted hours, but people who werent right in the front and couldnt see turned to talking and ordering drinks. At one point, Gates asked the audience, Will you go to the bar and tell those motherfuckers to shut up.

The performance followed a dinner attended by Kanye West and Venus Williams celebrating the site-specific installation Gates created for Prada Mode, Black Image Corporation (and theres a version at the Fondazione Prada in Milan too). Its a celebration of black women featuring photography culled from Jet and Ebony magazines from the 1950s and 60s. Connecting the photo installation to the performance, Gates explains, Were using Black Image Corporation as the kind of philosophical premise that allows us to make a new black music.

The photos up around the Prada Mode club, framed and hanging on walls as well blown up huge on side of buildings, feel in many ways a reversal of Gatess sculptural works that comprise bound editions of Jet magazine. These two works use overlapping source material, but one reproduces and circulates the content while the other values it but keeps it hidden. One of these Jet mag sculptures (it already sold) is on view at the White Cube booth at the fair.

Black Monks of Mississippis performance on Wednesday had a deconstructed approach to music not unlike the way Gates approaches sculpture. Gospel, soul, rock, jazz, and artists like Sun Ra and Nina Simone are all references for what theyre doing. But Gates explains that theyre also just experimenting with sound. What is the music before music? Is there a way to go backwards in time to start at an original point in sound? he asks. There were many moments in the set that were guttural and pre-verbal, but there were also some poetic lyrics too, like If you love me, we will make new histories.

Gates first started the Black Monks of Mississippi in a reaction to an exhibition in Chicago curated by Charles Esche titled The Heartland and centered around practices working along the Mississippi River. There were no black people in the show, says Gates. I was like how can you have an exhibition about Mississippi and not have black people in the show? The curator invited Gates to propose something and he came up with The Black Monks of Mississippi. That was 12 years ago, Jesus.

Gates has a pretty expansive art practice and his urban redevelopment projects in particular push the boundaries of what is art, so this art band fits right into the mix. He notes though it gives him something, he doesnt get from some of his other work.

When Im making objects, I dont have to always be present, says Gates, but with live performance you have to be all in with your body, and that just feels like a gift sometimes.
Decatur Police are asking the public for help in identifying a suspect involved in a robbery on Friday, November 30 around 7 p.m. at Alabama Title Loan on 6th Avenue southeast.

The suspect walked into the business wearing a mask and brandishing a pistol. He demanded the teller give him money and then left with an undisclosed amount. Police say he may have fled the scene in a two-door vehicle.

Anyone with information regarding the robbery and suspect is asked to call Detective Sean Mukaddam at 256-341-4617 or email him at smukaddam@decatur-al.gov.
We're learning how a helium shortage could impact the medical industry. Right now the gas is hard to find for a number of reasons. We wanted to find out why, and how it could impact your next doctor's visit.

"I don't think there's a fear the world's going to lose its helium, there's a lot of it. It's just a matter of producing it and being able to distribute it," said Tommy Harris.

Tommy Harris owns an MRI center in Huntsville. He said helium shortages happen every so often. Harris said usage has increased worldwide with the medical field being the number one users of the gas. His MRI center uses it everyday.

"It's necessary to maintain the magnetic field of the MRI's so periodically they have to add helium to the MRI system."

Harris said that's contributing to the growing demand for helium and is likely trickling down to other businesses, like ones that sell balloons. Another cause is a Middle East embargo although Harris said most of the helium we use is produced in the United States. Harris said for now, patients won't have to worry about medical offices going into shortage because they're given priority.

"Obviously the need for medical and research and other uses take priority over birthday balloons."

Harris said he read the cost of helium has increased 250% which could also be why other businesses are having trouble keeping it in stock. We're told five years ago, it cost $25 to fill up a tank of helium. Right now, it can be up to $300.
Friday, December 7th, marks the 77th anniversary of the attack on Pearl Harbor, the day that launched America into World War II.

On this day in 1941, the Japanese carried out a surprise attack against the United States Naval base in Hawaii. More than 2,400 Americans died, including soldiers, sailors and civilians. On December 6th, 1941, Sherwin Callander and a crew of his Navy shipmates were making their way back to Pearl Harbor after a routine mission to nearby islands.

"A carrier passed us and we could tell it was a carrier, but we couldn't tell what nation it was from. And the next morning over the news broadcast, they had bombed Pearl Harbor," said Callander, who now lives in Madison.

It was then that Callander realized the carrier that passed them was part of the Japanese fleet heading to attack Pearl Harbor. Callander and his crew narrowly missed the attack by just one day.

"Freedom is not free," said Callander.

Upon their return, Callander and his crew immediately got to work.

"And we pulled in the day after that, had to help try to clean up the mess. Had some bodies we had to pull out of the water. It was a mess," said Callander.

At just 20-years-old, Callander volunteered to enlist in the Navy. Pearl Harbor was not the only battle he encountered.

"Every time the bombs started dropping and the bullets flying, I would say a little prayer, 'Lord I know you have to kill some of us, kill me if you have to,'" he said.

After the attack on Pearl Harbor, Callander volunteered to learn amphibious training, something that would later help in the Normandy invasion, on what is now known as D-Day.

"Pearl Harbor was bad, but it wasn't as bad as D-Day was at Normandy," said Callander.

In recent years, Callander has had the chance to go back to Pearl Harbor and Normandy to visit where he once fought for our freedom.

"They tell me I'm the hero and a celebrity, but us that came back are not the heroes or celebrities. The ones we left there are the heroes and celebrities. I had a job to do and I did it," said Callander.

Callander is actively involved with the group called Forever Young Senior Veterans. The group takes veterans on trips back to where they served, with no cost to the veterans.

Callander also speaks to different groups often. On Friday, the Day of Remembrance for Pearl Harbor, he visited the Rotary Club in Athens to share his military experience.

If you would like more information on Forever Young Senior Veterans or to learn how to donate to veterans trips, visit their website at http://www.foreveryoungvets.org/alabama/.
The U.S. Department of Justice is giving the state of Alabama $6.3 million to fund a grant that will pay for 88 victim service officers. They help violent crime victims navigate through the toughest times in their lives.

Its something no one wants to think about, but imagine you're living your worst nightmare; your family member was murdered, or you've been raped, or assaulted. All of a sudden you have to go to court and you have no idea how to deal with the legal system. That's where victim service officers come in to help.

Carolyn Bentley's mom Doris was murdered in Madison County back in 2011, "I came home and found my mother deceased in her bed," said Bentley.

The trial to put her mom's killer behind bars took 5 years and every step of the way she had a victim service officer, "Whatever I needed, or what I didn't even know I needed she was there with. With tissues, she held my hand, she hugged me, and just comforted me," said Bentley.

The Madison County District Attorney, Rob Broussard, told WAAY 31 the county already has 3 of these officers and could get more if they qualify for these funds. He said these officers fill the hole prosecutors can't, "Prosecutor does not have time to sit with the family during the trial, because he's scramblin' to stay in the fight at every turn on legal matters and practical matters in front of the court," said Broussard.

Bentley doesn't want to think about not having a victim service officer during her time of need, "I don't know how I would of got through it," which is why she's grateful more are on the way, "It's going to help so many lives," said Bentley.

Broussard said me he'll know in a few weeks if Madison County will get some of these funds to possibly add more victim service officers. Only victims of serious violent crimes are assigned a victim service officer.
The listing is likely to be the last in what has been a banner year for initial public offerings by biotech firms. Before Modernas debut, some 53 biotech companies had gone public this year on U.S. exchanges, raising $5.7 billion overall. That topped the previous record of $5.27 billion raised by such IPOs in 2000, according to data compiled by Bloomberg.
Dawn Whitmore ponders recent events, as well as larger concerns, in an installation inspired by a true story about an Aleppo man who stayed inside for more than four years. A House Is Like a Mind That Holds Everything, in the second-floor Wyatt Resident Artists Gallery, simulates the war-zone hermits home, and also his thoughts. The man read Shakespeare and Moliere as he waited for the warfare to end, so Whitmore filled the space with books and recorded voices. The readings of literary texts overlap into an audio Babel. The room and the brain, however overwhelmed, are the only available refuges from utter chaos.
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Adding to the fun, Trump and first lady Melania Trump skipped another tradition at last years party: Posing for photos with reporters. Presidents and first ladies have taken these pictures for years, standing for hours as the journalists and their plus-ones line up for a souvenir that ends up on social media or an ego wall at home. The White House gives the photos to guests.
Students are being exposed to a different part of the world through Sela, Lieberman said. Each week, students have an hour-long class that teaches them about Israeli culture, food and dance. While Sela is the only public Hebrew-language school in the District, there are similar charter schools in New York, Minnesota and California. The schools are affiliated through Hebrew Public, an organization that promotes Hebrew-language charter campuses and provides instructional and planning resources to schools.
That was the lowest for us, Amanda Martin said. Just knowing that its possible that my husband and my daughter could get really sick is hard. Ten years from now or five years from now, hows our life going to change? Is he going to be completely sick? Its possible. Twenty years from now, is it going to be hes not here, and us finding out that she has it?
According to the congressional report, Salvator also pursued an inappropriate relationship with a subordinate and sent explicit communications to her, then lied about it until confronted with the sexual emails. His dismissal was recommended, but, ultimately, he was demoted with no reduction in pay for what the TSAs then-leader deemed a crime of emotion, the report says. In a deposition before trial, Salvator testified that for the most part, the womans account was accurate, but not everything in there I would agree with.
The abundance of Metro stations and low housing prices in the county, which is home to the states flagship university, could attract new employees and businesses that Amazon will bring. But experts say that to best capitalize on opportunities presented by Amazons second headquarters, Prince Georges must make a concerted effort that includes marketing, improving its schools and boosting workforce development.
D.C. police on Friday arrested a seventh suspect in the shooting of Makiyah Wilson, 10, who was killed outside her home in July when masked gunmen fired into a courtyard during what authorities have said was neighborhood dispute between Wellington Park and Clay Terrace, where Makiyah lived.
The current rendition of the Tastee Diner is the third at the Laurel site. It was originally known as the Laurel Diner in the 1930s. And in the 1950s, the building was replaced by a structure that was designed to look like an old trolley car and made by the New Jersey-based Comac Diner Co. Wilkes took over the diner in the mid-1970s, locals said, and renamed it the Tastee Diner.
Kelley served almost five years in the Air Force, during which he was court-martialed and sentenced to one years confinement for assaulting his wife and stepson. He was able to purchase four firearms after being discharged in 2014, three of which he carried into the church.
In addition to keeping a vital industry going, McQueen thinks the reclaimed waste water could be a boon to New Mexico farmers and ranchers who need water for their crops and herds. Factories could use it, and it might help revive parched wildlife habitat, he said. And even though the waste water is filled with salt and other minerals, it might even be treated and used for drinking.
Older adults are more vulnerable and have less reserve, says Susan Zieman, a medical officer in the geriatrics and clinical gerontology division at the National Institute on Aging. Somebody might fall and just plunk down on the floor, a low mechanism fall for someone younger. But an older person can do serious damage  break a hip, for example. Also, sometimes they feel less pain, or show up with atypical symptoms, such as nausea, rather than chest pain, when they are having a heart attack. When people get into their 70s and 80s, there are some clear differences, [and] it takes specialty training to pick up these things.
When they arent at the house, Emily and her father have a caregiver come in at the same time every day to take Linda, now 67, to the park with her dog and the nearby beach to watch the waves. Her best time is in the middle of the day, from about 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., so that is when shell be active outside the house and also see visitors.
A: The first main advantage involves whats loosely referred to as executive function. This describes skills that allow you to control, direct and manage your attention, as well as your ability to plan. It also helps you ignore irrelevant information and focus on whats important. Because a bilingual person has mastery of two languages, and the languages are activated automatically and subconsciously, the person is constantly managing the interference of the languages so that she or he doesnt say the wrong word in the wrong language at the wrong time. The brain areas responsible for that are also used when youre trying to complete a task while there are distractions. The task could have nothing to do with language; it could be trying to listen to something in a noisy environment or doing some visual task. The muscle memory developed from using two languages also can apply to different skills.
Italian lawmakers give first approval to populist budget: Italian lawmakers have given their first approval to the populist government's deficit-swelling spending plan for 2019. The lower Chamber of Deputies approved the proposal after it was put to a confidence vote to help close bickering ranks in Prime Minister Giuseppe Conte's coalition. But the spending plan is expected to be modified before the Senate takes it up this month. The government's plan to increase the debt to 2.4 percent of gross domestic product, up from 1.8 percent this year, alarmed European Union officials, who warned Italy that it would severely violate euro-currency rules and risk a fine.
As a lifelong practicing Catholic, I read the Dec. 2 front-page article Facing the flock with interest. It was a fair article, but I wish there had been more follow-up. It didnt take much to find out what has happened since the Rev. John Praveen was arrested on Oct. 2. In this instance, the Catholic hierarchy, specifically Bishop Robert Gruss, acted appropriately. After Mr. Praveens arrest, the bishop and the Diocese of Rapid City, S.D., have tried to cooperate fully with the police. The bishop immediately removed Mr. Praveen from ministry. As of Nov. 17, Mr. Praveen was still in jail as the courts set his bail at $100,000 cash. The Catholic hierarchy gets blasted (as it should) when it attempts to protect pedophile priests and cover up crimes. That is not the case here, and, hopefully, this is a sign that the bishops are getting the message that the laity will not tolerate these coverups leading to additional scandal.
Meanwhile, Trumps private business has been dependent on Russian money for decades  including some very dirty money indeed. As early as 1984, Trump personally attended the closing on the sale of five luxury condos in one of his buildings to a member of the Russian mafia. In 2013, police broke up an illegal high-stakes gambling ring run by Russian mobsters out of condos in Trump Tower. A condo just below Trumps home in the Tower was allegedly the headquarters of a Russian money-laundering operation. In 2008, Donald Trump Jr. told potential investors in Moscow that Russians make up a pretty disproportionate cross-section of a lot of our assets, while his brother Eric has been quoted by a reporter as saying in 2014 that we have all the funding we need out of Russia.
Mr. Ferebee has said that the strategy in Durham was not the strategy in Indianapolis, and just as he started his work in Indianapolis with a listening tour to understand the needs and strengths of the schools, so will he do in Washington. He is right to want to do his homework. He is right also that there are no silver bullets in improving education. But it is important that the D.C. Council  which must confirm his appointment  press him on his ideas and goals. Were obviously not at a point where we are ready to run a victory lap, he said of the schools. Thats clear. But the city will want to hear more about gains he wants to preserve as well as new directions he has in mind.
For those who  understandably  dont follow Hungarian politics, let me preface this by explaining that Hungary is a de facto one-party state, led by a prime minister, Viktor Orban, who has stayed in power by exerting total control over all broadcast and print media in the country; by manipulating and gerrymandering elections; and by creating a network of corrupt oligarchs who finance him and his party. One of the reasons Orban gets away with all of this is because he has successfully changed the subject to attract foreign support: Although Hungary has few immigrants of any kind, Orban runs a chauvinistic anti-immigration campaign, deliberately designed to appeal to the European and American far right. Stephen K. Bannon is an avid fan.
Epsteins lawyers, including Alan Dershowitz and former Whitewater prosecutor Kenneth W. Starr, negotiated a non-prosecution agreement that ultimately afforded Epstein an absurdly lenient sentence: just over a year in the county jail, sort of. Epstein was allowed to stay in a vacant wing of the jail and spend up to 12 hours a day in his office, six days a week. The agreement called for him to plead guilty to two state charges of soliciting prostitution, to pay restitution to some of the alleged victims, and to register as a sex offender.
Which gets us back to Ferebee and the challenges he faces should he get the post. He would be the citys sixth permanent school leader since 2000, The Post reported. Theres a reason for the turnover. The jobs a killer. Not only must the chancellor tackle the daunting problem of the wide achievement gap between students from affluent households and low-income families (a problem that remains unsolved in the Indianapolis public school system that Ferebee led for the past five years), he also will encounter a governance structure so indirect and complicated that it only could have been designed by a Rube Goldberg devotee.
After she won, Myers became her chief of staff and Geldon was her deputy chief of staff. Myers left in December 2015 to work on electing Senate Democrats, becoming the first woman to lead the Democratic Senatorial Campaign Committee. But she remained in the core nucleus of advisers that Warren relied upon, and was widely expected to return to her operation for the presidential campaign.
Barr, who joined the Time Warner board in 2009, voted for the merger with AT&T and was a strong advocate for it. The merger was proposed in October 2016 as an $85 billion combination that would create a giant media and telecom enterprise. Trump promptly turned the proposal into an issue on the campaign trail, saying, We will not approve the merger in my administration because its too much concentration of power in the hands of too few.
Prosecutors wrote that Cohen was an early advocate of a meeting between candidate Trump and Putin. In a September 2015 radio interview, Cohen suggested that Trump meet with the Russian president while he was in New York to attend the annual meeting of the United Nations General Assembly. Prosecutors said that Cohen later claimed the comments were spur of the moment, but he has admitted in recent weeks that he conferred with Trump about reaching out to the Russian government.
Its like the party is a frog slowly boiling in water, being conditioned to not be worried, to not think too hard about whats happening around them, Flake said. They feel at a loss about what to do because its the presidents party, without any doubt. So, theres a lot of whistling by the graveyard these days.
The Washington Post reported on Wilkies sympathies with the Confederate cause before his Senate confirmation hearing in June. At the time, he told The Post that the events had become part of the politics that divide us and that he no longer attended them.
The next day, Scott announced his opposition to Farr. He cited a Justice Department memo published in The Washington Post that looked at the 1984 and 1990 campaigns of then-Sen. Jesse Helms (R-N.C.). The Helms campaign, for which Farr worked, had come under scrutiny for distributing postcards that the Justice Department later said were sent to intimidate black voters from going to the polls.
In Brussels, officials say they are willing to keep discussing the deal  just so long as nothing of substance changes. They could offer nonbinding declarations to make clearer that the remaining E.U. members do not want to lock Britain into an economic marriage against its will. They could tweak the part of the Brexit deal that lists the aspirations for their future partnership, which does not have the force of law. If talks seem to be on track, they could nudge the Brexit deadline from March to late June, when a British-free new European Parliament will be seated.
The protest on the Champs-

Elysees did not feature levels of violence of the week before, although riot police did frequently use tear gas to disperse large crowds of protesters, and disturbances spilled over into other areas. Arrests, however, were at a record high: The Paris prefecture announced by midafternoon that authorities had detained more than 670 people. In total, more than 1,380 people were arrested across France.
I think its entirely possible that Mueller ends up concluding that there were all these contacts with Russia that were some combination of unwise or naive or reckless or unpatriotic, but maybe not criminal, so thats in a report, and then the crimes are the cover ups, Eliason said. Then youve got political implications. Even if the stuff wasnt criminal, then presumably there are political implications for all the Russian ties. But who knows? Mueller is running such a tight ship, until something happens you dont know its going to happen.
A 30-year-old man charged with peeping Tom offences is an agent at a prominent northern beaches real estate agency, who sold the home next door to the house where he was allegedly seen looking through a window at a 13-year-old girl late one evening last week.

Isaac Teu, from Collaroy Plateau, was arrested at the Dee Why office of real estate agency Doyle Spillane on Friday morning, where he worked as a leasing and business development executive for seven years.

Isaac Teu was taken to Dee Why police station where he was being interviewed. Credit:NSW Police

He was arrested after he was allegedly noticed by the 13-year-old girl, who saw him peering through a window of her home in Collaroy Plateau about 10.45pm last Friday.

The girl then alerted her parents, who searched the yard and did not find the man. However, a check of the homes security footage showed a man walking around the property.
A man is being prepared to be transferred to Royal Perth Hospital from Esperance after an assault in the early hours of Saturday morning.

Police would like to speak to a man they believe could help with their investigation into a serious assault. Credit:File Image

Two men were waiting for a taxi on Andrew Street about 1.30am on Saturday, when they began to argue as a taxi arrived.

The victim got into the taxi before getting out again, which is when police say he was assaulted and fell backwards, hitting his head on the pavement. The second man fled the scene as the taxi driver called for help.

Police and St John Ambulance arrive shortly after, taking the victim to Esperance Hospital. He is listed as being in a serious condition and is expected to arrive in Perth later on Saturday afternoon.
Documents from Western intelligence sources show that the number of Iranian ballistic missile tests has more than doubled. The launches may violate the resolution of the nuclear agreement. Missiles could reach part of the EU.

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Iran expanded its missile testing this year, including the use of missiles that could reach the territory of the European Union (EU). This is clear from documents from Western intelligence services, which WELT has seen. According to the documents it appears that Iran has significantly expanded its testing activities. It is possible that in doing so the regime in Tehran is violating the UN resolution of the international nuclear agreement.

According to the investigation, in 2018 alone the country fired at least seven medium-range missiles for testing purposes. In addition, Iran fired at least five more short-range and cruise missiles, the use of which could also be in violation of the international legal framework of the nuclear agreement.

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The agreement that Iran negotiated in 2015 with the five veto powers in the Security Council and Germany consists partly of resolution 2231 of the UN Security Council. The resolution calls on Iran "not to engage in ballistic missile-related activities designed to use nuclear weapons". The provision also includes "launches using such ballistic missile technology".

Delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction

According to the information, which WELT has confirmed with various sources, Iran has tested at least three variants of the Shahab-3 medium-range missile since the beginning of the year. At least two launches with variants of the Qiam-1 cruise missile and at least one Khorramshahr medium-range missile have also been registered. At least five other short-range Zolfaghar missiles and one Scud variant have also been launched. Two of these launches were against the terrorist militia IS in Syria. But use in combat operations can also serve to test and further develop missiles.

All these missiles meet the criteria of the Missile Technology Control Regime (MTCR) for weapons that can be used as delivery systems for weapons of mass destruction, including nuclear bombs. The medium-range missiles in use are able to reach southeastern EU member states from Iran.

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According to WELT sources, in 2017 there were only four tests of medium-range missiles and only one test of a short-range missile. The increase now recorded is probably the reason for the concern that Iranian missile tests have recently triggered - both internationally and in Germany.

On Tuesday, the German Foreign Office quoted the Ministry's spokeswoman on Twitter saying that the German government condemned the "most recent test of an Iranian medium-range missile". This was "incompatible with UNSC resolution 2231 and aggravates tensions in the region". The Federal Government has called upon Iran to "cease this activity". Only on Saturday did US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo similarly condemn an Iranian medium-range missile test. On Tuesday, the UN Security Council met to discuss the matter but reached no decision.

According to information from WELT, the German government, together with the governments of France and Great Britain - the other two European signatories of the nuclear agreement - already expressed its concerns about a missile operation in a joint letter to the UN Security Council at the beginning of October and recorded its view that this was in violation of Security Council resolution 2231.

Accuracy has increased

Anzeige

According to the Federal Foreign Office, the German Federal Government, like its E3 partners, is following the development of the Iranian missile programme with great concern and is in regular communication on the subject.

However, there are differing opinions when it comes to the assessment of these missiles. The classification of the MTCR is not binding under international law and covers missiles with a range of more than 300 kilometres and a load capacity of 500 kilograms. But there are many projectiles that meet these relatively broad criteria and are not intended for nuclear use. Also the assessment that medium-range missiles are generally intended for the transport of nuclear warheads is based on their accuracy previously being very poor.

The use of a missile that can only hit its target with the accuracy of a medium-range missile - according to traditional military thinking - only makes sense if it can cause damage within a large radius.

But in the meantime the accuracy of medium-range missiles has also increased significantly. So it may now be viable for them to be used with conventional warheads as well. From this perspective, Iran's increased testing activity could indicate that the country is working on improving accuracy - because it does not want to launch nuclear missiles at the moment.

Intended for nuclear use

On the other hand, the Shahab-3 and Khorramshahr models are particularly closely related to nuclear warfare. Michael Elleman of the British military think tank IISS says: "Iranian designs for nuclear warheads, that Israeli Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu presented at the end of April 2018, clearly make provisions for a Shahab-3 as a launch missile. Elleman has been studying the Shahab-3 and its history for some time. He considers it a possible nuclear missile.

"With this missile, it's fair to say that it is intended for nuclear use. However, this may be different for later variants," explains Elleman. It cannot be proven whether the Shahab-3 variants tested this year by Iran are specifically designed for the transport of an atomic bomb. Elleman does not believe that the missile tests present a material breach of resolution 2231. But the prototype for the Shahab-3, the Soviet Scud rocket, was in principle also intended for nuclear use.

"We have very little information about the Khorramshahr, which was only introduced in 2017," Elleman said. "But it seems to be based on the North Korean Musudan, which, like its Soviet prototype, the R-27 submarine missile, was intended for use with a nuclear warhead." Even Khorramshahr missiles can probably be said to be "designed to deploy nuclear weapons," according to Elleman.

Anzeige

It is very possible that the Iranians carried out so many tests because they wanted to increase the accuracy of their missiles, according to Elleman. However, this does not necessarily mean that the missiles will only be used for conventional purposes. "If you want to hit a smaller, particularly well-protected target - such as the Israeli nuclear complex in Dimona - and don't have very powerful conventional bombs, you could well want to use a very accurate nuclear missile."

Translated from German by Myfanwy Craigie
Jim was a hard-working man who always had a smile for everyone
WINNIPEG - Manitoba and the federal government are pledging a combined $8.4 million to tackle the province's growing methamphetamine crisis.

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This article was published 7/12/2018 (1086 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Manitoba Finance Minister Cameron Friesen speaks about the 2018 budget during media lockup at the Manitoba Legislature in Winnipeg on Monday, March 12, 2018. Manitoba and the federal government are pledging a combined $8.4 million to tackle the province's growing methamphetamine crisis. THE CANADIAN PRESS/David Lipnowski

WINNIPEG - Manitoba and the federal government are pledging a combined $8.4 million to tackle the province's growing methamphetamine crisis.

Manitoba Health Minister Cameron Friesen said meth addiction is creating different problems than other drugs because the high can last for hours and, in some cases, days. It also takes much longer to get clean.

"Whoever I talk to says meth is different," Friesen said on Friday. "It is not like other illicit drugs that professionals have encountered before."

Numbers from Winnipeg's health authority show there has been a 1,200 per cent increase in people going to hospitals because of methamphetamine  from 12 in April 2013 to 218 this past April.

An advisory note to the health minister obtained by the Manitoba New Democratic Party through a freedom-of-information request in October said the number of people entering treatment at publicly funded centres for meth addiction had increased 700 per cent since 2012 to 744 from 102.

The money will go to increasing capacity for people who are going through withdrawal in Winnipeg and Brandon. Friesen said that will allow for more flexibility and longer stays to tackle meth addiction. The funds will also be used to create a mobile withdrawal service.

Dr. Jitender Sareen, a medical health director with Winnipeg's health authority, said the new money will help fill a major gap in health care. He said the first phase of getting off meth is the immediate withdrawal and it often happens in an acute-care setting such as an emergency room.

But people are still at risk during the second phase. They often have anxiety, depression, psychotic symptoms, cravings and nightmares for months after quitting the drug.

Half of the new funds come from the federal government's Emergency Treatment Fund, which was created to address the opioid crisis. International Trade Minister Jim Carr, who represents Manitoba in the federal cabinet, said for many people treatment is the best option.

"Unfortunately finding and accessing appropriate treatment can be difficult," he said.

A request for proposals is to be issued in the new year and services are expected in the spring. Friesen said he expects the additional support to help at least 130 people each year.

"(Meth) has a devastating effect on individuals, it has a devastating effect on relationships and it results with over acquaintance with the health system, the family system and the justice system," he said.
Sagkeeng First Nation has struck a bold new agreement that paves the way for the largest lithium exploration project in the province.

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This article was published 7/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Sagkeeng First Nation has struck a bold new agreement that paves the way for the largest lithium exploration project in the province.

Vancouver-based New Age Metals (NAM) will conduct exploratory drilling on traditional Sagkeeng territory near Bird River after agreeing to a contract that includes a commitment to revenue-sharing should ore be found.

"It's a protocol agreement for them to do exploration. It's not a free-for-all where they can do anything they want," said Sagkeeng Chief Derrick Henderson.

That was paramount to the Sagkeeng leader, who was assisted by a Toronto lawyer who specializes in contracts between first nations and mining companies. New Age paid the legal costs.

The agreement even calls on New Age to make a small payment to Sagkeeng amounting to from two-to-three per cent of what it spends on exploration. That may work out to an estimated $10,000 to $15,000 the first year.

"Sometimes we don't benefit when things happen in our territory. We get nothing," said Chief Henderson.

The agreement requires New Age to mitigate environmental impact where possible. For example, it must perform an archaeological study prior to drilling on any target site. New Age has already submitted such a report to Sagkeeng for its first drill site.

MIKAELA MACKENZIE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Sagkeeng Chief Derrick Henderson

The agreement also requires the company to mitigate environmental impacts. It gives local people first dibs on business contracts and jobs for people available with the right skill set.

"It's real consultation in regards to resources in traditional territory," Henderson said.

It's only the second pre-exploration agreement signed in Manitoba with a first nation. Bunibonibee Cree Nation (Oxford House) signed one last year with mining company Altius Minerals Corp. for diamond exploration.

New Age Metals is not required to sign mineral exploration contracts under Manitoba regulations. However, New Age chair and CEO Harry Barr said co-operation with the first nation makes business sense.

"We felt the quickest way to move forward was to work directly with the Sagkeeng nation," said Barr.

The parties would have to sign another deal on development and production if New Age finds enough lithium to support a mine, called an Impact and Benefit Agreement (IBA).

New Age has staked eight properties in the area on the southeast side of Lake Winnipeg for lithium exploration, indicating a high rate of interest by the company. It has applied for permits for two drill sites so far.

Lithium is a very hot commodity in the world right now. It is used to make batteries in everything from cell phones to laptops to homes (solar power storage) to car batteries.

The mining industry and its investors are banking heavily that electric cars are coming and that will cause lithium demand to soar.

Home batteries for off-grid solar power might not be far behind. A spokesperson for the province's mines branch said Elon Musk's Tesla is not just involved in electric car production but in home solar energy, too.

"We're all becoming more dependant on batteries," the spokesperson said. The New Age exploration play is being funded by Azincourt Energy Group.

Lithium is being explored globally but Manitoba is a hot spot. Host rock pegmatite is in abundant supply in the Bird River area around the southeastern side of Lake Winnipeg. Pegmatite contains spodumene which contains lithium.

But evidence of lithium deposits are also being detected at more northern locations including Snow Lake, Cross Lake, God's Lake, Red Sucker Lake, and Red Cross Lake areas, the province said.

There is also lithium potential in the brines associated with oil production in the southwestern part of the province. One company is exploring brines in the Steinbach  Ste. Anne area.

The province wouldn't quantify the extent of lithium exploration in Manitoba but allowed there are a host of companies today whereas there wasn't any lithium exploration just five years ago.

Part of what attracted New Age to Manitoba is "there hasn't really been a big exploration play on lithium," said Barr.

The two sites New Age plans to start drilling had evidence of lithium ages ago before the metal was in demand. "The sites had known mineralization of lithium at a decent grade and nobody's followed up on them since the late 1940s and 50s," said Barr.

bill.redekop@freepress.mb.ca
An RESP contribution is a gift that keeps on giving.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

An RESP contribution is a gift that keeps on giving.

(Thats one heck of a Christmas present!)

tribune media Children may not appreciate a generous contribution to their education yet, but they will say thank you when they are in less debt later in life.

Of course, this gifts lucrative nature may not necessarily win the hearts of grandkids in the near-term.

But contributing money to their post-secondary education fund is arguably money better spent than on, for example, a glittery slime-pooping unicorn (and yes, thats a really hot gift this season, which after taxes costs just about $100).

Whats more is  lets face it  cash-strapped parents can always use a little financial help from the grandparents. And a recent survey by an RESP investment fund company says some families may need a boost more than others when it comes to saving for their kids education.

Most surveyed parents did state they save in an RESP (registered education savings plan) or even a TFSA (tax-free-savings account), according to the Ipsos study released last month on behalf of Knowledge First Financial.

Yet about 20 per cent indicated they have no additional money for that goal in their household budget. And for low-income families  often single parents  that number increases to 62 per cent.

Heck, even for those who are saving, many probably arent saving enough.

"What we found is people really do underestimate the cost," says Suzanne Martyn-Jones with Knowledge First Financial.

"The majority of parents thought the first year would be less than $10,000, and then when we showed them the cost... 75 per cent said they were going to save more."

That number parents saw was roughly $12,500 per year. Of course, the figure is jacked up a bit. It includes expenses for housing and other basic living expenses.

And most parents are satisfied to help cover their childrens tuition and some books. So the true cost for many may be less if the kids live at home while completing a post-secondary program.

"Regardless, the reaction we heard regarding this issue was I better save more," she says.

While most families surveyed indicated theyd try to save more, only 43 per cent stated they might ask family for help.

"In one sense that means some are open to asking for help, but its also the lowest among the measures they were willing to take," Martyn-Jones says.

"And that begs the question: are people comfortable asking family to pitch in for their kids education?"

Which leads us back to the original premise here: if youre a grandparent, why wait for them to ask for assistance? Help out now with a holiday contribution. That is, if you have the money to help.

Some data on wealth in Canada suggest many silver-haired folk might. About $1 trillion in wealth is expected to transfer from one generation to the next in Canada by 2026, according to one study from 2016. One might assume a good number of people with this wealth have grandkids.

Whats more is this is taxable money that may ultimately end up the hands of the kids and then, hopefully, the grandkids anyway.

Not surprisingly then, transferring some wealth ahead of time  avoiding probate fees upon death  to contribute to the grandkids education is actually a fairly common strategy, says Cory Papineau, wealth adviser with the Winnipeg Police Credit Union.

"I love that they want to help their grandchildren, and understand the importance education has today and in the future."

But he also cites a caveat.

Rather than opening a plan for the grandchildren on their own, "I encourage them (grandparents) to consider having the parents open and administer the plan, and they can then make contributions to that account."

The reason being is if grandparents set up the account, they become the subscribers  managers of the RESP  and thats an 18-year-plus commitment.

"They are ultimately the owners of the funds, must make the investment decisions and be in charge of the withdrawals and administration when the grandkids are ready to attend school," Papineau says. "With many parents having children later in life, that could mean that (grandparents) could be managing the RESP well into their 80s and beyond."

Well, hey, why not?

A good number of seniors are still active in their 80s. Still, there are some risks to that strategy. For example, one in six individuals is likely to suffer from dementia by age 80, which begs the question: who might manage the plan if that misfortune occurs?

Risks aside, certified financial planner MaryAnn Kokan-Nyhof with Desjardins Financial Security in Winnipeg says she has a number of clients who do set up RESPs for their grandkids.

"All of whom started when their grandbabies were first being born."

Their thinking, she adds, is young families dont have free cash flow to fund an education plan.

For that matter, Kokan-Nyhof even recommends grandparents take on that role as subscribers to ensure the money otherwise doesnt flow into general finances of the family, and not education.

She argues theres another reason, too.

"With the rise of divorces, the funds in the RESP can become a push-me-pull-you tug of war between parents." That cant happen with grandparents as the subscribers.

Doing so, however, is not a small commitment. It requires a fair bit of planning. Besides coming up with the money to fund the account, grandparents need their grandkids social insurance numbers and other basic personal information.

They also need to plan how the account will pass to the beneficiaries should they, well, pass.

This is where things get tricky, Papineau says.

"This subject could be an entire article in and of itself as the complexities for successor subscribers and who owns the funds can create a whole additional suite of issues," he says.

Unlike RRSPs and TFSAs, the RESP is not a trust. "The funds technically belong to the estate and unless someone is named in the grandparents will as the successor, the executor would be required to wind up the plan and distribute the funds to the beneficiaries of the estate."

And those beneficiaries are not necessarily the grandkids who are listed as beneficiaries of the RESP. While potentially complicated, grandparents can create the account and manage it for the long term. Whats likely needed to ensure its done properly to avoid estate problems is good advice from a financial professional.

That said, the simplest way forward is often to work with the parents. Get them to set up the account and give them the cash to contribute.

Regardless of how this sausage gets made, contributing to the RESP for the grandkids  as long as you have the moneyed means to do it  is a choice gift this time of year.

The grandkids may not squeal with glee, but they may have to take that much less debt once enrolled in post-secondary.

And thats something we can all cheer about.
DETROIT - General Motors' planned shutdown of its Detroit-Hamtramck plant would leave only one auto assembly factory in the city known for "putting America on wheels," but the closure and job losses are not expected to stall-out Detroit's comeback since its 2014 bankruptcy exit.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

General Motors CEO Mary Barra speaks to reporters after a meeting with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to discuss GM's announcement it would stop making the Chevy Cruze at its Lordstown, Ohio, plant, part of a massive restructuring for the Detroit-based automaker, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

DETROIT - General Motors' planned shutdown of its Detroit-Hamtramck plant would leave only one auto assembly factory in the city known for "putting America on wheels," but the closure and job losses are not expected to stall-out Detroit's comeback since its 2014 bankruptcy exit.

Experts say a more tech-driven and medical industry economy is moving Detroit further from a reliance on manufacturing and that GM's downsizing in the name of cost-cutting and investment in autonomous and electric vehicles won't hurt as much as past mass layoffs and plant closings.

Detroit once was home to about a dozen massive assembly plants. A Fiat-Chrysler facility on the east side would be the last if GM closes its Detroit-Hamtramck plant. About 1,500 people work at the GM plant while Fiat-Chrysler's Jefferson Avenue plant employs about 5,000. Fiat-Chrysler reportedly plans to reopen a former engine plant on the city's east side to make Jeep Grand Cherokee SUVs with three rows of seats starting with the 2021 model year.

"Manufacturing is now a tech industry  you don't have to hire as many people to make as much stuff," said Ned Staebler, president and chief executive of the small business incubator TechTown Detroit. "It's not just General Motors. Every major OEM (original equipment manufacturer), major manufacturer is going through similar processes. It's a trend that is going to continue."

GM wants to close four facilities in the United States and one in Canada. Nearly all of the 8,000 white-collar jobs GM expects to cut company-wide would be at the automaker's technical centre just north of Detroit in Macomb County's Warren.

Some of the 3,300 global blue-collar job losses would come from the Detroit-Hamtramck plant and a transmission facility in Warren.

General Motors CEO Mary Barra speaks to reporters after a meeting with Sen. Sherrod Brown, D-Ohio, and Sen. Rob Portman, R-Ohio, to discuss GM's announcement it would stop making the Chevy Cruze at its Lordstown, Ohio, plant, part of a massive restructuring for the Detroit-based automaker, on Capitol Hill in Washington, Wednesday, Dec. 5, 2018. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

The jobs account for only .2 per cent of local county employment "muting the immediate effect of the plant closures," Moody's Investors Service said in a report.

That means there is less reliance on those jobs and plants to supply tax dollars needed to help pay for city services and fill out Detroit's operating budget.

But, Moody's wrote, the impact could grow "as GM reduces salaried employees, if reduced production hurts ancillary suppliers or if there is a broader slowdown in the industry."

Detroit will experience some loss of tax revenue from the plant and people working there, said law professor Anthony Sabino of the Tobin College of Business at St. Johns University in New York.

Owners of shops and restaurants that catered to those workers will be impacted, too.

"This will not derail the (city's) 21st century renaissance. They are working from a solid foundation. If this had happened prior to the city's reorganization it could have been far more harmful," Sabino said.

Detroit was about $12 billion in debt before filing for bankruptcy in 2013. Much of that was erased or restructured allowing the city to improve services, like police and fire, and invest in neighbourhoods.

In a Dec. 7, 2009 file photo, Michigan Gov. Jennifer Granholm drives a pre-production Chevrolet Volt at the Hamtramck Assembly plant in Hamtramck, Mich. GMs' planned shutdown of its Detroit-Hamtramck plant would leave only one auto assembly factory in the city known for "putting America on wheels," but the closure and job losses are not expected to stall-out Detroit's remarkable comeback following its 2014 bankruptcy exit. GM wants to close four facilities in the United States and one in Canada. (AP Photo/Carlos Osorio)

Detroit's general fund balance was about $595 million at the end of the 2017 fiscal year, compared to a deficit of about $73 million that the city faced at the end of the 2013 fiscal year following years of a plummeting population and tax base.

A $36 million operating surplus was expected for the fiscal year 2018.

A 30-year jobs forecast by the Southeast Michigan Council of Governments forecasts manufacturing jobs in Detroit falling from 23,000 three years ago to 16,000 by 2045. Over that same time, professional and technical services, corporate headquarters, administrative, support, waste services and health care jobs are expected to rise.

Preliminary figures from the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics pegged unemployment in Detroit in September at 7.9 per cent. While this is still well above the U.S. rate of 3.7 per cent, Detroit's unemployment has been dropping since January 2014 when it was nearly 18 per cent. Detroit's unemployment rate was 28.9 per cent in June 2009.

Preparing Detroit's workforce for non-manufacturing jobs is one of the next hurdles.

Mayor Mike Duggan has said more residents are enrolling in Detroit At Work free training programs. The programs offer training and certifications for jobs that include information technology, truck driving, health careers, computer networking and culinary arts.

But many people in the city are not prepared for tech-related jobs that are in Detroit or on the way, said Ida Byrd-Hill, president of Detroit-based Uplift Inc. which provides computer programming language training.

"A lot of the training programs have not really reached out to women or people of colour," said Byrd-Hill, who added that funding has been limited for local tech-training providers.

Companies are looking for more educated and tech savvy workers, especially those with critical thinking, communications, collaborating and team building skills  someone who is "able to think critically about when to use the appropriate piece of technology," said TechTown's Staebler.

With Ford also considering thousands of white-collar cuts, Detroit-area auto industry workers may find it difficult to find new jobs or match their salaries if they go to other industries, said David Kudla, CEO of Mainstay Capital Management in Grand Blanc, Michigan, which advises many auto industry employees. "You're going to be going out in a marketplace where everybody is cutting back," he said.

Those with skills in developing autonomous or electric vehicles will have an easier time finding work, Kudla said.

He suggests that workers cut expenses and build savings to be ready in case of layoff.

Still, there's a human element to a possible Detroit-Hamtramck closure, assembly line worker Dnitra Landon told the Detroit Free Press.

"I know you're a big business, but what about the people who make you a big business?" Landon, 55, said of GM. "Everybody in here is a survivor and we're going to survive no matter what happens."

___

Associated Press writers Jeff Karoub and Tom Krisher, both in Detroit, contributed to this report.
TORONTO - Before the arrest of Huawei Technologies' chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver last weekend, the Chinese company wasn't a household name in Canada  certainly not in the league of an Apple, Samsung or BlackBerry.

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This article was published 8/12/2018 (1084 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A shopper walks past a Huawei store at a shopping mall in Beijing Wednesday, July 4, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/AP-Mark Schiefelbein

TORONTO - Before the arrest of Huawei Technologies' chief financial officer Meng Wanzhou in Vancouver last weekend, the Chinese company wasn't a household name in Canada  certainly not in the league of an Apple, Samsung or BlackBerry.

However, the Chinese tech giant considered by several of Canada's allies as a security threat has quietly established itself as an important provider of technology essential to Canada's telecom infrastructure, a situation that is not likely to change any time soon.

Huawei's share of the Canadian smartphone market has been tiny  about 3.8 per cent, according to market research from IDC Canada  but outside of Canada the company is a juggernaut, overtaking Apple earlier this year in smartphone sales and employing more than 170,000 people around the world.

Founded in 1987 by a former officer of the Chinese People's Liberation Army, the company has grown at an explosive rate over the past ten years and is projected to post sales of more than US$102 billion in 2018.

For Canada's telecom industry and the federal government in Ottawa, Huawei has long been known as an important equipment supplier  one that U.S. officials consider a significant threat to national security.

That's largely because Huawei is a major supplier of the equipment needed for wireless networks that could potentially be used to gather sensitive information for the Chinese government.

"There is ample evidence to suggest that no major Chinese company is independent of the Chinese government and Communist Party  and Huawei, which China's government and military tout as a 'national champion' is no exception,'' U.S. Senators Mark Warner and Marco Rubio wrote in October in a letter to Prime Minister Justin Trudeau.

However, Canadian officials and representatives of major telecom companies have maintained that they have put safeguards in place  long ago, and before the American alarm  to ensure Huawei isn't a security or privacy threat.

Like Canada, the United Kingdom hasn't moved to ban Huawei from doing business with their networks  despite U.S. warnings that they may be jeopardizing the "Five Eyes" intelligence gathering partnership.

Lawrence Surtees, vice-president for communications research at IDC Canada, says Britain and Canada are the second and third most important Five Eyes partners after the United States and ahead of Australia and New Zealand.

"My take is, both Ottawa and London are in a position to say ... we do lots with you in the intelligence sharing and we're not going to jeopardize our networks. We know what to do."

Surtees says Huawei equipment has already been used in at least five Canadian wireless networks that use fourth-generation LTE technology, and it would be expensive to replace.

Huawei is also working with Bell and Telus to develop equipment for 5G wireless networks that are expected to become increasingly vital to carriers and their customers over the next decade.

"The magnitude of the contracts that Huawei has here would be a factor, with the Canadian carriers saying to Ottawa that it's kind of too late now," Surtees says.

There are very few alternative suppliers of 5G network equipment to chose from, he adds.

Ericsson of Sweden, the main equipment supplier for the Rogers wireless networks, and Nokia of Finland are also global players in Canada but Surtees considers Huawei to be the market leader.

It has been in operation in Canada since 2008, and currently employs about 960 people in this country  about 600 in research and development.

Huawei's Canadian head office is in the Toronto area in Markham, Ont. while its Canada Research Centre is based in Ottawa. The company also has research facilities in Markham, Waterloo, Ont., Montreal, Vancouver and Edmonton.

Huawei also makes smartphones for current wireless networks, sold in Canada by Bell, Rogers, Telus, and Videotron under their main brands as well as some secondary brands such as Virgin Mobile, Fido and Koodo.
LONDON - Britain could consider a "Norway-plus" deal with the European Union if British Prime Minister Theresa May fails to win lawmakers' approval next week for her unpopular Brexit deal, a senior minister said Saturday.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Protestors demonstrate opposite Parliament against Britain's Brexit split from Europe, in London, Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018. Britain's Prime Minister Theresa May's effort to win support for her Brexit agreement comes amid reports in British newspapers Thursday, predicting that Parliament could reject the deal by more than 100 votes. (AP Photo/Frank Augstein)

LONDON - Britain could consider a "Norway-plus" deal with the European Union if British Prime Minister Theresa May fails to win lawmakers' approval next week for her unpopular Brexit deal, a senior minister said Saturday.

Work and Pensions Secretary Amber Rudd was the first minister to publicly discuss a "Plan B" should May's Brexit divorce deal with the EU be defeated in a parliamentary vote on Tuesday.

Rudd, who backs May's Brexit deal, said "anything could happen"  including a second referendum on whether Britain should leave the bloc. She warned of a chaotic period for the country if the government is defeated in Parliament on Brexit.

She told the Times on Saturday that none of the possible alternatives is better than the current Brexit deal. But she acknowledged that if the deal doesn't pass, she would prefer a model similar to that of Norway, which is not an EU member but is part of the European Economic Area.

That would mean Britain stays part of the EU's vast single market, with goods, services and people continuing to move within the bloc in the same way as before, limiting potential disruptions to the British economy.

Such an alternative "seems plausible, not just in terms of the country but in terms of where the MPs (lawmakers) are," she added, although "nobody knows if it can be done."

The divorce agreement that May struck with the EU is widely opposed by British lawmakers across the political spectrum, and her Conservative government must convince skeptical lawmakers the deal is a good one ahead of Tuesday's vote.

A heavy defeat would sink the agreement, leaving the U.K. facing a messy "no-deal" Brexit when it leaves the bloc on March 29, and could topple May and her government.

Pro-Brexit lawmakers say May's deal keeps Britain bound too closely to the EU, while pro-EU politicians say it erects barriers between the U.K. and its biggest trading partner and leaves many details of the future relationship undecided.

Both sides also strongly object to a "backstop" provision in the Brexit agreement that would keep Britain in a customs union with the EU in order to guarantee an open border between EU member Ireland and the U.K.'s Northern Ireland.

Although the backstop is intended as a temporary measure, pro-Brexit lawmakers say it could leave Britain tied to the EU indefinitely and unable to strike new trade deals around the world.

Northern Ireland's Democratic Unionist Party, which props up May's minority government, rejects the measure because it would treat Northern Ireland differently from the rest of the U.K.

An analysis by Britain's Press Association showed that just 27 of the 163 British lawmakers who have spoken out indicated they would back May's deal, compared with 122  including 29 from May's own Conservative Party  who say they will vote against it.

Pressure is mounting on May to delay the vote and ask for more concessions from the EU at a Brussels summit at the end of next week.

EU officials, however, have insisted that May's Brexit deal is the best and only one on offer and said they will not renegotiate.

___

See the all Brexit coverage from The Associated Press at: https://www.apnews.com/Brexit
For more than a decade, administration at the University of Manitoba appears to have mostly turned a blind eye to an alleged pattern of inappropriate sexual and financial behaviour from one of the school's star professors.

This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

For more than a decade, administration at the University of Manitoba appears to have mostly turned a blind eye to an alleged pattern of inappropriate sexual and financial behaviour from one of the school's star professors.

After receiving inquiries from the Free Press this week, it appears the Winnipeg school is now investigating allegations made against nutrition expert Peter Jones.

Despite being the subject of multiple complaints from students and staff dating to 2007, Jones carried on working as the director of the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals (RCFFN), which he helped found in 2005.

Under Jones' watch, RCFFN has drawn international acclaim for its innovative health research. Gov. Gen. Julie Payette visited the centre when she toured Winnipeg last month.

In September, U of M president David Barnard revealed the school was looking into allegations of inappropriate behaviour involving five faculty members and three of their investigations had to do with sexual misconduct.

TREVOR HAGAN / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Peter Jones.

It did not appear Jones was under the microscope then.

Last month, an anonymous email account named Times Up RCFFN began contacting the schools senior administration (including Barnard) about Jones. After apparently little response from U of M, the email source contacted the media.

When former music professor Steve Kirby left the U of M in June 2017 under a shroud of sexual-harassment allegations from students, those at the university who had previously made complaints about Jones wondered why the nutrition professor didn't face similar scrutiny.

Sources began speaking with the Free Press under condition of anonymity earlier this year. Three people eventually went on the record to voice their frustrations.

The Free Press has learned -- through interviews, emails and documents it obtained -- Jones allegedly mismanaged funding at the RCFFN; dated graduate students while continuing to evaluate them; and did not disclose his sexual relationships with students to the U of M.

In at least two cases, Jones allegedly caused employees to take medical leaves of absence due to stress he inflicted upon them.

In emails to a several U of M staff members -- including Barnard, Karen Wittenberg (dean of agriculture and food sciences), Jim House (head of the department of food and nutritional sciences), and Jackie Gruber (human rights and conflict management officer) -- the Times Up RCFFN sender detailed similar complaints to what the Free Press had been hearing from sources for months.

The source of the emails did not respond to requests for an interview.

On Wednesday, the Free Press requested interviews with Barnard and two vice-presidents -- Digvir Jayas (research and international) and Jay Doering (partnerships) -- who allegedly knew about complaints regarding Jones.

The school responded with a prepared statement that did not mention Jones by name.

"We cannot speak to specific investigations. Our attention to confidentiality is intended to protect all those involved in any investigation and also to maintain the integrity of the process. We are committed to a process that encourages individuals to come forward to raise concerns," wrote Lynn Zapshala-Kelln, vice-president of administration.

"We recognize that keeping confidential the details of the investigative process makes it difficult for the university to publicly explain its responses relative to specific allegations. But maintaining the integrity of the process is critical in the long-term to ensuring all allegations are dealt with effectively and, ultimately, to combatting all forms of inappropriate behaviour," she said.

"When there are breaches of the behavioural policies, actions are taken to ensure the safety of the campus community. Any inappropriate behaviours will be responded to so that they come to an end, the campus remains a safe space, and those individuals responsible are disciplined appropriately. Sexual harassment is not tolerated at the University of Manitoba."

FULL STATEMENT FROM U OF M Read the full statement click to read more "The University of Manitoba unequivocally condemns all forms of harassment and remains committed to building a culture of safety and respect. When President Barnard apologized in September to anyone who had experienced inappropriate behaviour at the University of Manitoba, he shared with the community that there were more investigations ongoing. His apology was intended to make it easier for other people to come forward and share their stories. Ours is a culture that encourages individuals to report inappropriate behaviour. We cannot speak to specific investigations. Our attention to confidentiality is intended to protect all those involved in any investigation and also to maintain the integrity of the process. We are committed to a process that encourages individuals to come forward to raise concerns. We recognize that keeping confidential the details of the investigative process makes it difficult for the University to publicly explain its responses relative to specific allegations, but maintaining the integrity of the process is critical in the long-term to ensuring all allegations are dealt with effectively and, ultimately, to combatting all forms of inappropriate behaviour. When there are breaches of the behavioural policies, actions are taken to ensure the safety of the campus community. Any inappropriate behaviours will be responded to so that they come to an end, the campus remains a safe space, and those individuals responsible are disciplined appropriately. Sexual harassment is not tolerated at the University of Manitoba. We recognize that responses in the past have not always met the standards we expect today. We are constantly reviewing and improving our policies and practices. Our review of current processes and practices, being conducted by respected legal experts, is well underway and should be completed soon. The University of Manitoba is committed to working with the entire campus community to support a culture of safety and respect." -Lynn Zapshala-Kelln, vice-president (administration) at the University of Manitoba Close

The U of M would not say Friday whether those actions included removing Jones from campus or putting him on administrative leave.

Jones did not respond to multiple requests for comment Thursday and Friday.

Peter Eck, a former colleague, said he complained about Jones to senior management multiple times between 2010 and 2013.

"I was not very happy with students having sexual relationships with Peter Jones, being directly supervised by him, and then evaluated and graded," said Eck, an assistant professor in genetics.

Eck said the U of M knew about Jones' alleged misdeeds, but never stepped in -- except for one time in 2012, where officials requested he go on a temporary research leave as a disciplinary measure.

According to Jones' resume, he was on a sabbatical for seven months that year. According to sources the Free Press spoke to, Jones never really left the university.

"They (the U of M) need him because hes superficially connected to everything. They want him, but thats what he abuses," Eck said. "So they shelter him very well and they all know the abuse.

"Dont tell me deans dont know. Dont tell me vice-presidents dont know. Of course (they know). They supervise it."

RUTH BONNEVILLE / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS U of M professor Peter Eck.

Two new complainants came forward Friday.

One said Jones promised her tens of thousands of dollars in stipend money for her PhD research, then yanked the funding after she got to Canada.

The woman, who asked to remain anonymous because she fears professional repercussions, is an international student. She came to U of M specifically because Jones recruited her to do research.

A couple months after her arrival in May, she said Jones told her the funding was no longer available and she should seek out a scholarship elsewhere.

"I felt really vulnerable," said the student, who had no family or friends living in Winnipeg. She sought therapy and legal advice at the University of Manitoba student advocacy office.

In a conversation with Jones, the student said she couldn't do her research without the RCFFN funding.

"This is going to be too much for me because I have to run these things and I have to find the money to do that. And he said, 'Welcome to my world,'" she said, describing the meeting.

"He doesnt care. You feel like all the time you have to do whatever he wants, even if it doesnt make sense. He has very unrealistic demands of you."

Another international student, who also asked to remain anonymous, said he came to RCFFN to conduct research, but he now wants to go home because the work environment is "not healthy." He's currently conducting a study that requires clinical participants.

"I have a really bad experience with (Jones). Hes demoralizing me and every time (something with the study goes wrong), hes blaming me: 'Its because of you the project is not working,'" the young man said.

The student said Jones repeatedly tells him his accent is what's turning people away from the study.

"There is no support from the centre, and Im here by my own," the man said. "I have mental harassment. I started taking anti-depressants now. Its getting worse."

Meridel Smith, a former RCFFN employee, lodged a 72-page formal complaint about Jones to the U of M human rights equity office in 2009. She previously approached the school's human resources department with concerns two years earlier.

Complainants come forward Meridel Smith, a former Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals employee who reported directly to Peter Jones, called her two years at the centre the worst career and life decision I have ever made. In a 72-page formal complaint, which she sent to a University of Manitoba equity office investigator in September 2009, Smith described a "toxic environment" at RCFFN, in which Jones' "incessant abuse of authority, power and confidences" eventually drove her to seek a medical leave of absence. click to read more Meridel Smith, a former Richardson Centre for Functional Foods and Nutraceuticals employee who reported directly to Peter Jones, called her two years at the centre the worst career and life decision I have ever made. In a 72-page formal complaint, which she sent to a University of Manitoba equity office investigator in September 2009, Smith described a "toxic environment" at RCFFN, in which Jones' "incessant abuse of authority, power and confidences" eventually drove her to seek a medical leave of absence. Those abuses include sexual discrimination, violations of U of M policies about staff privacy, mismanagement of finances, and preferential treatment of certain students or employees with whom he had a close relationship. In the complaint, Smith, who covered administrative, budgeting and HR tasks for RCFFN from January 2007 to January 2009, described a chaotic workplace in which Jones frequently intimidated staff to acquiesce to impulsive demands. On several instances, Smith wrote, RCFFN administrative staff were pressured to hire certain students at pay rates far above their qualifications. She also detailed two instances where Jones appeared ready to hire candidates who were less than qualified because he liked the way they looked. During an August 2007 round of hiring, It was brutally clear on who should be hired, but P. Jones was insisting on the less-qualified person, Smith wrote, adding: "He laughingly pointed out, candidate B would be well-liked by the study volunteers because she was very pretty and, '(T)hey would like to look at her.' On one occasion, Smith wrote she witnessed Jones laughing about giving an employee a poor job reference to another U of M department, apparently in an effort to prevent her from obtaining employment elsewhere. Smith described routines where Jones would leave early to go sailing in Gimli, bringing select employees with him for paid time away. He would invite staff to leave early Fridays to go for drinks with him, Smith said; outings that were also paid. Smith wrote about a July 2008 incident where an employee approached her to pay an invoice for $30,000 at Jones' advice, which was outside of her jobs scope. The amount was above $5,000 and needed to be filed through the universitys purchasing department, she said. Smith said she explained she wasn't able to help, but Jones allegedly pressured her until the cheque was cut. During her medical leave from October 2008 to January 2009, Smith wrote Jones got another employee to hack into her emails (who later admitted as much to her) within days of her departure. Jones had allegedly told the employee Smith would not be returning to work, though she was only on leave at the time. Jones also allegedly disseminated Smiths doctor's note to other staff, she said, violating the Personal Health Information Act. Placed in the identical situation, I would have outright refused to have knowledge of someone elses passwords and I would have fought 'tooth and nail' against anyone forcing me to obtain this information, she wrote in her complaint. Smith said she brought multiple concerns to the U of M human resources department, but wasnt satisfied with its responses. She also alerted the U of M ombudsman, as well as associate vice-president of research Digvir Jayas. Smith left her job at RCFFN in January 2009, shortly after returning from medical leave. It has taken many months for me to get to a point where I could file this complaint, where I have been able to write down all of the events that cause me such great distress and to be able to relive these on paper, she wrote in her conclusion. I respectfully ask the University of Manitoba to consider all matters contained in this letter with due seriousness and due diligence, and to act upon them accordingly. Smith was later told a U of M lawyer believed her complaint "would not really go anywhere." It doesnt appear the U of M followed-up on Smiths concerns. *** Julia Rempel doesnt believe her encounters with Peter Jones were the most egregious shes heard about her former boss, but said they bear repeating to prevent future misconduct. If the university had looked into the complaints at any point, or had a better system for victims to make formal complaints, that could have prevented the gross misuse of power, sexist treatment of women, and harassment in the past, she said. Jones allegedly propositioned Rempel when she was working as his subordinate in 2013. Rempel said Jones asked her to accompany him on a work outing to a Hutterite colony one evening, and she agreed thinking others would be along for the ride. It wound up just being the pair of them. Jones drove them approximately a half-hour outside Winnipeg and during their meeting at the colony, Rempel said he pulled out a bottle of scotch. Rempel alleged he drank, then drove them back into the city. She said he then asked her to go for dinner at a restaurant. The more he drinks, the more he gets inappropriate, Rempel said. He starts to comment on my looks, my job, telling me Im very pretty, very smart. Rempel, who was in her early 20s at the time, said she was getting uncomfortable and believed Jones "was quite drunk at this point. Jones allegedly suggested they could become a nutrition power couple, something she had heard he previously told other women. Rempel said she tried to get Jones to call a taxi and go home, but he refused. She did not want him driving drunk, so she took his car, drove to her place, and planned to find him a cab from there. I never invited him inside, because I didnt want him to (be there), and thats when he starts saying more mention of things such as, He doesnt believe in monogamy. Thats when he tried to lean forward to kiss me," she said. Rempel said she told Jones to leave, went inside and left him on the porch. She began group-texting her friends who also worked at RCFFN and called one of them for help. Jones wound up passing out on her front porch, Rempel said, and her friend's husband came to get him. The next day at work, Rempel alerted human resources about Jones behaviour, then later met with them for more discussion. Rempel ultimately didnt file a formal complaint because she worried about losing her job. She lamented Jones was so well-connected in the nutrition community complaining about him could affect her career. I was put in a very difficult situation because at that time I had recently purchased a house, I was single and by myself. (Jones) is known for laying people off or firing (people). You dont have job security at the Richardson Centre for Functional Foods, she said. A U of M human resources representative suggested Rempel speak with the schools human rights and equity advisor. Even if no official complaint is made, it would be useful for her to speak with you; it might help prevent any future incidents from happening, the representative wrote to Rempel in an email provided to the Free Press. Rempel said she didnt meet with the advisor and it appears her informal complaint didnt have any ripple effect. In the weeks following, Jones appears to have kept emailing Rempel, asking to follow-up on their discussion from that night. We discussed such a vast array of issues over the duration of the conversation (some of which were sensitive and kind of emotional), that I thought it not unreasonable to consolidate some of the outcomes and conclusions drawn from that discourse, Jones allegedly wrote in an email dated Aug. 9, 2013. Rempel had told him she felt his behaviour was inappropriate. I guess it is fair to deem that inappropriate, but I wanted to let you know that the suggestion was made only with very best of intentions. Particularly in enabling you to meet the career goals you have set if I can assist in any way, Jones allegedly wrote, concluding with: Hoping you have a really great weekend without any encountering strangers passing out on your front porch. That winter, Rempel took a medical leave due to work-related stress. She was laid off in 2015. By December 2013, a university HR representative had emailed Rempel again, encouraging her to speak to the human rights office, as the school had received information from another complainant about Dr. Jones and they would really like to be able to have this information confirmed by someone else." *** After Peter Eck told his superiors his co-worker, Peter Jones, was sleeping with students, Eck was demoted. I was not very happy with students having sexual relationships with Peter Jones, being directly supervised by him, and then evaluated and graded, said Eck, now an assistant professor in genetics at the U of M. Eck alleged Jones was not disclosing his relationships to the university's higher-ups. During a work conference in 2010, Eck said Jones invited him to have a threesome with one of his graduate students. He declined. Sleeping with students is not just frowned upon. In many U.S. institutions, theyve got laws restricting it. People can get fired, Eck said, referring to Harvard University as an example. I was shocked I had raised all these issues (with U of M) and it went nowhere. Eck said he brought up Jones behaviour with multiple managers between 2010 and 2013, including his department head, Jim House, head of human ecology Gustaaf Sevenhuisen, dean of graduate studies Jay Doering (who is now the associate vice-president of partnerships), and vice-president of research and international Digvir Jayas. After speaking out, he lost his role as Canada Research Chair in nutrigenomics. Though he cant trace a direct line from losing that job to his disputes with Jones, Eck said he suspects his complaints to management affected his gig. Eck believes weak workplace policies at the U of M about relationships between staff and students helped shield Jones. Everything (Jones) did, he can do. Its so vague in our institutions at the University of Manitoba that he can do it, Eck said. "Everybody knows whats happening, but nobody talks about it. Eck moved his lab and office out of the RCFFN in early 2014. Since his departure, Eck said RCFFN students have been approaching him with more stories about run-ins with Jones. Some of those students began seeking legal advice. Eck insisted the university should hire an external investigator or ombudsman to handle the many complaints because investigating internally has so far produced no results. Close

Smith detailed several incidents where she said Jones bullied staff, picked favourites, and didn't follow U of M policy when it came to handling money.

In one circumstance, Jones allegedly asked her to pay an invoice for $30,000, which she said was outside of her job description and needed to be filed through the school's purchasing department. Smith said Jones kept pressuring her until she cut the cheque.

Smith eventually sought a medical leave of absence in October 2008, and left work at RCFFN in January 2009.

"P. Jones incessant abuse of authority, power, and confidences eventually drove me to seek medical attention and counselling for several months in order to deal with the debilitating effects of his action," Smith wrote in her 2009 complaint.

"I respectfully ask the University of Manitoba to consider all matters contained in this letter with due seriousness and due diligence, and to act upon them accordingly."

In her statement, Zapshala-Kelln acknowledged the school had historically mishandled complaints.

"We recognize that responses in the past have not always met the standards we expect today. We are constantly reviewing and improving our policies and practices," she said. "Our review of current processes and practices, being conducted by respected legal experts, is well underway and should be completed soon."

DAVID LIPNOWSKI / WINNIPEG FREE PRESS FILES Peter Jones in 2011.

Three of the sources the Free Press spoke to said they have been contacted by a law firm conducting an investigation on behalf of the U of M. The lawyer asked to schedule meetings with them this month.

Julia Rempel, another former student and employee at RCFFN, lodged an informal complaint about Jones to the U of M human resources department in 2013.

She didn't create a formal complaint in writing, because she worried it might jeopardize her career since Jones is so well-connected in the nutrition community, which she hoped to work in.

"I am speaking openly now as I hope I can contribute to help prevent these actions from him, or other professors in positions of power, in the future," Rempel said in an interview.

In 2013, she alleged Jones propositioned her about becoming a "nutrition power couple" and tried to kiss her during an evening outing for work. Rempel was not interested. She said Jones was so intoxicated that same night that he passed out on her porch.

Rempel and others the Free Press spoke to have long been frustrated by the U of M's alleged protection of Jones.

"In my opinion, its because his face was on the front page of the U of M website, at one point. He brings in a lot of money -- a lot of money -- for the U of M and thats why I think they havent done anything," Rempel said.

After being the subject of at least three complaints from students and staff, Jones was awarded the school's prestigious distinction of "distinguished professor" in 2016.

He's one of 21 such honorees in the schools history "who have demonstrated outstanding distinction in research, scholarship, creative endeavours, professional service and teaching," according to a description on the schools website.

Before coming to U of M, Jones, who is from Vancouver, was a professor at McGill University, Universite Lyon and University of British Columbia. He is currently the Canada Research Chair in nutrition and functional foods.

In an article announcing his designation as distinguished professor, UM Today referred to Jones as a "trailblazer" who is "recognized for his innovative work."

jessica.botelho@freepress.mb.ca

melissa.martin@freepress.mb.ca
More than 20 Winnipeg students skipped school Friday, calling on government to take action to combat climate change in the local edition of an international day of protest.

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This article was published 7/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

More than 20 Winnipeg students skipped school Friday, calling on government to take action to combat climate change in the local edition of an international day of protest.

The group of 21 students from Ecole River Heights marched to the office of Jim Carr, Liberal MP for South Winnipeg Centre. Bundled up in winter gear, the young activists chanted "The air we breath is under attack," as they waved signs urging the next generation to help save the planet.

"Something needs to happen, and if the politicians arent going to do it, then we need to," said Madison Delaat, a Grade 7 student and one of the march organizers. "If the politicians are going to start acting like kids, then the kids are going to start acting like adults."

Alongside Madison was Miyawata Stout, another co-organizer and Grade 7 student. The two girls held a petition calling on Canadas government to take immediate steps to address climate change signed by 65 students and staff from their Winnipeg middle school.

Carr was not in Winnipeg to accept the petition, though a staff member at his office said he would ensure the minister of international trade diversification would see it.

"We already know the solutions to our problems: stop polluting plastic, stop emissions, stop taking so much oil," Madison said. "(These problems) have already been solved. We just dont want to give up our cars, and the way we heat our houses, and our plastic bags."

Miyawata and Madison both said they would like to see Canada ban single-use plastic bags and straws, as a first step.

The local protest was one of 17 that took place Friday across North America and Europe. The global initiative was started by a 15-year-old girl in Sweden, Greta Thunberg.

"Why should we be studying for a future that soon will be no more?" Greta said in a video shared on Twitter. Since August, Greta has been skipping school on Friday to sit on the steps of parliament in Sweden. She has encouraged other students across the world to join her.

"I think right now theres kind of a stereotype for our generation, that were all glued to our phones and we only care about fast fashion," 12-year-old Miyawata said. "But there are lots of us who are really worried and I think its a really good message for young people to get  that its OK to not blend in with everyone else, its OK to stand up for what you believe in."

The Winnipeg protest was organized by the students and was not affiliated with the school, though those involved said the principal had been supportive and volunteered a room in the school for the students to make their protest signs.

Students who participated in the protest were marked absent from their classes.

Miyawata said another protest is scheduled for January.

danton.unger@freepress.mb.ca
Winnipeg police chief Danny Smyth says he has been in talks with the provincial government about its pending review of the Police Services Act and expects it to take a look at revamping the rules governing the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Winnipeg police chief Danny Smyth says he has been in talks with the provincial government about its pending review of the Police Services Act and expects it to take a look at revamping the rules governing the Independent Investigation Unit of Manitoba.

Smyth, who has led the Winnipeg Police Service since November 2016, said he would welcome the review -- expressing hope Friday it could lead to clarity on some issues that have created tensions and disputes between the city force and the police watchdog.

"One of the things I talked about was just having some greater clarity in the (Police Services Act). Right now, particularly with the IIU regulations, it's very focused on police officers, and it didn't expand on that to include peace officers, which would include people like our cadets," Smyth said.

The Police Services Act is the provincial legislation governing both the WPS and the IIU.

Smyth's comments came in the wake of an eight-month Free Press investigation into the relationship between the two agencies. A series of freedom-of-information requests produced hundreds of pages of IIU documents and correspondence that served as the backbone for the project.

The documents revealed numerous roadblocks thrown up by police, both individually and institutionally, that have undermined the IIU's effectiveness, including repeated disputes over jurisdiction.

One example, among many, involved Smyth blocking a request to interview a WPS cadet for an investigation into a police-involved shooting.

"Right now, particularly with the IIU regulations, it's very focused on police officers, and it didn't expand on that to include peace officers, which would include people like our cadets," police chief Danny Smyth said. (Mikaela MacKenzie photos / Winnipeg Free Press)

Despite IIU civilian director Zane Tessler's desire to interview the cadet for the sake of the watchdog's investigation, Smyth asserted cadets fall outside the scope of the Police Services Act, and therefor the IIU has no right to involve them in its probes -- even when they're eyewitnesses to possible criminal misconduct.

"I'm certainly open to (cadets) being included in that, but right now it's not clear to me whether (they were left out of the legislation) deliberately or if it was an oversight," Smyth said Friday.

"One of the things (the legislation) provided for them, was they recognized there would be gaps and a review would be necessary... We're actually a bit over five years now. I'm encouraged the province is committed to reviewing that and maybe addressing some of these."

As a result of the Free Press series, some politicians, such as Manitoba Liberal Leader Dougald Lamont, called for an overhaul to the Police Services Act in order to sharpen the IIU's teeth.

During the annual speech from the throne, Lt.-Gov. Janice Filmon announced the provincial government's intention to begin a review of the act, although no specifics were given on whether that would specifically include a closer look at the IIU.

"I'm encouraged the province is committed to reviewing that," Danny Smyth said.

In an internal memo sent to all WPS officers in the aftermath of the Free Press series, Smyth repeatedly took issue with the reporting, claiming it sought to "undermine trust in the police."

Nonetheless, he also highlighted the need for certain reforms to the legislation governing the WPS and the IIU that had been brought to light.

"I recognize that there are gaps in the Police Services Act that require amendments... Perhaps (Manitoba) Justice officials will now be motivated to consider changes to the act to address these gaps," Smyth wrote.

ryan.thorpe@freepress.mb.ca

Twitter: @rk_thorpe
Its a safe bet that Asia Bibi  a Christian woman recently acquitted of blasphemy charges in Pakistan but still facing mob violence  would say religious freedom makes Canada a better country. Indeed, its because Canada enjoys religious freedom that this country may even grant her asylum.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Opinion

Its a safe bet that Asia Bibi  a Christian woman recently acquitted of blasphemy charges in Pakistan but still facing mob violence  would say religious freedom makes Canada a better country. Indeed, its because Canada enjoys religious freedom that this country may even grant her asylum.

Chances are that Muslim Rohingyas fleeing Burma or Yazidis and Christians fleeing the Islamic State would also appreciate religious freedom.

But ask Canadians and youll find only 59 per cent say religious freedom makes our country better. Thats according to an extensive survey by the Angus Reid Institute in partnership with the think tank Cardus.

While a clear majority sees the benefits of religious freedom, its curious that more of us arent enthusiastic about this fundamental human right.

Whats at play here?

There are likely several factors, including a hardcore secularist viewpoint, though this remains a minority view in Canada.

The same survey used a series of measures to classify Canadians among three categories  those welcoming of faith in public life, those who are unsure and those hostile to it. The proponents of public faith are the largest group at 37 per cent, while the other two weigh in at 32 per cent each. Only 31 per cent of the group hostile to public faith say religious freedom makes Canada better. An almost equal proportion says it makes Canada worse.

Clearly, hardcore secularism contains a fervent opposition to religion and its free expression.

Related to that secularism could be prejudice against public displays of faith. Indeed, half of Canadians say theyre uncomfortable with religious garments or symbols in the workplace  something that disproportionately affects Muslims, Jews and Sikhs. Such discomfort may translate into lower support for religious freedom.

Still, thats not the whole story. Could it also be that some Canadians feel that the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantee of religious freedom doesnt adequately protect them? If so, their answer about religious freedom may reflect their judgment on the effectiveness of charter protections.

Seven in 10 Canadians say they feel the federal government respects their religious community. And almost six in 10 say Canadian society either makes room for their faith and values, or has little impact on them.

Digging deeper uncovers a mixed picture.

First the good news: a remarkable 85 per cent of non-Christians  including Hindus, Jews, Buddhists, Muslims and Sikhs  say they feel the government respects them. This is also the group least likely to say society shuts out their faith and values.

This is encouraging. Non-Christians should feel welcome in Canada.

Now the bad news: Christians dont fare as well. Overall, Catholic and other Christians feel less respected by government and less welcome in society than non-Christians do.

But its Canadas evangelical Protestants who feel especially marginalized. Theyre the most likely to say the feds disrespect them, with four in 10 evangelicals saying so. And just over half of this religious minority says society shuts them out. They may not be enjoying all the benefits of religious freedom.

This finding is unsurprising given the news of the last year: Evangelicals and other Christians bore the brunt of the federal governments Canada Summer Jobs fiasco, which filtered out grant recipients based on their beliefs. Legal challenges are ongoing but havent borne fruit yet.

The evangelical Trinity Western University in B.C. faced discrimination by several law societies opposed to it setting up a law school  discrimination that the Supreme Court of Canada eventually upheld.

And in Alberta, its mostly evangelical schools that are threatened with the loss of funding over an ideological disagreement with the provincial government.

But could there also be some amnesia about the fundamental human right of religious freedom?

What many may not realize is that religious freedom is not just for the religious; it benefits everyone. It protects the ability of the religious and non-religious to act according to their deepest beliefs  informing our freedoms of speech, association and assembly. More Canadians need to see and understand this connection.

Ray Pennings is executive vice-president of the think tank Cardus.

 Troy Media
Doctor-patient confidentiality is considered as sacrosanct as lawyer-client privilege or the seal of the confessional.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Doctor-patient confidentiality is considered as sacrosanct as lawyer-client privilege or the seal of the confessional.

We need to trust that both details about our health and our communications with medical professionals remain utterly private; to think otherwise might result in patients shying away from seeking the help they need.

In recent years and with the advent of electronic communication, in fact, those privacy rules under Manitobas Personal Health Information Act (PHIA) have become even stricter.

However, there are circumstances when we need to trust those same medical professionals to make a judgment about when the right to privacy is outweighed by a risk to a patients life, or the lives of others.

Thats whats being recognized by a proposed amendment to the Mental Health Act and PHIA that would allow medical professionals, in exceptional circumstances, to contact family, designated friends or other individuals  without a patients consent, if necessary  to lower the risk of patients harming themselves or anyone else.

This isnt a change that would be undertaken lightly, as Health Minister Cameron Friesen indicated Tuesday at the legislature when Bill 5 was tabled.

Health Minister Cameron Friesen says patient privacy won't be violated easily. (David Lipnowski / Canadian Press files)

Mr. Friesen pointed out that although the current system does allow for breach of patient privacy when absolutely warranted, the current legal threshold is limiting health-care workers from taking action in many cases; he stressed that there would be a learning curve for those in the system to adjust to new rules.

It will be essential for those in the medical field to understand how the unique demands of providing mental-health care affect the interpretation of the obligations they have as the custodians of health information.

The idea of standardized protocols for health-care providers to follow  protocols that would specifically lay out the circumstances in which the Mental Health Act would take precedence over the terms of PHIA to allow for the collection, use and disclosure of personal health information without consent  is not new. British Columbia, Ontario and Nova Scotia have legislation similar to that proposed here, which meticulously outlines the situations in which a patients information may released and the means of documenting the decisions that were made and why.

Bill 5 seems eminently reasonable, even overdue. Suicide isnt something we like to think about, let alone talk about, but its a major cause of premature and preventable death

Bill 5 seems eminently reasonable, even overdue. Suicide isnt something we like to think about, let alone talk about, but its a major cause of premature and preventable death. Among Canadian males, its the seventh most common cause of death, with the highest rates of suicide occurring among people aged 40 to 59; if there is a way to reduce those numbers, it should be embraced.

Of course, the causes of suicidal ideation are complex and cannot be attributed to any one factor, but mental-health issues and drug addiction can be contributing factors; these are conditions that may detract from peoples ability to make decisions in their own best interest.

We trust medical professionals to keep our counsel. We should also trust them to judge when we need help that were not capable of seeking ourselves.

No one wants to get a call from a doctor or therapist about a loved one who wants to harm herself or a friend whos suicidal.

The only thing worse? Not getting that call at all.
QAMISHLI, Syria  There was nothing about the hungry, bedraggled man who surrendered at a remote desert checkpoint belonging to the United States Kurdish allies this year to suggest he had once played a part in one of the biggest events in American history. He was limping from injuries to both knees, his beard was matted and teeming with lice, and he was fleeing from the Islamic State group.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 8/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

QAMISHLI, Syria  There was nothing about the hungry, bedraggled man who surrendered at a remote desert checkpoint belonging to the United States Kurdish allies this year to suggest he had once played a part in one of the biggest events in American history. He was limping from injuries to both knees, his beard was matted and teeming with lice, and he was fleeing from the Islamic State group.

After he identified himself and checks were run, the confirmation came back. This was Mohammed Haydar Zammar, the man who recruited the hijackers who carried out the attacks on Sept. 11, 2001, killing more than 2,900 people and propelling the United States into unending conflict.

In his first interview with a U.S. news organization since 2001, conducted in the presence of the Kurdish guards who are holding him at a prison on the outskirts of the Syrian city of Qamishli, Zammar recounted his extraordinary journey. It was one that took him from the earliest days of the al-Qaida camps in Afghanistan to the battlefields of the Islamic State group in Syria, via a rendition suspected to have been ordered by the CIA.

By his own account, he played only a peripheral role in the events that unfolded along the way, a walk-on part in the history of the Islamist militant movement. Yet he was present for many of its milestones, showing up at key moments and meeting many of its key players.

His story demonstrates the extent to which the ever-evolving terrorist threat that continues to grip the United States has, to a large degree, been sustained by a core of now-aging Islamist militants who came of age in the orbit of Osama bin Laden.

Now 57, Zammar, who holds dual Syrian and German citizenship, is a shrunken shadow of the hulking, heavily bearded man who once lectured young Muslims at al-Quds mosque in Hamburg on their duty to wage jihad. His captors do not allow prisoners to grow beards, and his had to be shaved off because of the lice, he said during the interview.

But one thing has not changed. Investigators of the 9/11 attacks remember him as talkative  perhaps too talkative to have been trusted with details of the plot.

He still likes to talk, at length, about himself, about his part in persuading the 9/11 hijackers to travel to Afghanistan for military training and about the litany of injustices he says the United States has committed against Muslims.

  

Zammars family moved to Germany when he was 10, and he first tried to participate in armed conflict in 1982, far earlier than has previously been reported. He travelled to Jordan in an attempt to enter Syria to join the armed wing of the Muslim Brotherhood, the Fighting Vanguard, which was engaged in an earlier uprising against the ruling Assad family.

He was turned back by the Jordanian authorities, but on the trip, he met a man who would play a big role in his future: Mohammed al-Bahaiya, known as Abu Khaled al-Suri, who would later become a key figure in the current Syrian war.

At Bahaiyas invitation, he made his first visit to Afghanistan in 1991, to receive military training at one of the militant camps being run by Bahaiya. Over the next decade, Zammar moved through the militant-Islamist circuit, travelling regularly to Afghanistan, volunteering for a stint with al-Qaida-affiliated militants in the war in Bosnia and visiting London, where he befriended the Jordanian Palestinian preacher Abu Qatada, a prominent figure long suspected by the United States of having links to al-Qaida.

Meanwhile, Zammar was developing a circle of followers at Hamburgs al-Quds mosque, which had become a magnet for young Muslims in the city. Zammar says he failed to qualify as an imam or preacher at the mosque because he was unable to memorize the Koran, but he held regular gatherings with small groups of the men who went there to pray, seeking to convince them that they had a duty to wage jihad on behalf of Muslims worldwide and to travel to Afghanistan for military training.

The first member of the Hamburg cell he remembers meeting was Ramzi Binalshibh, a Yemeni citizen now being held in Guantanamo Bay on suspicion of involvement in the 9/11 plot. Next he met Mohamed Atta, the hijackers ringleader, who piloted the first of the two planes that struck the World Trade Center towers. Zammar recalls Atta as a "good guy" with "high moral standards." Then came the others: Marwan al-Shehhi, a citizen of the United Arab Emirates who steered the plane that struck the second tower; Ziad Samir Jarrah, the Lebanese who piloted the plane that crashed in a Pennsylvania field after passengers overpowered the hijackers; and four others from the group whom Zammar also persuaded to travel to Afghanistan.

"It was not easy. It took time. They were studying at the university," he said. "I was telling them, for example, someone is going to attack you, your honour, your property, while you cannot even use a pistol. There is no country in the world that does not have an army to defend itself, while we Muslims do not."

  

Zammars travels and contacts stirred the suspicions of the German authorities, who alerted the CIA and began monitoring his movements and telephone calls.

But he continued to travel widely. Toward the end of 1999, Zammar made another visit to Afghanistan, overlapping with Atta and other members of the Hamburg cell making their first visit to the country  and carrying with them their proposal to crash planes into American buildings, according to investigators.

Zammar says the timing of his visit so close to theirs was a coincidence. He arrived shortly after they did, had no contact with them and does not know where or how they spent their time, he said.

It was on this trip, he says, that he had his only encounter with al-Qaida leader bin Laden, whom he recalls with reverence. He speculates that bin Laden summoned him to meet because of his association with the men who were being groomed for the 9/11 attacks and wanted to check him out.

He claims he had no further contact with bin Laden, Atta or the others and says he was as surprised as anyone when the attacks occurred.

Zammar continues to deny any foreknowledge of the 9/11 plot. "God knows, and in all honesty, I did not know anything about the 9/11 strike. They did not tell me anything," he said.

That was the conclusion reached at the time by German authorities, according to Guido Steinberg, who investigated Zammars involvement in the attacks on behalf of the German government and is now a senior associate at the German Institute for International and Security Affairs.

The German investigation found that the members of the Hamburg cell had been suspicious of Zammar, in part because he was "very chatty," Steinberg said.

"We discovered that his passport was full of Syrian stamps. The members of the Hamburg cell did not trust him. There was chatter that he might work for the Syrians," he said.

U.S. investigators never reached a firm conclusion about Zammars potential involvement, but also suspect he may have proved too talkative to be trusted with knowledge of the 9/11 plan, according to Ali Soufan, a former FBI agent who now runs the Soufan Center, which focuses on counterterrorism.

"These people who run their mouths usually dont get information in advance, and theres a possibility he did not know about the attacks," Soufan said. The U.S. government seems to have shown little interest in gaining custody of Zammar, Soufan said. "Maybe there was a lot of noise but no meat on the case against him," he said.

Zammar acknowledged that he was an unlikely candidate for inclusion in a sophisticated plot.

"It would be really idiotic for someone who is planning on bombing America to come to me, or someone like me, and tell them about it," he said. "Total stupidity."

The CIA, the FBI, the U.S. military and the Department of Justice declined to comment on his case.

  

The 9/11 attacks thrust Zammar briefly into the spotlight. German police questioned him, and he was sought by journalists for interviews.

Three months after the attacks, he dropped out of sight. While on a visit to Morocco, he was arrested by Moroccan police and deported to Syria. The CIA was reported at the time to have played a part in his seizure and transfer, but Zammar says he does not recall meeting Americans during the process.

For the next 12 years, he was held in Syrias notorious Sednaya prison outside Damascus, where he says he was tortured and kept in solitary confinement for months on end. In 2008, he was sentenced to 12 years in prison, not for his association with al-Qaida but for membership in the outlawed Muslim Brotherhood, dating back to his attempt to join the armed rebellion in 1982.

In 2013, he was freed along with six other Islamists in a prisoner swap for Syrian army officers negotiated by his old friend Bahaiya  Abu Khaled al-Suri  who had moved to Syria to become a leading figure in the Salafist Ahrar al-Sham opposition group and was killed in a bombing a year later that was suspected to have been carried out by IS.

Once released, Zammar chose to join the newly formed Islamic State group. In prison, he had met several of the leaders of the group, who had been freed by the Assad government in earlier prisoner swaps. Those associates helped him secure a succession of relatively minor jobs in IS departments: providing food for gatherings, mediating domestic disputes and supervising the cleaning of facilities.

But his health was poor from the years he spent in prison, he says, and he injured his knees in a car accident. He denies playing any prominent role in the group, and there is no available evidence that he did.

As IS was steadily driven out of the vast areas it once controlled in Syria and Iraq, Zammar moved with the fighters in their retreat, dodging U.S. airstrikes along the way. He met and married two women, and he was with one of those wives outside the village of Darnij in the province of Deir al-Zour when he decided to surrender to the U.S.-backed Syrian Democratic Forces. Joining other families also seeking to run away, they sneaked across IS lines to reach the SDF.

"Im very sick. I didnt have a car. My wife was pregnant, so what could I do?" he said. "I didnt have any other option."

Now he languishes in another prison cell, alongside about 30 other IS prisoners being held by the Kurds. The Kurds say they would like to be rid of him and all the IS captives they hold. Zammar says he would like to return to Germany, to reunite with his first wife, whom he said he hasnt seen since 2001.

But the German government has shown no interest in repatriating him or any of the other Germans who set out to fight for IS and are now in Kurdish custody.

As the interview ended and Zammar was led away, he was still talking, railing against the injustices of the world and saying he has a message for U.S. President Donald Trump, the leaders of Europe and anyone else with a role.

"You must fear God. You must fear your creator. I swear they will be judged by God," he said, as he limped back to his cell.

 Washington Post
WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was in touch as far back as 2015 with a Russian who offered "political synergy" with the Trump election campaign and proposed a meeting between the candidate and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the federal special counsel said.

Hey there, time traveller!

This article was published 7/12/2018 (1085 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Michael Cohen, former lawyer to President Donald Trump, leaves his apartment building on New York's Park Avenue, Friday, Dec. 7, 2018. In the latest filings Friday, prosecutors will weigh in on whether Cohen deserves prison time and, if so, how much. (AP Photo/Richard Drew)

WASHINGTON - President Donald Trump's former lawyer, Michael Cohen, was in touch as far back as 2015 with a Russian who offered "political synergy" with the Trump election campaign and proposed a meeting between the candidate and Russian President Vladimir Putin, the federal special counsel said.

Court filings from prosecutors in New York and special counsel Robert Mueller's office Friday laid out previously undisclosed contacts between Trump associates and Russian intermediaries and suggested the Kremlin aimed early on to influence Trump and his campaign by playing to both his political aspirations and his personal business interests.

The filings, in cases involving Cohen and former campaign chairman Paul Manafort , capped a dramatic week of revelations in Mueller's probe into possible co-ordination between the Trump campaign and the Kremlin. They bring the legal peril from multiple investigations closer than ever to Trump, tying him to an illegal hush money payment scheme and contradicting his claims that he had nothing to do with Russia.

Trump was undeterred, tweeting early Saturday: "AFTER TWO YEARS AND MILLIONS OF PAGES OF DOCUMENTS (and a cost of over $30,000,000), NO COLLUSION!"

Just before leaving Washington on Saturday afternoon for the Army-Navy game in Philadelphia, Trump told reporters "we're very happy with what we are reading because there was no collusion whatsoever. There never has been. The last thing I want is help from Russia on a campaign."

Trump described the investigation as a "very one-sided situation, but I think it's all turning around very nicely. As far as the reports that we see, according to everybody I've spoken to, I have not read it, there's absolutely no collusion, which is very excellent."

The court documents make clear how witnesses previously close to Trump  Cohen once declared he'd "take a bullet" for the president  have since provided damaging information about him in efforts to come clean to the government and in some cases get lighter prison sentences.

One defendant, former national security adviser Michael Flynn, provided so much information to prosecutors that Mueller this week said he shouldn't serve any prison time.

In hours of interviews with prosecutors, witnesses have offered up information about pivotal episodes under examination, including possible collusion with Russia and payments during the campaign to silence a porn star and Playboy model who said they had sex with Trump a decade earlier.

In one of the filings, Mueller details how Cohen spoke to a Russian who "claimed to be a 'trusted person' in the Russian Federation who could offer the campaign 'political synergy' and 'synergy on a government level.'"

The person repeatedly dangled a meeting between Trump and Putin, saying such a meeting could have a "phenomenal" impact "not only in political but in a business dimension as well."

That was a reference to a proposed Moscow real estate deal that prosecutors say could have netted Trump's business hundreds of millions of dollars. Cohen admitted last week to lying to Congress by saying discussions about a Trump Tower in Moscow ended in January 2016 when in fact they stretched into that June, well into the U.S. campaign.

Cohen told prosecutors he never followed up on the Putin invitation, though the offer bore echoes of a March 2016 proposal presented by Trump campaign aide George Papadopoulos, who broached to other advisers the idea of a Putin encounter.

Prosecutors said probation officials recommended a sentence for Cohen of three-and-a-half years in prison. His lawyers want the 52-year-old attorney to avoid prison time altogether.

In an additional filing Friday evening, prosecutors said Manafort lied about his contacts with a Russian associate and Trump administration officials, including in 2018.

The court papers say Manafort initially told prosecutors he didn't have contact with any people while they were in the Trump administration. But prosecutors say they recovered "electronic documents" showing contacts with multiple administration officials not identified in the filings.

Manafort, who has pleaded guilty to several counts, violated his plea agreement by telling "multiple discernible lies" to prosecutors, they said.

Manafort resigned from his job on the Trump campaign as questions swirled about his lobbying work for a pro-Russia political party in Ukraine.

Prosecutors in Cohen's case said that even though he co-operated in their investigation into potential campaign finance violations, he nonetheless deserved prison time. Though he has portrayed himself as co-operative, "his description of those efforts is overstated in some respects and incomplete in others," prosecutors said.

"After cheating the IRS for years, lying to banks and to Congress, and seeking to criminally influence the Presidential election, Cohen's decision to plead guilty - rather than seek a pardon for his manifold crimes - does not make him a hero," they wrote.

Cohen, dubbed Trump's "legal fixer" in the past, also described his work in conjunction with Trump in orchestrating hush money payments to two women  adult actress Stormy Daniels and Playboy model Karen McDougal  who said they had sex with Trump.

Prosecutors in New York, where Cohen pleaded guilty in August to campaign finance crimes in connection with those payments, said the lawyer "acted in co-ordination and at the direction" of Trump. Though Cohen had previously implicated Trump in the payments, the prosecutors now are linking Trump to the scheme and backing up Cohen's allegations.

Federal law requires that any payments made "for the purposes of influencing" an election must be reported in campaign finance disclosures. The court filing Friday makes clear that the payments were made to benefit Trump politically.

A court filing also reveals that Cohen told prosecutors he and Trump discussed a potential meeting with Putin on the sidelines of the U.N. General Assembly in 2015, shortly after Trump announced his candidacy for president. In a footnote Mueller's team writes that Cohen conferred with Trump "about contacting the Russia government before reaching out to gauge Russia's interest in such a meeting." It never took place.

___

Associated Press writers Larry Neumeister in New York and Michael Balsamo in Washington contributed to this report
Herc Holdings Inc., together with its subsidiaries, operates as an equipment rental supplier. It rents aerial, earthmoving, material handling, trucks and trailers, air compressors, compaction, and lighting equipment, as well as generators, and safety supplies and expendables; and provides ProSolutions, an industry specific solution based services, such as pumping solutions, power generation, climate control, remediation and restoration, and studio and production equipment. The company also sells used equipment and contractor supplies, such as construction consumables, tools, small equipment, and safety supplies; provides repair, maintenance, equipment management, and safety training services, as well as offers ancillary services, such as equipment transport, rental protection, cleaning, refueling, and labor. It serves non-residential and residential construction, specialty trade, restoration, remediation and environment, and facility maintenance contractors; industrial manufacturing industries, including automotive and aerospace, power, metals and mining, agriculture, pulp, paper and wood, food and beverage, and refineries and petrochemical industries; infrastructure and government sectors; and commercial and retail service, hospitality, healthcare, recreation, entertainment production, and special event management customers through its sales team, industry catalogs, as well as through participation and sponsorship of industry events, trade shows, and Internet. As of December 31, 2017, it operated approximately 275 locations in the United States, Canada, China, the United Kingdom, Saudi Arabia, and Qatar. Herc Holdings Inc. is based in Bonita Springs, Florida.

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ULC, Aon Canada Inc., Aon Canada Intermediaries GP, Aon Captive Services Antilles N.V., Aon Captive Services Aruba N.V., Aon Cash Management B.V., Aon Central and Eastern Europe a.s., Aon Centre for Innovation and Analytics Ltd, Aon Charitable Foundation Pty Ltd, Aon Chile Holdings LLC, Aon Commercial Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Commercial Services Ireland Limited, Aon Commercial Services and Operations Ireland Limited, Aon Consolidation Group Pty Ltd, Aon Consulting & Insurance Services, Aon Consulting (Chile) Limitada, Aon Consulting (Thailand) Limited, Aon Consulting Bolivia S.R.L., Aon Consulting Ecuador S.A., Aon Consulting Financial Services Limited, Aon Consulting Inc., Aon Consulting Kazakhstan LLP, Aon Consulting Limited, Aon Consulting Private Limited, Aon Consulting Romania SRL, Aon Corporate Services (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Corporate Services Limited, Aon Corporation, Aon Corporation Australia Limited, Aon Corporation EMEA B.V., Aon Credit International Insurance Broker GmbH, Aon Cyprus Insurance Broker Company Limited, Aon DC Trustee Limited, Aon Danismanlik Hizmetleri AS, Aon Delta Bermuda Ltd., Aon Delta UK Limited, Aon Denmark A/S, Aon Deutschland Beteiligungs GmbH, Aon Direct Group Inc., Aon Edge Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Energy Caribbean Limited, Aon Enterprise Insurance Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Finance Bermuda 1 Ltd., Aon Finance Bermuda 2 Ltd., Aon Finance Canada 1 Corp., Aon Finance Canada 2 Corp., Aon Finance International N.S. ULC, Aon Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Finance N.S. 1 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 5 ULC, Aon Finance N.S. 8 ULC, Aon Finance US 1 LLC, Aon Finance US 2 LLC, Aon Financial & Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Finland Oy, Aon France, Aon Global Holdings 1 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 2 Limited, Aon Global Holdings 3 Limited [In strike-off], Aon Global Holdings Limited, Aon Global Operations plc, Aon Global Risk Consulting B.V., Aon Global Risk Consulting Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Global Risk Research Limited, Aon Grana Peru Corredores de Seguros SA, Aon Greece S.A., Aon Groep Nederland B.V., Aon Group (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Group (Thailand) Limited, Aon Group Holdings International 1 B.V., Aon Group Holdings International 2 B.V., Aon Group Inc., Aon Group International N.V., Aon Group Pty Ltd, Aon Group Venezuela Corretaje de Reaseguros C.A., Aon Hewitt (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Ireland) Limited, Aon Hewitt (PNG) Ltd., Aon Hewitt (Thailand) Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Aon Hewitt Consulting Korea Inc., Aon Hewitt Financial Advice Limited, Aon Hewitt GmbH, Aon Hewitt Health Market Insurance Solutions Inc., Aon Hewitt Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hewitt Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Consulting Inc., Aon Hewitt Investment Management Inc., Aon Hewitt Japan Ltd., Aon Hewitt Limited, Aon Hewitt Ltd., Aon Hewitt Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Aon Hewitt Management Company Limited, Aon Hewitt Middle East Limited, Aon Hewitt Risk & Consulting S.r.l., Aon Hewitt Risk & Financial Management B.V., Aon Hewitt Trust Solutions GmbH, Aon Hewitt US Holdings Limited, Aon Holding Deutschland GmbH, Aon Holdings (Isle of Man) Limited, Aon Holdings Antillen N.V., Aon Holdings Australia Pty Limited, Aon Holdings Austria GmbH, Aon Holdings B.V., Aon Holdings Botswana (Pty) Ltd, Aon Holdings Corretores de Seguros Ltda., Aon Holdings France SNC, Aon Holdings Hong Kong Limited, Aon Holdings International B.V., Aon Holdings Israel Ltd., Aon Holdings Japan Ltd, Aon Holdings Limited, Aon Holdings Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Aon Holdings Mid Europe B.V., Aon Holdings New Zealand, Aon Hong Kong Limited, Aon Hungary Insurance Brokers Risk and Human Consulting LLC, Aon Insurance Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Agencies (Macau) Limited, Aon Insurance Brokers (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Aon Insurance Brokers (Pvt) Ltd., Aon Insurance Management Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Antilles) N.V., Aon Insurance Managers (Barbados) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Bermuda) Ltd, Aon Insurance Managers (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Dublin) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Guernsey) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Holdings) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Isle of Man) Ltd., Aon Insurance Managers (Liechtenstein) AG, Aon Insurance Managers (Luxembourg) S.A., Aon Insurance Managers (Malta) PCC Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (Puerto Rico) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (Shannon) Limited, Aon Insurance Managers (USA) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers (USVI) Inc., Aon Insurance Managers Gibraltar Ltd., Aon Insurance Micronesia (Guam) Inc, Aon Insurance Underwriting Agencies Hong Kong Limited, Aon Insurance and Reinsurance Brokers Philippines Inc., Aon International Cooperatief U.A., Aon International Energy Inc., Aon International Holdings Inc., Aon Investment Holdings Ireland Limited, Aon Israel Insurance Brokerage Ltd., Aon Italia S.r.l., Aon Japan Ltd, Aon Jauch & Hubener Gesellschaft m.b.H., Aon Korea Inc., Aon Latam Holdings N.V., Aon Lead QI B.V., Aon Life Agency of Texas Inc., Aon Life Agente de Seguros S.A. de C.V., Aon Life Insurance Company, Aon MacDonagh Boland Group Ltd, Aon Majan LLC, Aon Management Consulting Taiwan Ltd., Aon Mauritius Holdings, Aon Meeus Assurantien B.V., Aon Mexico Business Support SA de CV, Aon Mexico Holdings LLC, Aon Mexico Holdings S. de R.L. de C.V., Aon Middle East Co LLC, Aon Nederland C.V., Aon Netherlands Operations B.V., Aon Neudorf Finance S.a.r.l., Aon New Zealand, Aon New Zealand Group ULC, Aon Norway AS, Aon Overseas Holdings Limited, Aon PHI Acquisition Corporation of California, Aon PMI International Limited, Aon Parizeau Inc., Aon Pension Trustees Limited, Aon Pensions Insurance Brokers GmbH, Aon Polska Services Sp. z o.o., Aon Polska Sp. z o.o., Aon Portugal - Consultores Unipessoal Lda., Aon Portugal - Corretores de Seguros S.A., Aon Premium Finance LLC, Aon Private Risk Management Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Private Risk Management of California Insurance Agency Inc., Aon Product Design & Development Australia Pty Limited, Aon Product Design and Development New Zealand Limited, Aon Product Risk Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Property Risk Consulting Inc., Aon Qatar LLC, Aon Re (Thailand) Limited, Aon Re Bertoldi - Corretagem de Resseguros S.A., Aon Re Bolivia S.A. Corredores de Reaseguros, Aon Re Canada Holdings SARL, Aon Real Estate B.V., Aon Realty Services Inc., Aon Reed Stenhouse Inc., Aon Retirement Plan Advisors LLC, Aon Retirement Solutions Limited, Aon Risiko & Unternehmensberatungs GmbH, Aon Risk & Asset Management Pty Ltd, Aon Risk Consultants Inc., Aon Risk Insurance Services West Inc., Aon Risk Management (Pty) Ltd, Aon Risk Services (Chile) Corredores de Seguros Limitada, Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of Latin America Inc., Aon Risk Services (Holdings) of the Americas Inc., Aon Risk Services (NI) Limited, Aon Risk Services (PNG) Ltd., Aon Risk Services (Thailand) Limited, Aon Risk Services Argentina S.A., Aon Risk Services Australia Limited, Aon Risk Services Canada Inc., Aon Risk Services Central Inc., Aon Risk Services Colombia SA Corredores de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Companies Inc., Aon Risk Services EMEA B.V., Aon Risk Services Ecuador S.A. Agencia Asesora Productora de Seguros, Aon Risk Services Holdings (Chile ) Ltda., Aon Risk Services Inc. of Florida, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Hawaii, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Maryland, Aon Risk Services Inc. of Washington D.C., Aon Risk Services Northeast Inc., Aon Risk Services South Inc., Aon Risk Services Southwest Inc., Aon Risk Services Venezuela Corretaje de Seguros C.A., Aon Risk Solutions (Cayman) Ltd., Aon Risk Solutions Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas SA de CV, Aon Risk Solutions of Puerto Rico Inc., Aon Riskminder A/S, Aon Romania Broker de Asigurare - Reasigurare SRL, Aon Rus Insurance Brokers LLC, Aon Rus LLC, Aon S.p.A. Insurance & Reinsurance Brokers, Aon Saver Limited, Aon Securities (Hong Kong) Limited, Aon Securities Investment Management Inc., Aon Securities LLC, Aon Securities Limited, Aon Service Corporation, Aon Services (Guernsey) Ltd, Aon Services (Malta) Ltd, Aon Services Group Inc., Aon Services Hong Kong Limited, Aon Services Pty Ltd., Aon Sigorta ve Reasurans Brokerligi ve A.S., Aon Soluciones S.A., Aon Soluciones S.A.C., Aon Southern Europe UK Limited, Aon Sp. z o.o., Aon Special Risk Resources Inc., Aon Superannuation (PNG) Limited, Aon Superannuation Pty Limited, Aon TC Holdings Inc., Aon Taiwan Ltd., Aon Treasury Ireland Limited, Aon Trust Company LLC, Aon Trust Corporation Limited, Aon Trust Services B.V., Aon UK Group Limited, Aon UK Holdings Intermediaries Limited, Aon UK Limited, Aon UK Trustees Limited, Aon US & International Holdings Limited, Aon US Holdings 2 Inc., Aon US Holdings Inc., Aon Ukraine LLC, Aon Underwriting Agencies (HK) Limited, Aon Underwriting Managers (Bermuda) Ltd., Aon Underwriting Managers Inc., Aon Versicherungsberatungs GmbH, Aon Versicherungsmakler Deutschland GmbH, Aon Vietnam Limited, Aon Ward Financial Corporation, Aon-COFCO Insurance Brokers Co. Ltd., Aon/Albert G. Ruben Insurance Services Inc., Asevasa Argentina S.A., Asevasa Caricam S.A., Asevasa Chile Peritaciones e Ingenieria de Riesgos S.A., Asevasa Mexico S.A. de C.V., Asevasa Panama S.A., Asian Reinsurance Underwriters Limited, Asscom Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Association of Rural and Small Town Americans, Associacao Instituto Aon, Assurance Licensing Services Inc., B E P International Corp., B.V. Assurantiekantoor Langeveldt-Schroder, BMS Insurance Agency L.L.C., Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships (Ireland) Limited, Bacon & Woodrow Partnerships Limited, Bain Hogg Group Limited (in liquidation), Baltolink UADBB, Bankassure Insurance Services Limited, Bayfair Insurance Centre Limited, Beaubien Finance Ireland Limited, Beaubien Finance Limited, Beaubien UK Finance Limited, Becketts (Trustees) Limited, Becketts Limited, Beech Hill Pension Trustees Ltd, Bekouw Mendes C.V., Benefit Marketing Solutions L.L.C., Benfield Advisory Inc., Benfield Corredores de Reaseguro Ltda., Benfield Finance (London) LLC, Benfield Group, Benfield Investment Holdings Limited, Benfield Juniperus Holdings Limited, Benfield do Brasil Participacoes Ltda. (dormant), Benton Finance Ireland Limited, Benton Finance Limited, Blanch Americas Inc., Bowes & Company Inc. of New York, CEREP III Secondary Manager LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners I LLC, CFSSG Real Estate Partners II LLC, CIF-H GP LLC, Cammack Health LLC, Cananwill Corporation, Cananwill Inc., Cardea Health Solutions Limited, Casablanca Intermediation Company Sarl, Celinvest Amsterdam B.V., Chapka Assurances SAS, Citadel Insurance Managers Inc., CoCubes, CoSec 2000 Limited, Coalition for Benefits Equality and Choice, Cocubes Technologies Private Limited, Coles Hewitt Partnership, Contingency Insurance Brokers Limited, Contractsure Limited, CoverWallet, Coverall S.r.l. Insurance and Reinsurance Underwriting Agency, Credit Insurance Brokers (Reynolds) Limited, Crion N.V., Custom Benefit Programs Inc., Cut-e, Cut-e (UK) Limited, Cut-e Assessment (Hong Kong) Limited, Cut-e Assessment Solutions Europe Limited, Cut-e Australia Pty Limited, Cut-e Consult DMCC, Cut-e Danmark A/S, Cut-e Finland Oy, Cut-e GmbH, Cut-e Ireland Limited, Cut-e Nordic AS, Cut-e Norge AS, Cytelligence, Delany Bacon & Woodrow Partnership, Dempsey Partners, Denney O'Hara (Life & Pensions) Limited, Doveland Services Limited, E. W. Blanch Holdings Limited, E. W. Blanch Investments Limited, E.W. Blanch Capital Risk Solutions Inc., E.W. Blanch International Inc., EW Blanch Limited, Elysium Digital IP Products LLC, Elysium Digital L.L.C., Ennis Knupp Secondary Market Services LLC, Essar Insurance Services Limited, Exploitatiemaatschappij Beukenlaan 68-72 B.V., Farmaseg - Solucoes Assistencia e Servicos Empresariais Ltda., Farmsure Limited [In strike-off], Finaccord Limited, Financial & Professional Risk Solutions Inc., Futurity Group Inc., GTCR/AAM Blocker Corp., Ge.f.it. S.r.l., Gefass S.r.l., Glenrand M I B (Mocambique) Corretores de Seguros Limitada, Global Safe Insurance Brokers S.r.l., Globe Events Management, Gotham Digital Science LLC, Gotham Digital Science Ltd., Grant Liddell Financial Advisor Services Pty Ltd, Grant Park Capital LLC, Groupe-Conseil Aon Inc., Grupo Innovac Sociedad de Correduria de Seguros SA, HIA Insurance Services Pty Ltd., Hall Rhodes Holdings Limited, Hall Rhodes Limited, Hamburger Gesellschaft zur Forderung des Versicherungswesens mbH, Harbourview West Lake Co-Invest (GP) LP, Health Index Advisors LLC, Healthy Paws Pet Insurance, Henderson Corporate Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Brokers Limited, Henderson Insurance Partnership Limited [In strike-off], Henderson Risk Management Limited, Hewitt Amalco 3 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 4 ULC, Hewitt Amalco 5 ULC, Hewitt Associates (a partnership), Hewitt Associates Administradora e Corretora de Seguros Ltda., Hewitt Associates Corp., Hewitt Associates Outsourcing Limited, Hewitt Associates Pty Ltd, Hewitt Associates S.C., Hewitt Associates SAS, Hewitt Associates Servicos de Recursos Humanos Ltda., Hewitt Beneficios Agente de Seguros y de Fianzas S.A. de C.V., Hewitt Holdings Canada Company, Hewitt Insurance Brokerage LLC, Hewitt Insurance Inc., Hewitt International Holdings LLC, Hewitt Management Ltd., Hewitt Risk Management Services Limited, Hewitt Western Management Amalco Inc., Hogg Group Limited, Hogg Robinson North America Inc., Huntington T. Block Insurance Agency Inc., I. Beck Insurance Agency (1994) Ltd., IAO Actuarial Consulting Services Canada Inc., INPOINT INC., IRM/GRC Holding Inc., Impact Forecasting L.L.C., Inspiring Benefits, Inspiring Benefits Portugal Unipessoal Lda, Insuractive Limited [In strike-off], Insurance Broker Aon Kazakhstan LLP, International Risk Management (Americas) Inc., International Risk Management Group Ltd, International Space Brokers Europe Limited, International Space Brokers France, International Space Brokers Inc., International Space Brokers Limited, Inversiones Benfield Chile Ltda., J H Minet Puerto Rico Inc., J. Allan Brown Consultants Inc., JDPT Manager LLC, Jenner Fenton Slade Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Credit Insurance) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Insurances) Limited, John Reynolds & Company (Life & Pensions) Limited, Johnson Rooney Welch Inc., K & K Insurance Brokers Inc. Canada, K & K Insurance Group Inc., K & K Insurance Group of Florida Inc., K2 Technologies Inc., KVT GP LLC, Kloud S.a.r.l., Krumlin Hall Limited, Lake Erie Real Estate General Partner Limited, Lake Tahoe GP LLC, Lake Tahoe II GP LLC, Lake Tahoe III GP LLC, Lake Tahoe IV GP LLC, Lenzi Paolo Broker di Assicurazioni S.r.l., Lincolnshire Insurance Company PCC Limited, Linx Underwriting Solutions Inc., Lombard Trustee Company Limited, M.A. Shakeel Management Ltd. Amalco, MacDonagh Boland Crotty MacRedmond Ltd, Marinaro Dundas S.A., Marinaro Dundas SA, Mark Kelly Insurance and Financial Services PTY LTD, McLagan (Aon) Limited, McLagan Partners Asia Inc., McLagan Partners Inc., Membership Leasing Trust, Minet Consultancy Services Ltd, Minet Group, Minet Holdings Inc., Minet Inc., Minet Re North America Inc., Modern Survey Inc., Muirfield Underwriters Ltd., NBS Nominees Limited, National Insurance Office Ltd., Nauman Insurance Brokers Limited, Nexus Insurance Brokers Limited, One Underwriting Agency GmbH, One Underwriting B.V., One Underwriting Health B.V., One Underwriting Pty Ltd, Optica Agency A/S, Optimum Risk Solutions Limited, Ovatio Courtage SAS, P.G. Bradley & Co Limited, PGOF Manager 1 LLC, PRORUCK Ruckversicherungs Aktiengesellschaft, PT Aon Benfield Indonesia, PT Aon Hewitt Indonesia, PT Aon Indonesia, PWZ AG, Paragon Strategic Solutions Inc., PathWise Solutions LLC, Penn Square Manager 1 LLC, Penn Square Manager II LLC, Portus Consulting, Portus Consulting (Leamington) Limited, Portus Consulting Limited, Portus Online LLP, Praesidium S.p.A. - Soluzioni Assicurative per il Management, Premier Auto Finance Inc., Private Client Trustees Ltd., Private Equity Partnership Structures I LLC, Probabilitas N.V./SA, Protective Marketing Enterprises Inc., Randolph Finance Unlimited Company, Rasini Vigano Limited, Redwoods Dental Underwriters Inc., Richard Kiddle (Insurance Brokers) Limited, Risk Laboratories LLC, Riskikonsultatsioonide OU, Ronnie Elementary Insurance Agency Ltd, SA Special Situations General Partner LLC, SG IFFOXX Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, SLE Worldwide Limited, SN Re S.A., Salud Riesgos y Recursos Humanos Consultores Ltda. (former Aon Corporte Advisors Ltda.), SchneiderGolling IFFOXX Assekuranzmakler AG, SchneiderGolling Industrie Assekuranzmaklergesellschaft mbH, Scritch Inc., Shanghai Kayi Information Technology Co. Ltd, Sheppard Netherlands B.V., Specialty Benefits Inc., Sports Insure Limited [In strike-off], Strategic Manager-III LLC, Stroz Friedberg (Asia) Limited, Stroz Friedberg Inc., Stroz Friedberg LLC, Stroz Friedberg Limited, Stroz Friedberg Risk Management Limited, Superannuation Management Nominees Limited, Suresport Limited [In strike-off], Swire Blanch MSTC II SA, Swire Blanch MSTC SA, TTG BRPTP GP LLC, TTG Cayuga Bavaria Intermediate 2 S.a.r.l, TTG Core Plus Investments LLC, TTG German Investments I LLC, TTG Investments II LLC, TTG Irish Investments I LLC, TTG Manager LLC, Tecsefin S.A. en liquidacion, The Aon Ireland Mastertrustee Limited, The Aon MasterTrustee Limited, The John Reynolds Company Limited, The Key West Saxon Group LLC, The Townsend Group Inc, The Townsend Group LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager I LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager II LLC, Townsend Alpha Manager III LLC, Townsend Group Asia Limited, Townsend Group Europe Ltd., Townsend HWL GP Ltd., Townsend Holdings LLC, Townsend Lake Constance GP Limited, Townsend REF GP LLC, Townsend Re Global GP Limited, Townsend SO Manager I LLC, UAB One Underwriting, UADBB Aon Baltic, UK Credit Insurance Specialists Limited, UNIT Versicherungsmakler GmbH, US Underwriting Solutions S.r.l., USLP Underwriting Solutions LP, Underwriters Marine Services Inc., Unidelta AG, Unirobe Meeus Groep, UnitedPensions Deutschland AG, Univers Workplace Solutions, VERO Management AG, Ventiv Technology, WT Government Services LLC, WT Technologies LLC, Wannet Speciale Verzekeringen B.V., Wannet Sports Insurance GmbH, Ward Financial Group Inc., West Lake General Partner LLC, West Lake II GP LLC, Wexford Underwriting Managers Inc., White Rock Insurance (Americas) Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Europe) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Gibraltar) PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance (Guernsey) ICC Limited, White Rock Insurance (Netherlands) PCC Limited, White Rock Insurance (SAC) Ltd., White Rock Insurance Company PCC Ltd., White Rock Insurance PCC (Isle of Man) Limited, White Rock Services (Bermuda) Ltd., White Rock USA Ltd., Willis Towers Watson, Worldwide Integrated Services Company, Wrapid Specialty Inc., Zalba-Caldu Correduria de Seguros SA, and cut-e USA Inc..
The following companies are subsidiares of American International Group: AGC Life Insurance Company, AIG APAC HOLDINGS PTE. LTD., AIG Advisors S.r.l., AIG Aerospace Insurance Services Inc., AIG Asia Pacific Insurance Pte. Ltd., AIG Asset Management (Europe) Limited, AIG Asset Management (U.S.) LLC, AIG Assurance Company, AIG Australia Limited, AIG Brazil Holding I LLC, AIG CIS Investments LLC, AIG Canada Holdings Inc., AIG Capital Corporation, AIG Capital Services Inc., AIG Claims Inc., AIG Egypt Insurance Company S.A.E., AIG Employee Services Inc., AIG Europe (Services) Limited, AIG Europe Holdings S.a.rl., AIG Europe S.A., AIG Federal Savings Bank, AIG Financial Products Corp., AIG General Insurance Co. Ltd., AIG Global Asset Management Holdings Corp., AIG Global Real Estate Investment Corp., AIG Global Reinsurance Operations, AIG Holdings Europe Limited, AIG Insurance (Thailand) Public Company Limited, AIG Insurance Company China Limited, AIG Insurance Company JSC, AIG Insurance Company of Canada, AIG Insurance Company-Puerto Rico, AIG Insurance Hong Kong Limited, AIG Insurance Limited, AIG Insurance Management Services Inc., AIG Insurance New Zealand Limited, AIG International Holdings GmbH, AIG Investments UK Limited, AIG Israel Insurance Company Ltd, AIG Japan Holdings Kabushiki Kaisha, AIG Kenya Insurance Company Limited, AIG Korea Inc., AIG Latin America I.I., AIG Latin America Investments S.L., AIG Lebanon SAL, AIG Life Holdings Inc., AIG Life Insurance Company (Switzerland) Ltd, AIG Life Limited, AIG Life South Africa Limited, AIG Life of Bermuda Ltd., AIG MEA Holdings Limited, AIG MEA Limited, AIG Malaysia Insurance Berhad, AIG Markets Inc., AIG Matched Funding Corp., AIG PC Global Services Inc., AIG Philippines Insurance Inc., AIG Property Casualty Company, AIG Property Casualty Inc., AIG Property Casualty International LLC, AIG Property Casualty U.S. Inc., AIG Re-Takaful (L) Berhad, AIG Resseguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Brasil S.A., AIG Seguros Mexico S.A. de C.V., AIG Shared Services Corporation, AIG South Africa Limited, AIG Specialty Insurance Company, AIG Technologies Inc., AIG Travel Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., AIG Travel Assist Inc., AIG Travel Assist Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., AIG Travel EMEA Limited, AIG Travel Inc., AIG Uganda Limited, AIG Vietnam Insurance Company Limited, AIG WarrantyGuard Inc., AIG-FP Pinestead Holdings Corp., AIG-Metropolitana Cia. de Seguros y Reaseguros S.A., AIGGRE EOLA LLC, AIGGRE Europe Real Estate Fund I GP S.a r.l., AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I GP LLC, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund I LP, AIGGRE U.S. Real Estate Fund II GP LLC, AIU Insurance Company, AM Holdings LLC, Ageas Protect, AlphaCat Managers Ltd., American General Corporation, American General Life Insurance Company, American Home Assurance Co. Ltd., American Home Assurance Company, American Home Assurance Company Escritorio de Representacao no Brasil Ltda., American International Group Inc., American International Group UK Limited, American International Overseas Association, American International Overseas Limited, American International Realty Corp., American International Reinsurance Company Ltd., American International Underwriters del Ecuador-Holding S.A., American Security Life Insurance Company Limited, Arthur J. Glatfelter Agency Inc., Avondhu Limited, Blackboard Customer Care Insurance Services LLC, Blackboard Insurance Company, Blackboard Services LLC, Blackboard Specialty Insurance Company, Blackboard U.S. Holdings Inc., Chartis Takaful Enaya B.S.C. (c), Commerce and Industry Insurance Company, Crop Risk Services Inc., Eaglestone Reinsurance Company, Ellipse, Fortitude Group Holdings LLC, Fortitude Life & Annuity Solutions Inc., Fortitude Reinsurance Company Ltd., Franklin Life Insurance Company, Fuji Fire and Marine, Glatfelter Insurance Group, Globe and Rutgers Insurance Group, Grand Isle SAC Limited, Granite State Insurance Company, Group Risk Services Limited, Group Risk Technologies Limited, Illinois National Insurance Co., Jefferson Eola Venture LLC, Johannesburg Insurance Holdings (Proprietary) Limited, Laya Healthcare Limited, Lexington Insurance Company, MG Reinsurance Limited, Mt. Mansfield Company Inc., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Pittsburgh Pa., National Union Fire Insurance Company of Vermont, New Hampshire Insurance Company, PT AIG Insurance Indonesia, Pine Street Real Estate Holdings Corp., Private Joint-Stock Company AIG Ukraine Insurance Company, Risk Specialists Companies Insurance Agency Inc., SA Affordable Housing LLC, SAFG Retirement Services Inc., Service Net Warranty LLC, Stratford Insurance Company, SunAmerica Affordable Housing Partners Inc., SunAmerica Asset Management LLC, Talbot Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Holdings Ltd., Talbot Underwriting Ltd., Thai CIT Holding Company Limited, The Insurance Company of the State of Pennsylvania, The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York, The Variable Annuity Life Insurance Company, Travel Guard, Travel Guard Group Canada Inc./Groupe Garde Voyage du Canada Inc., Travel Guard Group Inc., Tudor Insurance Company, VALIC Financial Advisors Inc., Valic Retirement Services Company, Validus Holdings, Validus Holdings (UK) Ltd., Validus Holdings Ltd., Validus Reinsurance (Switzerland) Ltd, Validus Reinsurance Ltd., Validus Ventures Ltd., Volunteer Firemen's Insurance Services Inc., Western World Insurance Company, and Western World Insurance Group Inc..
There is not enough analysis data for Barratt Developments.

4.9 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Barratt Developments has received 65 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Barratt Developments has received 23 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment Barratt Developments has received 73.86% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Barratt Developments and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BTDPF will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BTDPF will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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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

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BT Group plc provides communications services worldwide. Its Consumer segment sells telephones, baby monitors, and Wi-Fi extenders through high street retailers, online BT Shop, and Website BT.com; and offers home phone, copper and fiber broadband, TV, and mobile services in various packages. The company's EE segment offers 2G, 3G, and 4G mobile network services; broadband, fixed-voice, and TV services; and postpaid and prepaid plans, and emergency services network. This segment also sells 4G mobile phones, tablets, connected devices, and mobile broadband devices from various manufacturers. Its Business and Public Sector segment provides fixed voice, mobility, fiber and connectivity, and networked IT services to retailers, utilities, public sector, healthcare, sports, construction, finance, and educational sectors. The company's Global Services segment offers business communications and ICT services comprising BT Connect, BT Security, BT One, BT Contact, BT Compute, BT Advise, and BT for financial markets. This segment serves approximately 5,500 customers in 180 countries. Its Wholesale and Ventures segment enables communications providers and other organizations to provide fixed or mobile phone services. Its ventures provide mass-market services, such as directory enquiries and payphones; and enterprise services comprising BT Fleet and BT Redcare. This segment also provides broadband and Ethernet, voice, hosted communication, mobile virtual network operator, managed solutions, machine-to-machine, roaming, and media services. The company's Openreach segment engages in the provision of services over the local access network; and installation and maintenance of fiber and copper communications networks that connect homes and businesses. The company was formerly known as Newgate Telecommunications Limited and changed its name to BT Group plc in September 2001. BT Group plc was incorporated in 2001 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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Canadian Life Companies Split Corp. is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Quadravest Capital Management Inc. It invests in the public equity markets of Canada. The fund seeks to invest in stocks of companies operating in the life insurance sector. It primarily invests in stocks of four publicly traded life insurance companies namely Great-West Lifeco Inc., Industrial Alliance Insurance and Financial Services Inc., Manulife Financial Corporation, and Sun Life Financial Inc. The fund employs fundamental analysis with a focus on such factors as a firm's earning history, relative price-earnings multiple, cash flow, dividend yield, market position, and growth prospects to create its portfolio. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the S&P TSX Financial Index. Canadian Life Companies Split Corp. was formed on April 18, 2005 and is domiciled in Canada.

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GAIN Capital Holdings, Inc., together with its subsidiary, provides trading services and solutions to retail, institutional, and futures service customers worldwide. The company operates in two segments, Retail and Futures. It specializes in over-the-counter (OTC) and exchange-traded markets. The company offers access to a range of financial products, including spot foreign exchange (forex) and precious metals trading; and spread bets and contracts for differences on currencies, commodities, indices, individual equities, bonds, options, and interest rate products, as well as OTC options on forex. It provides services to retail customers through FOREX.com and Cityindex.com, as well as through brokers and white label partners. The company offers execution and risk management services for exchange-traded futures and futures options on the United States and European futures and options exchanges; and online trading services. GAIN Capital Holdings, Inc. was founded in 1999 and is headquartered in Bedminster, New Jersey.

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There is not enough analysis data for Connemara Mining.

1.5 Community Rank

Outperform Votes Connemara Mining has received 13 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes Connemara Mining has received 46 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment Connemara Mining has received 77.97% underperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about Connemara Mining and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe CON will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe CON will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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Domtar Corporation designs, manufactures, markets, and distributes communication papers, specialty and packaging papers, and absorbent hygiene products in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, and internationally. It operates through two segments, Pulp and Paper, and Personal Care. The company provides business papers, including copy and electronic imaging papers used in inkjet and laser printers, photocopiers, and plain-paper fax machines, as well as computer papers, preprinted forms, and digital papers for office and home use. It also offers commercial printing and publishing papers, such as offset papers and opaques used in sheet and roll fed offset presses; publishing papers, which include tradebook and lightweight uncoated papers for publishing textbooks, dictionaries, catalogs, magazines, hard cover novels, and financial documents; and converting papers for envelopes, tablets, business forms, and data processing/computer forms. In addition, the company provides papers for thermal printing, flexible packaging, food packaging, medical packaging, medical gowns and drapes, sandpaper backing, carbonless printing, labels and other coating, and laminating applications; and papers for industrial and specialty applications, such as carrier papers, treated papers, security papers, and specialized printing and converting applications. Further, it offers absorbent hygiene products, including absorbent briefs, protective underwear, underpads, pads, washcloths, and body patches under the Attends, Indasec, IndasSlip, and Reassure brands; and baby diapers, training and youth pants, and bed mats under the Comfees, Chelino, Nene, and Bambino brand names. The company serves merchants, retail outlets, stationers, printers, publishers, converters, and end-users. Domtar Corporation was founded in 1848 and is based in Fort Mill, South Carolina.

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Eaton Vance Tax-Managed Global Buy-Write Opportunities Fund is a closed-end management investment company with objective of providing current income and gains, with a secondary objective of capital appreciation. It invests in a diversified portfolio of common stocks and writes call options on one or more United States and foreign indices on a substantial portion of the value of its common stock portfolio to generate current earnings from the option premium. The company was founded on March 30, 2005 and is headquartered in Boston, MA.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Exxon Mobil: AKG Marketing Company Limited, Aera Energy LLC, Al-Jubail Petrochemical Company, Ampolex (Cepu) Pte Ltd, Ancon Insurance Company Inc., Barnett Gathering LLC, Barzan Gas Company Limited, Caspian Pipeline Consortium, Celtic Exploration Ltd., Coral FLNG S.A., Cross Timbers Energy LLC, Ellora Energy Inc., Esmeroon Oil Transporta Imperial Oil Limited, Esso (Thailand) Public Company Limited, Esso Australia Resources Pty Ltd, Esso Deutschland GmbH, Esso Erdgas Beteiligungsgesellschaft mbH, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 15) Limited, Esso Exploration Angola (Block 17) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Angola (Overseas) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Chad Inc., Esso Exploration and Production Guyana Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Deepwater) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria (Offshore East) Limited, Esso Exploration and Production Nigeria Limited, Esso Exploration and Production UK Limited, Esso Global Investments Ltd., Esso Italiana S.r.l., Esso Nederland B.V., Esso Norge AS, Esso Petroleum Company Limited, Esso Raffinage, Esso Societe Anonyme Francaise, Exxo Holdings Inc., Exxon Azerbaijan Limited, Exxon Chemical Arabia Inc., Exxon International Finance Company, Exxon Luxembourg Holdings LLC, Exxon Mobile Bay Limited Partnership, Exxon Neftegas Limited, Exxon Overseas Corporation, Exxon Overseas Investment Corporation, ExxonMobil (China) Investment Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil (Taicang) Petroleum Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil Abu Dhabi Offshore Petroleum Company Limited, ExxonMobil Alaska Production Inc., ExxonMobil Asia Pacific Pte. Ltd., ExxonMobil Australia Pty Ltd, ExxonMobil B Resources Company, ExxonMobil Capital Finance Company, ExxonMobil Capital Netherlands B.V., ExxonMobil Central Europe Holding GmbH, ExxonMobil Cepu Limited, ExxonMobil Chemical France, ExxonMobil Chemical Gulf Coast Investments LLC, ExxonMobil Chemical Holland B.V., ExxonMobil Chemical Services (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., ExxonMobil China Petroleum & Petrochemical Company Limited, ExxonMobil Development Africa B.V., ExxonMobil Development Company, ExxonMobil Egypt (S.A.E.), ExxonMobil Exploracao Brasil Ltda., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Malaysia Inc., ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Norway AS, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Romania Limited, ExxonMobil Exploration and Production Tanzania Limited, ExxonMobil Finance Company Limited, ExxonMobil Financial Investment Company Limited, ExxonMobil France Holding SAS, ExxonMobil Gas Marketing Europe Limited, ExxonMobil General Finance Company, ExxonMobil Global Services Company, ExxonMobil Golden Pass Surety LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Company Holland LLC, ExxonMobil Holding Norway AS, ExxonMobil Hong Kong Limited, ExxonMobil International Services SARL, ExxonMobil Iraq Limited, ExxonMobil Italiana Gas S.r.l., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Inc., ExxonMobil Kazakhstan Ventures Inc., ExxonMobil LNG Services B.V., ExxonMobil Lubricants Trading Company, ExxonMobil Oil Corporation, ExxonMobil PNG Limited, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical BVBA, ExxonMobil Petroleum & Chemical Holdings Inc., ExxonMobil Pipeline Company, ExxonMobil Production Deutschland GmbH, ExxonMobil Production Norway Inc., ExxonMobil Qatargas (II) Limited, ExxonMobil Qatargas Inc., ExxonMobil Ras Laffan (III) Limited, ExxonMobil Rasgas Inc., ExxonMobil Research and Engineering Company, ExxonMobil Russia Kara Sea Holdings B.V., ExxonMobil Sales and Supply LLC, ExxonMobil Technology Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Finance Company, ExxonMobil Ventures Funding Ltd., Fujian Refining & Petrochemical Co. Ltd., Golden Pass LNG Terminal Investments LLC, Golden Pass LNG Terminal LLC, Gulf Coast Growth Ventures LLC, Imperial Oil Limited, Imperial Oil Resources Limited, Imperial Oil Resources N.W.T. Limited, Imperial Oil/Petroliere Imperiale, Infineum Italia s.r.I., Infineum Singapore Pte. Ltd., InterOil Corporation, Jurong Aromatics Corporation Pte Ltd, MPM Lubricants, Marine Well Containment Company LLC, Mobil Australia Resources Company Pty Limited, Mobil California Exploration & Producing Asset Company, Mobil Caspian Pipeline Company, Mobil Chemical Products International Inc., Mobil Corporation, Mobil Equatorial Guinea Inc., Mobil Erdgas Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Mobil Exploration & Producing Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil International Petroleum Corporation, Mobil Oil Australia Pty Ltd, Mobil Oil Exploration & Producing Southeast Inc., Mobil Oil New Zealand Limited, Mobil Producing Nigeria Unlimited, Mobil Producing Texas & New Mexico Inc., Mobil SerLimited, Mobil Venezolana De Petroleos Inc., Mobil Yanbu Petrochemical Company Inc., Mobil Yanbu Refining Company Inc., Mountain Gathering LLC, Mozambique Rovuma Venture S.p.A., Palmetto Transoceanic LLC, Papua New Guinea Liquefied Natural Gas Global Company LDC, Permian Express Partners LLC, Phillips Exploration LLC, Qatar Liquefied Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited, Ras Laffan Liquefied Natural Gas Company Limited (II), SPI Limited, Saudi Aramco Mobil Refinery Company Ltd., Saudi Yanbu Petrochemical Co., SeaRiver Maritime Inc., South Hook LNG Terminal Company Limited, Tengizchevroil LLP, Terminale GNL Adriatico S.r.l, Trend Gathering & Treating LLC, Wolverine Pipe Line Company, XH LLC, XTO Delaware Basin LLC, XTO ENERGY, XTO Energy Canada, and XTO Holdings LLC.
GlaxoSmithKline Plc is a healthcare company, which engages in the research, development, and manufacture of pharmaceutical medicines, vaccines, and consumer healthcare products. It operates through the following segments: Pharmaceuticals; Pharmaceuticals R&D; Vaccines and Consumer Healthcare. The Pharmaceuticals segment focuses on developing medicines in respiratory and infectious diseases, oncology, and immuno-inflammation. The Pharmaceuticals R&D segment focuses on science related to the immune system, the use of human genetics and advanced technologies, and is driven by the multiplier effect of Science x Technology x Culture. The Vaccines segment produces pediatric and adult vaccines to prevent a range of infectious diseases including, hepatitis A and B, diphtheria, tetanus and whooping cough, measles, mumps and rubella, polio, typhoid, influenza, and bacterial meningitis. The Consumer Healthcare segment develops and markets brands in the oral health, pain relief, respiratory, nutrition and gastro intestinal, and skin health categories. The company was founded in 1715 and is headquartered in Middlesex, the United Kingdom.

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iShares Russell 1000 Value ETF's stock was trading at $108.64 on March 11th, 2020 when Coronavirus reached pandemic status according to the World Health Organization. Since then, IWD shares have increased by 49.0% and is now trading at $161.91.

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HFF, Inc. provides commercial real estate and capital market services to the consumers and providers of capital in the commercial real estate industry in the United States. The company offers debt placement services, such as construction and construction/mini-permanent loans, adjustable and fixed rate mortgages, bridge loans, entity level and mezzanine debts, forward delivery loans, and tax exempt and sale/leaseback financing to the owners of various properties comprising office, retail, industrial, hotel, multi-housing, student housing, self-storage, nursing homes, condominiums and condominium conversions, mixed-use properties, and land, as well as senior, independent, and assisted living facilities. It also provides investment advisory services to commercial real estate owners; and equity placement, as well as assists clients in the sale of their commercial real estate debt note portfolios. In addition, the company offers private equity, investment banking, and advisory services, including equity capital to establish joint ventures relating to identified properties or properties to be acquired by a fund sponsor; structured finance; institutional marketing and fund-raising services for public and private commercial real estate fund sponsors; advisory services for mergers and acquisitions, sales and divestitures, management buyouts, and recapitalizations and restructurings; and private placements of preferred securities. Further, it provides loan sales and commercial loan servicing to life insurance companies. The company was founded in 1982 and is based in Dallas, Texas.

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Manulife Financial Corporation, together with its subsidiaries, provides financial products and services in Asia, Canada, the United States, and internationally. The company operates through Wealth and Asset Management Businesses; Insurance and Annuity Products; And Corporate and Other segments. The Wealth and Asset Management Businesses segment provides mutual funds and exchange-traded funds, group retirement and savings products, and institutional asset management services through agents and brokers affiliated with the company, securities brokerage firms, and financial advisors pension plan consultants and banks. The Insurance and Annuity Products segment offers deposit and credit products; individual life, and individual and group long-term care insurance; and guaranteed and partially guaranteed annuity products through insurance agents, brokers, banks, financial planners, and direct marketing. The Corporate and Other segment is involved in property and casualty insurance and reinsurance businesses; and run-off reinsurance operations, including variable annuities, and accident and health. It also manages timberland and agricultural portfolios; and engages in insurance agency, portfolio and mutual fund management, mutual fund dealer, life and financial reinsurance, and fund management businesses. Additionally, the company holds and manages oil and gas properties; holds oil and gas royalties, and foreign bonds and equities; and provides investment management, counseling, advisory, and dealer services. Manulife Financial Corporation was incorporated in 1887 and is headquartered in Toronto, Canada.

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Imperial Oil Limited explores for, produces, and sells crude oil and natural gas in Canada. It operates through three segments: Upstream, Downstream, and Chemical. The Upstream segment explores for and produces crude oil, natural gas, synthetic oil, and bitumen. As of December 31, 2020, this segment had 138 million oil-equivalent barrels of proved undeveloped reserves. The Downstream segment is involved in the transportation and refining of crude oil, as well as blending, distribution, and marketing of refined products. It also transports crude oil to refineries by contracted pipelines, common carrier pipelines, and rail; maintains a distribution system to move petroleum products to market by pipeline, tanker, rail, and road transport; and owns and operates fuel terminals, natural gas liquids, and products pipelines in Alberta, Manitoba, and Ontario. In addition, this segment markets and supplies petroleum products to motoring public through approximately 2,400 Esso and Mobil-branded sites. Further, it sells petroleum products, including fuel, asphalt, and lubricants for industrial and transportation customers, independent marketers, and resellers, as well as other refiners serving the agriculture, residential heating, and commercial markets through branded fuel and lubricant resellers. The Chemical segment manufactures and markets various petrochemicals and polyethylene, such as benzene, aromatic, and aliphatic solvents; plasticizer intermediates; and polyethylene resins. The company was incorporation in 1880 and is headquartered in Calgary, Canada. Imperial Oil Limited is a subsidiary of Exxon Mobil Corporation.

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Temple Bar Investment Trust PLC is a closed-ended equity mutual fund launched and managed by Ninety One Fund Managers UK Limited. It is co-managed by Ninety One UK Limited. The fund invests in the public equity markets of the United Kingdom. It seeks to invests in stocks of companies operating across diversified sectors. The fund primarily invests in stocks of companies across all market capitalizations, which are constituents of the FTSE 350 Index. It benchmarks the performance of its portfolio against the FTSE All-Share Index. Temple Bar Investment Trust PLC was formed in 1926 and is domiciled in the United Kingdom.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Carnival Co. &: 1972 Productions Inc., 6348 Equipment LLC, A.C.N. 098 290 834 Pty. Ltd., A.J. Juneau Dock LLC, AIDA Kundencenter GmbH, Adventure Island Ltd., Air-Sea Holiday GmbH, Alaska Hotel Properties LLC, Barcelona Cruise Terminal SLU, Bay Island Cruise Port S.A., Belize Cruise Terminal Limited, CC U.S. Ventures Inc., CCL Gifts LLC, CSSC Carnival Italy Cruise Investment S.r.L, Carnival (UK) Limited, Carnival Bahamas FC Limited, Carnival Bahamas Holdings Limited, Carnival Corporation & plc Asia Pte. Ltd., Carnival Corporation Hong Kong Limited, Carnival Corporation Korea Ltd., Carnival Corporation Ports Group Japan KK, Carnival Finance LLC, Carnival Grand Bahama Investment Limited, Carnival Investments Limited, Carnival Japan Inc., Carnival License Holdings Limited, Carnival Maritime GmbH, Carnival North America LLC, Carnival Port Holdings Limited, Carnival Ports Inc., Carnival Support Services India Private Limited, Carnival Technical Services (UK) Limited, Carnival Technical Services Finland Limited, Carnival Technical Services GmbH, Carnival Technical Services Inc., Carnival Vanuatu Limited, Costa Crociere PTE Ltd., Costa Crociere S.p.A., Costa Cruceros S.A., Costa Cruise Lines Inc., Costa Cruise Lines UK Limited, Costa Cruises Shipping Services (Shanghai) Company Limited, Costa Cruises Travel Agency (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Costa Cruzeiros Agencia Maritima e Turismo Ltda., Costa Group Digital & Strategic Services GmbH, Costa International B.V., Costa Kreuzfahrten GmbH, Cozumel Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Creative Travel Lab Ltd., Cruise Ships Catering & Services International N.V., Cruise Terminal Services S.A. de C.V., Cruiseport Curacao C.V., D.R. Cruise Port Ltd., Ecospray Technologies S.r.L., F.P.M. SAS, F.P.P. SAS, Fleet Maritime Services (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services Holdings (Bermuda) Limited, Fleet Maritime Services International Limited, GXI LLC, Gibs Inc., Global Experience Innovators Inc., Global Fine Arts Inc., Global Shipping Service (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Grand Cruise Shipping Unipessoal LdA, Grand Turk Cruise Center Ltd., HAL Antillen N.V., HAL Beheer B.V., HAL Cruises Limited, HAL Maritime Ltd., HAL Nederland N.V., HAL Properties Limited, HAL Services B.V., HSE Hamburg School of Entertainment GmbH, Holding Division Iberocruceros SLU, Holland America Line Inc., Holland America Line N.V., Holland America Line Paymaster of Washington LLC, Holland America Line U.S.A. Inc., Ibero Cruzeiros Ltda., Iberocruceros SLU, Information Assistance Corporation, International Cruise Services S.A. de C.V., International Leisure Travel Inc., International Maritime Recruitment Agency S.A. de C.V., Milestone N.V., Navitrans S.R.L., Ocean Bahamas Innovation Ltd., Ocean Medallion Fulfillment Ltd., Operadora Catalina S.r.L., P&O Princess American Holdings, P&O Princess Cruises International Limited, P&O Princess Cruises Pension Trustee Limited, P&O Properties (California) Inc., P&O Travel Limited, Prestige Cruises Management S.A.M., Prestige Cruises N.V., Princess Bermuda Holdings Ltd., Princess Cays Ltd., Princess Cruise Corporation Inc., Princess Cruise Lines Ltd., Princess Cruises and Tours Inc., Princess U.S. Holdings Inc., RCT Maintenance & Related Services S.A., RCT Pilots & Related Services S.A., RCT Security & Related Services S.A., Roatan Cruise Terminal S.A. de C.V., Royal Hyway Tours Inc., Santa Cruz Terminal S.L., SeaVacations Limited, SeaVacations UK Limited, Seabourn Cruise Line Limited, Shanghai Coast Cruise Consulting Co. Lda, Ship Care (Bahamas) Limited, Sitmar Cruises Inc., Spanish Cruise Services N.V., Sunshine Shipping Corporation Ltd., T&T International Inc., Tour Alaska LLC, Transnational Services Corporation, Trident Insurance Company Ltd., Westmark Hotels Inc., Westmark Hotels of Canada Ltd., Westours Motor Coaches LLC, Wind Surf Limited, and World Leading Cruise Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd..
The following companies are subsidiares of Sealed Air: A.P.S. (Holdings) Limited, AFP Trading (China) Co. Ltd., AFPTOH LTD, APS Automated Packaging Systems GmbH & Co. KG, APS Verwaltungs-GmbH, Air Ride Pallets Hong Kong Limited, Austin Foam Plastics Inc. (dba AFP Inc.), Automated Packaging Systems, Automated Packaging Systems Asia Holding Company Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Comerciale Importacao do Brasil Ltda., Automated Packaging Systems Europe, Automated Packaging Systems LLC, Automated Packaging Systems Limited, Automated Packaging Systems Southeast Asia Co. Ltd., B+ Equipment, B+ Equipment SAS, Beacon Holdings LLC, Biosphere Industries, BluPack (New Zealand), Blue Dot Packaging Pty Ltd., Cactus (Shanghai) Trading Co. Ltd., Cryovac (Malaysia) SDN. BHD, Cryovac Brasil Ltda., Cryovac Holdings II LLC, Cryovac International Holdings Inc., Cryovac LLC*, Cryovac Leasing Corporation, Cryovac Londrina Ltda., Cryovac Packaging Portugal  Embalagens Ltda., Cryovac-Sealed Air de Costa Rica S.R.L., DELTAPLAM Embalagens Industria e Comercio, Diversey, Diversey J Trustee Limited, Diversey Trustee Limited, Entapack Pty. Ltd., Fagerdala (Chengdu) Packaging Co. Ltd, Fagerdala (Shanghai) Foams Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Shanghai) Polymer Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Suzhou) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala (Thailand) Limited, Fagerdala (Xiamen) Packaging Co. Ltd., Fagerdala Leamchabung Limited, Fagerdala Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Fagerdala Mexico S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Mexico Supply Chain S.A. de C.V., Fagerdala Packaging Inc. (Indiana), Fagerdala Singapore Pte Ltd, Fagerdala Singapore Pte. Ltd., Getpacking.com GmbH, Invertol S. de R.L. de C.V., JSC Sealed Air Kaustik, KRIS Automated Packaging Systems Holding Company, Kevothermal LLC, Kevothermal Limited, Nelipak Holdings, Pack-Tiger GmbH, Polyrol Limited, Polyrol Packaging Systems LLC, ProAseptic Technologies S.L., Producembal- Producao de Embalagens LTDA, Reflectix Inc., SLD Air Packaging Paketleme Malzemeleri Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Saddle Brook Insurance Company, Sealed Air (Asia) Holdings BV, Sealed Air (Barbados) S.R.L., Sealed Air (Canada) Co./CIE, Sealed Air (Canada) Holdings B.V., Sealed Air (China) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air (China) Limited, Sealed Air (Israel) Ltd., Sealed Air (Korea) Limited, Sealed Air (Latin America) Holdings II LLC, Sealed Air (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Sealed Air (New Zealand), Sealed Air (Philippines) Inc., Sealed Air (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Sealed Air (Ukraine) Limited, Sealed Air Africa (Pty.) Limited, Sealed Air Americas Manufacturing S. de R.L. de C.V., Sealed Air Argentina S.A., Sealed Air Australia (Holdings) Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Pty. Limited, Sealed Air Australia Real Estate Pty Ltd, Sealed Air B.V., Sealed Air Belgium N.V., Sealed Air Central America S.A., Sealed Air Chile SpA, Sealed Air Colombia Ltda., Sealed Air Corporation (US), Sealed Air Cyprus Ltd., Sealed Air Denmark A/S, Sealed Air Finance B.V., Sealed Air Finance II LLC, Sealed Air Finance Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Funding LLC, Sealed Air General Trading LLC, Sealed Air GmbH (Germany), Sealed Air GmbH (Switzerland), Sealed Air Hellas SA, Sealed Air Holding France SAS, Sealed Air Holdings (New Zealand) Pty. Ltd., Sealed Air Holdings South Africa Proprietary Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK I Limited, Sealed Air Holdings UK Limited, Sealed Air Hong Kong Limited, Sealed Air Hungary Ltd., Sealed Air Investment and Management (Shanghai) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Japan G.K., Sealed Air LLC, Sealed Air Limited (Ireland), Sealed Air Limited (UK), Sealed Air Luxembourg (I) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg (II) S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sealed Air Management Holding Verwaltungs GmbH, Sealed Air Multiflex GmbH, Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) I B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands (Holdings) II B.V., Sealed Air Netherlands Holdings V B.V., Sealed Air Norge AS, Sealed Air OY, Sealed Air Packaging (India) Private Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Shanghai) Co. Limited, Sealed Air Packaging (Thailand) Co. Ltd., Sealed Air Packaging LLC, Sealed Air Packaging Materials (India) LLP, Sealed Air Packaging S.L.U., Sealed Air Peru S.A.C., Sealed Air Polska Sp. Zoo, Sealed Air Pty Limited, Sealed Air S.A S., Sealed Air S.r.l., Sealed Air South Africa (Pty.) Ltd., Sealed Air Svenska AB, Sealed Air Taiwan Limited, Sealed Air UK Limited Partnership, Sealed Air US Holdings (Thailand) LLC, Sealed Air Uruguay S.A., Sealed Air Verpackungen GmbH, Sealed Air de Mexico Operations S. de RL. de C.V., Sealed Air de Venezuela S.A., Sealed Air s.r.o., Shanklin Corp, Shanklin Corporation, TTS-Ciptec, TXAFP Asia Pacific Ltd., TXAFP GP LLC, and Trigon Industries.
The following companies are subsidiares of Western Union: Banco Western Union do Brasil S.A., Coins, Custom House, Custom House (Online) Ltd., Custom House Currency Exchange (Australia) Pty. Limited, Custom House Currency Exchange (Singapore) Pte. Limited, Custom House Financial (UK) Limited, Custom House Financial Ltd., Custom House Holdings (USA) Ltd., Custom House ULC, E Commerce Group Products Inc., First Financial Management Corporation, Global Collection Services S.A., Global Corporate Real Estate Advisors LLC, Grupo Dinamico Empresarial S.A. de C.V., MT (Bermuda) 1 Ltd, MT (Bermuda) 2 Ltd, MT Caribbean Holdings SRL, MT Financial Holdings Ltd., MT Global Holdings Ltd., MT Group Investment Holdings Ltd., MT Group Ltd., MT Holdings (Bermuda) Ltd., MT Holdings Limited, MT Holdings Switzerland GmbH, MT International Holdings Ltd., MT International Operations Partnership, MT International Operations SRL, MT Network Holdings Ltd., MT Payment Services Ltd., MT Payment Services Operations EU/EEA Limited, MT Worldwide Holdings Ltd., Money Transfer Financial Services Limited, Operaciones Internacionales OV S.A. de C.V., Opus Software Technologies Private Limited, PT Western Union Indonesia, Paymap Inc., RII Holdings Inc., Red Global S.A., Ruesch Holding LLC, Ruesch International (Delaware) LLC, Ruesch International L.L.C., Servicio Electronico de Pago S.A., Servicio Integral de Envios S. de R.L. de C.V., Servicios de Apoyo GDE S.A. de C.V., SpeedPay Inc., Speedpay, The Western Union Real Estate Holdings LLC, Transfer Express de Panama S.A., Travelex, Union del Oeste de Costa Rica SRL, Vigo Remittance Canada Company, Vigo Remittance Corp., WU BP Peru S.R.L., WU Technology Engineering Services Private Limited, WUBS Financial Services (Singapore) Pte Limited, WUBS Payments Limited, Western Union (Bermuda) Holding Finance Ltd., Western Union (Hellas) International Holdings S.A., Western Union Acquisition Partnership, Western Union Benelux MT Ltd., Western Union Business Solutions (Australia) Pty Limited, Western Union Business Solutions (Hong Kong) Limited, Western Union Business Solutions (Malta) Limited, Western Union Business Solutions (SA) Limited, Western Union Business Solutions (Singapore) Pte Limited, Western Union Business Solutions (UK) Limited, Western Union Business Solutions (USA) LLC, Western Union Business Solutions Japan KK, Western Union Chile Limitada, Western Union Communications Inc., Western Union Consulting Services (Beijing) Co. Ltd., Western Union Corretora de Cambio S.A., Western Union Financial Holdings L.L.C., Western Union Financial Services (Australia) PTY Ltd., Western Union Financial Services (Canada), Western Union Financial Services (Hong Kong) Limited, Western Union Financial Services (Korea) Inc., Western Union Financial Services (Luxembourg) S.a.r.l., Western Union Financial Services Argentina S.R.L., Western Union Financial Services Eastern Europe LLC, Western Union Financial Services GmbH, Western Union Financial Services Inc., Western Union Financial Services International (France) SARL, Western Union GB Limited, Western Union Global Network Pte. Ltd, Western Union Holdings Inc., Western Union International Bank GmbH, Western Union International Holdings LLC, Western Union International Limited, Western Union International Services LLC, Western Union Ireland Holdings Limited, Western Union Ireland Partnership, Western Union Japan K.K., Western Union LLC, Western Union Luxembourg Holdings 1 S.a.r.l., Western Union Luxembourg Holdings 2 S.a.r.l., Western Union Luxembourg Holdings 3 S.a.r.l., Western Union MT (Australia) Pty. Ltd., Western Union MT East Ltd., Western Union Malta Holdings Limited, Western Union Malta Limited, Western Union Morocco SARL, Western Union Network (Canada) Company, Western Union Network (France) SAS, Western Union Network (Ireland) Limited, Western Union Network Belgium SPRL, Western Union Northern Europe GmbH, Western Union Online Limited, Western Union Overseas Limited, Western Union Payment Services (India) Private Limited, Western Union Payment Services GB Limited, Western Union Payment Services Ireland Limited, Western Union Payment Services Network (Canada) ULC, Western Union Payment Services Network EU/EEA Limited, Western Union Payment Services UK Limited, Western Union Payments (Malaysia) SDN. BHD., Western Union Peru S.A., Western Union Processing Limited, Western Union Processing Lithuania UAB, Western Union Processing Services Inc., Western Union Regional Panama S.A., Western Union Retail Services Belgium, Western Union Retail Services GB Limited, Western Union Retail Services Ireland Limited, Western Union Retail Services Italy S.r.l., Western Union Retail Services Norway AS, Western Union Retail Services RO SRL, Western Union Retail Services Spain S.A., Western Union Retail Services Sweden AB, Western Union Services (Philippines) Inc., Western Union Services (Spain) S.L., Western Union Services India Private Limited, Western Union Services S.L., Western Union Services Singapore Private Limited, Western Union Singapore Limited, Western Union South Africa (PTY) Limited, Western Union Support Services (Nigeria) Limited, Western Union Support Services Cote dlvoire, Western Union Turkey Odeme Hizmetleri Anonim Sirketi, Western Union do Brasil Participacoes Limitada, and Western Union do Brasil Servicos e Participacoes Ltda..
Navistar International Corporation, through its subsidiaries, manufactures and sells commercial trucks, diesel engines, school and commercial buses, and service parts for trucks and diesel engines worldwide. The company operates through four segments: Truck, Parts, Global Operations, and Financial Services. It manufactures and distributes Class 4 through 8 trucks and buses in the common carrier, private carrier, government, leasing, construction, energy/petroleum, and student and commercial transportation markets under the International and IC brands; and designs, engineers, and produces sheet metal components, including truck cabs and engines. The company also provides customers with proprietary products needed to support the International commercial truck, IC bus, and engine lines, as well as other product lines; and a selection of other standard truck, trailer, and engine aftermarket parts. In addition, it manufactures and distributes mid-range diesel engines, as well as provides customers with additional engine offerings in the agriculture, marine, genset, and light truck markets; sells engines to original equipment manufacturers (OEM) for various on-and-off-road applications; and offers contract manufacturing services under the MWM brand to OEMs for the assembly of their engines. Further, the company provides retail, wholesale, and lease financing of products of its trucks and parts, as well as financing for wholesale and retail accounts receivable. Additionally, it exports trucks, buses, and engines. The company markets its commercial products through an independent dealer network, as well as through retail outlets; and its reconditioned used trucks to owner-operators and fleet buyers through its network of used truck dealers. It operates approximately 1,052 outlets in the United States and Canada, and 89 outlets in Mexico. Navistar International Corporation was founded in 1902 and is headquartered in Lisle, Illinois.

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There is not enough analysis data for BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust.

3.9 Community Rank

Outperform Votes BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust has received 137 outperform votes. (Add your outperform vote.)

Underperform Votes BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust has received 98 underperform votes. (Add your underperform vote.)

Community Sentiment BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust has received 58.30% outperform votes from our community.

MarketBeat's community ratings are surveys of what our community members think about BlackRock Credit Allocation Income Trust and other stocks. Vote Outperform if you believe BTZ will outperform the S&P 500 over the long term. Vote Underperform if you believe BTZ will underperform the S&P 500 over the long term. You may vote once every thirty days.

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Oasis Petroleum Inc., an independent exploration and production company, focuses on the acquisition and development of onshore unconventional oil and natural gas resources in the United States. It operates through Exploration and Production(E&P), and Midstream segments. The E&P segment engages in the acquisition and development of oil and gas properties. The Midstream segment offers midstream services, such as natural gas gathering, compression, processing and, gas lift supply; crude oil gathering, terminaling, and transportation; produced and flowback water gathering, and disposal; and water distribution. As of December 31, 2020, the company had 401,766 net leasehold acres in the Williston Basin; and 24,396 net leasehold acres in the Permian Basin, as well as approximately 152.2 million barrels of oil equivalent of estimated net proved reserves. The company sells its crude oil and natural gas to refiners, marketers, and other purchasers that have access to pipeline and rail facilities. Oasis Petroleum Inc. was founded in 2007 and is headquartered in Houston, Texas.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Fluor: 202 Maintenance Services LLC, 3Angle B.V., 3Angle EPCM V.O.F., 684033 N.B. Ltd., AAR 2007 Limited, ADP Marshall Contractors Inc., ADP/FD of Nevada Inc., AG&P Fluor Joint Venture Company Inc., AJS V.O.F., AMECO COLOMBIA S.A.S., AMECO Caribbean Inc., AMECO Holdings Inc., AMECO PANAMA S.A., AMECO Peru S.R. L., AMECO Project Services Inc., AMECO Services Inc., ATCO  Fluor Support Solutions Ltd., Acqyre B.V., Agensi Pekerjaan TRS Malaysia SDN. BHD., Ameco Chile S.A., Ameco Equipment Services Inc., Ameco Inc., Ameco Mexico Administracion y Servicios S. de R.L. de C.V., Ameco Pty. Ltd., Ameco Services S. de R.L. de C.V., Ameco Services S. de R.L. de C.V., American Bridge/Fluor Enterprises Inc. A Joint Venture, American Construction Equipment Company Inc., American Equipment Company Inc., Arbeitsgemeinschaft BAB A S Ausbau Augsburg - Munchen, Asset Management Solutions S.A.S., B.C. Mining Joint Venture, Bellefonte Construction Services LLC, Bouwcombinatie Sluizen 4-5-6 V.O.F., Brady-Fluor LLC, CEJV Ingenieria y Construccion Limitada, CGF Projects Ghana Limited, COOEC-Fluor Heavy Industries Co. Ltd., CSP EG S.L., Canadian National Energy Alliance Ltd., Cascadia Monorail Company LLC, Cavendish Fluor Partnership Limited, Cibolo Creek Infrastructure Joint Venture, Colorado River Constructors JV, Compania Minera San Jose Del Peru S.A., ConOps Construction Ltd., Connect 202 Partners LLC, Consorcio Generation P135 MASA-VEPICA, Consorcio Grupo Stork, Consorcio KGM JV, Consorcio MASARTEC POWER JV, Consorcio Stork Y Masa JV, Consorcio Turnaround Alliance JV, Consorsio MSC JV, Consorsio Stork-TMI, Contingent Mission Sustainment Inc., Cooperheat Franchising B.V., Cooperheat GmbH, Cooperheat Saudi Arabia Company Limited, Corrosion Inspection & Integrity Services Sdn. Bhd., Crown Energy Company, D/FD Operating Services LLC, DAX Industries Inc., DSC Maintenance V.O.F., Daniel International Corporation, Dean / Fluor LLC, Del-Jen Inc., Denver Transit Constructors LLC, Denver Transit Holdings LLC, Denver Transit Operators LLC, Denver Transit Partners LLC, Denver Transit Systems LLC, Desarrolladora De Etileno S. de R.L. de C.V., Dominican Republic Combined Cycle LLC, Duke Fluor Daniel, Duke/Fluor Daniel, Duke/Fluor Daniel Caribbean S.E., Duke/Fluor Daniel International, Duke/Fluor Daniel International Services, Duke/Fluor Daniel International Services (Trinidad) Limited, Duke/Fluor Daniel LLC, EQIN B.V., EQIN Industrial B.V., EQIN N.V., ESSI LLC, Efdee Connecticut Architects Inc., Efdee Engineering Professional Corporation, Efdee Mississippi Architects A Professional Corporation, Efdee New York Engineers & Architects P.C., Elgin RBG (Pty) Limited, Empresa Constructora Fluor Salfa SGO Limitada, Encee Architecture Services P.C., Energy Resourcing Limited, Etileno XXI Contractors SAPI, Etileno XXI Services B.V., Europea de Ingenieria y Asesoramiento, Evergreen Equipment and Personnel Leasing Inc., FBT Services Inc., FCI/Fluor/Parsons a Joint Venture, FD Architects & Engineers Corporation, FDEE Consulting Inc., FDH JV, FDH JV KNPC AZRP/ZOR, FDHM Inc., FHdB LLC, FIID LLC, FLAG Joint Venture, FLUOR M Ltd., FM Operating Services LLC, FMC Holding Company LLC, FPMM XXK (FPMM LLC), FWPJV Limited, Federal Maintenance Logistics Solutions LLC, Fluor (China) Engineering and Construction Co. Ltd., Fluor (Nigeria) Limited, Fluor A&E Services Inc., Fluor A27/A1 B.V., Fluor AMEC II LLC, Fluor Aker Solutions Indonesia JV, Fluor Alaska Inc., Fluor Americas Inc., Fluor Arabia Limited, Fluor Argentina Inc., Fluor Argentina Inc. Sucursal Argentina, Fluor Australia Pty Ltd., Fluor B.V., Fluor BC Ltd., Fluor BNA GP Inc., Fluor BNA Holdco Inc., Fluor BNA O&M GP Inc., Fluor BNA O&M USA LLC, Fluor Boke Inc., Fluor Brasil Ltda., Fluor Brasil Servicos de Engenharia Ltda, Fluor Canada Ltd., Fluor Caspian Services Limited, Fluor Cebu Inc., Fluor Central Asia LLP, Fluor Chile Inc., Fluor Chile Ingenieria y Construccion S.A., Fluor Colombia Limited, Fluor ConOps Limited, Fluor Construction Services Pty Ltd., Fluor Constructors Canada Ltd., Fluor Constructors International. Inc., Fluor Consultants B.V., Fluor Craft Services Inc., Fluor Daniel (Japan) Inc., Fluor Daniel (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Fluor Daniel Asia Inc., Fluor Daniel Brasil Ltda., Fluor Daniel Caribbean Inc., Fluor Daniel China Inc., Fluor Daniel China Services Inc., Fluor Daniel Coal Services International Inc., Fluor Daniel Construction Company, Fluor Daniel Development Corporation, Fluor Daniel E&C LLC, Fluor Daniel Eastern Inc., Fluor Daniel Engineering Inc., Fluor Daniel Engineers & Constructors Inc., Fluor Daniel Engineers & Constructors Ltd., Fluor Daniel Engineers & Consultants Ltd., Fluor Daniel Engineers SA (PTY) Limited, Fluor Daniel Espana S.A., Fluor Daniel Eurasia Inc., Fluor Daniel Global Limited, Fluor Daniel Global Services Limited, Fluor Daniel Holdings Canada Inc., Fluor Daniel Holdings Inc., Fluor Daniel Illinois Inc., Fluor Daniel Inc.  Philippines, Fluor Daniel India Inc., Fluor Daniel India Private Limited, Fluor Daniel International (Malaysia) Sdn. Bhd., Fluor Daniel International Services Inc., Fluor Daniel Latin America Inc., Fluor Daniel Maintenance Services Inc., Fluor Daniel Mexico S.A., Fluor Daniel Mining & Metals Ltd., Fluor Daniel Modesto Inc., Fluor Daniel Nigeria Limited, Fluor Daniel Overseas Inc., Fluor Daniel P.R.C. Ltd., Fluor Daniel Pacific Inc., Fluor Daniel Pulp & Paper Inc., Fluor Daniel Services Corporation, Fluor Daniel South America Limited, Fluor Daniel Technical Services Inc., Fluor Daniel Venture Group Inc., Fluor Daniel a Professional Architectural Corporation, Fluor Daniel-AMEC Philippines Inc., Fluor Daniels Holdings (Botswana) (Pty) Limited, Fluor Driver Inc., Fluor Energy Technology Services LLC, Fluor Engenharia e Projetos S.A., Fluor Engineering Corporation, Fluor Engineering N.V., Fluor Engineering Solutions Ltd., Fluor Enterprises Group Inc., Fluor Enterprises Inc., Fluor Europe B.V.IIIIIX, Fluor Facility & Plant Services Inc., Fluor Federal Global Projects Inc., Fluor Federal Inc., Fluor Federal Petroleum Operations LLC, Fluor Federal Services Inc., Fluor Federal Services LLC, Fluor Federal Services NWS Inc., Fluor Fernald Inc., Fluor Finance International B.V./S.a.r.l., Fluor Finance U.S. Inc., Fluor Flatiron Balfour Beatty Dragados DBJV, Fluor Global Plant Services (Proprietary) Ltd., Fluor Global Services Australia Pty Ltd., Fluor GmbH, Fluor Government Group International Inc., Fluor Government Group  Canada Inc., Fluor Guinea Inc., Fluor HDR Global Design Consultants LLC, Fluor Hanford Inc., Fluor Heavy Civil LLC, Fluor Holding Company LLC, Fluor Idaho LLC, Fluor Industrial Construction Corp., Fluor Industrial Services Canada Inc., Fluor Industrial Services Inc., Fluor Industrial Services Limited, Fluor Infrastructure B.V., Fluor Intercontinental Arabian Peninsula LLC, Fluor Intercontinental Germany GmbH, Fluor Intercontinental Inc., Fluor Intercontinental Solutions LLC, Fluor International C.V., Fluor International Holdings B.V., Fluor International Inc., Fluor International Limited, Fluor International Nigeria Limited, Fluor Investments LLC, Fluor Ireland Limited, Fluor Island ehf., Fluor Kazakhstan Inc., Fluor Kazakhstan LLC, Fluor Kuwait KSC, Fluor Limited, Fluor Maintenance Services Inc., Fluor Management Company L.P., Fluor Management and Technical Services Inc., Fluor Marine Propulsion LLC, Fluor Mediterranean Inc., Fluor Middle East LLC, Fluor Mideast Limited, Fluor Mining and Metals France Inc., Fluor Mocambique Limitada, Fluor NE Inc., Fluor Ocean Services Limited, Fluor Pension Trustee Limited, Fluor Plant Engineering S.A., Fluor Power Services Pty Ltd., Fluor Project Services B.V., Fluor Projects Limited, Fluor Rail Services Pty Ltd., Fluor S.A., Fluor S.A. (Pty) Limited, Fluor SPN Inc., Fluor Services B.V., Fluor Services LLC, Fluor South Africa (Pty) Limited, Fluor Spain Holding S.L., Fluor Supply Chain Solutions B.V., Fluor Supply Chain Solutions LLC, Fluor Supply Chain Solutions Singapore Pte. Ltd., Fluor Techint SRL Construccion y Servicios Limitada, Fluor Technologies Corporation, Fluor Texas Inc., Fluor Transworld Services Inc., Fluor US Services Inc., Fluor Uganda Engineering and Construction Limited, Fluor Virginia Inc., Fluor WEP Holdings Inc., Fluor WorleyParsons Arctic Solutions, Fluor environmental Resources Management Services Inc., Fluor-B&W Oak Ridge LLC, Fluor-BWXT Portsmouth LLC, Fluor-Brady LLC, Fluor-CDM Space Services LLC, Fluor-Habboush International Limited, Fluor-Igoda Projects (Proprietary) Limited, Fluor-Lane 95 LLC, Fluor-Lane LLC, Fluor-Lane South Carolina LLC, Fluor-SKM Iron Ore Joint Venture, Fluor/Technip Integrated JV, Fluor/Westinghouse Liquid Waste Services LLC, FluorAMEC LLC, Fru-Con/Fluor Daniel Joint Venture, GLT-Plus V.O.F., GLX Constructors an unincorporated joint venture, Genesys Telecommunications Holdings Limited, Genesys Telecommunications Limited, Giovenco Industrial Services Pty Ltd., Giovenco Industries (AUST) Pty Limited, Giovenco Industries (AUST) Trust, Giovenco/Insulations International JV Pty Ltd., Giovenco/Insulations International JV Unit Trust, Gladstone Pressure Welders Pty Ltd., Global Project Execution Inc., Goar Allison & Associates, Goar Allison & Associates LLCndo-Mauritian Affiliates Limitednfrastructure Civil Equipment LLC, Greenville Technical Services Inc., Grupo Alvica SCS, Grupo Empresarial Alvica S.A., ICA Fluor Daniel S. de R.L. de C.V., ICA Fluor Operaciones S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Operaciones S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Petroquimica S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Servicios Gerenciales S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Servicios Gerenciales S.A. de C.V., ICA Fluor Servicios Operativos S.A. de C.V., ICA Stork S. de C.V., ICA Stork S. de R.L. de C.V., IF Proyectos S.A., IFD Servicios de Ingenieria S.A. de C.V., IT Development Centre B.V., IXAS Gaasperdammerweg B.V., IXAS Zuid-Oost B.V., Industrial Del Hierro S.A. de C.V., Industrial Services France SAS, Industrial Services SF Peru S.A.C., Industrial Services SR Peru S.A.C., Infra Combinatie Zuid-West, Infraspeed Holdings B.V., Ingenieria y Construccion Fluor Daniel Chile Limitada, Iraq Construction Ltd., Iraq Water General Contracting Company L.L.C., Istimewa Electrotechniek B.V., J Crowder Corporation, J. Crowder Corp., J.A. Jones International, JGC Fluor BC Joint Venture, JGC Fluor Kitimat LNG Project JV, JGC  Fluor Mocambique Lda, JGC/FEI Joint Venture, JGC/Fluor JV, KDPC Limited, KMK-DJI JV, KPJV Limited, Karratha Engineering Services Pty Ltd., Kazakh Projects Joint Venture Limited, KazakhNefteGasServis LLP, Koninklijke Machinefabriek Stork B.V., Lone Star Infrastructure Joint Venture, Lone Star Infrastructure LLC, Louisiana Operations and Maintenance Services LLC, M&W/Marshall a Joint Venture, MGJV Pty Ltd., Maquinaria Ameco Guatemala Limitada, Mecanicos Asociados S.A.S., Mid-America Conversion Services LLC, Middle East Fluor, Mineral Resource Development Corporation, Mongolian National Facility Services (MNFS) LLC, Mourik Istimewa Combinatie V.O.F., NWKC LLC, Najmat Al-Sabah for General Services Limited Liability Company, NuScale Holdings Corp., NuScale Power LLC, Oregon Bridge Delivery Partners Joint Venture, P.T. Fluor Daniel Indonesia, P.T. MITRA BERSAMA ENGINEERING, P.T. Nusantara Power Services, PFD (UK) Limited, PFD International LLC, PRI/DJI A Reconstruction JV, PT Signet Indonesia, PT Singgar Mulia, PT. MITRA BERSAMA ENGINEERING, Pacific Defense Constructors LLC, Palmetto Seed Capital Ltd. Partnership, Parkway Infrastructure Constructors, Pegasus Link Constructors, Pegasus Link Constructors LLC, Phoenix Constructors Joint Venture, Pipeline Maintenance Alliance JV, Plant Engineering Services LLC, Plant Performance Services, Plant Performance Services Caribbean Limited, Plant Performance Services International LLC, Plant Performance Services International Ltd., Poort van Den Bosch B.V., Poort van Den Bosch V.O.F., Prairie Link Constructors JV, Prairie Link Constructors LLC, Pro-V/ConOps JV, Provo River Constructors, Purple Line Transit Constructors LLC, Purple Line Transit Operations LLC, Purple Line Transit Partners LLC, Qatar National Facility Services, RBG Kazakhstan LLP, Rash Inversiones 2007 S.L., Rock Island Integrated Services, S-M V.O.F., SDT Maintenance Management Group Limited, SFS 007.298.633 Pty Limited, SSLP/FCCL JV, Sacyr Fluor Bolivia S.R.L., Sacyr Fluor Colombia S.A.S., Sacyr Fluor Participaciones S.L., Sacyr Fluor S.A., Saddleback Constructors, Sakhalin Neftegas Technology, Savannah River Nuclear Solutions LLC, Servicios Cuyuni E.T.T. C.A., Servicios Mineria Inc., Servicios de Construccion del Pacifico Inc., Servitrade  Servicos Investimento y Trading Limitada, Servitrade  Servicos Investimentos y Trading Limitada, Signet Engineering Pty Ltd., Signet Holdings Pty Ltd., Soli-Flo Inc., Soli-Flo LLC, Soli-Flo Material Transfer L.P., Soli-Flo Partners L.P., Soli0Flo Partners L.P., Springfield Resource Recovery Inc., Springfield Resource Recovery Limited Partnership, St. Joe Participacoes, St. Joe Participacoes Ltda, Stork Asset Management Consultancy B.V., Stork B.V., Stork Caspian LLC, Stork Colombia S.A.S., Stork Elecon Ltd, Stork Gear & Services Asia Pte. Ltd., Stork Gear & Services B.V., Stork German Holding GmbH, Stork Getriebe & Services GmbH, Stork H&E Turbo Blading Inc., Stork Holding, Stork Holding B.V., Stork Integrated Solutions B.V., Stork Intellectual Property B.V., Stork International B.V., Stork International Limited, Stork Mechanical Works and Maintenance Co. K.S.C.C., Stork Nederland B.V., Stork Oryx Turbo Machinery Services LLC, Stork Peru S.A.C., Stork Peru S.A.S., Stork Plastic Machinery B.V., Stork Power Services & Technology Beijing Limited, Stork Power Services B.V., Stork Power Services OOO, Stork Power Services USA Holding Inc., Stork TS Holdings Limited, Stork TS UK Limited, Stork Technical Services (Holdings) Limited, Stork Technical Services (RBG) Limited, Stork Technical Services (STS) Ltd., Stork Technical Services Australia Pty Ltd., Stork Technical Services Beheer B.V., Stork Technical Services Belgium N.V., Stork Technical Services GmbH, Stork Technical Services Group B.V., Stork Technical Services HOLDCO B.V., Stork Technical Services Holding Australia Pty Ltd., Stork Technical Services Holding B.V., Stork Technical Services International Limited, Stork Technical Services International South Africa, Stork Technical Services Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., Stork Technical Services New Zealand Limited, Stork Technical Services Norway AS, Stork Technical Services Sadaf LLC, Stork Technical Services Saudi Arabia Co., Stork Technical Services Trinidad and Tobago Ltd, Stork Technical Services UK Limited, Stork Technical Services USA Inc., Stork Thermeq B.V., Stork Turbo Blading B.V., Stork Turbo Service B.V., Strategic Organizational Systems Enterprises Inc., Strategic Organizational Systems Environmental Engineering Division Inc., Support Services International LLC, Supreme Modular Fabrication Inc., TDF Inc., TRS Consultants JLT, TRS Craft Services Inc., TRS Far East Sdn. Bhd., TRS International Group S. de R.L. de C.V., TRS International Payroll Co., TRS Labour Hire Solutions Pty. Ltd., TRS SA Holdings Company (Pty) Ltd., TRS Search and Selection (Pty) Ltd., TRS Staffing Solutions (Australia) Pty Ltd., TRS Staffing Solutions (Canada) Inc., TRS Staffing Solutions (Pty) Ltd., TRS Staffing Solutions B.V., TRS Staffing Solutions Inc., TRS Staffing Solutions India Private Limited, TRS Staffing Solutions Limited, TRS Staffing Solutions Malaysia Sdn. Bhd., TRS Staffing Solutions Mozambique Limitada, TRS Staffing Solutions S. de R.L. de C.V., TRS Staffing Solutions SA (Pty) Ltd., Tappan Zee Constructors LLC, Technical Resource Solutions S.L., Technip-Fluor JV, Thermoprozess Cooperheat GmbH, Trans Florida Express LLCenezco Inc., Trans-Africa Projects (Pty) Ltd., Trans-Africa Projects Ltd., UNEC Engineering, United Rentals Industrial Services LLC, WODECO Nigeria Limited, Walsh-Fluor Design-Build Team, Wescon (B) Sdn. Bhd., Wescon International B.V., Williams Brothers Engineering Company, Williams Brothers Engineering Limited, Williams Brothers Process Services Inc., Wilmore/Fluor Modesto LLC, Windsor Essex Mobility Group GP, WorleyParsons Arabia Limited Fluor Arabia Limited Joint Venture, Wright Engineers (Chile) Limitada, Wright Engineers Limitada Peru, and ZuidPlus V.O.F..
Rolls-Royce Holdings Plc designs, develops, manufactures, and services integrated power systems for use in the air, on land, and at sea. The company operates its business through following segments: Civil Aerospace, Power Systems, Defense and ITP Aero. The Civil Aerospace segment offers commercial aero engines and aftermarket services. The Power Systems segment includes engines, power systems and nuclear systems for civil power generation. The Defense segment consists of military aero engines, naval engines, submarines and aftermarket services. The ITP Aero segment provides aeronautical engines and gas turbines. The company was founded in March 1906 and is headquartered in London, the United Kingdom.

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William Lyon Homes (NYSE:WLH) posted its quarterly earnings data on Wednesday, November, 6th. The construction company reported $0.37 EPS for the quarter, beating the Zacks' consensus estimate of $0.30 by $0.07. The construction company earned $466.90 million during the quarter, compared to analysts' expectations of $487.15 million. William Lyon Homes had a trailing twelve-month return on equity of 6.98% and a net margin of 3.04%. The business's revenue was down 12.7% compared to the same quarter last year. During the same period in the previous year, the business earned $0.68 earnings per share.

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Serengeti Resources Inc. acquires and explores for mineral properties in Canada. It company explores for gold, copper, and silver deposits. The company's flagship property is the Kwanika project that covers an area of 25,928 hectares located in the northern Quesnel Trough, British Columbia. It also has an option to acquire 100% interest in Top Cat project covering an area of approximately 21,600 hectares situated in central British Columbia. The company was formerly known as Serengeti Minerals Ltd. and changed its name to Serengeti Resources Inc. in 2001. Serengeti Resources Inc. was incorporated in 1973 and is headquartered in Vancouver, Canada.

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Torba Provincial Planner, James Tavuti (standing second right) with other participants in Japan. Photo: James Tavuti
Raymond James Financial, Inc., a financial holding company, through its subsidiaries, engages in the underwriting, distribution, trading, and brokerage of equity and debt securities, and the sale of mutual funds and other investment products in the United States, Canada, Europe, and internationally. The company operates through Private Client Group, Capital Markets, Asset Management, RJ Bank, and Other segments. The Private Client Group segment provides securities brokerage services, including the sale of equities, mutual funds, fixed income products, and insurance products to their individual clients; and borrowing and lending of securities to and from other broker-dealers, financial institutions, and other counterparties. The Capital Markets segment offers securities brokerage, trading, and research services to institutions with a focus on sale of the United States and Canadian equities and fixed income products; and manages and participates in underwritings, merger and acquisition services, and public finance activities. The Asset Management segment engages in the operations of Eagle, the Eagle Family of Funds, Cougar, the asset management operations of Raymond James & Associates, trust services of Raymond James Trust, and other fee-based asset management programs. The RJ Bank segment provides corporate loans, SBL, tax-exempt loans, and residential loans. The Other segment engages in private equity activities, including various direct and third party private equity investments; and private equity funds. Raymond James Financial, Inc. was founded in 1962 and is based in St. Petersburg, Florida.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Sonoco Products: AMGH, APEI UK Limited, APEI Unlimited IOM, Associated Packaging Technologies Inc., Beteiligungen Sonoco Deutschland Vermogensverwaltungsgesellschaft mbh, CP Acquisition LLC, Can Packaging, Can Packaging SAS, Cap Liners Limited, Capseals Limited, Capseals Liners Limited, Cascades Sonoco Inc. (fka Cascades Conversion Inc), Clear Lam Flexible Films (Nanjing) Co. Ltd., Clear Lam Packaging Inc., Clear Pack Co., Clear Pack Company, Colombiana P.M. LLC, Conitex Sonoco (BVI) Ltd., Conitex Sonoco (Mexico) S. de R.L. de C.V., Conitex Sonoco Hellas S.A., Conitex Sonoco Holding B.V., Conitex Sonoco Inc., Conitex Sonoco India Pvt. Ltd., Conitex Sonoco N.V., Conitex Sonoco Shanghai Ltd., Conitex Sonoco Suzhou Co. Ltd., Conitex Sonoco Taiwan Ltd., Conitex Sonoco USA Inc., Convex Mold Inc., Corenso Holdings America Inc., Corenso North America, Corenso Richmond LLC, Corepak Limited, CorrFlex Graphics LLC, Demolli Industria Cartaria S.p.A., Engraph Inc., Engraph Puerto Rico Inc., Fair Lawn Packaging Services LLC, Friarsgate Studio Limited, Graffo Paranaense De Embalagens S.A., Graffo Paranaense de Embalagens S/A, Grove Mill Paper Company Limited, Gunther of America Inc., Hartsville Corrugating LLC, Hayes Manufacturing Group, Heathfield Reels Limited, Highland Packaging Solutions, Highland Packaging Solutions LLC, Industrial Machine Co. Inc., Inversiones Sonoco Limitada, Italtubetti SpA, Laminar Medica, Laminar Medica (CE) s.r.o., Laminar Medica Limited, Manufacturas Sonoco S.A. de C.V., Matrix Packaging Inc., Nathaniel Lloyd & Company Limited, OOO Sonoco Alcore (fka ZAO Sonoco Alcore), Ontario Inc., PT Conitex Sonoco, PT Papcor Asia Pacific, PT Papertech Indonesia, PT Sonoco Indonesia, Packaging Holdings Inc., Papcor (Dezhou) Packaging Material Co. Ltd., Papertech Dezhou Co. Ltd., Papertech SL, PenPack LLC, Peninsula Packaging Company, Peninsula Packaging LLC, Penpack S. de R.L. de C.V., Phoenix Packaging Corp., Plastique Holdings LTD, SAS Du Lagon, SCI Lagon Quest, SMB GmbH, SPC Capital Management Inc., SPC Liquidation LLC, SPC Management LLC, SPC Resources Inc., SR Holdings of the Carolinas LLC, Sebro Plastics Inc., Sonoco (Shanghai) Co., Sonoco (Taicang) Packaging Co., Sonoco (Weifang) Packaging Company Ltd., Sonoco Absorbent Technologies LLC, Sonoco Absorbent Technologies Limited, Sonoco Alcore - Demolli S.r.l., Sonoco Alcore AB, Sonoco Alcore GmbH, Sonoco Alcore N.V., Sonoco Alcore Nederland B.V., Sonoco Ambalaj Sanayi Ve Ticaret Limited Sirketi, Sonoco Asia Holding S.a.r.l., Sonoco Asia L.L.C., Sonoco Asia Management Company L.L.C., Sonoco Australia Pty Ltd, Sonoco Board Mills Limited, Sonoco Bonmati S.A.U., Sonoco Canada Corporation, Sonoco Capseals Liners Limited, Sonoco Comercial S. de R.L. de C.V., Sonoco Consumer Products Dordrecht B.V. (fka Dorpak B.V.), Sonoco Consumer Products Europe GmbH (fka Weidenhammer Packaging Group GmbH), Sonoco Consumer Products Hellas S.A. (fka Weidenhammer Hellas S.A.), Sonoco Consumer Products Limited, Sonoco Consumer Products Mechelen BVBA (fka Weidenhammer Belgium BVBA), Sonoco Consumer Products Montanay SAS (fka Neuvibox SAS), Sonoco Consumer Products Poland Sp. Z.O.O., Sonoco Consumer Products SAS, Sonoco Consumer Products South Africa (PTY) Ltd., Sonoco Consumer Products Zwenkau GmbH (fka fka Weidenhammer Plastice Packaging GmbH), Sonoco Cores and Paper Limited, Sonoco D & P LLC, Sonoco D and P York LLC, Sonoco Deutschland GmbH, Sonoco Deutschland Holdings GmbH, Sonoco Development Inc., Sonoco Display and Packaging LLC, Sonoco Elk Grove Inc., Sonoco Embalagens Ltda. (fka Sonoco Embalagens S.A.), Sonoco Europe Limited, Sonoco Flexible Packaging Canada Corporation, Sonoco Flexible Packaging Co. Inc., Sonoco Graphics India Private Limited, Sonoco Hickory Inc., Sonoco Holdings Inc., Sonoco Holdings UK Limited, Sonoco Hutchinson LLC, Sonoco IPD France SAS, Sonoco Iberia S.L.U., Sonoco International Holdings GmbH, Sonoco JV GmbH & Co. KG, Sonoco Kaiping Packaging Co. Ltd., Sonoco Limited, Sonoco Luxembourg Holding S.a.r.l., Sonoco Luxembourg S.a.r.l., Sonoco Milnrow, Sonoco Netherlands Holding II BV, Sonoco Netherlands Holding III BV, Sonoco New Zealand Limited, Sonoco Operadora S. de R.L. de C.V., Sonoco Packaging Limited, Sonoco Packaging Tapes Limited, Sonoco Paper Mill & IPD Hellas SA, Sonoco Paperboard Group LLC, Sonoco Partitions Inc., Sonoco Phoenix LLC, Sonoco Pina S.A.U., Sonoco Plastics B.V., Sonoco Plastics Canada ULC, Sonoco Plastics Germany GmbH, Sonoco Plastics Inc., Sonoco Poland Holdings B.V., Sonoco Polysack A/S Inc., Sonoco Polysack Limited, Sonoco Products Company UK, Sonoco Products Malaysia Sdn Bhd, Sonoco Protective Solutions Inc., Sonoco Recycling - International Trade Group LLC (fka Reparco USA Inc.), Sonoco Recycling LLC, Sonoco Reels Limited, Sonoco Retail Packaging S. de R.L. de C.V., Sonoco S.A. de C.V., Sonoco SAS, Sonoco Saudi Limited Company, Sonoco Services LLC, Sonoco Singapore Pte. Ltd., Sonoco TEQ Holdings Ltd, Sonoco TEQ LLC, Sonoco TEQ Ltd, Sonoco TEQ Sp. Z.o.o, Sonoco Taiwan Ltd, Sonoco Thailand Ltd, Sonoco UK Leasing Limited, Sonoco Venezolana C.A., Sonoco Venture International Holdings GmbH, Sonoco Ventures UK Limited, Sonoco Wisconsin Rapids Core Plant LLC, Sonoco Wisconsin Rapids Inc., Sonoco Wisconsin Rapids Paper Mill LLC, Sonoco Yatai Pinghu Packaging Co Ltd, Sonoco de Colombia Ltda, Sonoco do Brasil Participacoes Ltda, Sonoco do Brazil Ltda, Sonoco of Puerto Rico Inc., Sonoco-Alcore AS, Sonoco-Alcore Ou, Sonoco-Alcore Oy, Sonoco-Alcore S.a.r.l., Sonoco-Alcore Sp. Z.O.O., Sonoco-Engraph Puerto Rico Inc., TPT Board Mills Limited, TPT Limited, Tegrant Alloyd Brands Inc., Tegrant Corporation, Tegrant International Inc., Tegrant Property Holdings LLC, Tegrant de Mexico S.A. de C.V., ThermoSafe Brands Asia PTE LTD., ThermoSafe Brands Europe Ltd., Thermoform Engineered Quality LLC, Trident Graphics Canada Corporation, Trident Graphics NA LLC, U.S. Paper Mills Corp., Unit Reels & Drums Limited, Weidenhammer Chile Ltda., Weidenhammer Packaging Group, Weidenhammer UK Ltd., and Wisenberg U.S. Inc..
Village Farms International, Inc., together with its subsidiaries, produces, markets, and distributes greenhouse-grown tomatoes, bell peppers, and cucumbers in North America. It operates through three segments: Produce Business, Energy Business, and Cannabis and Hemp Business. The company also owns and operates a 7.0 megawatt power plant that generates and sells electricity to British Columbia Hydro and Power Authority; and produces and supplies cannabis products. It markets and distributes its products under the Village Farms brand name to retail supermarkets and fresh food distribution companies, as well as products produced under exclusive arrangements with other greenhouse producers. The company was formerly known as Village Farms Canada Inc. and changed its name to Village Farms International, Inc. in December 2009. Village Farms International, Inc. was founded in 1989 and is headquartered in Delta, Canada.

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The following companies are subsidiares of Waste Management: 635952 Ontario Inc., 8242348 Canada Inc., Acaverde S.A. de C.V., Access Computer Products, Advanced Environmental Technical Services L.L.C., Akron Regional Landfill Inc., Alliance Sanitary Landfill Inc., Alpharetta Transfer Station LLC, American Landfill Inc., American Oil Recovery LLC, Ameriwaste LLC, Anderson Landfill Inc., Anderson Rubbish Disposal, Antelope Valley Recycling and Disposal Facility Inc., Arden Landfill Inc., Atlantic Waste Disposal Inc., Automated Salvage Transport Co. L.L.C., Avalon South LLC, Azusa Land Reclamation Inc., B&B Landfill Inc., Big Dipper Enterprises Inc., Bluegrass Containment L.L.C., Burnsville Sanitary Landfill Inc., CA Newco L.L.C., CR Group LLC, CWM Chemical Services L.L.C., Cal Sierra Disposal, California Asbestos Monofill Inc., Canadian Waste Services Holdings Inc., Capels Landfill LLC, Capital Sanitation Company, Capitol Disposal Inc., Carolina Grading Inc., Cedar Ridge Landfill Inc., Central Disposal Systems Inc., Chadwick Road Landfill Inc., Chambers Clearview Environmental Landfill Inc., Chambers Development Company Inc., Chambers Development of Ohio Inc., Chambers of Georgia Inc., Chambers of Mississippi Inc., Chemical Waste Management Inc., Chemical Waste Management of Indiana L.L.C., Chemical Waste Management of the Northwest Inc., Chesser Island Road Landfill Inc., City Environmental Services Inc. of Waters, Cleburne Landfill Company Corp., Coast Waste Management Inc., Coastal Recyclers Landfill LLC, Connecticut Valley Sanitary Waste Disposal Inc., Conservation Services Inc., Coshocton Landfill Inc., Cougar Landfill Inc., Countryside Landfill Inc., Curtis Creek Recovery Systems Inc., Cuyahoga Landfill Inc., DHC Land LLC, Dafter Sanitary Landfill Inc., Dauphin Meadows Inc., Deep Valley Landfill Inc., Deer Track Park Landfill Inc., Deffenbaugh Disposal Inc., Deffenbaugh Group Holdings Inc., Deffenbaugh Industries Inc., Deffenbaugh Recycling Company L.L.C., Deffenbaugh of Arkansas LLC, Del Almo Landfill L.L.C., Delaware Recyclable Products Inc., Dickinson Landfill Inc., Disposal Service Incorporated, Dolphin Services & Chemicals LLC, Dolphin-One LLC, ELDA Landfill Inc., Earthmovers Landfill L.L.C., East Liverpool Landfill Inc., Eastern One Land Corporation, Eco-Vista LLC, Elk River Landfill Inc., Energy Injection Services of Mississippi LLC, EnviroSolutions Dulles LLC, EnviroSolutions Holdings Inc., EnviroSolutions Real Property Holdings Inc., Envirofil of Illinois Inc., Evergreen Landfill Inc., Evergreen Recycling and Disposal Facility Inc., Finch Waste Co LLC, Firetower Landfill LLC, Fred J. Eckert Sanitary Service Inc., Furnace Associates Inc., G.I. Industries, GA Landfills Inc., Gallia Landfill Inc., Garnet of Maryland Inc., Gateway Transfer Station LLC, Georgia Waste Systems Inc., Giordano Recycling L.L.C., Glades Landfill LLC, Glen's Sanitary Landfill Inc., Grand Central Sanitary Landfill Inc., Greenbow LLC, Greenleaf Compaction Inc., Greenstar Allentown LLC, Greenstar Georgia LLC, Greenstar LLC, Greenstar Managed Services - Connecticut LLC, Greenstar Managed Services - RLWM LLC, Greenstar Mid-America LLC, Greenstar New Jersey LLC, Greenstar Ohio LLC, Greenstar Paterson LLC, Greenstar Pittsburgh LLC, Greenstar Recycled Holdings LLC, Greenstar Recycling LLC, Guadalupe Mines Mutual Water Company, Guadalupe Rubbish Disposal Co. Inc., Ham Lake Haulers Inc., Harris Sanitation Inc., Harwood Landfill Inc., Hedco Landfill Limited, High Mountain Fuels LLC, Hillsboro Landfill Inc., Holyoke Sanitary Landfill Inc., IN Landfills L.L.C., Illini Disposal, International Environmental Management Inc., Jahner Sanitation Inc., Jay County Landfill L.L.C., K and W Landfill Inc., Keene Road Landfill Inc., Kelly Run Sanitation Inc., King George Landfill Inc., King George Landfill Properties LLC, Kirby Canyon Holdings LLC, L&K Group Holdings LLC, LCS Services Inc., Lakeville Recycling L.P., Land South Holdings LLC, Landfill Services of Charleston Inc., Laurel Highlands Landfill Inc., Liberty Landfill L.L.C., Liquid Logistics, Liquid Waste Management Inc., Longleaf C&D Disposal Facility Inc., Looney Bins Inc., Mac Land Disposal Inc. II, Mahoning Landfill Inc., Mass Gravel Inc., Mc Ginnes Industrial Maintenance Corporation, McDaniel Landfill Inc., McGill Landfill Inc., Meadowfill Landfill Inc., Michigan Environs Inc., Midwest One Land Corporation, Modesto Garbage Co. Inc., Moor Refuse Inc., Mordell, Mountain Indemnity Insurance Company, Mountainview Landfill Inc., Nassau Landfill L.L.C., National Guaranty Insurance Company of Vermont, New England CR L.L.C., New Milford Landfill L.L.C., New Orleans Landfill L.L.C., North Manatee Recycling and Disposal Facility L.L.C., Northwestern Landfill Inc., Nu-Way Live Oak Reclamation Inc., OAKLEAF Waste Management LLC, OGH Acquisition Corporation, Oak Grove Disposal Co. Inc., Oakleaf Global Holdings Inc., Oakleaf Waste Management Inc., Oakridge Landfill Inc., Oakwood Landfill Inc., Okeechobee Landfill Inc., Ozark Ridge Landfill Inc., P & R Environmental Industries L.L.C., Pacific Waste Management L.L.C., Pappy Inc., Peltz H.C. LLC, Pen-Rob Inc., People's Landfill Inc., Peterson Demolition Inc., Phoenix Resources Inc., Pine Grove Landfill Inc., Pine Tree Acres Inc., Prime Westport LLC, Quail Hollow Landfill Inc., Questquill Limited, R & B Landfill Inc., RAA Colorado L.L.C., RAA Trucking LLC, RCI Hudson Inc., RTS Landfill Inc., Recycle America Co. L.L.C., Recycle America Holdings Inc., Redwood Landfill Inc., Refuse Inc., Refuse Services Inc., Reliable Environmental Transport, Reliable Landfill L.L.C., Remote Landfill Services Inc., Reno Disposal Co., Resco Holdings L.L.C., Resource Control Composting Inc., Resource Control Inc., Richland County Landfill Inc., Riverbend Landfill Co., Rust Engineering & Construction Inc., Rust International Inc., S & J Landfill Limited Partnership, S & S Grading Inc., S&T Materials LLC, SC Holdings Inc., SF Land Acquisition LLC, Sanifill de Mexico (US) Inc., Sanifill de Mexico S.A. de C.V., Shade Landfill Inc., Shawnee Rock Company, Sierra Estrella Landfill Inc., Southern Alleghenies Landfill Inc., Southern One Land Corporation, Southern Waste Services L.L.C., Spruce Ridge Inc., Stony Hollow Landfill Inc., Suburban Landfill Inc., Summit Energy Services Inc, Swire Waste Management Limited, TN'T Sands Inc., TX Newco L.L.C., Texarkana Landfill L.L.C., Texas Pack Rat - Austin #1 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - Dallas #1 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - Houston #1 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - Houston #2 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - Houston #3 LLC, Texas Pack Rat - San Antonio #1 LLC, Texas Pack Rat Service Company LLC, The Peltz Group LLC, The Waste Management Charitable Foundation, The Woodlands of Van Buren Inc., Thermal Remediation Solutions L.L.C., Trail Ridge Landfill Inc., TransAmerican Waste Industries, Transamerican Waste Central Landfill Inc., Trash Hunters Inc., Twin Bridges Golf Club L.P., USA South Hills Landfill Inc., USA Valley Facility Inc., USA Waste Geneva Landfill Inc., USA Waste Landfill Operations and Transfer Inc., USA Waste Services of NYC Inc., USA Waste of California Inc., USA Waste of Texas Landfills Inc., USA Waste of Virginia Landfills Inc., USA Waste-Management Resources LLC, USA-Crinc L.L.C., USB LIHTC Fund 2010-1 LLC, UWS Barre Inc., United Waste Systems Leasing Inc., Valley Garbage and Rubbish Company Inc., Vern's Refuse Service Inc., Vickery Environmental Inc., Vista Landfill LLC, Voyageur Disposal Processing Inc., WM Avon Inc., WM Bagco LLC, WM Billerica Inc., WM Biloxi Hauling LLC, WM Biloxi Transfer Station LLC, WM Boston CORE Inc., WM CCP Solutions LLC, WM Conversion Fund LLC, WM Corporate Services Inc., WM Curbside LLC, WM DC 1 LLC, WM Emergency Employee Support Fund Inc., WM Energy Resources Inc., WM Energy Services Holdings LLC, WM Energy Services of Ohio LLC, WM Energy Solutions Inc., WM GTL Inc., WM GTL JV Holdings LLC, WM GTL LLC, WM Green Squad LLC, WM GreenOps LLC, WM Healthcare Solutions Inc., WM Illinois Renewable Energy L.L.C., WM Intellectual Property Holdings L.L.C., WM International Holdings Inc., WM KS Energy Resources LLC, WM LNG Inc., WM LampTracker Inc., WM Landfills of Ohio Inc., WM Landfills of Tennessee Inc., WM Leasing Services of Texas LLC, WM Leasing of Arizona L.L.C., WM Leasing of Texas L.P., WM Logistics India Private Limited, WM Logistics LLC, WM Mercury Waste Inc., WM Middle Tennessee Environmental Center L.L.C., WM Mobile Bay Environmental Center Inc., WM ND Energy Resources II LLC, WM ND Energy Resources LLC, WM Nevada Renewable Energy L.L.C., WM North Broward Inc., WM Organic Growth Inc., WM PA Holdings LLC, WM PRG L.L.C., WM Pack-Rat LLC, WM Pack-Rat of California LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Illinois LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Kentucky LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Maryland LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Massachusetts LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Michigan LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Nevada LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Ohio LLC, WM Pack-Rat of Rhode Island LLC, WM Partnership Holdings Inc., WM Phoenix Energy Resources LLC, WM Propane LLC, WM Quebec Inc., WM RA Canada Inc., WM Recycle America L.L.C., WM Recycle Europe L.L.C., WM Recycling Latin America LLC, WM Refined Coal LLC, WM Renewable Energy L.L.C., WM Resource Recovery & Recycling Center Inc., WM Resources Inc., WM Safety Services L.L.C., WM Security Services Inc., WM Storage II Inc., WM Storage Inc., WM TX Energy Resources II LLC, WM TX Energy Resources LLC, WM Texas Pack Rat LLC, WM Trash Monitor Plus L.L.C., WM WY Energy Resources II LLC, WM WY Energy Resources III LLC, WM WY Energy Resources LLC, WM of North Dakota Energy Disposal Solutions LLC, WMI Mexico Holdings Inc., WMNA Container Recycling L.L.C., WMRE of Kentucky LLC, WMRE of Michigan LLC, WMRE of Ohio LLC, WMRE of Ohio-American LLC, WMSALSA Inc., WTI Air Pollution Control Inc., WTI Rust Holdings Inc., Warner Company, Waste Away Group Inc., Waste Management Arizona Landfills Inc., Waste Management Buckeye L.L.C., Waste Management China Holdings Limited, Waste Management Collection and Recycling Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Colorado Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Maine Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Maryland Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Massachusetts Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Oregon Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Pennsylvania Inc., Waste Management Disposal Services of Virginia Inc., Waste Management Energy Services of Texas LLC, Waste Management Holdings Inc., Waste Management Inc. of Florida, Waste Management Inc. of Tennessee, Waste Management Indycoke L.L.C., Waste Management International Inc., Waste Management National Services Inc., Waste Management National Transportation Services Inc., Waste Management Partners Inc., Waste Management Recycling and Disposal Services of California Inc., Waste Management Recycling of New Jersey L.L.C., Waste Management Service Center Inc., Waste Management of Alameda County Inc., Waste Management of Alaska Inc., Waste Management of Arizona Inc., Waste Management of Arkansas Inc., Waste Management of California Inc., Waste Management of Canada Corporation, Waste Management of Carolinas Inc., Waste Management of Colorado Inc., Waste Management of Connecticut Inc., Waste Management of Delaware Inc., Waste Management of Fairless L.L.C., Waste Management of Five Oaks Recycling and Disposal Facility Inc., Waste Management of Georgia Inc., Waste Management of Hawaii Inc., Waste Management of Idaho Inc., Waste Management of Illinois Inc., Waste Management of Indiana Holdings One Inc., Waste Management of Indiana Holdings Two Inc., Waste Management of Indiana L.L.C., Waste Management of Iowa Inc., Waste Management of Kansas Inc., Waste Management of Kentucky Holdings Inc., Waste Management of Kentucky L.L.C., Waste Management of Leon County Inc., Waste Management of Londonderry Inc., Waste Management of Louisiana Holdings One Inc., Waste Management of Louisiana L.L.C., Waste Management of Maine Inc., Waste Management of Maryland Inc., Waste Management of Massachusetts Inc., Waste Management of Metro Atlanta Inc., Waste Management of Michigan Inc., Waste Management of Minnesota Inc., Waste Management of Mississippi Inc., Waste Management of Missouri Inc., Waste Management of Montana Inc., Waste Management of Nebraska Inc., Waste Management of Nevada Inc., Waste Management of New Hampshire Inc., Waste Management of New Jersey Inc., Waste Management of New Mexico Inc., Waste Management of New York L.L.C., Waste Management of North Dakota Inc., Waste Management of Ohio Inc., Waste Management of Oklahoma Inc., Waste Management of Oregon Inc., Waste Management of Pennsylvania Gas Recovery L.L.C., Waste Management of Pennsylvania Inc., Waste Management of Rhode Island Inc., Waste Management of South Carolina Inc., Waste Management of South Dakota Inc., Waste Management of Texas Holdings Inc., Waste Management of Texas Inc., Waste Management of Tunica Landfill Inc., Waste Management of Utah Inc., Waste Management of Virginia Inc., Waste Management of Washington, Waste Management of West Virginia Inc., Waste Management of Wisconsin Inc., Waste Management of Wyoming Inc., Western One Land Corporation, Western Waste Industries, Western Waste of Texas L.L.C., Westminster Land Acquisition LLC, Wheelabrator Technologies, Wheelabrator Technologies International Inc., White Lake Landfill Inc., Willow Oak Landfill LLC, and eCycling Services L.L.C..
The following companies are subsidiares of Procter & Gamble: "Procter & Gamble Services" LLC, "Procter & Gamble" LLC, Agile Pursuits, Agile Pursuits Franchising, Arbora, Arbora & Ausonia, Arborinvest, Billie, Braun (Shanghai) Co., Braun GmbH, Braun-Gillette Immobilien GmbH & Co. KG, Celtic Insurance Company, Compania Procter & Gamble Mexico, Compania Quimica S.A., Corporativo Procter & Gamble, Cosmetic Products Pty. Ltd., Detergent Products B.V., Detergent Products SARL, Detergenti S.A., Eurocos Cosmetic GmbH, FPG Oleochemicals Sdn. Bhd., Fameccanica Data S.p.A., Fameccanica Industria e Comercio Do Brasil LTDA., Fameccanica Machinery (Shanghai) Co., Fater S.p.A., Fountain Square Music Publishing Co., Gillette (China) Ltd., Gillette (Shanghai) Ltd., Gillette Aesop Ltd., Gillette Australia Pty. Ltd., Gillette Canada Holdings, Gillette Commercial Operations North America, Gillette Diversified Operations Pvt. Ltd., Gillette Egypt S.A.E., Gillette Group UK Ltd, Gillette Gruppe Deutschland GmbH & Co. oHG, Gillette Holding Company LLC, Gillette Holding GmbH, Gillette India Limited, Gillette Industries Ltd., Gillette International B.V., Gillette Latin America Holding B.V., Gillette Management LLC, Gillette Nova Scotia Company, Gillette Pakistan Limited, Gillette Poland International Sp. z.o.o., Gillette Poland S.A., Gillette U.K. Limited, Gillette del Uruguay, Giorgio Beverly Hills Inc., Hyginett KFT, Industries Marocaines Modernes SA, LLC "Procter & Gamble Novomoskovsk", LLL "Procter & Gamble Distributorskaya Compania", Laboratorios Vicks, Liberty Street Music Publishing Company, Limited Liability Company 'Procter & Gamble Trading Ukraine', Limited Liability Company with foreign investments Procter & and Gamble Ukraine, MDVIP, MERCK KGAA NPV, Marcvenca Inversiones, Modern Industries Company - Dammam, Modern Products Company - Jeddah, New Chapter, New Chapter Canada Inc., Olay LLC, Oral-B Laboratories, P&G Distribution Morocco SAS, P&G Hair Care Holding, P&G Industrial Peru S.R.L., P&G Innovation Godo Kaisha, P&G Israel M.D.O. Ltd., P&G K.K., P&G Northeast Asia Pte. Ltd., P&G Prestige Godo Kaisha, P&G Prestige Service GmbH, P&G South African Trading (Pty.) Ltd., PGT Health Care (Zhejiang) Limited, PGT Healthcare LLP, PPI ZAO, PT Procter & Gamble Home Products Indonesia, PT Procter & Gamble Operations Indonesia, Phase II Holdings Corporation, Procter & Gamble (Chengdu) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (China) Sales Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (East Africa) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Egypt) Manufacturing Company, Procter & Gamble (Enterprise Fund) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Consumer Products Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Enterprise Management Service Company Limited, Procter & Gamble (Guangzhou) Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Health & Beauty Care) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Jiangsu) Ltd. China, Procter & Gamble (L&CP) Limited, Procter & Gamble (Malaysia) Sdn Bhd, Procter & Gamble (Manufacturing) Ireland Limited, Procter & Gamble (Shanghai) International Trade Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble (Singapore) Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Acquisition GmbH, Procter & Gamble Administration GmbH, Procter & Gamble Algeria EURL, Procter & Gamble Amazon Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Amiens S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Argentina SRL, Procter & Gamble Asia Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Australia Proprietary Limited, Procter & Gamble Azerbaijan Services LLC, Procter & Gamble Bangladesh Private Ltd., Procter & Gamble Blois S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Brazil Holdings B.V., Procter & Gamble Bulgaria EOOD, Procter & Gamble Business Services Canada Company, Procter & Gamble Canada Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Chile , Procter & Gamble Chile Limitada, Procter & Gamble Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Commercial LLC, Procter & Gamble Commercial de Cuba S.A., Procter & Gamble Czech Republic s.r.o., Procter & Gamble DS Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Danmark ApS, Procter & Gamble Detergent (Beijing) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Deuttschland GmbH, Procter & Gamble Distributing (Philippines) Inc., Procter & Gamble Distributing New Zealand Limited, Procter & Gamble Distribution Company (Europe) BVBA, Procter & Gamble Distribution S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Eastern Europe, Procter & Gamble Ecuador Cia. Ltda., Procter & Gamble Egypt, Procter & Gamble Egypt Distribution, Procter & Gamble Egypt Holding, Procter & Gamble Egypt Supplies, Procter & Gamble Energy Company LLC, Procter & Gamble Espana, Procter & Gamble Europe SA, Procter & Gamble Export Operations SARL, Procter & Gamble Exportadora e Importadora Ltda., Procter & Gamble Exports, Procter & Gamble Fabricacao e Comercio Ltda., Procter & Gamble Far East, Procter & Gamble Finance (U.K.) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Holding Ltd., Procter & Gamble Finance Management S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Financial Investments LLP, Procter & Gamble Financial Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Financial Services S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Finland OY, Procter & Gamble France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH, Procter & Gamble Germany GmbH & Co. Operations oHG, Procter & Gamble GmbH, Procter & Gamble Grundstucks-und Vermogensverwaltungs GmbH & Co. KG, Procter & Gamble Gulf FZE, Procter & Gamble Hair Care, Procter & Gamble Hellas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Holding (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Holding France S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Holding GmbH, Procter & Gamble Holding S.r.l., Procter & Gamble Holdings (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Home Products Private Limited, Procter & Gamble Hong Kong Limited, Procter & Gamble Hungary Wholesale Trading Partnership (KKT), Procter & Gamble Hygiene & Health Care Limited, Procter & Gamble Inc., Procter & Gamble India Holdings, Procter & Gamble Indochina Limited Company, Procter & Gamble Industrial - 2012 C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial Colombia Ltda., Procter & Gamble Industrial S.C.A., Procter & Gamble Industrial e Comercial Ltda., Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Costa Rica, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Guatemala, Procter & Gamble Interamericas de Panama, Procter & Gamble International Operations Pte. Ltd., Procter & Gamble International Operations SA, Procter & Gamble International Operations SA-ROHQ, Procter & Gamble International S.a.r.l., Procter & Gamble Investment Company (UK) Ltd., Procter & Gamble Investment GmbH, Procter & Gamble Italia, Procter & Gamble Japan K.K., Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan Distribution LLP, Procter & Gamble Kazakhstan LLP, Procter & Gamble Korea, Procter & Gamble Korea S&D Co., Procter & Gamble Lanka Private Ltd. Sri Lanka, Procter & Gamble Leasing LLC, Procter & Gamble Levant S.A.L., Procter & Gamble Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing (Tianjin) Co. Ltd., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Belgium N.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Berlin GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing GmbH, Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Mexico S. de R.L. de C.V., Procter & Gamble Manufacturing SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Marketing Romania SRL, Procter & Gamble Marketing and Services doo, Procter & Gamble Maroc SA, Procter & Gamble Mataro, Procter & Gamble Mexico Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Mexico Inc., Procter & Gamble Middle East FZE, Procter & Gamble Nederland B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Investments B.V., Procter & Gamble Netherlands Services B.V., Procter & Gamble Nigeria Limited, Procter & Gamble Nordic, Procter & Gamble Norge AS, Procter & Gamble Operations Polska Sp. z o.o., Procter & Gamble Overseas India B.V., Procter & Gamble Overseas Ltd., Procter & Gamble Pakistan (Private) Limited, Procter & Gamble Partnership LLP, Procter & Gamble Peru S.R.L., Procter & Gamble Pharmaceuticals France SAS, Procter & Gamble Philippines, Procter & Gamble Polska Sp. z o.o, Procter & Gamble Portugal - Produtos De Consumo, Procter & Gamble Product Supply (U.K.) Limited U.K., Procter & Gamble Production GmbH, Procter & Gamble Productions, Procter & Gamble Productos de Consumo, Procter & Gamble RHD, Procter & Gamble RSC Regional Service Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Retail Services BVBA, Procter & Gamble S.r.l., Procter & Gamble SA (Pty) Ltd, Procter & Gamble Satis ve Dagitim Ltd. Sti., Procter & Gamble Seine S.A.S., Procter & Gamble Service GmbH, Procter & Gamble Services (Switzerland) SA, Procter & Gamble Services Company N.V., Procter & Gamble Services Ltd., Procter & Gamble Share Incentive Plan Trustee Ltd., Procter & Gamble South America Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Spol. s.r.o. (Ltd.), Procter & Gamble Sports and Social Club Ltd., Procter & Gamble Sverige AB, Procter & Gamble Switzerland SARL, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Limited, Procter & Gamble Taiwan Sales Company Limited, Procter & Gamble Technical Centres Limited, Procter & Gamble Technology (Beijing) Co., Procter & Gamble Trading (Thailand) Limited, Procter & Gamble Tuketim Mallari Sanayii A.S., Procter & Gamble UK, Procter & Gamble UK Group Holdings Ltd, Procter & Gamble UK Parent Company Ltd., Procter & Gamble Universal Holding B.V., Procter & Gamble Verwaltungs GmbH, Procter & Gamble Vietnam, Procter & Gamble d.o.o. za trgovinu, Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.C.A., Procter & Gamble de Venezuela S.R.L., Procter & Gamble do Brasil S/A, Procter & Gamble do Brazil, Procter & Gamble do Nordeste S/A, Procter & Gamble-Rakona s.r.o., Progam Realty & Development Corporation, Redmond Products, Richardson-Vicks Real Estate Inc., Richardson-Vicks do Brasil Quimica e Farmaceutica Ltda, Riverfront Music Publishing Co., Rosemount LLC, SPD Development Company Limited, SPD Swiss Precision Diagnostics GmbH, Scannon S.A.S., Series Acquisition B.V., Shulton, Surfac S.R.L., Sycamore Productions, TAOS - FL, TAOS Retail, Tambrands Inc., Temple Trees Impex & Investment Private Limited, The Art of Shaving - FL, The Dover Wipes Company, The Gillette Company, The Gillette Company LLC, The Gillette co., The Procter & Gamble Distributing LLC, The Procter & Gamble GBS Company, The Procter & Gamble Global Finance Company, The Procter & Gamble Manufacturing Company, The Procter & Gamble Paper Products Company, The Procter & Gamble U.S. Business Services Company, This is L., US CD LLC, Vidal Sassoon (Shanghai) Academy, Vidal Sassoon Co., WEBA Betriebsrenten-Verwaltungsgesellschaft mbH, Walker & Company Brands, and iMFLUX Inc..
A teenager from Rome has been arrested on rape charges.

According to the Oneida County Child Advocacy Center, a 13-year-old has been charged with first-degree rape, which involved another juvenile in the city.

The teen was issued an appearance ticket and referred to the juvenile probation department.

The victim was offered counseling services through the center.
An elementary school principal in Omaha, Nebraska is on administrative leave after asking teachers to not celebrate Christmas in classrooms.

An internal memo, signed by Principal Jennifer Sinclair as 'The (Unintentional) Grinch who stole Christmas (from Manchester),' included a list of Christmas-related items and activities that could not be used in class at Manchester Elementary School.

'I will do my best to communicate the expectation from here on out, which aligns with my interpretation of our expectations as a public school who seeks to be inclusive and culturally sensitive to all of our students,' Sinclair said in the memo following a list of 'not acceptable' practices like the following:

Using images of Santas or Christmas items on worksheets.

Trees in classrooms.

Elf on the shelf.

Singing carols.

Playing Christmas music.

Sending a scholastic book that's also a Christmas book.

Making ornaments as gifts.

Reindeer.

Christmas videos/movies and/or characters from Christmas movies.

And a most curious 'not acceptable' item: candy canes.

According to Sinclair, the shape of a candy cane and its color strongly represent Christianity and Catholicism.

'Historically, the shape is a 'J' for Jesus. The red is for the blood of Christ, and the white is a symbol of his resurrection. This will also include different colored candy canes,' Sinclair wrote.

The memo was obtained by nonprofit Christian ministry Liberty Counsel, which sent a letter urging the school district to reverse the ban, saying it violates the US Constitution by showing hostility toward Christianity.

'We sent a demand letter to the Elkhorn School District last Friday demanding a response by close of business this past Monday. The School District attorney responded and advised that the action of Principal Sinclair was contrary to school district policy,' Mat Staver, Founder and Chairman of Liberty Counsel, told CNN.

'While we did not ask for Principal Sinclair to be placed on administrative leave, we did believe she should apologize and that the situation be corrected immediately.'

On Wednesday, Sinclair sent out an email to parents apologizing for any confusion, CNN affiliate WOWT reported.

'Last week, in an attempt to provide clarity, I mistakenly sent out an internal staff memo detailing what can and cannot be done in a public school surrounding the holiday season,' said the email, which was shared to WOWT by a parent.

'I wanted to reach out and make sure our families understand what occurred, and what has been done to correct the issue. I understand that the information I initially provide was incorrect and I sincerely apologize for any confusion or concern this has caused and the negative attention this issue brings to the District and Manchester.'

Kara Perchal, spokeswoman for the school district, said Sinclair has not released any other comments, and as of Thursday she has been placed on administrative leave.

'Principal Sinclair was in her first year as an employee at Elkhorn Public Schools,' Perchal told CNN. 'Due to the fact that this is an ongoing personnel issue, the district cannot comment further.'

In a statement sent by Perchal, the Elkhorn School District said no other schools have reported similar issues.

'Elkhorn Public Schools District administration promptly addressed the issue at Manchester Elementary School regarding the memo that was sent by the principal to Manchester elementary staff. The memo does not reflect the policy of Elkhorn Public Schools regarding holiday symbols in the school. The district has since clarified expectations and provided further direction to staff in alignment with district policy. This issue was limited to Manchester Elementary School and did not arise at any other schools within the district,' the statement read.

CNN has not been able to reach Sinclair.
INDIANAPOLIS (AP)  The leader of Indiana's veterans affairs agency resigned Friday following reports that he had awarded money to veterans who worked under him at the agency that was intended to go to veterans struggling to make ends meet.

Gov. Eric Holcomb accepted James Brown's resignation as director of the Indiana Department of Veterans' Affairs, and in a statement he praised the decorated Vietnam veteran, who had led the agency since 2013.

"Sgt. Maj. Brown is a good man with a distinguished service record," Holcomb said. "I am grateful for his longstanding service to our state and country."

Brown's resignation came a week after reports surfaced questioning the agency's administration of Indiana's Military Family Relief Fund , which was created in 2007.

The fund, which is financed primarily with fees from sales of veteran license plates and "Support Our Troops" plates, grants money to veterans to help them pay for food, housing, utilities, medical services and transportation.

The Indianapolis Star reported that at least 11 agency employees who are veterans  and many of whom make $40,000 to $50,000 a year  have collectively received about $40,000 in recent years from the fund. One employee received $1,100 for new tires. Another employee's application was approved the day it was submitted, even though veterans facing homelessness and job losses were required to wait weeks or months for assistance.

The newspaper also reported that while veterans not employed by the state agency who sought funding faced multiple requests for additional information about their requests, documents showed that veterans who are agency employees faced few such hurdles.

Indiana's Veterans Commission approved draft rules Oct. 5 for the fund, but plans to make more changes before submitting a final version to the state Attorney General's Office for legal review.

The Indianapolis Star reported that had those draft rules been adopted years ago, Veterans' Affairs employees likely would have been precluded from receiving funds. While the proposed rules do not explicitly prohibit agency employees from receiving money, income limitations based on federal poverty guidelines probably would.

WRTV-TV reported that while veterans and their families can get up to $2,500 in funding, records showed that grants of more than $2,500 were awarded to both employees of the agency and the fund itself. It also reported that two veterans had raised concerns in February about the fund's administration.

Most veterans also were strictly held to a $2,500 lifetime cap on aid, but at least four of Brown's employees who are veterans received more than that, including the manager of the program, who dipped into the fund multiple times.

Most of the grants in question were awarded during a period of 2  years when veterans affairs officials hadn't adopted rules governing the $1.7 million program.

Brown, who approved the grants, defended his actions, arguing that his employees had a right to the money just as any other veteran did.

"There is no great tragedy here," he told the Star last week. "No laws have been broken."

The State Board of Accounts is now conducting an audit of the program.

Holcomb, who re-appointed Brown in 2016 as the agency's director and is ultimately responsible for the agency, has said little about the questionable spending. As recently as Tuesday, he would only say that he is awaiting the results of the audit.

Brown was originally appointed to lead the agency in 2013 by Vice President Mike Pence, who was then Indiana's governor.
GREATER LAFAYETTE, Ind. (WLFI) -- A new kit is making learning how to administer CPR much easier.

The American Heart Association and Franciscan Health have teamed up to deliver new CPR kits to various community centers.

20 minutes is all it takes to learn how to save a life, according to Erin Crawford, American Heart Association's Corporate Engagement Director.

Only one-third of all Americans know what to do when someone collapses, which is really scary., said Crawford.

Crawford said these new kits are designed to be more user friendly.

In the kit is a mannequin and a 20 minute video and what it simulates is, what do you do when someone collapses, said Crawford. The holidays are coming up, great time to get the friends and family together and why not watch a 20 minute video on how you can save your loved ones, I don't know what a better gift is than giving the gift of life, added Crawford.

The YMCA, Tippecanoe Libraries, Lyn Treece Boys and Girls Club and the YWCA received the new kits.

Janae Kraud, YWCA's Program Development Director has been CPR training across the Greater Lafayette area for years. She said these new inflatable training dummies are much easier for traveling and training purposes compared to the fully rubber ones that she used previously.

With CPR training becoming something that can be done in the comfort of ones home, Kraud hopes more people will want to take time to learn.

We are hoping to give Greater Lafayette the skills that they need to help save lives, it could save a loved one or it could save someone in our community, said Kraud.

YWCA invites community members to come in and learn CPR at the facility. The CPR kits can be rented from the new YMCA. Tippecanoe Libraries and the Lyn Treece Boys and Girls Club are working on a plan to make the kits accessible to the community outside of the facility.
The United States is one of the biggest producers and consumer of various forms of energy. The sources of energy can be classified as either primary/ secondary or renewable/nonrenewable. Regardless of the classification, fossil fuels are the major sources of energy with petroleum, coal, and natural gas contributing almost 77.6% of the energy produced in the US. The major sources of energy are discussed below.

5. Natural Gas - 31.8%

Natural gas is the leading source of energy in the United States contributing a total of 31.8% of energy produced in the country. The United States is also the largest global producer of natural gas with the output increasing gradually each year since 2009. The top producing regions are Texas, Pennsylvania, and Louisiana. There are large exploration companies with numerous wells that produce both natural gas and oil. The high supply of the commodity has led to a reduction in price in the US compared to prices in other producers such as Japan, Saudi Arabia, and Europe. The abundance of natural gas has led to a significant increase in electricity produced from the gas. Energy consumed in the industrial sectors has also increased leading to higher output. Liquefied Petroleum gas (LPG), a product of natural gas, is used widely for cooking, heating, and for motor fuel. The natural gas industry is structured into exploration, production, transportation, refining, distribution, and marketing. Each role is performed by experts to maintain quality. In 2015 and 2017, the country produced the highest levels of natural gas compared to any other year. The increase in production has been enhanced by more effective and efficient drilling techniques which incorporate modern technology. Natural gas is distributed through interstate pipelines which covered a total of 189,000 miles as at 2014.

4. Petroleum - 28%

Petroleum is the second major source of energy in the United States. The source of energy gained popularity in the 20th century as it powered the industrial and commercial sectors. Petroleum is also consumed in large quantities in the automobile sector due to the affordability of motor vehicles a factor that has led to a rapid increase in demand hence higher prices. Exploration for oil is an ongoing exercise in the US. New oil reserves were discovered in the 1920s terminating the fear of oil depletion that had gripped America at that time. The most recently discovered high yield oil fields were in the Federal Gulf of Mexico and Texas in 1998 and 2009 respectively. The top five oil producing companies are Bp, Chevron, ConocoPhillips, Exxon Mobil, and Occidental Petroleum. Efficiency in distribution and marketing of petroleum makes the product easily accessible by the final consumer. Distribution channels used are pipelines, rail or barge. Numerous retail outlets ensure the product reaches the final consumers.

3. Coal - 17.8%

Coal is the third major source of energy in the United States contributing up to 17.8% of energy produced in the country with multiple states dependent on coal. The quantity of coal mined keeps on fluctuating with 2008 recording peak production. Recent years have seen a reduction in coal produced mainly because of a decrease in the quantity of coal consumed in the electricity generation sector. Most of the coal mined is consumed domestically with the remaining being exported. Europe, India, and Brazil are the largest importers of coal from the US. Coal is mined in 25 states with the largest producing states being Wyoming, Kentucky, West Virginia, Pennsylvania, and Illinois which produce over 71% of total coal in the US. Coal can be classified as either hard or soft. Hard coal, also known as anthracite, is used for steel production, heating, or fuel for railroads and ship. Soft coal is used as Bitumen. Currently, coal reserves in the US are estimated to be over 477 billion tonnes.

2. Renewable Energy - 12.7%

Renewable energy accounted for 12.7% of total energy produced in the US. Various forms of renewable energy are hydroelectricity, wind power, solar power, geothermal, biofuel, and other biomass energy sources. Hydroelectric power is the highest source contributing over 24.4% of renewable energy. The US is ranked 4th in global production of hydroelectricity after China, Brazil, and Canada. There is an increased focus on energy from solar and wind. The sources are seen as not only cheap but also naturally available. The two have therefore consistently increased energy contribution to the national grid. Solar power has greatly contributed to electric power after setting up numerous photovoltaic power plants such as the Solar Star, Topaz Solar Farm, Riverside County, and Desert Sunlight Solar in California. Ivanpah Solar Power Facility in Las Vegas with a capacity of generating 392MW has greatly contributed to renewable energy. Renewable energy is expected to grow further due to its sustainability and government support. The government has been giving subsidies and incentives to enhance the generation of renewable energy. Laws have been enacted in various states to promote renewable energy.

1. Nuclear Electric Power - 9.6%

Nuclear Electric power is the fifth major source of energy accounting for 9.6% of energy sources in the United States. The US is the largest producer of commercial nuclear electric power in the world from its 99 commercial reactors which has a capacity to generate 100,350 MW. In 2017 alone, the reactors generated 805 Billion KWh which accounted for 20% of electricity output in the country. Nuclear capacity has continuously increased since the late 1990s after the government amended policies regarding nuclear energy. The nuclear plant with the largest capacity is the Palo Verde located in Arizona. The nuclear plant has 3 reactors which can generate 3,937 MW at its peak. The government is encouraging investors in the nuclear electric power. The newest reactor was opened in October 2016 and can generate 1,150 MW at its peak in summer. Two more plants are under construction in Georgia.
Amur River, also known as Heilong Jiang, is a major waterway in East Asia and the worlds 10th longest river. It is Chinas third-longest river after Yangtze and Huang Ho and the longest river flowing through Russian Far East. The river begins at the confluence of Argun and Onon-Shilka near Pokrovka in Russia, then flows east and southeast for approximately 2,824 kilometers before emptying into the Strait of Tartary. However, the Amur-Argun river system is 4,444 kilometers long, making it Asias 4th longest river. Amur forms part of the border between Northeastern China and Southeast Siberia. The rivers modern name (Heilong Jiang) translates to Black Dragon River.

Features Of The Amur River

Cliff Aury on the Amur River in the Khabarovsk region of the Russian Far East.

The Amur watershed covers an area of approximately 1.855 million square kilometers and drains much of the Russian Far East and Northeastern China. Its headwaters rise in Khan Khentii Strictly Protected Area (Mongolia), Greater Khingan in Russia, and Northeastern China. The Amur proper flows for about 2,824 kilometers and drains into the Strait of Tartary near Nikolayevsk-on-Amur. It discharges an average of 10,739 cubic meters of water per second into the strait and a maximum of 30,700 cubic meters per second.

The Amur is divided into three sections; Upper Amur, Middle Amur, and Lower Amur. The Upper Amur begins at the confluence of Argun and Shilka and flows for about 900 kilometers to Zeyas mouth. The Middle Amur runs for 970 kilometers from Zeya to Khabarovsk, while the Lower Amur flows from Khabarovsk to the Strait of Tartary for another 970 kilometers. The entire river rises at an elevation of 303 meters and falls to sea level at the mouth.

Course Of The Amur River

Sunset on the embankment of the Amur river in Khabarovsk. Editorial credit: Dmitrii Rud / Shutterstock.com

Origin

The Amur River begins its flow at the confluence of the Argun and Shilka River, about 2,824 kilometers northwest of its mouth. The Shilka River begins in Siberia at the junction of Onon and Ingoda Rivers, whose sources are in the Khentii Range. Shilka flows for about 560 kilometers before meeting the Argun River at the Russia-China border. The Argun River rises in the Greater Xingan Range in Inner Mongolia, China, approximately 1,620 kilometers from its junction with the Shilka River. It receives several tributaries before reaching the China-Russia border, including Gazimur, Uryumkan, and Urov. The Argun runs on the Russia-China border and meets the Shilki near Pokrovka.

Upper Amur

The Shilka and Argun Rivers confluence at an elevation of 303 meters and marks the beginning of the Amur River. The Upper Amur flows east on the Russia-China border, then gently bends southeastwards, maintaining its flow on the border for about 400 kilometers. The rivers upper reaches flow between Amarzar Range and the Greater Khingan Range and past several towns, receiving water from several tributaries. The Huma He River joins the Upper Amur at Huma. Then, the river continues southwards, flowing between Heihe (China) and Blagoveshchensk (Russia). The river widens as it flows south and receives Zeya near Blagoveshchensk. Zeya currently contributes 16% of inflow into the Amur, down from 50% because of the flow regulations.

Aerial view of Amur River.

Middle Amur

The Amur-Zeya junction marks the beginning of the Middle Amur River. This section first flows into the Zeya-Bureya Depression and curves east, then southeast as the river approaches its confluence with the Bureya River. The river continues south for another 250 kilometers without receiving any major tributary, flowing past the spurs that extend from the Bureya Range. Then, it enters a narrow gorge and flows through Xiao Hinngan Range, where its speed and depth increase rapidly. The Middle Amur briefly turns east and receives Songhua (largest tributary) at Tongjiang, then turns northeast and flows towards Khabarovsk, where it receives the Ussuri River.

Lower Amur

At Khabarovsk, the Amur River is only 370 kilometers northeast of the East Sea (Sea of Japan). However, Sikhote-Alin Range diverts the river so that it does not empty into the East Sea directly. Instead, the Amur flows for another 970 kilometers before draining into the sea via the Strait of Tartary. The Lower Amur leaves the Russia-China border and continues northeast from Khabarovsk. The rivers lower reaches flow through a wide valley, past Amursk and Komsomolsk-na-Amure. The river plain narrows near Komsomolsk-on-Amur and flows for about 145 kilometers through a scenic forest valley. Then it flows through the Udil Kizinsky hollow until Bogorodskoye. It emerges from the hollow and flows on a low-lying plain, where it receives the Amgun, the last major tributary. Then, the Lower Amur turns east and enters the strait through the 20-km-long estuary.

Climate

The climate of the Amur basin is affected by the seasonally alternating monsoon winds and its northern location. The continental air mass dominates the river basin during polar winter, causing dry weather and a temperature range of -20 to -33 degrees Celsius. During summer, the river basin receives maritime air mass, causing the temperature to range between 18 and 22 degrees Celsius. The Amur basin receives uneven precipitation. The southern portion receives up to 900 mm annually, while the middle section receives a maximum of 600 mm. The western part receives the lowest precipitation, ranging between 300 and 400 mm.

Flora And Fauna Of The Amur River

Young kaluga fish (Amur river endemic ).

The Amur Basins vegetation lies mostly in the Taiga zone, with larch as the most common species in the area. The drier parts contain fir, spruce, and pine, while the eastern portions have Amur cork tree and Korean pine. Steppe grassland dominates the west, with conifer and mixed broad-leaved forests are found on the south. The river itself contains over 123 fish species, including 25 species of commercial value. Most fish species, about 100, are found in the Lower Amur. This river is home to some 20 indigenous broadhead and carp species. Other species include Siberian Salmon, burbot, and the sig, with Kaluga as the largest species.

Brief History

The Amur basin was originally inhabited by several tribes, including Nanai, Buryat, Nivkh, Yakut, Orok, Udegey, and several Machu people. For most of these tribes, the main occupation was fishing and hunting. The Machu people regarded the river as sacred and named it sahaliyan ula, meaning Black River. Russian traders and explorers began developing an interest in the area in the 17th century. Russian explorer Vasily Poyarkov explored the basin and the estuary between 1644 and 1647, followed by Yerofey Khabarov from 1649 to 1651.

The Treaty of Nerchinsk allocated the entire river basin to China in 1689. Despite the treaty, Russians and Europeans continued to occupy north Amur. By 1860, Russia had taken control of the land to Ussuris east and Amurs north. Russian settlers moved into the region and built cities like Blagoveshchensk. Russians slowly spread over the basin, with their influence reaching Harbin and Dalian. The Amur River remains an important symbol in Russian-Chinese relations, with the river becoming popular during the Sino-Soviet tension of 1956-66.
The present-day nation of Guinea-Bissau is one of the most historic nations on the African continent. Human communities have made their home within its borders for a long period which has greatly influenced the shape of the borders. In the modern era, Guinea-Bissau encompasses an area of about 3,948 square miles on the western edge of the African continent. Throughout its history, several communities have exerted their influence within its borders such as the Mali Empire and the Gabu Kingdom. The Portuguese were chiefly responsible for shaping Guinea-Bissau's borders as sections of the state were under Portuguese control as early as the 16th century. The current boundaries of Guinea-Bissau are roughly 474 miles long, and the country borders the two nations of Guinea and Senegal.

Border With Guinea

Guinea and Guinea Bissau are kept apart by a boundary that is roughly 262 miles long. Guinea surrounds Guinea-Bissau on the eastern and southern sections. The border between the two nations was determined during the colonial era by the French, who at the time had control of Guinea and the Portuguese who had consolidated their control of Guinea-Bissau. The Kogon River flows close to the border on the Guinean side of the border. On the Guinea Bissau side of the border, the Sultinho waterfall is the most prominent physical feature. Guinea-Bissau's Lagao de Cufada natural park is also located close to the border. There are several towns situated close to the border on the Guinea-Bissau side such as Cacine, Boe, Jemberem, and Pitche. The towns located on the Guinean side of the border include Niagassola, Mandiana, and Siguiri. One of the main points from where people can cross from Guinea to Guinea-Bissau is in the town of Sansale. Guinea-Bissau and Guinea also share a maritime border situated in the Atlantic Ocean. The border with Guinea is significant as it is the location of the easternmost point in Guinea-Bissau. Although the exact position is unnamed, it is located southwest of the Sofan village in Guinea.

The Relationship Between Guinea-Bissau and Guinea

Guinea has had a significant impact on Guinea-Bissau as it contributed to the nation being called Guinea-Bissau. The name Bissau was added on to the nation's name to prevent confusion with the nation of Guinea. The two countries cooperate on a wide range of aspects such as security, trade, economic development, and infrastructural development. Several roads link towns in Guinea to towns in Guinea-Bissau to ease the flow of goods from one nation to the other. Guinea and Guinea-Bissau also have diplomatic ties with the Guinean government being represented by an embassy located in Bissau. The government of Guinea-Bissau, on the other hand, is represented by an embassy located in Conakry.

Ambassador to Guinea Recalled

In 2009 after Moussa Camara seized control of Guinea, he recalled a significant number of Guinea's ambassadors to other nations and international organizations. One of the ambassadors called back was the ambassador to Guinea-Bissau who left a leadership vacuum at the embassy. Although the government did not give any official reason for the callback, an article in the Tocqueville Connection indicated that it might have been an attempt by Moussa Camara to cleanse the government of leaders appointed by the previous president, Lansana Conte. President Camara later appointed another ambassador filling the vacuum that had been created.

Border with Senegal

The border between Senegal and Guinea-Bissau is roughly 211 miles long and is located on the northern edge of Guinea-Bissau. The Geba River is one of the major rivers that cross the border between the two nations. The Casamance River is one of the major rivers that flow on the Senegalese side of the border. The Cacheu Natural Park, one of the significant natural parks in Guinea-Bissau is also located close to the border. The border between the two nations was determined during the colonial period by the French and the Portuguese. There are several towns located on the Guinea-Bissau side of the border with some of the most prominent being Cacheu, Farim, and Pirada. Some of the towns situated on the Senegalese side of the border include Ziguinchor, Kedougou, and Bignona.

Border Conflict with Senegal

The border between Senegal and Guinea-Bissau has been the site of one of the longest wars ever fought on the African continent. The war, the Casamance conflict, has raged for more than 30 years and has contributed to insecurity along the border. The war primarily involved rebels from the Movement of Democratic Forces of Casamance, who were agitating for independence for the Casamance region from Senegal, and the Senegalese government, who wanted the region to remain as part of Senegal. Evidence indicates that by 1995, the rebels had already established military bases in Guinea-Bissau and were receiving support from one of Guinea-Bissau's top military leaders. It is believed that military leadership support of the rebels could have been one of the factors that sparked a civil war in Guinea-Bissau. The rebels regularly move from Senegal into Guinea-Bissau especially when the government of Guinea-Bissau exerts pressure on them.

The Relationship Between Senegal and Guinea-Bissau

The governments of Senegal and Guinea-Bissau generally have positive ties as they cooperate on some aspects such as security, trade, and economic development. The government of Senegal sent its military to assist the Guinea-Bissau government during the coup led by Ansumane Mane. In Senegal, the government of Guinea-Bissau is represented by an embassy located in Dakar as well as a consulate general situated in the city of Ziguinchor. An embassy located in Dakar represents the government of Guinea-Bissau in Senegal.

Border Security in Guinea-Bissau

Due to the constant political turmoil in the region, the government of Guinea-Bissau has invested heavily in keeping the borders safe. The Guinea-Bissau government cooperates with the government of the neighboring countries in maintaining border security. The northwestern part of the country close to the Casamance area is considered relatively unsafe due to the constant presence of rebels from Senegal.
The Education Corporation of America, (ECA) one of the largest for-profit colleges in the United States which operated across over 70 campuses and managed an online school, abruptly announced this week that they would shut down operations at almost all locations, following their disaccreditation on Tuesday. Several thousand staff and the 20,000 students who attended their schools have been left to an uncertain future.

No real provisions were made for the students who were suddenly left without an education for the next year. Students were sent an email on Tuesday telling them that their school would close after finals ended on Friday and were simply told we encourage you to continue your career training by requesting your transcript and contacting local schools to determine transferability." They were linked a webpage that is still in development to access unofficial transcripts. Whether or not other schools will give credit for class taken at ECA schools is also an open question, since the ECA is no longer accredited.

Following the closure of the majority of their campuses, the ECA will, in all likelihood, begin laying off a significant number of its employees. It has said that intends to keep only a bare-bones workforce until the summer of next year, when it says it will shut down permanently.

High tuition and burdensome student loans are a reality for those in the US seeking an education beyond high school. This is even true for most students at public universities. There are 44.5 million Americans saddled with student load debt, totaling about $1.5 trillion. It is consequently one of the most lucrative businesses to be in.

While the ECA has told students that they can apply for debt forgiveness, it is likely that the company will only make token concessions, if they are themselves even in a position to make those decisions in the coming years.

This is not the first time a large private for profit education company has faced financial trouble and left its students to fend for themselves. Some recent history reveals how the student loan debt of former ECA students will be treated by the corporations and by the government.

In 2014, Corinthian Colleges Inc, a publicly traded company that then had 72,000 students across the US, was unable to demonstrate that its graduates had attained gainful employmentthat is, that graduates have found jobs that allow them to repay accrued student debtand was subsequently cut off from federal funding. Despite a bailout from the Obama administration, it was ultimately forced into shutting down 12 of its schools and was later bought by the ECMC (Educational Credit Management Corporation) Group, one of the largest and most notoriously usurious student loan collection agencies in the country. The ECMC Group was also the go-to group for the Department of Education (DOE) to contest petitions for loan forgiveness.

Then in 2016, ITT Technical Institute shut down after being denied Title IV student aid following an investigation by the Accrediting Council for Independent Colleges and Schools (ACICS)the same group that disaccredited the ECA this week. In this case, the DOE repaid any students who successfully won loan forgiveness out of government funds, ensuring that the loans were still repaid at public expense.

The ACICS was itself rejected by the DOE in 2016 for its lax oversight that was in part responsible for the collapse of both Corinthian Colleges and ITT, but Education Secretary Betsy DeVos has moved to reinstate them.

DeVos is very much personally involved in the student loan racket and has been working since her confirmation to further dismantle public education.

Listed by Forbes in 2016 as the 88th richest American, the billionaire DeVos has interests in Performant Recovery, a debt collection company; Apollo Global Management, which owns the University of Phoenix; as well as a number of international education investments in New Zealand and Brazil. Her immediate family are extremely wealthy as well, with her husband being the former CEO of the Amway corporation, and her brother, Erik Prince, the founder of the notorious Blackwater mercenary company.

Politically, she has also championed a number of related reactionary causes, including boosting the charter school movement and attacks on the separation of church and state.

DeVos moved to remove the gainful employment regulation under which for-profit schools have previously lost lucrative government funding in August. This gives for-profit colleges much more financial stability, and following this decision, the ACICS is again in the good graces of the Department of Education.
Ahead of todays marches by yellow vest protesters against President Emmanuel Macron in Paris, the French government issued unprecedented threats of a bloody crackdown in the capital. Amid rising support for the yellow vests among students and workers, and mounting popular anger with Macron, top officials are warning that they will stop at nothing to intimidate and threaten protesters. Some 89,000 riot police and armored vehicles are to be deployed today.

Macrons attempt to shut down the protest by first postponing and then ultimately canceling the fuel tax increase that first provoked the demonstrations has failed. Instead, the movement has continued to spread across France and internationally, to Belgium, the Netherlands, and as far as Iraq. Amid growing demands by yellow vests for large wage increases, taxes on the rich, and more social equality, which his government has no intention of fulfilling, Macron is preparing for a showdown.

Yesterday, as authorities closed monuments across Paris and shops boarded up storefront windows to prepare for rioting, spokesman Benjamin Griveaux spoke to Le Parisien to slander the yellow vests as cop killers. They are coming to smash, burn, pillage, and attack with the intention of killing representatives of public order, Griveaux said. Asked if he was telling protesters not to come to Paris, he replied: That is the advice that I would give.

Griveaux gave no evidence to support his charge that yellow vests intend to kill police. After three Saturdays of protests in which violent police charges left hundreds injured, not a single policeman has died. He admitted that the government made mistakes and did not understand the feeling that the government is abandoning some regions of France. He also admitted that Macron, who denounced workers opposed to his austerity policies and tax cuts for the rich as lazy, is seen as arrogant: Some things we said hurt. We know it very well.

Nonetheless, Griveaux adopted what Le Parisien called a deliberately alarmist tone and implying that a crackdown using deadly force is imminent against anyone defying his order not to attend protests in Paris. Those who are present in the protests do not allow the security forces to proceed to make arrests, he complained. Yellow vest protesters who are sincere should not function as human shields.

Denouncing politicized and radicalized elements who are trying to exploit the movement and want to overthrow the government, he ominously warned the media not to carry live reports on the crackdown. He said, I am calling on the television channels to be responsible and not to broadcast live images in order not to give away the position of the security forces.

The Swiss daily Le Temps commented, Not since the French generals putsch in Algeria in 1961 has such language been heard from a French government. The 1961 putsch was led by far-right officers desperate to maintain French colonial rule in Algeria by forcing an unpopular imperialist war on the French people.

Stunned by the outpouring of opposition among workers and youth, the government is brazenly defending repression. Interior Minister Christophe Castaner spoke yesterday to defend a shocking video in which armed riot police forced high school students in Mantes-la-Jolie to kneel, wearing plastic handcuffs with their hands behind their heads, as if they were about to be shot. The policemen taunt the youth in the video, saying: Here is a class that is behaving.

The video has been seen millions of times on social media, provoking shock and horror. Castaner brazenly defended the police forces, however: This corresponds to standard practice before frisking someone. Police are now investigating the identity of the person who shot the video in order to press charges.

Should the Macron government act today on the hysterical threats it made yesterday, it would lead to the most violent confrontation with the working class in France since bloody police assaults on workers and youth defending Sorbonne students provoked the 1968 general strike.

The growing radicalization of the working class underlying the protests emerged clearly in the yellow vest collective in Commercy, in eastern France, which issued a video call for the formation of popular assemblies across France.

It rejected the governments call for protesters to designate representatives with whom Macron could negotiate: It is not to understand our anger and our demands that the government wants representatives to talk with. It is to control and to bury us. Like the union leaderships, they seek intermediaries, people to talk to, to pressure to stop the eruption, whom they can then corrupt and convince to divide the movement so as to strangle it.

They added that the yellow vest protests call for a new order in which those who are nothing, and are spoken of with contempt, take back the power from all those who are stuffing themselves, from the rulers and the powers of money.

Across France, strikes, yellow vest protests and student blockades are mounting as Macron continues to sink in the polls. Paris regional trains, Rennes and Le Havre mass transit, and vocational high schools are on strike, while the National Railways (SNCF) workers will protest and march at the yellow vest rallies tomorrow in Paris. Hundreds of gas stations across France are running out of fuel amid refinery strikes or blockades of fuel depots by yellow vest protesters. The National Farmers Union Federation (FNSEA) called its members to protest in the streets this coming week.

The Stalinist General Confederation of Labor (CGT) union called off at the last minute a national truck drivers strike it had called to begin at the weekend, however. The CGT bureaucracy is vitriolically hostile to the yellow vests, and CGT boss Philippe Martinez, who previously said they were infiltrated by neo-fascists, gave another interview to Le Monde to denounce them. He insisted again that the CGT would not come together with the yellow vest protesters, saying that among them there are people you cant frequent.

High school students continued to blockade hundreds of schools in cities across France including Paris, Bordeaux, Nantes, Toulouse, Tours, Montpellier, Lille, Lyon and beyond. They were joined by university students at the Censier and Tolbiac campuses of the University of Paris, protesting against the tuition hike for foreign students. Police violently charged protesting students at University of Lyon-III. The National Union of French Students (UNEF) is calling for a one-day protest against the tuition hikes for December 13.

Yellow vest protests are taking place in cities across France, in the face of unprecedented mobilizations of the security forces. Marseille authorities are preparing a large police deployment against multiple protest marches, as right-wing regional president Renaud Muselier launched yesterday his Marseille declaration warning that the Republic is endangered by insurrection. The police prefect in northern France has taken the unprecedented step of banning all yellow vest protests, as calls spread in Lille to occupy both train stations and blockade the entire city.

In Lyon, where yellow vest protesters occupied regional government headquarters yesterday, authorities are planning to block off Bellecour square, where the yellow vests will meet today. There, they will face an unprecedented police deployment reportedly including members of elite police assault squads trained to shoot and kill terror bombers.
Almost 18 months after the Grenfell Tower fire of June 14, 2017, which resulted in the deaths of 72 people, the warnings of the Socialist Equality Party and the Grenfell Fire Forum that the official inquiry would be a whitewash have been confirmed.

Phase one of the inquiry, taking witness and expert testimony regarding the night of the fire, will complete within days, more than a year after its first hearing in September 2017. It has been a harrowing experience for those who gave evidence and anyone following proceedingsexcept for the guilty who should have been forced to hear this testimony before a judge and jury.

Since the fire, there have been 13 convictions for fraudulent appropriation of funds, with an additional six people arrested and charged on suspicion of a public order offence in relation to a vile video in which an effigy of the Tower was set alight on Bonfire Night. In relation to the fire itself, however, not a single person has been charged or even arrested.

In July, it was reported that the police had interviewed under caution a grand total of three people. This is despite the fact everyone knows that the fire was accelerated by the flammable cladding on the building, commissioned by the Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea (RBKC) to cut costs. The resulting rapid spread of the fire meant that standard firefighting operational procedures for tower blocks, including the stay put policy advising residents to remain in their apartments, were fatally undermined.

It has subsequently emerged that the safety certificates issued for the building were factually incorrect. Evidence continues to mount of corporate criminality and culpability, with accusations that insulation manufacturer Celotex knowingly misled buyers about the safety certification of its products.

Robert Black, head of the Kensington and Chelsea Tenant Management Organisation (KCTMO)that managed Grenfell on behalf of RBKCsent a memo to his colleagues at 6 a.m. on June 14, 2017, as the Tower was still burning, saying, We need to pull some of this together pretty fast in terms of health and safety compliance. We need all the information about the refurbishment as this will be a primary focus.

The Conservative government promised after the fire that it would do whatever was necessary to make the UKs tower blocks safe. Last month, it finally announced regulations banning the use of combustible materials on new buildings over 18 metres high and powers for local authorities to remove aluminium composite (ACM) cladding from private high-rise buildings, the cost to be reclaimed ultimately from building owners. However, this regulation does not cover existing buildings or new hotels and hostels meaning that the fixtures, fittings, sealants and glues used on Grenfell Tower can continue to be used.

The Royal Institute of British Architects (RIBA) has made recommendations on sprinklers, alarms and escape routes for all residential high-rise buildings that have also not yet been considered. This follows considerable evidence to the inquiry pointing to major health and safety shortcomings of the refurbishment of Grenfell Tower, which contributed enormously to the disaster.

No funds have been made available to councils to install sprinkler systems, and many councils have not been provided with funding to remove and replace highly flammable cladding from tower blocks. Instead, the government is calling on councils already facing devastating budget cuts to spend millions on remedial works to private buildings. It has promised to meet the costs if private developers will not, but no funding has been allocated and there are no timeframes in place. No penalties have been introduced to ensure the action is taken seriously.

The Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government has committed to financial support for councils acting against private owners to remove ACM cladding. But freeholders look likely to challenge legally new costs for removing cladding because the previous building guidance was unclear.

The majority of councils across London and in urbanised areas nationally are Labour Party-run, and evidence of Labours complicity in implementing unsafe building regulations and use of dangerous materials continues to emerge. Labour-run Salford City Council in the north of England oversees the highest concentration of towers covered with ACM cladding (29) in the country.

In June, the government announced a joint expert inspection team to assist councils because of the slow progress of repairs of towers in the private sector. This week, Housing Secretary James Brokenshire admitted that taskforce has not started work yet and will not begin until next year. Of 183 private high-rise blocks found to have unsafe cladding, only five have so far been repaired. There are still no clear plans for 50 buildings considered unsafe. All 27 hotel towers with ACM cladding remain untouched.

This has all taken place as the full, independent public inquiry promised by Prime Minister Theresa May, that needs to produce an interim report by the end of this summer [2017] at the latest, has been in session.

The inquiry was never intended to bring the guilty to justice. It is a fraud because it was convened, and is being overseen and directed, by the very capitalist state apparatus and its political representatives that are responsible for turning Grenfell Tower into a death trap. The inquiry was called under the 2005 Inquiries Act, which stipulates, An inquiry panel is not to rule on, and has no power to determine, any persons civil or criminal liability.

Its chair, Sir Martin Moore-Bick, stated that it would be limited to the cause, how it spread, and preventing a future blazeproviding a small measure of solace. He recommended excluding issues of a social, economic and political nature and May was only too happy to accept. Phony consultation meetings were held in advance to legitimise the inquiry. Asked about prosecuting the guilty, Moore-Bick said An inquiry is designed to find out what happened. I have no power to do anything in relation to criminal responsibility.

There was initially huge scepticism among the families of victims, survivors and local residents about the inquiry. The efforts of the trade unions and Labour leader Jeremy Corbyn were directed towards legitimising Mays cover-up. Corbyn backed Mays initial proposal, but when popular hostility made this problematic he wrote to her suggesting a two-stage inquirythe first along Moore-Bicks lines, the second to cover national issues. The Fire Brigades Union (FBU) also overcame its stated concerns about not discussing broader political issues so it could participate as fully as possible. When the inquiry began, the unions and Labour argued for full support, claiming that such appeals to the capitalist state were the way to achieve justice.

Moore-Bick then rejected submissions to appoint a local resident as assessor to the inquiry on the grounds that it would undermine his impartiality! In contrast, KPMG, one of the worlds biggest business restructuring and advisory firms, was forced to step down a month into the inquiry from its role as the inquirys project management adviser. KPMG had previously acted as auditor to three of the bodies under investigation, RBKC, Rydon, the main contractor on the refurbishment of the Tower in 2015/2016, and Celotex.

The SEP described the Grenfell Tower fire as an act of social murder. We repeat our insistence that those guilty of social murder at Grenfell Tower must be arrested and charged. Those instrumental in the decision to add the cladding to Grenfell must also be arrested and charged. We demand:

 Justice for Grenfell means no cover-up and no inquiry whitewash!

 Arrest the political and corporate criminals responsible!

 Stop the scapegoating of firefighters!

 Quality public housing is a social right!

 For an emergency multibillion-pound programme of public works to build schools, hospitals, public housing and all the infrastructure required in the 21st century!

The author recommends:

The Grenfell Tower Inquiry and the case for socialism

[15 September 2017]
The WSWS Autoworker Newsletter is holding an emergency meeting this Sunday, December 9 at 2 p.m. in Detroit to organize a fight against the plant closures. We urge workers and youth to make plans to attend. Let us know you are attending and share the event on Facebook.

After General Motors (GM) announced their plans to cut nearly 15,000 jobs and close five automotive plants in the United States and Canada, autoworkers have been outraged and are determined to fight back. They have received support from workers across the country, as well as internationally, to launch a united struggle against the auto corporations independently of the unions. The United Auto Workers (UAW) and Unifor have integrated into corporate management, sharing in the spoils from the exploitation of the workers in return for suppressing strikes and imposing cuts in jobs, wages, benefits and safety.

To wage a successful fight against the auto giants, the World Socialist Web Site Autoworker Newsletter is calling for the formation of rank-and-file committees to take up the functions long ago abandoned by the UAW and Unifor, and fight for the broadest mobilization of the entire working class. The building and maintenance of such committees demands a new political strategy of, by and for the working class, based on socialist internationalism and independent of the two corporate-controlled parties and trade unions. Autoworkers will discuss these vital questions at the emergency meeting in Detroit on December 9.

In the buildup to the emergency meeting, members of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality (IYSSE) spoke to young people from across the United States about the planned plant closures, the conditions facing workers and youth, and the fight to organize workers against the mass layoffs and forced concessions.

As with the corporate-driven attacks on workers, the conditions facing students and youthdebt, joblessness, and rising living costshave driven the growth of opposition to capitalism. The statements of support coming from youth and students reflect a stance of solidarity for autoworkers.

Elijah, a student at Wayne State University in Detroit, one of the cities where the planned closures will hit the hardest, explained to IYSSE members his own experience with the auto industry. My dad is an auto worker and I remember when the financial crisis hit and lots of people lost their jobs. After his mom was laid off in 2009, his dad had to take on a higher workload. Ive seen an increase in stress on him. It takes more than just a physical toll. It takes a toll psychologically, too. I think this is what happened to lots of families after 2008.

It would be a lot better if people could have decent jobs, Elijah said. I definitely oppose the auto layoffs and support the workers. If I could say something to the auto workers who are fighting the closures I would tell them that they arent alone. We support them!

Another student at Wayne State University, named Almas, expressed a similar anger about the plant closures. If this is how they are treating workers now then I think the future will be way worse, she said.

Almas told the IYSSE about her own struggle with paying for college and connected this to the conditions of workers generally. I think everyone has the right to a decent wage, she said. Many of the workers have families! They need to be able to support them.

Raechel, a Political Science major at San Diego State University (SDSU), supported the call to fight back against mass layoffs.

These plant closures show how much control corporations have over workers. This will affect their entire lives15,000 people! Job layoffs expand into different industries too like service work. Once one company starts doing it, others jump on the bandwagon. The fight against plant closures should be seen as a fight of all workers against unemployment, low wages, and corporate control.

Ethan is an Economics major at University of Michigan who recently joined the IYSSE. He described the layoffs and the corrupt role of the UAW as a slap in the face to the working class. Ethan also spoke about the history of autoworkers shedding their blood, sweat, and tears for better conditions.

Looking to the example of the Flint Sit Down Strikes of 1936 and the Battle of the Overpass, socialists in the Socialist Equality Party (SEP) and IYSSE are again ready to stand in solidarity with GM workers to retain their dignity and history against the bourgeois management and the corrupt trade union bureaucracy.

In the 1940s and 50s, strikes by millions of industrial workers secured the right to pensions and employer-paid health care benefits, in addition to higher wages and living standards. This transformation was epitomized by Detroit which by 1960 had the highest per capita income of any city in the US. The Motor City also had the highest home ownership rate and among the best public schools in the country. Today, the city and its surrounding communities have been gutted by decades of deindustrialization.

Detroit tells the tale of the American worker, said Blake, a Mechanical Engineering student at Portland State University in Oregon. He noted that after the transformation of the world economy and complete globalization of production in the 1970s, the auto factories that once covered the Midwestern region lay like bones, devoured by capitalism. While corporate profits expanded, the cities that gave them life were abandoned.

He stated that the anarchy of capitalism, the free market as it is called, allowed the auto corporations to move production wherever they could exploit workers the most and reap profits. In opposition to decades-long assault on workers in the United States and internationally, Blake is enthusiastic about the struggle of autoworkers being prepared. It is time to rebuild the laboring class, to unite workers from all industries and countries for a better world.

The destruction of decent-paying jobs and industries built by the working class will affect the conditions of the newer generation, many of whom will be confronted with a life of poverty, debts, low-wage labor, and social misery with the continued decline of their living standards.

Capitalism is systemically depressing the working class and killing working class communities, said Jacob, a Northern Virginia Community College student. He explained that he was appalled to learn of the layoffs planned by the auto companies, given how much it will impact the lives of thousands of workers. The rich are just being selfish. Workers have families as well.

Ned, a graduate-level Sociology student at Portland State University, was inspired by the call to wage a unified fight against the GM layoffs, adding that workers determination will be a source of motivation for workers and even students around the world. The fight they [autoworkers] are engaged infor the right to full employment, dignity, and securityis the fight of all workers in this age, he said.

Emma, an exchange student from the UK studying at San Francisco State University, echoed this sentiment. I would like to see workers go on strike. She added that autoworkers must fight for their own interests against the divisions imposed by the unions, the two major parties, and the rest of the capitalist establishment. A strike cant just be at one shop or one company, its got to be united. The working class struggles internationally.

Shuvu, a member of the IYSSE at the University of California at Los Angeles, declared the clubs support of the autoworkers against the betrayals of the UAW and the greed of the companies. At a time when the CEOs and executives of GM and Ford are taking home record pay and bonuses, these shameless corporations have gone on to cut workers pay and fire them from their jobs  And what are the unions doing about it? Absolutely nothing! In fact these unions are in on it and have been caught multiple times taking bribes from the auto corporations.

The workers of Detroit shouldnt accept these injustices and should fight against it. Like the Yellow Vest strike in France, its now time to show the world the power of workers. These huge corporations only have power because we let them, and all it takes is a genuine revolt against them for their organizations to crumble.

Appealing directly to the autoworkers in the United States, Canada and around the world, Shuvu said, Break away from the unions, form independent rank-and-file committees, and launch a strike, free from the chains of the unions! The world will hear your voice and workers everywhere will fight with you!
An article published on November 29 by Jacobin magazine, the publication affiliated with the Democratic Socialists of America, calls for the dismantling of social media. Entitled Log off and written by DSA member Benjamin Fong, it argues that Facebook, Twitter and other social media platforms have become damaging to the health of the population, are destructive for the left, and should be done away with.

The abysmal level of the article, laden with pseudo-psychological musings, can be inferred from the summary appearing under the headline, Social media will always be destructive for the Left. We should log the f**k off.

The call for the abolition of social media by a purportedly left-wing publication does not take place in a social and political vacuum. Jacobin is aligning itself with an international campaign for internet censorship by the ruling class.

Within the United States, this has been led by the Democratic Party and publications such as the New York Times and the Washington Post. Primarily, they have based it upon the McCarthyite claim that Russian meddling via paid Facebook ads during and since the 2016 elections is sowing discord and polarization in America and undermining democracy.

According to this narrative, Russia, and not the unprecedented concentration of wealth in the hands of the rich and impoverishment of the mass of the population, is responsible for the hostility of the working class towards both corporate-controlled parties.

The New York Times has concocted a secondary human rights rationale for Facebook censorship, claiming that social media is responsible for state-backed mass violence against the Rohingya population in Myanmar, and threatens to provoke similar acts elsewhere. The implication is that, provided with the tool to communicate without government control, the population will be unable to restrain its inner homicidal urges.

The real concern, however, is neither Russian trolls nor right-wing violence, but growing left-wing struggles by workers and young people. The ruling class is responding by seeking to prevent workers and youth from organizing and communicating outside the control of the official institutions of the capitalist state, corporate media and trade unions.

In Jacobins article, Fong provides a somewhat altered version of the above-mentioned pretexts for censorship. He writes that bad behavior happens on the internet, and in real life too, but there is a special quality to the depravity exhibited on social media that is particular to the domain. The article is full of sweeping generalizations claiming that social media has a negative impact on the populations psychology, such as the claim that it demonstrates a psychopathic character contradiction: an obsession with self-perception by others in combination with a disturbing lack of empathy

Fong makes clear that his objection is not to the private ownership of social media companies, explicitly rejecting the idea that taking social media out of private control would allow us finally to realize the fantasy that sustains it. Rather, the problem is with social media itself.

Fong concludes with the authoritarian declaration that the sooner we realize the truth about social media, the sooner we can get to the work of dismantling it.

What is most remarkable about the article is not what it says, but what it does not say. In an article published by an organization that claims to be socialist weighing the pros and cons of social media, there is no reference to the fact that mass struggles by the workers around the world against inequality and the politics of the ruling class have been organized this year through social media.

One would have no idea that for the past month, France has been gripped by mass demonstrations organized on Facebook involving hundreds of thousands of workers against the despised president-banker Emmanuel Macron. Workers are posting videos of police violence, sharing information about the protests and discussing issues in Facebook groups that have as many as 300,000 people.

Nor would one know that earlier this year in the United States itself, teachers in West Virginia utilized social media to organize wildcat strikes culminating in a state-wide walkout, and to then defy the order by the teachers unions after two days to return to their schools.

The omission is no accident. The democratic potential of the internet and social media terrifies the ruling class above all because it provides a platform for workers to organize independently of the trade union apparatuses, which for decades have served as the reliable partners of the corporations and governments in suppressing and isolating workers struggles and keeping strikes at the lowest levels in history. The mass demonstrations in France have been so explosive because they have developed independently of the CGT and other unions, which initially responded to the protests with open hostility.

Jacobin and the DSA are oriented not to the working class but to the trade union apparatuses. They defend the unions against workers because they speak for layers of the middle class, approximately in the top 10 percent of the income scale, who hope for positions as union officials and executives with incomes in the top two or three percent.

Jacobin supported the National Education Association and American Federation of Teachers in West Virginia as they sought to regain control of the teachers struggle and impose a sellout. It then hailed the rotten agreement with billionaire governor Jim Justice as a victory. It has also written almost nothing about the protests shaking France.

The article also makes no mention of the actual internet censorship measures that have been implemented in the last two years under pressure from the Democratic Party and intelligence agencies. These include Facebooks censorship of alternative news sites on the News Feed and promotion of authoritative sources such as the New York Times and Wall Street Journal.

Indeed, Fongs arguments mirror those of Facebook CEO Mark Zuckerberg in January as part of his justification for censoring the social media platform. Many of the posts of Facebook, he said, are crowding out the personal moments that lead us to connect with each other, so the algorithms will be restructured to encourage meaningful interactions between people.

On the basis of Facebooks supposed concern for the psychological well-being of users, it has moved to sharply reduce exposure to left-wing publications and opinions.

The DSA has been totally silent on the ruling class campaign of internet censorship. The organization is a faction of the Democratic Party and tries to maintain illusions in the population that this alliance of Wall Street, the Pentagon and the CIA can be transformed into an outfit for progressive change, even as it leads the drive for censorship and repression. It is for this reason that Jacobin itself has not been a target of internet censorship, as has the World Socialist Web Site, which fights for workers to break from both the Democratic Party and the trade unions and to build independent organizations of class struggle and a genuinely revolutionary party.

Perhaps because of concerns that their backing of censorship has been too openly exposed by Fongs article, Jacobin published a follow-up article on December 6, entitled, Unfortunately, we cant log off. The article, however, does not oppose or mention the drive to censor the internet, or the emergence of mass struggles by workers organized online. Its criticism of Fongs article is purely tactical: that the DSA should continue to utilize social media to expand its influence.

If the conclusions that Fong draws in his article were not so authoritarian, they would be almost comical. Does this organization really believe, one is tempted to ask, that one of the greatest technological transformations in modern history, with some two billion people around the world turning to social media use to communicate instantaneously, will be halted because they appeal to people to log off?

In fact, Jacobins appeal is not directed to the working class, but to the capitalist state. The article is aimed at providing a pseudo-left rationale for mass censorship among the middle-class layers in the orbit of the Democratic Party who read the publication. The ruling class drive to wipe out social media, they will argue, will make people more empathetic, and should be welcomed. In short, it combines idiocy with middle-class terror in the face of growing struggles by the working class.
Asia

India: Pricol strike ends, management relocates over 300 workers

Long-running strike action by Coimbatore District Pricol Workers Union members was called off on November 29 following negotiations with management. The walkout began in August, after the previous pay deal ended on June 30.

Pricol transferred 302 employees who were involved in the strike to its units in Pune, Pantnagar and Chennai. The company said it is ready to offer a VRS (voluntary retirement scheme) for its nearly 1,300 permanent employees based here if Coimbatore workers demands were reasonable. Workers oppose these transfers and, according to union, the company offer violated an agreement management during negotiations.

Haryana Roadways employees hold statewide protest

Haryana Roadways employees held two-hour protests at depots across the state in response to the companys decision to terminate services of at least 365 bus drivers. Workers raised slogans denouncing the state government. Haryana Roadways Workers Union general secretary said that the government had previously decided to hire private buses, end overtime and stop night buses in rural areas. It has terminated the services of 365 temporary drivers recruited in 2016.

The roadways employees unions and Haryana state government have been at loggerheads over a range issues during the past few months. The roadways employees unions have taken action against the state governments decision to hire 700 private buses.

India: Midday meal workers demonstrate in Karnataka state

Protesting midday meal workers at Freedom Park in Bengaluru, Karnataka have threatened an indefinite hunger strike if the state government fails to meet their demands. The workers want the state government to increase their honorarium and provide job security for midday meal workers. The protest, which is led by All India Trade Union Congress, began on December 3.

Midday meal workers have also called on the government to scrap contracts with private companies and non-governmental organisations (NGOs) to supply midday meals in schools.

Pakistan: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa municipal workers protest for outstanding payments

Hundreds of Tehsil Municipal Administration (TMA) workers in Mingora, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, protested on Tuesday over two months outstanding wage payments. The governments failure to pay wages on time has affected 352 workers, including cleaners, drivers and tube-well operators.

Municipal workers are paid poverty level wages. A cleaner with seven years service, for example, is only paid 15,000 rupees ($107.48) a month.

Mingora TMA claims that the funds have been transferred to the Water & Sanitation Services Company (WSSC) and that it should be paying the workers. The WSSC claims that the workers are employed by TMA and that it is responsible. While the TMA and the WSSC are supposed to receive funds from the government it has systematically slashed development funds and public expenditure.

The protesting workers have threatened to begin a hunger strike if authorities fail to resolve the issue.

Pakistan health program workers demand permanent jobs and a pay rise

Employees of the Pakistan governments Lady Health Workers (LHW) scheme in Lahore demonstrated on Sunday outside the Supreme Court to demand a pay increase and permanent jobs.

While the Supreme Court has previously ruled that the government must give LHW employees permanent employment, the government is using the administrative procedures to delay implementation of the order.

The Lady Health Workers program provides essential health services, including vaccinations, in the poverty-stricken and remote regions of Pakistan. Despite the crucial services they provide, thousands of permanent and contract workers are kept at minimum wage conditions. Contract based workers have reported wages as low as just 7,000 rupees ($50.33) per month.

Sri Lankan housing workers fight lay offs

Hundreds of National Housing Development Authority (NHDA) non-permanent workers blocked the main road in central Colombo on December 3 to demand reinstatement. About 2,500 workers, including more than 1,000 graduate workers, were terminated in one day by the NHDA.

Workers carried placards with slogans such as, Oppose the termination of workers, Secure our jobs and Stop political victimisation.

Riot police were deployed to prevent workers reaching the NHDAs head office. Water cannons and Special Task Force contingents were also mobilised. The protest ended after the NHDA told the ousted workers to report to work next day.

Bangladesh police attack sacked workers protest

Sacked CA Knitwear factory employees were baton-charged by the police, who also fired blanks and tear gas, after the workers blockaded Dhaka-Mymensingh Highway in Bhabanipur area of Gazipur for four hours on November 29.

The sacked CA Knitwear workers were demanding compensation from the company authorities in line with Bangladesh labour laws. About 400 were dismissed last week alone over trivial matters, such as talking to each other during work hours, taking time for prayers and spending excessive time in the lavatory, one worker told the Daily Star .

South Korea auto workers protest new factory

Hundreds of autoworkers rallied at Hyundais factories in the south-eastern city of Ulsan on Wednesday, to protest the creation of a low-cost car-manufacturing plant in the city of Guangju.

The factory, slated to begin production of mini-SUVs in 2021, will be a joint venture between Hyundai and the local government. It will be classified as an independent entity, relieving it of pay commitments negotiated with unions. Wages are slated to be less than half those of existing Hyundai workers.

Conflicts between the company and city authorities broke out last week, over Hyundais insistence that it will not allow for any, even nominal, wage increases in the first five years of production. The Hyundai union, covering 50,000 members, has threatened strike action.

Australian and New Zealand

Australia: Brisbane ferry drivers strike over pay and conditions

Around 130 workers who operate ferry services in Brisbane, the capital of Queensland, walked off the job for 48 hours on Thursday morning. They are demanding higher pay and greater job security in a proposed enterprise agreement.

The Maritime Union of Australia (MUA) has been in negotiations for nearly a year with Transdev, a private transport company contracted by the city council to operate commuter ferry services on the Brisbane River.

An MUA spokesman said many workers are paid below the award rate and have no job security because they are employed on casual contracts. The union has not indicated what its demands are, or what Transdev has offered.

New Zealand teachers reject new pay offer

Around 30,000 primary and intermediate teachers and principals voted overwhelmingly last week to reject a third government pay offer, which failed to address the crisis in education, including a serious teacher shortage.

Primary teachers have twice taken strike action, in August and again last month, fighting for better work and pay conditions. Teachers have demanded a 16 percent pay rise over two years, and improvements to staffing and workloads.

The Labour-led government has claimed it has no more money to substantially increase its pay offer, of a $9,500 to $11,000 increase over three years, and a $500 bonus for those on a collective agreement.

Around 17,000 secondary teachers also voted last month to reject a pay offer of between two and three percent, and endorsed a one-day strike in Term 1 next year.

Midwives union ends rolling stoppages in New Zealand

The Midwifery Employee Representation and Advisory Service (MERAS) ended a fortnight of stoppages on December 5 with a day of action involving pickets at hospitals across the country. Midwives had begun staging twice-a-day, two-hour rolling strikes on November 22.

Some 1,155 public hospital midwives across 20 district health boards (DHBs) earlier voted overwhelmingly to reject a pay offer of 3 percent per annum for three years. MERAS had put in a claim for a 3 percent increase above this, or a $NZ5,000 retention allowance.

Midwives complained that during the stoppages they were unable to leave the workplace in case they were needed for so-called life-preserving services. The union and DHBs returned to mediation yesterday after more than a year of negotiations.

Air New Zealand engineers announce pre-Christmas strike

Air New Zealand engineers have announced plans to strike on the airlines busiest travel day of the year, December 21, just four days before Christmas.

The Aviation and Marine Engineers Association and E tu, the unions representing Air New Zealands aircraft maintenance engineers, aircraft logistics and related staff, have served notice of the stoppage which will involve almost 1,000 staff. The plans of 42,000 customers could be affected on the day.

The planned strike is over annual pay increases. Engineers have rejected recent proposals by the airline including a two percent pay increase followed by a further three percent increase after 12 months. Workers are also demanding an extra week of annual leave after five years service.
David North, chairman of the World Socialist Web Site International Editorial Board and the Socialist Equality Party (US), delivered a public lecture, Eighty Years of the Fourth International (19382018): The class struggle, revolution and socialism in the 21st century, in Melbourne, Australias second largest city, on Thursday night.

David North addressing the Melbourne meeting

The event was part of an international lecture series organised by the International Committee of the Fourth International (ICFI) to celebrate the 80th anniversary of the founding of the Fourth International by Leon Trotsky in 1938. Meetings have already been held in Sydney, as well as in Sri Lanka, and cities across the United States. Tomorrow, North will speak in Wellington, New Zealand.

About 80 people attended the Melbourne lecture, including workers and university students from Latin America, Europe, and China. Many were attending their first event held by the Socialist Equality Party and the International Youth and Students for Social Equality, following a prominent public campaign that included street posters, community radio advertising, public speak-outs and leaflet distributions in working class areas.

The lecture covered a broad range of critically important historical and political questionscentred on the contemporary significance of the issues that confronted the international working class when the Fourth International was founded in 1938. North reviewed many of the key strategic experiences through which the working class passed in the 20th century, including Adolf Hitlers seizure of power in Germany in 1933, following the failure of the Stalinists to heed Trotskys earlier warnings and develop a united front of workers parties and organisations to defeat the Nazis. He outlined the socialist and internationalist perspective required to combat the renewed dangers of fascism and imperialist war.

The lecture was received with enthusiasm and a lively discussion period followed. Questions were asked about the role of Podemos in Spain and the pseudo-left more widely in Europe and on the gap between the objective tasks confronting workers and their existing level of consciousness. A collection for the Socialist Equality Partys monthly fund raised more than $6,000 and nearly $400 of Marxist literature was sold, including copies of David Norths recently reissued The Heritage We Defend: A Contribution to the History of the Fourth International.

After the lecture, World Socialist Web Site reporters spoke with several of those in attendance.

Angela, a student at Victoria University, said: The lecture was a lot of information, so I am still trying to process it all. But it was really eye opening. I was really interested in some of the writings of Trotsky that were quoted. He died in MexicoI am originally from Colombiaand his writings have a lot of relevance today, including in Latin America. I was always trying to relate everything David North was saying about Europe and America to Mexico and Latin America.

Everyone says, history doesnt repeat, but the lecture showed that the same things are happening again today. In Brazil, with Bolsonaro, and in Colombia with the government supporting the civil war, all of that is happening. And now, people are thinking, how is this all happening again. We need to find a way to stop all of these things from happening again.

She continued: I found the question about making the working class aware of its position in society interesting. I think, due to capitalism and consumerism, people are led to believe that we can all be part of the top one percent. Socialism is about the community. But capitalism is teaching us to think about ourselves as individuals. I agree that it needs to be an international union of workers. You can see how stupid it is to think about only one country when you look at fascism or climate change. These are worldwide problems.

SEP campaigners speaking to a student before the meeting

Robin is an engineer, originally from Sweden. Explaining why he had attended the meeting, he said: Im new to Trotskyism, so I wanted to learn a bit more about it. I liked the videos of the French protests, the camera phones created a kind of vicarious experience where you get put almost into the situation. In Sweden, its a bit dire now. There are crypto-fascists in parliament. The old communist parties have just morphed into standard parties, they all wear suits, speak the same language, theyre politicians. Its good now you have these movements that keep the flame burning.

Jack, a public servant working in the Department of Human Services, said: David North drew the connection between the growth of populism and the rise of fascism. Its important not to get sucked into populism and being divided by identity. The academics dont look at the historical connections. I think it is important to learn the lessons of history rather than repeating them. The media covers up class struggles around the world. I only become aware of them through the WSWS.

A section of the meeting

Olli, a retired public high school teacher, said: The lecture provided a really good materialist understanding of postmodernist thought and was particularly poignant in showing how this systemic, pessimistic approach works to convince people life isnt what they think it is, and how it is used by the pseudo-left and the bourgeoisie generally.

He continued: The Labour parties, the trade unions, have adapted completely to capitalism and left a political vacuum for the bourgeoisie, and its media, for fascist forces to try and crush the working class and maintain capitalist rule.

The growing movement of masses of people is emerging because of the huge economic inequality in all the world. There is real conflict with the system because of desperationworkers lose their jobs, their homes, their ability to fend for their families, safeguard their health and gain educational opportunities. The ruling class, not prepared to lose its own wealth and power, has no solution. It will continue to repress these rebellions, giving rise to ever wider conflict and strikes.

Daniel works as an integration aide at a public high school. One thing I learnt was Trotskys analysis of fascism, what it was and how to fight it, he said. I understand it to be an extreme form of nationalism that comes to power to oppress the working class. It happens when the national state is no longer in equilibrium. That was an important part of the lecture.

He continued: The statistics on the rich and poor were very interestingthose in themselves are enough cause for a revolution. It was very good to see what was happening in France, the videos on the Yellow Vest protests were good. Its hard to get this through the Australian mediathe Murdoch press blocks it all out. It seems like itll be a long hard battle to re-educate the working class. Theyre given false ideas constantly, but as they come into conflict with the system theyll look for answers and find the Socialist Equality Party.

The unions have obviously betrayed the workers, and new protests will probably take on a global character very quickly, in a way weve not seen in a long time. Internationalism is the way forward. It will look better to the working class as these resistance movements continue. David Norths quote from John Reed on Lenin was significant. Reed said, Lenin was unique as a leader, he won the leadership of the working class through the virtue of his intellect and not demagoguery, as the ruling class must do. It really shows how powerful a Marxist analysis is.
A series of legal documents filed Friday by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and federal prosecutors in Manhattan point to an intensification of the investigation into alleged Russian interference in the 2016 election and possible collusion and obstruction of justice by the Trump White House.

They concern two former Trump associates who have been convicted or have pled guilty to charges laid in connection with the 17-month investigation being led by former FBI director Mueller: Trumps former personal lawyer and fixer Michael Cohen and the former chairman of the 2016 Trump election campaign Paul Manafort.

Muellers office and federal prosecutors from the Southern District of New York filed separate sentencing recommendations before Judge William H. Pauley III in Manhattan, who is scheduled to hand down a sentence on December 12 on two guilty pleas tendered by Cohen.

The first was last August, when Cohen pled guilty to charges of financial fraud, tax evasion and campaign finance violations brought by the Manhattan prosecutors. The campaign offenses concerned hush money Cohen paid on behalf of Trump near the end of the 2016 election campaign to silence two women who claimed they had had sexual relations with the then-Republican presidential candidate.

The second came on November 29 when Cohen pled guilty to one count of lying to Congress as part of a plea agreement with Mueller. Cohen admitted to lying during the campaign about his negotiations with Russian officials about a project to build a Trump Tower hotel in Moscow. His testimony implicated Trump and other Trump family members in lying to conceal their business relations with Russia, prompting Democratic officials and media outlets to proclaim that Cohen had provided a smoking gun to prove Russian meddling in the election and Trump collusion.

Cohens plea and court appearance were timed to coincide with Trumps departure for the G20 summit in Argentina, where he was to meet with Russian President Vladimir Putin. Trump summarily canceled the meeting during his flight, underscoring the right-wing political motivations behind the Democratic Party-led, CIA orchestrated campaign over Russian meddling. The anti-Trump faction within the ruling class and the state is no less reactionary and warmongering than Trump. The central concern of the Democrats is to force Trump to assume an even more belligerent and aggressive posture toward Moscow.

The sentencing memo submitted by Mueller stressed Cohens cooperation with the Russia investigation and urged the judge to order any prison sentence for the perjury plea to run concurrently with the sentence handed down in connection with the Manhattan fraud conviction. It stated that Cohen had disclosed relevant and useful information and gone to significant lengths to assist the Special Counsels investigation.

In a clear shot across Trumps bow, the document said: The fact that Cohen continued to work on the [Trump Tower] project and discuss it with Individual 1 [Trump] well into the campaign was material to the ongoing efforts by the Russian government to interfere with the US presidential election the defendant provided a detailed account of his involvement and the involvement of others in the Moscow Project

It went on to state that Cohen provided useful information concerning Russia-related matters core to its investigation that he obtained by virtue of his regular contact with [Trump] Company executives during the campaign. It added that Cohen described the circumstances surrounding the preparation of his false testimony to Congress.

This suggests that Mueller has evidence implicating Trump and/or his close aides and family members in obstruction of justice as well as collusion.

The special counsel memo was similar in tone and content to a sentencing recommendation submitted on Tuesday in relation to the case of former Trump national security adviser Michael Flynn, who pleaded guilty last December to one count of lying to federal investigators and agreed to cooperate with Muellers office. In a heavily redacted filing, Muellers team repeatedly told the judge that Flynn had provided substantial assistance and recommended that he be given no prison time.

Fridays sentencing recommendation from the Manhattan prosecutors regarding Cohens earlier guilty plea took a much harder line than the one submitted by Mueller. It accused Cohen of withholding information and urged the judge to give him a substantial prison sentence of three or more years.

In relation to Manafort, Muellers office filed a document outlining the reasons it voided a cooperation agreement with the former Trump campaign official on November 26. In a heavily redacted document, it outlined in general terms its claim that Manafort had violated the agreement by repeatedly lying to investigators.

Manafort, a long-time lobbyist for pro-Russian Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych, who was ousted in a US-backed, fascist-led putsch in February 2014, was convicted by a Virginia jury in August of eight bank and tax charges brought by the special counsels office. He has been in jail since the summer, when the judge revoked his bail. Sentencing in that case is set for February 8.

Manafort pled guilty in September to conspiring to obstruct justice and agreed to cooperate with Mueller. Sentencing in that case is scheduled for March 5.

In Fridays submission, Muellers prosecutors accused Manafort of lying about five issues: his contacts with administration officials after Trumps inauguration; information pertinent to another Department of Justice investigation; his interactions with his former assistant, the Russian-Ukrainian political consultant Konstantin Kilimnik; comments about Kilimniks alleged participation in a conspiracy to obstruct justice; and a wire transfer.

Mueller has indicated he may file additional charges against Manafort or request that any sentences handed down be extended.

Also on Friday, former FBI Director James Comey, whose firing by Trump in May 2017 triggered the appointment of Mueller as special counsel, testified for seven hours behind closed doors before the House Judiciary and Oversight Committees. The Republican leadership of the committees reportedly grilled him on his supposedly kid gloves treatment of Hillary Clinton in connection with her use of a private email server while secretary of state under Obama.
Dozens of New York University faculty gathered December 3 in a forum to voice their concerns over the NYU administrations response to the case of Matthew Hedges, a British academic who was imprisoned for months in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) on trumped-up charges. Despite an open letter presently signed by 224 faculty, staff and PhD studentsdemanding NYU President Andrew Hamilton condemn Hedgess arrest and take measures to secure academic freedom, NYU continues to cover for the UAE government.

Given NYUs role in the UAE, where it has a degree-granting campus in Abu Dhabi (NYUAD), the silence of the administration amounts to complicity. The UAE gave $50 million to the construction of the NYUAD campus, and a high-ranking member of the UAE government sits on the NYU Board of Trustees. His fellow board members are an ignominious group of New York City multimillionaires and billionaires, including several who sit on the boards of imperialist think tanks like the Center for Strategic and International Studies.

After an international outcry, including the NYU faculty letter, Hedges was hastily pardoned and allowed to the leave the UAE. He has since explained to the Telegraph that after he was sentenced, he was interrogated yet again, prompting suicidal ideation. While he was imprisoned, his captors administered both tranquilizers and stimulants to him without proper medical supervision, leaving Hedges suffering from withdrawal symptoms in the UK.

At the faculty forum, titled NYU, UAE, & Academic Freedom, three faculty members who had experience with NYUAD and the UAE government spoke, followed by contributions from the floor. The common theme was that academic freedom was anything but sacrosanct in both the UAE and at NYUAD, and that the NYU administration is fully aware yet continues to claim otherwise.

The first of the main speakers was Lauren Minsky, assistant professor of history, who taught at NYUAD from its opening in 2010 until this year. She was followed by Andrew Ross, professor of Social and Cultural Analysis and director of American Studies, who was barred from the UAE in 2015 due to his research on labor conditions in the country. Arang Keshavarzian, associate professor of Middle Eastern Studies, was the last of the main speakers. Keshavarzian was denied a security clearance by the UAE last year and was therefore unable to teach in the country.

While the arrest of Hedges was a nodal point in the attacks on academic freedom by the UAE, it was hardly the first time academics had been harassed for their work by the federation of sheikdoms. Minsky provided a timeline of the sordid NYU-UAE partnership, including how NYU walked back on promises of academic freedom shortly after the campus began operations by creating a facile distinction between academic freedom and freedom of speech.

Minsky described how, after her arrival in the UAE, she noticed how the boxes containing her research materials had been opened and everything was in disarray. They had clearly gone through everything, she noted. Some of her husbands English- and Hebrew-language books were confiscated. She described extensive direct harassment of faculty teaching at NYU Abu Dhabi, Minsky noted that she was followed for hours in her carwith her infant on boardby an unmarked vehicle that she believes was associated with the regimes security services.

Harassment has only escalated over the past couple of years, Minsky told the meeting, with the campus suddenly declared a public space by the government. All public events that people unaffiliated with NYU could attend had to be approved. From my perspective, its almost like the [UAE] government is taking over the institution, and I dont say that lightly, she explained.

Ross emphasized that genuine academic freedom extends to speech that is critical of university administrations and extends beyond the walls of the university. One of the duties or obligations of our professions members is to share our knowledge and opinions with the public, he said.

The secrecy around the Memorandum of Understanding between NYU and the UAEwhich has never been made publicwas the original sin of NYUAD he said: The original sin of non-transparency determined the character of these operations from there on.  That original sin has made it all the more likely that something very, very bad will happen sooner rather than later at NYU Abu Dhabi. And in my mind thats almost a certainty.

Ross also noted that this was hardly exclusive to NYUAD, referencing how Israeli law now prohibits entry to members of pro-Palestinian groups, including groups with an organizational presence at NYU. Thus, it isnt legally possible for all NYU students to study at NYU Tel Aviv, something also noted by a subsequent student speaker of Palestinian origin.

Keshavarzian stressed that the UAE was an absolutist monarchy from its founding in 1971 through to NYUs decision to construct a liberal arts college in the country, and remains so today. However, the UAEs authoritarianism made NYUAD possible, including the brutal exploitation of labor to construct the campus. NYU entered into this arrangement because of the UAEs illiberal system, not despite it, Keshavarzian explained.

Regarding the denial of his security clearance in 2017, Keshavarzian asked: Was I denied entry because I was born in Iran and I was asked to identify myself as a Shiite Muslim, or was I denied entry because of what I teach, research or write? I do not know, and allegedly the UAE government wont tell NYU.  If it was the former, then it is a simple case of discrimination based on my ethnicity; if it is the later, it is a simple and gross violation of academic freedom.

The general response of the NYU administration to faculty having their academic freedom and democratic rights restricted by the UAE was to sweep it under the rug. Keshavarzian noted that most of the communication with him regarding his security clearance denial came in the form of phone calls rather than e-mails, and that Hamilton has never once picked up the telephone to talk to me, or Mohamad [Bazzi, another professor denied a security clearance by the UAE in 2017].

The three speakers were followed by contributions from the floor. While the faculty had invited members of the administration, including Hamilton and Provost Katherine Fleming, they did not attend.

Toward the end of the discussion, John Archer, a professor of English and one of the organizers behind the open letter to Hamilton, proposed a motion that was amended and then supported overwhelmingly in a resolution that called on the NYU administration to uphold the principles of academic freedom at NYUs global sites and protect anyone who has experienced explicit threats to their academic freedom and personal safety and to make public NYUs Memorandum of Understanding with the UAE.

The resolution proposed a monitoring committee of faculty, staff and students. independent of the NYU administration, to oversee these demands and to create a secure whistleblowing website that would air concerns about threats to or violations of academic freedom, violations of policies regarding labor, and the like by the UAE government.

A representative of the International Youth and Students for Social Equality addressed the meeting at the end and stressed how the UAE is cracking down on academic freedom during its bloody intervention in Yemen and how attacks on democratic rights are taking place internationallyincluding the repression of the French yellow vest protests and the attacks on immigrants at the US-Mexico border. If democratic rights are to be defended at NYU and elsewhere, it must be based on an international strategy oriented to the working class, he stressed.

The IYSSE at NYU will discuss these issues at its next meeting,  NYU Administration Backs the UAE: The Way Forward to Defend Academic Freedom,  which will be on Tuesday, December 11 , at 6:30 p.m. in room 910 of the Kimmel Center at NYU. Faculty, students, staff and others seeking a socialist strategy to defend democratic rights are invited to attend.
On Wednesday, the world was shocked to learn that Canadian authorities had arrested and confined without bail Meng Wanzhou, the deputy chairperson of the Chinese smart phone giant Huawei, on charges brought by US prosecutors of violating American sanctions against Iran. Washington is calling for her extradition to the US.

The claims by US officials that the move has nothing to do with a trade war are transparent lies, dismissed even by the media defenders of the action. Mengs arrest on December 1 and confinement on tendentious and opaque charges potentially carrying a sentence of 60 years amount to little more than a kidnapping.

The British Financial Times, obviously unnerved by its allys action, called the move provocative, describing it as the use of American power to pursue political and economic ends rather than straightforward law enforcement.

It is, in other words, an act of gangsterism, intended to send a message to allies and enemies alike: do the United States bidding or you will end up like Meng, or worse. In pursuit of its geopolitical aims, the United States functions as a rogue state, violating international law with wanton abandon.

It is the chief protagonist in an international descent into lawlessness that recalls the conditions of great power conflict and criminality that led to World War II. The US imposes unilateral and illegal sanctions on any country it deems an obstacle to its hegemonic agenda, and then employs the methods of terror to punish those who defy its dictates.

But after news of Mengs arrest stunned the world, the New York Times dropped another bombshell the next morning. As Donald Trump was sitting down to dinner with Chinese President Xi Jinping last Saturday to arrange a truce in the US-China trade war, the US president was unaware that the unprecedented arrest was about to take place.

This was despite the fact that figures such as Democratic Senator Mark Warner and Republican Senator Richard Burr, as well as National Security Adviser John R. Bolton, were alerted to the arrest. Asked why he did not tell the president, Bolton, who was with Trump at the meeting with Xi, declared inexplicably, we certainly dont inform the president on every notification from the Justice Department.

Mengs arrest has upended any prospect of a truce in the trade war between the United States and China. The Financial Times warned that That entente already looked likely to come unstuck. After Ms. Mengs arrest, the deadline for progress looks like a time bomb.

The fact that such a provocative action could take place, according to the semi-official narrative, without the knowledge of the American president, makes one thing abundantly clear: The US conflict with China is not the product of Trumps personality or his particular brand of America First populism. Rather, a substantial section of not only Trumps administration, but of the permanent or deep state of the intelligence bureaucracy, as well as leading lawmakers, have signed on to Trumps aggressive anti-China policy.

Responding to news of the arrest, Senator Warner, a leading proponent of internet censorship by US technology companies, praised the action, declaring: It has been clear for some time that Huawei poses a threat to our national security. He added, Its my hope that the Trump administration will hold Huawei fully accountable for breaking sanctions law.

Other figures close to the Democrats were quick to praise the move, even going so far as to condemn Trump for not being hard enough on China. For too long, American leaders have failed to respond adequately to Chinas increasing assertiveness, wrote New York Times columnist David Leonhardt. A more hawkish policy toward China makes sense.

None of the three leading American newspapersthe Times, the Washington Post and the Wall Street Journal published a single commentary in the least bit critical of the White Houses criminal action.

This points to the bipartisan acceptance of the principles spelled out by Vice President Mike Pence in a major policy speech on China on October 4, which commentators have called the dawn of a new cold war with China. In that speech, Pence demanded that Beijing abandon its Made in China 2025 plan, which Pence claimed was an effort to control 90 percent of the worlds most advanced industries, including robotics, biotechnology and artificial intelligence.

Just days after Pences speech, the Pentagon published a study on the US defence industrial base, arguing that the United States needed a whole-of-society approach to prepare for military conflict with China.

Former Trump political adviser and neo-fascist Steve Bannon praised Mengs arrest as part of a whole of government approach to countering China. Under Trump, he told the Financial Times, youre seeing for the first time all forces of US state power finally come together to confront China.

The American political establishments more aggressive stance toward China in no sense means a retreat from the conflict with Russia or Iran. In fact, in the two months since Pence announced his new cold war with China, Washington has taken some of its most aggressive anti-Russian measures yet, including provoking its ally Ukraine to sail warships into Russian-claimed waters, prompting an exchange of fire, and the announcement that it will withdraw from the Intermediate-Range Nuclear Forces (INF) treaty.

In their preparation for war against China, a nuclear-armed power, the American ruling class and its military-intelligence apparatus see blocking Beijings development as a high-tech rival as critical to not only the economic interests of the corporate oligarchy, but also to the maintenance of US military supremacy.

The world is on the brink of a generational change in wireless technology, known as 5G, which, according to its proponents, will lead to a massive expansion of the so-called internet of things, which will be cheaper and vastly more capable than todays smart devices. Among the things connected over 5G will be not only home appliances and factory robots, but the weapons of war, which can use the communications network for an edge in precision and speed.

Huawei is the worlds leading provider of 5G infrastructure, and the United States is seeking to use all the instruments of its economic, military, and geopolitical power to squeeze China out of the sector in pursuit of its global economic and military dominance.

The second, no less important, factor is the growth of internal social tensions and political opposition. Under conditions of what the Atlantic Council has called a crisis of legitimacy for the state amid growing working class opposition, the ruling class sees in the creation of an external enemy, whether Russia or China, a means to divert explosive class tensions outwards. China, as Times columnist Leonhardt recently put it, can serve to create a clear antagonist for the American public.

Finally, the protection of the American technology sector, and the extension of its global monopolies, no doubt plays a major role in deepening its integration into the US intelligence apparatus. The American technology giants, at the behest of figures like Warner, have implemented mass censorship of oppositional viewpoints and dragnet surveillance of the American population over the past two years. In exchange, they have received fat military, police, and intelligence contracts, while their rivals, like Huawei, have been targeted by the American state.

Washingtons actions threaten the most disastrous consequences. In its offensive against China, the United States is stoking conditions that twice in the past century led to world war.
Around 50 workers from the Abbotsleigh tea estate in Sri Lankas central hills district marched for three hours to Hatton town yesterday, urging plantation workers to build action committees and fight for socialist policies.

The politically significant demonstration occurred amid ongoing national strike action by more than 100,000 Sri Lankan plantation workers who walked out indefinitely on Tuesday to demand a 100 percent daily wage increase. Yesterdays march was organised by an action committee of Abbotsleigh Estate workers following political interventions by the Socialist Equality Party (SEP).

Plantation workers participating in the march organised by the Abbotsleigh Estate action committee

Tea estate workers began their march at 11 a.m., near Abbotsleigh tea factory, and reached Aluthgala Bridge, near Hatton, at 2 p.m., after trekking through the Abbotsleigh, Marlborough, Strathdon and Dickoya estates.

Marchers chanted slogans and carried placards demanding a 40,000-rupee monthly salary and calling for their fellow workers to Build action committees independent of the trade unions! Fight for an international socialist program! Build a workers and peasants government! Immediately release Maruti-Suzuki workers imprisoned in India! and Support General Motors workers fighting against plant closures!

Many workers watching the march also began chanting some of these slogans and hundreds of copies of the WSWS article, Sri Lankan plantation workers launch indefinite strike for 100 percent pay rise were distributed.

Plantation workers, one of the most oppressed sections of the Sri Lankan working class, have been holding daily protests since early October to demand the doubling of their daily wage. Rallies and demonstrations were also reported yesterday in Kotagala, Bogawantalwa, Yatiyantota, Deraniyagala and Kandy.

The indefinite national walkout is at a critical turning point. It follows the plantation companies repeated rejection of workers wage demands and divisive tactics by the unions.

On Wednesday, the Planters Association of Ceylon (PA), which is determined to break the strike, again rejected workers demands and claimed that if the strike continued, tea and rubber plantation companies would lose around 240 to 250 million rupees per day.

The Planters Association wants the daily wage system abolished and replaced with a so-called revenue share scheme, which it claims is a viable solution for the industry. Under this system, workers and their families are allocated a plot of a 1,000 or more tea bushes. The family, which is forced to maintain and pick the crop, is promised a share of the income derived, after the company deducts its expenses and profits.

Workers protesting near a tea factory at Stonycliff estate in Kotagala

This deeply unpopular scheme deepens the exploitation of workers and their families, transforming them into share-croppers and abolishing meagre benefits, such the Employees Provident Fund, won in previous struggles. In some of the estates where this scheme has been imposed, workers are demanding it be abolished because they cannot earn enough to live, despite their whole family being involved in the work.

This weeks national strike was called by the Ceylon Workers Congress (CWC), the largest plantation union, in an attempt to dissipate seething anger among workers over their declining living conditions. It follows numerous futile discussions between the CWC leadership and the PA and the Employers Federation.

Rival plantation unionsthe National Union of Workers (NUW), the Democratic Peoples Front (DPF) and the Up-country Peoples Front (UPF)have told their members not to support the indefinite strike. Members of these unions, however, have defied this divisive directive and taken industrial action in many estates.

Sri Lankan plantation unions, which also operate as political organisations and function as an industrial police force, have lined up behind the different political factions of the ruling elite bitterly fighting to win government.

CWC leader Arumugam Thondaman, for example, is supporting Mahinda Rajapakse who was appointed prime minister by President Maithripala Sirisena after he sacked Ranil Wickremesinghe in a political coup on October 26.

P. Digambaram, Mano Ganeshan and P. Radhakrishnan, leaders of the NUW, the DPF and the UPF respectively, were ministers in the previous government and support Wickremesinghe.

Pani Wijesiriwardena addressing the Abbotsleigh Estate plantation workers

SEP Political Committee member Pani Wijesiriwardena addressed the Abbotsleigh workers after yesterdays march, hailing their decisive action and explaining the political issues they confront. His speech was translated into Tamil by M. Thevarajah, who is also from the SEP leadership.

Wijesiriwardena said the workers decision, in defiance of company and union pressures, to establish an action committee and organise the march was a significant step. The Abbotsleigh estate action committee, a new form of organisation, he said, was critical. The SEP proposed action committees, independent of trade unions because the unions do not represent the interests of workers.

The march was not limited to economic demands, he continued. Participants chanted political slogans that represent the interests of the whole working class. The most important character of the march was its orientation towards the unity of the international working class and socialism. Workers internationally face the same situation because the capitalist class wants to impose the burden of the deepening economic crisis.

Wijesiriwardena referred to the struggle confronting General Motors workers in the US and Canada, who face plant closures and layoffs, and Maruti-Suzuki workers in India fighting to free their colleagues who are serving life imprisonment because they dared to struggle for better working conditions.

Plantation workers with placards opposing mass auto layoffs in the US and calling for the defense of Maruti Suzuki workers in India

The international working class, he said, is exploited by a global chain of banks, transnational companies and their clients in countries like Sri Lanka. The trade unions are with them and help to protect their profits.

Wijesiriwardena called for unified action by plantation workers and other Sri Lankan workers, explaining that they all confront the same austerity measures dictated by the International Monetary Fund and imposed by the government. He urged the marchers to fight for action committees in other estates, workplaces and neighbourhoods and to unleash their united strength.

Part of the Abbotsleigh Estate rally

Wijesiriwardena declared: The working class needs an international strategy and organisation to fight capitalism. The only strategy for the working class is international socialism and the fight for a workers and peasants government. For that, workers need a revolutionary party, which is the SEP, the Sri Lankan section of the International Committee of the Fourth International.
Update 12/07/18 8:40 p.m.

Lee County Coroner Carolyn Green confirms the name of the deceased as 66-year-old Annie Walton.

Drive 45 in the Palmetto community of Lee County. Drive 45 in the Palmetto community of Lee County.

Update 12/07/18 5:38 p.m.

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson confirms a female was fatally shot at the scene. She was transported to the North Mississippi Medical Center where she was pronounced dead there. The woman's name has not been released at this time.



The sheriff says one other victim is at the hospital in surgery.

A third victim was treated at the scene.

He says others inside the home received some shrapnel from damage to the home. He says the house was shot up pretty bad.

He says approximately seven people were inside the home at the time of the shooting. He says there were two children inside the home

Johnson says shortly before 3 p.m., his department received a report that a vehicle came by the house. They believe the vehicle was occupied by at least four male individuals. He says the shots were fired from the road. The sheriff says investigators are still gathering information about a description of the vehicle.

Deputies are currently looking for the four individuals. Their names are unknown at this time. A detailed description was not provided.

Johnson is urging anyone who was in the area sometime near 3 p.m. or knows anything about the incident to contact the Lee County Sheriff's Department at 662-841-9040.

He says the home was a direct target and that the individuals inside were the purpose of the shooting.

Update 12/07/18 4:55 p.m.

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson says he will now hold the press conference at the scene. Same time as below.

Update 12/07/18 4:42 p.m.

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson will hold a press conference at 5:30 p.m. at the Lee County Sheriff's Department.

See the original post below.

LEE COUNTY, Miss. (WTVA) - Lee County deputies are on the scene of a reported shooting incident in the Palmetto community.

Lee County Sheriff Jim Johnson says the incident happened at a residence. This is on Drive 45.

He says four black men went onto the property and fired multiple rounds into a home.

The home was occupied with several people.

He says one victim was treated at the scene. Two other victims were transported to North Mississippi Medical Center in Tupelo. The sheriff says one of those victims is in serious condition.

The victims are all adults, he confirmed.

This is a developing story. We will update this article as more information becomes available.
JACKSON, Miss. (AP)  Mississippi is suing three opioid distributors for failing to prevent the diversion of those drugs into the state.

The complaint, filed in Hinds County Circuit Court, against Cardinal Health, McKesson Corp. and AmerisourceBergen Corp. alleges the companies breached their legal duties to "monitor, detect, investigate, refuse, and report suspicious orders of opioids." Attorney General Jim Hood, in a news release, says that is a violation of the Mississippi Consumer Protection Act.

The complaint alleges that if the companies had done what they were legally obligated to do, the opioid epidemic would not be what it is today. Hood says in 2017 alone, Mississippi had enough opioids supplied to provide 61 pills for every man, woman, and child in the state.
Building on the attention and opportunities that arrived following his 2007 Palme dOr for 4 Months, 3 Weeks and 2 Days, Cristian Mungiu has transformed himself into a quiet force in the European film industry.

A ubiquitous presence on the festival circuit, the Romanian director has won prizes for his follow-up films Beyond the Hills and Graduation, served on juries at the Cannes and Marrakech film festivals, and acted as guest director for the TorinoFilmLab earlier this year.

Back in Marrakech for a career spanning masterclass, the filmmaker sat down with Variety to discuss his recent career developments and his upcoming projects.

What could you tell about your next feature film?

Its the story of my grandmother, and it will be a larger-scale film than anything Ive done so far. Its a war film set in the past, so the production needs a bit more time. I originally had written it as a book, so now Im in this strange position of adapting my own unpublished book. In the 90s I took the time to spend a summer with my grandmother to write her story. I developed as a writer, and came to filmmaking more as a writer than as a cinephile. I like to think that its her book, somehow. Its difficult to turn it into a film, but now is the time to do it. It will be my most personal project.

Because of the larger scale, that film is still a few years off. What else are working on in the near time?

In February, Im producing a film [titled The Father Who Moved Mountains] for a Romanian director named Daniel Sandu. He made a very good first film, and I tried to push him further for his second, telling him to make it for a larger audience than just people in Romania. I thought that if he retouched his screenplay a little bit, he could really hit at some core human values that everybody could understand. I think he has great potential with this screenplay, so long as he understands a bit better how little changes can make a big difference in the end. He wrote the screenplay, and now Im working with him to revise it a bit and to make sure the accent falls on the right ideas. For once its a film dependent on the weather. We need some snowstorms, and with global warming we waited all winter for them last year and they never came. But this year we need to shoot!

Story continues

Youve been producing more and more in recent years. What prompted that shift in focus?

It came naturally, somehow. Once you have a production house and once you get this knowledge of how to do things, it becomes easy for you. I dont make movies that often, so sometimes I can [help other filmmakers]. People give me stuff all the time. Can you watch this film? Can you read this screenplay? I never wanted to be a producer. I never thought I would produce for somebody else, but little by little I felt some attachment to other peoples ideas, and realized it would be a good way to help out other filmmakers.

Was that the case with Lemonade?

[Lemonade director] Ioana Uricaru is a friend. We wrote a screenplay together in the early 2000s, and we submitted it to some screenplay competition and won. We won the national competition, and then went to L.A. for the international competition. So we spent a couple of weeks there, and I was so naive I thought I would literally bump into some producer on the street and he would give me money to make my first film. At the end of those two weeks, we made very different decisions. I decided to go back to Romania and get myself noticed working there, in my own language. But Ioana decided to make her career in L.A. She went back to film school, and got a PhD, and now shes a scholar there, but she could never direct and produce anything. So I produced her first film 20 years later. I knew the screenplay for a long while, and I thought that I owed it to her, to close the circle in a way.

How did you come to executive produce the HBO series Hackerville?

HBO has been in Romania for a long while. They were there long before Netflix or Amazon even thought about making films, so they grew in a certain way, and after years and years of just adapting content, they decided that it was time to produce something more interesting. They looked for many production houses, [and in the end came to my company Mobra Films] because I think they expected me to have some creative over-view on the project. And I did, in a way. Because its my name associated with the project, I read the screenplays and suggested some changes, especially with regards to dialogue.

What is the status of the show going forward?

Were now waiting for the decision about the second season, but I think HBO was very pleased with the first season. I think we did well. It came within the budget and within the number of days scheduled, so now we might take the next step forward, and pitch them some original content as well, instead of exec-producing something they brought to us.

I wrote a screenplay for a two and half hour film, because there was a lot of material, and now I think that I might turn that into a six episode series. With that kind of form you can employ different points of view with different episodes. The script has a thriller inspiration, as my films often do, and I think the story is better for a TV series than it is for a film. I dont know yet to whom were going to offer it. At the moment, I have too many plans to write and produce and direct everything that weve organized. First Ill have to finish the screenplays, then get them translated, and then Ill look into the different platforms. Its more likely that well start with HBO because we already have experience with them, but well see. Well take it step by step.

On top your production charges, youve also been spending time in Brussels working with the European Commission.

Im trying to get involved in reshaping European legislation about cinema, because I think that we shouldnt allow the politicians to do this without giving our input. That period when filmmakers were just some funny artists thinking about their work is over. Filmmakers know what would be best for the European industry. While technology and the Internet were changing cinema, our legislation was stuck in the 1980s. Now theyre doing something about it, and its important that they have our input. I spent some time working on this, because it wont be changed every other year.

What kind of legislation are you specifically looking to pass?

Its all based on accessing content. There needs to be a better connection between producers of audio-visual content and the huge amount of profit generated by their work. I know its not a popular idea with politicians, but the freedom to access such content should come with some larger support structure behind it. Now we are trying to see if its possible to create a general kind of European VOD platform open to the rest of the world. Somewhere where you could find whatever kind of film you want and access it legally. You cant ask people not to pirate unless you give them a legal [alternative], and I think this is a project that the European Commission should be working on right now. It will take a lot of work organizing this project [if for no other reason than the fact that] nobody has sold the VOD rights to films made in the 1960s, because VOD didnt exist at the time. So now its difficult to do this, but its important to offer access to this kind of content in a legally structured way.

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Rep. Mia Love, the first black female Republican elected to Congress, talked about her recent election ouster on The View Friday. And while many, including President Donald Trump, think she lost for not more fervently embracing the president's message and policies, Love presented a different reason as to why she thinks she failed to keep her seat. We're not going to let Democrats off the hook. Because I was actually targeted by Democrats, Love said, when asked about whether or not she needed to be in "lockstep" with the president and his policies. I need to say this. They targeted me because I was a  because I am a black female Republican. And they replaced me with a middle-aged white male in the state of Utah.

Love went on to say, To me, diversity on the left side is good for them if you think the same way they do. And viewers had mixed reactions on Twitter. Some took Love's side, saying shes correct." https://twitter.com/PH85/status/1071111096344420352 https://twitter.com/currentnewstalk/status/1071132983136944128 https://twitter.com/GinaGGHill/status/1071095243913621505 Others, on the other hand, suggested plenty of other reasons that she lost her seat. https://twitter.com/TomNiederhauser/status/1071136729132748800 https://twitter.com/PoetTLStarr/status/1071113265617362944 https://twitter.com/HouseJones_/status/1071123597652045824

Honestly I'm a utahn. I feel like she was just to harsh and Utah needed change. Our state is growing and needs better representation.  Brigitte D Fries (@DeeBrigitte) December 7, 2018

Love also turned heads when she said she was surprised by Trumps negative comments about her in the days following the midterms. He thought he didn't need me anymore. So he said, I don't need her. We'll throw her under the bus, Love said. And of course she was asked about the now-famous Trump quote: Mia Love Gave Me No Love. I don't know what that means, Love said with a laugh.

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A Teacher in Virginia was fired after refusing to use a transgender students preferred pronouns, multiple outlets reported.

On Thursday, members of The West Point Public Schools Board voted unanimously during a hearing to dismiss Peter Vlaming, noting that his actions were not only discriminatory but were also a form of harassment, according to The Virginian-Pilot.

Following the schools superintendent Laura Abels recommendation to let Vlaming go, the board voted 5-0 in support.

Vlaming, of Williamsburg, who taught French at the school for at least seven years, had been on administrative leave since Oct. 31.

His case drew a significant amount of support and backlash, with nearly 100 people showing up to his hearing.

Before his release, Vlaming was allegedly told a number of times to use the students preferred pronoun of he but decided not to. The student, who has not been named, and the parents even met with Vlaming to express their concerns, The Virginian-Pilot reported.

During their meeting, Vlaming agreed to use the students new name but wanted to avoid using male pronouns.

However, the school divisions attorney Stacy Haney alleged that there was an incident, in which the student was wearing virtual reality goggles and almost walked into a wall, and Vlaming shouted, Dont let her run into the wall.

The teacher claims addressing the ninth-grade student by his preferred male pronoun was against his religious beliefs.

Vlamings attorney Shawn Voyles explained to The Virginian-Pilot that the schools gender identity policy had no specific guidelines when it came to using specific pronouns with transgender students.

When asked by the school divisions attorney Stacy Haney, whether or not he would use the students pronoun if he could return to teaching, Vlaming said he would still refuse even though he has the utmost respect for the student, The Virginia Gazette reported.

RELATED: Mom Shares Transgender Teens Heartbreaking Suicide Note to Raise Awareness to Issues She Faced

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Following the boards decision, a number of students held a walkout in protest of Vlamings firing.

The group consisted of middle and high school students, who held signs that read Justice for Vlaming and Save Vlaming.

Everyone has rights, the student has rights, but so does Mr. Vlaming, student Forrest Rohde, who helped organize the walkout, told The Virginia Gazette. This is violating Mr. Vlamings First Amendment rights of freedom of speech and religion. He cares about his students and we care about him.

Fellow student Zachary Gonzalez had similar sentiments. I dont think its fair. The transgender students hopes, beliefs and rights overrode Mr. Vlamings, Gonzalez told the newspaper. I believe that you can be whoever you want to be gay, lesbian, trans, it doesnt matter you should be able to be who you want to be. But you also have rights of the First Amendment such as freedom of speech and religion and Mr. Vlamings are being shut out.

RELATED: Meet Angela Ponce, Miss Universes First Openly Trans Contestant

As for whats next for Vlaming, The Virginia Gazette reported that he and his lawyer will be looking at whether or not they want to file an appeal with the King William County Circuit Court.

The West Point Public Schools did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.

Voyles also did not immediately respond to PEOPLEs request for comment.
Shutdown looms as Nancy Pelosi rejects Trump's demand for border wall originally appeared on abcnews.go.com

As Democrats wait to take over the majority next year, House Speaker-designate Nancy Pelosi says that lawmakers should punt a debate over the president's demand for a border wall to next fall in order to avert a partial government shutdown later this month.

Rejecting President Donald Trump's $5 billion demand for a border security, Pelosi told reporters she would refuse an offer to permanently resolve the standoff over the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program in exchange for any money for a border wall.

Theyre two different subjects, Pelosi, D-Calif., said, expressing a desire to decouple the debate over DREAMers from a fight over the border wall.

The House of Representatives and Senate passed a two-week stopgap measure Thursday afternoon, extending current levels of funding until December 21 and buying appropriators a little more time to negotiate a long-term deal. Seven out of 12 areas of federal appropriations currently remain unfunded for the rest of FY2019, though lawmakers have successfully funded approximately 75 percent of government earlier this year.

We have before us all of the factors, all of the issues to make a decision. I think that what we can do that makes sense is to pass the six bills where the members of the appropriations committee have come to terms [during ongoing negotiations], Pelosi proposed. Then have a [continuing resolution] only for Homeland Security as we go forward, and thats pretty much where our position is now.

PHOTO: President Donald Trump speaks to media at the G20 summit, in Buenos Aires, Argentina. (Pablo Martinez Monsivais/AP)

Pelosi clarified that shed support a continuing resolution for the Homeland Security appropriations title that maintains current levels of funding through the end of next September because thered be no point in passing a short-term bill that requires the new Democratic majority to rehash the debate early next year.

If Congress maintains current levels of funding for homeland security, Trump would still receive a total of $1.67 billion of border security, of which $1.3 billion would be earmarked to construct new fencing.

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Throughout negotiations, Trump has repeated his demands for $5 billion toward building a wall at the southern border, threatening to shut down the government if Congress sends him a continuing resolution that does not include funding for border security.

"[A shutdown] could happen over border security. The wall is just a part of border security -- a very important part -- probably the most important part," Trump said late last month. "But could there be a shutdown? There certainly could, and it will be about border security, of which the wall is a part."

Pelosi and Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer will meet with Trump at the White House next Tuesday, December 11, to discuss the stalemate.
A good trip can turn into a disaster with one simple stroke of bad luck. But happily, it can also be turned around with a simple act of kindness.

According to The Daily Mail, Jerry Hart, an American tourist, was on his way to Suvarnabhumi Airport in Bangkok, Thailand, for his flight back to the U.S. when he accidentally left a very important bag in the back of his cab.

How important was it, exactly? It contained nearly $10,000 in it.

Its unclear how Hart managed to forget this bag full of cash, approximately $9,800 in U.S. dollars, but when he realized his mistake at the airport, he ended up canceling his flight in a panic and called the police.

Luckily for Hart, his cab driver, Veeraphol Klamsiri, was cleaning out his vehicle when he found the money bag underneath one of the front seats. Klamsiri immediately reported it to his supervisors, who worked with police to track down Hart, The Daily Mail reported.

I'm very happy. I can't believe my luck. I didn't think I would see the money again, Hart said to The Daily Mail.

Lucky may be a pretty mild way of putting Harts situation. According to The Daily Mail, Klamsiri also drove one other passenger after Hart before discovering the money, but it seems that passenger did not see the bag or its contents. Who knows, Hart may have come incredibly close to losing his bag and his cash forever. Klamsiri isnt just honest or noble, hes practically a hero.

Related: How to Keep Your Money Safe While Traveling

Kittipong Kittikachorn, airport deputy director, told The Daily Mail, When taxis enter the airport they must return all property of the customer. Tourists can feel safe that their belongings will always be taken care of even if they lose them or forget them.

Hart mentioned that he plans to move to Thailand when he retires, especially since he had such a good experience here.
Ashley Graham is as calm, cool, and collected as supermodels come. And while she daily demonstrates as much with her charming, refreshingly honest candor on her Instagram Stories, her breezy disposition in the hours leading up to her latest appearance as a global ambassador for Revlon, during which she will inevitably be mobbed by adoring fans, cements it.

With mom Linda by her side, Graham is still as giddy as she was just under a year ago, when she first signed with the iconic brand, becoming the first-ever plus-size model to land a major beauty contract. I still cant believe it! she says. I mean, Revlon was a staple in our home growing up. My mom had all of their lipsticks and nail polishes and that was our thing. And then to be the first curvy girl of my generation to have a beauty contract? Its revolutionary.

As a body activist within the industry, shaking up social constructs and redefining beauty ideals will always be a part of her day to day on the job as well as off, with 7.8 million followers looking out for her next #BeautyBeyondSize post. Weve made strides but still have a long way to go! she says. Still, even superhuman Graham needs a vacation, and thus, she plans to spend the forthcoming Christmas and New Years break doing just that. After jetting off to Thailand to cohost the Miss Universe pageant, shell be officially off the clock when she travels with her husband to Ethiopia and Egypt. We like to immerse ourselves into a whole other world when we travel, she explains. Thats our way of disconnecting.

With several long-haul flights and lots of sightseeing planned, Graham says she will be packing light, streamlining her beauty and wellness regimens in the process. From how she plans to stay present to her favorite multitasking beauty products, heres Grahams guide to effortlessly looking and feeling great while globe-trotting.

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Keep Skin Extra Hydrated

While her skin doesnt require the same level of camera-ready flawlessness as it does on a normal workday, sustaining her complexions natural luminosity amid the token elements of travel, from frigid cabin air to excess sun exposure, is a must for Graham. And thats where German scientist Augustinus Baders cult The Rich Cream, originally designed to help heal serious burns by reactivating the bodys dormant stem cells, comes into play. I am obsessed, she proclaims of its transformative results. Offered in a TSA-friendly travel size, the next-level hydrator is enriched with a well-honed concentration of ingredients, such as argan and evening primrose oil, and rich in antioxidants and omega-6 fatty acids to supercharge the skin. While the miracle-working cream does most of the work, she says, shell also layer a vitamin C serum underneath to give my skin that extra bit of glow.

Dont Cover UpConceal

Ill wear foundation when I have a look, but when Im traveling, concealer is a must because I want something easy and quick so that I feel like Im awake but dont have a ton of makeup on, she explains, pulling Revlons new creamy PhotoReady Candid Antioxidant Concealer out of her handbag and highlighting the tubes built-in doe foot applicator for convenient ease in a pinch. It has caffeine in it, she says with a laugh. Bye, under eyes!

Put Your Brow Pencil to Work

A brow pencil has always been a makeup bag essential for Graham, but in addition to using it to fill in her arches, shes been repurposing it ever since Brooklyn-based makeup artist Katie Jane Hughes taught her how to use it as a lip liner when sporting a plush nude hue. Im all about it because it makes my lips look bigger and more contoured, she says of the two-in-one product. Adding that after she does her brows and lips, she wiggles a few coats of mascara into her lashes and calls it a day.

Stretch, Stretch, and Stretch Some More

When Im traveling, I dont work out just as much because, honestly, its hard to figure it out schedule-wise. Plus, I know Im going to go hard once Im home, says Graham, who regularly boxes and weight-lifts among other strength-training exercises to stay in shape. But to keep her muscles loose and boost blood flow, particularly after spending endless hours stationary on an overseas flight, she relies on self-myofascial release with a travel-friendly foam roller: Im all about rolling and stretching, so Ill always bring a collapsible roller that I can take around with me super easily.

Unplug as Much as Possible

As is sure to be the case for many, Grahams New Years resolution is to rack up less screen time. And once on vacation, shes planning to get a jump-start on that goal. Im the girl who wakes up, taps my snooze button, then gets on the phone to look at Instagram, Twitter . . . she admits. So when Im away, I want to start easing into [less screen time] by waiting to go on my phone until Imat leastready to leave the house. Its a tall order for anyone in this day and age, let alone someone with Grahams social media clout. But reaping the benefits of unplugging, from feeling more relaxed and present to carving out additional time to recharge, on the other side of the world is a great start.
On Wednesday, George W. Bush delivered a eulogy at his father George H.W. Bushs funeral. While at the podium, standing in front of all of Americas living presidents, royalty from around the world, and his entire family, he recalled the elder Bush as not just a former president, but his dad. Staying true to form, Bush made some light-hearted jokes about his father throughout his eulogy until, in his closing remarks, he choked up a bit and said, Through our tears, let us know the blessings of knowing and loving you  a great and noble man, the best father a son or daughter could have.

WASHINGTON, DC - DECEMBER 05: (AFP- OUT)Former President George W. Bush provides a eulogy at the state funeral service of his father, former President George H.W. Bush at the National Cathedral, on December 5, 2018 in Washington, DC. President Bush will be buried at his final resting place at the George H.W. Bush Presidential Library at Texas A

Shortly after Bushs speech, headlines like George W. Bush Breaks Down in Tears While Delivering Eulogy for Father and George W. Bush chokes back tears in eulogy for father rolled in. One article from The Washington Post reads, His voice shook and, finally, he broke down and sobbed.

Of course, its striking to see an ex-president in a vulnerable state. But it is also disappointing that, at the end of a year which focused so much on amending the toxically masculine behaviors of men, we are opting to dwell on the fact that a man cried at his fathers funeral  no matter the man in question.

Choosing to sensationalize a mans public expression of emotions reinforces the ethos that its something momentous, something novel and newsworthy. Even if that may be partly true in practice, shouldnt we, as a culture, be working to normalize mens emotional vulnerability?

Just months ago, a fetishization of male emotions played a pivotal role in a different kind of story: Brett Kavanaughs Supreme Court confirmation.

WASHINGTON D.C - SEPTEMBER 27: Judge Brett Kavanaugh testifies to the Senate Judiciary Committee during his Supreme Court confirmation hearing in the Dirksen Senate Office Building on Capitol Hill September 27, 2018 in Washington, DC. Kavanaugh was called back to testify about claims by Christine Blasey Ford, who has accused him of sexually assaulting her during a party in 1982 when they were high school students in suburban Maryland. (Photo by Jim Bourg-Pool/Getty Images)

In Kavanaughs testimony denying Christine Blasey Fords accusations of sexual assault, he famously shed tears while defending himself in front of the Senate Judiciary Committee. (A New Yorker piece describes him as blubbering like a child.) In that instance, male tears poured into a different sort of public reaction. Some believed the display to be a calculated performance aimed to garner sympathy after the disturbing claims made by Ford.

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Whether Kavanaughs tears resulted from a sense of being wronged, or were a manipulative display, we will likely never know. But perhaps the situation would have played out differently if his woundedness hadnt become the crux of the story.

A culture that embraces mens public displays of emotion would unquestionably lead to a more communicative and empathetic climate for all of us. But creating news from those moments is not the way to create that change. Male tears happen and, hopefully, theyll begin to happen more often. But hardly  if ever  are they the most important part of the narrative.

(Photos via Getty)
On Friday morning, the president announced the nomination of William Barr, who served in the George H. W. Bush administration as the 77th attorney general of the United States, to become the 85th attorney general, too, this time as a member of the Trump administration. The announcement has obvious, significant implications for, among many other things, the White House's law-enforcement priorities, the power dynamics within the president's cabinet, and the future of the Mueller investigation. It also means that the acting attorney general, erstwhile daycare-business operator and novelty-bathroom-fixture enthusiast Matthew Whitaker, will soon find himself in search of a new grift.

Barr, who has been a Verizon executive and private-practice attorney since leaving the Department of Justice, does not boast the casually racist pedigree of his Senate-confirmed predecessor, but like Whitaker, he holds a notably expansive view on the outer limits of executive power. In November 2017, he opined to The New York Times that more evidence exists to investigate the Uranium One conspiracy theory than exists to justify the Russia investigationwhich, to date, has yielded guilty pleas or convictions from the president's former campaign chair, national security adviser, and personal attorney, with God knows how many more indictments on the way.

On the same subject, Barr declined to criticize Trump for repeatedly calling for a formal law-enforcement probe of Hillary Clinton, noting the president's inherent right to ask for investigations while eliding the fact that the only people Trump ever seems to want investigated happen to be his political opponents. To The Washington Post, Barr tried walking an impossibly thin line, at once characterizing calls for Clinton's imprisonment as "not appropriate" while ignoring the fact that Trump spent the entire 2016 campaign doing...exactly that.

"I don't think all this stuff about throwing [Clinton] in jail or jumping to the conclusion that she should be prosecuted is appropriate," Barr added, "but I do think that there are things that should be investigated that haven't been investigated."

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Elsewhere, the nominee has solicited Trump's attention in the time-honored manner of everyone else who has ingratiated themselves with this administration: by offering strident defenses of the president in media outlets they know he's watching. When Trump tweeted angrily about "13 angry Democrats" in the special counsel's office, Barr told the Post that, yes, he "would have liked to see [Mueller] have more balance in this group." A few months earlier, Barr applauded the firing of James Comey as "the right call," arguing that Comey's infamous e-mails announcementwhich had come nearly a year earlier, before Trump even became the GOP nominee, let alone presidentconstituted a serious dereliction of duty. (It will never, ever stop being ridiculous that Trump's excuse for firing Comey was that, in his opinion, Comey had been unfair to Hillary Clinton.)

I do not dispute that Comey sincerely believes he acted properly in the best interests of the country. But at the same time, I think it is quite understandable that the administration would not want an FBI director who did not recognize established limits on his powers.

Barr dismissed out of hand the notion that Trump might have harbored any Russia-related motivations for this decision, despite the fact that the president had made multiple requests for "loyalty" as rumors of electoral malfeasance began to swirl. Sure enough, a few days after Barr's op-ed, the Times reported that Trump had asked Comey to go easy on Michael Flynn in the course of its law-enforcement duties; Flynn, you may recall, is the aforementioned national security adviser who has since accepted one of the aforementioned guilty pleas. A lot of William Barr's sage analysis seems to follow this pattern: It reads as sensible and well-grounded, because he constructs a narrative that omits the facts that, if included, would render his arguments absurd.

Assuming that the Republican-controlled Senate confirms Barr in early 2019a formality, given his history of service and the GOP's three-senator majorityit will mark the end of the brief and hilarious tenure of Attorney General Big-Dick Toilet, whom history will remember as the only chief law-enforcement officer in this nation's history to have also appeared in a promotional video for razorblades.

Please join me in wishing him all the best in his future endeavors, which will consist, presumably, of self-publishing a free e-book memoir; jostling with Anthony Scaramucci for screen time on Fox News panels; and never paying for another drink at CPAC again.
It's hard out there for a smart cat in a dumb world.

The National Park Service confirmed on Dec. 7 that a mountain lion, widely known for his ability to safely navigate the treacherous freeways of Southern California, was found dead following the Woolsey Fire. The "Culvert Cat," as he was affectionately referred to, was discovered by a National Park Service biologist on Dec. 3  after the fire had been contained  with burnt paws.

SEE ALSO: California's Woolsey Fire has left a burn scar so big you can see it from space

While the exact cause of death remains unknown, the possible effects of it are not. P-64, as the four-year old cat was officially designated, had previously given researchers hope that his travels might help end a human environment-abetted problem of inbreeding among mountain lions in the region. As it stands, reports KPCC, researchers fear that the mountain lions could go extinct in the area within 50 years.

Paws.

Image: national park service / flickr

That's partially because, as KPCC reported in March, at the time the Culvert Cat was only the second mountain lion in 15 years that had been observed moving into the Santa Monica Mountains from across Highway 101.

And now he is dead. Because in this cruel world, if the cars don't get you then something else surely will.

The Culvert Cat got his name when he was spotted on a motion-sensor camera exiting a  you guessed it  culvert that passed under Highway 101. He had figured out a way to bypass the busy road altogether.

The cat in question.

Image: national park service / flickr

But there is one possible bit of good news in this otherwise tragic story. The National Park Service tells us that, although DNA tests are still needed to be sure, researchers believe P-64 fathered four kittens that were born in May of this year.

Here's hoping the Culvert Cat passed on some of those street smarts.
By Yoshiyasu Shida and Yoshifumi Takemoto

TOKYO (Reuters) - Japan plans to ban government purchases of equipment from China's Huawei Technologies Co Ltd and ZTE Corp to beef up its defences against intelligence leaks and cyber attacks, sources told Reuters.

Chinese tech companies are under intense scrutiny from Washington and some prominent allies over ties to the Chinese government, driven by concerns they could be used by Beijing for spying.

A government ban in Japan will come after Huawei has already been locked out of the U.S. market and after Australia and New Zealand have blocked it from building 5G networks. Huawei has repeatedly insisted Beijing has no influence over it.

The Yomiuri newspaper, which first reported the news of Japan's planned ban earlier on Friday, said the government was expected to revise its internal rules on procurement as early as Monday.

The government does not plan to specifically name Huawei and ZTE in the revision, but will put in place measures aimed at strengthening security that apply to the companies, a person with direct knowledge and a person briefed on the matter said.

Japan's chief government spokesman, Yoshihide Suga, declined to comment. But he noted that the country has been in close communication with the United States on a wide range of areas, including cybersecurity.

"Cybersecurity is becoming an important issue in Japan," he told a regular news conference. "We'll take firm measures looking at it from a variety of perspectives."

ZTE declined to comment. Huawei did not immediately comment.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang expressed "serious concern" about the reports.

The essence of China-Japan business and economic cooperation is mutual benefit and win win, and both companies have legally operated in Japan for a long time, he told a daily news briefing in Beijing.

"We hope the Japanese side can provide a fair competition environment for Chinese companies operating in Japan and not do anything to harm bilateral cooperation and mutual trust."

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Huawei supplies some network equipment to private Japanese telcos NTT Docomo and KDDI Corp.

And SoftBank Group Corp has a long relationship with Huawei - which in 2011 became the first Chinese firm to join Japan's conservative Keidanren business lobby - and has partnered with it on 5G trials.

"The government will not buy where there are security concerns but it is difficult to restrict procurement by private companies," one of the sources said.

Docomo and SoftBank did not immediately respond to a request for comment.

"While closely observing changes we will consider appropriate steps," a KDDI spokeswoman said.

Some private companies elsewhere, though, have distanced themselves from the Chinese firms.

In the United States, SoftBank's wireless subsidiary Sprint Corp said it no longer sources equipment from Huawei or ZTE. SoftBank is trying to complete the unit's sale to T-Mobile US Inc.

And Britain's BT Group said on Wednesday it was removing Huawei's equipment from the core of its existing 3G and 4G mobile operations and would not use the company in central parts of the next network.

ZTE's Shenzhen-listed shares rose 0.5 percent on Friday after sliding 5.7 percent the previous day amid a global stocks sell-off sparked by the arrest in Canada of Huawei's top executive at the behest of the United States. Huawei is unlisted.

(Reporting by Yoshiyasu Shida and Yoshifumi Takemoto; Additional reporting by Kaori Kaneko and Sijia Jiang, and Ben Blanchard in Beijing; Writing by Sam Nussey and Chris Gallagher; Editing by Himani Sarkar and Muralikumar Anantharaman)
China on Saturday summoned the Canadian ambassador over the "unconscionable and vile" detention of telecom giant Huawei's chief financial officer in Vancouver, state media reported, in Beijing's latest angry response to the hot-button case.

Meng Wanzhou has been held since December 1 in Canada on an American extradition request and faces US fraud charges related to sanctions-breaking business dealings with Iran.

The 46-year-old executive was arrested in Vancouver while changing planes, ratcheting up tensions between the US and China just as the countries' leaders agreed to a truce in their trade war.

In a statement cited by official news agency Xinhua, China's Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng said Meng's detention was a "severe violation" of her rights and interests as a Chinese citizen.

"Such a move ignores the law and is unreasonable, unconscionable, and vile in nature," the news agency quoted Le as saying in the statement.

Le summoned Canadian ambassador John McCallum in protest and urged Ottawa to release Meng immediately or face "grave consequences that the Canadian side should be held accountable for", Xinhua said.

Meng -- the daughter of Huawei founder Ren Zhengfei, a former engineer in China's People's Liberation Army -- is set to remain in custody until at least Monday, when a Canadian court is expected to decide on bail.

In a hearing that was adjourned on Friday, Canadian government lawyer John Gibb-Carsley asked for bail to be denied, saying Meng has been accused of "conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions."

He said if convicted, she faces more than 30 years in prison.

Meng is specifically accused of lying to a US bank, identified by her lawyer as "Hong Kong Bank", about the use of a covert subsidiary to sell to Iran in breach of sanctions.

- Extradition treaty -

The extradition process could take months, even years, if appeals are made in the case.

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Canada has a long-standing extradition treaty with the United States, requiring it to cooperate with US Department of Justice requests to hand over suspects.

The offence for which extradition is being sought must also be a crime in Canada, and a Canadian court must decide if there is sufficient evidence to support the extradition.

On Thursday, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau defended Canada's arrest of Meng, saying politics played no part in the decision.

A spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland told AFP on Saturday that Ottawa had no further comment on the case.

Huawei said Friday that it would "continue to follow the bail hearing", expressing "every confidence that the Canadian and US legal systems will reach the right conclusion".

Meng's detention in Canada came on the day of a summit between US President Donald Trump and his Chinese counterpart Xi Jinping, at which they agreed to a truce in their tit-for-tat tariff battle.

The world's top two economies have exchanged steep tariffs on more than $300 billion in total two-way trade, locking them in a conflict that has begun to eat into profits.
By Ben Blanchard and David Ljunggren BEIJING/OTTAWA (Reuters) - China warned Canada on Saturday that there would be severe consequences if it did not immediately release Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's [HWT.UL] chief financial officer, calling the case "extremely nasty." Meng Wanzhou, Huawei's global chief financial officer, was arrested in Canada on Dec. 1 and faces extradition to the United States, which alleges that she covered up her company's links to a firm that tried to sell equipment to Iran despite sanctions. The executive is the daughter of the founder of Huawei. If extradited to the United States, Meng would face charges of conspiracy to defraud multiple financial institutions, a Canadian court heard on Friday, with a maximum sentence of 30 years for each charge. No decision was reached at the extradition hearing after nearly six hours of arguments and counter-arguments, and the hearing was adjourned until Monday. In a short statement, China's Foreign Ministry said that Vice Foreign Minister Le Yucheng had issued the warning to release Meng to Canada's ambassador in Beijing, summoning him to lodge a "strong protest." Adam Austen, a spokesman for Canadian Foreign Minister Chrystia Freeland, said Saturday there is "nothing to add beyond what the Minister said yesterday". Freeland told reporters on Friday that relationship with China is important and valued, and Canada's ambassador in Beijing has assured Chinese that consular access will be provided to Meng. When asked about the possible Chinese backlash after the arrest of Huawei's CFO, Prime Minister Justin Trudeau told reporters on Friday that Canada has a very good relationship with Beijing. Canada's arrest of Meng at the request of the United States while she was changing plane in Vancouver was a serious breach of her lawful rights, Le said. The move "ignored the law, was unreasonable" and was in its very nature "extremely nasty," he added. "China strongly urges the Canadian side to immediately release the detained person, and earnestly protect their lawful, legitimate rights, otherwise Canada must accept full responsibility for the serious consequences caused." The statement did not elaborate. "There will probably be a deep freeze with the Chinese in high-level visits and exchanges," David Mulroney, former Canadian ambassador to China, said on Friday. "The ability to talk about free trade will be put in the ice box for a while. But we're going to have to live with that. That's the price of dealing with a country like China." Meng's arrest was on the same day that U.S. President Donald Trump met in Argentina with China's Xi Jinping to look for ways to resolve an escalating trade war between the world's two largest economies. We are tracking the developments of this case and refer you to the filings in the Supreme Court of British Columbia, said a U.S. State Department official, speaking on condition of anonymity. The news of Meng's arrest has roiled stock markets and drawn condemnation from Chinese authorities, although Trump and his top economic advisers have played down its importance to trade talks after the two leaders agreed to a truce. A Huawei spokesman said on Friday the company has "every confidence that the Canadian and U.S. legal systems will reach the right conclusion." The company has said it complies with all applicable export control and sanctions laws and other regulations. (Reporting by Ben Blanchard in Beijing and David Ljunggren in Ottawa; Editing by Alexander Smith and Nick Zieminski)
Ottawa (AFP) - Right-wing protesters opposed to Canada joining a UN pact for better regulating worldwide migration clashed Saturday with pro-immigration groups in the biting cold outside parliament.

An estimated 200 members of far-right groups and 100 counter-protesters lobbed expletive-laced insults at each other on the snow-covered lawn, resulting in one arrest.

Scuffles erupted just as the event got underway, but riot police quickly separated the two sides.

The crowd then began chanting "Reject immigration pact," but was drowned out by shouts of "Shame" and "Refugees welcome, racists go home."

Sylvain Brouillette, spokesman for the protesters, said the United Nations pact risks eroding sovereign immigration policies -- a view echoed by opposition Conservative leader Andrew Scheer, and conservative politicians in other countries, but roundly dismissed by its proponents.

"Canada was built on immigration. We have learned to live together and we have found a way to do it well, so we don't need a UN migration pact to tell us what to do and change a system that works," Brouillette said.

Passerby Aditya Rao stopped to listen to the arguments but concluded that the protesters were misguided.

"It boggles the mind," he told AFP. "These people are grumbling about all the chaotic migration, but at the same time are complaining about an effort to make it orderly and safe. It's atrocious."

The non-binding pact is due to be formally adopted at a December 10-11 conference in Marrakesh, Morocco.

It lays down 23 objectives to open up legal migration and better manage migratory flows, as the number of people on the move worldwide has increased to 250 million, or three percent of the world population.

Among its principles are the protection of human rights, including those specific to children, and recognition of national sovereignty.

Its objectives also include helping countries deal with migration by sharing standards to improve information and integration.

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The US quit talks on the pact last December, and several countries including Hungary, Austria, Poland, the Czech Republic, Slovakia and Australia also rejected it.

Immigration has become a more polarizing issue in Canada, where the number of refugee claims last year nearly doubled compared with the previous year.

In Ottawa, former Conservative foreign minister Maxime Bernier, who broke with the party in September to start his own, has gathered 48,000 signatures on a petition to limit immigration.

"Canadians want their government, not foreign entities, to be in control of our immigration system," Scheer said during a faceoff in Parliament with Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, who vowed to sign the UN pact.

"Welcoming people through a rigorous immigration system, from around the world, is what has made Canada strong, and indeed something the world needs more of, not less of," Trudeau countered.

In late 2017 Canada's Immigration Minister Ahmed Hussen said his country will boost immigration to one million over the next three years.

Canada has seen a rise in asylum seekers since its neighbor the United States elected President Donald Trump, who has tightened US immigration policies.
CAIRO (Reuters) - Egyptian police killed two gunmen who carried out last month's attack on a bus carrying Christians in Minya governorate to the south of Cairo, the interior ministry said on Saturday. Police, helped by the military, found the gunmen in Assiut governorate, which lies to the south of Minya, it said in a statement. They were in possession of three automatic rifles, one shotgun and an unspecified amount of ammunition. Security forces also found one of the vehicles used in the Nov. 2 attack, which killed at least seven Christians who were returning from baptizing a child at a Coptic monastery in central Egypt. The mobile phone of one of the victims of the attack, Kamal Yousef Shehata, was also found, the ministry said. On Nov. 3, a day after the attack near the Monastery of St Samuel the Confessor in Minya, security forces killed 19 militants suspected of involvement. Islamic State claimed responsibility for last month's attack, which took place at exactly the same spot as a May 2017 attack that killed 28 Christians. Islamic State also claimed responsibility for that attack. (Reporting by Ahmed Tolba; Writing by Yousef Saba; Editing by Alexander Smith and Gareth Jones)
By Karen Freifeld

WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Chinese telecoms giant Huawei Technologies Co Ltd's [HWT.UL] chief financial officer was arrested as part of a U.S. investigation of an alleged scheme to use the global banking system to evade U.S. sanctions against Iran, according to people familiar with the probe.

The United States has been looking since at least 2016 into whether Huawei Technologies Ltd violated U.S. sanctions against Iran, Reuters reported in April. More recently, the probe has included the company's use of HSBC Holdings Plc (HSBA.L) to make illegal transactions involving Iran, the people said.

Huawei CFO Meng Wanzhou, daughter of the company's founder, Ren Zhengfei, was arrested in Canada and faces extradition to the United States. The news roiled global stock markets on fears the move could escalate the Sino-U.S. trade dispute.

In 2012, HSBC paid $1.92 billion and entered a deferred prosecution agreement with the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn for violating U.S. sanctions and money-laundering laws.

An HSBC spokesperson declined to comment on Thursday. HSBC is not under investigation, according to a person familiar with the matter.

After news of the arrest, Huawei said it has been provided little information of the charges against Meng, adding that it was "not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng."

A spokesman for the U.S. Attorney's office in Brooklyn, which Reuters has reported is investigating Huawei, declined to comment.

Stock markets around the world tumbled on Thursday on fears actions against Huawei could derail talks to resolve the trade dispute between the world's top two economic powers, whose tariffs have disrupted the flow of hundreds of billions of dollars' worth of goods. [TOP/GLOMKT]

HSBC's U.S.-listed shares (HSBC.K) initially fell as trading volume rose, dropping as much as 6 percent after Reuters reported the bank's link to the case. They were subsequently down 4.6 percent.

INTENSE SCRUTINY

Huawei is already under intense scrutiny from Washington and other western governments over its ties to the Chinese government, driven by concerns it could be used by Beijing for spying. It has been locked out of U.S. and some other markets for telecom gear, but has repeatedly insisted Beijing has no influence over it.

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Meng, one of the vice chairs on the company's board, was arrested on Dec. 1 at the request of U.S. authorities and a court hearing has been set for Friday, a Canadian Justice Department spokesman said. U.S. President Donald Trump and Chinese President Xi Jinping had dined in Buenos Aires on Dec. 1 at the G20 summit.

Canadian Prime Minister Justin Trudeau on Thursday said his government had no involvement in the arrest of Meng, who was detained while changing planes at Vancouver airport.

Trudeau told reporters that Ottawa had been given a few days' advance notice about the planned arrest, but declined to give further details, citing an upcoming bail hearing.

Trump's national security adviser, John Bolton, said in an interview with National Public Radio that he knew in advance about the arrest, but a White House official said Trump did not know about the Huawei extradition request before his dinner with Xi in Argentina.

Huawei, which generated $93 billion in revenue last year, confirmed the arrest. "The company has been provided very little information regarding the charges and is not aware of any wrongdoing by Ms. Meng," it said in a statement.

Chinese foreign ministry spokesman Geng Shuang told a daily briefing on Thursday that China had asked Canada and the United States for an explanation of Meng's arrest, but they have not provided any clarification."

The Chinese consulate in Vancouver has been providing her assistance, he added, declining further comment. On Wednesday, China's embassy in Canada said it resolutely opposed the arrest and called for her immediate release.

Republican U.S. Senators Ted Cruz, Marco Rubio and Ben Sasse welcomed the arrest, saying the Chinese tech giant posed a security threat. Cruz tweeted: Huawei is a Communist Party spy agency thinly veiled as a telecom company."

The probe of Huawei is similar to one that threatened the survival of China's ZTE Corp , which pleaded guilty in 2017 to violating U.S. laws that restrict the sale of American-made technology to Iran in efforts to curb Tehran's missile and nuclear programs. ZTE also paid a $892 million penalty.

Earlier this year, the United States said ZTE made false statements about disciplining some executives responsible for the violations, and banned U.S. firms from selling parts and software to the company. After ceasing major operations as a result, ZTE paid another $1 billion as part of a deal to get the ban lifted.

Huawei has said it complies with all applicable export control and sanctions laws and other regulations.

News of the arrest came the same day Britain's BT Group (BT.L) said it was removing Huawei's equipment from the core of its existing 3G and 4G mobile operations and would not use the Chinese company in central parts of the next network.

(Reporting by Karen Freifeld; Additional reporting by David Ljunggren in Ottowa and Susan Heavey and Roberta Rampton in Washington.; Writing by Tomasz Janowski; Editing by Chris Sanders, Jonathan Oatis and Dan Grebler)
Paris (AFP) - Here is a timeline of the "yellow vest" movement in France, from the first online rumblings against a fuel tax hike to nationwide protests that led to the worst Paris riots in decades.

A new day of high-risk demonstrations is planned on Saturday. So far four people have died and hundreds have been injured during the protests.

- Viral video -

A video posted on Facebook on October 18 quickly goes viral. It shows a woman, Jacline Mouraud, addressing French President Emmanuel Macron -- "Monsieur Macron", she says -- from her living room.

In it she lists the grievances of drivers in the face of the fuel price hike.

A petition to bring down the price of fuel is posted online.

- Mass protests -

Saturday, November 17 is the first day of road blockades across France with nearly 290,000 demonstrators wearing the fluorescent yellow vests motorists are required to carry in their cars.

The protests are spontaneous, and not organised by political parties or unions.

The next day Prime Minister Edouard Philippe says the government will not back down.

Violence breaks out in the French Indian Ocean island of La Reunion, led mainly by armed youths.

- Second Saturday -

The next protests take place the following Saturday, November 24. Thousands of demonstrators clash with police on the Champs-Elysees in Paris.

More than 106,000 demonstrators are recorded across France, including 8,000 in Paris. Revised official numbers count 166,000.

- Aborted meeting -

On November 27 Macron offers minor concessions, saying he would propose a mechanism to adjust the tax increases and calls for a three-month national consultation.

Unimpressed, the "yellow vests" call for a new protest on December 1 on the Champs-Elysees.

On November 29 Philippe meets a "yellow vest" protester. A day later two accept his invitation, but one walks out.

- Chaos in Paris -

The third day of protests takes place on Saturday, December 1 with widespread violence erupting particularly in Paris around the Arc de Triomphe and several upscale neighbourhoods.

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The government says some 136,000 people protested across the country.

- Crisis meetings -

On his return from the G20 summit in Argentina, Macron immediately calls a crisis meeting at the Elysee Palace on December 2.

Philippe meets with political party leaders on December 3. "Yellow vests" representatives announce they will not go to a meeting with Philippe planned the following day -- later cancelled -- as some say they have received death threats.

Blockages of roads, shopping centres and fuel depots continue.

Seizing on the momentum from the protests, students start demonstrating over education reforms, disrupting dozens of high schools every day from December 3.

- Six-month suspension -

On December 4 the government retreats.

The prime minister says planned tax increases on petrol and diesel on January 1 will be suspended for six months and hikes in regulated electricity and gas prices will be frozen during the winter.

The "yellow vests" reject the moves as insufficient and press ahead with plans for a fourth day of protests on Saturday, December 8.

The government fears the new protests could lead to a new explosion of violence, anticipating participation by the far left and far right.

- 2019 tax hikes scrapped -

On December 5 Macron announces that all planned fuel tax hikes for 2019 will be scrapped.

However he rules out re-imposing a "fortune tax" on high-earners.

Farmers say they are planning to hold demonstrations next week, to support their own demands.

- High risk demonstration -

For the fourth day of protests on Saturday, 89,000 security force members will be deployed, including 8,000 in Paris. Armoured vehicles will also be mobilised in the capital.

The government, as well as most opposition parties and unions have called for calm.

On the eve of a demonstration, "yellow vest" representatives advise against demonstrating in Paris where museums, monuments, big shops and many metro stations will be closed.
* European stocks hit 2-year low after Asia hammered

* Arrest of Huawei CFO seen heightening U.S-China tension

* U.S. stock futures down 1.3 pct, Nikkei ends at five-week low

* Adds to investor worries over trade outlook, global growth

* Oil down ahead of key OPEC producers meeting

* Graphic: World FX rates in 2018 http://tmsnrt.rs/2egbfVh

By Marc Jones

LONDON, Dec 6 (Reuters) - Global stock markets slumped for a third day running on Thursday as the arrest of a top executive of Chinese tech giant Huawei in Canada for extradition to the United States fed fears of fresh tensions between the two economic superpowers.

The arrest of Huawei's chief financial officer Meng Wanzhouof, who is also the daughter of the firm's founder, triggered renewed fireworks coming just as Washington and Beijing prepare for crucial trade negotiations.

Asian markets took a beating. Huawei is not listed but China's second-largest telecom equipment maker ZTE Corp sank 9 percent in Hong Kong while most of the nearby national bourses lost at least 2 percent.

Europe slumped too in early trading as 3 percent falls for the tech sector, miners and also carmakers kicked London , Frankfurt and Paris to two-year lows

"We had this very ugly new turn and just the degree to which the market has reacted just suggests to me that they are vulnerable right now," said Saxo Bank's head of FX strategy John Hardy.

"It think we should all be very careful, it is not looking good, especially if the S&P 500 goes to new lows."

Hardy said that U.S. President Donald Trump may try to send some reassuring tweets later. For the time being though S&P 500 futures were down almost 2 percent.

The losses might have been even steeper had CME Group's Chicago Mercantile Exchange not implemented a series of 10-second trading halts in Asia that had limited the initial drop.

Japan's Nikkei shed 1.9 percent, closing at its lowest level since Oct. 30, with semi-conductor related shares leading the losses. Huawei is one of the world's largest makers of smartphones and telecommunications network equipment.

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MSCI's ex-Japan Asia-Pacific index lost 2.0 percent too . Hong Kong's Hang Seng dropped 2.5 percent while Chinese bluechips lost 2.1 percent to take their 2018 slump to 20 percent.

GROGGY AUSSIE

Saxo Bank's Hardy highlighted that the Australian dollar, which is highly sensitive to trade tensions due to huge Aussie metals sales to China, had failed to lift after some reassuring comments from Beijing on the trade discussions.

It shed 0.6 percent against the U.S. dollar to $0.7229. The greenback itself fell as much 0.4 percent against the yen to 112.77 yen as it suffered slightly too.

The yuan eased 0.3 percent to 6.8835 per dollar in offshore trade, the euro barely budged at $1.1338 and the Canadian dollar languished near the 18-month low it had hit the previous day after cautious noises from the Bank of Canada.

On the Huawei drama, Canadian authorities had said they had arrested the firm's CFO in Vancouver.

China's foreign ministry said neither Canada and the United States had clarified their reason for the move but a source had earlier told Reuters it was related to violations of U.S. sanctions on Iran.

The arrest heightened the sense of a major collision between the world's two largest economic powers not just over tariffs but also over technological hegemony.

Britain's BT Group said it was removing Huawei's equipment from the core of its existing 3G and 4G mobile operations. Australia and New Zealand have also rejected Huawei's products.

"The U.S. has been telling its allies not to use Huawei products for security reasons and is likely to continue to put pressure on its allies," said Norihiro Fujito, chief investment strategist at Mitsubishi UFJ Morgan Stanley Securities.

"So while there was a brief moment of optimism after the weekend U.S.-China talks but the reality is, it won't be that easy," he said.

OPEC

Traders were also waiting to hear from Vienna about what kind of cuts OPEC and other oil producers like Russia could make to their output.

Consensus among analysts is for somewhere between 1-1.3 million barrels per day, and Brent dived back below $60 a barrel as Saudi Arabia's energy minister said going into the day long meeting that 1 million "would be enough"

Yields on top-rated German government bonds held near six-month lows in risk off environment, while those on benchmark 10-year U.S. Treasuries were near a three-month low at 2.886 percent.

Adding to worries about U.S. recession risks, the Treasury yield curve remained inverted between two- and five-year zones, with five-year notes yielding 2.763 percent, below 2.778 percent on two-year notes.

U.S. jobs data is due on Friday. If the figures show any sign of serious weakness, markets are likely to react HSBC's head of macro economic strategy, Shuji Shirota, said. (Reporting by Marc Jones; Editing by Toby Chopra)
The father of the 13-year-old North Carolina girl who was kidnapped in front of her home and found dead is doing everything he can to attend her funeral after being denied a visa to enter the United States.

Hania Aguilar was abducted in front of her Lumberton home on Nov. 5. Her family reported that she was taken into a car by a man dressed in all black with a yellow bandana covering his face.

FBI officials said the stolen SUV was found abandoned on Nov. 8 on a nearby road. On Nov. 27 officials found a body in Robeson County, which they ultimately confirmed was Hanias. Investigators have not named a suspect in the murder.

The FBI is offering a $25,000 reward for information leading to the arrest of the person responsible for Hanias death.

Hanias father, Noe Aguilar, a Guatemalan-native, went to the U.S Embassy in Guatemala on Monday to request a temporary visa to attend Hanias funeral on Sunday, but was denied at the embassy immediately.

According to his attorney, Naimeh Salem, an immigration lawyer based in Houston, he was denied because the embassy determined he did not have strong enough ties to Guatemala. Salem says Aguilar only stayed in the U.S. briefly around the time his daughter was born and then returned home. She said he has no intention on living in the United States and that his entire family is in Guatemala.

Hes been living there his entire life, Salem says. He owns a transportation business. Under no previous Administration would something like this been denied, now it is made more difficult for Central Americans.

Salem says she is now working on a last-ditch effort by attempting to enter the country through the U.S.-Mexican border.

Its not impossible yet, Salem says. As far as the Embassy goes, Im giving up hope, but Plan B is to bring him to the border and ask for humanitarian parole. Usually if a person shows compelling reasons to come to the U.S. on an emergency basis they allow them in the country for a short period of time.

Salem says Aguilar is currently en route to Mexico and should arrive at the border on Saturday by 10 a.m.

Hes staying hopeful but hes also very sad and distraught, she said. Were remaining cautiously optimistic. His travels have not been easy and he has gotten sick because of all of the stress. He is hoping he doesnt go all the way to Mexico for nothing.
Minister of the Interior Christophe Castaner shook the hands of French security forces in Paris on December 8, in the wake of a series of protests across France.

At least four people died and hundreds were arrested or injured in the protests that were sparked by a rise in fuel tax. The protests escalated into a larger demonstration against the cost of living and French President Emmanuel Macron.

Castaner was surveying preparations in Paris ahead of a planned day of protest. French police called for businesses in the Champs-Elysees and Bastille areas to close on Saturday while Paris landmarks like the Eiffel Tower and the Louvre would also shut their doors. Reuters reported Prime Minister Edouard Philippe had ordered the deployment of 65,000 police officers across the country and armoured vehicles in Paris after members of the yellow vests (gilets jaunes) called for new demonstrations on Saturday. Credit: Christophe Castaner via Storyful
Under-siege Prime Minister Theresa May (PA)

Theresa Mays Brexit deal is the favoured option of just two parliamentary constituencies, a survey has found.

A YouGov survey found that only Broxbourne and Christchurch, two Conservative constituencies, backed the Prime Ministers plan.

It also found that the first preference for some 600 constituencies was to remain in the European Union.

Just 30 seats back a no-deal Brexit.

The figures have been released as Mrs May desperately seeks to get parliamentary and public approval for her Brexit deal, amid fears her government could collapse if not.

Almost 21,000 people were quizzed by YouGov for the poll.

Overall, it found that the option of staying in the EU had the largest single support, with backing from 46 per cent of people.

Mrs Mays deal and a no deal were level on 27 per cent each, the poll found.

However, there was no majority support for any option.

It also found that Mrs Mays deal was the second choice for many, not being able to convince Remainers or Leavers as the best option.

Leave voters in Westminster this week (PA)

Next week, could prove an important one for Brexit.

Next Tuesday, MPs will vote on Mrs Mays deal and is widely expected that she will lose the vote.

Senior ministers have called on her to delay the vote as dozens of Tories as well as Northern Irelands DUP have said they will vote against.

The withdrawal deal has already been endorsed by EU leaders but it must also be backed by Parliament if it is to come into force.

The major sticking point is the backstop proposal, aimed at preventing a hard border between Northern Ireland and the Republic.

Staying in the EU had the single largest support, according to the poll (PA)

Under current proposals, Northern Ireland would stay aligned to some EU rules, which many MPs say is unacceptable.

And the UK would also not be able to leave the backstop without EU agreement, which many MPs also object to.

Watch the latest videos from Yahoo UK
PARIS (AP)  The Latest on anti-government protests in France and neighboring countries (all times local):

7:45 p.m.

France's interior minister says the protest violence in Paris is "under control" despite scattered tensions but is calling it "totally unacceptable."

Interior Minister Christophe Castaner says 135 people were injured in the protests Saturday, including 17 police officers. He says "exceptional" security measures allowed nearly police to put nearly 1,000 people in custody.

Casataner estimated there were 10,000 yellow vest protesters in Paris on Saturday, among some 125,000 protesters around the country.

Protesters smashed store windows and set fires around Paris and clashed with police, who fired tear gas throughout the day in the French capital.

___

5:35 p.m.

Dozens of French riot police backed by an armored vehicle are charging protesters on the Champs-Elysees in Paris, firing tear gas beneath the sparkling lights of one of the world's most elegant avenues.

Demonstrators in yellow vests carried a huge banner calling for President Emmanuel Macron to resign and for France to hold an emergency election.

Protesters appeared to throw flares as police responded with tear gas. The confrontation came after a day of tension across Paris on Saturday and unprecedented police efforts to prevent new violence.

The yellow vest movement started as a protest over a fuel tax rise but has expanded into an amorphous protest movement that French authorities are struggling to contain.

___

4:35 p.m.

The police chief of Imperia, a northwestern Italian coastal town on the highway toward France, says yellow-vested French protesters have blocked the border with Italy near the town of Ventimiglia.

The Italian news agency ANSA quoted Police Chief Cesare Capocasa as saying the protest was causing a 6-kilometer (nearly 4-mile) backup of traffic in both directions on Saturday afternoon.

He was quoted as saying that "we're on the scene to try to manage the situation in a balanced way."

Story continues

Yellow vest protesters are angry at France's high taxes and at French President Emmanuel Macron.

___

4:10 p.m.

A march for the environment is unfolding peacefully in Paris and other cities in France, parallel to the violent "yellow vest" protests that have put much of the city in lockdown.

The "March for Climate" was a more diverse crowd, with far more women and older people and a handful of children. The "yellow vest" protests are overwhelmingly male, with just a few women for the hundreds of men pouring through the streets.

A handful of people in yellow vests had joined the quiet march by mid-afternoon. One sign read "No climate justice without fiscal and social justice."

___

3:55 p.m.

Clashes have broken out between "yellow vest" protesters and police in the port neighborhood of Marseille, in the south of France.

An Associated Press journalist saw the fighting break out at midday at the port, one of the city's main tourist sites.

It was not immediately clear whether anyone was injured.

The "yellow vest" protests started as a revolt against a gas tax increase but have since grown to envelop an array of grievances against living standards and President Emmanuel Macron.

___

1:55 p.m.

Belgian police are firing tear gas and water cannons at stone-throwing yellow-vested protesters near the country's government offices and parliament.

Protesters smashed street signs and traffic lights near a police barricade blocking access to the office of Prime Minister Charles Michel, as they chanted slogans calling on him to resign.

They threw paving stones, fireworks, flares and other objects at police.

Brussels police spokeswoman Ilse Van de Keere says around 400 protesters are gathered in the area.

About 100 have been detained, many for possessing dangerous objects like fireworks or wearing clothing that could be used as protection in clashes with police.

In the Netherlands, about 100 protesters gathered in a peaceful demonstration outside the Dutch parliament in The Hague. At least two protesters were detained by police in central Amsterdam.

___

1:45 p.m.

Paris police are firing water cannons on yellow-vested protesters throwing flares and setting fires in one of the French capital's main shopping districts.

Scattered clashes are continuing around the city as the protesters seek to reach the presidential palace and demand President Emmanuel Macron's resignation. While the situation is tense, police appear to have it more under control than a week ago, when rioting and looting overwhelmed Paris security forces.

The latest flashpoint is not far from the flagship buildings of France's most famed department stores, Galeries Lafayette and Printemps, and near the Palais Garnier opera house. Protesters uprooted trees on one of the neighborhood's "grands boulevards" and set them on fire, while others hurled flares and other projectiles at rows of riot police.

Like several neighborhoods of Paris, the area is largely locked down, with many stores shuttered for fear of violence.

Overall police estimate there are about 8,000 yellow vest protesters in Paris on Saturday, down from last week.

Meanwhile the government deployed 8,000 police in the city, as part of exceptional security measures aimed at preventing a repeat of last week's rioting, which injured 130 people and struck a new blow to France's global image.

___

12:50 p.m.

Belgian police are scuffling with yellow-vested protesters calling for the resignation of Prime Minister Charles Michel as hundreds of marchers try to enter the European quarter of Brussels.

Police used pepper spray on a small group of men who threw street signs, bottles and other objects as they tried to break through a barricade near the European Parliament.

Walking behind a banner marked "social winter is coming," the protesters have been chanting "(French President Emmanuel) Macron, Michel resign."

The rallies, which started at different locations around the city and converged on the European quarter, have disrupted road and rail traffic.

Dozens of people were searched at stations.

Police have warned people to stay away from the area.

___

11:55 a.m.

Police are seizing protective equipment from journalists and barring some provincial "yellow vest" protesters from boarding trains to Paris, as part of exceptionally stringent security measures to prevent a repeat of last week's rioting.

A group of four protesters who came to Paris from Normandy on Saturday told The Associated Press that they saw people wearing yellow vests turned away at train stations all along their route. They said fellow protesters trying to reach Paris from Toulouse in southern France reported the same problems.

A national police spokesman said officers stationed at train stations around the country are under orders to verify all passengers and turn away any carrying equipment that could be used to "cause damage to people or property."

Three Associated Press journalists had gas masks and protective goggles confiscated by police despite carrying government-issued press cards. The equipment allows journalists to cover violence between police and protesters when tear gas is fired.

___

11 a.m.

Paris police have fired tear gas on a group of yellow-vested protesters trying to march on the French presidential palace and are pushing them back with shields.

Crowds of protesters first tried to march down the Champs-Elysees avenue toward the Elysee palace but were prevented by rows of police. So a group of a few hundred took side streets and tried to get past a police barricade, and police fired back with tear gas.

Most of the protesters remain peaceful, and there are no signs so far of the rioting and looting that marked a similar protest last Saturday and prompted fears of greater violence this week.

Crowds were also gathering across town around the Bastille plaza.

Authorities have detained 343 people already Saturday amid exceptional security and filtration measures.

Police are searching people throughout zones of central Paris and confiscating goggles and gas masks from journalists who use them to protect against tear gas while covering demonstrations.

___

9:25 a.m.

A crowd of "yellow vest" protesters is marching down the Champs-Elysees avenue in central Paris surrounded by exceptional police security amid fears of new violence.

Hundreds of people gathered early Saturday around the Arc de Triomphe, which was damaged in rioting a week ago. They then started walking peacefully down the avenue, lined with high-end shops normally bustling before the Christmas holidays but boarded up this Saturday amid worries of more looting or other damage.

A Paris police spokesman said more than 170 people have already been detained Saturday on suspicion they were planning violence, though most were later released.

President Emmanuel Macron's government is deploying 89,000 security forces around the country for Saturday's protests against his reforms.

 By Angela Charlton

___

8:40 a.m.

The French yellow vest protest movement is crossing borders, with demonstrations planned in neighboring Belgium and in the Netherlands.

Neither country has proposed a hike in fuel tax  the catalyst for the massive and destructive demonstrations in France in recent weeks.

Hundreds of police officers are being mobilized in Brussels Saturday, where yellow vest protesters last week clashed with police and torched two police vehicles. More than 70 people were detained.

Some rallies are taking place outside the main European Union institutions, which are closed Saturdays. Some could be held in the city center on what is a major Christmas shopping weekend.

Jan Dijkgraaf, editor of a Dutch "resistance newspaper" is calling for peaceful protests in the Dutch cities of Amsterdam and Rotterdam.

___

7:30 a.m.

Paris monuments and shopping meccas are locked down and tens of thousands of police are taking position around the country, fearing worsening violence in a new round of anti-government protests.

President Emmanuel Macron's government has warned that Saturday's "yellow vest" protests in Paris will be hijacked by "radicalized and rebellious" crowds and become the most dangerous yet after three weeks of demonstrations.

Authorities are deploying barricade-busting armored vehicles and 8,000 police in the capital alone, part of 89,000 security forces fanned out around France.

The Eiffel Tower and Louvre are shut along with hundreds of stores and businesses, fearing damage after rioting last Saturday that saw 130 people injured and the worst urban unrest in Paris in decades.

The protesters are angry at Macron and high taxes, among other problems.
WASHINGTON  Prosecutors with Robert Muellers special counsel investigation revealed in a court filing on Friday evening that Paul Manafort lied to them about several contacts he had with senior Trump administration officials while he was under indictment.

The evidence demonstrates that Manafort lied about his contacts, the prosecutors wrote. The evidence demonstrates that Manafort had contacts with Administration officials.

In September, Manafort, the former chairman of President Trumps campaign, pleaded guilty to multiple charges, including making false statements about lobbying work he did for the government of former Ukrainian President Viktor Yanukovych and filing false reports to conceal money he made from those efforts. Manafort also admitted to obstructing justice by attempting to influence witness testimony in his case.

Former Trump 2016 campaign chairman Paul Manafort. (Photo: James Lawler Duggan/Reuters)

As part of his plea deal, Manafort agreed to cooperate with Muellers probe into whether Trumps campaign cooperated with Russian interference in the 2016 presidential election. However, late last month, Mueller announced that Manafort had violated the terms of that deal. Fridays filing was submitted to back up prosecutors assertion Manafort breached the plea agreement.

The revelation of contacts between Manafort and serving administration officials appears to undercut past statements by the president and his administration that sought to put distance between the White House and the prosecution of Manafort and Gates.

It doesnt have anything to do with us, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders said at a press briefing after Manaforts first indictment.

Sanders made a similar argument in a statement responding to the court filings on Friday evening.

The governments filing in Mr. Manaforts case says absolutely nothing about the president. It says even less about collusion, and is devoted almost entirely to lobbying-related issues. Once again, the media is trying to create a story where there isnt one, Sanders said.

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Despite Sanderss statements, the documents included a section extensively detailing Manaforts contacts with the Trump administration.

According to prosecutors, Manafort initially attempted to claim he was not in touch with Trumps officials.

After signing the plea agreement, they wrote, Manafort stated he had no direct or indirect communications with anyone in the Administration while they were in the Administration and that he never asked anyone to try to communicate a message to anyone in the Administration on any subject matter. Manafort stated that he spoke with certain individuals before they worked for the Administration or after they left the Administration.

However, the investigators surveillance and a cooperating witness contradicted those claims, according to Muellers team. Their filing revealed evidence of administration contacts in May 2018 derived from Manaforts text messages. It also said the testimony of another Manafort colleague included claims Manafort talked about being in touch with the administration through February 2018. Other evidence about Manaforts contacts with the administration was gathered from a review of documents recovered from a search of Manaforts electronic documents.

Rick Gates, Manaforts long-time business partner who also worked on Trumps campaign, pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in February 2018.

This section of the filing revealed Mueller is examining a back channel between people working for the president and Trumps indicted campaign chairman, a new area of inquiry that was not previously known.

The filing, which was heavily redacted, also listed additional lies that prosecutors say Manafort told them. In its most-blacked-out section, prosecutors detail a series of misrepresentations by Manafort regarding the fact and frequency of his interactions with Konstantin Kilimnik, a Manafort associate who now lives in Russia. Muellers team has previously described Kilimnik as having links to the Kremlins military intelligence agency.

In the unredacted excerpts, prosecutors described lies Manafort told about Kilimniks efforts to interfere with witnesses who might testify against Manafort, a $125,000 payment and matters pertinent to a mysterious investigation being conducted by other Justice Department personnel.

Manaforts relationship with the special counsels office has been fraught from the start. Muellers team initially took a hard line that seemed aimed at gaining Manaforts cooperation. They mounted a dawn raid on Manaforts Virginia home in July 2017. Several months later, they indicted Manafort and his long-time business partner Rick Gates in Washington, D.C.

Gates pleaded guilty and agreed to cooperate with prosecutors in February of this year.

But Manafort did not crack then, nor did he crumble in February after a second indictment was filed in Virginia. Manafort endured a trial on the Virginia charges and was convicted on eight counts in August, which was enough to send him to prison for several years.

It was only on the eve of his second trial, in mid-September, that Manafort finally gave in, agreed to plead guilty and to cooperate with the special counsel.

Before his guilty plea, prosecutors wrote in the Friday evening filing, Manafort had met three times with Muellers office and the FBI. Afterwards, the prosecutors said he met with them nine more times with prosecutors from other Department of Justice components attending four of those sessions. The presence of other Justice Department offices signals that Manaforts testimony was potentially relevant to multiple ongoing investigations not being handled by Mueller.

Prosecutors put Manafort in front of a grand jury twice before confronting him about their belief he was lying. Those grand jury appearances could have grave consequences for Manafort if the prosecutors decide to charge him and are able to prove their allegations, since lying in grand jury testimony is a more serious crime than lying to prosecutors or to the FBI.

The current phase of the Manafort case began with a motion filed jointly by the parties before the Thanksgiving holiday, requesting a 10-day extension of the deadline to file a status report.

That report, filed after the extension was granted, showed that the relationship had broken down entirely, with prosecutors accusing Manafort of committing additional federal crimes by lying to the investigation.

Manafort and his attorneys did not respond to a request for comment. Jason Maloni, a spokesperson for Manafort, offered a terse response in an email to Yahoo News.

We have nothing to offer, he wrote.

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By Jessica Resnick-Ault

NEW YORK (Reuters) - Oil prices jumped more than 2 percent on Friday as Saudi Arabia and other producers in OPEC, as well as allies like Russia, agreed to reduce output to drain global fuel inventories and support the market.

The Organisation of the Petroleum Exporting Countries and its Russia-led allies, referred to as "OPEC+," agreed to slash production by a combined 1.2 million barrels per day from 2019. This was larger than the minimum 1 million bpd that the market had expected, despite pressure from U.S. President Donald Trump to reduce the price of crude.

OPEC will curb output by 800,000 bpd from January while non-OPEC allies contribute an additional 400,000 bpd of cuts, Iraqi Oil Minister Thamer Ghadhban said after the organisation concluded two days of talks in Vienna.

Russian Energy Minister Alexander Novak confirmed the combined output cuts of 1.2 million bpd, saying the market would be oversupplied through the first half of the year.

Brent crude (LCOc1) rose $1.64, or 2.9 percent, to $61.70 a barrel by 1:46 p.m. EDT (1746 GMT). In early trading, the global benchmark had dropped below $60 when it looked as if oil exporters might leave output targets unchanged. It then rallied to a session high of $63.73 on news of the agreement.

U.S. crude (CLc1) rose $1.10 to $52.59 a barrel, after earlier reaching a session high of $54.22.

U.S. crude was on track to end the week up 3.7 percent and Brent was 5.4 percent higher on the week so far.

Without cuts there would have been extreme downward pressure on the market, said John Paisie, executive vice president at Stratas Advisors, a consultancy. I think the Saudis tried to walk a tightrope: they want to make sure they maintain their relationship with the U.S., but they also need to make some cuts because they need a higher oil price to balance their budget."

A 1.2 million-bpd cut, if implemented fully, "should be enough to largely attenuate, but not eliminate, expected implied global inventory builds in the first half of next year, Harry Tchilinguirian, global oil strategist at BNP Paribas in London told the Reuters Global Oil Forum.

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Oil prices have plunged 30 percent since October as supply has surged and global demand growth has weakened.

Prices fell almost 3 percent on Thursday after OPEC ended a meeting in Vienna with only a tentative deal to tackle weak prices. Talks with other producers were held on Friday.

But Iran gave OPEC the green light Friday to reduce oil output after finding a compromise with rival Saudi Arabia over a possible exemption from the cuts, an OPEC source said.

Output from the world's biggest producers - OPEC, Russia and the United States - has increased by 3.3 million bpd since the end of 2017 to 56.38 million bpd, meeting almost 60 percent of global consumption. (PRODN-TOTAL) (C-RU-OUT) (C-OUT-T-EIA)

The surge is mainly due to soaring U.S. oil production (C-OUT-T-EIA), which has jumped by 2.5 million bpd since early 2016 to a record 11.7 million bpd, making the United States the world's biggest producer.

U.S. drillers this week cut oil rigs by the most in over two years, after adding rigs in recent weeks. [RIG/U] Energy companies cut 10 oil rigs in the week to Dec. 7, the biggest weekly decline since May 2016, bringing the total count down to 877, General Electric Co's (GE.N) Baker Hughes energy services firm said in its closely followed report on Friday. (RIG-OL-USA-BHI) Rig count is an indicator of future production. Still, the number of rigs remains up from a year ago.

Given supply due to come online, some analysts and market participants said the cut may not be sufficient to end oil's rout.

Relative to how big this looming supply tsunami is, it is not nearly enough to prevent big inventory builds next year, said Robert McNally, president of Rapidan Energy Group in Washington. President Trump and President Putin prevented OPEC+ from cutting by more, which was certainly needed to put a sturdy floor under prices. They are putting a fuzzy floor under prices.

Trump has asked OPEC to keep prices low, pleading with the Saudis in twitter messages. Russia had initially balked at cutting production alongside OPEC.

(Additional Reporting by Julia Payne and Christopher Johnson in London and Henning Gloystein in Singapore; Editing by Marguerita Choy and Bernadette Baum)
By Sybille de La Hamaide and Sudip Kar-Gupta PARIS (Reuters) - Anti-government protesters faced off with French riot police in Paris on Saturday, hurling projectiles, torching cars and vandalizing shops and restaurants in a fourth weekend of unrest that has shaken President Emmanuel Macron's authority. Police used tear gas, water cannon and horses to charge protesters on roads fanning out from the Champs Elysees boulevard, but encountered less violence than a week ago, when the capital witnessed its worst unrest since the 1968 student riots. As night fell and many demonstrators started returning home, Interior Minister Christophe Castaner said there had been about 10,000 protesters in Paris by early evening and some 125,000 across the country. Bordeaux, Lyon, Toulouse and other cities also saw major clashes between protesters and police on Saturday. "The situation is now under control," Castaner said at a joint news conference with Prime Minister Edouard Philippe. He said about 120 demonstrators and nearly 20 police officers had been injured nationwide. Nearly 1,000 people had been arrested, 620 of them in Paris, after police found potential weapons such as hammers and baseball bats on them. Philippe said police would remain vigilant through the night as some protesters continued to roam the city. Groups of youths, many of them masked, continued skirmishing with police in the Place de la Republique area as some stores were looted. Named after the fluorescent safety vests that French motorists must carry, the "yellow vest" protests erupted out of nowhere on Nov. 17, when nearly 300,000 demonstrators nationwide took to the streets to denounce high living costs and Macron's liberal economic reforms. Demonstrators say the reforms favor the wealthy and do nothing to help the poor and billed Saturday's protest "Act IV" of their protest after three consecutive Saturdays of rioting. The government this week canceled a planned rise in taxes on petrol and diesel in a bid to defuse the situation but the protests have morphed into a broader anti-Macron rebellion. "Very sad day & night in Paris," U.S. President Donald Trump said in a Twitter message. "Maybe it's time to end the ridiculous and extremely expensive Paris Agreement and return money back to the people in the form of lower taxes?" SHUTTERED SHOPS The protests are jeopardizing a fragile economic recovery in France just as the Christmas holiday season kicks off. Retailers have lost an estimated one billion euros in revenue since the protests erupted and shares in tourism-related shares saw their worst week in months. Swathes of Paris' affluent Right Bank north of the Seine river were locked down on Saturday, with luxury boutiques boarded up, department stores closed and restaurants and cafes shuttered. The Louvre, Eiffel Tower and the Paris Opera were also closed. Demonstrators left a trail of destruction on Paris streets, with bank and insurance company offices' windows smashed, cars and scooters set on fire and street furniture vandalized. On the smashed front of one Starbucks cafe, vandals scrawled: "No fiscal justice, no social justice." The government had warned that far-right, anarchist and anticapitalist groups would likely infiltrate protests and many of the skirmishes saw police tackling gangs of hooded youths, some of them covering their faces with masks. "It feels like order is being better maintained this week," Jean-Francois Barnaba, one of the yellow vests' unofficial spokesmen, told Reuters. "Last week the police were tear-gassing us indiscriminately. This time their actions are more targeted," he added. MACRON U-TURN The government this week offered concessions to soothe public anger, including scrapping next year's planned hikes to fuel taxes in the first major U-turn of Macron's presidency. It will cost the Treasury 4 billion euros ($4.5 billion). But protesters want Macron to go further to help hard-pressed households, including an increase to the minimum wage, lower taxes, higher salaries, cheaper energy, better retirement benefits and even Macron's resignation. "We want equality, we want to live, not survive," said demonstrator Guillaume Le Grac, 28, who works in a slaughterhouse in Britanny. Macron is expected to address the nation early next week to possibly further soften planned reforms and tax increases. (Reporting by Emmanuel Jarry, Sybille de la Hamaide, Sudip Kar-Gupta, Simon Carraud, Matthias Blamont, Marine Pennetier and Gus Trompiz; writing by Geert De Clercq and Richard Lough; editing by Gareth Jones and Jason Neely)
A protester wearing a yellow vest holds a French flag as he walks among tear gas on the Champs-Elysees Avenue near the Arc de Triomphe during a national day of protest by the yellow vests movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Christian Hartmann/Reuters)

Anti-government protesters faced off with French riot police in Paris on Saturday, hurling projectiles, torching cars and vandalizing shops and restaurants in a fourth weekend of unrest that has shaken President Emmanuel Macrons authority.

Authorities said there were an estimated 8,000 protesters in Paris around midday and some 90,000 across the country with more than 50 people reported injured, including three police officers.

Named after the fluorescent safety vests that French motorists must carry, the yellow vest protests erupted out of nowhere on Nov. 17, when nearly 300,000 demonstrators nationwide took to the streets to denounce high living costs and Macrons liberal economic reforms.

Demonstrators say the reforms favor the wealthy and do nothing to help the poor and billed Saturdays demonstrations Act IV of their protest after three consecutive Saturdays of rioting.

A view of the Place de la Republique as protesters wearing yellow vests gather during a national day of protest by the yellow vests movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

The government this week cancelled a planned rise in taxes on petrol and diesel in a bid to defuse the situation but the protests have morphed into a broader anti-Macron rebellion. (Reuters)

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Demonstrators gather around a burning barricade during clashes with riots police, in Paris, France, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Thibault Camus/AP)

Police officers clash with demonstrators wearing yellow vests in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Thibault Camus/AP)

Demonstrators clashes with police in Paris, France, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Thibault Camus/AP)

A man stops in front of a vandalized tailors shop during a demonstration by the yellow vests movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

A car burns during during clashes with police at a demonstration of the yellow vests movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)

Demonstrators wearing yellow vests protect their eyes amid tear gas on the Champs-Elysees avenue Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 in Paris. (Photo: Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP)

French Gendarmes run during clashes at a demonstration of the yellow vests movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)

A yellow vest protester walks among tear gas during clashes with French Gendarmes at a demonstration of the yellow vests movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)

A demonstrator wearing a yellow vest is covered in blood after getting in injured during a protest in Paris, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Thibault Camus/AP)

Protesters wearing yellow vests face off with police forces during clashes on the Champs-Elysees Avenue during a national day of protest by the yellow vests movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Christian Hartmann/Reuters)

Protestors protect themselves as tears gas fill near the Champs Elysees in Paris on Dec. 8, 2018 during a mobilisation gainst rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. (Photo: Sameer Al-Doum /AFP/Getty Images)

Tear gas fills the air as French Gendarmes advance during clashes at a demonstration of the yellow vests movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)

A yellow vest protester reacts during clashes with police at a national day of protest by the yellow vests movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Piroschka van de Wouw/Reuters)

Protesters wearing yellow vests and demonstrators attend a demonstration during a national day of protest by the yellow vests movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Stephane Mahe/Reuters)

Protesters known as the yellow vests display their national flag as they march on the Paris famed Champs-Elysees Avenue, France, Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Michel Euler/AP)

French gendarmes apprehend a protester during clashes at a demonstration by the yellow vests movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Benoit Tessier/Reuters)

Protestors wearing yellow vests (Gilets jaunes) stand on the Champs Elysees avenue in Paris on Dec. 8, 2018 during a protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. (Photo: Zakaria AbdelKafi/AFPGetty Images)

A firefighter extinguishes a fire set on a car during a protest of Yellow vest (Gilets Jaunes) against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes on Dec. 8, 2018 on the Champs-Elysees avenue in Paris. (Photo: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images)

Riot police clash with men wearing yellow vests (gilets jaunes) protestors on Dec. 8, 2018 near the Arc de Triomphe in Paris during a protest against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. (Photo: Alain Jocard/AFP/Getty Images)

A man holds a Brittany flag as Yellow vests (gilets jaunes) protestors clash with riot police amid tear gas on the Champs Elysees in Paris on Dec. 8, 2018 during a protest of against rising costs of living they blame on high taxes. (Photo: Eric Feferberg/AFP/Getty Images)

A protester wearing a yellow vest holds a placard reading Give back money on the Champs-Elysees Avenue during a national day of protest by the yellow vests movement in Paris, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Christian Hartmann/Reuters)

A car burns during during clashes with police at a demonstration of the yellow vests movement in Marseille, France, Dec. 8, 2018. (Photo: Jean-Paul Pelissier/Reuters)

A demonstrators stands alone with a French flag during clashes Saturday, Dec. 8, 2018 in Paris. (Photo: Rafael Yaghobzadeh/AP)

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By Nathan Layne and Brendan Pierson WASHINGTON/NEW YORK (Reuters) - U.S. prosecutors said on Friday President Donald Trump directed his personal lawyer to make illegal hush payments to two women ahead of the 2016 election, and also detailed a previously unknown attempt by a Russian to help the Trump campaign. In court filings, federal prosecutors in New York and those working for Special Counsel Robert Mueller made the case for why Trump's former personal lawyer, Michael Cohen, and his former campaign chairman, Paul Manafort, deserved prison time. The documents turned up the heat on Trump by confirming prosecutors' belief of his involvement in a campaign finance violation, while adding to a growing list of contacts between campaign aides and Russians in 2015 and 2016, legal experts said. "In total, the prosecutors seem to be saying the president was more aware than he has claimed to be," former federal prosecutor Michael Zeldin said. Prosecutors in both of the Cohen cases were required to submit separate memos on Friday on his cooperation to U.S. District Judge William Pauley in Manhattan, who will decide on the former lawyer's sentence on Dec. 12. While Cohen implicated the president in the hush payments to two women -- adult film actress Stormy Daniels and former Playboy model Karen McDougal -- in his guilty plea in August in New York, the filing on Friday marked the first time federal prosecutors officially concurred. It said Cohen made the payments in "coordination with and the direction of" Trump. Democrats jumped on that assertion and called for steps to protect Mueller's probe into possible collusion between Russia and Trump's presidential campaign. "These legal documents outline serious and criminal wrongdoing, including felony violations of campaign finance laws at the direction of President Trump," Senator Diane Feinstein said in a statement. The president has denied any collusion with Russia, and accuses Mueller's prosecutors of pressuring his former aides to lie about him, his campaign and his business dealings. Russia has denied interfering in the election to help Trump. In new tweets on Friday, Trump accused federal investigators and senior officials of having conflicts of interest, without offering evidence. White House spokeswoman Sarah Sanders called Cohen a liar and dismissed the filings as insignificant. "The government's filings in Mr. Cohen's case tell us nothing of value that wasnt already known," Sanders said. RUSSIAN CONTACTS Last week, Cohen admitted to lying to congressional investigators in an attempt to minimize his efforts to secure the Kremlin's help for a Trump skyscraper in Moscow. He has said he did so to stay in sync with Trump's political messaging, and that he consulted with the White House while preparing to testify to Congress. Mueller said on Friday that Cohen repeated his false statements about the project in his first meeting with Mueller's office, admitting the truth only in a later meeting in September after he had pleaded guilty to the separate New York charges. On Friday, Mueller said Cohen's false statements to Congress had "obscured the fact" that the skyscraper project held the potential to reap "hundreds of millions of dollars from Russian sources" for the Trump Organization. Mueller said that discussions about the potential Moscow development were relevant to the investigation because they occurred "at a time of sustained efforts by the Russian government to interfere with the U.S. presidential election." In addition to coming clean on the Moscow project, Cohen provided information to Mueller about several attempts by Russians to contact the Trump's campaign, according to Friday's filing. In November 2015, Cohen spoke with a Russian national who said he could offer the campaign "political synergy" with Russia and repeatedly proposed a meeting with Putin. Cohen did not follow up on the offer, the filing says. Mueller also said in the filing that Cohen had provided "relevant and useful information concerning his contacts with persons connected to the White House" in 2017 and 2018. Mueller also detailed alleged lies told by Manafort during interviews with prosecutors and the FBI. Last month Mueller voided Manafort's plea agreement because, they said, he was not telling the truth. They said Manafort told "multiple discernible lies," including about his communications with a political consultant will alleged ties to Russian intelligence, and about interactions with Trump administration officials even after Manafort was first indicted in late 2017. PUSHING FOR TIME The filings followed a sentencing memo earlier this week regarding Trump's former national security adviser, Michael Flynn, who Mueller praised for providing "substantial" cooperation and argued for no prison time. Cohen had been hoping prosecutors would make a similar recommendation in his case. But the New York prosecutors were unsparing in their descriptions of his conduct, saying he was motivated by "personal greed" and that he "repeatedly used his power and influence for deceptive ends." They said Cohen should receive some credit for cooperating with Mueller but noted he had not entered into a similar agreement with their office. They said his sentence should reflect a "modest" reduction from the four to five years they said federal guidelines would suggest. Mueller, for his part, praised Cohen for voluntarily providing information about his own and others' conduct on "core topics under investigation" and described the information as "credible and consistent with other evidence" they had obtained. Considering that cooperation, Mueller suggested the sentence for lying to Congress run concurrently with the sentence in the New York case. (Reporting by Nathan Layne; Additional reporting by Susan Heavey, Lisa Lambert, Richard Cowan, Roberta Rampton and Makini Brice; Editing by Paul Simao, Jonathan Oatis and Sonya Hepinstall)
By Mark Hosenball and Humeyra Pamuk WASHINGTON (Reuters) - Turkey's head of intelligence has traveled to Washington to meet with U.S. lawmakers and intelligence officials, sources said, in an apparent bid to improve ties with the Americans after a breakdown in the NATO allies' relationship last summer. Hakan Fidan, a close confidant of Turkey's President Tayyip Erdogan, has met with senators to discuss NATO issues and was expected to meet with U.S. intelligence officials later on Friday, according to five sources familiar with the matter, who spoke to Reuters on condition of anonymity. The killing of Saudi journalist Jamal Khashoggi in the Saudi consulate in Istanbul was discussed in the meeting with members and staff of the NATO Observer Group, a bipartisan group of senators that advocates for the alliance, two sources familiar with the matter said. But it was not a central subject in discussions with senators and the Turkish side has refrained from making it the focus of their meetings, the sources added. Top U.S. senators have said they want to punish Saudi Arabia for the killing, despite President Donald Trump's decision to stand by the long-time ally. While the two countries have collaborated on the Khashoggi investigation, U.S.-Turkey ties have been strained by disagreements over a number of issues from Syria to Turkey's desire to buy Russian defense systems. Relations between Ankara and Washington began to improve after U.S. pastor Andrew Brunson, who was on trial over terrorism-related charges in Turkey, was released in October. But the NATO allies remain divided on other issues, including U.S. policy in Syria, Ankara's ambition to purchase Russian missile defense systems and Turkey's request for the United States to extradite Fethullah Gulen, a cleric Ankara blames for organizing an abortive 2016 putsch. Gulen denies involvement. Fidan was expected to discuss the murder of Khashoggi, a Washington post columnist and critic of the Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman, in his meeting with U.S. intelligence officials, sources said. It was not immediately clear if Fidan was to meet with Gina Haspel, director of the CIA. The CIA has assessed with medium to high confidence that the crown price, the kingdom's de facto ruler, ordered the killing of Khashoggi when he visited the consulate on Oct. 2. Saudi Arabia has said the prince had no prior knowledge. Trump cast doubt on the CIA assessment, saying the agency had not formed a definitive conclusion. U.S. Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said there was no direct evidence linking the prince to the killing. (Additional reporting Jonathan Landay; Editing by Mary Milliken and Tom Brown)
MINSK, Belarus (AP)  Ukraine's defense ministry warned Russia on Friday that it will soon send navy ships through the Kerch Strait where Russia fired on and seized three Ukrainian vessels two weeks ago.

The announcement sets up another possible flashpoint in the long-simmering conflict between Russia and Ukraine that erupted in 2014 with Russia's annexation of the Crimean peninsula burst into the open on Nov. 25 when Russian border guards opened fire on three Ukrainian navy vessels that were moving through the Kerch Strait near Crimea and seized the ships and their crews.

Ukraine responded by introducing martial law for 30 days, a measure Kiev did not take even after Crimea's annexation and amid large-scale fighting between Ukrainian forces and Russia-backed separatists in 2014-2015.

As part of martial law, Ukraine has beefed up its forces on the border with Russia and called up reservists for training.

Ukrainian Defense Minister Stepan Poltorak told reporters on Friday that his country intends to send naval ships through the Kerch Strait soon, saying that "otherwise Russia will fully occupy the Sea of Azov."

Ukraine has ports both on the Black Sea and on the Sea of Azov which are linked by the Kerch Strait that separates Crimea from Russia.

More than 140 ships were stuck on both sides of the strait on Friday due to excessive checks and delays on the Russian side, the Ukrainian Border Guard Service said, accusing Russia of creating a bottleneck for Ukrainian ships and preventing them from passing.

Speaking in Rome at a ministerial meeting of the Organization for Security and Cooperation in Europe, Russian Foreign Minister Sergey Lavrov brushed off suggestions Russia could release or exchange the 24 Ukrainian seamen captured in last month's maritime confrontation. Lavrov said it was too early to speak about any offers of a prisoner swap until Russia's investigation of the incident is completed and the servicemen are put on trial for violating the Russian border.

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Lavrov also reacted to a suggestion by German Foreign Minister Heiko Maas to expand the OSCE monitoring mission to the Sea of Azov, saying that Russia "has no need" for any intermediaries or monitors in the area.

Russian ombudswoman Tatyana Moskalkova told Russian news agencies on Friday that she visited three Ukrainian seamen who were injured in the incident and are being held in a Moscow prison hospital. Moskalkova said she spoke to the men and "got the impression" that the crew "were not aware that they were committing a crime."

Meanwhile, a court in Crimea on Friday jailed for five days lawyer Emil Kurbedinov, who represents the commander of one of the Ukrainian ships. The court found Kurbedinov guilty of spreading extremist material in a social media post he made in 2013.

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Vasilyeva reported from Moscow.
Now this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.
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Jung Woo () rewrites the destiny of the Joseon Dynasty with satire in. Directed by Jo Geun Hyun (), the historical period drama is based on the well-known Korean folk tale "Heung Bu and Nol Bu." Jung Woo, who plays the eponymous Heung Boo, is joined by the impressive lineup of Kim Joo Hyuk () and Jung Jin Young () as brothers who inspire his novel, and Jung Hae In () as King Heonjong. Jin Goo, Chun Woo Hee and Kang Ha Neul also make special appearances.is one of the final works of actor Kim Joo Hyuk who passed away in October 2017.

Renowned writer Yeon Heung Boo (Jung Woo) writes a novel in hopes of finding his long-lost elder brother. He meets caring nobleman Jo Hyuk (Kim Joo Hyuk) by chance, and Hyuk suggests that Heung Boo write a story about him and his older brother Jo Hang Ri (Jung Jin Young). Heung Boo becomes famous in the country with his new novel, but the cunning Hang Ri plans to use the writer's fame to gain greater political power. Unwittingly drawn into a political struggle, Heung Boo decides to use his writing to change the country in these turbulent times.
Hadash party member Raja Za'atara, who was appointed by newly-elected Mayor Einat Kalisch Rotem as her deputy, has publicly supported terror organizations Hamas and Hezbollah, sparking outcry among the northern city's residents.

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Za'atara is only supposed to take on the role of Haifa deputy mayor in two and a half years for half a term as part of rotation agreement with Meretz faction chairman Rabbi Dubi Haiyun.

Za'atara, an Israeli-Arab, was selected deputy mayor after he joined the municipal coalition.

Raja Za'atara

But over the past few years, he has led many demonstrations during which Palestinian flags were waved.

In a recent demonstration three months ago, Za'atara told Yedioth Ahronoth that he is protesting "against the siege imposed on Gaza, the killings of unarmed Palestinian protesters, and the oppression and intimidation policy."

Speaking on the panel at Bar-Ilan University three years ago, he sparked ire by comparing the Islamic State (ISIS) to the Zionist movement.

"Where did they (ISIS) learn these crimes? Look up what the Zionist movement did in 1948. Rape, looting, murder and massacres were committed here," he claimed.

When asked whether Hamas is a terror organization, the Hadash party member replied, "No. An occupied nation has the right to resist the occupation."

Raja Za'atara raises Palestinian flag during demonstration

Haifa's residents are bewildered by Rotem's choice to add Za'atarawhose faction gained only two seats in the municipal electionsto the municipal coalition rather than the Likud faction, which received three seats.

"It's a disgrace a man who supports Israel's worst enemies is appointed as the deputy mayor," one of Haifa's residents said.

In response, Za'atara told Yedioth Ahronoth: "I'm not taking back what I said in the past. Those sitting with us in the coalition seek to incite and fan the flames of hatred against me, my party and the Arab sector.

"I understand this is part of local politics. My main goal is to promote coexistence in Haifa, while working to improve the city's education, housing and traffic problems," he explained.

"I suggest those who speak ill of me to judge me by my actions to promote our joint life and equality in Haifa," he added.

The Haifa municipality is yet to comment on the matter.
Israel will likely allow exports of medical cannabis by the end of the year, a top lawmaker said on Thursday, a move that would boost state coffers and slow the growing number of firms establishing farms abroad.

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Israeli companies - befitting from a favorable climate and expertise in medical and agricultural technologies - are among the world's biggest producers of medical cannabis.

Medical cannabis (Photo: Shutterstock)

The finance and health ministries estimate exports could bring in about $1 billion a year - but some MKs have up to now stopped Israeli-grown cannabis going abroad, fearing more cultivation could push more drugs onto the streets at home.

Things changed when Yoav Kisch, chairman of Knesset's internal affairs and environment committee, submitted a bill to allow exports that imposed tougher regulations on exporters and threatened jail terms and hefty fines for violations.

That passed its first of three votes in parliament last week, and is back with Kisch's committee for revisions. "I aim to finish the legislation by the end of the year," Kisch told Reuters.

"We believe it's medicine and it's important ... It's a big potential for Israeli farmers and the economy," added Kisch, who estimates the regulation could boost tax income by 1 billion shekels ($268 million) a year.

There are currently eight cultivating companies in Israel - many of whom have resorted to opening farms abroad to get into the international market. The government says there have been many requests form business owners awaiting authorization.

Cannbit - a newcomer which has a farm in southern Israel and this week signed a deal with local medical cannabis supplier Tikun Olam - said it was looking into opening a farm in Portugal if the new regulations do not go through.

"If there will be exports from Israel there is less tendency for investments in other places," said CEO Yaron Razon.

Together, another Israeli cannabis grower, has already started up farms in Europe after signing a $300 million contract to supply cannabis products to a Canadian company.

"Exporting from Israel can have a big impact on the industry and economy," said Alex Rabinovitch, controlling shareholder of InterCure, which recently bought medical cannabis firm Canndoc.
Prime Minister Benjamin Netanyahu spoke with Russian President Vladimir Putin on Saturday to update him on the IDFs Operation Northern Shield on the Lebanese border. The two also spoke about the situation in Syria and committed to a meeting sometime in the near future.
IDF forces discovered a second tunnel which extends from Lebanon into Israel on Saturday. Hezbollah was active in the tunnel up until this week. IDF engineers fitted the tunnel with explosives and warned against attempting to approach it.
A source in the Palestinian Authority told Ynet that Ahmed Salama, 50, who was murdered near his home in Jaljulya was wanted by the PA, and avoided entering area A, because he was suspected of selling land to Jews. The source added that as an Israeli citizen, Ahmed would purchase land from Palestinians and sell them to Jewish settlers in the West Bank. He was shot Friday by unknown assailants.
By LARRY HOLCOMBE

[email protected]

MERCER, Wis.  U.S. Rep. Sean Duffy, R-Wausau, held a series of town halls in his Seventh Congressional District Friday, starting with a small gathering over morning coffee in the lobby of the Great Northern Hotel in Mercer.

He fielded questions from a dozen people on a wide variety of topics, including border security, climate change and health care.

Duffy said he is a supporter of securing the nation's borders and building a wall along the border with Mexico. When asked about a possible government shutdown - one that President Trump has rec...
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Political prisoner, activist, journalist, hymn-writer, emerging think tanker, aspiring novelist, hanger on of academia, parliamentary candidate for North West Durham, Shadow Leader of the Opposition, Speedboat, proudly banned from Twitter so officially more dangerous than the Taliban, eagerly awaiting the second (or possibly third) attempt to murder me.
FOCUS ON DEFENSE CAPABILITY DEVELOPMENT IN SOUTHEAST ASIA AND OCEANIA
Republicans have been having a rough time in California ever since the party decided it would be smart policy to demonize Hispanic voters, in the same way Trump does today. 1994's explicitly anti-immigrant Proposition 187 destroyed the GOP as a viable party with Hispanics and to some extent with Asians. Almost a quarter century has passed since then and it's just gotten worse and worse for the Republicans in the most populated state in the country.





This past spring statewide registration figures horrified GOP officials. What they saw is a disintegrating party that is now in third place... and dropping rapidly:

 Democrats- 8.4 million (44.6%)

 No Party Preference- 4,844,803 (25.5%)

 Republicans- 4,771,984 (25.1%)

So how did that play out at the polls last month? Democrats won every single statewide office. Republicans in the state's congressional district dropped in half, from 14 to 7 and with the likelihood that 2020 will see the number decrease further, possibly to just 2 or 3-- out of 53! With Trump spouting his racist bullshit, it looks more than likely that Doug LaMalfa, Tom McClintock, Devin Nunes and Duncan Hunter will have very little chance to be reelected. Democrats gained 4 seats in the state Assembly which already had a Democratic supermajority and 3 in the state Senate, enough so that it too now has a Democratic supermajority. The U.S. Senate race didn't even include a Republican-- just two Democrats! And the gubernatorial race was a blowout. A profoundly flawed and mediocre Democratic candidate, Gavin Newsom, beat Republican John Cox 7,686,476 (61.9%) to 4,722,299 (38.1%).





On Friday the outgoing state Republican Party chairman, conservative former state Sen. Jim Brulte, warned national Republicans to look closely at what has happened to the California Republican Party before they continue their reflexively anti-Hispanic policies. His point was that the GOP has "not yet been able to figure out how to effectively communicate and get significant numbers of votes from non-whites," a very rapidly growing segment of the voting population.

Despite trend lines that show the the entire country will be majority minority by 2044," he said, the GOP has failed to confront the reality of those changes-- or recognize the possibility that the recent "blue tsunami" midterm election in California was a harbinger of what lies ahead for the national party.



Brulte said hes repeatedly warned that the partys overwhelmingly white and male candidates must figure out how we get votes from people who dont look like you."



But he said those warnings about the changing political and ethnic landscape have gone unheeded.



And thats why I have said that I believe California is the canary in the coal mine-- not an outlier," for the GOP in the coming cycles, he told Politico.



...Brulte, who said in 2013 it would take a minimum of six years to rebuild the dilapidated state party, has taken heat within the GOP for speaking out about the dangers it faces.



But veteran Democratic strategist Darry Sragow, who has advised the California Democratic Assembly and publishes the non-partisan California Target Book, predicts that if Brultes tough love advice is ignored again in 2020, the Republican Party is destined to slide into the ocean.



Despite Brulte's stark assessment of the GOP's future, three potential candidates are vying to replace him as chair when his term ends next February-- and all of them insist the real problems lie somewhere other than in its message to the changing ethnic electorate.



Steve Frank, a conservative Republican activist and former party official, said that the GOP has unilaterally disarmed itself," by failing miserably in outreach to church-going conservatives and other GOP voters-- and by standing by helplessly while laws that have advantaged Democrats, including the states top-two primary, act as illegal voter suppression against Republicans in California.



Former Assemblyman Travis Allen, a favorite of the partys far right conservative wing-- who failed to get the GOP gubernatorial nomination last year-- says he strongly rejects Brultes suggestion that demographics are at fault for the partys 2018 battering.



This is the same chatter weve heard form the GOP establishment for the past 20 years. The concept that Republicans need to look and sound more like Democrats to be elected in California is exactly what got us into this mess," said Allen. Its about time for the Republicans in California to stand up for our values, our ideals-- and yes, even support our GOP president.



David Hadley, a former assemblyman who is viewed as the most centrist of the GOP chair candidates, told Politico said that a key problem for the Republican Party in the last election is that the circular firing squad is out in force," and that Republicans must stop blaming other Republicans."



We need to start with the central matter at hand: the Democratic Party, and the special interests that control it, are the mightiest political machine in the history of American politics," he said.



In California, as in the national party, Republicans continue to dismiss the stark evidence of growing ethnic voter clout in hopes of returning to an America that was the way it used to be," Sragow said. Theyre rubbing the rabbits foot and think theyre going to take back the homeland."

I spoke to a Democratic Party higher up who told me everyone she knows has their fingers crossed that Travis Allen wins since "he's in such a state of denial that there won't even be a viable Republican Party left after his first term in office... He thinks celebrating Donald Trump is going to help win back the state? The only counties with sizable populations they're still competitive in are Riverside, Fresno and Kern and his ideas will deliver all three to the Democrats." She told me it doesn't matter if Republicans continue winning massive victories in places like Modoc County since fewer people vote there than in most named L.A. or San Diego neighborhoods. [Around 3,500 people voted in Modoc County this year, 1,600 in Sierra County, 6,000 in Colusa, 5,000 in Trinity and 7,000 in Inyo, all counties where Cox posted big percentages against Newsom-- and all utterly irrelevant.]





Cox's 76.2% of the Modoc vote yielded him 2,628 votes, Newsom's 86.4% of the vote in San Francisco borough him 312,181 votes, his 71.9% in L.A. County gave him 2,114,699 votes, and his 80.6% in Alameda County brought in 462,268 votes. Travis Allen seems eager to just cede those counties to Democrats and work to move Modoc from 76.2% to 80%. Go for it!
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Prime Minister Nguyen Xuan Phuc (R) and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen (Photo: VNA)

PM Phuc made the statement on December 7th while holding talks with Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen who has been on an official visit to Vietnam from December 6th-8th.

Congratulating PM Hun Sen and the ruling Cambodian Peoples Party (CPP) on their victory in the election of the sixth National Assembly, PM Phuc said that the Cambodian leaders visit plays an important role in consolidating and creating impetus for bilateral relations.

Asserting the importance of consolidating friendship and solidarity on the basis of mutual trust, benefits, understanding, and respect to maintain a peaceful and stable environment, the two leaders agreed to organise grand ceremonies in both nations to mark the 40th anniversary of Cambodias victory over the genocidal regime (January 7th, 1979-2019).

They expressed delight at the sound development of the bilateral relations over the recent years, with the regular exchange of meetings and visits by high-level leaders, sectors, and border-sharing localities.

Two-way trade has made giant strides in 2018, which is estimated at USD4.5 billion for the whole year. Vietnam continues to be one of the top ten investors in the neighbouring country, registering over USD3 billion in more than 200 projects. Vietnam is the second biggest source of international visitors to Cambodia with over 500,000 arrivals.

PM Phuc suggested accelerating the implementation of a framework agreement on connecting the two economies signed in 2017, giving due attention to enhancing cooperation in transport, tourism, telecommunications, and banking, among others; as well as putting model border markets in Da commune in Menot district of Cambodias Tbong Khmum province into use soon.

Both leaders demanded positive coordination to match Cambodias Quadrangle-Development Strategy with Vietnams ability and strengths, while calling for efforts to outline rational policies to increase Vietnamese investments in Cambodia and vice versa.

The two sides applauded efforts made by Vietnams Ministry of Industry and Trade and Cambodias Ministry of Commerce to complete negotiations on the Border Trade Agreement and sign a memorandum of understanding (MoU) in recognition of the results. They expressed their belief that the two countries will reach the target of USD5 billion by 2020.

The leaders agreed to enhance cooperation in education-training, agro-forestry-aquaculture, culture-arts and people-to-people exchange.

PM Hun Sen thanked Vietnam for its provision of scholarships to Cambodian students and government personnel to pursue studies in Vietnam, stressing that his countrys development over the last 40 years cannot be separated from the close cooperation and assistance of the Vietnamese Government and people.

They reached a consensus on shaping the bilateral relations under the motto of good neighbourliness, traditional friendship, and comprehensive cooperation and long-term sustainability, adding that ties will be deepened via visits and exchange of delegations at all levels, as well as the existing 22 dialogue and cooperation mechanisms.

Furthermore, the two PMs were unanimous in enhancing the efficiency of defence-security cooperation, pursuing the principle of not letting hostile forces use their countries territories to harm the other nations security, and joining hands in preventing all kinds of crime to ensure peace and security in each nation.

The two leaders agreed to continue tackling remaining issues in the spirit of friendship and mutual understanding, and strive to sign two documents to officially legalise 84 percent of the border demarcation and marker planting-related work in 2019, towards building a borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development between the two countries.

They said the two sides will work closely together to assure the legal status, as well as support and create favourable conditions for Vietnamese-Cambodians to have stable lives in Cambodia, thus contributing to its socio-economic development and becoming an effective bridge for bilateral relations.

Regarding regional and global issues, the two leaders agreed on the importance to maintain peace, security, and stability in the region, affirming that the two countries will coordinate closely to continue building and developing the ASEAN Community, upholding ASEAN principles, consolidating solidarity, and enhancing self-reliance and the central role of ASEAN.

They also pledged to promote cooperation within the Cambodia-Laos-Vietnam Development Triangle and the Greater Mekong Sub-region to narrow the development gap and sustainably manage and use Mekong water resources, towards completing UN sustainable development goals.

In the immediate future, the two countries will closely coordinate together in 2020 when Vietnam will takes over the ASEAN Chairmanship and Cambodia will host the ASEM Summit.

Immediately after the talks, the PMs witnessed the signing of five cooperation documents, including a government-level MoU on Vietnam-Cambodia Transport Cooperation Strategy for 2018-2025 with a vision to 2030; MoUs on the completion of negotiations of the border trade agreement and education cooperation; the minutes on the completion of 84 percent of the border demarcation and marker planting work in the field and future plans for the work; and an agreement on the implementation of a project using Vietnams non-refundable aid capital for Cambodia to build a number of items in the community-based voluntary drug detoxification centre project in Preah Sihanouk province.

Afterwards, PM Phuc and his Cambodian counterpart Hun Sen held a joint press conference./.
General Secretary of the Communist Party of Vietnam and President Nguyen Phu Trong (R) and Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen.

(Photo: VNA)

Hosting a reception for visiting Cambodian Prime Minister Samdech Techo Hun Sen in Hanoi on December 7th, the leader said that the guests official visit to Vietnam is a vivid illustration of the solidarity and traditional friendship between the two nations.

Congratulating Cambodia on its successful sixth National Assembly election, the Vietnamese leader expressed his belief that under the leadership of the Cambodian National Assembly and Royal Government, Cambodia will overcome challenges to reap more achievements to become a prosperous nation.

He said that he rejoiced at the thriving relations between the two Parties, States and peoples which have been developed in a practical and effective manner. Also, the leader reaffirmed Vietnams foreign policy of independence, diversification and multilateralisation of international relations as well as the countrys consistent policy of not joining any military alliance, not siding with any country to act against a third country, and not allowing any country to establish a military base in Vietnams territory.

Lauding the outcomes of the talks between PM Phuc and his Cambodian counterpart, he asked the two PMs to order competent branches and ministries to implement the documents signed. The two sides should join hands to soon complete documents legalising the 84 percent of the border demarcation and marker planting-related work in 2019 with a view to building a shared borderline of peace, friendship, cooperation, and development, he stressed.

The Cambodian PM underlined the robust ties of the two Parties, States and peoples in the past four decades, bringing benefits to the people of each nation as well as for regional and global peace, stability, cooperation and development.

He thanked Vietnam for its support for Cambodia during the national liberation, struggle against the genocidal regime, and national construction cause.

Hun Sen affirmed that the Cambodian Government will work to completely settle issues on the shared land border line, thus preventing opposition forces from taking advantage of the issues against the bilateral relations.

Cambodia does not need and Cambodian constitution does not allow the establishment of foreign military bases in its territory, he stressed.

On the occasion, the Vietnamese leader extend his regards and wishes for good health to Cambodian King Norodom Sihamoni and his mother Monineath Sihanouk, saying he is delighted to welcome King Norodom Sihamoni to Vietnam in the coming time./.




The office was launched on December 6th at the German Business Incubator Vietnam of the German House in Ho Chi Minh city, with the opening ceremony drawing more than 120 delegates representing agencies and enterprises of Vietnam, Germany, and Leipzig.

First Mayor of Leipzig Torsten Bonew said that the opening of the office is one of the important activities to foster ties between Vietnam and Leipzig, especially in trade, investment, automobile, education and training, research, and development cooperation.

With a population of more than 500,000, Leipzig is a big city in the German state of Saxony. It is home to a modern infrastructure system and holds strengths in the automobile, logistics, healthcare, technology, organic food technology, energy, and environmental sectors.

As many as 47 percent of total products made in Leipzig are for export, making local enterprises highly competitive.

Vietnam and Leipzig have shared a sound, long-term partnership, especially in economy, education, and culture.

Ho Chi Minh city and Leipzig signed a strategic cooperation agreement in 2015 to further promote their partnership. The deal aims to strengthen bilateral collaboration in economy, healthcare, education, energy, environment, sustainable development, and scientific research./.




The Ministry of Industry and Trade coordinated with the EU delegation to Vietnam and some embassies to organize the Vietnam - EU Trade Forum on December 6th.

At the event, delegates exchanged development orientations for agricultural product cooperation between the two sides in the near future, and shared experiences and directions to develop Vietnams agricultural products for export to the EU.

In his speech at the event, Deputy Minister Cao Quoc Hung affirmed that the EU is a prosperous economic bloc, with a gross domestic product (GDP) accounting for 23% of the worlds economy, and an income per capita mounting to USD40,890.

He added the bilateral trade relations are entering a new period, as the EVFTA was completed and is about to be signed and approved in the near future.

The FTA also creates incentives for agricultural products. However, the use of these incentives requires the efforts and cooperation of many parties such as the Government, the business community, associations, and scholarly and scientific consultants.

Trade experts said that the loose connection between farmers and businesses is the first barrier to agricultural exports to the EU. Some 70% of agricultural materials have been purchased directly from farmers, who are not fully provided with appropriate cultivating techniques./.
The event was jointly held by Vietnams Ministry of Planning and Investment, the RoK Embassy in Vietnam, and the Korea Chamber of Commerce and Industry, on December 7.

Speaker Moon Hee-sang highlighted the fact that Vietnam is a leading cooperation partner of the RoK in numerous fields. The bilateral relations have seen remarkable strides across all aspects, from politics, economics, and culture to development cooperation, labour, and people-to-people exchanges.

In particular, Vietnam is a top partner in the New Southern Policy of the RoKs Government, he stressed.

The Speaker called on Vietnamese and Korean businesses to promote their partnership to contribute to the prosperity in the two countries and the Asian region as a whole.

He noted that about half of the RoK businesses investing in the Association of Southeast Asian Nations (ASEAN) are operating in Vietnam.

For her part, Chairwoman Ngan said that, after more than 30 years of reforms, Vietnam has become an average income country in 2018 with a gross domestic product (GDP) of US$240 billion and total trade value of US$475 billion.

The middle class in Vietnam is expanding, which is expected to make up roughly 50% of the population by 2030. This will make Vietnam an attractive consumer market and help provide high quality labour for the economy.

The investment environment in Vietnam has been constantly improved with competitive investment costs and improved transport infrastructure, NA Chairwoman Ngan said.

She added that Vietnam is a responsible member of 10 valid free trade agreements (FTA) and the National Assembly of Vietnam has ratified the Comprehensive and Progressive Agreement for Trans-Pacific Partnership (CPTPP) which will come into force in early 2019. The NA will soon ratify the EU-Vietnam Free Trade Agreement (EVFTA) in the near future. The FTAs will broaden Vietnams free trade relations and allow it to enjoy high preferential treatment from the large markets of nearly 40 developed countries.

Vietnam aims to achieve an annual average economic growth of 6.5  7% through 2020, a GDP of US$320  350 billion, and trade size of approximately US$600 billion, striving to turn itself into an advanced industrial country, she added.

The senior legislator said RoK firms are playing an important role in several key economic fields of Vietnam, such as electronics, energy, automobiles, garments-textiles and construction.

Currently, the RoK is the biggest FDI partner of Vietnam, contributing significantly to the shift of economic structure, job generation, trade balance, and promotion of social welfare in Vietnam. RoK businesses are economic diplomats who contribute to developing the two nations cooperation in a pragmatic and effective manner, Ngan noted.

The trade scale of the two countries has also increased steadily, especially after the FTA between Vietnam and the RoK took effect. Trade growth increased by nearly 130 times to reach US$64 billion in 2017.

On the occasion of the official visit to the RoK of the Vietnamese NA high-level delegation, the two countries signed a memorandum of understanding on an action programme to increase two-way trade to US$100 billion by 2020 towards balanced trade, on December 6.



The top legislator said Vietnam is stepping up activities to encourage investment from the RoK and is willing to import commodities and spare parts that are strengths of the East Asian country.

Meanwhile, Vietnam hopes the RoK will continue creating more favourable conditions for Vietnams exports of tropical agricultural products, garment-textiles, timber products, rubber, and electronics.

We are committed to building a friendly business environment for businesses according to international standards, Ngan said.

The National Assembly of Vietnam will timely revise, supplement and build appropriate policies and work with the Government to create the optimal conditions for foreign investors in general and RoK businesses in particular to operate successfully in Vietnam.

We hope the two countries business communities will optimise their advantages and become closer in economic connectivity and cooperation, contributing to deepening the sound friendship between Vietnam and the RoK, Ngan said.

At the forum, businesses from the two countries discussed cooperation opportunities in the areas of trade-services, agriculture-food processing, manufacturing industry, construction, infrastructure and finance.

On the occasion, NA Chairwoman Nguyen Thi Kim Ngan and Speaker Moon Hee-sang witnessed the commercial launch of an air route connecting Vietnams Phu Quoc Island and the RoKs capital of Seoul operated by the budget carrier Vietjet Air.
During his stay, Politburo member Vuong held talks with Secretary General of the People's Movement for the Liberation of Angola (MPLA), Alvaro de Boavida Neto, and met with member of the MPLAs Political Bureau and First Deputy Speaker of the National Assembly, Emilia Carlota Dias.

On the occasion, the two parties signed a new cooperation agreement for the 2018-2023 period.

At the meetings, both sides informed each other of the situation of their respective Party and country, while exchanging views on regional and international situations, as well as measures to intensify the relations between the two Parties and countries in the future.

The Angolan leaders appreciated the visit, considering it as a milestone and a chance to boost the bilateral ties.

Speaking of Vietnams role and position in the region and the world and its Doi moi (Renewal) achievements, they said Angola wants to learn from Vietnams experience in national building and development, as well as in Party building, corruption prevention and control, and personnel training.

They suggested that both sides step up their collaboration in agriculture, health, education and training, and energy.

For his part, Politburo member Vuong affirmed that the Vietnamese Party, State and people always remember the support from the MPLA and the Angolan people for Vietnams past struggle for national liberation and its current nation building and safeguarding cause.

He expressed his delight at the positive development between the two parties over recent years, which, he said, has contributed to fostering the traditional friendship and solidarity between the two countries and their people.

Both sides agreed to make more efforts to effectively implement the freshly-inked cooperation agreement, with the focus on the exchange of all-level delegations, the sharing of information and experience, and the maintenance of coordination at multilateral forums.

The Vietnamese Party official also met representatives from the Vietnamese Embassy and the Vietnamese community in Angola, during which he encouraged them to unite and exert efforts to overcome all difficulties in order to stabilise their lives, integrate themselves into the host country, and contribute more to the bilateral relations.

The Party delegation also laid flowers on the Ho Chi Minh Avenue in Luanda and visited the Antonio Agostinho Neto Memorial to commemorate the late Angolan President.
"Several Egyptian naval units participated in the drill along with the British RFA Lyme Bay-class landing ship and the Italian frigate Carabiniere," the armed forces said on its website.

The training exercises included implementation of joint tasks, communication under water, supplying ships with fuel, and protecting navel units while crossing dangerous areas, according to the website.

Egypt regularly holds military exercises with Arab, African and Western countries to boost military collaboration and exchange military expertise.

On December 2, Egyptian and French naval forces carried out joint military drills across the Red Sea.

In early November, Egypt started the "Arab Sheild 1" joint drills with forces from Saudi Arabia, the United Arab Emirates, Bahrain, Kuwait and Jordan at Mohamed Naguib military base, the largest military base in the Middle East and Africa located in Egypt's Mediterranean province of Matrouh.
Chinese President Xi Jinping (R) meets with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 7, 2018. (Xinhua/Yao Dawei)

Chinese President Xi Jinping met with Foreign Minister Ri Yong Ho of the Democratic People's Republic of Korea (DPRK) in Beijing on Friday, calling for more efforts to advance the long-term, healthy and steady development of bilateral relations.

Xi asked Ri to convey his cordial greetings to Kim Jong Un, chairman of the Workers' Party of Korea (WPK) and chairman of the State Affairs Commission of DPRK.

Xi said that during Kim's three visits to China this year, the two leaders had a thorough and in-depth exchange of views over major issues including deepening China-DPRK friendly cooperation as well as promoting regional peace, stability and development.

"I'm happy to witness the effective implementation of the important consensus reached by the two sides," Xi added.

The year of 2019 marks the 70th anniversary of the establishment of the diplomatic ties between China and the DPRK. "The Communist Party of China (CPC) and the Chinese government highly value China-DPRK relations, and this is a principle that China unswervingly adheres to," Xi said.

"Currently, the relations between the two countries have ushered in a new chapter," he said.

Talking about celebration activities for the 70th anniversary of the establishment of diplomatic ties between the two countries, he called on the two sides to take the occasion to promote the long-term, healthy and steady development of bilateral relations.

The Chinese side supports the DPRK people to explore a development path suited to its national conditions under the leadership of Kim, and hopes that the DPRK will have a promising future in all its endeavors, the president said.

Xi pointed out that since the beginning of the year, the situation on the Korean Peninsula has taken on positive changes, as evidenced by the fact that the Korean Peninsula issue has come back to the right track of political settlement.

He expressed the hope that the DPRK and the United States meet each other halfway, and accommodate legitimate concerns of the other side, so as to ensure continuous and positive progress in the peace talks over the peninsula issue.

"China will, as always, support the amelioration of inter-Korean relations and facilitate reconciliation and cooperation between the two sides," Xi said.

The president urged diplomatic services of China and the DPRK to strengthen communication and make concerted efforts to advance China-DPRK relations and the political settlement of the Korean Peninsula issue.

For his part, Ri conveyed Kim's cordial greetings and best wishes to Xi.

A series of important consensus reached between the two countries' leaders during Kim's visits to China this year serves as guidance for elevating the traditional friendly relations to a new level, Ri said.

Ri said the DPRK is willing to work with China to hold well celebration activities marking the 70th anniversary of DPRK-China diplomatic relations next year, consolidate the traditional friendship with China and enhance bilateral cooperation.

He also said the DPRK is committed to denuclearization on the Peninsula, and is ready to keep close communication and coordination with China over peace and stability on the Peninsula and in the region.
Assyrian College Graduate Aims to Serve Persecuted Minorities

Ileen Younan, an Assyrian who graduated from Arizona State University. Ileen Younan is carrying the weight of history on her shoulders. Originally from Midland, Texas, she is inspired by her Assyrian roots to serve her community. The Assyrian genocide during World War I devastated and scattered the remaining community away from their homeland of northern Iraq.

Younan connected with her culture through the Assyrian Student Association of Arizona while she pursued her English degree at the ASU's West campus. She said the close-knit community of New College was perfect for cultivating her educational and professional interests.

"I never lacked any opportunity," she said.

Younan's pursuits proved to be well-rounded: She was involved with TRIO, the EARTH club, Canyon Voices Literary Magazine and the Arizona Legislative Internship Program, just to name a few. She also loved analyzing literature with her classmates. Before she starts at the Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law in the fall, she's working on her writing portfolio, which includes scripts, fiction and more.

After earning her law degree, Younan wants to honor her history as well as the skills and knowledge she has cultivated to give back.

"I hope to acquire a job as a state prosecutor and serve my community well," she said.

She ultimately wants to do nongovernmental work to help Assyrians and other persecuted minorities.

"Educated Assyrians can help those in their homeland, so that the entire people may move forward," she said.

As she closes the chapter on the first part of her Sun Devil journey, Younan talked with ASU Now about how she's reflecting on her field and her experience thus far.

Question: What was your "aha" moment, when you realized you wanted to study the field you majored in?

Answer: After completing my first year at ASU, I decided to focus more on self-improvement instead of only looking at a career end-goal. The English major was the best choice, because it would allow me to develop my writing, speaking and presentation skills all while hearing different perspectives as I'd analyze literature with other students.

Q: What's something you learned while at ASU -- in the classroom or otherwise -- that surprised you, that changed your perspective?

A: It's important to look at tasks and goals from an interdisciplinary perspective. With my major in particular, I learned to make sure my writing would be rooted in reality and also to look at what I read from different perspectives in order to create various possible interpretations.

Q: Why did you choose ASU?

A: ASU has numerous opportunities for undergraduate students to get involved, and the campus culture is exceedingly inclusive. A student is not just another number, they're a part of a family. The professors also care about their students and are enthusiastic about the subjects they teach, so ASU seemed like an ideal place to learn and develop my skill set.

Q: Which professor taught you the most important lesson while at ASU?

A: I'd say all the English professors at ASU's New College taught me the same important lesson: to be enthusiastic about any text I read and to outline well so that I won't be stressed when writing a final paper. This advice has served me well and helped me manage my time more wisely.

Q: What's the best piece of advice you'd give to those still in school?

A: Students should not compare themselves to others all the time and instead focus on improving themselves. There's also no such thing as being completely productive, no matter how well a person plans their day. It's not a bad thing for students to rest and give themselves a little credit for their hard work. In fact, it's a must in order to avoid burning out.

Q: What was your favorite spot on campus, whether for studying, meeting friends or just thinking about life?

A: My favorite spot on campus would be a tie between Fletcher Library, which offers a great, quiet space to study, and the TRIO Student Support Services STEM office, where fun events are always around the corner.

Q: What are your plans after graduation?

A: I'm graduating a semester early and was accepted to ASU's Sandra Day O'Connor College of Law, so my intent is to secure temporary employment until school starts. I'd also like to update my writing portfolio.

Q: If someone gave you $40 million to solve one problem on our planet, what would you tackle?

A: I would create a program centered around helping the displaced Assyrian population of the Nineveh Plains in northern Iraq. Assyrians are a Christian ethnic minority considered indigenous to Iraq. However, since the devastation caused by ISIS, thousands of Assyrians have been forced out of their homes and have fled the area in order to avoid religious persecution.
Chinese Vice Premier Hu Chunhua and French Minister of Economy and Finance Bruno Le Maire said here Friday their countries are willing to enhance bilateral cooperation in various fields.

The pair co-chaired the Sixth China-France High-Level Economic and Financial Dialogue on the day in Paris, which was themed "building a long-term and close China-France comprehensive economic strategic partnership."

Hu said that the Sino-French relations have witnessed a healthy and stable development in recent years, and pragmatic cooperation in various fields has achieved remarkable results.

On Dec. 1, Chinese President Xi Jinping and French President Emmanuel Macron met during the G20 summit and reached a series of important consensuses on the major issues of Sino-French cooperation, Hu said.

The two sides should implement the important consensuses, jointly promote international cooperation under the Belt and Road Initiative, strengthen bilateral policy communication, consolidate pragmatic cooperation on large projects, vigorously expand cooperation in new areas, and strengthen coordination and cooperation under multilateral frameworks so as to inject a new impetus in China-France comprehensive strategic partnership, he said.

Le Maire said that France attaches great importance to developing France-China relations, noting the two heads of state successfully met during the G20 summit and a new chapter would be drawn in France-China relations.

France has a unique advantage in participating in the Belt and Road Initiative and is willing to strengthen pragmatic cooperation with China in the fields of trade, technology, agriculture, finance, climate change and other economic and financial resources, and promote bilateral cooperation to achieve new results, said the French minister.
Wang Yang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the National Committee of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference (CPPCC), presides over a bi-weekly consultation session of the 13th CPPCC National Committee in Beijing, capital of China, Dec. 7, 2018. (Xinhua/Zhai Jianlan)

China's top political advisor Wang Yang stressed the significance of basic research and called for consistent improvement of the country's capabilities of original innovation.

Wang, a member of the Standing Committee of the Political Bureau of the Communist Party of China Central Committee and chairman of the Chinese People's Political Consultative Conference National Committee, made the remarks on Friday at a bi-weekly consultation session of the national committee.

Basic research is the essence of science and the source of technologies, as well as the cornerstone of building a leading power in science and technology (S&T) in the world, Wang said.

Political advisors at the session addressed China's shortcomings in basic research, admitting that major problems such as the lack of original innovations, elite talent, research teams and favorable environments for research, although many achievements have been made.

Some of them asked for better proactive planning, including putting forward major national S&T projects after 2020, and suggested national laboratories lead the projects in certain areas.

They also suggested more financial support to basic research and enterprises and other social forces be encouraged to increase investment in research funds.

The reform on S&T management mechanism should be deepened to ensure that researchers can fully concentrate on their work, and research institutes have more freedom to manage and use the project funds, according to the political advisors.

They also called for the legislation on the credibility in scientific research and stronger action against academic misconduct to create a better research environment and atmosphere.
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Microsoft is a true IT industry giant as its software products are known and used in all corners of the world. But the company doesn't stop on the software and provides a wide variety of IT certifications for specialists working with various technologies such as Cloud solutions, Windows Server, Office 365 applications, C#, and more.



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Today, we will discuss some Microsoft credentials that are popular in the IT sphere. In the second part of this article, we will stop on a specific certification and talk about the details of the credential process and the resources you need to use to get certified.



So, here is the list of the sought-after Microsoft credentials that are worthy of your attention.



MCSA: Windows Server 2012 Certification



The first certification that is popular among IT specialists is MCSA: Windows Server 2012. If you possess this associate-level certification, you can work as a computer network specialist or systems administrator. The credential confirms the candidate's skills related to the management and maintaining of the Windows Server, and if you attain it, you can then move to the next level -MCSE: Cloud Platform and Infrastructure certification. To get certified, you need to pass the following tests:



Microsoft 70-410 Exam



70-410 test is called Installing and Configuring Windows Server 2012. The topics of the exam include Hyper-V, Active Directory, group policy, core network services, and other subjects that you need to know to be able to manage Windows Server 2012 inanenterprise environment.



To get more information about 70-410, go to Microsoft website.



Microsoft 70-411 Exam



70-411: Administering Windows Server 2012 exam covers topics such as server maintenance, the configuration of file and print services, the configuration of access, network services, Active Directory, and more.



Microsoft 70-412 Exam



70-412: Configuring Advanced Windows Server 2012 test covers the configuration of High Availability, storage solutions, file solutions, network services, information protection solutions, and more.



MCSA: Windows Server 2016 Certification



This certification will also bring you to the associate level. After attaining it, you will be able to work as a systems administrator or network specialist. MCSA: Windows Server 2016 certification confirms the skills related to the management of Windows Server 2016. The specialists with this certification are valuable workers as they are able to decrease IT costs and deliver a sufficient value to the business. This certification requires passing of the three exams:



Microsoft 70-740 Exam



70-740: Installation, Storage, and Compute with Windows Server 2016exam is focused on Windows containers, Hyper-V, and the installation of Windows Servers in a hostandcomputeenvironments.



Learn more about 70-740 on Microsoft website.



Microsoft 70-741 Exam



70-741:Networking with Windows Server 2016 test concentrates on the implementationof Domain Name System, distributed network solutions,remote access, DHCP,IPAM, and many more.



Find more information about 70-741 on Microsoft website.



Microsoft 70-742 Exam



70-742: Identity with Windows Server 2016 exam covers AD DS, AD CS, identity federation, group policy, and more.



Here is one more exam that is related to MCSA: Windows Server 2016 certification:



Microsoft 70-743 Exam



70-743: Upgrading Your Skills to MCSA: Windows Server 2016 is the exam that you can take to advance your skills if you already have a certification that is related to Windows Server (MCSA: Windows Server 2008 certification). The test focuses on Windows containers,High Availability,DNS,Hyper-V,solutions for storage,and more.



To find more details about 70-743, visit Microsoft website.



MCSA: Web Applications Certification



This certification is also quite popular in the IT field as itis all about web applications. It is designedto validate the professional's skills related to theimplementationof the apps in the modern environment. If you want to get certified, you need to clear two tests:either 70-480 or 70-483 and then 70-486 test.



Microsoft 70-480 Exam



70-480: Programming in HTML5 with JavaScript and CSS3 test includes the following topics: the implementation of objects, implementation document structuresand program flow,CSS3 and its use in applications, and many more.



More information about 70-480 can be found on Microsoft website.



Microsoft 70-483 Exam



70-483:Programming in C#exam covers the creation of the types, application debugging, C# programming, program flowmanagement, and more.



You can read about 70-483 on Microsoft website.



Microsoft 70-486 Exam



70-486: Developing ASP.NET MVC Web Applications test is intended to confirm the individual's skills related to the designing and development of the application architecture, UI (User Experience),and more.



The details about 70-486 can be found on Microsoft website.



MCSA: Office 365 Certification



If you are intended to work with cloud-based business applications, this credential is what you need as it will qualify you for the work of SaaS administrator or cloud applications administrator. MCSA: Office 365 certification requires passing of 2 tests - 70-346 exam and 70-347 exam. This certification retires on March 31, 2019, so you need to hurry up if you want to get it.



Microsoft 70-346 Exam



70-346: Managing Office 365 Identities and Requirements exam is focused on the security in Office 365,Azure AD Connect,cloud identities,federated identities, and many more. You can pass this exam until March 31, 2019.



More details about 70-346 on Microsoft website.



Microsoft 70-347 Exam



70-347: Enabling Office 365 Services test covers SharePoint Onlinesite collections, the configuration of Skype for Businessand Exchange Online, the management of the clients and end-user devices, and more. 70-347 exam also will not be available after March 31, 2019.



Learn more about 70-347 on Microsoft website.



MCSD: App Builder Certification



If you already have MCSA: Web Applications or MCSA: Universal Windows Platform certification, you can opt for the next-level certification called MCSD: App Builder. Thus, you will become a Certified Solutions Developer. The certification concentrates on the skills related to the building contemporaryweb/mobileappsandservices. To get certified, you need tosit for one exam from the 8 offered. One of the popular options for MCSD is 70-487 exam.



Microsoft 70-487 Exam



70-487: Developing Microsoft Azure and Web Services test is focused on data access,API- basedWeb services, Web Applications deployment, data manipulation with the use of Entity Framework, and more.



If you want to learn more about 70-487, visit Microsoft website.



In the second part of this article, we will talk about another popular credential - MCSA: Cloud Platform and reveal important details about the exam and preparation process.



MCSA: Cloud Platform certification and 70-532 exam



There is an increasing demand for Cloud Platform and Infrastructure Solutions based on Microsoft Azure, and this is a clear indication that multiple job opportunities are currently available including Solutions Architects, Developers and System Operators. So, when you go for exam 70-532:Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions certification, you are doing more than just validating your skills. This exam is the right path towards getting your dream job and earning an attractive salary.



To earn MCSA: Cloud Platform certification (retires on December 31, 2018), you need to pass two of the four offered exams (70-532, 70-533, 70-535, and 70-537). This article breaks down all the key details about Microsoft 70-532 test to help you understand the popularity of the exam as you consider taking your IT career to the next level.



What does Microsoft 70-532 Exam Entail?



Microsoft exam 70-532: Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions covers four main domains including Creating and Managing Azure Resource Manager Virtual Machines (20-25%), Designing and Implementing of Data Strategy and Storage (25-30%), Managing Identity, Network Services, and Applications (10-15%), and Designing and Implementing Azure Compute, Web, and Mobile Services (35-40%). You should note that the exam is not limited to the abovementioned domains, and you can meet other topics during the test.



The exam is aimed at developers in general. The candidates should have a relevant experience in designing, programming, implementing, automating, and monitoring Microsoft Azure Solutions before taking the test. The test will confirm that you are well familiar with the techniques and development tools necessary to build resilient and scalable solutions.



Tips to Prepare for Microsoft 70-532 Exam



You will realize that almost all Microsoft certification exams cover an amazingly huge amount of information and content. Microsoft 70-532 is no exception.



So, what should you do to relieve the worries about the bulk content covered in the exam? Well, the shortest route to succeeding in your exam is a good preparation with the use of some of the most reliable resources. Microsoft itself provides plenty of resources to help you prepare adequately for your exam.



How would you like using video courses for your exam preparation? That is exactly what you will get from the Microsoft Virtual Academy, and the video courses are free. Some of the most vital coverage you will access from the following courses:



Virtual Academy include Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals

Microsoft Azure Fundamentals: Websites

Exam Prep Session for Exam 70-532: Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions

Azure Friday Videos

It is pretty understandable that reading books may be your preferred method of exam preparation. For your convenience, there is a reliable book called Exam Ref 70-532: Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions.



Published in January 2018, this book arranges its content by the exam objective domains. It has helped many professionals to prepare for Microsoft 70-532. The book focuses on the critical thinking and decision-making skills both of which are vital for success at the Microsoft Associate level.



Reading books may not be your thing, but this book is a worthy resource to give a try.



It is worth mentioning that practice tests can be very important for your preparation. Building confidence prior to taking an exam is always essential and this is where practice questions come in handy.



The questions may not be the same that you will find during the exam, but they are more or less the same in their formats and domains covered. Using practice questions is always a good way to put your knowledge to the test and know your exact areas of strength and weak points.



Another valuable option to consider can be the Instructor-led Training. This is a 5-day training offered by Microsoft experts to help you prepare for your exam. For more information, visit the official Microsoft site.



Basics of Microsoft 70-532 Exam



Now you have the tips to prepare for Microsoft 70-532 exam, but I guess your anxiety doesn't end there. You wish to know what format the exam takes and the kind of questions to expect. Well, this is a 120-minute duration test with 40-60 questions.



The questions may come in different formats as Microsoft updates the exams from time to time. Microsoft recommends that you take course 20532: Developing Microsoft Azure Solutions before scheduling the test. Another recommendation is that you acquire some hands-on experience with the product and use the specified training resources.



Just like with many Microsoft exams, you can take a training course onsite if you have a test center near you or via online proctored delivery. The second option allows you to take the test from any location or even right from home or office while being monitored by a proctor through a webcam and microphone.



The exam only costs $165, but you should strive for success because in case of the failure you will have to pay the same amount for a retake. In addition to paying the extra fee for a retake, you will also have to wait for a period of 14 days from the day you fail before you can schedule the test again.



Conclusion



The sky is the limit as they say. But Microsoft appears to defy this statement because there is never a limit to whatever you can achieve with its certifications. Take the initial steps towards to get your dream job by earning Microsoft certification, but before that, apply the aforementioned tips to pass your certification exams.














Egyptian President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi discussed in a telephone call with Tanzanian President John Magufuli on Friday the latest developments on the Stiegler's Gorge dam, El-Sisi spokesperson Bassam Rady said in a presidential statement.

The dam is to be constructed by the Egyptian Arab Contractors Company, with the deal expected to be signed in Tanzania on 12 December, according to Rady.

Stiegler's Gorge Hydroelectric Power Station (SGHPS), is a planned 2,100 megawatts (2,800,000 hp) dam that is expected to produce 5920 GW of power annually.

Tanzania has been considering establishing this power station since the 1960s.

When fully developed, it will be the largest power station in Tanzania.

During the phone call, El-Sisi expressed Egypt's pride in its ties with Tanzania.

He affirmed Egypt's continued aspiration to strengthen relations with Tanzania in various fields in light of the economic relations of the two countries, noting that the Stigler George Dam will serve as a model for cooperation in Africa.

"Egypt will participate with a high-level delegation headed by the Prime Minister during the construction of the dam signing ceremony," the statement read.

The spokesman added that both presidents discussed the intensification of joint coordination during the coming period to enhance bilateral cooperation relations, as well as maximizing the mechanisms of consultation and exchange of views on the most important emerging issues in the continental arena, especially in the light of the upcoming Egyptian presidency of the African Union in 2019.

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Meetings of Africa Forum 2018 kicked off on Saturday morning in the Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh under the auspices of President Abdel Fatah El-Sisi and the participation of a number of African leaders from COMESA countries.

Around 41 Prime Ministers from the COMESA group are expected to attend the forum, which will see discussions on infrastructure, entrepreneurship, investment, and women-related issues across the African continent.

Several sessions will be held on the first day of the forum under the theme "Entrepreneurs Day", including one on strengthening regional economic systems in Africa which will tackle means of consolidating cross-border cooperation and opening up new markets for African economic blocs.

More than 3,000 African entrepreneurs are participating in the investment forum, with El-Sisi expected to attend a session focused on young entrepreneurs.

Another session is to be held on policies of African countries in light of developments being witnessed in the entrepreneurship domain in Africa, with the participation of Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr and Finance Minister Mohamed Maait.

A session on increasing the volume of the economic growth is set to be held on Saturday.

A number of sessions on empowering the African woman will be also held as part of the forum, including a roundtable discussion on the importance of gender equality in achieving Africa's progress.

Another session is set to discuss the role of women in outlining policies of the African continent with the participation of Immigration Minister Nabila Makram, Environment Minister Yasmeen Fouad, Mali's Foreign Minister Kamissa Camara and COMESA Secretary General Chileshe Kapwepwe.

A number of agreements will be signed on the sidelines of the first day of the forum.

COMESA countries include Burundi, Comoros, Democratic Republic of Congo, Djibouti, Egypt, Eritrea, Ethiopia, Eswatini, Kenya, Libya, Madagascar, Malawi, Mauritius, Rwanda, Seychelles, Sudan, Uganda, Zambia and Zimbabwe.

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The Legislative Affairs Committee said the amendments are very important to help stem the tide of high prices on Egypt's local market

Egypt's parliament  the House of Representatives  will convene Sunday to discuss new government-drafted amendments of two laws regulating "Supply Affairs" and "the Protection of Competition and the Prevention of Monopolistic Practices."

A report prepared by the Legislative and Constitutional Affairs Committee and the Economic Affairs Committee said the new amendments of the two laws are necessary to contain the phenomenon of high prices, particularly those of goods and products essential to ordinary citizens.

The report said the first is an amendment of the law decree (no.95/1954) regulating Supply Affairs and the second is an amendment of the law (no.3/2005) on the Protection of Competition and the Prevention of Monopolistic Practices.

According to the report, "there is a pressing need right now to change the above two laws not only to go in line with the new economic developments in Egypt, the latest of which is the signing of an economic reform agreement with the IMF and the floatation of the Egyptian pound in November 2016."

"The philosophy of the new amendments also come to stem the tide of high prices on the local markets in an exaggerated way," said the report, adding that "the flotation of the Egyptian pound and the elimination of a large part of fuel, power and drinking water subsidies led to the proliferation of monopolistic practices and the manipulation of essential products on the local market."

As a result, said the report, the new amendments come to stiffen penalties on merchants and traders who exploited the liberalization measures to manipulate prices and double their profit margins without fear of facing adequate legislative retribution.

"Watchdog authorities have noticed that a handful of importers and merchants who exploited the liberalization policies to double their profit margins in an illegal way and exaggerated way," said the report, indicating that "the amendments give greater powers to inspectors affiliated with Ministry of Supply, the Consumer Protection Apparatus, and the Ministry of Interior's Supply Control Department to help them discipline the local market, contain high prices, ensure that limited-income consumers get essential goods and products at reasonable prices, and tighten the grip on monopolistic practices."

"These powers are necessary to protect consumers from the greedy practices on the market and to send them a message that the government cares about them and that it is there to safeguard them against those who manipulate the prices of their basic needs of products and goods," said the report.

It also argued that the above legislative initiatives come as a response to parliament and MPs who have always pressurized the government to check monopolistic practices and give consumers all the protection needed. "While citizens recognized the importance of reform measures to the country's economic future, it is now the government's duty to do its best to protect them against the vagaries of this reform," said the report.

The report indicated that article 3 of the 1945's law decree on supply affairs will be amended to toughen penalties on a new crime, which is hiding some strategic goods such as supply and petroleum products ready for sale.

"Those who will hid such items, or do not put them for public sale, or abstain from selling them, or decide to sell them only under certain unlawful conditions, will be fined an amount ranging from EGP 100,000 (instead of EGP 10,000) to EGP 1 million (instead of EGP 100,000)," said the report, indicating that "if offenders committed the same crime again, they would be sentenced to a prison term ranging from five to ten years, and fined from EGP 200,000 to EGP 2 million, and that their trade license would be repealed."

The report indicated that a new article (Article 22) will be added to the 2008's Law on the Protection of Competition and the Prevention of Monopolistic Practices to incriminate those who violate the cabinet's decisions related to fixing the price of certain basic goods.

"Those who violate such decisions will be fined an amount ranging from EGP 100,000 to EGP 5 million," said the report, also indicating that "the cabinet, in addition to prosecution authorities, will be both entitled by the new amendment to refer offenders to justice."

The report cited Mona Al-Garf, head of the Consumer Protection Apparatus, as saying during the committee's meeting that "the new amendments are necessary to create a new legislative environment favourable to economic activities and healthy competition."

Meanwhile, parliament's economic affairs committee will hold two meetings Sunday morning. Head of the committee Ahmed Samir said the first one will be devoted to discussing four "information requests" about the government's new privatization programme.

The requests are submitted by four leftist deputies who cried foul that the sell-off programme leads to privatizing a number of strategic national banks and public sector companies.

Samir said the second meeting will see Minister of Finance Mohamed Maeet deliver a statement about Egypt's economic conditions in the last six months, and the progress on the implementation of the government's policy programme delivered before parliament last June.

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Egypt's interior ministry announced on Saturday in an official statement that it killed two other members of the cell involved in the attack that killed seven Coptic Christians south of Cairo in early November.

This comes as a continuation of the ministry's efforts to pursue those responsible for the attack, the statement said.

On 3 November, the ministry announced that it had killed 19 gunmen involved in a 2 November ambush where gunmen opened fire on two buses carrying Christians near the Monastery of St. Samuel the Confessor in Minya, some 260 km south of Cairo, killing seven and wounding 18 others. Six of those killed were of the same family.

Security forces tracked the terrorists to a hideout in a mountainous region west of Upper Egypt's Assiut governorate, near the area of Dashlout/Farafra, the ministry said.

The ministry published photos of bloodied bodies with their faces concealed and assault rifles and shotguns lying beside them.

The area was raided in coordination with the armed forces, and two terrorists were killed in the attack.

Security forces found on site three automatic rifles, a large quantity of different caliber bullets, and living subsidies.

The forces also seized a vehicle that belonged to the terrorists and a mobile phone that belonged to one of the deceased in the attack, Kamal Youssef Shehata.

The legal proceedings have begun and the Supreme State Security Prosecution is investigating the incident.

The attack on Copts was the latest in a series of assaults targeting the country's Christian minority, and was claimed by the Islamic State group, according to the groups Amaq news agency.

The group was also behind another attack that killed 28 people in almost the same spot in May 2017.

Christians make up around 10 percent of Egypt's 97 million predominantly Muslim population.

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Egypts President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi asked young entrepreneurs during the Africa 2018 Forum to turn their ideas into reality for both themselves and the African continent.

El-Sisi spoke in a speech during the opening of the event, which is being held in Sharm el-Sheikh.

We stress that you are the most valuable asset to the continent. You are the drive and energy to create a better future for our continent, El-Sisi said.



He presented Egypts efforts in providing support for entrepreneurs both in the country and Africa.

El-Sisi said state institutions unified efforts to establish the first regional centre in Egypt to support start-ups and train youth through entrepreneurship.

He said an Arab-African Fund was also created to support such youth-led projects.

Around 10,000 Egyptian and African youth will be trained in digital technology in the next three years, according to El-Sisi.

The challenges faced by the global economy call us to boost entrepreneurship in Africa, and to empower youths, he added.

The President also outlined legislation by Egypt to support entrepreneurship, including two laws regulating ride-hailing services in the country, as well as regulating food trucks.

El-Sisi spoke about Fekretak Sherketak, a nationwide initiative which aims to support and accelerate the growth of entrepreneurs to develop innovate businesses in todays competitive economy.

The first state-sponsored initiative will provide more than 450 sessions of assistance to young business owners.

Fifty start-ups have been established and funded, under Fekretak Sherketaks flagship program -- Falak Startups.

El-Sisi pointed also at the World Banks International Finance Corporations Next 100 African Startups competition, which takes place from 8-9 December and is organized in cooperation with Egypts Ministry of Investment and International Cooperation.

The competition will see both entities selecting 100 promising startups from across the continent and connecting them with business leaders, international investors, and financial institutions.

My sons and daughters of the continent, we believe in you and your dreams. You are our hope and future. I ask you for hard work, thinking out of the box, and confidence in yourself to turn your ideas into reality, he said.

Around 41 Prime Ministers from the COMESA group are attending the forum, which will see discussions on infrastructure, entrepreneurship, investment, and women-related issues across the African continent.

Several sessions will be held on the first day of the forum under the theme "Entrepreneurs Day", including one on strengthening regional economic systems in Africa which will tackle means of consolidating cross-border cooperation and opening up new markets for African economic blocs.

More than 3,000 African entrepreneurs are participating in the investment forum.

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Fifteen civilians from the Fulani community were killed last week when armed men from a rival ethnic group attacked their village in central Mali, a regional governor said on Saturday.

Communal violence in the West African country has killed hundreds of civilians and displaced thousands this year, compounding a dire security situation in the north, where attacks by jihadist groups are common.

Mali's central Mopti region has suffered the worst of the ethnic clashes, according to the United Nations. Mopti Governor Sidi Alassane Toure said the latest attack was on Wednesday.

Toure told state radio a disarmament programme launched last month in northern regions would be expanded to curb violence. "It will be launched in the coming days, and we dare to hope that all the bearers of arms will lay down their arms," he said.

Islamist militants seized Mali's desert north in 2012. French forces intervened the following year to wrest control, but fighters with links to al Qaeda and Islamic State have since regrouped.

They have tapped into the ethnic rivalries to recruit new members and their frequent attacks in Mali and nearby countries have alarmed Western powers.

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The main negotiator of Yemen's Iran-aligned Houthi group called on Saturday for the formation of a transitional government with the participation of "all political parties".

The Houthi negotiator, Mohammed Abdusalam, spoke to Reuters on the sidelines of peace talks underway in Sweden with the delegation of the Saudi-backed government.

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Yemen's foreign minister on Saturday said Aden will be home to the country's main airport, in the midst of talks to reopen the rebel-held international airport in the capital Sanaa.

"We have a vision that Aden will be the sovereign airport of Yemen," Khaled al-Yamani told AFP in his first interview since the talks opened in Sweden on Thursday.

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Yemen's foreign minister on Saturday said the rebel-held port of Hodeida must be handed over to the government, amid UN-brokered talks on the conflict between the government and Houthi insurgents.

"We accept that the port works under the administration that ran the port in 2014," Khaled al-Yamani told AFP.

The rebels seized Hodeida, Yemen's most valuable port, located on the Red Sea, in a takeover of territory in 2014.

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Libyan tribesmen staged a protest on Saturday at the giant El Sharara oilfield aiming to shut down the facility, engineers and a tribal spokesman said on Saturday, although it was not immediately clear if output had been halted.

A field engineer said crude was still flowing, while two other engineers said the field was apparently being shut down.

A spokesman for the tribesmen, who were protesting to demand more development for their communities, said they had closed the field located in south Libya.

"El Sharara is closed. We had given authorities a deadline but we got no response," said Mohammad Maighal, spokesman for the group that calls itself the Fezzan Anger Movement.

Fezzan is the historic name of the southern region to which the ElSharara oilfield belongs.

The field, which usually pumps about 300,000 barrels per day, has been repeatedly threatened by tribesmen asking for better health and other state services for poor, desert region.

Closing down an oilfield takes time so there was no final confirmation whether the wells had been turned off.

The state oil firm NOC usually tries to avert such action through talks.

NOC was not immediately available to comment.

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Twelve people -- including five hostages -- were killed in northeast Brazil on Friday after police foiled a gang of armed robbers staging simultaneous pre-dawn assaults on two banks in the town of Milagres, officials said.

The five dead hostages were members of the same family and included two children, the local mayor, Lielson Landim, told the Folha de Sao Paulo newspaper. They had been returning from a nearby airport when some of the robbers seized them.

The secretary for security in the state of Ceara, Andre Costa, said in a statement that an investigation was being carried out to identify those killed and the circumstances of their deaths.

Costa did not say whose bullets killed the hostages. Landim had earlier said that, based on initial information, he understood that "the criminals killed the hostages and the police killed the criminals."

Two suspects were arrested, according to Costa's office.

"A heavily armed group arrived in the town in the early hours and went to the center of town, where they tried to commit the crime. There was an exchange of fire between the suspects and police," it said.

It said six gang members were killed and "another six people died from gunshots."

The identity of the 12th victim was not immediately clear.

Various weapons and explosives as well as three vehicles used in the bank assaults were recovered.

- 'Cowering' residents -

The gang had launched simultaneous assaults on two banks on the same street in Milagres -- population 28,000 -- shortly after 2:00 am (0400 GMT).

According to the G1 news website, the robbers had blocked a street with a truck and stopped the car carrying the family, which included relatives who had just arrived on a flight from Sao Paulo to celebrate Christmas with them.

G1 reported that the robbers "executed" the hostages when police turned up. It said some of the gang managed to escape.

"I've never seen anything like it. I stayed inside my home, cowering and afraid," a local resident, Mendonca de Santa Helena, told media. "I heard people yelling and crying. It was horrible."

Shaken by the violence, the municipality of Milagres suspended most of its activities on Friday and asked residents to stay at home "until order is restored."

Brazil is one of the most violent countries in the world, suffering nearly 64,000 murders last year -- a homicide rate of 30.8 per 100,000 inhabitants that is three times higher than the level the United Nations considers to be endemic violence.

On January 1, a far-right politician promising a relentless crackdown on crime, Jair Bolsonaro, will become Brazil's new president following his election in October.

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An estimated 31,000 people joined "yellow vest" anti-government protests across France on Saturday, deputy interior minister Laurent Nunez said, adding that 700 people had been detained.

"At the national level, including Paris, we're at more than 700 detained with participation in the movement at 31,000 nationwide including 8,000 in Paris," he told France 2 television.

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Egypt and the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development signed two agreements on Saturday to establish an EGP 1.4 billion water system in Bahr Al-Bakr and to finance four desalination plants in South Sinai governorate for EGP 880.5 million.

The signing comes on the sidelines of the Africa 2018 forum taking place in the Red Sea resort city of Sharm el-Sheikh.

The agreement was signed by Egypt's Minister of Investment and International Cooperation Sahar Nasr, Abdulwahab Al-Bader, the Director General of the Kuwait Fund for Arab Economic Development, Kuwait's Ambassador to Cairo Mohammed Saleh Al-Thoikh, and Governor of South Sinai Khaled Fouda.

Nasr pointed out that the Bahr Al-Bakr water system fits within the framework of the directives of President Abdel-Fattah El-Sisi to support Sinai development efforts and to provide the necessary funding for its development.

Four desalination plants in South Sinai will also be produced as part of the project, with a total production capacity of 56,000 m3 / per day.

The project aims to strengthen the system of water management through optimal use of available water resources in the peninsula.

The project includes the construction of a water treatment plant with a capacity of 5 million m3/ day to be used in the reclamation and cultivation of about 330,000 feddans east of the Suez Canal and 70,000 feddans currently cultivated in the area Al-Taina and Qantara east.

This will bring the total cultivated land to 400,000 feddans, in addition to the establishment of an integrated agricultural development project.

The minister highlighted that this would increase the quantities of exports and reduce imports, in addition to creating new job opportunities amounting to about 40,000 jobs in agriculture, agro-processing and animal production sectors.

The sustainable project will have an impact of 1.8 billion cubic meters per year of treated water, said Nasr.

The project aims to meet the growing demand for drinking water, reduce the losses in water transport networks and protect public health by providing safe drinking water to the cities in the South Sinai governorate.

Egypt is working to develop the Sinai Peninsula and improve the standard of living by providing basic services like potable water.

As part of the financing for the Sinai development and reconstruction, particularly desalination and water treatment projects, the Kuwaiti Fund for Arab and Economic Development has invested about $1.289 billion in Egypt, including $327 million for desalination plants.

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Pan-African Liquid Telecom will be able to invest in Egyptian telecoms under an outline deal signed with Telecom Egypt, the countrys investment ministry said on Saturday.

Liquid Telecom, a subsidiary of Econet Wireless Global, will invest $400 million on data centres, infrastructure and financial inclusion, the ministry said in a statement.

The agreement includes a partnership between Telecom Egypt and Africa Data Centres, a subsidiary of Liquid, to build and operate new data centres across Egypt.

The partnership is expected to add new data centre capacities to meet the increasing growth of the Egyptian ICT sector, the statement said.

A data centre planned to be built in Cairo will be connected to facilities in other countries to form the largest network of telecommunication centres in Africa, the statement said.

Expanding the Africa Data Centres brand into North Africa for the first time signifies our intention to be a truly pan-African data centre provider, Liquid CEO Nic Rudnick said in the statement.

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Musical drama A Star is Born, superhero movie Black Panther and horror flick A Quiet Place were named among the 10 best films of 2018 by the American Film Institute on Tuesday.

The top movies also included coming-of-age tale Eighth Grade and family film Mary Poppins Returns, as well as historical dramas BlacKkKlansman, If Beale Street Could Talk, The Favourite, Green Book and First Reformed.

The honours are among the first to be handed out during Hollywood's awards seasons, which continues with Golden Globe nominations on Thursday and the Academy Awards in February.

The institute also gave a special award to black-and-white family drama Roma, which did not meet criteria for the top 10 list of American films.

Roma was shot in Mexico and the dialogue is in Spanish. The movie is being shown on Netflix and in a limited number of theatres around the world.

The AFI also named its top 10 TV series of the year; The Marvelous Mrs. Maisel, Succession, Atlanta, Pose, The Americans, The Assassination of Gianni Versace: American Crime Story, Barry, Better Call Saul, This is Us, and The Kominsky Method.

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

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